WebStart WEPS: Remote data access and model execution functionality added to WEPS

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) is a daily time step, process based wind erosion model developed by the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). WEPS simulates climate and management driven changes to the surface/vegetation/soil state on a daily b...

Internet Database Review: The FDA BBS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomaiuolo, Nicholas G.

1993-01-01

Describes the electronic bulletin board system (BBS) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that is accessible through the Internet. Highlights include how to gain access; the menu-driven software; other electronic sources of FDA information; and adding value. Examples of the FDA BBS menu and the help screen are included. (LRW)

A low power ADS for transmutation studies in fast systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panza, Fabio; Firpo, Gabriele; Lomonaco, Guglielmo; Osipenko, Mikhail; Ricco, Giovanni; Ripani, Marco; Saracco, Paolo; Viberti, Carlo Maria

2017-12-01

In this work, we report studies on a fast low power accelerator driven system model as a possible experimental facility, focusing on its capabilities in terms of measurement of relevant integral nuclear quantities. In particular, we performed Monte Carlo simulations of minor actinides and fission products irradiation and estimated the fission rate within fission chambers in the reactor core and the reflector, in order to evaluate the transmutation rates and the measurement sensitivity. We also performed a photo-peak analysis of available experimental data from a research reactor, in order to estimate the expected sensitivity of this analysis method on the irradiation of samples in the ADS considered.

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes in Florida Phase II: Shallow Plus Retrofits

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

Sutherland, K.; Parker, D.; Martin, E.

Originally published in February 2016, this revision contains an added section called 'Evaluation of Complete Central System Replacement with Inverter-Driven Heat Pump,' which presents the designs and energy savings evaluations of two different schemes wherein inverter-driven systems replaced a home's existing central system. Analyses for three additional retrofit measures were bolstered by longer-term data; these are described in the sections on supplemental mini-split heat pumps (MSHPs), smart thermostats, and heat pump clothes dryers. The sections on supplemental MSHPs and smart thermostats were also enhanced with larger sample sizes and projections of weather-normalized annual energy savings. Finally, peak system hour energymore » demand-reduction predictions are provided for all retrofit measures where meaningful impacts could be drawn.« less

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes in Florida Phase II: Shallow Plus Retrofits

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

Sutherland, K.; Parker, D.; Martin, E.

Originally published in February 2016, this revision contains an added section called 'Evaluation of Complete Central System Replacement with Inverter-Driven Heat Pump,' which presents the designs and energy savings evaluations of two different schemes wherein inverter-driven systems replaced a home’s existing central system. Analyses for three additional retrofit measures were bolstered by longer-term data; these are described in the sections on supplemental mini-split heat pumps (MSHPs), smart thermostats, and heat pump clothes dryers. The sections on supplemental MSHPs and smart thermostats were also enhanced with larger sample sizes and projections of weather-normalized annual energy savings. Finally, peak system hour energymore » demand-reduction predictions are provided for all retrofit measures where meaningful impacts could be drawn.« less

Accelerator–Reactor Coupling for Energy Production in Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles

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

Heidet, Florent; Brown, Nicholas R.; Haj Tahar, Malek

2015-01-01

This article is a review of several accelerator-reactor interface issues and nuclear fuel cycle applications of accelerator-driven subcritical systems. The systems considered here have the primary goal of energy production, but that goal is accomplished via a specific application in various proposed nuclear fuel cycles, such as breed-and-burn of fertile material or burning of transuranic material. Several basic principles are reviewed, starting from the proton beam window including the target, blanket, reactor core, and up to the fuel cycle. We focused on issues of interest, e.g. the impact of the energy required to run the accelerator and associated systems onmore » the potential electricity delivered to the grid. Accelerator-driven systems feature many of the constraints and issues associated with critical reactors, with the added challenges of subcritical operation and coupling to an accelerator. Reliable accelerator operation and avoidance of beam trips are a critically important. One interesting challenge is measurement of blanket subcriticality level during operation. We also reviewed the potential benefits of accelerator-driven systems in various nuclear fuel cycle applications. Ultimately, accelerator-driven subcritical systems with the goal of transmutation of transuranic material have lower 100,000-year radioactivity versus a critical fast reactor with recycle of uranium and plutonium.« less

Accelerator-Reactor Coupling for Energy Production in Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidet, Florent; Brown, Nicholas R.; Haj Tahar, Malek

This article is a review of several accelerator-reactor interface issues and nuclear fuel cycle applications of accelerator-driven subcritical systems. The systems considered here have the primary goal of energy production, but that goal is accomplished via a specific application in various proposed nuclear fuel cycles, such as breed-and-burn of fertile material or burning of transuranic material. Several basic principles are reviewed, starting from the proton beam window including the target, blanket, reactor core, and up to the fuel cycle. We focus on issues of interest, such as the impact of the energy required to run the accelerator and associated systems on the potential electricity delivered to the grid. Accelerator-driven systems feature many of the constraints and issues associated with critical reactors, with the added challenges of subcritical operation and coupling to an accelerator. Reliable accelerator operation and avoidance of beam trips are critically important. One interesting challenge is measurement of blanket subcriticality level during operation. We also review the potential benefits of accelerator-driven systems in various nuclear fuel cycle applications. Ultimately, accelerator-driven subcritical systems with the goal of transmutation of transuranic material have lower 100,000-year radioactivity than a critical fast reactor with recycling of uranium and plutonium.

Data-driven robust approximate optimal tracking control for unknown general nonlinear systems using adaptive dynamic programming method.

PubMed

Zhang, Huaguang; Cui, Lili; Zhang, Xin; Luo, Yanhong

2011-12-01

In this paper, a novel data-driven robust approximate optimal tracking control scheme is proposed for unknown general nonlinear systems by using the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) method. In the design of the controller, only available input-output data is required instead of known system dynamics. A data-driven model is established by a recurrent neural network (NN) to reconstruct the unknown system dynamics using available input-output data. By adding a novel adjustable term related to the modeling error, the resultant modeling error is first guaranteed to converge to zero. Then, based on the obtained data-driven model, the ADP method is utilized to design the approximate optimal tracking controller, which consists of the steady-state controller and the optimal feedback controller. Further, a robustifying term is developed to compensate for the NN approximation errors introduced by implementing the ADP method. Based on Lyapunov approach, stability analysis of the closed-loop system is performed to show that the proposed controller guarantees the system state asymptotically tracking the desired trajectory. Additionally, the obtained control input is proven to be close to the optimal control input within a small bound. Finally, two numerical examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

The Immunology of AD and its Reversibility with Broad Spectrum and Targeted Therapies

PubMed Central

Brunner, Patrick M.; Guttman-Yassky, Emma; Leung, Donald Y. M.

2017-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease, is driven by both terminal keratinocyte differentiation defects and strong type 2 immune responses. In contrast to chronic plaque-type psoriasis, AD is now understood to be a much more heterogeneous disease, with additional activation of Th22, Th17/IL-23 and Th1 cytokine pathways, depending on the subtype of the disease. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the AD immune map in both early-onset as well as chronic disease. Clinical studies using broad and targeted therapeutics have helped to elucidate the contribution of various immune axes to the disease phenotype. Importantly, immune activation extends well beyond lesional AD, as non-lesional skin and the blood component harbor AD-specific inflammatory changes. For this reason, future therapeutics will need to focus on a systemic treatment approach, especially in patients suffering from moderate-to-severe disease. PMID:28390479

Floquet scalar dynamics in global AdS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biasi, Anxo; Carracedo, Pablo; Mas, Javier; Musso, Daniele; Serantes, Alexandre

2018-04-01

We study periodically driven scalar fields and the resulting geometries with global AdS asymptotics. These solutions describe the strongly coupled dynamics of dual finite-size quantum systems under a periodic driving which we interpret as Floquet condensates. They span a continuous two-parameter space that extends the linearized solutions on AdS. We map the regions of stability in the solution space. In a significant portion of the unstable subspace, two very different endpoints are reached depending upon the sign of the perturbation. Collapse into a black hole occurs for one sign. For the opposite sign instead one attains a regular solution with periodic modulation. We also construct quenches where the driving frequency and amplitude are continuously varied. Quasistatic quenches can interpolate between pure AdS and sourced solutions with time periodic vev. By suitably choosing the quasistatic path one can obtain boson stars dual to Floquet condensates at zero driving field. We characterize the adiabaticity of the quenching processes. Besides, we speculate on the possible connections of this framework with time crystals.

FoodWiki: Ontology-Driven Mobile Safe Food Consumption System.

PubMed

Çelik, Duygu

2015-01-01

An ontology-driven safe food consumption mobile system is considered. Over 3,000 compounds are being added to processed food, with numerous effects on the food: to add color, stabilize, texturize, preserve, sweeten, thicken, add flavor, soften, emulsify, and so forth. According to World Health Organization, governments have lately focused on legislation to reduce such ingredients or compounds in manufactured foods as they may have side effects causing health risks such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, allergens, and obesity. By supervising what and how much to eat as well as what not to eat, we can maximize a patient's life quality through avoidance of unhealthy ingredients. Smart e-health systems with powerful knowledge bases can provide suggestions of appropriate foods to individuals. Next-generation smart knowledgebase systems will not only include traditional syntactic-based search, which limits the utility of the search results, but will also provide semantics for rich searching. In this paper, performance of concept matching of food ingredients is semantic-based, meaning that it runs its own semantic based rule set to infer meaningful results through the proposed Ontology-Driven Mobile Safe Food Consumption System (FoodWiki).

Tuner control system of Spoke012 SRF cavity for C-ADS injector I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Na; Sun, Yi; Wang, Guang-Wei; Mi, Zheng-Hui; Lin, Hai-Ying; Wang, Qun-Yao; Liu, Rong; Ma, Xin-Peng

2016-09-01

A new tuner control system for spoke superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities has been developed and applied to cryomodule I of the C-ADS injector I at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. We have successfully implemented the tuner controller based on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for the first time and achieved a cavity tuning phase error of ±0.7° (about ±4 Hz peak to peak) in the presence of electromechanical coupled resonance. This paper presents preliminary experimental results based on the PLC tuner controller under proton beam commissioning. Supported by Proton linac accelerator I of China Accelerator Driven sub-critical System (Y12C32W129)

Study of an External Neutron Source for an Accelerator-Driven System using the PHITS Code

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

Sugawara, Takanori; Iwasaki, Tomohiko; Chiba, Takashi

A code system for the Accelerator Driven System (ADS) has been under development for analyzing dynamic behaviors of a subcritical core coupled with an accelerator. This code system named DSE (Dynamics calculation code system for a Subcritical system with an External neutron source) consists of an accelerator part and a reactor part. The accelerator part employs a database, which is calculated by using PHITS, for investigating the effect related to the accelerator such as the changes of beam energy, beam diameter, void generation, and target level. This analysis method using the database may introduce some errors into dynamics calculations sincemore » the neutron source data derived from the database has some errors in fitting or interpolating procedures. In this study, the effects of various events are investigated to confirm that the method based on the database is appropriate.« less

Preliminary research on flow rate and free surface of the accelerator driven subcritical system gravity-driven dense granular-flow target

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaodong; Wan, Jiangfeng; Zhang, Sheng; Lin, Ping; Zhang, Yanshi; Yang, Guanghui; Wang, Mengke; Duan, Wenshan; Sun, Jian’an

2017-01-01

A spallation target is one of the three core parts of the accelerator driven subcritical system (ADS), which has already been investigated for decades. Recently, a gravity-driven Dense Granular-flow Target (DGT) is proposed, which consists of a cylindrical hopper and an internal coaxial cylindrical beam pipe. The research on the flow rate and free surface are important for the design of the target whether in Heavy Liquid Metal (HLM) targets or the DGT. In this paper, the relations of flow rate and the geometry of the DGT are investigated. Simulations based on the discrete element method (DEM) implementing on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and experiments are both performed. It is found that the existence of an internal pipe doesn’t influence the flow rate when the distance from the bottom of the pipe to orifice is large enough even in a larger system. Meanwhile, snapshots of the free surface formed just below the beam pipe are given. It is observed that the free surface is stable over time. The entire research is meaningful for the design of DGT. PMID:29095910

Preliminary research on flow rate and free surface of the accelerator driven subcritical system gravity-driven dense granular-flow target.

PubMed

Li, Xiaodong; Wan, Jiangfeng; Zhang, Sheng; Lin, Ping; Zhang, Yanshi; Yang, Guanghui; Wang, Mengke; Duan, Wenshan; Sun, Jian'an; Yang, Lei

2017-01-01

A spallation target is one of the three core parts of the accelerator driven subcritical system (ADS), which has already been investigated for decades. Recently, a gravity-driven Dense Granular-flow Target (DGT) is proposed, which consists of a cylindrical hopper and an internal coaxial cylindrical beam pipe. The research on the flow rate and free surface are important for the design of the target whether in Heavy Liquid Metal (HLM) targets or the DGT. In this paper, the relations of flow rate and the geometry of the DGT are investigated. Simulations based on the discrete element method (DEM) implementing on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and experiments are both performed. It is found that the existence of an internal pipe doesn't influence the flow rate when the distance from the bottom of the pipe to orifice is large enough even in a larger system. Meanwhile, snapshots of the free surface formed just below the beam pipe are given. It is observed that the free surface is stable over time. The entire research is meaningful for the design of DGT.

Preliminary Consideration of the ADS Research in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Shouxian; Fu, Shinian

2002-08-01

Power supply is a key issue for China's further economic development. To meet the needs of our economic growth in the next century, the part of nuclear energy in the total newly increased power supply must become larger. However, the present nuclear power stations dominated by the PWR in the world are facing some troubles. Recently, a new concept, called ADS (Accelerator Driven Subcritical system), can avoid these troubles and it is recognized as a most prospective power system for fission energy. So during the early time of nuclear power development in our country, it is worthwhile to exploit this novel idea. In this paper, the ADS research program and a proposed verification facility are described. It consists of an 300MeV/3mA low energy accelerator, a swimming pool reactor and some basic research equipment. Beam physics, such as beam halo formation, in the intense-beam accelerator is also discussed.

YALINA facility a sub-critical Accelerator- Driven System (ADS) for nuclear energy research facility description and an overview of the research program (1997-2008).

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

Gohar, Y.; Smith, D. L.; Nuclear Engineering Division

2010-04-28

The YALINA facility is a zero-power, sub-critical assembly driven by a conventional neutron generator. It was conceived, constructed, and put into operation at the Radiation Physics and Chemistry Problems Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus located in Minsk-Sosny, Belarus. This facility was conceived for the purpose of investigating the static and dynamic neutronics properties of accelerator driven sub-critical systems, and to serve as a neutron source for investigating the properties of nuclear reactions, in particular transmutation reactions involving minor-actinide nuclei. This report provides a detailed description of this facility and documents the progress of research carried outmore » there during a period of approximately a decade since the facility was conceived and built until the end of 2008. During its history of development and operation to date (1997-2008), the YALINA facility has hosted several foreign groups that worked with the resident staff as collaborators. The participation of Argonne National Laboratory in the YALINA research programs commenced in 2005. For obvious reasons, special emphasis is placed in this report on the work at YALINA facility that has involved Argonne's participation. Attention is given here to the experimental program at YALINA facility as well as to analytical investigations aimed at validating codes and computational procedures and at providing a better understanding of the physics and operational behavior of the YALINA facility in particular, and ADS systems in general, during the period 1997-2008.« less

Neutrino Physics with Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciuffoli, Emilio

2017-09-01

Accelerator Driven Subcritical System (ADS) reactors are being developed around the world, to produce energy and, at the same time, to provide an efficient way to dispose of and to recycle nuclear waste. Used nuclear fuel, by itself, cannot sustain a chain reaction; however in ADS reactors the additional neutrons which are required will be supplied by a high-intensity accelerator. This accelerator will produce, as a by-product, a large quantity of {\\bar{ν }}μ via muon Decay At Rest (µDAR). Using liquid scintillators, it will be possible to to measure the CP-violating phase δCP and to look for experimental signs of the presence of sterile neutrinos in the appearance channel, testing the LSND and MiniBooNE anomalies. Even in the first stage of the project, when the beam energy will be lower, it will be possible to produce {\\bar{ν }}e via Isotope Decay At Rest (IsoDAR), which can be used to provide competitive bounds on sterile neutrinos in the disappearance channel. I will consider several experimental setups in which the antineutrinos are created using accelerators that will be constructed as part of the China-ADS program.

FoodWiki: Ontology-Driven Mobile Safe Food Consumption System

PubMed Central

Çelik, Duygu

2015-01-01

An ontology-driven safe food consumption mobile system is considered. Over 3,000 compounds are being added to processed food, with numerous effects on the food: to add color, stabilize, texturize, preserve, sweeten, thicken, add flavor, soften, emulsify, and so forth. According to World Health Organization, governments have lately focused on legislation to reduce such ingredients or compounds in manufactured foods as they may have side effects causing health risks such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, allergens, and obesity. By supervising what and how much to eat as well as what not to eat, we can maximize a patient's life quality through avoidance of unhealthy ingredients. Smart e-health systems with powerful knowledge bases can provide suggestions of appropriate foods to individuals. Next-generation smart knowledgebase systems will not only include traditional syntactic-based search, which limits the utility of the search results, but will also provide semantics for rich searching. In this paper, performance of concept matching of food ingredients is semantic-based, meaning that it runs its own semantic based rule set to infer meaningful results through the proposed Ontology-Driven Mobile Safe Food Consumption System (FoodWiki). PMID:26221624

Accelerator-Driven Subcritical System for Disposing of the U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Inventory

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

Gohar, Yousry; Cao, Yan; Kraus, Adam R.

The current United States inventory of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is ~80,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM), including ~131 tons of minor actinides (MAs) and ~669 tons of plutonium. This study describes a conceptual design of an accelerator-driven subcritical (ADS) system for disposing of this SNF inventory by utilizing the 131 tons of MAs inventory and a fraction of the plutonium inventory for energy production, and transmuting some long-lived fission products. An ADS system with a homogeneous subcritical fission blanket was first examined. A spallation neutron source is used to drive the blanket and it is produced frommore » the interaction of a 1-GeV proton beam with a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) target. The blanket has a liquid mobile fuel using LBE as the fuel carrier. The fuel materials are dissolved, mixed, or suspended in the liquid fuel carrier. Monte Carlo analyses were performed to determine the overall parameters of the concept. Steady-state Monte Carlo simulations were performed for three similar fission blankets. Except for, the loaded amount of actinide materials in the LBE is either 5, 7, or 10% of the total volume of the blanket, respectively. The neutron multiplication factors of the three blankets are ~0.98 and the initial MAs blanket inventories are ~10 tons. In addition, Monte Carlo burnup simulations using the MCB5 code were performed to analyze the performance of the three conceptual ADS systems. During operation, fresh fuel was fed into the fission blanket to adjust its reactivity and to control the system power. The burnup analysis shows that the three ADS concepts consume about 1.2 tons of actinides per full power year and produce 3 GW thermal power, with a proton beam power of 25 MW. For the blankets with 5, 7, or 10% actinide fuel particles loaded in the LBE, assuming that the ADS systems can be operated for 35 full-power years, the total MA materials consumed in the three ADS systems are about 30.6, 35.3, and 37.2 tons, respectively. Thus, the corresponding numbers of ADS systems to utilize the 131 tons of MA materials of the SNF inventory are 4.3, 3.7, or 3.5, respectively. ADS concepts with tube bundles inserted in the fission blanket were analyzed to overcome the disadvantages of the homogeneous blanket concept. The liquid lead is used as the target material, the mobile fuel carrier, and the primary coolant to avoid the polonium production from bismuth. Reactor physics and thermal-hydraulic analyses were coupled to determine the parameters of the heterogeneous fission blanket. The engineering requirements for a satisfactory operation performance of the HT-9 ferritic steel structure material have been realized. Two heterogeneous concepts of the subcritical fission blanket with the liquid lead mobile fuel inside or outside the tube bundles were considered. The heterogeneous configuration with the mobile fuel inside the tubes showed better performance than the configuration with mobile fuel outside the bundle tubes. The Monte Carlo burnup codes, MCB5 and SERPENT were both used to simulate the fuel burnup in the ADS concepts with the mobile fuels inside the tubes. The burnup analyses were carried out for 35 full power years. The results show that 5 ADS systems can dispose of the total United States inventory of the spent nuclear fuel.« less

Central Office Supports for Data-Driven Talent Management Decisions: Evidence from the Implementation of New Systems for Measuring Teacher Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grissom, Jason A.; Rubin, Mollie; Neumerski, Christine M.; Cannata, Marisa; Drake, Timothy A.; Goldring, Ellen; Schuermann, Patrick

2017-01-01

School districts increasingly push school leaders to utilize multiple measures of teacher effectiveness, such as observation ratings or value-added scores, in making talent management decisions, including teacher hiring, assignment, support, and retention, but we know little about the local conditions that promote or impede these processes. We…

How Non-Linearity and Grade-Level Differences Complicate the Validation of Observation Protocols

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarev, Valeriy; Newman, Denis

2013-01-01

Teacher evaluation is currently a major policy issue at all levels of the K-12 system driven in large part by current US Department of Education requirements. The main objective of this study is to explore the patterns of relationship between observational scores and value-added measures of teacher performance in math classrooms and the variation…

A Low Cost Brush Deflection System for Bank Stabilization and Revegetation

Treesearch

Mary Elizabeth Meyer

1989-01-01

A series of brush deflectors were installed along an eroding, undercut streambank on Lindo Channel in Chico, California. Pieces of brush were wired to sets of metal fenceposts driven into the bank perpendicular to stream flow and at strategic points upstream. Dormant cuttings of riparian plants were added for revegetation and long-term bank protection. To date (two...

Absence of thermalization in finite isolated interacting Floquet systems

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

Seetharam, Karthik; Titum, Paraj; Kolodrubetz, Michael

Conventional wisdom suggests that the long time behavior of isolated interacting periodically driven (Floquet) systems is a featureless maximal entropy state characterized by an infinite temperature. Efforts to thwart this uninteresting fixed point include adding sufficient disorder to realize a Floquet many-body localized phase or working in a narrow region of drive frequencies to achieve glassy non-thermal behavior at long time. Here we show that in clean systems the Floquet eigenstates can exhibit non-thermal behavior due to finite system size. We consider a one-dimensional system of spinless fermions with nearest-neighbor interactions where the interaction term is driven. Interestingly, even withmore » no static component of the interaction, the quasienergy spectrum contains gaps and a significant fraction of the Floquet eigenstates, at all quasienergies, have non-thermal average doublon densities. Finally, we show that this non-thermal behavior arises due to emergent integrability at large interaction strength and discuss how the integrability breaks down with power-law dependence on system size.« less

Absence of thermalization in finite isolated interacting Floquet systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seetharam, Karthik; Titum, Paraj; Kolodrubetz, Michael; Refael, Gil

2018-01-01

Conventional wisdom suggests that the long-time behavior of isolated interacting periodically driven (Floquet) systems is a featureless maximal-entropy state characterized by an infinite temperature. Efforts to thwart this uninteresting fixed point include adding sufficient disorder to realize a Floquet many-body localized phase or working in a narrow region of drive frequencies to achieve glassy nonthermal behavior at long time. Here we show that in clean systems the Floquet eigenstates can exhibit nonthermal behavior due to finite system size. We consider a one-dimensional system of spinless fermions with nearest-neighbor interactions where the interaction term is driven. Interestingly, even with no static component of the interaction, the quasienergy spectrum contains gaps and a significant fraction of the Floquet eigenstates, at all quasienergies, have nonthermal average doublon densities. We show that this nonthermal behavior arises due to emergent integrability at large interaction strength and discuss how the integrability breaks down with power-law dependence on system size.

Absence of thermalization in finite isolated interacting Floquet systems

DOE PAGES

Seetharam, Karthik; Titum, Paraj; Kolodrubetz, Michael; ...

2018-01-29

Conventional wisdom suggests that the long time behavior of isolated interacting periodically driven (Floquet) systems is a featureless maximal entropy state characterized by an infinite temperature. Efforts to thwart this uninteresting fixed point include adding sufficient disorder to realize a Floquet many-body localized phase or working in a narrow region of drive frequencies to achieve glassy non-thermal behavior at long time. Here we show that in clean systems the Floquet eigenstates can exhibit non-thermal behavior due to finite system size. We consider a one-dimensional system of spinless fermions with nearest-neighbor interactions where the interaction term is driven. Interestingly, even withmore » no static component of the interaction, the quasienergy spectrum contains gaps and a significant fraction of the Floquet eigenstates, at all quasienergies, have non-thermal average doublon densities. Finally, we show that this non-thermal behavior arises due to emergent integrability at large interaction strength and discuss how the integrability breaks down with power-law dependence on system size.« less

A novel quantification-driven proteomic strategy identifies an endogenous peptide of pleiotrophin as a new biomarker of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Skillbäck, Tobias; Mattsson, Niklas; Hansson, Karl; Mirgorodskaya, Ekaterina; Dahlén, Rahil; van der Flier, Wiesje; Scheltens, Philip; Duits, Floor; Hansson, Oskar; Teunissen, Charlotte; Blennow, Kaj; Zetterberg, Henrik; Gobom, Johan

2017-10-17

We present a new, quantification-driven proteomic approach to identifying biomarkers. In contrast to the identification-driven approach, limited in scope to peptides that are identified by database searching in the first step, all MS data are considered to select biomarker candidates. The endopeptidome of cerebrospinal fluid from 40 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 40 subjects with mild cognitive impairment, and 40 controls with subjective cognitive decline was analyzed using multiplex isobaric labeling. Spectral clustering was used to match MS/MS spectra. The top biomarker candidate cluster (215% higher in AD compared to controls, area under ROC curve = 0.96) was identified as a fragment of pleiotrophin located near the protein's C-terminus. Analysis of another cohort (n = 60 over four clinical groups) verified that the biomarker was increased in AD patients while no change in controls, Parkinson's disease or progressive supranuclear palsy was observed. The identification of the novel biomarker pleiotrophin 151-166 demonstrates that our quantification-driven proteomic approach is a promising method for biomarker discovery, which may be universally applicable in clinical proteomics.

Role of ADS in the back-end of the fuel cycle strategies and associated design activities: The case of Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oigawa, Hiroyuki; Tsujimoto, Kazufumi; Nishihara, Kenji; Sugawara, Takanori; Kurata, Yuji; Takei, Hayanori; Saito, Shigeru; Sasa, Toshinobu; Obayashi, Hironari

2011-08-01

Reduction of burden caused by radioactive waste management is one of the most critical issues for the sustainable utilization of nuclear power. The Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T) technology provides the possibility to reduce the amount of the radiotoxic inventory of the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) dramatically and to extend the repository capacity. The accelerator-driven system (ADS) is regarded as a powerful tool to effectively transmute minor actinides (MAs) in the "double-strata" fuel cycle strategy. The ADS has a potential to flexibly manage MA in the transient phase from light water reactors (LWRs) to fast breeder reactors (FBRs), and can co-exist with FBR symbiotically and complementarily to enhance the reliability and the safety of the commercial FBR cycle. The concept of ADS in JAEA is a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled, tank-type subcritical reactor with the power of 800 MWth driven by a 30 MW superconducting LINAC. By such an ADS, 250 kg of MA can be transmuted annually, which corresponds to the amount of MA produced in 10 units of LWR with 1 GWe. The design study was performed mainly for the subcritical reactor and the spallation target with a beam window. In Japan, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) has implemented the check and review (C&R) on P&T technology from 2008 to 2009. In the C&R, the benefit of P&T technology, the current status of the R&D, and the way forward to promote it were discussed.

Parametric instabilities in resonantly-driven Bose–Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lellouch, S.; Goldman, N.

2018-04-01

Shaking optical lattices in a resonant manner offers an efficient and versatile method to devise artificial gauge fields and topological band structures for ultracold atomic gases. This was recently demonstrated through the experimental realization of the Harper–Hofstadter model, which combined optical superlattices and resonant time-modulations. Adding inter-particle interactions to these engineered band systems is expected to lead to strongly-correlated states with topological features, such as fractional Chern insulators. However, the interplay between interactions and external time-periodic drives typically triggers violent instabilities and uncontrollable heating, hence potentially ruling out the possibility of accessing such intriguing states of matter in experiments. In this work, we study the early-stage parametric instabilities that occur in systems of resonantly-driven Bose–Einstein condensates in optical lattices. We apply and extend an approach based on Bogoliubov theory (Lellouch et al 2017 Phys. Rev. X 7 021015) to a variety of resonantly-driven band models, from a simple shaken Wannier–Stark ladder to the more intriguing driven-induced Harper–Hofstadter model. In particular, we provide ab initio numerical and analytical predictions for the stability properties of these topical models. This work sheds light on general features that could guide current experiments to stable regimes of operation.

Mixed-mode oscillations in memristor emulator based Liénard system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingston, S. Leo; Suresh, K.; Thamilmaran, K.

2018-04-01

We report the existence of mixed-mode oscillations in memristor emulator based Liénard system which is externally driven by sinusoidal force. The charge and flux relationship of memristor emulator device explored based on the smooth cubic nonlinear element. The system exhibits the successive period adding sequences of mixed-mode oscillations in the wide parameter region. The electronics circuit of the memristor emulator is successfully implemented through PSpice simulation and mixed mode oscillations are observed through PSpice experiment and the obtained results are qualitatively matches with the numerical simulation.

Accelerator Reactor Coupling for Energy Production in Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles

DOE PAGES

Brown, Nicholas R.; Heidet, Florent; Haj Tahar, Malek

2016-01-01

This article is a review of several accelerator–reactor interface issues and nuclear fuel cycle applications of acceleratordriven subcritical systems. The systems considered here have the primary goal of energy production, but that goal is accomplished via a specific application in various proposed nuclear fuel cycles, such as breed-and-burn of fertile material or burning of transuranic material. Several basic principles are reviewed, starting from the proton beam window including the target, blanket, reactor core, and up to the fuel cycle. We focus on issues of interest, such as the impact of the energy required to run the accelerator and associated systemsmore » on the potential electricity delivered to the grid. Accelerator-driven systems feature many of the constraints and issues associated with critical reactors, with the added challenges of subcritical operation and coupling to an accelerator. Reliable accelerator operation and avoidance of beam trips are critically important. One interesting challenge is measurement of blanket subcriticality level during operation. We also review the potential benefits of accelerator-driven systems in various nuclear fuel cycle applications. Ultimately, accelerator-driven subcritical systems with the goal of transmutation of transuranic material have lower 100,000-year radioactivity than a critical fast reactor with recycling of uranium and plutonium.« less

Evaluating data-driven causal inference techniques in noisy physical and ecological systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tennant, C.; Larsen, L.

2016-12-01

Causal inference from observational time series challenges traditional approaches for understanding processes and offers exciting opportunities to gain new understanding of complex systems where nonlinearity, delayed forcing, and emergent behavior are common. We present a formal evaluation of the performance of convergent cross-mapping (CCM) and transfer entropy (TE) for data-driven causal inference under real-world conditions. CCM is based on nonlinear state-space reconstruction, and causality is determined by the convergence of prediction skill with an increasing number of observations of the system. TE is the uncertainty reduction based on transition probabilities of a pair of time-lagged variables. With TE, causal inference is based on asymmetry in information flow between the variables. Observational data and numerical simulations from a number of classical physical and ecological systems: atmospheric convection (the Lorenz system), species competition (patch-tournaments), and long-term climate change (Vostok ice core) were used to evaluate the ability of CCM and TE to infer causal-relationships as data series become increasingly corrupted by observational (instrument-driven) or process (model-or -stochastic-driven) noise. While both techniques show promise for causal inference, TE appears to be applicable to a wider range of systems, especially when the data series are of sufficient length to reliably estimate transition probabilities of system components. Both techniques also show a clear effect of observational noise on causal inference. For example, CCM exhibits a negative logarithmic decline in prediction skill as the noise level of the system increases. Changes in TE strongly depend on noise type and which variable the noise was added to. The ability of CCM and TE to detect driving influences suggest that their application to physical and ecological systems could be transformative for understanding driving mechanisms as Earth systems undergo change.

Climate-driven Sympatry does not Lead to Foraging Competition Between Adélie and Gentoo Penguins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cimino, M. A.; Moline, M. A.; Fraser, W.; Patterson-Fraser, D.; Oliver, M. J.

2016-02-01

Climate-driven sympatry may lead to competition for food resources between species, population shifts and changes in ecosystem structure. Rapid warming in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is coincident with increasing gentoo penguin and decreasing Adélie penguin populations, suggesting that competition for food may exacerbate the Adélie penguin decline. At Palmer Station, we tested for foraging competition between these species by comparing their prey, Antarctic krill, distributions and penguin foraging behaviors on fine scales. To study these predator-prey dynamics, we simultaneously deployed penguin satellite transmitters, and a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle that acoustically detected krill aggregations and measured physical and biological properties of the water column. We detected krill aggregations within the horizontal and vertical foraging ranges of Adélie and gentoo penguin. In the upper 100 m of the water column, the distribution of krill aggregations were mainly associated with CHL and light, suggesting that krill selected for habitats that balance the need to consume food and avoid predation. Adélie and gentoo penguins mainly had spatially segregated foraging areas but in areas of overlap, gentoo penguins switched foraging behavior by foraging at deeper depths, a strategy which limits competition with Adélie penguins. This suggests that climate-driven sympatry does not necessarily result in competitive exclusion. Contrary to a recent theory, which suggests that increased competition for krill is the major driver of Adélie penguin population declines, we suggest that declines in Adélie penguins along the WAP are more likely due to direct and indirect climate impacts on their life histories.

Pre-existing immunity against Ad vectors: humoral, cellular, and innate response, what's important?.

PubMed

Fausther-Bovendo, Hugues; Kobinger, Gary P

2014-01-01

Pre-existing immunity against human adenovirus (HAd) serotype 5 derived vector in the human population is widespread, thus hampering its clinical use. Various components of the immune system, including neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), Ad specific T cells and type I IFN activated NK cells, contribute to dampening the efficacy of Ad vectors in individuals with pre-existing Ad immunity. In order to circumvent pre-existing immunity to adenovirus, numerous strategies, such as developing alternative Ad serotypes, varying immunization routes and utilizing prime-boost regimens, are under pre-clinical or clinical phases of development. However, these strategies mainly focus on one arm of pre-existing immunity. Selection of alternative serotypes has been largely driven by the absence in the human population of nAbs against them with little attention paid to cross-reactive Ad specific T cells. Conversely, varying the route of immunization appears to mainly rely on avoiding Ad specific tissue-resident T cells. Finally, prime-boost regimens do not actually circumvent pre-existing immunity but instead generate immune responses of sufficient magnitude to confer protection despite pre-existing immunity. Combining the above strategies and thus taking into account all components regulating pre-existing Ad immunity will help further improve the development of Ad vectors for animal and human use.

Documentation Driven Software Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Applications, Vol. 13, No. 1, March, 2006, pp. 28-38. 3. G. Jacoby, R. Marchany, Davis IV, “Using Battery Constraints Within Mobile Hosts To Improve Network ...2005. 2. Luqi, V. Berzins, William Roof, “Nautical Predictive Routing Protocol (NPRP) for the Dynamic Ad-Hoc Nautical Network (DANN)”, Monterey...Workshop 2005: realization of reliable systems on top of unreliable networked platforms, Laguna Beach, California, September, 2005. 3. B. Lewis, “The

Chaotic Behaviour of a Driven P-N Junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez, Jose Maria

The chaotic behavior of a driven p-n junction is experimentally examined. Bifurcation diagrams for the system are measured, showing period doubling bifurcations up to f/32, onset of chaos, reverse bifurcations of chaotic bands, and periodic windows. Some of the measured bifurcation diagrams are similar to the bifurcation diagram of the logistic map x(,n+1) = (lamda)x(,n)(1 - x(,n)). A return map is also measured showing approximately a one-dimensional map with a single extremum at low driving voltages. The intermittency route to chaos is experimentally observed to occur near a tangent bifurcation as the system approaches a period 5 window at (lamda) = (lamda)(,5). Data are presented for the dependence of the average laminar length on (epsilon) = (lamda)(,5) - (lamda), and for the probability distribution P(l) vs. l. The effects of additive stochastic noise on period doubling, chaos, windows, and intermittency are examined and are found to agree with the logistic model and universal predictions. Three examples of crisis of the attractor are observed. The crises occur when an unstable orbit intersects the chaotic attractor. A period adding sequence is reported in which wide periodic windows of period 2, 3, 4, ... are observed for increasing driving voltage. The initial period doubling cascade and the period adding sequence are compared to two theoretical models, with reasonable success.

On square-wave-driven stochastic resonance for energy harvesting in a bistable system

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

Su, Dongxu, E-mail: sudx@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Zheng, Rencheng; Nakano, Kimihiko

Stochastic resonance is a physical phenomenon through which the throughput of energy within an oscillator excited by a stochastic source can be boosted by adding a small modulating excitation. This study investigates the feasibility of implementing square-wave-driven stochastic resonance to enhance energy harvesting. The motivating hypothesis was that such stochastic resonance can be efficiently realized in a bistable mechanism. However, the condition for the occurrence of stochastic resonance is conventionally defined by the Kramers rate. This definition is inadequate because of the necessity and difficulty in estimating white noise density. A bistable mechanism has been designed using an explicit analyticalmore » model which implies a new approach for achieving stochastic resonance in the paper. Experimental tests confirm that the addition of a small-scale force to the bistable system excited by a random signal apparently leads to a corresponding amplification of the response that we now term square-wave-driven stochastic resonance. The study therefore indicates that this approach may be a promising way to improve the performance of an energy harvester under certain forms of random excitation.« less

Knowledge-driven computational modeling in Alzheimer's disease research: Current state and future trends.

PubMed

Geerts, Hugo; Hofmann-Apitius, Martin; Anastasio, Thomas J

2017-11-01

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) follow a slowly progressing dysfunctional trajectory, with a large presymptomatic component and many comorbidities. Using preclinical models and large-scale omics studies ranging from genetics to imaging, a large number of processes that might be involved in AD pathology at different stages and levels have been identified. The sheer number of putative hypotheses makes it almost impossible to estimate their contribution to the clinical outcome and to develop a comprehensive view on the pathological processes driving the clinical phenotype. Traditionally, bioinformatics approaches have provided correlations and associations between processes and phenotypes. Focusing on causality, a new breed of advanced and more quantitative modeling approaches that use formalized domain expertise offer new opportunities to integrate these different modalities and outline possible paths toward new therapeutic interventions. This article reviews three different computational approaches and their possible complementarities. Process algebras, implemented using declarative programming languages such as Maude, facilitate simulation and analysis of complicated biological processes on a comprehensive but coarse-grained level. A model-driven Integration of Data and Knowledge, based on the OpenBEL platform and using reverse causative reasoning and network jump analysis, can generate mechanistic knowledge and a new, mechanism-based taxonomy of disease. Finally, Quantitative Systems Pharmacology is based on formalized implementation of domain expertise in a more fine-grained, mechanism-driven, quantitative, and predictive humanized computer model. We propose a strategy to combine the strengths of these individual approaches for developing powerful modeling methodologies that can provide actionable knowledge for rational development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. Development of these computational approaches is likely to be required for further progress in understanding and treating AD. Copyright © 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2): a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer disease?

PubMed

Deming, Yuetiva; Li, Zeran; Benitez, Bruno A; Cruchaga, Carlos

2018-06-20

There are currently no effective therapeutics for Alzheimer disease (AD). Clinical trials targeting amyloid beta thus far have shown very little benefit and only in the earliest stages of disease. These limitations have driven research to identify alternative therapeutic targets, one of the most promising is the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2). Areas covered: Here, we review the literature to-date and discuss the potentials and pitfalls for targeting TREM2 as a potential therapeutic for AD. We focus on research in animal and cell models for AD and central nervous system injury models which may help in understanding the role of TREM2 in disease. Expert opinion: Studies suggest TREM2 plays a key role in AD pathology; however, results have been conflicting about whether TREM2 is beneficial or harmful. More research is necessary before designing TREM2-targeting therapies. Successful therapeutics will most likely be administered early in disease.

The immunology of atopic dermatitis and its reversibility with broad-spectrum and targeted therapies.

PubMed

Brunner, Patrick M; Guttman-Yassky, Emma; Leung, Donald Y M

2017-04-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease, is driven by both terminal keratinocyte differentiation defects and strong type 2 immune responses. In contrast to chronic plaque-type psoriasis, AD is now understood to be a much more heterogeneous disease, with additional activation of T H 22, T H 17/IL-23, and T H 1 cytokine pathways depending on the subtype of the disease. In this review we discuss our current understanding of the AD immune map in both patients with early-onset and those with chronic disease. Clinical studies with broad and targeted therapeutics have helped to elucidate the contribution of various immune axes to the disease phenotype. Importantly, immune activation extends well beyond lesional AD because nonlesional skin and the blood component harbor AD-specific inflammatory changes. For this reason, future therapeutics will need to focus on a systemic treatment approach, especially in patients with moderate-to-severe disease. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does Value-Added Work Better in Elementary than in Secondary Grades? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods Applications. Knowledge Brief 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Douglas N.; Anderson, Andrew

2013-01-01

There is a growing body of research on the validity and reliability of value-added measures, but most of this research has focused on elementary grades. Driven by several federal initiatives such as Race to the Top, Teacher Incentive Fund, and ESEA waivers, however, many states have incorporated value-added measures into the evaluations not only…

Opportunities for the LWR ATF materials development program to contribute to the LBE-cooled ADS materials qualification program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Xing; Li, Rui; Sun, Maozhou; Ren, Qisen; Liu, Tong; Short, Michael P.

2016-12-01

Accelerator-driven systems (ADS) are a promising approach for nuclear waste disposal. Nevertheless, the principal candidate materials proposed for ADS construction, such as the ferritic/martensitic steel, T91, and austenitic stainless steels, 316L and 15-15Ti, are not fully compatible with the liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) coolant. Under some operating conditions, liquid metal embrittlement (LME) or liquid metal corrosion (LMC) may occur in these steels when exposed to LBE. These environmentally-induced material degradation effects pose a threat to ADS reactor safety, as failure of the materials could initiate a severe accident, in which fission products are released into the coolant. Meanwhile, parallel efforts to develop accident-tolerant fuels (ATF) in light water reactors (LWRs) could provide both general materials design philosophies and specific material solutions to the ADS program. In this paper, the potential contributions of the ATF materials development program to the ADS materials qualification program are evaluated and discussed in terms of service conditions and materials performance requirements. Several specific areas where coordinated development may benefit both programs, including composite materials and selected coatings, are discussed.

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

Snezhko, Alex and Aronson, Igor

Nickel particles float peacefully in a liquid medium until a giant snake seems to swim by and snatch several particles up, adding to its own mass. The self-assembled "snakes" act like biological systems, but they are not alive and are driven by a magnetic field. The research may someday offer some insight into the organization of life itself. Read more at Wired: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/snakes/. Research and video by Alex Snezhko and Igor Aronson, Argonne National Laboratory.

[Construction of autocatalytic caspase-3 driven by amplified human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter and its enhanced efficacy of inducing apoptosis in human ovarian carcinoma].

PubMed

Song, Yue; Shen, Keng; He, Chun-Xia

2007-09-01

To construct recombinant adenoviral vector expressing autocatalysis caspase-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter amplified by two-step transcription amplification (hTERTp-TSTA), and investigate its antitumor effect in ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant adenoviruses expressing autocatalytic caspase-3 (rev-caspase-3) driven by hTERTp-TSTA were prepared, which were named as AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3. AdHT-rev-casp3, Ad-rev-casp3 and AdHTVP2G5-EGEP, which express rev-caspase-3 driven by hTERTp, cytomegalovirus promoter (CMVp) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), respectively, were used as controls. Western blot, cell counting kit (CCK-8), flow cytometry (FCM) and TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) were used to detect the expression of p17, active subunit of caspase-3, and p85, and to measure cell survival rates, apoptotic rates and cell cycle distribution in ovarian cell line AO and normal human umbilical vein endothelial cell line HUVEC, following treatments of AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3. subcutaneous tumor models and abdominally spread tumor models of human ovarian carcinoma using AO cells in BALB/c nude mice were established. Following treatments of AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3, western blot was used to detect the expression of active caspase-3 in abdominally spread tumors and liver tissues, respectively, and the mouse survival rates and the volume of tumor nodules were measured, and the serum level of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were analyzed to monitor liver damages and HE staining was used to detect the histopathological changes of various organs. The levels of p17 expression in AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3-treated AO cells were significantly higher than that in Ad-rev-casp3 or AdHT-rev-casp3 treated AO cells, while no expression was observed in AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3-treated HUVEC. There was strong cell killing of AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3 of hTERT positive AO cells, but not of the hTERT-negative HUVEC cells. Cell survival rate and apoptotic rate of AO cells treated with AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3 were 17.8% and 40.2%, respectively, significantly different from that treated with AdHT-rev-casp3 (75.2% and 16.1%) at the multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 70 (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in HUVEC cell survival rate and apoptotic rate between AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3 treatment (97.7% and 2.1%, respectively) and AdHT-rev-casp3 treatment (98.5% and 1.7%, respectively) at the same MOI (P > 0.05). Significant expressions of active caspase-3 were shown in AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3-treated tumors, whereas no expression was shown in liver. In contrast, both tumors and liver tissues showed active caspase-3 expression following treatments of Ad-rev-casp3. AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3 and Ad-rev-casp3 prolonged mouse survival [mean survival time of (259 +/- 14) d and (213 +/- 16) d], when compared with treatment with AdHT-rev-casp3 [(177 +/- 12) d] and AdHTVP2G5-EGFP [(109 +/- 7) d; P < 0.01]. The mean volume of AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3-treated tumor was 406 mm(3), significantly less than those of AdHT-rev-casp3 treatment (990 mm(3)), Ad-rev-casp3 treatment (645 mm(3)) and AdHTVP2G5-EGFP treatment (1728 mm(3); P < 0.01). The serum ALT and AST levels were not significantly elevated in AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3-treated mice, whereas significantly elevated in Ad-rev-casp3-treated mice. No obvious lesions were found in any organ in AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp-treated group. Recombinant adenovirus AdHTVP2G5-rev-casp3 expressing rev-caspase-3 driven by hTERTp-TSTA can result in marked cell apoptosis with significant tumor targeting, suppressing tumor growth and prolonging the mouse survival, meanwhile, it can prevent against the liver toxicity induced by rev-caspase-3.

IAEA activities in the area of partitioning and transmutation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanculescu, Alexander

2006-06-01

Four major challenges are facing the long-term development of nuclear energy: improvement of the economic competitiveness, meeting increasingly stringent safety requirements, adhering to the criteria of sustainable development, and public acceptance. Meeting the sustainability criteria is the driving force behind the topic of this paper. In this context, sustainability has two aspects: natural resources and waste management. IAEA's activities in the area of Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T) are mostly in response to the latter. While not involving the large quantities of gaseous products and toxic solid wastes associated with fossil fuels, radioactive waste disposal is today's dominant public acceptance issue. In fact, small waste quantities permit a rigorous confinement strategy, and mined geological disposal is the strategy followed by some countries. Nevertheless, political opposition arguing that this does not yet constitute a safe disposal technology has largely stalled these efforts. One of the primary reasons cited is the long life of many of the radioisotopes generated from fission. This concern has led to increased R&D efforts to develop a technology aimed at reducing the amount and radio-toxicity of long-lived radioactive waste through transmutation in fission reactors or sub-critical systems. In the frame of the Project on Technology Advances in Fast Reactors and Accelerator-Driven Systems (ADS), the IAEA initiated a number of activities on utilization of plutonium and transmutation of long-lived radioactive waste, ADS, and deuterium-tritium plasma-driven sub-critical systems. The paper presents past accomplishments, current status and planned activities of this IAEA project.

Applying value stream mapping techniques to eliminate non-value-added waste for the procurement of endovascular stents.

PubMed

Teichgräber, Ulf K; de Bucourt, Maximilian

2012-01-01

OJECTIVES: To eliminate non-value-adding (NVA) waste for the procurement of endovascular stents in interventional radiology services by applying value stream mapping (VSM). The Lean manufacturing technique was used to analyze the process of material and information flow currently required to direct endovascular stents from external suppliers to patients. Based on a decision point analysis for the procurement of stents in the hospital, a present state VSM was drawn. After assessment of the current status VSM and progressive elimination of unnecessary NVA waste, a future state VSM was drawn. The current state VSM demonstrated that out of 13 processes for the procurement of stents only 2 processes were value-adding. Out of the NVA processes 5 processes were unnecessary NVA activities, which could be eliminated. The decision point analysis demonstrated that the procurement of stents was mainly a forecast driven push system. The future state VSM applies a pull inventory control system to trigger the movement of a unit after withdrawal by using a consignment stock. VSM is a visualization tool for the supply chain and value stream, based on the Toyota Production System and greatly assists in successfully implementing a Lean system. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy management and control of active distribution systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shariatzadeh, Farshid

Advancements in the communication, control, computation and information technologies have driven the transition to the next generation active power distribution systems. Novel control techniques and management strategies are required to achieve the efficient, economic and reliable grid. The focus of this work is energy management and control of active distribution systems (ADS) with integrated renewable energy sources (RESs) and demand response (DR). Here, ADS mean automated distribution system with remotely operated controllers and distributed energy resources (DERs). DER as active part of the next generation future distribution system includes: distributed generations (DGs), RESs, energy storage system (ESS), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and DR. Integration of DR and RESs into ADS is critical to realize the vision of sustainability. The objective of this dissertation is the development of management architecture to control and operate ADS in the presence of DR and RES. One of the most challenging issues for operating ADS is the inherent uncertainty of DR and RES as well as conflicting objective of DER and electric utilities. ADS can consist of different layers such as system layer and building layer and coordination between these layers is essential. In order to address these challenges, multi-layer energy management and control architecture is proposed with robust algorithms in this work. First layer of proposed multi-layer architecture have been implemented at the system layer. Developed AC optimal power flow (AC-OPF) generates fair price for all DR and non-DR loads which is used as a control signal for second layer. Second layer controls DR load at buildings using a developed look-ahead robust controller. Load aggregator collects information from all buildings and send aggregated load to the system optimizer. Due to the different time scale at these two management layers, time coordination scheme is developed. Robust and deterministic controllers are developed to maximize the energy usage from rooftop photovoltaic (PV) generation locally and minimize heat-ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) consumption while maintaining inside temperature within comfort zone. The performance of the developed multi-layer architecture has been analyzed using test case studies and results show the robustness of developed controller in the presence of uncertainty.

3D culture models of Alzheimer's disease: a road map to a "cure-in-a-dish".

PubMed

Choi, Se Hoon; Kim, Young Hye; Quinti, Luisa; Tanzi, Rudolph E; Kim, Doo Yeon

2016-12-09

Alzheimer's disease (AD) transgenic mice have been used as a standard AD model for basic mechanistic studies and drug discovery. These mouse models showed symbolic AD pathologies including β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques, gliosis and memory deficits but failed to fully recapitulate AD pathogenic cascades including robust phospho tau (p-tau) accumulation, clear neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neurodegeneration, solely driven by familial AD (FAD) mutation(s). Recent advances in human stem cell and three-dimensional (3D) culture technologies made it possible to generate novel 3D neural cell culture models that recapitulate AD pathologies including robust Aβ deposition and Aβ-driven NFT-like tau pathology. These new 3D human cell culture models of AD hold a promise for a novel platform that can be used for mechanism studies in human brain-like environment and high-throughput drug screening (HTS). In this review, we will summarize the current progress in recapitulating AD pathogenic cascades in human neural cell culture models using AD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or genetically modified human stem cell lines. We will also explain how new 3D culture technologies were applied to accelerate Aβ and p-tau pathologies in human neural cell cultures, as compared the standard two-dimensional (2D) culture conditions. Finally, we will discuss a potential impact of the human 3D human neural cell culture models on the AD drug-development process. These revolutionary 3D culture models of AD will contribute to accelerate the discovery of novel AD drugs.

Seasonal Clear-Sky Flux and Cloud Radiative Effect Anomalies in the Arctic Atmospheric Column Associated with the Arctic Oscillation and Arctic Dipole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hegyi, Bradley M.; Taylor, Patrick C.

2017-01-01

The impact of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Arctic Dipole (AD) on the radiative flux into the Arctic mean atmospheric column is quantified. 3-month-averaged AO and AD indices are regressed with corresponding surface and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) fluxes from the CERES-SFC and CERES-TOA EBAF datasets over the period 2000-2014. An increase in clear-sky fluxes into the Arctic mean atmospheric column during fall is the largest net flux anomaly associated with AO, primarily driven by a positive net longwave flux anomaly (i.e. increase of net flux into the atmospheric column) at the surface. A decrease in the Arctic mean atmospheric column cloud radiative effect during winter and spring is the largest flux anomaly associated with AD, primarily driven by a change in the longwave cloud radiative effect at the surface. These prominent responses to AO and AD are widely distributed across the ice-covered Arctic, suggesting that the physical process or processes that bring about the flux change associated with AO and AD are distributed throughout the Arctic.

Noninterceptive transverse emittance measurements using BPM for Chinese ADS R&D project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhi-Jun; Feng, Chi; He, Yuan; Dou, Weiping; Tao, Yue; Chen, Wei-long; Jia, Huan; Liu, Shu-hui; Wang, Wang-sheng; Zhang, Yong; Wu, Jian-qiang; Zhang, Sheng-hu; Zhang, X. L.

2016-04-01

The noninterceptive four-dimensional transverse emittance measurements are essential for commissioning the high power continue-wave (CW) proton linacs as well as their operations. The conventional emittance measuring devices such as slits and wire scanners are not well suited under these conditions due to sure beam damages. Therefore, the method of using noninterceptive Beam Position Monitor (BPM) is developed and demonstrated on Injector Scheme II at the Chinese Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (China-ADS) proofing facility inside Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) [1]. The results of measurements are in good agreements with wire scanners and slits at low duty-factor pulsed (LDFP) beam. In this paper, the detailed experiment designs, data analysis and result benchmarking are presented.

Studies on Materials for Heavy-Liquid-Metal-Cooled Reactors in Japan

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

Minoru Takahashi; Masayuki Igashira; Toru Obara

2002-07-01

Recent studies on materials for the development of lead-bismuth (Pb-Bi)-cooled fast reactors (FR) and accelerator-driven sub-critical systems (ADS) in Japan are reported. The measurement of the neutron cross section of Bi to produce {sup 210}Po, the removal experiment of Po contamination and steel corrosion test in Pb-Bi flow were performed in Tokyo Institute of Technology. A target material corrosion test was performed in the project of Transmutation Experimental Facility for ADS in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). Steel corrosion test was started in Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co., LTD (MES). The feasibility study for FR cycle performed in Japanmore » Nuclear Cycle Institute (JNC) are described. (authors)« less

Summaries of Research - Fiscal Year 1983.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

computerized dental emergency diagnosis and treatment programs in development at NDRI, has been determined. Portable electrically driven handpiece systems...AD-A140 259 SUMMARIES OF RESEARCH - FISCAL YEAR 1983U NAVAL DENTAL RESEARCH INST GREAT LAKES IL FEB 84U UC’AIE. NDRI-PR-84-01 UNCLASSIFIED F/G 6/5 NL...SUMMARIE-S OF RESEARCH FISCAL YEAR 1983 -CTE SAPR 19 1984 . A NAA.1 DENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE Naval Medical Research and Development Command 84 04 18

Computer program documentation modified version of the JA70 aerodynamic heating computer program H800 (MINIVER with a DISSPLA plot package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olmedo, L.

1980-01-01

The changes, modifications, and inclusions which were adapted to the current version of the MINIVER program are discussed. Extensive modifications were made to various subroutines, and a new plot package added. This plot package is the Johnson Space Center DISSPLA Graphics System currently driven under an 1110 EXEC 8 configuration. User instructions on executing the MINIVER program are provided and the plot package is described.

Photographic Video Disc Technology Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-09-27

by a universal type motor that is driven from the ac power lines using a triac . The triac is controlled by a phase locked loop control circuit that...Regardless of signal format, direct analogue or an A/D converted digital signal, it is recorded by modulated laser beam and can be read out by either...was made to record with frequency modulation (FM) because of its immunity to noise at low frequencies where much of the system noise is. The usual

A feasibility study on biological nitrogen removal (BNR) via integrated thiosulfate-driven denitratation with anammox.

PubMed

Qian, Jin; Zhang, Mingkuan; Wu, Yaoguo; Niu, Juntao; Chang, Xing; Yao, Hairui; Hu, Sihai; Pei, Xiangjun

2018-06-12

To exploit the advantages of less electron donor consumptions in partial-denitrification (denitratation, NO 3 - → NO 2 - ) as well as less sludge production in autotrophic denitrification (AD) and anammox, a novel biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process through combined anammox and thiosulfate-driven denitratation was proposed here. In this study, the ratio of S 2 O 3 2- -S/NO 3 - -N and pH are confirmed to be two key factors affecting the thiosulfate-driven denitratation activity and nitrite accumulation. Simultaneous high denitratation activity and substantial nitrite accumulation were observed at initial S 2 O 3 2- -S/NO 3 - -N ratio of 1.5:1 and pH of 8.0. The optimal pH for the anammox reaction is determined to be 8.0. A sequential batch reactor (SBR) and an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor were established to proceed the anammox and the high-rate thiosulfate-driven denitratation, respectively. Under the ambient temperature of 35 °C, the total nitrogen removal efficiency and capacity are 73% and 0.35 kg N/day/m 3 in the anammox-SBR. At HRT of 30 min, the NO 3 - removal efficiency could achieve above 90% with the nitrate-to-nitrite transformation ratio of 0.8, implying the great potential to apply the thiosulfate-driven denitratation & anammox system for BNR with minimal sludge production. Without the occurrence of denitritation (NO 2 - → N 2 O → N 2 ), theoretically no N 2 O could be emitted from this BNR system. This study could shed light on how to operate a high rate BNR system targeting to electron donor and energy savings as well as biowastes minimization and greenhouse gas reductions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Antitumor activity and inhibitory effects on cancer stem cell-like properties of Adeno-associated virus (AAV) -mediated Bmi-1 interference driven by Bmi-1 promoter for gastric cancer

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaofeng; Liu, Xinyang; Huang, Mingzhu; Gan, Lu; Cheng, Yufan; Li, Jin

2016-01-01

Bmi-1 is aberrantly activated in various cancers and plays a vital role in maintaining the self-renewal of stem cells. Our previous research revealed that Bmi-1 was overexpressed in gastric cancer (GC) and it's overexpression was an independent negative prognostic factor, suggesting it can be a therapeutic target. The main purpose of this investigation was to explore the antitumor activity of Bmi-1 interference driven by its own promoter (Ad-Bmi-1i) for GC. In this study, we used adenoviral vector to deliver Bmi-1 shRNA driven by its own promoter to treat GC. Our results revealed that Ad-Bmi-1i could selectively silence Bmi-1 in GC cells which overexpress Bmi-1 and suppress the malignant phenotypes and stem-like properties of GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, direct injection of Ad-Bmi-1i into xenografts suppressed tumor growth and destroyed cancer cells in vivo. Ad-Bmi-1i inhibited the proliferation of GC cells mainly via inducing senescence in vitro, but it suppressed tumor through inducing senescence and apoptosis, and inhibiting angiogenesis in vivo. Bmi-1 knockdown by Ad-Bmi-1i downregulated VEGF via inhibiting AKT activity. These results suggest that Ad-Bmi-1i not only inhibits tumor growth and stem cell-like phenotype by inducing cellular senescence directly, but also has an indirect anti-tumor activity by anti-angiogenesis effects via regulating PTEN/AKT/VEGF pathway. Transfer of gene interference guided by its own promoter by an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector might be a potent antitumor approach for cancer therapy. PMID:27009837

Evolving Relevance of Neuroproteomics in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Lista, Simone; Zetterberg, Henrik; O'Bryant, Sid E; Blennow, Kaj; Hampel, Harald

2017-01-01

Substantial progress in the understanding of the biology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been achieved over the past decades. The early detection and diagnosis of AD and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases, however, remain a challenging scientific frontier. Therefore, the comprehensive discovery (relating to all individual, converging or diverging biochemical disease mechanisms), development, validation, and qualification of standardized biological markers with diagnostic and prognostic functions with a precise performance profile regarding specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive value are warranted.Methodological innovations in the area of exploratory high-throughput technologies, such as sequencing, microarrays, and mass spectrometry-based analyses of proteins/peptides, have led to the generation of large global molecular datasets from a multiplicity of biological systems, such as biological fluids, cells, tissues, and organs. Such methodological progress has shifted the attention to the execution of hypothesis-independent comprehensive exploratory analyses (opposed to the classical hypothesis-driven candidate approach), with the aim of fully understanding the biological systems in physiology and disease as a whole. The systems biology paradigm integrates experimental biology with accurate and rigorous computational modelling to describe and foresee the dynamic features of biological systems. The use of dynamically evolving technological platforms, including mass spectrometry, in the area of proteomics has enabled to rush the process of biomarker discovery and validation for refining significantly the diagnosis of AD. Currently, proteomics-which is part of the systems biology paradigm-is designated as one of the dominant matured sciences needed for the effective exploratory discovery of prospective biomarker candidates expected to play an effective role in aiding the early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy development in AD.

a European Global Navigation Satellite System — the German Market and Value Adding Chain Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollerthun, A.; Wieser, M.

2002-03-01

Since Europe is considering to establish a "market-driven" European Global Navigation Satellite System, the German Center of Aerospace initiated a market research to justify a German investment in such a European project. The market research performed included the following market segments: aviation, railway, road traffic, shipping, surveying, farming, military, space applications, leisure, and sport. In these market segments, the forementioned inputs were determined for satellite navigation hardware (receivers) as well as satellite navigation services. The forecast period was from year 2007 to 2017. For the considered period, the market amounts to a total of DM 83.0 billion (approx. US $50 billion), whereas the satellite navigation equipment market makes up DM 39.8 billion, and charges for value-added-services amount to DM 43.2 billion. On closer examination road traffic can be identified as the dominant market share, both in the receiver-market and service-market. With a share of 96% for receivers and 73% for services the significance of the road traffic segment becomes obvious. The second part of this paper investigates the effects the market potential has on the Value-Adding-Chain. Therefore, all participants in the Value-Adding-Chain are identified, using industrial cost structure models the employment effect is analyzed, and possible tax revenues for the state are examined.

Feedforward Categorization on AER Motion Events Using Cortex-Like Features in a Spiking Neural Network.

PubMed

Zhao, Bo; Ding, Ruoxi; Chen, Shoushun; Linares-Barranco, Bernabe; Tang, Huajin

2015-09-01

This paper introduces an event-driven feedforward categorization system, which takes data from a temporal contrast address event representation (AER) sensor. The proposed system extracts bio-inspired cortex-like features and discriminates different patterns using an AER based tempotron classifier (a network of leaky integrate-and-fire spiking neurons). One of the system's most appealing characteristics is its event-driven processing, with both input and features taking the form of address events (spikes). The system was evaluated on an AER posture dataset and compared with two recently developed bio-inspired models. Experimental results have shown that it consumes much less simulation time while still maintaining comparable performance. In addition, experiments on the Mixed National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) image dataset have demonstrated that the proposed system can work not only on raw AER data but also on images (with a preprocessing step to convert images into AER events) and that it can maintain competitive accuracy even when noise is added. The system was further evaluated on the MNIST dynamic vision sensor dataset (in which data is recorded using an AER dynamic vision sensor), with testing accuracy of 88.14%.

Brain illness and creativity: mechanisms and treatment risks.

PubMed

Flaherty, Alice W

2011-03-01

Brain diseases and their treatment may help or hurt creativity in ways that shape quality of life. Increased creative drive is associated with bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, temporal lobe epilepsy, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson disease treatments, and autism. Creativity depends on goal-driven approach motivation from midbrain dopaminergic systems. Fear-driven avoidance motivation is of less aid to creativity. When serotonin and norepinephrine lower motivation and flexible behaviour, they can inhibit creativity. Hemispheric lateralization and frontotemporal connections must interact to create new ideas and conceptual schemes. The right brain and temporal lobe contribute skill in novelty detection, while the left brain and frontal lobe foster approach motivation and more easily generate new patterns of action from the novel perceptions. Genes and phenotypes that increase plasticity and creativity in tolerant environments with relaxed selection pressure may confer risk in rigorous environments. Few papers substantively address this important but fraught topic. Antidepressants (ADs) that inhibit fear-driven motivation, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, sometimes inhibit goal-oriented motivation as well. ADs that boost goal-directed motivation, such as bupropion, may remediate this effect. Benzodiazepines and alcohol may be counterproductive. Although dopaminergic agonists sometimes stimulate creativity, their doing so may inappropriately disinhibit behaviour. Dopamine antagonists may suppress creative motivation; lithium and anticonvulsant mood stabilizers may do so less. Physical exercise and REM sleep may help creativity. Art therapy and psychotherapy are not well studied. Preserving creative motivation can help creativity and other aspects of well-being in all patients, not just artists or researchers.

New technique for simulation of optical fiber amplifiers control schemes in dynamic WDM systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freitas, Marcio; Klein, Jackson; Givigi, Sidney, Jr.; Calmon, Luiz C.

2005-04-01

One topic that has attracted attention is related to the behavior of the optical amplifiers under dynamic conditions, specifically because amplifiers working in a saturated condition produce power transients in all-optical reconfigurable WDM networks, e.g. adding/dropping channels. The goal of this work is to introduce the multiwavelength time-driven simulations technique, capable of simulation and analysis of transient effects in all-optical WDM networks with optical amplifiers, and allow the use of control schemes to avoid or minimize the impacts of transient effects in the system performance.

A Data Driven Decision Support System (DSS) Generator for the Egyptian Procurement Office in Foreign Countries.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

RD-A 7 l 569 A DATA DRIVE N ECISION SUPPO T SYSTEM (DSS) GENERATOR 1/2?FoR THE EGYPTIN PR HI) AVA PO GRADUATE SCHOOL UNCLA MONTEREY CA MN...I1111 = 1,4: MICROCOPY RESOLIUTION TEST . L 1r3f A OFi Lk NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California Lfl DTIC ELECTE SEP 9 1986 THESIS A DATA...Advisor: Daniel R. Dolk ILftpvld tot public raleelIL L aD, bu o Unhrm,,t. 86 9 09 01 S ECURITY CLASSIFICATION Or THIS PAGE REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE la

Model-Driven Design: Systematically Building Integrated Blended Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laster, Stephen

2010-01-01

Developing and delivering curricula that are integrated and that use blended learning techniques requires a highly orchestrated design. While institutions have demonstrated the ability to design complex curricula on an ad-hoc basis, these projects are generally successful at a great human and capital cost. Model-driven design provides a…

[The efficacy of autocatalytic casapse-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter on human ovarian carcinoma].

PubMed

Song, Yue; Shen, Keng; Yu, Jing-rong

2007-11-06

To construct recombinant adenoviral vector expressing autocatalysis caspase-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter (hTERTp), and investigate its antitumor effect on ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant adenovirus expressing autocatalytic caspase-3 (rev-csapase-3) driven by hTERTp, AdHT-rev-casp3, was constructed. Ad-rev-casp3 expressing rev-caspase-3 driven by cytomegalovirus promoter (CMVp) was used as a positive control. hTERT positive human ovarian cancer cells of the line AO and hTERT-negative human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured and transfected with AdHT-rev-casp3, Ad-rev-casp3, or Ad-EGFG expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein as control group. Western blotting, Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8), flow cytometry, and TUNEL were used to detect the expression of p17, active subunit of caspase-3, and p85, a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage fragment, and they were also used to measure the cell survival rate and apoptotic rate. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of active caspase-3 and its substrate PARP in the AO cells and HUVECs. Twenty nude BALB/c mice were inoculated subcutaneously with AO cells to establish subcutaneous tumor models, when the tumor grew to the volume of 150 mm3 the rats were divided into 4 equal groups to undergo intra-tumor injection of AdHT-rev-casp3, Ad-rev-casp3, Ad-EGFG, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) respectively, the survival rate tumor inhibition rate was observed, 72 days later the mice were killed with their livers and tumors taken out, and Western blotting was used to detect the expression of active caspase-3. Another 40 mice underwent intraperitoneal injection of AO cells to establish intraperitoneal transplanted tumor models, 21 days later the rats were divided into 4 equal groups to be injected intraperitoneally with AdHT-rev-casp3, Ad-rev-casp3, Ad-EGFG, or PBS, the survival rate was observed, and the blood levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were detected. Following the administration of AdHT-rev-casp3, active caspase-3 protein was significantly expressed, and the levels of p17 and p85 expressions were significantly elevated in AO cells, while no expressions of p17 and p85 was observed in HUVEC. In contrast, both AO and HUVEC expressed high levels of p17 and p85 protein after administrations of Ad-rev-casp3. AdHT-rev-casp3 dose-dependently killed the hTERT positive AO cells, however, showed no killing effect on the hTERT-negative HUVEC cells; whereas Ad-rev-casp3 was cytotoxic independent of the hTERT status of the cells. The killing effect of Ad-rev-casp3 was stronger than that of AdHT-rev-casp3. Treated with AdHT-rev-cap3 the expression levels of the caspase-3 fragment p17 and PARP cleavage fragment p85 of the AO cells were significantly higher than those before the treatment, however, the expression levels of p17 and p85 were both weaker than those of the AO cells treated with Ad-rev-casp-3. Though treated with AdHT-rev-casp-3, there was still no remarkable expression of p17 and p85 in the HUVECs, however, rather high protein expression levels of p17 and p85 was shown. After treatment with AdHT-rev-casp3 remarkable expression of active caspase-3 was seen in the tumor collected from the mouse body, but not in the liver; however, high caspase-3 expression level was shown in both the liver and tumor after the treatment of Ad-rev-casp-3. 53 days after treatment the tumor suppression rate of the AdHT-rev-casp3 and ad-rev-casp-3 groups were 60% and 70% respectively, both significantly higher than that of the control group. The survival rates of the mice treated with AdHT-rev-casp3 and Ad-rev-casp-3 were both significantly longer than that of the PBS group; however the survival rate of the Ad-rev-casp-3 group was longer than that of the AdHT-rev-casp3 group. The serum ALT and AST levels were not significantly elevated in the AdHT-rev-casp3-treated mice, whereas 7-9-times that before treatment in the Ad-rev-casp3-treated mice. Recombinant adenovirus AdHT-rev-casp3 expressing rev-caspase-3 driven by hTERTp effectively causes cell apoptosis targeting tumor, significantly suppresses tumor growth and prolongs the mouse survival duration, with mild liver toxicity.

Downscaled and debiased climate simulations for North America from 21,000 years ago to 2100AD

PubMed Central

Lorenz, David J.; Nieto-Lugilde, Diego; Blois, Jessica L.; Fitzpatrick, Matthew C.; Williams, John W.

2016-01-01

Increasingly, ecological modellers are integrating paleodata with future projections to understand climate-driven biodiversity dynamics from the past through the current century. Climate simulations from earth system models are necessary to this effort, but must be debiased and downscaled before they can be used by ecological models. Downscaling methods and observational baselines vary among researchers, which produces confounding biases among downscaled climate simulations. We present unified datasets of debiased and downscaled climate simulations for North America from 21 ka BP to 2100AD, at 0.5° spatial resolution. Temporal resolution is decadal averages of monthly data until 1950AD, average climates for 1950–2005 AD, and monthly data from 2010 to 2100AD, with decadal averages also provided. This downscaling includes two transient paleoclimatic simulations and 12 climate models for the IPCC AR5 (CMIP5) historical (1850–2005), RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 21st-century scenarios. Climate variables include primary variables and derived bioclimatic variables. These datasets provide a common set of climate simulations suitable for seamlessly modelling the effects of past and future climate change on species distributions and diversity. PMID:27377537

Downscaled and debiased climate simulations for North America from 21,000 years ago to 2100AD.

PubMed

Lorenz, David J; Nieto-Lugilde, Diego; Blois, Jessica L; Fitzpatrick, Matthew C; Williams, John W

2016-07-05

Increasingly, ecological modellers are integrating paleodata with future projections to understand climate-driven biodiversity dynamics from the past through the current century. Climate simulations from earth system models are necessary to this effort, but must be debiased and downscaled before they can be used by ecological models. Downscaling methods and observational baselines vary among researchers, which produces confounding biases among downscaled climate simulations. We present unified datasets of debiased and downscaled climate simulations for North America from 21 ka BP to 2100AD, at 0.5° spatial resolution. Temporal resolution is decadal averages of monthly data until 1950AD, average climates for 1950-2005 AD, and monthly data from 2010 to 2100AD, with decadal averages also provided. This downscaling includes two transient paleoclimatic simulations and 12 climate models for the IPCC AR5 (CMIP5) historical (1850-2005), RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 21st-century scenarios. Climate variables include primary variables and derived bioclimatic variables. These datasets provide a common set of climate simulations suitable for seamlessly modelling the effects of past and future climate change on species distributions and diversity.

Functional reconstitution of an ATP-driven Ca sup 2+ -transport system from the plasma membrane of Commelina communis L

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

Graef, P.; Weiler, E.W.

1990-10-01

The protein(s) that constitute(s) the ATP-driven Ca{sup 2+}-translocator of plasma membrane enriched vesicles obtained by aqueous two-phase partitioning from leaves of Commelina communis L. has/have been solubilized and reincorporated into tightly sealed liposomes. The reconstituted Ca{sup 2+}-transport system was studied using ATP-driven {sup 45}Ca{sup 2+} import into the proteoliposomes as a measure of activity. The detergent, 3- ((3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio) -1-propane-sulfonate proved to be the most suitable and was used at 10 millimolar concentration, i.e. just above its critical micellar concentration. The presence of additional phospholipid and ATP improved the solubilization and/or reconstitution. The characteristics of the reconstituted system were similarmore » to those of the plasma membrane-bound activity, including the apparent K{sub m} for Ca{sup 2+} inhibition by relatively high levels of vanadate and lacking response to added calmodulin. The reconstituted transport system was very strongly inhibited by erythrosine B and had a low apparent K{sub m} for ATP levels of the Ca{sup 2+}-ionophore A 23187 instantaneously discharged 90% of the Ca{sup 2+} associated with the vesicles, proving that it had been accumulated in the intravesicular volume in soluble, freely exchangeable form. Ca{sup 2+}-transport in the reconstituted system was thus primary active, through a Ca{sup 2+}-translocating ATPase.« less

Historical anthropogenic radiative forcing of changes in biogenic secondary aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acosta Navarro, Juan; D'Andrea, Stephen; Pierce, Jeffrey; Ekman, Annica; Struthers, Hamish; Zorita, Eduardo; Guenther, Alex; Arneth, Almut; Smolander, Sampo; Kaplan, Jed; Farina, Salvatore; Scott, Catherine; Rap, Alexandru; Farmer, Delphine; Spracklen, Domink; Riipinen, Ilona

2016-04-01

Human activities have lead to changes in the energy balance of the Earth and the global climate. Changes in atmospheric aerosols are the second largest contributor to climate change after greenhouse gases since 1750 A.D. Land-use practices and other environmental drivers have caused changes in the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) well before 1750 A.D, possibly causing climate effects through aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions. Two numerical emission models LPJ-GUESS and MEGAN were used to quantify the changes in aerosol forming BVOC emissions in the past millennium. A chemical transport model of the atmosphere (GEOS-Chem-TOMAS) was driven with those BVOC emissions to quantify the effects on radiation caused by millennial changes in SOA. We found that global isoprene emissions decreased after 1800 A.D. by about 12% - 15%. This decrease was dominated by losses of natural vegetation, whereas monoterpene and sesquiterpene emissions increased by about 2% - 10%, driven mostly by rising surface air temperatures. From 1000 A.D. to 1800 A.D, isoprene, monoterpene and sesquiterpene emissions decline by 3% - 8% driven by both, natural vegetation losses, and the moderate global cooling between the medieval climate anomaly and the little ice age. The millennial reduction in BVOC emissions lead to a 0.5% to 2% reduction in climatically relevant aerosol particles (> 80 nm) and cause a direct radiative forcing between +0.02 W/m² and +0.07 W/m², and an indirect radiative forcing between -0.02 W/m² and +0.02 W/m².

A hypoxia- and {alpha}-fetoprotein-dependent oncolytic adenovirus exhibits specific killing of hepatocellular carcinomas.

PubMed

Kwon, Oh-Joon; Kim, Pyung-Hwan; Huyn, Steven; Wu, Lily; Kim, Minjung; Yun, Chae-Ok

2010-12-15

Oncolytic adenoviruses (Ad) constitute a new promising modality of cancer gene therapy that displays improved efficacy over nonreplicating Ads. We have previously shown that an E1B 19-kDa-deleted oncolytic Ad exhibits a strong cell-killing effect but lacks tumor selectivity. To achieve hepatoma-restricted cytotoxicity and enhance replication of Ad within the context of tumor microenvironment, we used a modified human α-fetoprotein (hAFP) promoter to control the replication of Ad with a hypoxia response element (HRE). We constructed Ad-HRE(6)/hAFPΔ19 and Ad-HRE(12)/hAFPΔ19 that incorporated either 6 or 12 copies of HRE upstream of promoter. The promoter activity and specificity to hepatoma were examined by luciferase assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. In addition, the AFP expression- and hypoxia-dependent in vitro cytotoxicity of Ad-HRE(6)/hAFPΔ19 and Ad-HRE(12)/hAFPΔ19 was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and cytopathic effect assay. In vivo tumoricidal activity on subcutaneous and liver orthotopic model was monitored by noninvasive molecular imaging. Ad-HRE(12)/hAFPΔ19 exhibited enhanced tumor selectivity and cell-killing activity when compared with Ad-hAFPΔ19. The tumoricidal activity of Ad-HRE(12)/hAFPΔ19 resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth in both subcutaneous and orthotopic models. Histologic examination of the primary tumor after treatment confirmed accumulation of viral particles near hypoxic areas. Furthermore, Ad-HRE(12)/hAFPΔ19 did not cause severe inflammatory immune response and toxicity after systemic injection. The results presented here show the advantages of incorporating HREs into a hAFP promoter-driven oncolytic virus. This system is unique in that it acts in both a tissue-specific and tumor environment-selective manner. The greatly enhanced selectivity and tumoricidal activity of Ad-HRE(12)/hAFPΔ19 make it a promising therapeutic agent in the treatment of liver cancers. ©2010 AACR.

Aspects of jamming in two-dimensional athermal frictionless systems.

PubMed

Reichhardt, C; Reichhardt, C J Olson

2014-05-07

In this work we provide an overview of jamming transitions in two dimensional systems focusing on the limit of frictionless particle interactions in the absence of thermal fluctuations. We first discuss jamming in systems with short range repulsive interactions, where the onset of jamming occurs at a critical packing density and where certain quantities show a divergence indicative of critical behavior. We describe how aspects of the dynamics change as the jamming density is approached and how these dynamics can be explored using externally driven probes. Different particle shapes can produce jamming densities much lower than those observed for disk-shaped particles, and we show how jamming exhibits fragility for some shapes while for other shapes this is absent. Next we describe the effects of long range interactions and jamming behavior in systems such as charged colloids, vortices in type-II superconductors, and dislocations. We consider the effect of adding obstacles to frictionless jamming systems and discuss connections between this type of jamming and systems that exhibit depinning transitions. Finally, we discuss open questions such as whether the jamming transition in all these different systems can be described by the same or a small subset of universal behaviors, as well as future directions for studies of jamming transitions in two dimensional systems, such as jamming in self-driven or active matter systems.

Final Report on Two-Stage Fast Spectrum Fuel Cycle Options

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

Yang, Won Sik; Lin, C. S.; Hader, J. S.

2016-01-30

This report presents the performance characteristics of two “two-stage” fast spectrum fuel cycle options proposed to enhance uranium resource utilization and to reduce nuclear waste generation. One is a two-stage fast spectrum fuel cycle option of continuous recycle of plutonium (Pu) in a fast reactor (FR) and subsequent burning of minor actinides (MAs) in an accelerator-driven system (ADS). The first stage is a sodium-cooled FR fuel cycle starting with low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel; at the equilibrium cycle, the FR is operated using the recovered Pu and natural uranium without supporting LEU. Pu and uranium (U) are co-extracted from the dischargedmore » fuel and recycled in the first stage, and the recovered MAs are sent to the second stage. The second stage is a sodium-cooled ADS in which MAs are burned in an inert matrix fuel form. The discharged fuel of ADS is reprocessed, and all the recovered heavy metals (HMs) are recycled into the ADS. The other is a two-stage FR/ADS fuel cycle option with MA targets loaded in the FR. The recovered MAs are not directly sent to ADS, but partially incinerated in the FR in order to reduce the amount of MAs to be sent to the ADS. This is a heterogeneous recycling option of transuranic (TRU) elements« less

77 FR 24364 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... fatigue. Broken transformer primary winding can prevent the supply of power from the ADG to the essential...) airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of the air driven generator (ADG) failing to power essential... generator control unit (GCU) preventing the ADG from supplying power to the essential buses. This AD...

MYRRHA: A multipurpose nuclear research facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baeten, P.; Schyns, M.; Fernandez, Rafaël; De Bruyn, Didier; Van den Eynde, Gert

2014-12-01

MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) is a multipurpose research facility currently being developed at SCK•CEN. MYRRHA is based on the ADS (Accelerator Driven System) concept where a proton accelerator, a spallation target and a subcritical reactor are coupled. MYRRHA will demonstrate the ADS full concept by coupling these three components at a reasonable power level to allow operation feedback. As a flexible irradiation facility, the MYRRHA research facility will be able to work in both critical as subcritical modes. In this way, MYRRHA will allow fuel developments for innovative reactor systems, material developments for GEN IV and fusion reactors, and radioisotope production for medical and industrial applications. MYRRHA will be cooled by lead-bismuth eutectic and will play an important role in the development of the Pb-alloys technology needed for the LFR (Lead Fast Reactor) GEN IV concept. MYRRHA will also contribute to the study of partitioning and transmutation of high-level waste. Transmutation of minor actinides (MA) can be completed in an efficient way in fast neutron spectrum facilities, so both critical reactors and subcritical ADS are potential candidates as dedicated transmutation systems. However critical reactors heavily loaded with fuel containing large amounts of MA pose reactivity control problems, and thus safety problems. A subcritical ADS operates in a flexible and safe manner, even with a core loading containing a high amount of MA leading to a high transmutation rate. In this paper, the most recent developments in the design of the MYRRHA facility are presented.

The Gut Microbiome Alterations and Inflammation-Driven Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease-a Critical Review.

PubMed

Sochocka, Marta; Donskow-Łysoniewska, Katarzyna; Diniz, Breno Satler; Kurpas, Donata; Brzozowska, Ewa; Leszek, Jerzy

2018-06-23

One of the most important scientific discoveries of recent years was the disclosure that the intestinal microflora takes part in bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. Scientists suggest that human gut microflora may even act as the "second brain" and be responsible for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although human-associated microbial communities are generally stable, they can be altered by common human actions and experiences. Enteric bacteria, commensal, and pathogenic microorganisms, may have a major impact on immune system, brain development, and behavior, as they are able to produce several neurotransmitters and neuromodulators like serotonin, kynurenine, catecholamine, etc., as well as amyloids. However, brain destructive mechanisms, that can lead to dementia and AD, start with the intestinal microbiome dysbiosis, development of local and systemic inflammation, and dysregulation of the gut-brain axis. Increased permeability of the gut epithelial barrier results in invasion of different bacteria, viruses, and their neuroactive products that support neuroinflammatory reactions in the brain. It seems that, inflammatory-infectious hypothesis of AD, with the great role of the gut microbiome, starts to gently push into the shadow the amyloid cascade hypothesis that has dominated for decades. It is strongly postulated that AD may begin in the gut, and is closely related to the imbalance of gut microbiota. This is promising area for therapeutic intervention. Modulation of gut microbiota through personalized diet or beneficial microbiota intervention, alter microbial partners and their products including amyloid protein, will probably become a new treatment for AD.

A Constructive Reframing of Student Roles and Systems Learning in Medical Education Using a Communities of Practice Lens.

PubMed

Gonzalo, Jed D; Thompson, Britta M; Haidet, Paul; Mann, Karen; Wolpaw, Daniel R

2017-12-01

Health systems are in the midst of a transformation that is being driven by a variety of forces. This has important implications for medical educators because clinical practice environments play a key role in learning and professional development, and evolving health systems are beginning to demand that providers have "systems-ready" knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Such implications provide a clear mandate for medical schools to modify their goals and prepare physicians to practice flexibly within teams and effectively contribute to the improvement of health care delivery. In this context, the concepts of value-added medical education, authentic student roles, and health systems science are emerging as increasingly important. In this Article, the authors use a lens informed by communities of practice theory to explore these three concepts, examining the implications that the communities of practice theory has in the constructive reframing of educational practices-particularly common student roles and experiences-and charting future directions for medical education that better align with the needs of the health care system. The authors apply several key features of the communities of practice theory to current experiential roles for students, then propose a new approach to students' clinical experiences-value-added clinical systems learning roles-that provides students with opportunities to make meaningful contributions to patient care while learning health systems science at the patient and population level. Finally, the authors discuss implications for professional role formation and anticipated challenges to the design and implementation of value-added clinical systems learning roles.

Lipidomic Profiles in Diabetes and Dementia.

PubMed

Huynh, Kevin; Martins, Ralph N; Meikle, Peter J

2017-01-01

Lipids are a diverse class of hydrophobic and amphiphilic molecules which make up the bulk of most biological systems and are essential for human life. The role of lipids in health and disease has been recognized for many decades, as evidenced by the early identification of cholesterol as an important risk factor of heart disease and the development and introduction of statins as a one of the most successful therapeutic interventions to date. While several studies have demonstrated an increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), in those with diabetes mellitus, the nature of this risk is not well understood. Recent developments in the field of lipidomics, driven primarily by technological advances in high pressure liquid chromatography and particularly mass spectrometry, have enabled the detailed characterization of the many hundreds of individual lipid species in mammalian systems and their association with disease states. Diabetes mellitus and AD have received particular attention due to their prominence in Western societies as a result of the ongoing obesity epidemic and the aging populations. In this review, we examine how these lipidomic studies are informing on the relationship between lipid metabolism with diabetes and AD and how this may inform on the common pathological pathways that link diabetes risk with dementia.

Investigating multiphoton phenomena using nonlinear dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shu

Many seemingly simple systems can display extraordinarily complex dynamics which has been studied and uncovered through nonlinear dynamical theory. The leitmotif of this thesis is changing phase-space structures and their (linear or non-linear) stabilities by adding control functions (which act on the system as external perturbations) to the relevant Hamiltonians. These phase-space structures may be periodic orbits, invariant tori or their stable and unstable manifolds. One-electron systems and diatomic molecules are fundamental and important staging ground for new discoveries in nonlinear dynamics. In past years, increasing emphasis and effort has been put on the control or manipulation of these systems. Recent developments of nonlinear dynamical tools can provide efficient ways of doing so. In the first subtopic of the thesis, we are adding a control function to restore tori at prescribed locations in phase space. In the remainder of the thesis, a control function with parameters is used to change the linear stability of the periodic orbits which govern the processes in question. In this thesis, we report our theoretical analyses on multiphoton ionization of Rydberg atoms exposed to strong microwave fields and the dissociation of diatomic molecules exposed to bichromatic lasers using nonlinear dynamical tools. This thesis is composed of three subtopics. In the first subtopic, we employ local control theory to reduce the stochastic ionization of hydrogen atom in a strong microwave field by adding a relatively small control term to the original Hamiltonian. In the second subtopic, we perform periodic orbit analysis to investigate multiphoton ionization driven by a bichromatic microwave field. Our results show quantitative and qualitative agreement with previous studies, and hence identify the mechanism through which short periodic orbits organize the dynamics in multiphoton ionization. In addition, we achieve substantial time savings with this approach. In the third subtopic we extend our periodic orbit analysis to the dissociation of diatomic molecules driven by a bichromatic laser. In this problem, our results based on periodic orbit analysis again show good agreement with previous work, and hence promise more potential applications of this approach in molecular physics.

Aging Microglia—Phenotypes, Functions and Implications for Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases

PubMed Central

Spittau, Björn

2017-01-01

Aging of the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the major risk factors for the development of neurodegenerative pathologies such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The molecular mechanisms underlying the onset of AD and especially PD are not well understood. However, neuroinflammatory responses mediated by microglia as the resident immune cells of the CNS have been reported for both diseases. The unique nature and developmental origin of microglia causing microglial self-renewal and telomere shortening led to the hypothesis that these CNS-specific innate immune cells become senescent. Age-dependent and senescence-driven impairments of microglia functions and responses have been suggested to play essential roles during onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. This review article summarizes the current knowledge of microglia phenotypes and functions in the aging CNS and further discusses the implications of these age-dependent microglia changes for the development and progression of AD and PD as the most common neurodegenerative diseases. PMID:28659790

Atopic dermatitis: emerging therapies.

PubMed

Simpson, Eric; Udkoff, Jeremy; Borok, Jenna; Tom, Wynnis; Beck, Lisa; Eichenfield, Lawrence F

2017-09-01

Crisaborole and dupilumab represent the first 2 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies for atopic dermatitis (AD) in more than 15 years, and there are many promising drugs currently in development. This new wave of therapeutics capitalizes on the large body of work clarifying the pathogenesis of AD over the last several decades. In particular, type 2 cytokine-driven inflammation and skin barrier dysfunction are key processes underlying AD pathogenesis. ©2017 Frontline Medical Communications.

Modelling the behaviour of oxide fuels containing minor actinides with urania, thoria and zirconia matrices in an accelerator-driven system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, V.; Lemehov, S.; Messaoudi, N.; Van Uffelen, P.; Aı̈t Abderrahim, H.

2003-06-01

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK • CEN, is currently working on the pre-design of the multipurpose accelerator-driven system (ADS) MYRRHA. A demonstration of the possibility of transmutation of minor actinides and long-lived fission products with a realistic design of experimental fuel targets and prognosis of their behaviour under typical ADS conditions is an important task in the MYRRHA project. In the present article, the irradiation behaviour of three different oxide fuel mixtures, containing americium and plutonium - (Am,Pu,U)O 2- x with urania matrix, (Am,Pu,Th)O 2- x with thoria matrix and (Am,Y,Pu,Zr)O 2- x with inert zirconia matrix stabilised by yttria - were simulated with the new fuel performance code MACROS, which is under development and testing at the SCK • CEN. All the fuel rods were considered to be of the same design and sizes: annular fuel pellets, helium bounded with the stainless steel cladding, and a large gas plenum. The liquid lead-bismuth eutectic was used as coolant. Typical irradiation conditions of the hottest fuel assembly of the MYRRHA subcritical core were pre-calculated with the MCNPX code and used in the following calculations as the input data. The results of prediction of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the designed rods with the considered fuels during three irradiation cycles of 90 EFPD are presented and discussed.

Complete regression of human malignant mesothelioma xenografts following local injection of midkine promoter-driven oncolytic adenovirus

PubMed Central

Kubo, Shuji; Kawasaki, Yoshiko; Yamaoka, Norie; Tagawa, Masatoshi; Kasahara, Noriyuki; Terada, Nobuyuki; Okamura, Haruki

2010-01-01

Background Malignant mesothelioma is a highly aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. Conventional therapies for mesothelioma are generally non-curative, and new treatment paradigms are urgently needed. We hypothesized that the tumor-specific midkine (Mdk) promoter could confer transcriptional targeting to oncolytic adenoviruses for effective treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Methods We analyzed Mdk expression by quantitative RT-PCR in six human mesothelioma cell lines, and tested Mdk promoter activity by luciferase reporter assay. Based on these data, we constructed a replication-selective oncolytic adenovirus, designated AdMdk-E1-iresTK, which contains an Mdk promoter-driven adenoviral E1 gene and HSV-thymidine kinase (TK) suicide gene, and CMV promoter-driven green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker gene. Selectivity of viral replication and cytolysis were characterized in normal vs. mesothelioma cells in vitro, and intratumoral spread and antitumor efficacy were investigated in vivo. Results Mdk promoter activity was restricted in normal cells, but highly activated in mesothelioma cell lines. AdMdk-E1-iresTK was seen to efficiently replicate, produce viral progeny, and spread in multiple mesothelioma cell lines. Lytic spread of AdMdk-E1-iresTK mediated efficient killing of these mesothelioma cells, and its in vitro cytocidal effect was significantly enhanced by treatment with the prodrug, ganciclovir. Intratumoral injection of AdMdk-E1-iresTK caused complete regression of MESO4 and MSTO human mesothelioma xenografts in athymic mice. In vivo fluorescence imaging demonstrated intratumoral spread of AdMdk-E1-iresTK-derived signals, which vanished after tumor eradication. Conclusions These data indicate that transcriptional targeting of viral replication by the Mdk promoter represents a promising general strategy for oncolytic virotherapy of cancers with upregulated Mdk expression, including malignant mesothelioma. PMID:20635326

78 FR 73460 - Airworthiness Directives; the Boeing Company Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-06

... America Code 29, Hydraulic Power. (e) Unsafe Condition This AD was prompted by reports of turbine wheel...-400ER series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of turbine wheel bursts in the air driven pump (ADP) turbine gearbox assembly (TGA), which resulted in the release of high energy fragments...

New infrastructure for studies of transmutation and fast systems concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panza, Fabio; Firpo, Gabriele; Lomonaco, Guglielmo; Osipenko, Mikhail; Ricco, Giovanni; Ripani, Marco; Saracco, Paolo; Viberti, Carlo Maria

2017-09-01

In this work we report initial studies on a low power Accelerator-Driven System as a possible experimental facility for the measurement of relevant integral nuclear quantities. In particular, we performed Monte Carlo simulations of minor actinides and fission products irradiation and estimated the fission rate within fission chambers in the reactor core and the reflector, in order to evaluate the transmutation rates and the measurement sensitivity. We also performed a photo-peak analysis of available experimental data from a research reactor, in order to estimate the expected sensitivity of this analysis method on the irradiation of samples in the ADS considered.

Energy deposition and neutron flux study in a gravity-driven dense granular target (DGT) with GEANT4 toolkit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qiang; Cui, Wenjuan; He, Zhiyong; Zhang, Xueying; Ma, Wenjing

2018-07-01

China initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS) has been approved as a strategic plan to build an ADS demonstration facility in the next few years. It proposed a new concept for a high-power spallation target: the gravity-driven dense granular target (DGT). As the same with a monolithic target (MT), both solid and liquid target, energy deposition and neutron flux are two critical issues. In this paper, we focus on these two issues and long for some valuable results for the project. Unlike a solid target, the internal geometry structure of a DGT is very complicated. To be as much as closer with the reality, we designed an algorithm and firstly packed the grains randomly in a cylindrical container in GEANT4 software. The packing result was in great agreement with the experimentally measured results. It shows that the algorithm is practicable. In the next step, all the simulations about energy deposition and neutron flux of a DGT were performed with the GEANT4 codes, and the results were compared with the data of a MT. Compared to a MT, a DGT has inarguable advantages in both terms of energy deposition and neutron flux. In addition, the simulations with different radius of grains were also performed. Finally, we found that both the energy deposition and neutron flux are nearly irrelevant to the radius of the grains in the range of 0.5 mm-5 mm when the packing density is same by analyzing the results meticulously.

Torsional Vibration Analysis of Reciprocating Compressor Trains driven by Induction Motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunelli, M.; Fusi, A.; Grasso, F.; Pasteur, F.; Ussi, A.

2015-08-01

The dynamic study of electric motor driven compressors, for Oil&Gas (O&G) applications, are traditionally performed in two steps separating the mechanical and the electrical systems. The packager conducts a Torsional Vibration Analysis (TVA) modeling the mechanical system with a lumped parameter scheme, without taking into account the electrical part. The electric motor supplier later performs a source current pulsation analysis on the electric motor system, based on the TVA results. The mechanical and the electrical systems are actually linked by the electromagnetic effect. The effect of the motor air-gap on TVA has only recently been taken into account by adding a spring and a damper between motor and ground in the model. This model is more accurate than the traditional one, but is applicable only to the steady-state condition and still fails to consider the reciprocal effects between the two parts of the system. In this paper the torsional natural frequencies calculated using both the traditional and the new model have been compared. Furthermore, simulation of the complete system has been achieved through the use of LMS AMESim, multi-physics, one-dimensional simulation software that simultaneously solves the shafts rotation and electric motor voltage equation. Finally, the transient phenomena that occur during start-up have been studied.

Reduced limbic and hypothalamic volumes correlate with bone density in early Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Loskutova, Natalia; Honea, Robyn A; Brooks, William M; Burns, Jeffrey M

2010-01-01

Accelerated bone loss is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the central nervous system plays a direct role in regulating bone mass, primarily through the actions of the hypothalamus, there is little work investigating the possible role of neurodegeneration in bone loss. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and neuroimaging markers of neurodegeneration (i.e., global and regional measures of brain volume) in early AD and non-demented aging. Fifty-five non-demented and 63 early AD participants underwent standard neurological and neuropsychological assessment, structural MRI scanning, and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. In early AD, voxel-based morphometry analyses demonstrated that low BMD was associated with low volume in limbic grey matter (GM) including the hypothalamus, cingulate, and parahippocampal gyri and in the left superior temporal gyrus and left inferior parietal cortex. No relationship between BMD and regional GM volume was found in non-demented controls. The hypothesis-driven region of interest analysis further isolating the hypothalamus demonstrated a positive relationship between BMD and hypothalamic volume after controlling for age and gender in the early AD group but not in non-demented controls. These results demonstrate that lower BMD is associated with lower hypothalamic volume in early AD, suggesting that central mechanisms of bone remodeling may be disrupted by neurodegeneration.

Leptin Regulates Amyloid β Production Via the γ-Secretase Complex

PubMed Central

Niedowicz, Dana M.; Studzinski, Christa M.; Weidner, Adam M.; Platt, Thomas L.; Kingry, Kristen N.; Beckett, Tina L.; Bruce-Keller, Annadora J.; Keller, Jeffrey N.; Murphy, M. Paul

2013-01-01

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disease, affecting an estimated 5.3 million people in the United States. While many factors likely contribute to AD progression, it is widely accepted that AD is driven by the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ), a small, fibrillogenic peptide generated by the sequential proteolysis of the amyloid precursor protein by the β- and γ-secretases. Though the underlying causes of Aβ accumulation in sporadic AD are myriad, it is clear that lifestyle and overall health play a significant role. The adipocyte-derived hormone leptin has varied systemic affects, including neuropeptide release and neuroprotection. A recent study by Lieb et al (2009) showed that individuals with low plasma leptin levels are at greater risk of developing AD, through unknown mechanisms. In this report, we show that plasma leptin is a strong negative predictor of Aβ levels in the mouse brain, supporting a protective role for the hormone in AD onset. We also show that the inhibition of Aβ accumulation is due to the downregulation of transcription of the γ-secretase components. On the other hand, β-secretase expression is either unchanged (BACE1) or increased (BACE2). Finally, we show that only presenilin 1 (PS1) is negatively correlated with plasma leptin at the protein level (p<0.0001). These data are intriguing and may highlight a role for leptin in regulating the onset of amyloid pathology and AD. PMID:23274884

Leptin regulates amyloid β production via the γ-secretase complex.

PubMed

Niedowicz, Dana M; Studzinski, Christa M; Weidner, Adam M; Platt, Thomas L; Kingry, Kristen N; Beckett, Tina L; Bruce-Keller, Annadora J; Keller, Jeffrey N; Murphy, M Paul

2013-03-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disease, affecting an estimated 5.3million people in the United States. While many factors likely contribute to AD progression, it is widely accepted that AD is driven by the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ), a small, fibrillogenic peptide generated by the sequential proteolysis of the amyloid precursor protein by the β- and γ-secretases. Though the underlying causes of Aβ accumulation in sporadic AD are myriad, it is clear that lifestyle and overall health play a significant role. The adipocyte-derived hormone leptin has varied systemic affects, including neuropeptide release and neuroprotection. A recent study by Lieb et al. (2009) showed that individuals with low plasma leptin levels are at greater risk of developing AD, through unknown mechanisms. In this report, we show that plasma leptin is a strong negative predictor of Aβ levels in the mouse brain, supporting a protective role for the hormone in AD onset. We also show that the inhibition of Aβ accumulation is due to the downregulation of transcription of the γ-secretase components. On the other hand, β-secretase expression is either unchanged (BACE1) or increased (BACE2). Finally, we show that only presenilin 1 (PS1) is negatively correlated with plasma leptin at the protein level (p<0.0001). These data are intriguing and may highlight a role for leptin in regulating the onset of amyloid pathology and AD. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

RG flows and instantons

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

Gava, Edi

2012-09-24

In these two lectures I discuss RG flow solutions in (1,0) six dimensional supergravity involving SU(2) Yang-Mills instantons. in the conformally flat part of the 6D metric. The solutions interpolate between two (4,0) supersymmetric AdS{sub 3} Multiplication-Sign S{sup 3} backgrounds with different values of AdS{sub 3} and S{sup 3} radii and describe RG flows in the dual 2D SCFT. The flows described are of v.e.v. type, driven by a vacuum expectation value of a (not exactly) marginal operator of dimension 2 in the UV. We give an interpretation of the supergravity solution in terms of the D1/D5 system in typemore » I string theory on K3, whose effective field theory is expected to flow to a (4,0) SCFT in the infrared.« less

Relative entropy and optimization-driven coarse-graining methods in VOTCA

DOE PAGES

Mashayak, S. Y.; Jochum, Mara N.; Koschke, Konstantin; ...

2015-07-20

We discuss recent advances of the VOTCA package for systematic coarse-graining. Two methods have been implemented, namely the downhill simplex optimization and the relative entropy minimization. We illustrate the new methods by coarse-graining SPC/E bulk water and more complex water-methanol mixture systems. The CG potentials obtained from both methods are then evaluated by comparing the pair distributions from the coarse-grained to the reference atomistic simulations.We have also added a parallel analysis framework to improve the computational efficiency of the coarse-graining process.

XMM-Newton Mobile Web Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra, A.; Kennedy, M.; Rodríguez, P.; Hernández, C.; Saxton, R.; Gabriel, C.

2013-10-01

We present the first XMM-Newton web mobile application, coded using new web technologies such as HTML5, the Query mobile framework, and D3 JavaScript data-driven library. This new web mobile application focuses on re-formatted contents extracted directly from the XMM-Newton web, optimizing the contents for mobile devices. The main goals of this development were to reach all kind of handheld devices and operating systems, while minimizing software maintenance. The application therefore has been developed as a web mobile implementation rather than a more costly native application. New functionality will be added regularly.

Trace-Driven Debugging of Message Passing Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frumkin, Michael; Hood, Robert; Lopez, Louis; Bailey, David (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

In this paper we report on features added to a parallel debugger to simplify the debugging of parallel message passing programs. These features include replay, setting consistent breakpoints based on interprocess event causality, a parallel undo operation, and communication supervision. These features all use trace information collected during the execution of the program being debugged. We used a number of different instrumentation techniques to collect traces. We also implemented trace displays using two different trace visualization systems. The implementation was tested on an SGI Power Challenge cluster and a network of SGI workstations.

Nuclear Methods for Transmutation of Nuclear Waste: Problems, Perspextives, Cooperative Research - Proceedings of the International Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khankhasayev, Zhanat B.; Kurmanov, Hans; Plendl, Mikhail Kh.

1996-12-01

The Table of Contents for the full book PDF is as follows: * Preface * I. Review of Current Status of Nuclear Transmutation Projects * Accelerator-Driven Systems — Survey of the Research Programs in the World * The Los Alamos Accelerator-Driven Transmutation of Nuclear Waste Concept * Nuclear Waste Transmutation Program in the Czech Republic * Tentative Results of the ISTC Supported Study of the ADTT Plutonium Disposition * Recent Neutron Physics Investigations for the Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle * Optimisation of Accelerator Systems for Transmutation of Nuclear Waste * Proton Linac of the Moscow Meson Factory for the ADTT Experiments * II. Computer Modeling of Nuclear Waste Transmutation Methods and Systems * Transmutation of Minor Actinides in Different Nuclear Facilities * Monte Carlo Modeling of Electro-nuclear Processes with Nonlinear Effects * Simulation of Hybrid Systems with a GEANT Based Program * Computer Study of 90Sr and 137Cs Transmutation by Proton Beam * Methods and Computer Codes for Burn-Up and Fast Transients Calculations in Subcritical Systems with External Sources * New Model of Calculation of Fission Product Yields for the ADTT Problem * Monte Carlo Simulation of Accelerator-Reactor Systems * III. Data Basis for Transmutation of Actinides and Fission Products * Nuclear Data in the Accelerator Driven Transmutation Problem * Nuclear Data to Study Radiation Damage, Activation, and Transmutation of Materials Irradiated by Particles of Intermediate and High Energies * Radium Institute Investigations on the Intermediate Energy Nuclear Data on Hybrid Nuclear Technologies * Nuclear Data Requirements in Intermediate Energy Range for Improvement of Calculations of ADTT Target Processes * IV. Experimental Studies and Projects * ADTT Experiments at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center * Neutron Multiplicity Distributions for GeV Proton Induced Spallation Reactions on Thin and Thick Targets of Pb and U * Solid State Nuclear Track Detector and Radiochemical Studies on the Transmutation of Nuclei Using Relativistic Heavy Ions * Experimental and Theoretical Study of Radionuclide Production on the Electronuclear Plant Target and Construction Materials Irradiated by 1.5 GeV and 130 MeV Protons * Neutronics and Power Deposition Parameters of the Targets Proposed in the ISTC Project 17 * Multicycle Irradiation of Plutonium in Solid Fuel Heavy-Water Blanket of ADS * Compound Neutron Valve of Accelerator-Driven System Sectioned Blanket * Subcritical Channel-Type Reactor for Weapon Plutonium Utilization * Accelerator Driven Molten-Fluoride Reactor with Modular Heat Exchangers on PB-BI Eutectic * A New Conception of High Power Ion Linac for ADTT * Pions and Accelerator-Driven Transmutation of Nuclear Waste? * V. Problems and Perspectives * Accelerator-Driven Transmutation Technologies for Resolution of Long-Term Nuclear Waste Concerns * Closing the Nuclear Fuel-Cycle and Moving Toward a Sustainable Energy Development * Workshop Summary * List of Participants

Study on transient beam loading compensation for China ADS proton linac injector II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Zheng; He, Yuan; Wang, Xian-Wu; Chang, Wei; Zhang, Rui-Feng; Zhu, Zheng-Long; Zhang, Sheng-Hu; Chen, Qi; Powers, Tom

2016-05-01

Significant transient beam loading effects were observed during beam commissioning tests of prototype II of the injector for the accelerator driven sub-critical (ADS) system, which took place at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, between October and December 2014. During these tests experiments were performed with continuous wave (CW) operation of the cavities with pulsed beam current, and the system was configured to make use of a prototype digital low level radio frequency (LLRF) controller. The system was originally operated in pulsed mode with a simple proportional plus integral and deviation (PID) feedback control algorithm, which was not able to maintain the desired gradient regulation during pulsed 10 mA beam operations. A unique simple transient beam loading compensation method which made use of a combination of proportional and integral (PI) feedback and feedforward control algorithm was implemented in order to significantly reduce the beam induced transient effect in the cavity gradients. The superconducting cavity field variation was reduced to less than 1.7% after turning on this control algorithm. The design and experimental results of this system are presented in this paper. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (91426303, 11525523)

Non-equilibrium steady states in supramolecular polymerization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorrenti, Alessandro; Leira-Iglesias, Jorge; Sato, Akihiro; Hermans, Thomas M.

2017-06-01

Living systems use fuel-driven supramolecular polymers such as actin to control important cell functions. Fuel molecules like ATP are used to control when and where such polymers should assemble and disassemble. The cell supplies fresh ATP to the cytosol and removes waste products to sustain steady states. Artificial fuel-driven polymers have been developed recently, but keeping them in sustained non-equilibrium steady states (NESS) has proven challenging. Here we show a supramolecular polymer that can be kept in NESS, inside a membrane reactor where ATP is added and waste removed continuously. Assembly and disassembly of our polymer is regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, respectively. Waste products lead to inhibition, causing the reaction cycle to stop. Inside the membrane reactor, however, waste can be removed leading to long-lived NESS conditions. We anticipate that our approach to obtain NESS can be applied to other stimuli-responsive materials to achieve more life-like behaviour.

A sensory-driven controller for quadruped locomotion.

PubMed

Ferreira, César; Santos, Cristina P

2017-02-01

Locomotion of quadruped robots has not yet achieved the harmony, flexibility, efficiency and robustness of its biological counterparts. Biological research showed that spinal reflexes are crucial for a successful locomotion in the most varied terrains. In this context, the development of bio-inspired controllers seems to be a good way to move toward an efficient and robust robotic locomotion, by mimicking their biological counterparts. This contribution presents a sensory-driven controller designed for the simulated Oncilla quadruped robot. In the proposed reflex controller, movement is generated through the robot's interactions with the environment, and therefore, the controller is solely dependent on sensory information. The results show that the reflex controller is capable of producing stable quadruped locomotion with a regular stepping pattern. Furthermore, it is capable of dealing with slopes without changing the parameters and with small obstacles, overcoming them successfully. Finally, system robustness was verified by adding noise to sensors and actuators and also delays.

Developing a habitat-driven approach to CWWT design

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sartoris, James J.; Thullen, Joan S.

1998-01-01

A habitat-driven approach to CWWT design is defined as designing the constructed wetland to maximize habitat values for a given site within the constraints of meeting specified treatment criteria. This is in contrast to the more typical approach of designing the CWWT to maximize treatment efficiency, and then, perhaps, adding wildlife habitat features. The habitat-driven approach is advocated for two reasons: (1) because good wetland habitat is critically lacking, and (2) because it is hypothesized that well-designed habitat will result in good, sustainable wastewater treatment.

Patterning in systems driven by nonlocal external forces.

PubMed

Luneville, L; Mallick, K; Pontikis, V; Simeone, D

2016-11-01

This work focuses on systems displaying domain patterns resulting from competing external and internal dynamics. To this end, we introduce a Lyapunov functional capable of describing the steady states of systems subject to external forces, by adding nonlocal terms to the Landau Ginzburg free energy of the system. Thereby, we extend the existing methodology treating long-range order interactions, to the case of external nonlocal forces. By studying the quadratic term of this Lyapunov functional, we compute the phase diagram in the temperature versus external field and we determine all possible modulated phases (domain patterns) as a function of the external forces and the temperature. Finally, we investigate patterning in chemical reactive mixtures and binary mixtures under irradiation, and we show that the last case opens the path toward micro-structural engineering of materials.

Patterning in systems driven by nonlocal external forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luneville, L.; Mallick, K.; Pontikis, V.; Simeone, D.

2016-11-01

This work focuses on systems displaying domain patterns resulting from competing external and internal dynamics. To this end, we introduce a Lyapunov functional capable of describing the steady states of systems subject to external forces, by adding nonlocal terms to the Landau Ginzburg free energy of the system. Thereby, we extend the existing methodology treating long-range order interactions, to the case of external nonlocal forces. By studying the quadratic term of this Lyapunov functional, we compute the phase diagram in the temperature versus external field and we determine all possible modulated phases (domain patterns) as a function of the external forces and the temperature. Finally, we investigate patterning in chemical reactive mixtures and binary mixtures under irradiation, and we show that the last case opens the path toward micro-structural engineering of materials.

The Structural Consequences of Big Data-Driven Education.

PubMed

Zeide, Elana

2017-06-01

Educators and commenters who evaluate big data-driven learning environments focus on specific questions: whether automated education platforms improve learning outcomes, invade student privacy, and promote equality. This article puts aside separate unresolved-and perhaps unresolvable-issues regarding the concrete effects of specific technologies. It instead examines how big data-driven tools alter the structure of schools' pedagogical decision-making, and, in doing so, change fundamental aspects of America's education enterprise. Technological mediation and data-driven decision-making have a particularly significant impact in learning environments because the education process primarily consists of dynamic information exchange. In this overview, I highlight three significant structural shifts that accompany school reliance on data-driven instructional platforms that perform core school functions: teaching, assessment, and credentialing. First, virtual learning environments create information technology infrastructures featuring constant data collection, continuous algorithmic assessment, and possibly infinite record retention. This undermines the traditional intellectual privacy and safety of classrooms. Second, these systems displace pedagogical decision-making from educators serving public interests to private, often for-profit, technology providers. They constrain teachers' academic autonomy, obscure student evaluation, and reduce parents' and students' ability to participate or challenge education decision-making. Third, big data-driven tools define what "counts" as education by mapping the concepts, creating the content, determining the metrics, and setting desired learning outcomes of instruction. These shifts cede important decision-making to private entities without public scrutiny or pedagogical examination. In contrast to the public and heated debates that accompany textbook choices, schools often adopt education technologies ad hoc. Given education's crucial impact on individual and collective success, educators and policymakers must consider the implications of data-driven education proactively and explicitly.

Measurements and usage of cross sections of various (n,xn) threshold reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chudoba, P.; Vrzalová, J.; Svoboda, O.; Krása, A.; Kugler, A.; Majerle, M.; Suchopár, M.; Wagner, V.

2017-03-01

Current trend in nuclear reactor physics is a transition from technologies using thermal neutrons to technologies utilizing fast neutrons. Unfortunately focus was put mainly on the thermal neutrons for a long time and lead to very good knowledge about this low energy region, but very scarce coverage of the high energy region. This means that there is a gap in the knowledge of excitation functions for higher energies. This gap spreads from 20 MeV up to 1 GeV and higher. This is exactly the energy region needed for description of advanced nuclear systems such as accelerator driven systems (ADS). Our group from Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI) of the CAS is a member of an international collaboration Energy & Transmutation of Radioactive Waste (E&T RAW). This collaboration focuses on ADS for many years. In order to measure neutron field within ADS models it is necessary to know excitation functions of reactions used to monitor the neutron field. In many cases there are almost no experimental data for suitable reactions. Worse and quite common case is that there are no data at all. Therefore we are also focusing on measurements of these data in order to fill the databases as well as to allow further improvements of codes for nuclear data calculations.

Event-Driven Messaging for Offline Data Quality Monitoring at ATLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onyisi, Peter

2015-12-01

During LHC Run 1, the information flow through the offline data quality monitoring in ATLAS relied heavily on chains of processes polling each other's outputs for handshaking purposes. This resulted in a fragile architecture with many possible points of failure and an inability to monitor the overall state of the distributed system. We report on the status of a project undertaken during the LHC shutdown to replace the ad hoc synchronization methods with a uniform message queue system. This enables the use of standard protocols to connect processes on multiple hosts; reliable transmission of messages between possibly unreliable programs; easy monitoring of the information flow; and the removal of inefficient polling-based communication.

Use of a Linear Paul Trap to Study Random Noise-Induced Beam Degradation in High-Intensity Accelerators

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

Chung, Moses; Gilson, Erik P.; Davidson, Ronald C.

2009-04-10

A random noise-induced beam degradation that can affect intense beam transport over long propagation distances has been experimentally studied by making use of the transverse beam dynamics equivalence between an alternating-gradient (AG) focusing system and a linear Paul trap system. For the present studies, machine imperfections in the quadrupole focusing lattice are considered, which are emulated by adding small random noise on the voltage waveform of the quadrupole electrodes in the Paul trap. It is observed that externally driven noise continuously produces a nonthermal tail of trapped ions, and increases the transverse emittance almost linearly with the duration of themore » noise.« less

Capacitive beam position monitors for the low-β beam of the Chinese ADS proton linac

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yong; Wu, Jun-Xia; Zhu, Guang-Yu; Jia, Huan; Xue, Zong-Heng; Zheng, Hai; Xie, Hong-Ming; Kang, Xin-Cai; He, Yuan; Li, Lin; Denard, Jean Claude

2016-02-01

Beam Position Monitors (BPMs) for the low-β beam of the Chinese Accelerator Driven Subcritical system (CADS) Proton linac are of the capacitive pick-up type. They provide higher output signals than that of the inductive type. This paper will describe the design and tests of the capacitive BPM system for the low-β proton linac, including the pick-ups, the test bench and the read-out electronics. The tests done with an actual proton beam show a good agreement between the measurements and the simulations in the time domain. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11405240) and “Western Light” Talents Training Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Physics design of a 10 MeV injector test stand for an accelerator-driven subcritical system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Fang; Pei, Shilun; Geng, Huiping; Meng, Cai; Zhao, Yaliang; Sun, Biao; Cheng, Peng; Yang, Zheng; Ouyang, Huafu; Li, Zhihui; Tang, Jingyu; Wang, Jianli; Sui, Yefeng; Dai, Jianping; Sha, Peng; Ge, Rui

2015-05-01

The 10 MeV accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS) Injector I test stand at Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) is a testing facility dedicated to demonstrate one of the two injector design schemes [Injector Scheme-I, which works at 325 MHz], for the ADS project in China. The injector is composed of two parts, the linac part and the beam dump line. The former is designed on the basis of 325 MHz four-vane type copper structure radio frequency quadrupole and superconducting (SC) spoke cavities with β =0.12 . The latter is designed to transport the beam coming out of the SC section of the linac to the beam dump, where the beam transverse profile is fairly enlarged and unformed to simplify the beam target design. The SC section consists of two cryomodules with 14 β =0.12 Spoke cavities, 14 solenoid and 14 BPMs in total. The first challenge in the physics design comes from the necessary space required for the cryomodule separation where the periodical lattice is destroyed at a relatively lower energy of ˜5 MeV . Another challenge is the beam dump line design, as it will be the first beam dump line being built by using a step field magnet for the transverse beam expansion and uniformity in the world. This paper gives an overview of the physics design study together with the design principles and machine construction considerations. The results of an optimized design, fabrication status and end to end simulations including machine errors are presented.

Office of university affairs management information system: Users guide and documentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Distin, J.; Goodwin, D.; Greene, W. A.

1977-01-01

Data on the NASA-University relationship are reported that encompass research in over 600 schools through several thousand grants and contracts. This user-driven system is capable of producing a variety of cyclical and query-type reports describing the total NASA-University profile. The capabilities, designed as part of the system, require a minimum of user maintenance in order to ensure system efficiency and data validity to meet the recurrent Statutory and Executive Branch information requirements as well as ad hoc inquiries from NASA general management, Congress, other Federal agencies, private sector organizations, universities and individuals. The data base contains information on each university, the individual projects and the financial details, current and historic, on all contracts and grants. Complete details are given on the system from its unique design features to the actual steps required for daily operation.

Substrate-Driven Convergence of the Microbial Community in Lignocellulose-Amended Enrichments of Gut Microflora from the Canadian Beaver (Castor canadensis) and North American Moose (Alces americanus).

PubMed

Wong, Mabel T; Wang, Weijun; Lacourt, Michael; Couturier, Marie; Edwards, Elizabeth A; Master, Emma R

2016-01-01

Strategic enrichment of microcosms derived from wood foragers can facilitate the discovery of key microbes that produce enzymes for the bioconversion of plant fiber (i.e., lignocellulose) into valuable chemicals and energy. In this study, lignocellulose-degrading microorganisms from the digestive systems of Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis) and North American moose (Alces americanus) were enriched under methanogenic conditions for over 3 years using various wood-derived substrates, including (i) cellulose (C), (ii) cellulose + lignosulphonate (CL), (iii) cellulose + tannic acid (CT), and (iv) poplar hydrolysate (PH). Substantial improvement in the conversion of amended organic substrates into biogas was observed in both beaver dropping and moose rumen enrichment cultures over the enrichment phases (up to 0.36-0.68 ml biogas/mg COD added), except for enrichments amended with tannic acid where conversion was approximately 0.15 ml biogas/mg COD added. Multiplex-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed systematic shifts in the population of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Spirochaetes, Chloroflexi, and Elusimicrobia in response to the enrichment. These shifts were predominantly substrate driven, not inoculum driven, as revealed by both UPGMA clustering pattern and OTU distribution. Additionally, the relative abundance of multiple OTUs from poorly defined taxonomic lineages increased from less than 1% to 25-50% in microcosms amended with lignocellulosic substrates, including OTUs from classes SJA-28, Endomicrobia, orders Bacteroidales, OPB54, and family Lachnospiraceae. This study provides the first direct comparison of shifts in microbial communities that occurred in different environmental samples in response to multiple relevant lignocellulosic carbon sources, and demonstrates the potential of enrichment to increase the abundance of key lignocellulolytic microorganisms and encoded activities.

Substrate-Driven Convergence of the Microbial Community in Lignocellulose-Amended Enrichments of Gut Microflora from the Canadian Beaver (Castor canadensis) and North American Moose (Alces americanus)

PubMed Central

Wong, Mabel T.; Wang, Weijun; Lacourt, Michael; Couturier, Marie; Edwards, Elizabeth A.; Master, Emma R.

2016-01-01

Strategic enrichment of microcosms derived from wood foragers can facilitate the discovery of key microbes that produce enzymes for the bioconversion of plant fiber (i.e., lignocellulose) into valuable chemicals and energy. In this study, lignocellulose-degrading microorganisms from the digestive systems of Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis) and North American moose (Alces americanus) were enriched under methanogenic conditions for over 3 years using various wood-derived substrates, including (i) cellulose (C), (ii) cellulose + lignosulphonate (CL), (iii) cellulose + tannic acid (CT), and (iv) poplar hydrolysate (PH). Substantial improvement in the conversion of amended organic substrates into biogas was observed in both beaver dropping and moose rumen enrichment cultures over the enrichment phases (up to 0.36–0.68 ml biogas/mg COD added), except for enrichments amended with tannic acid where conversion was approximately 0.15 ml biogas/mg COD added. Multiplex-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed systematic shifts in the population of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Spirochaetes, Chloroflexi, and Elusimicrobia in response to the enrichment. These shifts were predominantly substrate driven, not inoculum driven, as revealed by both UPGMA clustering pattern and OTU distribution. Additionally, the relative abundance of multiple OTUs from poorly defined taxonomic lineages increased from less than 1% to 25–50% in microcosms amended with lignocellulosic substrates, including OTUs from classes SJA-28, Endomicrobia, orders Bacteroidales, OPB54, and family Lachnospiraceae. This study provides the first direct comparison of shifts in microbial communities that occurred in different environmental samples in response to multiple relevant lignocellulosic carbon sources, and demonstrates the potential of enrichment to increase the abundance of key lignocellulolytic microorganisms and encoded activities. PMID:27446004

Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool (MMPAT) Version 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Eric G.; Chang, George W.; Chen, Fannie C.

2012-01-01

The Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool (MMPAT) simulates a spacecraft power subsystem including the power source (solar array and/or radioisotope thermoelectric generator), bus-voltage control, secondary battery (lithium-ion or nickel-hydrogen), thermostatic heaters, and power-consuming equipment. It handles multiple mission types including heliocentric orbiters, planetary orbiters, and surface operations. Being parametrically driven along with its user-programmable features can reduce or even eliminate any need for software modifications when configuring it for a particular spacecraft. It provides multiple levels of fidelity, thereby fulfilling the vast majority of a project s power simulation needs throughout the lifecycle. It can operate in a stand-alone mode with a graphical user interface, in batch mode, or as a library linked with other tools. This software can simulate all major aspects of a spacecraft power subsystem. It is parametrically driven to reduce or eliminate the need for a programmer. Added flexibility is provided through user-designed state models and table-driven parameters. MMPAT is designed to be used by a variety of users, such as power subsystem engineers for sizing power subsystem components; mission planners for adjusting mission scenarios using power profiles generated by the model; system engineers for performing system- level trade studies using the results of the model during the early design phases of a spacecraft; and operations personnel for high-fidelity modeling of the essential power aspect of the planning picture.

Th and U fuel photofission study by NTD for AD-MSR subcritical assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajo-Bohus, Laszlo; Greaves, Eduardo D.; Davila, Jesus; Barros, Haydn; Pino, Felix; Barrera, Maria T.; Farina, Fulvio

2015-07-01

During the last decade a considerable effort has been devoted for developing energy generating systems based on advanced nuclear technology within the design concepts of GEN-IV. Thorium base fuel systems such as accelerator driven nuclear reactors are one of the often mentioned attractive and affordable options. Several radiotherapy linear accelerators are on the market and due to their reliability, they could be employed as drivers for subcritical liquid fuel assemblies. Bremsstrahlung photons with energies above 5.5MeV, induce (γ,n) and (e,e'n) reactions in the W-target. Resulting gamma radiation and photo or fission neutrons may be absorbed in target materials such as thorium and uranium isotopes to induce sustained fission or nuclear transmutation in waste radioactive materials. Relevant photo driven and photo-fission reaction cross sections are important for actinides 232Th, 238U and 237Np in the radiotherapy machines energy range of 10-20 MV. In this study we employ passive nuclear track detectors (NTD) to determine fission rates and neutron production rates with the aim to establish the feasibility for gamma and photo-neutron driven subcritical assemblies. To cope with these objectives a 20 MV radiotherapy machine has been employed with a mixed fuel target. Results will support further development for a subcritical assembly employing a thorium containing liquid fuel. It is expected that acquired technological knowledge will contribute to the Venezuelan nuclear energy program.

Transmutation of Radioactive Nuclear Waste — Present Status and Requirement for the Problem-Oriented Nuclear Database: Approach to Scheduling the Experiments (Reactor, Target, Blanket)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artisyuk, V.; Ignatyuk, A.; Korovin, Yu.; Lopatkin, A.; Matveenko, I.; Stankovskiy, A.; Titarenko, Yu.

2005-05-01

Transmutation of nuclear wastes (Minor Actinides and Long-Lived Fission Products) remains an important option to reduce the burden of high-level waste on final waste disposal in deep geological structures. Accelerator-Driven Systems (ADS) are considered as possible candidates to perform transmutation due to their subcritical operation mode that eliminates some of the serious safety penalties unavoidable in critical reactors. Specific requirements to nuclear data necessary for ADS transmutation analysis is the main subject of the ISTC Project ♯2578 which started in 2004 to identify the areas of research priorities in the future. The present paper gives a summary of ongoing project stressing the importance of nuclear data for blanket performance (reactivity behavior with associated safety characteristics) and uncertainties that affect characteristics of neutron producing target.

Design of the new couplers for C-ADS RFQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Ai-Min; Sun, Lie-Peng; Zhang, Zhou-Li; Xu, Xian-Bo; Shi, Long-Bo; Li, Chen-Xing; Wang, Wen-Bin

2015-04-01

A new special coupler with a kind of bowl-shaped ceramic window for a proton linear accelerator named the Chinese Accelerator Driven System (C-ADS) at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) has been simulated and constructed and a continuous wave (CW) beam commissioning through a four-meter long radio frequency quadruple (RFQ) was completed by the end of July 2014. In the experiments of conditioning and beam, some problems were promoted gradually such as sparking and thermal issues. Finally, two new couplers were passed with almost 110 kW CW power and 120 kW pulsed mode, respectively. The 10 mA intensity beam experiments have now been completed, and the couplers during the operation had no thermal or electro-magnetic problems. The detailed design and results are presented in the paper. Supported by Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA03020500)

CC-chemokine class inhibition attenuates pathological angiogenesis while preserving physiological angiogenesis.

PubMed

Ridiandries, Anisyah; Tan, Joanne T M; Ravindran, Dhanya; Williams, Helen; Medbury, Heather J; Lindsay, Laura; Hawkins, Clare; Prosser, Hamish C G; Bursill, Christina A

2017-03-01

Increasing evidence shows that CC-chemokines promote inflammatory-driven angiogenesis, with little to no effect on hypoxia-mediated angiogenesis. Inhibition of the CC-chemokine class may therefore affect angiogenesis differently depending on the pathophysiological context. We compared the effect of CC-chemokine inhibition in inflammatory and physiological conditions. In vitro , the broad-spectrum CC-chemokine inhibitor "35K" inhibited inflammatory-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tubulogenesis, with more modest effects in hypoxia. In vivo , adenoviruses were used to overexpress 35K (Ad35K) and GFP (AdGFP, control virus). Plasma chemokine activity was suppressed by Ad35K in both models. In the periarterial femoral cuff model of inflammatory-driven angiogenesis, overexpression of 35K inhibited adventitial neovessel formation compared with control AdGFP-infused mice. In contrast, 35K preserved neovascularization in the hindlimb ischemia model and had no effect on physiological neovascularization in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Mechanistically, 2 key angiogenic proteins (VEGF and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α) were conditionally regulated by 35K, such that expression was inhibited in inflammation but was unchanged in hypoxia. In conclusion, CC-chemokine inhibition by 35K suppresses inflammatory-driven angiogenesis while preserving physiological ischemia-mediated angiogenesis via conditional regulation of VEGF and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. CC-chemokine inhibition may be an alternative therapeutic strategy for suppressing diseases associated with inflammatory angiogenesis without inducing the side effects caused by global inhibition.- Ridiandries, A., Tan, J. T. M., Ravindran, D., Williams, H., Medbury, H. J., Lindsay, L., Hawkins, C., Prosser, H. C. G., Bursill, C. A. CC-chemokine class inhibition attenuates pathological angiogenesis while preserving physiological angiogenesis. © FASEB.

Theory and methods for measuring the effective multiplication constant in ADS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rugama Saez, Yolanda

2001-10-01

In the thesis an absolute measurements technique for the subcriticality determination is presented. The ADS is a hybrid system where a subcritical system is fed by a proton accelerator. There are different proposals to define an ADS, one is to use plutonium and minor actinides from power plants waste as fuel to be transmuted into non radioactive isotopes (transmuter/burner, ATW). Another proposal is to use a Th232-U233 cycle (Energy Amplifier), being that thorium is an interesting and abundant fertile isotope. The development of accelerator driven systems (ADS) requires the development of methods to monitor and control the subcriticality of this kind of system without interfering with its normal operation mode. With this finality, we have applied noise analysis techniques that allow us to characterise the system when it is operating. The method presented in this thesis is based on the stochastic neutron and photon transport theory that can be implemented by presently available neutron/photon transport codes. In this work, first we analyse the stochastic transport theory which has been applied to define a parameter to determine the subcritical reactivity monitoring measurements. Finally we give the main limitations and recommendations for these subcritical monitoring methodology. As a result of the theoretical methodology, done in the first part of this thesis, a monitoring measurement technique has been developed and verified using two coupled Monte Carlo programs. The first one, LAHET, simulates the spallation collisions and the high energy transport and the other, MCNP-DSP, is used to estimate the counting statistics from a neutron/photon ray counter in a fissile system, as well as the transport for neutron with energies less than 20 MeV. From the coupling of both codes we developed the LAHET/MCNP-DSP code which, has the capability to simulate the total process in the ADS from the proton interaction to the signal detector processing. In these simulations, we compute the cross power spectral densities between pairs of detectors located inside the system which, is defined as the measured parameter. From the comparison of the theoretical predictions with the Monte Carlo simulations, we obtain some practical and simple methods to determine the system multiplication constant. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Cooling system for high speed aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawing, P. L.; Pagel, L. L. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

The system eliminates the necessity of shielding an aircraft airframe constructed of material such as aluminum. Cooling is accomplished by passing a coolant through the aircraft airframe, the coolant acting as a carrier to remove heat from the airframe. The coolant is circulated through a heat pump and a heat exchanger which together extract essentially all of the added heat from the coolant. The heat is transferred to the aircraft fuel system via the heat exchanger and the heat pump. The heat extracted from the coolant is utilized to power the heat pump. The heat pump has associated therewith power turbine mechanism which is also driven by the extracted heat. The power turbines are utilized to drive various aircraft subsystems, the compressor of the heat pump, and provide engine cooling.

Cooperative Effects in Closely Packed Quantum Emitters with Collective Dephasing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasanna Venkatesh, B.; Juan, M. L.; Romero-Isart, O.

2018-01-01

In a closely packed ensemble of quantum emitters, cooperative effects are typically suppressed due to the dephasing induced by the dipole-dipole interactions. Here, we show that by adding sufficiently strong collective dephasing, cooperative effects can be restored. Specifically, we show that the dipole force on a closely packed ensemble of strongly driven two-level quantum emitters, which collectively dephase, is enhanced in comparison to the dipole force on an independent noninteracting ensemble. Our results are relevant to solid-state systems with embedded quantum emitters such as color centers in diamond and superconducting qubits in microwave cavities and waveguides.

Kinetic isotopic fractionation and the origin of HDO and CH3D in the solar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yung, Yuk L.; Wen, Jun-Shan; Friedl, Randall R.; Pinto, Joseph P.; Bayes, Kyle D.

1988-01-01

It is suggested that photochemical enrichment processes driven by stellar UV emissions could result in a large deuterium fractionation of water and methane relative to H2 in the primitive solar nebula. These enrichment processes could have profoundly influenced the isotopic content of water in the terrestrial planets, if a large fraction of their volatiles had been added by impacts of meteorites and comets formed in the outer parts of the solar nebula. Efficient mixing could have exposed the material in the interior of the solar nebula to starlight.

Technical and economic assessment of different options for minor actinide transmutation: the French case

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

Chabert, C.; Coquelet-Pascal, C.; Saturnin, A.

Studies have been performed to assess the industrial perspectives of partitioning and transmutation of long-lived elements. These studies were carried out in tight connection with GEN-IV systems development. The results include the technical and economic evaluation of fuel cycle scenarios along with different options for optimizing the processes between the minor actinide transmutation in fast neutron reactors, their interim storage and geological disposal of ultimate waste. The results are analysed through several criteria (impacts on waste, on waste repository, on fuel cycle plants, on radiological exposure of workers, on costs and on industrial risks). These scenario evaluations take place inmore » the French context which considers the deployment of the first Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) in 2040. 3 management options of minor actinides have been studied: no transmutation, transmutation in SFR and transmutation in an accelerator-driven system (ADS). Concerning economics the study shows that the cost overrun related to the transmutation process could vary between 5 to 9% in SFR and 26 % in the case of ADS.« less

Pan-Antarctic analysis aggregating spatial estimates of Adélie penguin abundance reveals robust dynamics despite stochastic noise.

PubMed

Che-Castaldo, Christian; Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Youngflesh, Casey; Shoemaker, Kevin T; Humphries, Grant; McDowall, Philip; Landrum, Laura; Holland, Marika M; Li, Yun; Ji, Rubao; Lynch, Heather J

2017-10-10

Colonially-breeding seabirds have long served as indicator species for the health of the oceans on which they depend. Abundance and breeding data are repeatedly collected at fixed study sites in the hopes that changes in abundance and productivity may be useful for adaptive management of marine resources, but their suitability for this purpose is often unknown. To address this, we fit a Bayesian population dynamics model that includes process and observation error to all known Adélie penguin abundance data (1982-2015) in the Antarctic, covering >95% of their population globally. We find that process error exceeds observation error in this system, and that continent-wide "year effects" strongly influence population growth rates. Our findings have important implications for the use of Adélie penguins in Southern Ocean feedback management, and suggest that aggregating abundance across space provides the fastest reliable signal of true population change for species whose dynamics are driven by stochastic processes.Adélie penguins are a key Antarctic indicator species, but data patchiness has challenged efforts to link population dynamics to key drivers. Che-Castaldo et al. resolve this issue using a pan-Antarctic Bayesian model to infer missing data, and show that spatial aggregation leads to more robust inference regarding dynamics.

Working memory-driven attention improves spatial resolution: Support for perceptual enhancement.

PubMed

Pan, Yi; Luo, Qianying; Cheng, Min

2016-08-01

Previous research has indicated that attention can be biased toward those stimuli matching the contents of working memory and thereby facilitates visual processing at the location of the memory-matching stimuli. However, whether this working memory-driven attentional modulation takes place on early perceptual processes remains unclear. Our present results showed that working memory-driven attention improved identification of a brief Landolt target presented alone in the visual field. Because the suprathreshold target appeared without any external noise added (i.e., no distractors or masks), the results suggest that working memory-driven attention enhances the target signal at early perceptual stages of visual processing. Furthermore, given that performance in the Landolt target identification task indexes spatial resolution, this attentional facilitation indicates that working memory-driven attention can boost early perceptual processing via enhancement of spatial resolution at the attended location.

Event- and Time-Driven Techniques Using Parallel CPU-GPU Co-processing for Spiking Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Naveros, Francisco; Garrido, Jesus A.; Carrillo, Richard R.; Ros, Eduardo; Luque, Niceto R.

2017-01-01

Modeling and simulating the neural structures which make up our central neural system is instrumental for deciphering the computational neural cues beneath. Higher levels of biological plausibility usually impose higher levels of complexity in mathematical modeling, from neural to behavioral levels. This paper focuses on overcoming the simulation problems (accuracy and performance) derived from using higher levels of mathematical complexity at a neural level. This study proposes different techniques for simulating neural models that hold incremental levels of mathematical complexity: leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF), adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire (AdEx), and Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neural models (ranged from low to high neural complexity). The studied techniques are classified into two main families depending on how the neural-model dynamic evaluation is computed: the event-driven or the time-driven families. Whilst event-driven techniques pre-compile and store the neural dynamics within look-up tables, time-driven techniques compute the neural dynamics iteratively during the simulation time. We propose two modifications for the event-driven family: a look-up table recombination to better cope with the incremental neural complexity together with a better handling of the synchronous input activity. Regarding the time-driven family, we propose a modification in computing the neural dynamics: the bi-fixed-step integration method. This method automatically adjusts the simulation step size to better cope with the stiffness of the neural model dynamics running in CPU platforms. One version of this method is also implemented for hybrid CPU-GPU platforms. Finally, we analyze how the performance and accuracy of these modifications evolve with increasing levels of neural complexity. We also demonstrate how the proposed modifications which constitute the main contribution of this study systematically outperform the traditional event- and time-driven techniques under increasing levels of neural complexity. PMID:28223930

Reproducibility of ad libitum energy intake with the use of a computerized vending machine system123

PubMed Central

Votruba, Susanne B; Franks, Paul W; Krakoff, Jonathan; Salbe, Arline D

2010-01-01

Background: Accurate assessment of energy intake is difficult but critical for the evaluation of eating behavior and intervention effects. Consequently, methods to assess ad libitum energy intake under controlled conditions have been developed. Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the reproducibility of ad libitum energy intake with the use of a computerized vending machine system. Design: Twelve individuals (mean ± SD: 36 ± 8 y old; 41 ± 8% body fat) consumed a weight-maintaining diet for 3 d; subsequently, they self-selected all food with the use of a computerized vending machine system for an additional 3 d. Mean daily energy intake was calculated from the actual weight of foods consumed and expressed as a percentage of weight-maintenance energy needs (%WMEN). Subjects repeated the study multiple times during 2 y. The within-person reproducibility of energy intake was determined through the calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between visits. Results: Daily energy intake for all subjects was 5020 ± 1753 kcal during visit 1 and 4855 ± 1615 kcal during visit 2. There were no significant associations between energy intake and body weight, body mass index, or percentage body fat while subjects used the vending machines, which indicates that intake was not driven by body size or need. Despite overconsumption (%WMEN = 181 ± 57%), the reproducibility of intake between visits, whether expressed as daily energy intake (ICC = 0.90), %WMEN (ICC = 0.86), weight of food consumed (ICC = 0.87), or fat intake (g/d; ICC = 0.87), was highly significant (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Although ad libitum energy intake exceeded %WMEN, the within-person reliability of this intake across multiple visits was high, which makes this a reproducible method for the measurement of ad libitum intake in subjects who reside in a research unit. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00342732. PMID:19923376

4D Interconnect Experimental Development

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-29

Polymerization of MMA Using Benzoyl Peroxide ..... .......... 6 2.1.2.3 Polymerization Using Benzoin ........ .................. 7 2.1.3 Adding the SHB...molecules.J6l This breakdown can be driven thermally (as in the case of benzoyl peroxide) or via UV illumination (as in the case of benzoin ). Once...taken is increased. 6 2.1.2.3 Polymerization Using Benzoin A commonly used alternative to the initiation being driven thermally is to use a photoini

Optimizing observational networks combining gliders, moored buoys and FerryBox in the Bay of Biscay and English Channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charria, Guillaume; Lamouroux, Julien; De Mey, Pierre

2016-10-01

Designing optimal observation networks in coastal oceans remains one of the major challenges towards the implementation of future efficient Integrated Ocean Observing Systems to monitor the coastal environment. In the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel, the diversity of involved processes (e.g. tidally-driven circulation, plume dynamics) requires to adapt observing systems to the specific targeted environments. Also important is the requirement for those systems to sustain coastal applications. Two observational network design experiments have been implemented for the spring season in two regions: the Loire River plume (northern part of the Bay of Biscay) and the Western English Channel. The method used to perform these experiments is based on the ArM (Array Modes) formalism using an ensemble-based approach without data assimilation. The first experiment in the Loire River plume aims to explore different possible glider endurance lines combined with a fixed mooring to monitor temperature and salinity. Main results show an expected improvement when combining glider and mooring observations. The experiment also highlights that the chosen transect (along-shore and North-South, cross-shore) does not significantly impact the efficiency of the network. Nevertheless, the classification from the method results in slightly better performances for along-shore and North-South sections. In the Western English Channel, a tidally-driven circulation system, added value of using a glider below FerryBox temperature and salinity measurements has been assessed. FerryBox systems are characterised by a high frequency sampling rate crossing the region 2 to 3 times a day. This efficient sampling, as well as the specific vertical hydrological structure (which is homogeneous in many sub-regions of the domain), explains the fact that the added value of an associated glider transect is not significant. These experiments combining existing and future observing systems, as well as numerical ensemble simulations, highlight the key issue of monitoring the whole water column in and close to river plumes (using gliders for example) and the efficiency of the surface high frequency sampling from FerryBoxes in macrotidal regions.

Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program

PubMed Central

Bredesen, Dale E.

2014-01-01

This report describes a novel, comprehensive, and personalized therapeutic program that is based on the underlying pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, and which involves multiple modalities designed to achieve metabolic enhancement for neurodegeneration (MEND). The first 10 patients who have utilized this program include patients with memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), or subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Nine of the 10 displayed subjective or objective improvement in cognition beginning within 3-6 months, with the one failure being a patient with very late stage AD. Six of the patients had had to discontinue working or were struggling with their jobs at the time of presentation, and all were able to return to work or continue working with improved performance. Improvements have been sustained, and at this time the longest patient follow-up is two and one-half years from initial treatment, with sustained and marked improvement. These results suggest that a larger, more extensive trial of this therapeutic program is warranted. The results also suggest that, at least early in the course, cognitive decline may be driven in large part by metabolic processes. Furthermore, given the failure of monotherapeutics in AD to date, the results raise the possibility that such a therapeutic system may be useful as a platform on which drugs that would fail as monotherapeutics may succeed as key components of a therapeutic system. PMID:25324467

The Power of Neuroimaging Biomarkers for Screening Frontotemporal Dementia

PubMed Central

McMillan, Corey T.; Avants, Brian B.; Cook, Philip; Ungar, Lyle; Trojanowski, John Q.; Grossman, Murray

2014-01-01

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinically and pathologically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disease that can result from either frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. It is critical to establish statistically powerful biomarkers that can achieve substantial cost-savings and increase feasibility of clinical trials. We assessed three broad categories of neuroimaging methods to screen underlying FTLD and AD pathology in a clinical FTD series: global measures (e.g., ventricular volume), anatomical volumes of interest (VOIs) (e.g., hippocampus) using a standard atlas, and data-driven VOIs using Eigenanatomy. We evaluated clinical FTD patients (N=93) with cerebrospinal fluid, gray matter (GM) MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess whether they had underlying FTLD or AD pathology. Linear regression was performed to identify the optimal VOIs for each method in a training dataset and then we evaluated classification sensitivity and specificity in an independent test cohort. Power was evaluated by calculating minimum sample sizes (mSS) required in the test classification analyses for each model. The data-driven VOI analysis using a multimodal combination of GM MRI and DTI achieved the greatest classification accuracy (89% SENSITIVE; 89% SPECIFIC) and required a lower minimum sample size (N=26) relative to anatomical VOI and global measures. We conclude that a data-driven VOI approach employing Eigenanatomy provides more accurate classification, benefits from increased statistical power in unseen datasets, and therefore provides a robust method for screening underlying pathology in FTD patients for entry into clinical trials. PMID:24687814

USHERING IN THE STUDY AND TREATMENT OF PRECLINICAL ALZHEIMER DISEASE

PubMed Central

Langbaum, Jessica B.S.; Fleisher, Adam S.; Chen, Kewei; Ayutyanont, Napatkamon; Lopera, Francisco; Quiroz, Yakeel T.; Caselli, Richard J.; Tariot, Pierre N.; Reiman, Eric M.

2014-01-01

Researchers have begun to characterize the subtle biological and cognitive processes that precede the clinical onset of Alzheimer disease (AD), and to set the stage for accelerated evaluation of experimental treatments to delay the onset, reduce the risk of or completely prevent clinical decline. Here, we provide an overview of the experimental strategies, and brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker measures that are used in early detection and tracking of AD, highlighting at-risk individuals who could be suitable for preclinical monitoring. We discuss how these advances have contributed to reconceptualization of AD as a sequence of biological changes that occur during progression from preclinical AD, to mild cognitive impairment and finally dementia, and we review recently proposed research criteria for preclinical AD. Advances in the study of preclinical AD have driven the recognition that efficacy of at least some AD therapies may depend on initiation of treatment before clinical manifestation of disease, leading to a new era of AD prevention research. PMID:23752908

Ushering in the study and treatment of preclinical Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Langbaum, Jessica B; Fleisher, Adam S; Chen, Kewei; Ayutyanont, Napatkamon; Lopera, Francisco; Quiroz, Yakeel T; Caselli, Richard J; Tariot, Pierre N; Reiman, Eric M

2013-07-01

Researchers have begun to characterize the subtle biological and cognitive processes that precede the clinical onset of Alzheimer disease (AD), and to set the stage for accelerated evaluation of experimental treatments to delay the onset, reduce the risk of, or completely prevent clinical decline. In this Review, we provide an overview of the experimental strategies, and brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker measures that are used in early detection and tracking of AD, highlighting at-risk individuals who could be suitable for preclinical monitoring. We discuss how advances in the field have contributed to reconceptualization of AD as a sequence of biological changes that occur during progression from preclinical AD, to mild cognitive impairment and finally dementia, and we review recently proposed research criteria for preclinical AD. Advances in the study of preclinical AD have driven the recognition that efficacy of at least some AD therapies may depend on initiation of treatment before clinical manifestation of disease, leading to a new era of AD prevention research.

Stimulus-driven and knowledge-driven processes in attention to warbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowling, W. Jay; Tillmann, Barbara

2003-10-01

Listeners identified warbles differing in amplitude-modulation rate (3-10 Hz). And measured RT while listeners maintained above 90% correct responses. After a practice session listeners identified target warbles following stimulus-driven or knowledge-driven cues. The stimulus-driven cue was a 250-ms ``beep'' at the target pitch (valid) or another pitch (invalid); the knowledge-driven cue was a midrange ``melody'' pointing to the target pitch (always valid). A 500-ms target warble followed the cue after delays of 0-500 ms (250-750 ms SOA). The listener pressed a key to indicate ``slow'' or ``fast.'' RTs were shortest at the briefest delay. In contrast to results from a memory task, RTs here were much shorter, and we found no evidence for IOR or attentional blink. Listeners began generating responses while the target was still sounding. Invalid ``beeps'' slowed responses at the briefest (but not the longer) delays; adding a valid ``beep'' to the valid ``melody'' did not speed responses.

Active, motor-driven mechanics in a DNA gel.

PubMed

Bertrand, Olivier J N; Fygenson, Deborah Kuchnir; Saleh, Omar A

2012-10-23

Cells are capable of a variety of dramatic stimuli-responsive mechanical behaviors. These capabilities are enabled by the pervading cytoskeletal network, an active gel composed of structural filaments (e.g., actin) that are acted upon by motor proteins (e.g., myosin). Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of an active gel using noncytoskeletal components. We use methods of base-pair-templated DNA self assembly to create a hybrid DNA gel containing stiff tubes and flexible linkers. We then activate the gel by adding the motor FtsK50C, a construct derived from the bacterial protein FtsK that, in vitro, has a strong and processive DNA contraction activity. The motors stiffen the gel and create stochastic contractile events that affect the positions of attached beads. We quantify the fluctuations of the beads and show that they are comparable both to measurements of cytoskeletal systems and to theoretical predictions for active gels. Thus, we present a DNA-based active gel whose behavior highlights the universal aspects of nonequilibrium, motor-driven networks.

Reversible near-infrared light directed reflection in a self-organized helical superstructure loaded with upconversion nanoparticles.

PubMed

Wang, Ling; Dong, Hao; Li, Yannian; Xue, Chenming; Sun, Ling-Dong; Yan, Chun-Hua; Li, Quan

2014-03-26

Adding external, dynamic control to self-organized superstructures with desired functionalities is an important leap necessary in leveraging the fascinating molecular systems for applications. Here, the new light-driven chiral molecular switch and upconversion nanoparticles, doped in a liquid crystal media, were able to self-organize into an optically tunable helical superstructure. The resulting nanoparticle impregnated helical superstructure was found to exhibit unprecedented reversible near-infrared (NIR) light-guided tunable behavior only by modulating the excitation power density of a continuous-wave NIR laser (980 nm). Upon irradiation by the NIR laser at the high power density, the reflection wavelength of the photonic superstructure red-shifted, whereas its reverse process occurred upon irradiation by the same laser but with the lower power density. Furthermore, reversible dynamic NIR-light-driven red, green, and blue reflections in a single thin film, achieved only by varying the power density of the NIR light, were for the first time demonstrated.

MYBL1 rearrangements and MYB amplification in breast adenoid cystic carcinomas lacking the MYB-NFIB fusion gene.

PubMed

Kim, Jisun; Geyer, Felipe C; Martelotto, Luciano G; Ng, Charlotte Ky; Lim, Raymond S; Selenica, Pier; Li, Anqi; Pareja, Fresia; Fusco, Nicola; Edelweiss, Marcia; Kumar, Rahul; Gularte-Merida, Rodrigo; Forbes, Andre N; Khurana, Ekta; Mariani, Odette; Badve, Sunil; Vincent-Salomon, Anne; Norton, Larry; Reis-Filho, Jorge S; Weigelt, Britta

2018-02-01

Breast adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC), a rare type of triple-negative breast cancer, has been shown to be driven by MYB pathway activation, most often underpinned by the MYB-NFIB fusion gene. Alternative genetic mechanisms, such as MYBL1 rearrangements, have been reported in MYB-NFIB-negative salivary gland AdCCs. Here we report on the molecular characterization by massively parallel sequencing of four breast AdCCs lacking the MYB-NFIB fusion gene. In two cases, we identified MYBL1 rearrangements (MYBL1-ACTN1 and MYBL1-NFIB), which were associated with MYBL1 overexpression. A third AdCC harboured a high-level MYB amplification, which resulted in MYB overexpression at the mRNA and protein levels. RNA-sequencing and whole-genome sequencing revealed no definite alternative driver in the fourth AdCC studied, despite high levels of MYB expression and the activation of pathways similar to those activated in MYB-NFIB-positive AdCCs. In this case, a deletion encompassing the last intron and part of exon 15 of MYB, including the binding site of ERG-1, a transcription factor that may downregulate MYB, and the exon 15 splice site, was detected. In conclusion, we demonstrate that MYBL1 rearrangements and MYB amplification probably constitute alternative genetic drivers of breast AdCCs, functioning through MYBL1 or MYB overexpression. These observations emphasize that breast AdCCs probably constitute a convergent phenotype, whereby activation of MYB and MYBL1 and their downstream targets can be driven by the MYB-NFIB fusion gene, MYBL1 rearrangements, MYB amplification, or other yet to be identified mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gravity Driven Universe: Energy from a Unified Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masters, Roy

2012-10-01

One way or another, whether push or pull, we know for sure that gravity is omnidirectional with identical mathematics. With PULL, gravity can be seen as as a property of matter. If so something is wrong. The Moon, lifting the tides twice-daily, should have fallen into orbital decay, with Earth having pulled it down eons ago. It is puzzling that physicists are not troubled by the fact that the Moon not only insists on forever lifting the tides, but, adding insult to injury, keeps moving it about 4 cm further away from Earth each year. Now if instead, we consider gravity as driven by an omnidirectional pressure--a PUSH force, another possibility arises. We can consider that it is mysteriously infusing energy into the Earth-Moon system, sustaining the Moon's orbit with the appearance of raising the tides and actually pushing it away from Earth. Here we can show push and pull, while being identical in their mathematics, have different outcomes. With push, gravity is a property of the universe. If this is true, then gravitation is flowing from an everlasting source, and the Earth/Moon system is one example of many other vacuum energy machines in the universe.

Application of real-time digitization techniques in beam measurement for accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Lei; Zhan, Lin-Song; Gao, Xing-Shun; Liu, Shu-Bin; An, Qi

2016-04-01

Beam measurement is very important for accelerators. In this paper, modern digital beam measurement techniques based on IQ (In-phase & Quadrature-phase) analysis are discussed. Based on this method and high-speed high-resolution analog-to-digital conversion, we have completed three beam measurement electronics systems designed for the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), and Accelerator Driven Sub-critical system (ADS). Core techniques of hardware design and real-time system calibration are discussed, and performance test results of these three instruments are also presented. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11205153, 10875119), Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJCX2-YW-N27), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WK2030040029),and the CAS Center for Excellence in Particle Physics (CCEPP).

Understanding Time-driven Activity-based Costing.

PubMed

Sharan, Alok D; Schroeder, Gregory D; West, Michael E; Vaccaro, Alexander R

2016-03-01

Transitioning to a value-based health care system will require providers to increasingly scrutinize their outcomes and costs. Although there has been a great deal of effort to understand outcomes, cost accounting in health care has been a greater challenge. Currently the cost accounting methods used by hospitals and providers are based off a fee-for-service system. As resources become increasingly scarce and the health care system attempts to understand which services provide the greatest value, it will be critically important to understand the true costs of delivering a service. An understanding of the true costs of a particular service will help providers make smarter decisions on how to allocate and utilize resources as well as determine which activities are nonvalue added. Achieving value will require providers to have a greater focus on accurate outcome data as well as better methods of cost accounting.

Vacuum status-display and sector-conditioning programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skelly, J.; Yen, S.

1990-08-01

Two programs have been developed for observation and control of the AGS vacuum system, which include the following notable features: (1) they incorporate a graphical user interface and (2) they are driven by a relational database which describes the vacuum system. The vacuum system comprises some 440 devices organized into 28 vacuum sectors. The status-display program invites menu selection of a sector, interrogates the relational database for relevant vacuum devices, acquires live readbacks and posts a graphical display of their status. The sector-conditioning program likewise invites sector selection, produces the same status display and also implements process control logic on the sector devices to pump the sector down from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum over a period extending several hours. As additional devices are installed in the vacuum system, the devices are added to the relational database; these programs then automatically include the new devices.

SETI via Leakage from Light Sails in Exoplanetary Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillochon, James; Loeb, Abraham

2015-10-01

The primary challenge of rocket propulsion is the burden of needing to accelerate the spacecraft’s own fuel, resulting in only a logarithmic gain in maximum speed as propellant is added to the spacecraft. Light sails offer an attractive alternative in which fuel is not carried by the spacecraft, with acceleration being provided by an external source of light. By artificially illuminating the spacecraft with beamed radiation, speeds are only limited by the area of the sail, heat resistance of its material, and power use of the accelerating apparatus. In this paper, we show that leakage from a light sail propulsion apparatus in operation around a solar system analogue would be detectable. To demonstrate this, we model the launch and arrival of a microwave beam-driven light sail constructed for transit between planets in orbit around a single star, and find an optimal beam frequency on the order of tens of GHz. Leakage from these beams yields transients with flux densities of Jy and durations of tens of seconds at 100 pc. Because most travel within a planetary system would be conducted between the habitable worlds within that system, multiply transiting exoplanetary systems offer the greatest chance of detection, especially when the planets are in projected conjunction as viewed from Earth. If interplanetary travel via beam-driven light sails is commonly employed in our galaxy, this activity could be revealed by radio follow-up of nearby transiting exoplanetary systems. The expected signal properties define a new strategy in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

Acoustic challenges of the A400M for active systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breitbach, Harald; Sachau, Delf; Böhme, Sten

2006-03-01

In some types of aircraft tonal interior noise with high sound pressure level (up to 110 dB(A)) occurs at low frequencies (f < 500 Hz). Typical examples are propeller driven aircraft, for which the excitation frequencies are given by the blade passage frequency (BPF) and its higher harmonics. The high tonal noise levels at these frequencies can occur due to the fact that the blades' profiles are only optimized in terms of aerodynamics. The acoustic properties are usually not taken into account. In order to obtain an acceptable interior noise level, and to guarantee both work-safety and comfort in the aircraft interiors, passive methods are commonly used - e.g. adding material with high damping or vibration absorbing qualities. Especially when low frequency noise has to be reduced, adding material results in a lot of unwanted additional weight. In order to avoid this extra weight, the concept of active noise reduction (ANR) and tunable vibration absorber systems (TVA), which focus on the unwanted tonal noise, are a good compromise of treating noise and the amount of additional weight in aircraft design. This paper briefly discusses two different possible methods to reduce the low frequency noise. The noise reduction of tuned vibration absorbers (TVA) mounted on the airframe are nowadays commonly used in propeller driven aircraft and can be predicted by vibroacoustic finite element calculations, which is described in this paper. In order to abide to industrial safety regulations, the noise level inside the semi closed loadmaster area (LMA) must be reduced down to a noise level, which is even 8 dB(A) below the specified cargo hold noise level. The paper describes also the phases of development of an ANR system that could be used to control the sound pressure level inside the LMA. The concept is verified by experimental investigations within a mock up of the LMA.

Electromagnetic Properties Analysis on Hybrid-driven System of Electromagnetic Motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jingbo; Han, Bingyuan; Bei, Shaoyi

2018-01-01

The hybrid-driven system made of permanent-and electromagnets applied in the electromagnetic motor was analyzed, equivalent magnetic circuit was used to establish the mathematical models of hybrid-driven system, based on the models of hybrid-driven system, the air gap flux, air-gap magnetic flux density, electromagnetic force was proposed. Taking the air-gap magnetic flux density and electromagnetic force as main research object, the hybrid-driven system was researched. Electromagnetic properties of hybrid-driven system with different working current modes is studied preliminary. The results shown that analysis based on hybrid-driven system can improve the air-gap magnetic flux density and electromagnetic force more effectively and can also guarantee the output stability, the effectiveness and feasibility of the hybrid-driven system are verified, which proved theoretical basis for the design of hybrid-driven system.

Solid phase bio-electrofermentation of food waste to harvest value-added products associated with waste remediation.

PubMed

Chandrasekhar, K; Amulya, K; Mohan, S Venkata

2015-11-01

A novel solid state bio-electrofermentation system (SBES), which can function on the self-driven bioelectrogenic activity was designed and fabricated in the laboratory. SBES was operated with food waste as substrate and evaluated for simultaneous production of electrofuels viz., bioelectricity, biohydrogen (H2) and bioethanol. The system illustrated maximum open circuit voltage and power density of 443 mV and 162.4 mW/m(2), respectively on 9 th day of operation while higher H2 production rate (21.9 ml/h) was observed on 19th day of operation. SBES system also documented 4.85% w/v bioethanol production on 20th day of operation. The analysis of end products confirmed that H2 production could be generally attributed to a mixed acetate/butyrate-type of fermentation. Nevertheless, the presence of additional metabolites in SBES, including formate, lactate, propionate and ethanol, also suggested that other metabolic pathways were active during the process, lowering the conversion of substrate into H2. SBES also documented 72% substrate (COD) removal efficiency along with value added product generation. Continuous evolution of volatile fatty acids as intermediary metabolites resulted in pH drop and depicted its negative influence on SBES performance. Bio-electrocatalytic analysis was carried out to evaluate the redox catalytic capabilities of the biocatalyst. Experimental data illustrated that solid-state fermentation can be effectively integrated in SBES for the production of value added products with the possibility of simultaneous solid waste remediation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The causality analysis of climate change and large-scale human crisis

PubMed Central

Zhang, David D.; Lee, Harry F.; Wang, Cong; Li, Baosheng; Pei, Qing; Zhang, Jane; An, Yulun

2011-01-01

Recent studies have shown strong temporal correlations between past climate changes and societal crises. However, the specific causal mechanisms underlying this relation have not been addressed. We explored quantitative responses of 14 fine-grained agro-ecological, socioeconomic, and demographic variables to climate fluctuations from A.D. 1500–1800 in Europe. Results show that cooling from A.D. 1560–1660 caused successive agro-ecological, socioeconomic, and demographic catastrophes, leading to the General Crisis of the Seventeenth Century. We identified a set of causal linkages between climate change and human crisis. Using temperature data and climate-driven economic variables, we simulated the alternation of defined “golden” and “dark” ages in Europe and the Northern Hemisphere during the past millennium. Our findings indicate that climate change was the ultimate cause, and climate-driven economic downturn was the direct cause, of large-scale human crises in preindustrial Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. PMID:21969578

The causality analysis of climate change and large-scale human crisis.

PubMed

Zhang, David D; Lee, Harry F; Wang, Cong; Li, Baosheng; Pei, Qing; Zhang, Jane; An, Yulun

2011-10-18

Recent studies have shown strong temporal correlations between past climate changes and societal crises. However, the specific causal mechanisms underlying this relation have not been addressed. We explored quantitative responses of 14 fine-grained agro-ecological, socioeconomic, and demographic variables to climate fluctuations from A.D. 1500-1800 in Europe. Results show that cooling from A.D. 1560-1660 caused successive agro-ecological, socioeconomic, and demographic catastrophes, leading to the General Crisis of the Seventeenth Century. We identified a set of causal linkages between climate change and human crisis. Using temperature data and climate-driven economic variables, we simulated the alternation of defined "golden" and "dark" ages in Europe and the Northern Hemisphere during the past millennium. Our findings indicate that climate change was the ultimate cause, and climate-driven economic downturn was the direct cause, of large-scale human crises in preindustrial Europe and the Northern Hemisphere.

Beam commissioning for a superconducting proton linac

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhi-Jun; He, Yuan; Jia, Huan; Dou, Wei-ping; Chen, Wei-long; Zhang, X. L.; Liu, Shu-hui; Feng, Chi; Tao, Yue; Wang, Wang-sheng; Wu, Jian-qiang; Zhang, Sheng-hu; Zhao, Hong-Wei

2016-12-01

To develop the next generation of safe and cleaner nuclear energy, the accelerator-driven subcritical (ADS) system emerges as one of the most attractive technologies. It will be able to transmute the long-lived transuranic radionuclides produced in the reactors of today's nuclear power plants into shorter-lived ones, and also it will provide positive energy output at the same time. The prototype of the Chinese ADS (C-ADS) proton accelerator comprises two injectors and a 1.5 GeV, 10 mA continuous wave (CW) superconducting main linac. The injector scheme II at the C-ADS demo facility inside the Institute of Modern Physics is a 10 MeV CW superconducting linac with a designed beam current of 10 mA, which includes an ECR ion source, a low-energy beam transport line, a 162.5 MHz radio frequency quadrupole accelerator, a medium-energy beam transport line, and a superconducting half wave resonator accelerator section. This demo facility has been successfully operating with an 11 mA, 2.7 MeV CW beam and a 3.9 mA, 4.3 MeV CW beam at different times and conditions since June 2014. The beam power has reached 28 kW, which is the highest record for the same type of linear accelerators. In this paper, the parameters of the test injector II and the progress of the beam commissioning are reported.

Effect of a Polymercaptan Material on the Electro-Optical Properties of Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films.

PubMed

Sun, Yujian; Zhang, Cuihong; Zhou, Le; Fang, Hua; Huang, Jianhua; Ma, Haipeng; Zhang, Yi; Yang, Jie; Zhang, Lan-Ying; Song, Ping; Gao, Yanzi; Xiao, Jiumei; Li, Fasheng; Li, Kexuan

2016-12-30

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films were prepared by the ultraviolet-light-induced polymerization of photopolymerizable monomers in nematic liquid crystal/chiral dopant/thiol-acrylate reaction monomer composites. The effects of the chiral dopant and crosslinking agents on the electro-optical properties of the PDLC films were systematically investigate. While added the chiral dopant S811 into the PDLC films, the initial off-state transmittance of the films was decreased. It was found that the weight ratio among acrylate monomers, thiol monomer PETMP and the polymercaptan Capcure 3-800 showed great influence on the properties of the fabricated PDLC films because of the existence of competition between thiol-acrylate reaction and acrylate monomer polymerization reaction. While adding polymercaptans curing agent Capcure 3-800 with appropriate concentration into the PDLC system, lower driven voltage and higher contrast ratio were achieved. This made the polymer network and electro-optical properties of the PDLC films easily tunable by the introduction of the thiol monomers.

Dual response of BDNF to sublethal concentrations of beta-amyloid peptides in cultured cortical neurons.

PubMed

Aliaga, E; Silhol, M; Bonneau, N; Maurice, T; Arancibia, S; Tapia-Arancibia, L

2010-01-01

Beta-amyloid (Abeta) deposition is one important pathological hallmark in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, low levels of Abeta may modify critical endogenous protection systems before neurodegeneration occurs. We examined the time-course effect of sublethal concentrations of Abeta on total BDNF (panBDNF), BDNF transcripts (I, II, IV and VI), trkB.FL, trkB.T1 and p75(NGFR) mRNA expression in cultured cortical neurons. We have shown that Abeta exhibited a dual response on BDNF mRNA, i.e. an increase at short times (3-5 h) and a dramatic decrease at longer times (24 or 48 h). The early increase in BDNF expression seems to be driven by increased expression of transcripts I and IV. The BDNF drop was specific since did not occur for other mRNAs examined. The BDNF protein content showed a similar profile but did not follow the dramatic reduction as its encoding mRNA. These observations may help to explain cognitive deficits observed at initial stages of AD.

Hybrid bioinorganic approach to solar-to-chemical conversion.

PubMed

Nichols, Eva M; Gallagher, Joseph J; Liu, Chong; Su, Yude; Resasco, Joaquin; Yu, Yi; Sun, Yujie; Yang, Peidong; Chang, Michelle C Y; Chang, Christopher J

2015-09-15

Natural photosynthesis harnesses solar energy to convert CO2 and water to value-added chemical products for sustaining life. We present a hybrid bioinorganic approach to solar-to-chemical conversion in which sustainable electrical and/or solar input drives production of hydrogen from water splitting using biocompatible inorganic catalysts. The hydrogen is then used by living cells as a source of reducing equivalents for conversion of CO2 to the value-added chemical product methane. Using platinum or an earth-abundant substitute, α-NiS, as biocompatible hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts and Methanosarcina barkeri as a biocatalyst for CO2 fixation, we demonstrate robust and efficient electrochemical CO2 to CH4 conversion at up to 86% overall Faradaic efficiency for ≥ 7 d. Introduction of indium phosphide photocathodes and titanium dioxide photoanodes affords a fully solar-driven system for methane generation from water and CO2, establishing that compatible inorganic and biological components can synergistically couple light-harvesting and catalytic functions for solar-to-chemical conversion.

Hybrid bioinorganic approach to solar-to-chemical conversion

PubMed Central

Nichols, Eva M.; Gallagher, Joseph J.; Liu, Chong; Su, Yude; Resasco, Joaquin; Yu, Yi; Sun, Yujie; Yang, Peidong; Chang, Michelle C. Y.; Chang, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

Natural photosynthesis harnesses solar energy to convert CO2 and water to value-added chemical products for sustaining life. We present a hybrid bioinorganic approach to solar-to-chemical conversion in which sustainable electrical and/or solar input drives production of hydrogen from water splitting using biocompatible inorganic catalysts. The hydrogen is then used by living cells as a source of reducing equivalents for conversion of CO2 to the value-added chemical product methane. Using platinum or an earth-abundant substitute, α-NiS, as biocompatible hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts and Methanosarcina barkeri as a biocatalyst for CO2 fixation, we demonstrate robust and efficient electrochemical CO2 to CH4 conversion at up to 86% overall Faradaic efficiency for ≥7 d. Introduction of indium phosphide photocathodes and titanium dioxide photoanodes affords a fully solar-driven system for methane generation from water and CO2, establishing that compatible inorganic and biological components can synergistically couple light-harvesting and catalytic functions for solar-to-chemical conversion. PMID:26305947

Real-Time MENTAT programming language and architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grimshaw, Andrew S.; Silberman, Ami; Liu, Jane W. S.

1989-01-01

Real-time MENTAT, a programming environment designed to simplify the task of programming real-time applications in distributed and parallel environments, is described. It is based on the same data-driven computation model and object-oriented programming paradigm as MENTAT. It provides an easy-to-use mechanism to exploit parallelism, language constructs for the expression and enforcement of timing constraints, and run-time support for scheduling and exciting real-time programs. The real-time MENTAT programming language is an extended C++. The extensions are added to facilitate automatic detection of data flow and generation of data flow graphs, to express the timing constraints of individual granules of computation, and to provide scheduling directives for the runtime system. A high-level view of the real-time MENTAT system architecture and programming language constructs is provided.

Disorder-induced transitions in resonantly driven Floquet topological insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titum, Paraj; Lindner, Netanel H.; Refael, Gil

2017-08-01

We investigate the effects of disorder in Floquet topological insulators (FTIs) occurring in semiconductor quantum wells. Such FTIs are induced by resonantly driving a transition between the valence and conduction bands. We show that when disorder is added, the topological nature of such FTIs persists as long as there is a mobility gap at the resonant quasienergy. For strong enough disorder, this gap closes and all the states become localized as the system undergoes a transition to a trivial insulator. Interestingly, the effects of disorder are not necessarily adverse: we show that in the same quantum well, disorder can also induce a transition from a trivial to a topological system, thereby establishing a Floquet topological Anderson insulator (FTAI). We identify the conditions on the driving field necessary for observing such a transition.

Consumer-driven healthcare marketing: using the web to get up close and personal.

PubMed

Rooney, Keila

2009-01-01

This essay examines the emergence of consumer-driven healthcare marketing, including its operational definition, how it has been used in the past, and how it has evolved. Specifically, marketing practices in other industries are inspected to understand the factors that have contributed to their successes and to determine the relevance of these efforts to healthcare marketing. The advantages of new, technology-enabled marketing opportunities are considered as well, such as stealth ads, blogs, podcasts, and corporate participation in social networks. The implications of the regulation on healthcare websites, along with the work-around strategies used, are analyzed. Lastly, the essay submits recommendations for the healthcare executive when implementing a consumer-driven healthcare marketing plan.

The ATLAS PanDA Pilot in Operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nilsson, P.; Caballero, J.; De, K.; Maeno, T.; Stradling, A.; Wenaus, T.; ATLAS Collaboration

2011-12-01

The Production and Distributed Analysis system (PanDA) [1-2] was designed to meet ATLAS [3] requirements for a data-driven workload management system capable of operating at LHC data processing scale. Submitted jobs are executed on worker nodes by pilot jobs sent to the grid sites by pilot factories. This paper provides an overview of the PanDA pilot [4] system and presents major features added in light of recent operational experience, including multi-job processing, advanced job recovery for jobs with output storage failures, gLExec [5-6] based identity switching from the generic pilot to the actual user, and other security measures. The PanDA system serves all ATLAS distributed processing and is the primary system for distributed analysis; it is currently used at over 100 sites worldwide. We analyze the performance of the pilot system in processing real LHC data on the OSG [7], EGI [8] and Nordugrid [9-10] infrastructures used by ATLAS, and describe plans for its evolution.

Overlapping the Tryptophan Catabolite (TRYCAT) and Melatoninergic Pathways in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Maes, Michael; Anderson, George

2016-01-01

Activation of the trptophan catabolite (TRYCAT) pathways by oxidative and nitrosative stress and proinflammatory cytokine-driven indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) leads to the synthesis of a number of neuroregulatory TRYCATs, such as kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid. Such TRYCATs have significant impacts on neuronal functioning and survival contributing to the changes seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD), including in its association with depression as well as alterations in the reactivity of immune and glia cells. By decreasing the availability of tryptophan for serotonin synthesis, such IDO and TDO-driven TRYCATs, also decrease the availability of serotonin for N-acetylserotonin (NAS) and melatonin synthesis. The loss of NAS and melatonin has significant consequences for the etiology, course and treatment of AD, including via interactions with altered TRYCATs, but also by changing the levels of trophic support and modulating the patterning of immune activity. In this review, we look at how such interactions of the TRYCAT and melatoninergic pathways link a plethora of previously diffuse data in AD as well as the treatment implications and future research directions that such data would suggest.

Recombinant adenovirus of SEA and CD80 genes driven by MMRE and mouse TERT promoter induce effective antitumor immune responses against different types of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

PubMed

Si, Shao-Yan; Liu, Jun-Li; Liu, Jun-Lian; Xu, Bing-Xin; Li, Jian-Zhong; Qin, Ya-Ya; Song, Shu-Jun

2017-05-01

Staphylococcus enterotoxin A (SEA) is a powerful immunostimulant and can stimulate T cells bearing certain T-cell receptor β-chain variable regions when bound to major histocompatibility complex II molecules. SEA is widely used in research of antitumor therapy. The low affinity T-cell receptor (TCR) interaction with SEA in the absence of MHC class II antigens is sufficient for the induction of cytotoxicity but requires additional CD28/B7 signaling to result in proliferation of resting T cells. In this study, we constructed recombinant adenovirus (named as Ad-MMRE-mTERT-BIS) carrying membrane-expressing SEA (named as SEAtm) and CD80 driven by Myc-Max response elements (MMRE) and mouse telomerase reverse transcriptase (mTERT) promoter to reduce toxicity and to improve safety and efficiency. We demonstrated that Ad-MMRE-mTERT-BIS could make SEAtm and CD80 to co-express highly on the surface of Hepa1-6 and B16 cells, at low level on the surface of CT26 cells, but not in NIH3T3. Hepa1-6 and B16 cells infected by the recombinant adenovirus induced proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and increased cytokine [interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ] production in vitro. Intratumoral injection of Ad-MMRE-mTERT-BIS in hepatoma and melanoma mouse models induced tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells in the spleen. Moreover, hepatoma and melanoma xenografts were suppressed by treatment with Ad-MMRE-mTERT-BIS and the survival time of treated mice was prolonged. These findings suggest that recombinant adenovirus of SEA and CD80 genes driven by mTERT promoter could induce effective antitumor immune responses against different kinds of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

A predictive model of nuclear power plant crew decision-making and performance in a dynamic simulation environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coyne, Kevin Anthony

The safe operation of complex systems such as nuclear power plants requires close coordination between the human operators and plant systems. In order to maintain an adequate level of safety following an accident or other off-normal event, the operators often are called upon to perform complex tasks during dynamic situations with incomplete information. The safety of such complex systems can be greatly improved if the conditions that could lead operators to make poor decisions and commit erroneous actions during these situations can be predicted and mitigated. The primary goal of this research project was the development and validation of a cognitive model capable of simulating nuclear plant operator decision-making during accident conditions. Dynamic probabilistic risk assessment methods can improve the prediction of human error events by providing rich contextual information and an explicit consideration of feedback arising from man-machine interactions. The Accident Dynamics Simulator paired with the Information, Decision, and Action in a Crew context cognitive model (ADS-IDAC) shows promise for predicting situational contexts that might lead to human error events, particularly knowledge driven errors of commission. ADS-IDAC generates a discrete dynamic event tree (DDET) by applying simple branching rules that reflect variations in crew responses to plant events and system status changes. Branches can be generated to simulate slow or fast procedure execution speed, skipping of procedure steps, reliance on memorized information, activation of mental beliefs, variations in control inputs, and equipment failures. Complex operator mental models of plant behavior that guide crew actions can be represented within the ADS-IDAC mental belief framework and used to identify situational contexts that may lead to human error events. This research increased the capabilities of ADS-IDAC in several key areas. The ADS-IDAC computer code was improved to support additional branching events and provide a better representation of the IDAC cognitive model. An operator decision-making engine capable of responding to dynamic changes in situational context was implemented. The IDAC human performance model was fully integrated with a detailed nuclear plant model in order to realistically simulate plant accident scenarios. Finally, the improved ADS-IDAC model was calibrated, validated, and updated using actual nuclear plant crew performance data. This research led to the following general conclusions: (1) A relatively small number of branching rules are capable of efficiently capturing a wide spectrum of crew-to-crew variabilities. (2) Compared to traditional static risk assessment methods, ADS-IDAC can provide a more realistic and integrated assessment of human error events by directly determining the effect of operator behaviors on plant thermal hydraulic parameters. (3) The ADS-IDAC approach provides an efficient framework for capturing actual operator performance data such as timing of operator actions, mental models, and decision-making activities.

Improving the compression dewatering of sewage sludge through bioacidification conditioning driven by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans: dewatering rate vs. dewatering extent.

PubMed

Lu, Yi; Zhang, Chunmei; Zheng, Guanyu; Zhou, Lixiang

2018-04-22

Prior to mechanical dewatering, sludge conditioning is indispensable to reduce the difficulty of sludge treatment and disposal. The effect of bioacidification conditioning driven by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 on the dewatering rate and extent of sewage sludge during compression dewatering process was investigated in this study. The results showed that the bioacidification of sludge driven by A. ferrooxidans LX5 simultaneously improved both the sludge dewatering rate and extent, which was not attained by physical/chemical conditioning approaches, including ultrasonication, microwave, freezing/thawing, or by adding the chemical conditioner cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM). During the bioacidification of sludge, the decrease in sludge pH induced the damage of sludge microbial cell structures, which enhanced the dewatering extent of sludge, and the added Fe 2+ and the subsequent bio-oxidized Fe 3+ effectively flocculated the damaged sludge flocs to improve the sludge dewatering rate. In the compression dewatering process consisting of filtration and expression stages, high removal of moisture and a short dewatering time were achieved during the filtration stage and the expression kinetics were also improved because of the high elasticity of sludge cake and the rapid creeping of the aggregates within the sludge cake. In addition, the usefulness of bioacidification driven by A. ferrooxidans LX5 in improving the compression dewatering of sewage sludge could not be attained by the chemical treatment of sludge through pH modification and Fe 3+ addition. Therefore, the bioacidification of sludge driven by A. ferrooxidans LX5 is an effective conditioning method to simultaneously improve the rate and extent of compression dewatering of sewage sludge.

Life cycle assessment of integrated solid state anaerobic digestion and composting for on-farm organic residues treatment.

PubMed

Li, Yangyang; Manandhar, Ashish; Li, Guoxue; Shah, Ajay

2018-03-20

Driven by the gradual changes in the structure of energy consumption and improvements of living standards in China, the volume of on-farm organic solid waste is increasing. If untreated, these unutilized on-farm organic solid wastes can cause environmental problems. This paper presents the results of a life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impacts of different on-farm organic waste (which includes dairy manure, corn stover and tomato residue) treatment strategies, including anaerobic digestion (AD), composting, and AD followed by composting. The input life cycle inventory data are specific to China. The potential environmental impacts of different waste management strategies were assessed based on their acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), global warming potential (GWP), ecotoxicity potential (ETP), and resource depletion (RD). The results show that the preferred treatment strategy for dairy manure is the one that integrated corn stover and tomato residue utilization and solid state AD technologies into the system. The GWP of integrated solid state AD and composting was the least, which is -2900 kg CO 2 eq/ t of dairy manure and approximately 14.8 times less than that of current status (i.e., liquid AD of dairy manure). Solid state AD of dairy manure, corn stover and tomato residues is the most favorable option in terms of AP, EP and ETP, which are more than 40% lower than that of the current status (i.e., AP: 3.11 kg SO 2 , EP: -0.94 kg N, and ETP: -881 CTUe (Comparative Toxic Units ecotoxicity)). The results also show that there is a significant potential for AP, EP, ETP, and GWP reduction, if AD is used prior to composting. The scenario analysis for transportation distance showed that locating the AD plant and composting facility on the farm was advantageous in terms of all the life cycle impact categories. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KSC-07pd0159

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-01-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The right-hand orbital maneuvering system pod is driven past the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2 for installation on the orbiter Endeavour. The orbital maneuvering system/reaction control system left- and right-hand pods are attached to the upper aft fuselage left and right sides. Each pod is fabricated primarily of graphite epoxy composite and aluminum. Each pod is 21.8 feet long and 11.37 feet wide at its aft end and 8.41 feet wide at its forward end, with a surface area of approximately 435 square feet. The orbiter is being prepared for its first launch in just over four years. The vehicle has undergone an extensive modification period, including the addition of all of the return-to-flight safety upgrades added to both Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour is targeted for launch of mission STS-118 on June 28. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Automated adaptive inference of phenomenological dynamical models.

PubMed

Daniels, Bryan C; Nemenman, Ilya

2015-08-21

Dynamics of complex systems is often driven by large and intricate networks of microscopic interactions, whose sheer size obfuscates understanding. With limited experimental data, many parameters of such dynamics are unknown, and thus detailed, mechanistic models risk overfitting and making faulty predictions. At the other extreme, simple ad hoc models often miss defining features of the underlying systems. Here we develop an approach that instead constructs phenomenological, coarse-grained models of network dynamics that automatically adapt their complexity to the available data. Such adaptive models produce accurate predictions even when microscopic details are unknown. The approach is computationally tractable, even for a relatively large number of dynamical variables. Using simulated data, it correctly infers the phase space structure for planetary motion, avoids overfitting in a biological signalling system and produces accurate predictions for yeast glycolysis with tens of data points and over half of the interacting species unobserved.

Real-Time Phase Correction Based on FPGA in the Beam Position and Phase Measurement System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xingshun; Zhao, Lei; Liu, Jinxin; Jiang, Zouyi; Hu, Xiaofang; Liu, Shubin; An, Qi

2016-12-01

A fully digital beam position and phase measurement (BPPM) system was designed for the linear accelerator (LINAC) in Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (ADS) in China. Phase information is obtained from the summed signals from four pick-ups of the Beam Position Monitor (BPM). Considering that the delay variations of different analog circuit channels would introduce phase measurement errors, we propose a new method to tune the digital waveforms of four channels before summation and achieve real-time error correction. The process is based on the vector rotation method and implemented within one single Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. Tests were conducted to evaluate this correction method and the results indicate that a phase correction precision better than ± 0.3° over the dynamic range from -60 dBm to 0 dBm is achieved.

Automated adaptive inference of phenomenological dynamical models

PubMed Central

Daniels, Bryan C.; Nemenman, Ilya

2015-01-01

Dynamics of complex systems is often driven by large and intricate networks of microscopic interactions, whose sheer size obfuscates understanding. With limited experimental data, many parameters of such dynamics are unknown, and thus detailed, mechanistic models risk overfitting and making faulty predictions. At the other extreme, simple ad hoc models often miss defining features of the underlying systems. Here we develop an approach that instead constructs phenomenological, coarse-grained models of network dynamics that automatically adapt their complexity to the available data. Such adaptive models produce accurate predictions even when microscopic details are unknown. The approach is computationally tractable, even for a relatively large number of dynamical variables. Using simulated data, it correctly infers the phase space structure for planetary motion, avoids overfitting in a biological signalling system and produces accurate predictions for yeast glycolysis with tens of data points and over half of the interacting species unobserved. PMID:26293508

The business of pediatric hospital medicine.

PubMed

Percelay, Jack M; Zipes, David G

2014-07-01

Pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) programs are mission driven, not margin driven. Very rarely do professional fee revenues exceed physician billing collections. In general, inpatient hospital care codes reimburse less than procedures, payer mix is poor, and pediatric inpatient care is inherently time-consuming. Using traditional accounting principles, almost all PHM programs will have a negative bottom line in the narrow sense of program costs and revenues generated. However, well-run PHM programs contribute positively to the bottom line of the system as a whole through the value-added services hospitalists provide and hospitalists' ability to improve overall system efficiency and productivity. This article provides an overview of the business of hospital medicine with emphasis on the basics of designing and maintaining a program that attends carefully to physician staffing (the major cost component of a program) and physician charges (the major revenue component of the program). Outside of these traditional calculations, resource stewardship is discussed as a way to reduce hospital costs in a capitated or diagnosis-related group reimbursement model and further improve profit-or at least limit losses. Shortening length of stay creates bed capacity for a program already running at capacity. The article concludes with a discussion of how hospitalists add value to the system by making other providers and other parts of the hospital more efficient and productive. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

SETI VIA LEAKAGE FROM LIGHT SAILS IN EXOPLANETARY SYSTEMS

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

Guillochon, James; Loeb, Abraham, E-mail: jguillochon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: aloeb@cfa.harvard.edu

The primary challenge of rocket propulsion is the burden of needing to accelerate the spacecraft’s own fuel, resulting in only a logarithmic gain in maximum speed as propellant is added to the spacecraft. Light sails offer an attractive alternative in which fuel is not carried by the spacecraft, with acceleration being provided by an external source of light. By artificially illuminating the spacecraft with beamed radiation, speeds are only limited by the area of the sail, heat resistance of its material, and power use of the accelerating apparatus. In this paper, we show that leakage from a light sail propulsionmore » apparatus in operation around a solar system analogue would be detectable. To demonstrate this, we model the launch and arrival of a microwave beam-driven light sail constructed for transit between planets in orbit around a single star, and find an optimal beam frequency on the order of tens of GHz. Leakage from these beams yields transients with flux densities of Jy and durations of tens of seconds at 100 pc. Because most travel within a planetary system would be conducted between the habitable worlds within that system, multiply transiting exoplanetary systems offer the greatest chance of detection, especially when the planets are in projected conjunction as viewed from Earth. If interplanetary travel via beam-driven light sails is commonly employed in our galaxy, this activity could be revealed by radio follow-up of nearby transiting exoplanetary systems. The expected signal properties define a new strategy in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)« less

System and method for embedding emotion in logic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curtis, Steven A. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A system, method, and computer readable-media for creating a stable synthetic neural system. The method includes training an intellectual choice-driven synthetic neural system (SNS), training an emotional rule-driven SNS by generating emotions from rules, incorporating the rule-driven SNS into the choice-driven SNS through an evolvable interface, and balancing the emotional SNS and the intellectual SNS to achieve stability in a nontrivial autonomous environment with a Stability Algorithm for Neural Entities (SANE). Generating emotions from rules can include coding the rules into the rule-driven SNS in a self-consistent way. Training the emotional rule-driven SNS can occur during a training stage in parallel with training the choice-driven SNS. The training stage can include a self assessment loop which measures performance characteristics of the rule-driven SNS against core genetic code. The method uses a stability threshold to measure stability of the incorporated rule-driven SNS and choice-driven SNS using SANE.

Development of control strategies for safe microburst penetration: A progress report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Psiaki, Mark L.

1987-01-01

A single-engine, propeller-driven, general-aviation model was incorporated into the nonlinear simulation and into the linear analysis of root loci and frequency response. Full-scale wind tunnel data provided its aerodynamic model, and the thrust model included the airspeed dependent effects of power and propeller efficiency. Also, the parameters of the Jet Transport model were changed to correspond more closely to the Boeing 727. In order to study their effects on steady-state repsonse to vertical wind inputs, altitude and total specific energy (air-relative and inertial) feedback capabilities were added to the nonlinear and linear models. Multiloop system design goals were defined. Attempts were made to develop controllers which achieved these goals.

Reductio ad absurdum. Editorial.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, George H.

2003-01-01

Recently, universities and other research institutions have increased the number of regulations concerning research "ethics." Driven by fears of litigation or political unpopularity and acting in an authoritarian manner, many institutional ethics boards are exceeding their purpose and are threatening both the validity of their faculty's…

Autocatalytic caspase-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter suppresses human ovarian carcinoma growth in vitro and in mice.

PubMed

Song, Yue; Xia, Zhijun; Shen, Keng; Zhai, Xingyue

2013-05-01

To construct recombinant adenoviruses AdHT-rev-casp3 and Ad-rev-casp3, which express autocatalysis caspase-3 driven by human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter and cytomegalovirus promoter, respectively; and to investigate their antitumor effects on ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo. Cell viabilities were determined using the cell counting kit 8 and flow cytometry. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting assays were used to detect cellular apoptotic activities after treatments. Tumor growth and survival of mice bearing AO cells were studied. AdHT-rev-casp3 significantly suppressed the survival of AO cells in a dose-dependent modality with a viability rate of 60.45% ± 7.8% at an multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 70 and 42.18 ± 5.3% at an MOI of 100, which was somewhat lower than that of the AO cells treated with Ad-rev-casp3 (32.28% ± 5.3% and 21.84% ± 3.4%, respectively). In contrast, AdHT-rev-casp3 induced little human umbilical vein epithelial cell (HUVEC) death with a viability rate of 98.52% ± 6.9% at an MOI of 70, whereas Ad-rev-casp3 induced significant cell death in HUVEC with a viability rate of 27.14% ± 5.4%. Additionally, AdHT-rev-casp3 (MOI = 70) caused significant apoptosis in AO cells with an apoptotic rate of 25.97%, whereas it caused undetectable apoptosis in HUVECs with the rate of only 1.75%. Ad-rev-casp3 (MOI = 70) caused strong apoptosis in both AO and HUVECs, with the rate of 35.82% and 38.12%, respectively. AdHT-rev-casp3 caused markedly higher levels of active caspase-3, causing no detectable active caspase-3 expression in HUVECs. The tumor growth suppression rate of AdHT-rev-casp3 was 54.94%, significantly higher than that of phosphate-buffered saline at the end point of the study. AdHT-rev-casp3 significantly improved the survival of mice receiving intraperitoneal inoculation of AO cells with little liver damage, with the mean survival of 177 ± 12 days. AdHT-rev-casp3 causes effective apoptosis with significant tumor selectivity, suppresses tumor growth, and improves the mouse survival with little liver toxicity. It can be a potent therapeutic agent for the tumor-targeting treatment of ovarian cancer.

Cancer management: the difficulties of a target-driven healthcare system.

PubMed

Anderson, Beverley

This article gives a reflective overview on cancer management from a urological perspective. It is based on anecdotal evidence and observations of local practice, and highlights some of the inherent difficulties of delivering a robust service in a target-driven healthcare system. Cancer is a complex disease. It is crucial that stringent measures are used to ensure those affected by it receive care that is of the highest quality, delivered in a timely manner, and tailored to meet the individual's needs. In 2000, the Government's attempt to increase competition among healthcare providers in the delivery of care, and thereby healthcare quality and efficiency, resulted in a number of healthcare reforms being introduced in the UK. Central to these were the NHS Cancer Waiting Time standards, which were designed to fast-track care delivery in the management of cancer patients. The multidisciplinary teams play a pivotal role in this process and their contribution is imperative to achieving the desired outcomes. It is acknowledged that targets can be beneficial, but there are clear unintended consequences as well. Increases in urgent referrals result in significant screening demands and, consequently, newly diagnosed cancers. This, combined with factors such as patient choice and costs, put added pressure on NHS establishments and health professionals to deliver care within the target specifications.

JobCenter: an open source, cross-platform, and distributed job queue management system optimized for scalability and versatility.

PubMed

Jaschob, Daniel; Riffle, Michael

2012-07-30

Laboratories engaged in computational biology or bioinformatics frequently need to run lengthy, multistep, and user-driven computational jobs. Each job can tie up a computer for a few minutes to several days, and many laboratories lack the expertise or resources to build and maintain a dedicated computer cluster. JobCenter is a client-server application and framework for job management and distributed job execution. The client and server components are both written in Java and are cross-platform and relatively easy to install. All communication with the server is client-driven, which allows worker nodes to run anywhere (even behind external firewalls or "in the cloud") and provides inherent load balancing. Adding a worker node to the worker pool is as simple as dropping the JobCenter client files onto any computer and performing basic configuration, which provides tremendous ease-of-use, flexibility, and limitless horizontal scalability. Each worker installation may be independently configured, including the types of jobs it is able to run. Executed jobs may be written in any language and may include multistep workflows. JobCenter is a versatile and scalable distributed job management system that allows laboratories to very efficiently distribute all computational work among available resources. JobCenter is freely available at http://code.google.com/p/jobcenter/.

Experimental results from the VENUS-F critical reference state for the GUINEVERE accelerator driven system project

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

Uyttenhove, W.; Baeten, P.; Kochetkov, A.

The GUINEVERE (Generation of Uninterrupted Intense Neutron pulses at the lead Venus Reactor) project was launched in 2006 within the framework of FP6 EUROTRANS in order to validate online reactivity monitoring and subcriticality level determination in accelerator driven systems (ADS). Therefore, the VENUS reactor at SCK.CEN in Mol, Belgium, was modified towards a fast core (VENUS-F) and coupled to the GENEPI-3C accelerator built by CNRS. The accelerator can operate in both continuous and pulsed mode. The VENUS-F core is loaded with enriched Uranium and reflected with solid lead. A well-chosen critical reference state is indispensable for the validation of themore » online subcriticality monitoring methodology. Moreover, a benchmarking tool is required for nuclear data research and code validation. In this paper, the design and the importance of the critical reference state for the GUINEVERE project are motivated. The results of the first experimental phase on the critical core are presented. The control rods worth is determined by the positive period method and the application of the Modified Source Multiplication (MSM) method allows the determination of the worth of the safety rods. The results are implemented in the VENUS-F core certificate for full exploitation of the critical core. (authors)« less

Optimisation of composite metallic fuel for minor actinide transmutation in an accelerator-driven system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uyttenhove, W.; Sobolev, V.; Maschek, W.

2011-09-01

A potential option for neutralization of minor actinides (MA) accumulated in spent nuclear fuel of light water reactors (LWRs) is their transmutation in dedicated accelerator-driven systems (ADS). A promising fuel candidate dedicated to MA transmutation is a CERMET composite with Mo metal matrix and (Pu, Np, Am, Cm)O 2-x fuel particles. Results of optimisation studies of the CERMET fuel targeting to increasing the MA transmutation efficiency of the EFIT (European Facility for Industrial Transmutation) core are presented. In the adopted strategy of MA burning the plutonium (Pu) balance of the core is minimized, allowing a reduction in the reactivity swing and the peak power form-factor deviation and an extension of the cycle duration. The MA/Pu ratio is used as a variable for the fuel optimisation studies. The efficiency of MA transmutation is close to the foreseen theoretical value of 42 kg TW -1 h -1 when level of Pu in the actinide mixture is about 40 wt.%. The obtained results are compared with the reference case of the EFIT core loaded with the composite CERCER fuel, where fuel particles are incorporated in a ceramic magnesia matrix. The results of this study offer additional information for the EFIT fuel selection.

Silicon on insulator achieved using electrochemical etching

DOEpatents

McCarthy, A.M.

1997-10-07

Bulk crystalline silicon wafers are transferred after the completion of circuit fabrication to form thin films of crystalline circuitry on almost any support, such as metal, semiconductor, plastic, polymer, glass, wood, and paper. In particular, this technique is suitable to form silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, whereby the devices and circuits formed exhibit superior performance after transfer due to the removal of the silicon substrate. The added cost of the transfer process to conventional silicon fabrication is insignificant. No epitaxial, lift-off, release or buried oxide layers are needed to perform the transfer of single or multiple wafers onto support members. The transfer process may be performed at temperatures of 50 C or less, permits transparency around the circuits and does not require post-transfer patterning. Consequently, the technique opens up new avenues for the use of integrated circuit devices in high-brightness, high-resolution video-speed color displays, reduced-thickness increased-flexibility intelligent cards, flexible electronics on ultrathin support members, adhesive electronics, touch screen electronics, items requiring low weight materials, smart cards, intelligent keys for encryption systems, toys, large area circuits, flexible supports, and other applications. The added process flexibility also permits a cheap technique for increasing circuit speed of market driven technologies such as microprocessors at little added expense. 57 figs.

Silicon on insulator achieved using electrochemical etching

DOEpatents

McCarthy, Anthony M.

1997-01-01

Bulk crystalline silicon wafers are transferred after the completion of circuit fabrication to form thin films of crystalline circuitry on almost any support, such as metal, semiconductor, plastic, polymer, glass, wood, and paper. In particular, this technique is suitable to form silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, whereby the devices and circuits formed exhibit superior performance after transfer due to the removal of the silicon substrate. The added cost of the transfer process to conventional silicon fabrication is insignificant. No epitaxial, lift-off, release or buried oxide layers are needed to perform the transfer of single or multiple wafers onto support members. The transfer process may be performed at temperatures of 50.degree. C. or less, permits transparency around the circuits and does not require post-transfer patterning. Consequently, the technique opens up new avenues for the use of integrated circuit devices in high-brightness, high-resolution video-speed color displays, reduced-thickness increased-flexibility intelligent cards, flexible electronics on ultrathin support members, adhesive electronics, touch screen electronics, items requiring low weight materials, smart cards, intelligent keys for encryption systems, toys, large area circuits, flexible supports, and other applications. The added process flexibility also permits a cheap technique for increasing circuit speed of market driven technologies such as microprocessors at little added expense.

Radiogenic lead as coolant, reflector and moderator in advanced fast reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulikov, E. G.

2017-01-01

Main purpose of the study is assessing reasonability for recovery, production and application of radiogenic lead as a coolant, neutron moderator and neutron reflector in advanced fast reactors. When performing the study, thermal, physical and neutron-physical properties of natural and radiogenic lead were analyzed. The following results were obtained: 1. Radiogenic lead with high content of isotope 208Pb can be extracted from thorium or mixed thorium-uranium ores because 208Pb is a final product of 232Th natural decay chain. 2. The use of radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content in advanced fast reactors and accelerator-driven systems (ADS) makes it possible to improve significantly their neutron-physical and thermal-hydraulic parameters. 3. The use of radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content in advanced fast reactors as a coolant opens the possibilities for more intense fuel breeding and for application of well-known oxide fuel instead of the promising but not tested enough nitride fuel under the same safety parameters. 4. The use of radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content in ADS as a coolant can upgrade substantially the level of neutron flux in the ADS blanket, which enables effective transmutation of radioactive wastes with low cross-sections of radiative neutron capture.

Nondestructive assessment of waveguides using an integrated electromechanical impedance and ultrasonic waves approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasrollahi, Amir; Ma, Zhaoyun; Rizzo, Piervincenzo

2017-04-01

In this paper we present a structural health monitoring (SHM) paradigm based on the simultaneous use of ultrasounds and electromechanical impedance (EMI) to monitor waveguides. The paradigm uses guided ultrasonic waves (GUWs) in pitch-catch mode and EMI simultaneously. The two methodologies are driven by the same sensing/hardware/software unit. To assess the feasibility of this unified system an aluminum plate was monitored for varying damage location. Damage was simulated by adding small masses to the plate. The results associated with pitch-catch GUW testing mode were used in ultrasonic tomography, and statistical analysis was used to detect the damages using the EMI measurements. The results of GUW and EMI monitoring show that the proposed system is robust and can be developed further to address the challenges associated with the SHM of complex structures.

iTOUGH2: A multiphysics simulation-optimization framework for analyzing subsurface systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finsterle, S.; Commer, M.; Edmiston, J. K.; Jung, Y.; Kowalsky, M. B.; Pau, G. S. H.; Wainwright, H. M.; Zhang, Y.

2017-11-01

iTOUGH2 is a simulation-optimization framework for the TOUGH suite of nonisothermal multiphase flow models and related simulators of geophysical, geochemical, and geomechanical processes. After appropriate parameterization of subsurface structures and their properties, iTOUGH2 runs simulations for multiple parameter sets and analyzes the resulting output for parameter estimation through automatic model calibration, local and global sensitivity analyses, data-worth analyses, and uncertainty propagation analyses. Development of iTOUGH2 is driven by scientific challenges and user needs, with new capabilities continually added to both the forward simulator and the optimization framework. This review article provides a summary description of methods and features implemented in iTOUGH2, and discusses the usefulness and limitations of an integrated simulation-optimization workflow in support of the characterization and analysis of complex multiphysics subsurface systems.

Energy Autonomous Wireless Water Meter with Integrated Turbine Driven Energy Harvester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, P.; Folkmer, B.; Goepfert, R.; Hoffmann, D.; Willmann, A.; Manoli, Y.

2013-12-01

Accurate meter reading is the fundamental task of the home water system for the handling of payments. Meters need to be read correctly, to avoid an effect of adding events that increase unnecessary cost and create customer dissatisfaction. This paper presents a fully integrated wireless, energy autonomous water metering system based on the European Standard EN 13757 "Communication systems for meters and remote reading of meters". The system can be used in multiple water metering scenarios. No maintenance will be required and the system will provide precise and secure data transmission as well as timely and accurate recording of the consumption of water. The identification of any leakages will be improved through the analysis of the actual quantity supplied and recorded by the meters. The system is powered by an energy harvester, based on a water driven turbine wheel that is directly coupled to an electromagnetic energy transducer. The power delivered by the generator is dependent of the amount of flowing water and the pressure in the water pipes. Therefor the power is commonly non-continuous, fluctuant and unstable in the voltage amplitude. To be able to report the meter readings at all times, the system needs to be powered not only in times when the energy harvester delivers energy. Therefor an energy buffer, that stores the harvested energy, is installed to compensate the energy requirement between the actual generator output and the energy consumption of the application. Besides a complete system overview, the presentation will focus on the power management and energy aware battery charging circuitry. The design, fabrication, measuring results and the preparations for field tests in rural and urban environment will be presented and discussed.

Effects of GAC layer on the performance of gravity-driven membrane filtration (GDM) system for rainwater recycling.

PubMed

Ding, An; Wang, Jinlong; Lin, Dachao; Zeng, Rong; Yu, Shengping; Gan, Zhendong; Ren, Nanqi; Li, Guibai; Liang, Heng

2018-01-01

Gravity-driven membrane filtration (GDM) is promising for decentralized rainwater recycling, owing to low maintenance and energy consumption. However, the organic removal by GDM process is sometimes undesirable and the quality of the permeate cannot meet the standard of water reuse. To improve this, granular activate carbon (GAC) was added as a particle layer on the membrane surface of GDM system. Additionally, a system with sand addition and a system with no particle addition were trialed as comparisons, to study the combined effects of particle hindering and adsorption on the removal efficacy of organics and the development of permeate flux. Results showed that GDM with a GAC layer improved removal efficiency of organics by 25%, and that GAC enhanced removal of florescent compounds (e.g., aromatic proteins, tryptophan proteins and humics), compared with the other two systems. Additionally, the permeate flux in three systems stabilized after Day 25, and kept stable until the end of the operation. However, the presence of GAC layer decreased the level of stable flux (3.2 L/m 2 h) compared with the control system (4.5 L/m 2 h). The factors responsible for the lower flux and severe membrane fouling in GAC layer assisted system were the combined effects of particle and adsorption which led to a denser bio-fouling layer with higher amount of biomass and extracellular polymeric substances contents (proteins and polysaccharides). Resistance distribution analyses revealed that GAC layer mainly increased hydraulically reversible resistance (occupied 93%) of the total resistance, indicating that the flux could be recovered easily by simple physical cleaning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness and Budget Impact of Routine Use of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Monitoring for the Management of Adult Asthma Patients in Spain.

PubMed

Sabatelli, L; Seppälä, U; Sastre, J; Crater, G

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a marker for type 2 airway inflammation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of FeNO monitoring for management of adult asthma in Spain. A cost-effectiveness analysis model was used to evaluate the effect on costs of adding FeNO monitoring to asthma management. Over a 1-year period, the model estimated the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year and incremental number of exacerbations avoided when FeNO monitoring was added to standard guideline-driven asthma care compared with standard care alone. Univariate and multivariate sensitivity analyses were applied to explore uncertainty in the model. A budget impact model was used to examine the impact of FeNO monitoring on primary care costs across the Spanish health system. The results showed that adding FeNO to standard asthma care saved €62.53 per patient-year in the adult population and improved quality-adjusted life years by 0.026 per patient-year. The budget impact analysis revealed a potential net yearly saving of €129 million if FeNO monitoring had been used in primary care settings in Spain. The present economic model shows that adding FeNO to the treatment algorithm can considerably reduce costs and improve quality of life when used to manage asthma in combination with current treatment guidelines.

Real-time observation of fluctuations in a driven-dissipative quantum many-body system undergoing a phase transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donner, Tobias

2015-03-01

A Bose-Einstein condensate whose motional degrees of freedom are coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity via a transverse pump beam constitutes a dissipative quantum many-body system with long range interactions. These interactions can induce a structural phase transition from a flat to a density-modulated state. The transverse pump field simultaneously represents a probe of the atomic density via cavity- enhanced Bragg scattering. By spectrally analyzing the light field leaking out of the cavity, we measure non-destructively the dynamic structure factor of the fluctuating atomic density while the system undergoes the phase transition. An observed asymmetry in the dynamic structure factor is attributed to the coupling to dissipative baths. Critical exponents for both sides of the phase transition can be extracted from the data. We further discuss our progress in adding strong short-range interactions to this system, in order to explore Bose-Hubbard physics with cavity-mediated long-range interactions and self-organization in lower dimensions.

Local data will help Michigan make better safety investment decisions : research spotlight.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

MDOT staff are aiming to use data-driven processes and practices from the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual (HSM) to estimate the safety impacts of various crash reduction strategies and highway design alternatives, such as adding a median or varying the ...

The Varve Record of Puyehue Lake (Meridional Chile), AD 1412-2002 .

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boes, X.; Arnaud, F.; Fagel, N.

2004-12-01

Puyehue Lake is located in the Southern Volcanic Zone of Chile (Southern Lake District, 40°S). This monomictic lake is under the influence of the oceanic winter polar front (WPF) and constitutes a powerful sedimentary archive for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The underflow (PUI) and interflow (PUII) coring sites were selected by a high resolution seismic survey (RUG). The sedimentation is driven by the annual blooms of diatoms in association with thermal lake cycles. For each site, one short core (50-60 cm) is analyzed by continuous cover of thin sections for varve counting and chronology for the AD 1412-2002 time window. The varve chronology is constrained by 210Pb,137Cs sedimentation rate estimates, and by the AD 1960 Valdivia'seismite. The sediment laminations are especially emphasized by the continuous grey-scale measurements from thin sections. Detrital clayey material characterizes the dark levels, and biogenic diatom mud defines the light levels. Varve counting is derived from the occurrence of light layers, i.e. formed at the end of winter after nutrient turn-over. In both cores, the grey-scale is influenced by instantaneous tephra layers related to the regional volcanic activity (Puyehue and Cordon Caulle volcanoes). For instance, in PUII, we identify major historical eruptions (AD 1921, 1837, 1790, 1564, and 1544) in accordance with the varve age model. In addition, we measure the total varve thickness. Lower than 500 µm until AD 1780, the varve thickness gradually increases by a factor of four in PUII. The first period suggests a decrease of lake productivity, in agreement with a cooling. The age fits with the end of Little Ice Age in Southern America. Between AD 1780-2002, the thicker varves could be driven by a reinforcement of the WPF since the 19e century. Our local observations require further investigations to be extrapolated over regional or global scale.

Polymer depletion-driven cluster aggregation and initial phase separation in charged nanosized colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gögelein, Christoph; Nägele, Gerhard; Buitenhuis, Johan; Tuinier, Remco; Dhont, Jan K. G.

2009-05-01

We study polymer depletion-driven cluster aggregation and initial phase separation in aqueous dispersions of charge-stabilized silica spheres, where the ionic strength and polymer (dextran) concentration are systematically varied, using dynamic light scattering and visual observation. Without polymers and for increasing salt and colloid content, the dispersions become increasingly unstable against irreversible cluster formation. By adding nonadsorbing polymers, a depletion-driven attraction is induced, which lowers the stabilizing Coulomb barrier and enhances the cluster growth rate. The initial growth rate increases with increasing polymer concentration and decreases with increasing polymer molar mass. These observations can be quantitatively understood by an irreversible dimer formation theory based on the classical Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek pair potential, with the depletion attraction modeled by the Asakura-Oosawa-Vrij potential. At low colloid concentration, we observe an exponential cluster growth rate for all polymer concentrations considered, indicating a reaction-limited aggregation mechanism. At sufficiently high polymer and colloid concentrations, and lower salt content, a gas-liquidlike demixing is observed initially. Later on, the system separates into a gel and fluidlike phase. The experimental time-dependent state diagram is compared to the theoretical equilibrium phase diagram obtained from a generalized free-volume theory and is discussed in terms of an initial reversible phase separation process in combination with irreversible aggregation at later times.

Polymer depletion-driven cluster aggregation and initial phase separation in charged nanosized colloids.

PubMed

Gögelein, Christoph; Nägele, Gerhard; Buitenhuis, Johan; Tuinier, Remco; Dhont, Jan K G

2009-05-28

We study polymer depletion-driven cluster aggregation and initial phase separation in aqueous dispersions of charge-stabilized silica spheres, where the ionic strength and polymer (dextran) concentration are systematically varied, using dynamic light scattering and visual observation. Without polymers and for increasing salt and colloid content, the dispersions become increasingly unstable against irreversible cluster formation. By adding nonadsorbing polymers, a depletion-driven attraction is induced, which lowers the stabilizing Coulomb barrier and enhances the cluster growth rate. The initial growth rate increases with increasing polymer concentration and decreases with increasing polymer molar mass. These observations can be quantitatively understood by an irreversible dimer formation theory based on the classical Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek pair potential, with the depletion attraction modeled by the Asakura-Oosawa-Vrij potential. At low colloid concentration, we observe an exponential cluster growth rate for all polymer concentrations considered, indicating a reaction-limited aggregation mechanism. At sufficiently high polymer and colloid concentrations, and lower salt content, a gas-liquidlike demixing is observed initially. Later on, the system separates into a gel and fluidlike phase. The experimental time-dependent state diagram is compared to the theoretical equilibrium phase diagram obtained from a generalized free-volume theory and is discussed in terms of an initial reversible phase separation process in combination with irreversible aggregation at later times.

Genetic origin of the relationship between parental negativity and behavior problems from early childhood to adolescence: A longitudinal genetically sensitive study

PubMed Central

Alemany, Silvia; Rijsdijk, Frühling V.; Haworth, Claire Margaret Alison; Fañanás, Lourdes; Plomin, Robert

2013-01-01

Little is known about how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the association between parental negativity and behavior problems from early childhood to adolescence. The current study fitted a cross-lagged model in a sample consisting of 4,075 twin pairs to explore (a) the role of genetic and environmental factors in the relationship between parental negativity and behavior problems from age 4 to age 12, (b) whether parent-driven and child-driven processes independently explain the association, and (c) whether there are sex differences in this relationship. Both phenotypes showed substantial genetic influence at both ages. The concurrent overlap between them was mainly accounted for by genetic factors. Causal pathways representing stability of the phenotypes and parent-driven and child-driven effects significantly and independently account for the association. Significant but slight differences were found between males and females for parent-driven effects. These results were highly similar when general cognitive ability was added asa covariate. In summary, the longitudinal association between parental negativity and behavior problems seems to be bidirectional and mainly accounted for by genetic factors. Furthermore, child-driven effects were mainly genetically mediated, and parent-driven effects were a function of both genetic and shared-environmental factors. PMID:23627958

46 CFR 169.623 - Power-driven steering systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Power-driven steering systems. 169.623 Section 169.623 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Machinery and Electrical Steering Systems § 169.623 Power-driven steering systems. (a) Power-driven steering...

46 CFR 169.623 - Power-driven steering systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Power-driven steering systems. 169.623 Section 169.623 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Machinery and Electrical Steering Systems § 169.623 Power-driven steering systems. (a) Power-driven steering...

Investigating the effect of adding an on-axis jet to Ar gas puff Z pinches on Z.

DOE PAGES

Harvey-Thompson, Adam James; Jennings, Christopher Ashley; Jones, Brent M.; ...

2016-10-20

Double-shell Ar gas puff implosions driven by 16.5±0.5 MA on the Z generator at Sandia National Laboratories are very effective emitters of Ar K-shell radiation (photon energy >3 keV), producing yields of 330 ± 9% kJ (B. Jones et al., Phys. Plasmas, 22, 020706, 2015). In addition, previous simulations and experiments have reported dramatic increases in K-shell yields when adding an on-axis jet to double shell gas puffs for some configurations.

Enhancing navigation in biomedical databases by community voting and database-driven text classification

PubMed Central

Duchrow, Timo; Shtatland, Timur; Guettler, Daniel; Pivovarov, Misha; Kramer, Stefan; Weissleder, Ralph

2009-01-01

Background The breadth of biological databases and their information content continues to increase exponentially. Unfortunately, our ability to query such sources is still often suboptimal. Here, we introduce and apply community voting, database-driven text classification, and visual aids as a means to incorporate distributed expert knowledge, to automatically classify database entries and to efficiently retrieve them. Results Using a previously developed peptide database as an example, we compared several machine learning algorithms in their ability to classify abstracts of published literature results into categories relevant to peptide research, such as related or not related to cancer, angiogenesis, molecular imaging, etc. Ensembles of bagged decision trees met the requirements of our application best. No other algorithm consistently performed better in comparative testing. Moreover, we show that the algorithm produces meaningful class probability estimates, which can be used to visualize the confidence of automatic classification during the retrieval process. To allow viewing long lists of search results enriched by automatic classifications, we added a dynamic heat map to the web interface. We take advantage of community knowledge by enabling users to cast votes in Web 2.0 style in order to correct automated classification errors, which triggers reclassification of all entries. We used a novel framework in which the database "drives" the entire vote aggregation and reclassification process to increase speed while conserving computational resources and keeping the method scalable. In our experiments, we simulate community voting by adding various levels of noise to nearly perfectly labelled instances, and show that, under such conditions, classification can be improved significantly. Conclusion Using PepBank as a model database, we show how to build a classification-aided retrieval system that gathers training data from the community, is completely controlled by the database, scales well with concurrent change events, and can be adapted to add text classification capability to other biomedical databases. The system can be accessed at . PMID:19799796

Impact of anatase and rutile titanium dioxide nanoparticles on uptake carriers and efflux pumps in Caco-2 gut epithelial cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorier, M.; Brun, E.; Veronesi, G.; Barreau, F.; Pernet-Gallay, K.; Desvergne, C.; Rabilloud, T.; Carapito, C.; Herlin-Boime, N.; Carrière, M.

2015-04-01

TiO2 microparticles are widely used in food products, where they are added as a white food colouring agent. This food additive contains a significant amount of nanoscale particles; still the impact of TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) on gut cells is poorly documented. Our study aimed at evaluating the impact of rutile and anatase TiO2-NPs on the main functions of enterocytes, i.e. nutrient absorption driven by solute-liquid carriers (SLC transporters) and protection against other xenobiotics driven by efflux pumps from the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family. We show that acute exposure of Caco-2 cells to both anatase (12 nm) and rutile (20 nm) TiO2-NPs induce early upregulation of a battery of efflux pumps and nutrient transporters. In addition they cause overproduction of reactive oxygen species and misbalance redox repair systems, without inducing cell mortality or DNA damage. Taken together, these data suggest that TiO2-NPs may increase the functionality of gut epithelial cells, particularly their property to form a protective barrier against exogenous toxicants and to absorb nutrients.TiO2 microparticles are widely used in food products, where they are added as a white food colouring agent. This food additive contains a significant amount of nanoscale particles; still the impact of TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) on gut cells is poorly documented. Our study aimed at evaluating the impact of rutile and anatase TiO2-NPs on the main functions of enterocytes, i.e. nutrient absorption driven by solute-liquid carriers (SLC transporters) and protection against other xenobiotics driven by efflux pumps from the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family. We show that acute exposure of Caco-2 cells to both anatase (12 nm) and rutile (20 nm) TiO2-NPs induce early upregulation of a battery of efflux pumps and nutrient transporters. In addition they cause overproduction of reactive oxygen species and misbalance redox repair systems, without inducing cell mortality or DNA damage. Taken together, these data suggest that TiO2-NPs may increase the functionality of gut epithelial cells, particularly their property to form a protective barrier against exogenous toxicants and to absorb nutrients. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Nanoparticle physico-chemical characterization: size distribution in exposure medium, as measured by DLS (Fig. S1), and X-ray diffraction patterns of A12 and R20 (Fig. S2); characterization of the protein corona on A12 and R20 (Table S1-S4 and experimental). See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00505a

A review of analogue modelling of geodynamic processes: Approaches, scaling, materials and quantification, with an application to subduction experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schellart, Wouter P.; Strak, Vincent

2016-10-01

We present a review of the analogue modelling method, which has been used for 200 years, and continues to be used, to investigate geological phenomena and geodynamic processes. We particularly focus on the following four components: (1) the different fundamental modelling approaches that exist in analogue modelling; (2) the scaling theory and scaling of topography; (3) the different materials and rheologies that are used to simulate the complex behaviour of rocks; and (4) a range of recording techniques that are used for qualitative and quantitative analyses and interpretations of analogue models. Furthermore, we apply these four components to laboratory-based subduction models and describe some of the issues at hand with modelling such systems. Over the last 200 years, a wide variety of analogue materials have been used with different rheologies, including viscous materials (e.g. syrups, silicones, water), brittle materials (e.g. granular materials such as sand, microspheres and sugar), plastic materials (e.g. plasticine), visco-plastic materials (e.g. paraffin, waxes, petrolatum) and visco-elasto-plastic materials (e.g. hydrocarbon compounds and gelatins). These materials have been used in many different set-ups to study processes from the microscale, such as porphyroclast rotation, to the mantle scale, such as subduction and mantle convection. Despite the wide variety of modelling materials and great diversity in model set-ups and processes investigated, all laboratory experiments can be classified into one of three different categories based on three fundamental modelling approaches that have been used in analogue modelling: (1) The external approach, (2) the combined (external + internal) approach, and (3) the internal approach. In the external approach and combined approach, energy is added to the experimental system through the external application of a velocity, temperature gradient or a material influx (or a combination thereof), and so the system is open. In the external approach, all deformation in the system is driven by the externally imposed condition, while in the combined approach, part of the deformation is driven by buoyancy forces internal to the system. In the internal approach, all deformation is driven by buoyancy forces internal to the system and so the system is closed and no energy is added during an experimental run. In the combined approach, the externally imposed force or added energy is generally not quantified nor compared to the internal buoyancy force or potential energy of the system, and so it is not known if these experiments are properly scaled with respect to nature. The scaling theory requires that analogue models are geometrically, kinematically and dynamically similar to the natural prototype. Direct scaling of topography in laboratory models indicates that it is often significantly exaggerated. This can be ascribed to (1) The lack of isostatic compensation, which causes topography to be too high. (2) The lack of erosion, which causes topography to be too high. (3) The incorrect scaling of topography when density contrasts are scaled (rather than densities); In isostatically supported models, scaling of density contrasts requires an adjustment of the scaled topography by applying a topographic correction factor. (4) The incorrect scaling of externally imposed boundary conditions in isostatically supported experiments using the combined approach; When externally imposed forces are too high, this creates topography that is too high. Other processes that also affect surface topography in laboratory models but not in nature (or only in a negligible way) include surface tension (for models using fluids) and shear zone dilatation (for models using granular material), but these will generally only affect the model surface topography on relatively short horizontal length scales of the order of several mm across material boundaries and shear zones, respectively.

Increased Foxo3a Nuclear Translocation and Activity is an Early Neuronal Response to βγ-Secretase-Mediated Processing of the Amyloid-β Protein Precursor: Utility of an AβPP-GAL4 Reporter Assay.

PubMed

Law, Bernard M; Guest, Amy L; Pullen, Matthew W J; Perkinton, Michael S; Williams, Robert J

2018-01-01

Sequential cleavage of the amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) by BACE1 (β-secretase) followed by theγ-secretase complex, is strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) but the initial cellular responses to these cleavage events are not fully defined. β-secretase-mediated AβPP processing yields an extracellular domain (sAβPPβ) and a C-terminal fragment of AβPP of 99 amino acids (C99). Subsequent cleavage by γ-secretase produces amyloid-β (Aβ) and an AβPP intracellular domain (AICD). A cellular screen based on the generation of AICD from an AβPP-Gal4 fusion protein was adapted by introducing familial AD (FAD) mutations into the AβPP sequence and linking the assay to Gal4-UAS driven luciferase and GFP expression, to identify responses immediately downstream of AβPP processing in neurons with a focus on the transcription factor Foxo3a which has been implicated in neurodegeneration. The K670N/M671L, E682K, E693G, and V717I FAD mutations and the A673T protective mutation, were introduced into the AβPP sequence by site directed mutagenesis. When expressed in mouse cortical neurons, AβPP-Gal4-UAS driven luciferase and GFP expression was substantially reduced by γ-secretase inhibitors, lowered by β-secretase inhibitors, and enhanced by α-secretase inhibitors suggesting that AICD is a product of the βγ-secretase pathway. AβPP-Gal4-UAS driven GFP expression was exploited to identify individual neurons undergoing amyloidogenic AβPP processing, revealing increased nuclear localization of Foxo3a and enhanced Foxo3a-mediated transcription downstream of AICD production. Foxo3a translocation was not driven by AICD directly but correlated with reduced Akt phosphorylation. Collectively this suggests that βγ-secretase-mediated AβPP processing couples to Foxo3a which could be an early neuronal signaling response in AD.

SmartAdP: Visual Analytics of Large-scale Taxi Trajectories for Selecting Billboard Locations.

PubMed

Liu, Dongyu; Weng, Di; Li, Yuhong; Bao, Jie; Zheng, Yu; Qu, Huamin; Wu, Yingcai

2017-01-01

The problem of formulating solutions immediately and comparing them rapidly for billboard placements has plagued advertising planners for a long time, owing to the lack of efficient tools for in-depth analyses to make informed decisions. In this study, we attempt to employ visual analytics that combines the state-of-the-art mining and visualization techniques to tackle this problem using large-scale GPS trajectory data. In particular, we present SmartAdP, an interactive visual analytics system that deals with the two major challenges including finding good solutions in a huge solution space and comparing the solutions in a visual and intuitive manner. An interactive framework that integrates a novel visualization-driven data mining model enables advertising planners to effectively and efficiently formulate good candidate solutions. In addition, we propose a set of coupled visualizations: a solution view with metaphor-based glyphs to visualize the correlation between different solutions; a location view to display billboard locations in a compact manner; and a ranking view to present multi-typed rankings of the solutions. This system has been demonstrated using case studies with a real-world dataset and domain-expert interviews. Our approach can be adapted for other location selection problems such as selecting locations of retail stores or restaurants using trajectory data.

Atherosclerosis and Alzheimer - diseases with a common cause? Inflammation, oxysterols, vasculature

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Aging is accompanied by increasing vulnerability to pathologies such as atherosclerosis (ATH) and Alzheimer disease (AD). Are these different pathologies, or different presentations with a similar underlying pathoetiology? Discussion Both ATH and AD involve inflammation, macrophage infiltration, and occlusion of the vasculature. Allelic variants in common genes including APOE predispose to both diseases. In both there is strong evidence of disease association with viral and bacterial pathogens including herpes simplex and Chlamydophila. Furthermore, ablation of components of the immune system (or of bone marrow-derived macrophages alone) in animal models restricts disease development in both cases, arguing that both are accentuated by inflammatory/immune pathways. We discuss that amyloid β, a distinguishing feature of AD, also plays a key role in ATH. Several drugs, at least in mouse models, are effective in preventing the development of both ATH and AD. Given similar age-dependence, genetic underpinnings, involvement of the vasculature, association with infection, Aβ involvement, the central role of macrophages, and drug overlap, we conclude that the two conditions reflect different manifestations of a common pathoetiology. Mechanism Infection and inflammation selectively induce the expression of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H). Acutely, the production of ‘immunosterol’ 25-hydroxycholesterol (25OHC) defends against enveloped viruses. We present evidence that chronic macrophage CH25H upregulation leads to catalyzed esterification of sterols via 25OHC-driven allosteric activation of ACAT (acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase/SOAT), intracellular accumulation of cholesteryl esters and lipid droplets, vascular occlusion, and overt disease. Summary We postulate that AD and ATH are both caused by chronic immunologic challenge that induces CH25H expression and protection against particular infectious agents, but at the expense of longer-term pathology. PMID:24656052

Atherosclerosis and Alzheimer--diseases with a common cause? Inflammation, oxysterols, vasculature.

PubMed

Lathe, Richard; Sapronova, Alexandra; Kotelevtsev, Yuri

2014-03-21

Aging is accompanied by increasing vulnerability to pathologies such as atherosclerosis (ATH) and Alzheimer disease (AD). Are these different pathologies, or different presentations with a similar underlying pathoetiology? Both ATH and AD involve inflammation, macrophage infiltration, and occlusion of the vasculature. Allelic variants in common genes including APOE predispose to both diseases. In both there is strong evidence of disease association with viral and bacterial pathogens including herpes simplex and Chlamydophila. Furthermore, ablation of components of the immune system (or of bone marrow-derived macrophages alone) in animal models restricts disease development in both cases, arguing that both are accentuated by inflammatory/immune pathways. We discuss that amyloid β, a distinguishing feature of AD, also plays a key role in ATH. Several drugs, at least in mouse models, are effective in preventing the development of both ATH and AD. Given similar age-dependence, genetic underpinnings, involvement of the vasculature, association with infection, Aβ involvement, the central role of macrophages, and drug overlap, we conclude that the two conditions reflect different manifestations of a common pathoetiology. Infection and inflammation selectively induce the expression of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H). Acutely, the production of 'immunosterol' 25-hydroxycholesterol (25OHC) defends against enveloped viruses. We present evidence that chronic macrophage CH25H upregulation leads to catalyzed esterification of sterols via 25OHC-driven allosteric activation of ACAT (acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase/SOAT), intracellular accumulation of cholesteryl esters and lipid droplets, vascular occlusion, and overt disease. We postulate that AD and ATH are both caused by chronic immunologic challenge that induces CH25H expression and protection against particular infectious agents, but at the expense of longer-term pathology.

Measurements and analysis of leakage neutron spectra from multiple-slab sample assemblies comprising W,U,C, and CH2 with D-T neutron irradiation.

PubMed

Luo, F; Han, R; Chen, Z; Nie, Y; Sun, Q; Shi, F; Zhang, S; Tian, G; Song, L; Ruan, X; Ye, M Y

2018-07-01

The accelerator driven subcritical system (ADS) is regarded as a safe and clean nuclear power system, which can be used for the transmutation of nuclear waste and the breeding of nuclear fuel. In this study, in order to validate nuclear data and the neutron transportation performance of the materials related to ADS, we measured the leakage neutron spectra from multiple-slab sample assemblies using 14.8 MeV D-T neutrons. Two types of assemblies comprising A-1 (W+U+C+CH 2 ) and A-2 (U+C+CH 2 ) were both built up gradually starting with the first wall. The measured spectra were compared with those calculated using the Monte Carlo code neutron transport coed (MCNP)-4C. A comparison of the results showed that the experimental leakage neutron spectra for both A-1 or A-2 were reproduced well by the three evaluated nuclear data libraries with discrepancies of less than 15% (A-1) and 12% (A-2), except when below 3 MeV. For 2-cm and 5-cm uranium samples, the CENDL-3.1 calculations exhibited large discrepancies in the energy range of 2-8 MeV and above 13 MeV. Thus, the CENDL-3.1 library for uranium should be reevaluated, especially around this energy range. It was significant that the leakage neuron spectra changed clearly when the latest material layer was added during the building of assemblies A-1 and A-2. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Drives Country Differences in Cost of Alzheimer's Disease? An Explanation from Resource Use in the GERAS Study.

PubMed

Reed, Catherine; Happich, Michael; Argimon, Josep Maria; Haro, Josep Maria; Wimo, Anders; Bruno, Giuseppe; Dodel, Richard; Jones, Roy W; Vellas, Bruno; Belger, Mark

2017-01-01

Country differences in resource use and costs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be driven by differences in health care systems and resource availability. To compare country resource utilization drivers of societal costs for AD dementia over 18 months. GERAS is an observational study in France (n = 419), Germany (n = 550), and the UK (n = 526). Resource use of AD patients and caregivers contributing to >1% of total societal costs (year 2010) was assessed for country differences, adjusting for participant characteristics. Mean 18-month societal costs per patient were France €33,339, Germany €38,197, and UK €37,899 (£32,501). Caregiver time spent on basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) contributed the most to societal costs (54% France, 64% Germany, 65% UK). Caregivers in France spent less time on ADL than UK caregivers and missed fewer work days than in other countries. Compared with other countries, patients in France used more community care services overall and were more likely to use home aid. Patients in Germany were least likely to use temporary accommodation or to be institutionalized at 18 months. UK caregivers spent the most time on instrumental ADL, UK patients used fewest outpatient resources, and UK patients/caregivers were most likely to receive financial support. Caregiver time on ADL contributed the most to societal costs and differed across countries, possibly due to use of community care services and institutionalization. Other resources had different patterns of use across countries, reflecting country-specific health and social care systems.

Dissociable executive functions in behavioral variant frontotemporal and Alzheimer dementias

PubMed Central

Feigenbaum, Dana; Rankin, Katherine P.; Smith, Glenn E.; Boxer, Adam L.; Wood, Kristie; Hanna, Sherrie M.; Miller, Bruce L.; Kramer, Joel H.

2013-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine which aspects of executive functions are most affected in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and best differentiate this syndrome from Alzheimer disease (AD). Methods: We compared executive functions in 22 patients diagnosed with bvFTD, 26 with AD, and 31 neurologically healthy controls using a conceptually driven and comprehensive battery of executive function tests, the NIH EXAMINER battery (http://examiner.ucsf.edu). Results: The bvFTD and the AD patients were similarly impaired compared with controls on tests of working memory, category fluency, and attention, but the patients with bvFTD showed significantly more severe impairments than the patients with AD on tests of letter fluency, antisaccade accuracy, social decision-making, and social behavior. Discriminant function analysis with jackknifed cross-validation classified the bvFTD and AD patient groups with 73% accuracy. Conclusions: Executive function assessment can support bvFTD diagnosis when measures are carefully selected to emphasize frontally specific functions. PMID:23658382

Cahokia's emergence and decline coincided with shifts of flood frequency on the Mississippi River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munoz, Samuel E.; Gruley, Kristine E.; Massie, Ashtin; Fike, David A.; Schroeder, Sissel; Williams, John W.

2015-05-01

Here we establish the timing of major flood events of the central Mississippi River over the last 1,800 y, using floodwater sediments deposited in two floodplain lakes. Shifts in the frequency of high-magnitude floods are mediated by moisture availability over midcontinental North America and correspond to the emergence and decline of Cahokia-a major late prehistoric settlement in the Mississippi River floodplain. The absence of large floods from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1200 facilitated agricultural intensification, population growth, and settlement expansion across the floodplain that are associated with the emergence of Cahokia as a regional center around A.D. 1050. The return of large floods after A.D. 1200, driven by waning midcontinental aridity, marks the onset of sociopolitical reorganization and depopulation that culminate in the abandonment of Cahokia and the surrounding region by A.D. 1350. Shifts in the frequency and magnitude of flooding may be an underappreciated but critical factor in the formation and dissolution of social complexity in early agricultural societies.

Tailoring the antibody response to aggregated Aß using novel Alzheimer-vaccines.

PubMed

Mandler, Markus; Santic, Radmila; Gruber, Petra; Cinar, Yeliz; Pichler, Dagmar; Funke, Susanne Aileen; Willbold, Dieter; Schneeberger, Achim; Schmidt, Walter; Mattner, Frank

2015-01-01

Recent evidence suggests Alzheimer-Disease (AD) to be driven by aggregated Aß. Capitalizing on the mechanism of molecular mimicry and applying several selection layers, we screened peptide libraries for moieties inducing antibodies selectively reacting with Aß-aggregates. The technology identified a pool of peptide candidates; two, AFFITOPES AD01 and AD02, were assessed as vaccination antigens and compared to Aβ1-6, the targeted epitope. When conjugated to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) and adjuvanted with aluminum, all three peptides induced Aß-targeting antibodies (Abs). In contrast to Aß1-6, AD01- or AD02-induced Abs were characterized by selectivity for aggregated forms of Aß and absence of reactivity with related molecules such as Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP)/ secreted APP-alpha (sAPPa). Administration of AFFITOPE-vaccines to APP-transgenic mice was found to reduce their cerebral amyloid burden, the associated neuropathological alterations and to improve their cognitive functions. Thus, the AFFITOME-technology delivers vaccines capable of inducing a distinct Ab response. Their features may be beneficial to AD-patients, a hypothesis currently tested within a phase-II-study.

Tailoring the Antibody Response to Aggregated Aß Using Novel Alzheimer-Vaccines

PubMed Central

Gruber, Petra; Cinar, Yeliz; Pichler, Dagmar; Funke, Susanne Aileen; Willbold, Dieter; Schneeberger, Achim; Schmidt, Walter; Mattner, Frank

2015-01-01

Recent evidence suggests Alzheimer-Disease (AD) to be driven by aggregated Aß. Capitalizing on the mechanism of molecular mimicry and applying several selection layers, we screened peptide libraries for moieties inducing antibodies selectively reacting with Aß-aggregates. The technology identified a pool of peptide candidates; two, AFFITOPES AD01 and AD02, were assessed as vaccination antigens and compared to Aβ1-6, the targeted epitope. When conjugated to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) and adjuvanted with aluminum, all three peptides induced Aß-targeting antibodies (Abs). In contrast to Aß1-6, AD01- or AD02-induced Abs were characterized by selectivity for aggregated forms of Aß and absence of reactivity with related molecules such as Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP)/ secreted APP-alpha (sAPPa). Administration of AFFITOPE-vaccines to APP-transgenic mice was found to reduce their cerebral amyloid burden, the associated neuropathological alterations and to improve their cognitive functions. Thus, the AFFITOME-technology delivers vaccines capable of inducing a distinct Ab response. Their features may be beneficial to AD-patients, a hypothesis currently tested within a phase-II-study. PMID:25611858

East Coast Air Combat Maneuvering Range (EC/ACMR) Ocean Tower Construction Completion Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-03-01

c)D Sa con itionS.r n lectricaldes St rm oactlvtto ~Utost 311fa :... ea rjn d~ ,Rjon,&gj B. ADMIN a m . cu a C. OPERATIONS: O;erations at Tower F3 ...nections. D. EQUIP STATUS - NONE E. LOGISTICS - NONE F. TRAINING NONE C. SAFETY - NO ACCIDENTS H. t,.EDICAL- NO INJURIES 1. ,ORALE- Nigh ad Tower f3 ...74. .-- Y .~lile B-. driven 59 ftv/5 6 0, 060, and 040 haieers; AV B,"F - e driven 57 ft w/5 6 0 and 040 hammers; AV BPP 82 v/540. Total weather time

Advanced motor driven clamped borehole seismic receiver

DOEpatents

Engler, Bruce P.; Sleefe, Gerard E.; Striker, Richard P.

1993-01-01

A borehole seismic tool including a borehole clamp which only moves perpendicular to the borehole. The clamp is driven by an electric motor, via a right angle drive. When used as a seismic receiver, the tool has a three part housing, two of which are hermetically sealed. Accelerometers or geophones are mounted in one hermetically sealed part, the electric meter in the other hermetically sealed part, and the clamp and right angle drive in the third part. Preferably the tool includes cable connectors at both ends. Optionally a shear plate can be added to the clamp to extend the range of the tool.

Cooling for SC devices of test cryomodule for ADS Injector II at IMP

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

Wang, L.; Wang, S. Y.; Sun, S.

2014-01-29

The superconducting half-wave resonance cavities connected in series with superconducting solenoids will be applied to the Injector II of the Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (ADS) to be built at the Modern Physics Institute, China. A test system has been developed for the purpose of performance test of the HWR cavities as well as validating the relevant technique for cooling the cavity and the solenoids together. It mainly comprises a cryogenic valve box (TVB), a test cryomodule (TCM1) and transfer lines. The TCM1 includes one HWR cavity, two superconducting solenoids, one cold BPM and their cooling system. The design of themore » TCM1 cryostat was carried out by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP), CAS. Both the cavity and the solenoids will work at 4.4 K by bath cooling. The fast cooling down for the cavity from around 100 K to 120 K is required to avoid degrading of the cavity performance. After cool down and before energization, the solenoids should be warmed up to above 10 K and re-cooled down for the purpose of degaussing. The TCM1 can not only be cooled by using the dewar-filling system, but also operated by the refrigerator system. For the purpose of reducing the heat loads to the cold mass at 4 K from room temperature, thermal radiation shields cooled by liquid nitrogen flowing in tubing were employed. This paper presents the design details of cooling circuits and thermal shields of the TCM1 as well as related calculations and analyses.« less

Cooling for SC devices of test cryomodule for ADS Injector II at IMP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Wang, S. Y.; Sun, S.; Guo, X. L.; Wang, S. H.; Liu, Y. Y.

2014-01-01

The superconducting half-wave resonance cavities connected in series with superconducting solenoids will be applied to the Injector II of the Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (ADS) to be built at the Modern Physics Institute, China. A test system has been developed for the purpose of performance test of the HWR cavities as well as validating the relevant technique for cooling the cavity and the solenoids together. It mainly comprises a cryogenic valve box (TVB), a test cryomodule (TCM1) and transfer lines. The TCM1 includes one HWR cavity, two superconducting solenoids, one cold BPM and their cooling system. The design of the TCM1 cryostat was carried out by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP), CAS. Both the cavity and the solenoids will work at 4.4 K by bath cooling. The fast cooling down for the cavity from around 100 K to 120 K is required to avoid degrading of the cavity performance. After cool down and before energization, the solenoids should be warmed up to above 10 K and re-cooled down for the purpose of degaussing. The TCM1 can not only be cooled by using the dewar-filling system, but also operated by the refrigerator system. For the purpose of reducing the heat loads to the cold mass at 4 K from room temperature, thermal radiation shields cooled by liquid nitrogen flowing in tubing were employed. This paper presents the design details of cooling circuits and thermal shields of the TCM1 as well as related calculations and analyses.

77 FR 24362 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... was prompted by reports of the air driven generator (ADG) failing to power essential buses during... essential buses which, in the event of an emergency, could prevent continued safe flight. DATES: This AD... prevent continued safe flight. This [TCCA] directive mandates the replacement of the ADG GCU. You may...

Team-Based Curriculum Design as an Agent of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrell, Andrew R.; Cavanagh, Michael; Young, Sherman; Carter, Helen

2015-01-01

Curriculum design in higher education environments, namely the consideration of aims, learning outcomes, syllabus, pedagogy and assessment, can often be ad hoc and driven by informal cultural habits. Academics with disciplinary expertise may be resistant to (or ignorant of) pedagogical approaches beyond existing practice. In an environment where…

Research for the Classroom: Standards, Standardization, and Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorlewski, Julie

2013-01-01

In this era of hyper-accountability, teachers are under ever-increasing pressure to demonstrate their worth--often using evidence that is far removed from what seems to be in the best interests of the students. Terms such as "value-added," "evidence-based," and "data-driven" dominate discussions about teaching…

Development of 3-dimensional compact magnetic dosimeter for environmental magnetic field monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubota, Yusuke; Obayashi, Haruo; Miyahara, Akira; Ohno, Kazuko; Nakamura, Kouichi; Horii, Kenzi

1991-07-01

A computer-driven, three-dimensional magnetic fluxmeter to be used for magnetic field dosimetry has been developed. A magnetic monitor applicable to this object should be measurable to an absolute value of local magnetic field strength and also be able to record its time integration as a measure of exposed dose to the magnetic field. The present fluxmeter consists of signal amplifiers, rectifiers, an A/D converter, and a pocket computer (PC). The signal outputs from the sensors are processed with the PC to compose an absolute strength of magnetic flux density and its time-integrated value. The whole system is driven by a battery and is quite compact in size to be used as a handy portable system. Further details of the design, idea, construction, specification, and testing result of the fluxmeter are described. The measurable range are from 0.4G to 20,000G in normal mode and 8mG to 400G in high-sensitivity AC mode, and the sensitivity is well independent of the magnetic field direction. These measured data are displayed in real time on the LCD panel of the PC and memorized in RAM files. Possible application of the fluxmeter is discussed with special attention to the search of the leakage and/or disturbing error fields around LHD (Large Helical Device) and other magnetic systems, the individual dose control to the workers in strong magnetic fields, and the evaluation of the effects of long irradiation of magnetic fields.

Increased syndecan-4 expression in sera and skin of patients with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Nakao, Momoko; Sugaya, Makoto; Takahashi, Naomi; Otobe, Sayaka; Nakajima, Rina; Oka, Tomonori; Kabasawa, Miyoko; Suga, Hiraku; Morimura, Sohshi; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Fujita, Hideki; Asano, Yoshihide; Sato, Shinichi

2016-11-01

Syndecan-4 (SDC-4) is a cell surface proteoglycan, which participates in signaling during cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, endocytosis, and mechanotransduction, and is expressed on various cells, including endothelial cells, epithelial cells, T cells, and eosinophils. Emerging evidences have suggested that SDC-4 might contribute to Th2-driven allergic immune responses. Here, we examined the role of SDC-4 in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Serum SDC-4 levels in AD patients were significantly higher than in healthy individuals, and they increased according to the disease severity. Importantly, they positively correlated with Eczema Area and Severity Index and itch visual analogue scale scores. Furthermore, serum SDC-4 levels decreased after treatment. We also analyzed SDC-4 expression in AD lesional skin. SDC-4 mRNA levels in AD skin were significantly higher than those of normal skin. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that SDC-4 was highly expressed in the epidermis and endothelial cells in AD lesional skin. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that SDC-4 expression was increased in sera and skin of AD patients, suggesting that SDC-4 may contribute to the development of AD.

An earth imaging camera simulation using wide-scale construction of reflectance surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murthy, Kiran; Chau, Alexandra H.; Amin, Minesh B.; Robinson, M. Dirk

2013-10-01

Developing and testing advanced ground-based image processing systems for earth-observing remote sensing applications presents a unique challenge that requires advanced imagery simulation capabilities. This paper presents an earth-imaging multispectral framing camera simulation system called PayloadSim (PaySim) capable of generating terabytes of photorealistic simulated imagery. PaySim leverages previous work in 3-D scene-based image simulation, adding a novel method for automatically and efficiently constructing 3-D reflectance scenes by draping tiled orthorectified imagery over a geo-registered Digital Elevation Map (DEM). PaySim's modeling chain is presented in detail, with emphasis given to the techniques used to achieve computational efficiency. These techniques as well as cluster deployment of the simulator have enabled tuning and robust testing of image processing algorithms, and production of realistic sample data for customer-driven image product development. Examples of simulated imagery of Skybox's first imaging satellite are shown.

Shielding and activation calculations around the reactor core for the MYRRHA ADS design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, Anna; Mueller, Stefan; Konheiser, J.; Castelliti, D.; Sarotto, M.; Stankovskiy, A.

2017-09-01

In the frame of the FP7 European project MAXSIMA, an extensive simulation study has been done to assess the main shielding problems in view of the construction of the MYRRHA accelerator-driven system at SCK·CEN in Mol (Belgium). An innovative method based on the combined use of the two state-of-the-art Monte Carlo codes MCNPX and FLUKA has been used, with the goal to characterize complex, realistic neutron fields around the core barrel, to be used as source terms in detailed analyses of the radiation fields due to the system in operation, and of the coupled residual radiation. The main results of the shielding analysis are presented, as well as the construction of an activation database of all the key structural materials. The results evidenced a powerful way to analyse the shielding and activation problems, with direct and clear implications on the design solutions.

Enrichment scale determines herbivore control of primary producers.

PubMed

Gil, Michael A; Jiao, Jing; Osenberg, Craig W

2016-03-01

Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment stimulates primary production and threatens natural communities worldwide. Herbivores may counteract deleterious effects of enrichment by increasing their consumption of primary producers. However, field tests of herbivore control are often done by adding nutrients at small (e.g., sub-meter) scales, while enrichment in real systems often occurs at much larger scales (e.g., kilometers). Therefore, experimental results may be driven by processes that are not relevant at larger scales. Using a mathematical model, we show that herbivores can control primary producer biomass in experiments by concentrating their foraging in small enriched plots; however, at larger, realistic scales, the same mechanism may not lead to herbivore control of primary producers. Instead, other demographic mechanisms are required, but these are not examined in most field studies (and may not operate in many systems). This mismatch between experiments and natural processes suggests that many ecosystems may be less resilient to degradation via enrichment than previously believed.

Experiences with Deriva: An Asset Management Platform for Accelerating eScience.

PubMed

Bugacov, Alejandro; Czajkowski, Karl; Kesselman, Carl; Kumar, Anoop; Schuler, Robert E; Tangmunarunkit, Hongsuda

2017-10-01

The pace of discovery in eScience is increasingly dependent on a scientist's ability to acquire, curate, integrate, analyze, and share large and diverse collections of data. It is all too common for investigators to spend inordinate amounts of time developing ad hoc procedures to manage their data. In previous work, we presented Deriva, a Scientific Asset Management System, designed to accelerate data driven discovery. In this paper, we report on the use of Deriva in a number of substantial and diverse eScience applications. We describe the lessons we have learned, both from the perspective of the Deriva technology, as well as the ability and willingness of scientists to incorporate Scientific Asset Management into their daily workflows.

Calculating Pressure-Driven Current Near Magnetic Islands for 3D MHD Equilibria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radhakrishnan, Dhanush; Reiman, Allan

2016-10-01

In general, 3D MHD equilibria in toroidal plasmas do not result in nested pressure surfaces. Instead, islands and chaotic regions appear in the equilibrium. Near small magnetic islands, the pressure varies within the flux surfaces, which has a significant effect on the pressure-driven current, introducing singularities. Previously, the MHD equilibrium current near a magnetic island was calculated, including the effect of ``stellarator symmetry,'' wherein the singular components of the pressure-driven current vanish [A. H. Reiman, Phys. Plasmas 23, 072502 (2016)]. Here we first solve for pressure in a cylindrical plasma from the heat diffusion equation, after adding a helical perturbation. We then numerically calculate the corresponding Pfirsch-Schluter current. At the small island limit, we compare the pressure-driven current with the previously calculated solution, and far from the island, we recover the solution for nested flux surfaces. Lastly, we compute the current for a toroidal plasma for symmetric and non-symmetric geometries.

High Resolution Upwelling Cycles in Guaymas and Cariaco Basins over the late Holocene: Coupling Between the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goni, M. A.

2005-12-01

The recent past history of sea surface temperature (SST) conditions in two wind-dominated upwelling systems, Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California) and Cariaco Basin (Venezuela) was investigated using the alkenone-based UK'37 index. Both of these systems undergo marked seasonal SST changes of 4-10 degrees C, which are associated with wind-driven upwelling and thermal stratification cycles. Both Guaymas and Cariaco Basins are also characterized by suboxic to anoxic bottom waters that result in undisturbed, varved sediments. Confirmation that the seasonal SST trends are accurately incorporated into the UK'37 ratios of sinking particles was achieved using sediment trap samples. Analyses of sediment cores from Guaymas and Cariaco Basins yielded high-resolution (decadal) records of SST conditions in the overlying water column from 1700 to 2000 AD. The trends in the UK'37 index revealed general increases in the SST at both sites over that last 300 years associated with the end of the little ice age. However, in addition to this long-term trend, higher-frequency (~ 50 years) changes in SST that ranged from 1-3 degrees C were observed. We speculate that these decadal trends in SST reflect variations in the intensity of wind-driven upwelling at these sites. Most interestingly, there is a marked contrast in the timing of the SST values between Guaymas and Cariaco so that periods of enhanced upwelling in Guyamas Basin are characterized by decreased upwelling in Cariaco Basin (and vice versa). We propose that these contrasting records reflect differences in the response of wind-driven upwelling to changes in the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone over the western Atlantic and the subtropical High over the eastern Pacific. The connection between these two upwelling systems and its significance for paleoreconstruction studies will be explored further.

Experimental Evaluation of an Isolated Synthetic Jet IN Crossflow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaeffler, Norman W.; Jenkins, Luther N.; Hepner, Timothy E.

2007-01-01

The second case for this workshop builds upon the isolated synthetic jet of Case 1 by adding a crossflow, with no streamwise pressure gradient, for the developing jet to interact with. Formally, Case 2 examines the interaction of a single, isolated, synthetic jet and a fully turbulent zero-pressure gradient boundary layer. The resulting flow has many of the characteristics that need to be modeled with fidelity if the results of the calculations are to serve as the basis for research and design with active flow control devices. These include the turbulence in the boundary layer, the time-evolution of the large vortical structure emanating from the jet orifice and its subsequent interaction with and distortion by the boundary layer turbulence, and the effect of the suction cycle on the boundary layer flow. In a synthetic jet, the flow through the orifice and out into the outer flowfield alternates between an exhaust and a suction cycle, driven by the contraction and expansion of a cavity internal to the actuator. In the present experiment, the volume changes in the internal cavity are accomplished by replacing one of the rigid walls of the cavity, the wall opposite the orifice exit, with a deformable wall. This flexible wall is driven by a bottom-mounted moveable piston. The piston is driven electro-mechanically. The synthetic jet issues into the external flow through a circular orifice. In the present experiment, this orifice has a diameter of 0.250 inches (6.35 mm). The flow is conceptually similar to that documented in Schaeffler [1]. To document the flow, several measurement techniques were utilized. The upstream boundary conditions (in-flow conditions), and several key phase-averaged velocity profiles were measured with a 3-component laser-Doppler velocimetry system. Phase-averaged velocity field measurements were made with both stereo digital particle image velocimetry and 2-D digital particle image velocimetry as the primary measurement system. Surface pressure measurements were made utilizing an electronically scanned pressure system.

Alzheimer’s disease is not “brain aging”: neuropathological, genetic, and epidemiological human studies

PubMed Central

Head, Elizabeth; Schmitt, Frederick A.; Davis, Paulina R.; Neltner, Janna H.; Jicha, Gregory A.; Abner, Erin L.; Smith, Charles D.; Van Eldik, Linda J.; Kryscio, Richard J.; Scheff, Stephen W.

2011-01-01

Human studies are reviewed concerning whether “aging”-related mechanisms contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. AD is defined by specific neuropathology: neuritic amyloid plaques and neocortical neurofibrillary tangles. AD pathology is driven by genetic factors related not to aging per se, but instead to the amyloid precursor protein (APP). In contrast to genes involved in APP-related mechanisms, there is no firm connection between genes implicated in human “accelerated aging” diseases (progerias) and AD. The epidemiology of AD in advanced age is highly relevant but deceptively challenging to address given the low autopsy rates in most countries. In extreme old age, brain diseases other than AD approximate AD prevalence while the impact of AD pathology appears to peak by age 95 and decline thereafter. Many distinct brain diseases other than AD afflict older human brains and contribute to cognitive impairment. Additional prevalent pathologies include cerebrovascular disease and hippocampal sclerosis, both high-morbidity brain diseases that appear to peak in incidence later than AD chronologically. Because of these common brain diseases of extreme old age, the epidemiology differs between clinical “dementia” and the subset of dementia cases with AD pathology. Additional aging-associated mechanisms for cognitive decline such as diabetes and synapse loss have been linked to AD and these hypotheses are discussed. Criteria are proposed to define an “aging-linked” disease, and AD fails all of these criteria. In conclusion, it may be most fruitful to focus attention on specific pathways involved in AD rather than attributing it to an inevitable consequence of aging. PMID:21516511

Independent component analysis of DTI data reveals white matter covariances in Alzheimer's disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Xin; Sun, Xiaoyu; Guo, Ting; Sun, Qiaoyue; Chen, Kewei; Yao, Li; Wu, Xia; Guo, Xiaojuan

2014-03-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with the clinical symptom of the continuous deterioration of cognitive and memory functions. Multiple diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices such as fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) can successfully explain the white matter damages in AD patients. However, most studies focused on the univariate measures (voxel-based analysis) to examine the differences between AD patients and normal controls (NCs). In this investigation, we applied a multivariate independent component analysis (ICA) to investigate the white matter covariances based on FA measurement from DTI data in 35 AD patients and 45 NCs from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. We found that six independent components (ICs) showed significant FA reductions in white matter covariances in AD compared with NC, including the genu and splenium of corpus callosum (IC-1 and IC-2), middle temporal gyral of temporal lobe (IC-3), sub-gyral of frontal lobe (IC-4 and IC-5) and sub-gyral of parietal lobe (IC-6). Our findings revealed covariant white matter loss in AD patients and suggest that the unsupervised data-driven ICA method is effective to explore the changes of FA in AD. This study assists us in understanding the mechanism of white matter covariant reductions in the development of AD.

Habitat Complexity in Aquatic Microcosms Affects Processes Driven by Detritivores

PubMed Central

Flores, Lorea; Bailey, R. A.; Elosegi, Arturo; Larrañaga, Aitor; Reiss, Julia

2016-01-01

Habitat complexity can influence predation rates (e.g. by providing refuge) but other ecosystem processes and species interactions might also be modulated by the properties of habitat structure. Here, we focussed on how complexity of artificial habitat (plastic plants), in microcosms, influenced short-term processes driven by three aquatic detritivores. The effects of habitat complexity on leaf decomposition, production of fine organic matter and pH levels were explored by measuring complexity in three ways: 1. as the presence vs. absence of habitat structure; 2. as the amount of structure (3 or 4.5 g of plastic plants); and 3. as the spatial configuration of structures (measured as fractal dimension). The experiment also addressed potential interactions among the consumers by running all possible species combinations. In the experimental microcosms, habitat complexity influenced how species performed, especially when comparing structure present vs. structure absent. Treatments with structure showed higher fine particulate matter production and lower pH compared to treatments without structures and this was probably due to higher digestion and respiration when structures were present. When we explored the effects of the different complexity levels, we found that the amount of structure added explained more than the fractal dimension of the structures. We give a detailed overview of the experimental design, statistical models and R codes, because our statistical analysis can be applied to other study systems (and disciplines such as restoration ecology). We further make suggestions of how to optimise statistical power when artificially assembling, and analysing, ‘habitat complexity’ by not confounding complexity with the amount of structure added. In summary, this study highlights the importance of habitat complexity for energy flow and the maintenance of ecosystem processes in aquatic ecosystems. PMID:27802267

Observational study using the tools of lean six sigma to improve the efficiency of the resident rounding process.

PubMed

Chand, David V

2011-06-01

Recent focus on resident work hours has challenged residency programs to modify their curricula to meet established duty hour restrictions and fulfill their mission to develop the next generation of clinicians. Simultaneously, health care systems strive to deliver efficient, high-quality care to patients and families. The primary goal of this observational study was to use a data-driven approach to eliminate examples of waste and variation identified in resident rounding using Lean Six Sigma methodology. A secondary goal was to improve the efficiency of the rounding process, as measured by the reduction in nonvalue-added time. We used the "DMAIC" methodology: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. Pediatric and family medicine residents rotating on the pediatric hospitalist team participated in the observation phase. Residents, nurses, hospitalists, and parents of patients completed surveys to gauge their attitudes toward rounds. The Mann-Whitney test was used to test for differences in the median times measured during the preimprovement and postimprovement phases, and the Student t test was used for comparison of survey data. Collaborative, family-centered rounding with elimination of the "prerounding" process, as well as standard work instructions and pacing the process to meet customer demand (takt time), were implemented. Nonvalue-added time per patient was reduced by 64% (P  =  .005). Survey data suggested that team members preferred the collaborative, family-centered approach to the traditional model of rounding. Lean Six Sigma provides tools, a philosophy, and a structured, data-driven approach to address a problem. In our case this facilitated an effort to adhere to duty hour restrictions while promoting education and quality care. Such approaches will become increasingly useful as health care delivery and education continue to transform.

Observational Study Using the Tools of Lean Six Sigma to Improve the Efficiency of the Resident Rounding Process

PubMed Central

Chand, David V.

2011-01-01

Background Recent focus on resident work hours has challenged residency programs to modify their curricula to meet established duty hour restrictions and fulfill their mission to develop the next generation of clinicians. Simultaneously, health care systems strive to deliver efficient, high-quality care to patients and families. The primary goal of this observational study was to use a data-driven approach to eliminate examples of waste and variation identified in resident rounding using Lean Six Sigma methodology. A secondary goal was to improve the efficiency of the rounding process, as measured by the reduction in nonvalue-added time. Methods We used the “DMAIC” methodology: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. Pediatric and family medicine residents rotating on the pediatric hospitalist team participated in the observation phase. Residents, nurses, hospitalists, and parents of patients completed surveys to gauge their attitudes toward rounds. The Mann-Whitney test was used to test for differences in the median times measured during the preimprovement and postimprovement phases, and the Student t test was used for comparison of survey data. Results and Discussion Collaborative, family-centered rounding with elimination of the “prerounding” process, as well as standard work instructions and pacing the process to meet customer demand (takt time), were implemented. Nonvalue-added time per patient was reduced by 64% (P  =  .005). Survey data suggested that team members preferred the collaborative, family-centered approach to the traditional model of rounding. Conclusions Lean Six Sigma provides tools, a philosophy, and a structured, data-driven approach to address a problem. In our case this facilitated an effort to adhere to duty hour restrictions while promoting education and quality care. Such approaches will become increasingly useful as health care delivery and education continue to transform. PMID:22655134

Client-Side Event Processing for Personalized Web Advertisement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stühmer, Roland; Anicic, Darko; Sen, Sinan; Ma, Jun; Schmidt, Kay-Uwe; Stojanovic, Nenad

The market for Web advertisement is continuously growing and correspondingly, the number of approaches that can be used for realizing Web advertisement are increasing. However, current approaches fail to generate very personalized ads for a current Web user that is visiting a particular Web content. They mainly try to develop a profile based on the content of that Web page or on a long-term user's profile, by not taking into account current user's preferences. We argue that by discovering a user's interest from his current Web behavior we can support the process of ad generation, especially the relevance of an ad for the user. In this paper we present the conceptual architecture and implementation of such an approach. The approach is based on the extraction of simple events from the user interaction with a Web page and their combination in order to discover the user's interests. We use semantic technologies in order to build such an interpretation out of many simple events. We present results from preliminary evaluation studies. The main contribution of the paper is a very efficient, semantic-based client-side architecture for generating and combining Web events. The architecture ensures the agility of the whole advertisement system, by complexly processing events on the client. In general, this work contributes to the realization of new, event-driven applications for the (Semantic) Web.

Drug nanocarrier, the future of atopic diseases: Advanced drug delivery systems and smart management of disease.

PubMed

Shao, Mei; Hussain, Zahid; Thu, Hnin Ei; Khan, Shahzeb; Katas, Haliza; Ahmed, Tarek A; Tripathy, Minaketan; Leng, Jing; Qin, Hua-Li; Bukhari, Syed Nasir Abbas

2016-11-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing skin inflammatory disorder characterized by perivascular infiltration of immunoglobulin-E (IgE), T-lymphocytes and mast cells. The key pathophysiological factors causing this disease are immunological disorders and the compromised epidermal barrier integrity. Pruritus, intense itching, psychological stress, deprived physical and mental performance and sleep disturbance are the hallmark features of this dermatological complication. Preventive interventions which include educational programs, avoidance of allergens, exclusive care towards skin, and the rational selection of therapeutic regimen play key roles in the treatment of dermatosis. In last two decades, it is evident from a plethora of studies that scientific focus is being driven from conventional therapies to the advanced nanocarrier-based regimen for an effective management of AD. These nanocarriers which include polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), hydrogel NPs, liposomes, ethosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanoemulsion, provide efficient roles for the target specific delivery of the therapeutic payload. The success of these targeted therapies is due to their pharmaceutical versatility, longer retention time at the target site, avoiding off-target effects and preventing premature degradation of the incorporated drugs. The present review was therefore aimed to summarise convincing evidence for the therapeutic superiority of advanced nanocarrier-mediated strategies over the conventional therapies used in the treatment of AD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strategies to optimize capsid protein expression and single-stranded DNA formation of adeno-associated virus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Galli, A; Della Latta, V; Bologna, C; Pucciarelli, D; Cipriani, F; Backovic, A; Cervelli, T

2017-08-01

Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV) is a nonpathogenic parvovirus that is a promising tool for gene therapy. We aimed to construct plasmids for optimal expression and assembly of capsid proteins and evaluate adenovirus (Ad) protein effect on AAV single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast expression plasmids have been developed in which the transcription of AAV capsid proteins (VP1,2,3) is driven by the constitutive ADH1 promoter or galactose-inducible promoters. Optimal VP1,2,3 expression was obtained from GAL1/10 bidirectional promoter. Moreover, we demonstrated that AAP is expressed in yeast and virus-like particles (VLPs) assembled inside the cell. Finally, the expression of two Ad proteins, E4orf6 and E1b55k, had no effect on AAV ssDNA formation. This study confirms that yeast is able to form AAV VLPs; however, capsid assembly and ssDNA formation are less efficient in yeast than in human cells. Moreover, the expression of Ad proteins did not affect AAV ssDNA formation. New manufacturing strategies for AAV-based gene therapy vectors (rAAV) are needed to reduce costs and time of production. Our study explores the feasibility of yeast as alternative system for rAAV production. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

MBSE-Driven Visualization of Requirements Allocation and Traceability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Maddalena; Wilkerson, Marcus

2016-01-01

In a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) infusion effort, there is a usually a concerted effort to define the information architecture, ontologies, and patterns that drive the construction and architecture of MBSE models, but less attention is given to the logical follow-on of that effort: how to practically leverage the resulting semantic richness of a well-formed populated model to enable systems engineers to work more effectively, as MBSE promises. While ontologies and patterns are absolutely necessary, an MBSE effort must also design and provide practical demonstration of value (through human-understandable representations of model data that address stakeholder concerns) or it will not succeed. This paper will discuss opportunities that exist for visualization in making the richness of a well-formed model accessible to stakeholders, specifically stakeholders who rely on the model for their day-to-day work. This paper will discuss the value added by MBSE-driven visualizations in the context of a small case study of interactive visualizations created and used on NASA's proposed Europa Mission. The case study visualizations were created for the purpose of understanding and exploring targeted aspects of requirements flow, allocation, and comparing the structure of that flow-down to a conceptual project decomposition. The work presented in this paper is an example of a product that leverages the richness and formalisms of our knowledge representation while also responding to the quality attributes SEs care about.

JobCenter: an open source, cross-platform, and distributed job queue management system optimized for scalability and versatility

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Laboratories engaged in computational biology or bioinformatics frequently need to run lengthy, multistep, and user-driven computational jobs. Each job can tie up a computer for a few minutes to several days, and many laboratories lack the expertise or resources to build and maintain a dedicated computer cluster. Results JobCenter is a client–server application and framework for job management and distributed job execution. The client and server components are both written in Java and are cross-platform and relatively easy to install. All communication with the server is client-driven, which allows worker nodes to run anywhere (even behind external firewalls or “in the cloud”) and provides inherent load balancing. Adding a worker node to the worker pool is as simple as dropping the JobCenter client files onto any computer and performing basic configuration, which provides tremendous ease-of-use, flexibility, and limitless horizontal scalability. Each worker installation may be independently configured, including the types of jobs it is able to run. Executed jobs may be written in any language and may include multistep workflows. Conclusions JobCenter is a versatile and scalable distributed job management system that allows laboratories to very efficiently distribute all computational work among available resources. JobCenter is freely available at http://code.google.com/p/jobcenter/. PMID:22846423

A swing driven by liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Cheng

Angular momentum in liquid crystals exists as flow, director reorientation, etc. However, it is hard to observe and measure angular momentum in liquid crystals by a direct mechanical approach. Torsion pendulum is a general tool to measure angular momentum by torque balance. Our torsion pendulum can harvest the angular momentum in liquid crystals to make it observable. The oscillation of the pendulum keeps increasing by constructively adding a small angular momentum of liquid crystals each period at the resonant frequency of the pendulum. Its similar to a swing driven by a force at its resonant frequency. For the torsion pendulum, a cage made of two aluminum discs, in which a liquid crystal cell is placed, is suspended between two thin tungsten wires. A gold mirror, which is a part of the optical lever system, is attached on one tungsten wire. As first demonstration, we fabricate a circular hybrid liquid crystal cell, which can induce concentric backflows to generate angular momentum. The alignment on the planar substrate is concentric and tangential. Due to the coupling between director rotation and flow, the induced backflow goes around the cell when we add electrical pulses between top and bottom substrates. The oscillation is observed by a position sensitive detector and analyzed on the basis of Eriksen-Leslie theory. With vacuum condition and synchronous driving system, the oscillation signal is improved. We demonstrate that this torsion pendulum can sensitively detect the angular momentum in liquid crystals.

Electrogates for stop-and-go control of liquid flow in microfluidics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arango, Y.; Temiz, Y.; Gökçe, O.; Delamarche, E.

2018-04-01

Diagnostics based on microfluidic devices necessitate specific reagents, flow conditions, and kinetics for optimal performance. Such an optimization is often achieved using assay-specific microfluidic chip designs or systems with external liquid pumps. Here, we present "electrogates" for stop-and-go control of flow of liquids in capillary-driven microfluidic chips by combining liquid pinning and electrowetting. Electrogates are simple to fabricate and efficient: a sample pipetted to a microfluidic chip flows autonomously in 15-μm-deep hydrophilic channels until the liquid meniscus is pinned at the edge of a 1.5-μm-deep trench patterned at the bottom of a rectangular microchannel. The flow can then be resumed by applying a DC voltage between the liquid and the trench via integrated electrodes. Using a trench geometry with a semicircular shape, we show that retention times longer than 30 min are achieved for various aqueous solutions such as biological buffers, artificial urine, and human serum. We studied the activation voltage and activation delay of electrogates using a chip architecture having 6 independent flow paths and experimentally showed that the flow can be resumed in less than 1 s for voltages smaller than 10 V, making this technique compatible with low-power and portable microfluidic systems. Electrogates therefore can make capillary-driven microfluidic chips very versatile by adding flow control in microfluidic channels in a flexible manner.

Performance evaluation of a six-axis generalized force-reflecting teleoperator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hannaford, B.; Wood, L.; Guggisberg, B.; Mcaffee, D.; Zak, H.

1989-01-01

Work in real-time distributed computation and control has culminated in a prototype force-reflecting telemanipulation system having a dissimilar master (cable-driven, force-reflecting hand controller) and a slave (PUMA 560 robot with custom controller), an extremely high sampling rate (1000 Hz), and a low loop computation delay (5 msec). In a series of experiments with this system and five trained test operators covering over 100 hours of teleoperation, performance was measured in a series of generic and application-driven tasks with and without force feedback, and with control shared between teleoperation and local sensor referenced control. Measurements defining task performance included 100-Hz recording of six-axis force/torque information from the slave manipulator wrist, task completion time, and visual observation of predefined task errors. The task consisted of high precision peg-in-hole insertion, electrical connectors, velcro attach-de-attach, and a twist-lock multi-pin connector. Each task was repeated three times under several operating conditions: normal bilateral telemanipulation, forward position control without force feedback, and shared control. In shared control, orientation was locally servo controlled to comply with applied torques, while translation was under operator control. All performance measures improved as capability was added along a spectrum of capabilities ranging from pure position control through force-reflecting teleoperation and shared control. Performance was optimal for the bare-handed operator.

Solar-Driven Reduction of Aqueous Protons Coupled to Selective Alcohol Oxidation with a Carbon Nitride-Molecular Ni Catalyst System.

PubMed

Kasap, Hatice; Caputo, Christine A; Martindale, Benjamin C M; Godin, Robert; Lau, Vincent Wing-Hei; Lotsch, Bettina V; Durrant, James R; Reisner, Erwin

2016-07-27

Solar water-splitting represents an important strategy toward production of the storable and renewable fuel hydrogen. The water oxidation half-reaction typically proceeds with poor efficiency and produces the unprofitable and often damaging product, O2. Herein, we demonstrate an alternative approach and couple solar H2 generation with value-added organic substrate oxidation. Solar irradiation of a cyanamide surface-functionalized melon-type carbon nitride ((NCN)CNx) and a molecular nickel(II) bis(diphosphine) H2-evolution catalyst (NiP) enabled the production of H2 with concomitant selective oxidation of benzylic alcohols to aldehydes in high yield under purely aqueous conditions, at room temperature and ambient pressure. This one-pot system maintained its activity over 24 h, generating products in 1:1 stoichiometry, separated in the gas and solution phases. The (NCN)CNx-NiP system showed an activity of 763 μmol (g CNx)(-1) h(-1) toward H2 and aldehyde production, a Ni-based turnover frequency of 76 h(-1), and an external quantum efficiency of 15% (λ = 360 ± 10 nm). This precious metal-free and nontoxic photocatalytic system displays better performance than an analogous system containing platinum instead of NiP. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that the photoactivity of (NCN)CNx is due to efficient substrate oxidation of the material, which outweighs possible charge recombination compared to the nonfunctionalized melon-type carbon nitride. Photoexcited (NCN)CNx in the presence of an organic substrate can accumulate ultralong-lived "trapped electrons", which allow for fuel generation in the dark. The artificial photosynthetic system thereby catalyzes a closed redox cycle showing 100% atom economy and generates two value-added products, a solar chemical, and solar fuel.

Natural Modulators of Amyloid-Beta Precursor Protein Processing

PubMed Central

Zhang, Can; Tanzi, Rudolph E.

2013-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease and the primary cause of dementia, with no cure currently available. The pathogenesis of AD is believed to be primarily driven by Aβ, the principal component of senile plaques. Aβ is an ~4 kDa peptide generated from the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) through proteolytic secretases. Natural products, particularly those utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), have a long history alleviating common clinical disorders, including dementia. However, the cell/molecular pathways mediated by these natural products are largely unknown until recently when the underlying molecular mechanisms of the disorders begin to be elucidated. Here, the mechanisms with which natural products modulate the pathogenesis of AD are discussed, in particular, by focusing on their roles in the processing of APP. PMID:22998566

Measuring School Effectiveness: Technical Report on the 2011 Value-Added Model. Technical Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools, 2014

2014-01-01

High school dropout, enrollment, and graduation rates are important indicators of students' college and career readiness, which in turn significantly impact both individual income levels and the overall knowledge-driven economy. Despite the long-term benefits of a high school education, much of the current literature on raising school…

The forest as a warehouse

Treesearch

C. J. Goulding

2000-01-01

New Zealand's timber harvest is rapidly increasing and will continue to do so over the next 20 years. This increase provides opportunities for adding value and increasing profitability, but to achieve the full potential of the harvest, the best management decisions at strategic, tactical, and operational levels are required. The key to market-driven harvest...

Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Modern Language Association, 2007

2007-01-01

The Modern Language Association (MLA) supports a broad, intellectually driven approach to teaching language and culture in higher education. To study the best ways of implementing this approach in today's world, the MLA Executive Council established an Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages. The committee was charged with examining the current…

Value Added: Do New Teacher Evaluation Methods Make the Grade?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Kristi

2011-01-01

Measuring a teacher's effectiveness in quantifiable ways is a logical step in a society driven by the SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely objectives) that pervade modern management. The idea of using student performance on standardized tests to judge a teacher's effectiveness picked up steam after the Obama…

Development of an adenoviral vector with robust expression driven by p53

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

Bajgelman, Marcio C.; Biotechnology Program, Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Sao Paulo; Millennium Institute-Gene Therapy Network, Ministry of Science and Technology

2008-02-05

Here we introduce a new adenoviral vector where transgene expression is driven by p53. We first developed a synthetic promoter, referred to as PGTx{beta}, containing a p53-responsive element, a minimal promoter and the first intron of the rabbit {beta}-globin gene. Initial assays using plasmid-based vectors indicated that expression was tightly controlled by p53 and was 5-fold stronger than the constitutive CMV immediate early promoter/enhancer. The adenoviral vector, AdPG, was also shown to offer p53-responsive expression in prostate carcinoma cells LNCaP (wt p53), DU-145 (temperature sensitive mutant of p53) and PC3 (p53-null, but engineered to express temperature-sensitive p53 mutants). AdPG servedmore » as a sensor of p53 activity in LNCaP cells treated with chemotherapeutic agents. Since p53 can be induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, this new vector could be further developed for use in combination with conventional therapies to bring about cooperation between the genetic and pharmacologic treatment modalities.« less

A 1 GeV CW FFAG High Intensity Proton Driver

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

Johnstone, C.; Sheehy, S. L.

2012-05-01

The drive for high beam power, high duty cycle, and reliable beams at reasonable cost has focused world attention on fixed-field accelerators, notably Fixed-Field Alternating Gradient accelerators (FFAGs). High-intensity GeV proton drivers are of particular interest, as these encounter duty cycle and space-charge limits in the synchrotron and machine size concerns in the weaker-focusing cyclotron. Recently, the concept of isochronous orbits has been explored and developed for non-scaling FFAGs using powerful new methodologies in FFAG accelerator design. These new breeds of FFAGs have been identified by international collaborations for serious study thanks to their potential applications including Accelerator Driven Subcriticalmore » Reactors (ADS) a nd Accelerator Transmutation of Waste. The extreme reliability requirements for ADS mandate CW operation capability and the FFAG s strong focusing, particularly in the vertical, will serve to mitigate the effect of space charge (as compared with the weak- focusing cyclotron). This paper reports on these new advances in FFAG accelerator technology and presents a stable, 0.25-1GeV isochronous FFAG for an accelerator driven subcritical reactor.« less

Using Two Different Approaches to Assess Dietary Patterns: Hypothesis-Driven and Data-Driven Analysis.

PubMed

Previdelli, Ágatha Nogueira; de Andrade, Samantha Caesar; Fisberg, Regina Mara; Marchioni, Dirce Maria

2016-09-23

The use of dietary patterns to assess dietary intake has become increasingly common in nutritional epidemiology studies due to the complexity and multidimensionality of the diet. Currently, two main approaches have been widely used to assess dietary patterns: data-driven and hypothesis-driven analysis. Since the methods explore different angles of dietary intake, using both approaches simultaneously might yield complementary and useful information; thus, we aimed to use both approaches to gain knowledge of adolescents' dietary patterns. Food intake from a cross-sectional survey with 295 adolescents was assessed by 24 h dietary recall (24HR). In hypothesis-driven analysis, based on the American National Cancer Institute method, the usual intake of Brazilian Healthy Eating Index Revised components were estimated. In the data-driven approach, the usual intake of foods/food groups was estimated by the Multiple Source Method. In the results, hypothesis-driven analysis showed low scores for Whole grains, Total vegetables, Total fruit and Whole fruits), while, in data-driven analysis, fruits and whole grains were not presented in any pattern. High intakes of sodium, fats and sugars were observed in hypothesis-driven analysis with low total scores for Sodium, Saturated fat and SoFAA (calories from solid fat, alcohol and added sugar) components in agreement, while the data-driven approach showed the intake of several foods/food groups rich in these nutrients, such as butter/margarine, cookies, chocolate powder, whole milk, cheese, processed meat/cold cuts and candies. In this study, using both approaches at the same time provided consistent and complementary information with regard to assessing the overall dietary habits that will be important in order to drive public health programs, and improve their efficiency to monitor and evaluate the dietary patterns of populations.

Impact of anatase and rutile titanium dioxide nanoparticles on uptake carriers and efflux pumps in Caco-2 gut epithelial cells.

PubMed

Dorier, M; Brun, E; Veronesi, G; Barreau, F; Pernet-Gallay, K; Desvergne, C; Rabilloud, T; Carapito, C; Herlin-Boime, N; Carrière, M

2015-04-28

TiO2 microparticles are widely used in food products, where they are added as a white food colouring agent. This food additive contains a significant amount of nanoscale particles; still the impact of TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) on gut cells is poorly documented. Our study aimed at evaluating the impact of rutile and anatase TiO2-NPs on the main functions of enterocytes, i.e. nutrient absorption driven by solute-liquid carriers (SLC transporters) and protection against other xenobiotics driven by efflux pumps from the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family. We show that acute exposure of Caco-2 cells to both anatase (12 nm) and rutile (20 nm) TiO2-NPs induce early upregulation of a battery of efflux pumps and nutrient transporters. In addition they cause overproduction of reactive oxygen species and misbalance redox repair systems, without inducing cell mortality or DNA damage. Taken together, these data suggest that TiO2-NPs may increase the functionality of gut epithelial cells, particularly their property to form a protective barrier against exogenous toxicants and to absorb nutrients.

Clinical and regulatory considerations in pharmacogenetic testing.

PubMed

Schuck, Robert N; Marek, Elizabeth; Rogers, Hobart; Pacanowski, Michael

2016-12-01

Both regulatory science and clinical practice rely on best available scientific data to guide decision-making. However, changes in clinical practice may be driven by numerous other factors such as cost. In this review, we reexamine noteworthy examples where pharmacogenetic testing information was added to drug labeling to explore how the available evidence, potential public health impact, and predictive utility of each pharmacogenetic biomarker impacts clinical uptake. Advances in the field of pharmacogenetics have led to new discoveries about the genetic basis for variability in drug response. The Food and Drug Administration recognizes the value of pharmacogenetic testing strategies and has been proactive about incorporating pharmacogenetic information into the labeling of both new drugs and drugs already on the market. Although some examples have readily translated to routine clinical practice, clinical uptake of genetic testing for many drugs has been limited. Both regulatory science and clinical practice rely on data-driven approaches to guide decision making; however, additional factors are also important in clinical practice that do not impact regulatory decision making, and these considerations may result in heterogeneity in clinical uptake of pharmacogenetic testing. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling and simulations of radiative blast wave driven Rayleigh-Taylor instability experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimony, Assaf; Huntington, Channing M.; Trantham, Matthew; Malamud, Guy; Elbaz, Yonatan; Kuranz, Carolyn C.; Drake, R. Paul; Shvarts, Dov

2017-10-01

Recent experiments at the National Ignition Facility measured the growth of Rayleigh-Taylor RT instabilities driven by radiative blast waves, relevant to astrophysics and other HEDP systems. We constructed a new Buoyancy-Drag (BD) model, which accounts for the ablation effect on both bubble and spike. This ablation effect is accounted for by using the potential flow model ]Oron et al PoP 1998], adding another term to the classical BD formalism: βDuA / u , where β the Takabe constant, D the drag term, uA the ablation velocity and uthe instability growth velocity. The model results are compared with the results of experiments and 2D simulations using the CRASH code, with nominal radiation or reduced foam opacity (by a factor of 1000). The ablation constant of the model, βb / s, for the bubble and for the spike fronts, are calibrated using the results of the radiative shock experiments. This work is funded by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under subcontract B614207, and was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Advanced motor driven clamped borehole seismic receiver

DOEpatents

Engler, B.P.; Sleefe, G.E.; Striker, R.P.

1993-02-23

A borehole seismic tool is described including a borehole clamp which only moves perpendicular to the borehole. The clamp is driven by an electric motor, via a right angle drive. When used as a seismic receiver, the tool has a three part housing, two of which are hermetically sealed. Accelerometers or geophones are mounted in one hermetically sealed part, the electric motor in the other hermetically sealed part, and the clamp and right angle drive in the third part. Preferably the tool includes cable connectors at both ends. Optionally a shear plate can be added to the clamp to extend the range of the tool.

Aqueous Colloid + Polymer Depletion System for Confocal Microscopy and Rheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Nayoung; Umanzor, Esmeralda J.; Conrad, Jacinta C.

2018-05-01

We developed a model depletion system with colloidal particles that were refractive index- and density-matched to 80 (w/w)% glycerol in water, and characterized the effect of interparticle interactions on the structure and dynamics of non-equilibrium phases. 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate-co-tert-butyl methacrylate copolymer particles were synthesized following Kodger et al. (Sci. Rep. 5, 14635 (2015)). Particles were dispersed in glycerol/water solutions to generate colloidal suspensions with good control over electrostatic interactions and a moderately high background viscosity of 55 mPa-s. To probe the effects of charge screening and depletion attractions on the suspension phase behavior, we added NaCl and polyacrylamide (M_w = 186 kDa) at various concentrations to particle suspensions formulated at volume fractions of phi = 0.05 and 0.3 and imaged the suspensions using confocal microscopy. The particles were nearly hard spheres at a NaCl concentration of 20 mM, but aggregated when the concentration of NaCl was further increased. Changes in the particle structure and dynamics with increasing concentration of the depletant polyacrylamide followed the trends expected from earlier experiments on depletion-driven gelation. Additionally, we measured the viscosity and corrected first normal stress difference of suspensions formulated at phi = 0.4 with and without added polymer. The solvent viscosity was suitable for rheology measurements without the onset of instabilities such as secondary flows or edge fracture. These results validate this system as an alternative to one common model system, suspensions of poly(methyl methacrylate) particles and polystyrene depletants in organic solvents, for investigating phase behavior and flow properties in attractive colloidal suspensions.

Apolipoprotein E4 causes early olfactory network abnormalities and short-term olfactory memory impairments.

PubMed

Peng, Katherine Y; Mathews, Paul M; Levy, Efrat; Wilson, Donald A

2017-02-20

While apolipoprotein (Apo) E4 is linked to increased incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is growing evidence that it plays a role in functional brain irregularities that are independent of AD pathology. However, ApoE4-driven functional differences within olfactory processing regions have yet to be examined. Utilizing knock-in mice humanized to ApoE4 versus the more common ApoE3, we examined a simple olfactory perceptual memory that relies on the transfer of information from the olfactory bulb (OB) to the piriform cortex (PCX), the primary cortical region involved in higher order olfaction. In addition, we have recorded in vivo resting and odor-evoked local field potentials (LPF) from both brain regions and measured corresponding odor response magnitudes in anesthetized young (6-month-old) and middle-aged (12-month-old) ApoE mice. Young ApoE4 compared to ApoE3 mice exhibited a behavioral olfactory deficit coinciding with hyperactive odor-evoked response magnitudes within the OB that were not observed in older ApoE4 mice. Meanwhile, middle-aged ApoE4 compared to ApoE3 mice exhibited heightened response magnitudes in the PCX without a corresponding olfactory deficit, suggesting a shift with aging in ApoE4-driven effects from OB to PCX. Interestingly, the increased ApoE4-specific response in the PCX at middle-age was primarily due to a dampening of baseline spontaneous activity rather than an increase in evoked response power. Our findings indicate that early ApoE4-driven olfactory memory impairments and OB network abnormalities may be a precursor to later network dysfunction in the PCX, a region that not only is targeted early in AD, but may be selectively vulnerable to ApoE4 genotype. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Climate variability and socio-environmental changes in the northern Aegean (NE Mediterranean) during the last 1500 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogou, Alexandra; Triantaphyllou, Maria; Xoplaki, Elena; Izdebski, Adam; Parinos, Constantine; Dimiza, Margarita; Bouloubassi, Ioanna; Luterbacher, Juerg; Kouli, Katerina; Martrat, Belen; Toreti, Andrea; Fleitmann, Dominik; Rousakis, Gregory; Kaberi, Helen; Athanasiou, Maria; Lykousis, Vasilios

2016-03-01

We provide new evidence on sea surface temperature (SST) variations and paleoceanographic/paleoenvironmental changes over the past 1500 years for the north Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean). The reconstructions are based on multiproxy analyses, obtained from the high resolution (decadal to multi-decadal) marine record M2 retrieved from the Athos basin. Reconstructed SSTs show an increase from ca. 850 to 950 AD and from ca. 1100 to 1300 AD. A cooling phase of almost 1.5 °C is observed from ca. 1600 AD to 1700 AD. This seems to have been the starting point of a continuous SST warming trend until the end of the reconstructed period, interrupted by two prominent cooling events at 1832 ± 15 AD and 1995 ± 1 AD. Application of an adaptive Kernel smoothing suggests that the current warming in the reconstructed SSTs of the north Aegean might be unprecedented in the context of the past 1500 years. Internal variability in atmospheric/oceanic circulations systems as well as external forcing as solar radiation and volcanic activity could have affected temperature variations in the north Aegean Sea over the past 1500 years. The marked temperature drop of approximately ∼2 °C at 1832 ± 15 yr AD could be related to the 1809 ΑD 'unknown' and the 1815 AD Tambora volcanic eruptions. Paleoenvironmental proxy-indices of the M2 record show enhanced riverine/continental inputs in the northern Aegean after ca. 1450 AD. The paleoclimatic evidence derived from the M2 record is combined with a socio-environmental study of the history of the north Aegean region. We show that the cultivation of temperature-sensitive crops, i.e. walnut, vine and olive, co-occurred with stable and warmer temperatures, while its end coincided with a significant episode of cooler temperatures. Periods of agricultural growth in Macedonia coincide with periods of warmer and more stable SSTs, but further exploration is required in order to identify the causal links behind the observed phenomena. The Black Death likely caused major changes in agricultural activity in the north Aegean region, as reflected in the pollen data from land sites of Macedonia and the M2 proxy-reconstructions. Finally, we conclude that the early modern peaks in mountain vegetation in the Rhodope and Macedonia highlands, visible also in the M2 record, were very likely climate-driven.

Climate variability and socio-environmental changes in the northern Aegean (NE Mediterranean) during the last 1500 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogou, Alexandra; Triantaphyllou, Maria; Xoplaki, Elena; Izdebski, Adam; Parinos, Constantine; Dimiza, Margarita; Bouloubassi, Ioanna; Luterbacher, Juerg; Kouli, Katerina; Martrat, Belen; Toreti, Andrea; Fleitmann, Dominik; Rousakis, Gregory; Kaberi, Helen; Athanasiou, Maria; Lykousis, Vasilios

2016-04-01

We provide new evidence on sea surface temperature (SST) variations and paleoceanographic/paleoenvironmental changes over the past 1500 years for the north Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean). The reconstructions are based on multiproxy analyses, obtained from the high resolution (decadal to multi-decadal) marine record M2 retrieved from the Athos basin. Reconstructed SSTs show an increase from ca. 850 to 950 AD and from ca. 1100 to 1300 AD. A cooling phase of almost 1.5 °C is observed from ca. 1600 AD to 1700 AD. This seems to have been the starting point of a continuous SST warming trend until the end of the reconstructed period, interrupted by two prominent cooling events at 1832 ± 15 AD and 1995 ± 2 AD. Application of an adaptive Kernel smoothing suggests that the current warming in the reconstructed SSTs of the north Aegean might be unprecedented in the context of the past 1500 years. Internal variability in atmospheric/oceanic circulations systems as well as external forcing as solar radiation and volcanic activity could have affected temperature variations in the north Aegean Sea over the past 1500 years. The marked temperature drop of approximately ~2°C at 1832 ± 15 yr AD could be related to the 1809 ΑD 'unknown' and the 1815 AD Tambora volcanic eruptions. Paleoenvironmental proxy-indices of the M2 record show enhanced riverine/continental inputs in the northern Aegean after ca. 1450 AD. The palaeoclimatic evidence derived from M2 record is combined with a socio-environmental study of the history of the north Aegean region. We show that the cultivation of temperature-sensitive crops, i.e. walnut, vine and olive, co-occurred with stable and warmer temperatures, while its end coincided with a significant episode of cooler temperatures. Periods of agricultural growth in Macedonia coincide with periods of warmer and more stable SSTs, but further exploration is required in order to identify the causal links behind the observed phenomena. The Black Death likely caused major changes in agricultural activity in the north Aegean region, as reflected in the pollen data from land sites of Macedonia and the M2 proxy-reconstructions. Finally, we conclude that the early modern peaks in mountain vegetation in the Rhodope and Macedonia highlands, visible also in the M2 record, were very likely climate-driven.

Impact of delayed information in sub-second complex systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manrique, Pedro D.; Zheng, Minzhang; Johnson Restrepo, D. Dylan; Hui, Pak Ming; Johnson, Neil F.

What happens when you slow down the delivery of information in large-scale complex systems that operate faster than the blink of an eye? This question just adopted immediate commercial, legal and political importance following U.S. regulators' decision to allow an intentional 350 microsecond delay to be added in the ultrafast network of financial exchanges. However there is still no scientific understanding available to policymakers of the potential system-wide impact of such delays. Here we take a first step in addressing this question using a minimal model of a population of competing, heterogeneous, adaptive agents which has previously been shown to produce similar statistical features to real markets. We find that while certain extreme system-level behaviors can be prevented by such delays, the duration of others is increased. This leads to a highly non-trivial relationship between delays and system-wide instabilities which warrants deeper empirical investigation. The generic nature of our model suggests there should be a fairly wide class of complex systems where such delay-driven extreme behaviors can arise, e.g. sub-second delays in brain function possibly impacting individuals' behavior, and sub-second delays in navigational systems potentially impacting the safety of driverless vehicles.

Cahokia’s emergence and decline coincided with shifts of flood frequency on the Mississippi River

PubMed Central

Munoz, Samuel E.; Gruley, Kristine E.; Massie, Ashtin; Fike, David A.; Schroeder, Sissel; Williams, John W.

2015-01-01

Here we establish the timing of major flood events of the central Mississippi River over the last 1,800 y, using floodwater sediments deposited in two floodplain lakes. Shifts in the frequency of high-magnitude floods are mediated by moisture availability over midcontinental North America and correspond to the emergence and decline of Cahokia—a major late prehistoric settlement in the Mississippi River floodplain. The absence of large floods from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1200 facilitated agricultural intensification, population growth, and settlement expansion across the floodplain that are associated with the emergence of Cahokia as a regional center around A.D. 1050. The return of large floods after A.D. 1200, driven by waning midcontinental aridity, marks the onset of sociopolitical reorganization and depopulation that culminate in the abandonment of Cahokia and the surrounding region by A.D. 1350. Shifts in the frequency and magnitude of flooding may be an underappreciated but critical factor in the formation and dissolution of social complexity in early agricultural societies. PMID:25941363

Genetic Contribution to Alcohol Dependence: Investigation of a Heterogeneous German Sample of Individuals with Alcohol Dependence, Chronic Alcoholic Pancreatitis, and Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis

PubMed Central

Treutlein, Jens; Streit, Fabian; Juraeva, Dilafruz; Degenhardt, Franziska; Rietschel, Liz; Forstner, Andreas J.; Ridinger, Monika; Dukal, Helene; Foo, Jerome C.; Soyka, Michael; Maier, Wolfgang; Gaebel, Wolfgang; Dahmen, Norbert; Scherbaum, Norbert; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Lucae, Susanne; Ising, Marcus; Stickel, Felix; Berg, Thomas; Roggenbuck, Ulla; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Scholz, Henrike; Zimmermann, Ulrich S.; Buch, Stephan; Sommer, Wolfgang H.; Spanagel, Rainer; Brors, Benedikt; Cichon, Sven; Mann, Karl; Kiefer, Falk; Hampe, Jochen; Rosendahl, Jonas; Nöthen, Markus M.; Rietschel, Marcella

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the genetic contribution to alcohol dependence (AD) using genome-wide association data from three German samples. These comprised patients with: (i) AD; (ii) chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (ACP); and (iii) alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (ALC). Single marker, gene-based, and pathway analyses were conducted. A significant association was detected for the ADH1B locus in a gene-based approach (puncorrected = 1.2 × 10−6; pcorrected = 0.020). This was driven by the AD subsample. No association with ADH1B was found in the combined ACP + ALC sample. On first inspection, this seems surprising, since ADH1B is a robustly replicated risk gene for AD and may therefore be expected to be associated also with subgroups of AD patients. The negative finding in the ACP + ALC sample, however, may reflect genetic stratification as well as random fluctuation of allele frequencies in the cases and controls, demonstrating the importance of large samples in which the phenotype is well assessed. PMID:28714907

Genetic Contribution to Alcohol Dependence: Investigation of a Heterogeneous German Sample of Individuals with Alcohol Dependence, Chronic Alcoholic Pancreatitis, and Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis.

PubMed

Treutlein, Jens; Frank, Josef; Streit, Fabian; Reinbold, Céline S; Juraeva, Dilafruz; Degenhardt, Franziska; Rietschel, Liz; Witt, Stephanie H; Forstner, Andreas J; Ridinger, Monika; Strohmaier, Jana; Wodarz, Norbert; Dukal, Helene; Foo, Jerome C; Hoffmann, Per; Herms, Stefan; Heilmann-Heimbach, Stefanie; Soyka, Michael; Maier, Wolfgang; Gaebel, Wolfgang; Dahmen, Norbert; Scherbaum, Norbert; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Lucae, Susanne; Ising, Marcus; Stickel, Felix; Berg, Thomas; Roggenbuck, Ulla; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Scholz, Henrike; Zimmermann, Ulrich S; Buch, Stephan; Sommer, Wolfgang H; Spanagel, Rainer; Brors, Benedikt; Cichon, Sven; Mann, Karl; Kiefer, Falk; Hampe, Jochen; Rosendahl, Jonas; Nöthen, Markus M; Rietschel, Marcella

2017-07-17

The present study investigated the genetic contribution to alcohol dependence (AD) using genome-wide association data from three German samples. These comprised patients with: (i) AD; (ii) chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (ACP); and (iii) alcohol-related liver cirrhosis (ALC). Single marker, gene-based, and pathway analyses were conducted. A significant association was detected for the ADH1B locus in a gene-based approach ( p uncorrected = 1.2 × 10 -6 ; p corrected = 0.020). This was driven by the AD subsample. No association with ADH1B was found in the combined ACP + ALC sample. On first inspection, this seems surprising, since ADH1B is a robustly replicated risk gene for AD and may therefore be expected to be associated also with subgroups of AD patients. The negative finding in the ACP + ALC sample, however, may reflect genetic stratification as well as random fluctuation of allele frequencies in the cases and controls, demonstrating the importance of large samples in which the phenotype is well assessed.

Selective acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors reduce amyloid-β ex vivo activation of peripheral chemo-cytokines from Alzheimer’s disease subjects: exploring the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway

PubMed Central

Reale, Marcella; Di Nicola, Marta; Velluto, Lucia; D’Angelo, Chiara; Costantini, Erica; Lahiri, Debomoy K.; Kamal, Mohammad A.; Yu, Qian-sheng; Greig, Nigel H.

2016-01-01

Increasing evidence suggests that the early pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is driven by elevated production and/or reduced clearance of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), which is derived from the larger Aβ precursor protein (APP). Aβ aggregates to form neurotoxic soluble oligomers that trigger a cascade of events leading to neuronal dysfunction, neurodegeneration and, ultimately, clinical dementia. Inflammation, both within the brain and systemically, together with a deficiency in the brain neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which underpinned the development of anticholinesterases for the symptomatic treatment of AD, are invariable hallmarks of the disease. The inter-relation between Aβ, inflammation and cholinergic signaling is complex, with each feeding back onto the others to drive disease progression. To elucidate these interactions plasma samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated from healthy control (HC) subjects and AD patients. Plasma levels of acetyl- (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) as well as Aβ were significantly elevated in AD vs. HC subjects, and acetylcholine showed a trend towards reduced levels. Aβ challenge of the AD and HC PBMCs resulted in greater release of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) from AD vs. HC subjects, with IL-10 expression being similarly affected. THP-1 monocytic cells, a cell culture counterpart of PBMCs and brain microglial cells, responded similarly to Aβ as well as to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) challenge, to allow preliminary analysis of the cellular and molecular pathways that underpin Aβ-induced changes in cytokine expression. In light of prior studies demonstrating that APP expression was regulated by specific cytokines and anticholinesterase drugs, the latter were evaluated on Aβ- and PHA-induced chemo-cytokine expression. Co-incubation with selective inhibitors, such as the acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibitor (−)-phenserine and the butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE)-inhibitor (−)-cymserine analogues mitigated the rise in cytokine levels, and suggest that augmentation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway may prove valuable in AD. PMID:24359497

Science-Driven Computing: NERSC's Plan for 2006-2010

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

Simon, Horst D.; Kramer, William T.C.; Bailey, David H.

NERSC has developed a five-year strategic plan focusing on three components: Science-Driven Systems, Science-Driven Services, and Science-Driven Analytics. (1) Science-Driven Systems: Balanced introduction of the best new technologies for complete computational systems--computing, storage, networking, visualization and analysis--coupled with the activities necessary to engage vendors in addressing the DOE computational science requirements in their future roadmaps. (2) Science-Driven Services: The entire range of support activities, from high-quality operations and user services to direct scientific support, that enable a broad range of scientists to effectively use NERSC systems in their research. NERSC will concentrate on resources needed to realize the promise ofmore » the new highly scalable architectures for scientific discovery in multidisciplinary computational science projects. (3) Science-Driven Analytics: The architectural and systems enhancements and services required to integrate NERSC's powerful computational and storage resources to provide scientists with new tools to effectively manipulate, visualize, and analyze the huge data sets derived from simulations and experiments.« less

A direct morphometric comparison of five labeling protocols for multi-atlas driven automatic segmentation of the hippocampus in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Nestor, Sean M; Gibson, Erin; Gao, Fu-Qiang; Kiss, Alex; Black, Sandra E

2013-02-01

Hippocampal volumetry derived from structural MRI is increasingly used to delineate regions of interest for functional measurements, assess efficacy in therapeutic trials of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has been endorsed by the new AD diagnostic guidelines as a radiological marker of disease progression. Unfortunately, morphological heterogeneity in AD can prevent accurate demarcation of the hippocampus. Recent developments in automated volumetry commonly use multi-template fusion driven by expert manual labels, enabling highly accurate and reproducible segmentation in disease and healthy subjects. However, there are several protocols to define the hippocampus anatomically in vivo, and the method used to generate atlases may impact automatic accuracy and sensitivity - particularly in pathologically heterogeneous samples. Here we report a fully automated segmentation technique that provides a robust platform to directly evaluate both technical and biomarker performance in AD among anatomically unique labeling protocols. For the first time we test head-to-head the performance of five common hippocampal labeling protocols for multi-atlas based segmentation, using both the Sunnybrook Longitudinal Dementia Study and the entire Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 1 (ADNI-1) baseline and 24-month dataset. We based these atlas libraries on the protocols of (Haller et al., 1997; Killiany et al., 1993; Malykhin et al., 2007; Pantel et al., 2000; Pruessner et al., 2000), and a single operator performed all manual tracings to generate de facto "ground truth" labels. All methods distinguished between normal elders, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD in the expected directions, and showed comparable correlations with measures of episodic memory performance. Only more inclusive protocols distinguished between stable MCI and MCI-to-AD converters, and had slightly better associations with episodic memory. Moreover, we demonstrate that protocols including more posterior anatomy and dorsal white matter compartments furnish the best voxel-overlap accuracies (Dice Similarity Coefficient=0.87-0.89), compared to expert manual tracings, and achieve the smallest sample sizes required to power clinical trials in MCI and AD. The greatest distribution of errors was localized to the caudal hippocampus and the alveus-fimbria compartment when these regions were excluded. The definition of the medial body did not significantly alter accuracy among more comprehensive protocols. Voxel-overlap accuracies between automatic and manual labels were lower for the more pathologically heterogeneous Sunnybrook study in comparison to the ADNI-1 sample. Finally, accuracy among protocols appears to significantly differ the most in AD subjects compared to MCI and normal elders. Together, these results suggest that selection of a candidate protocol for fully automatic multi-template based segmentation in AD can influence both segmentation accuracy when compared to expert manual labels and performance as a biomarker in MCI and AD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Direct Morphometric Comparison of Five Labeling Protocols for Multi-Atlas Driven Automatic Segmentation of the Hippocampus in Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Nestor, Sean M.; Gibson, Erin; Gao, Fu-Qiang; Kiss, Alex; Black, Sandra E.

2012-01-01

Hippocampal volumetry derived from structural MRI is increasingly used to delineate regions of interest for functional measurements, assess efficacy in therapeutic trials of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and has been endorsed by the new AD diagnostic guidelines as a radiological marker of disease progression. Unfortunately, morphological heterogeneity in AD can prevent accurate demarcation of the hippocampus. Recent developments in automated volumetry commonly use multitemplate fusion driven by expert manual labels, enabling highly accurate and reproducible segmentation in disease and healthy subjects. However, there are several protocols to define the hippocampus anatomically in vivo, and the method used to generate atlases may impact automatic accuracy and sensitivity – particularly in pathologically heterogeneous samples. Here we report a fully automated segmentation technique that provides a robust platform to directly evaluate both technical and biomarker performance in AD among anatomically unique labeling protocols. For the first time we test head-to-head the performance of five common hippocampal labeling protocols for multi-atlas based segmentation, using both the Sunnybrook Longitudinal Dementia Study and the entire Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 1 (ADNI-1) baseline and 24-month dataset. We based these atlas libraries on the protocols of (Haller et al., 1997; Killiany et al., 1993; Malykhin et al., 2007; Pantel et al., 2000; Pruessner et al., 2000), and a single operator performed all manual tracings to generate de facto “ground truth” labels. All methods distinguished between normal elders, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD in the expected directions, and showed comparable correlations with measures of episodic memory performance. Only more inclusive protocols distinguished between stable MCI and MCI-to-AD converters, and had slightly better associations with episodic memory. Moreover, we demonstrate that protocols including more posterior anatomy and dorsal white matter compartments furnish the best voxel-overlap accuracies (Dice Similarity Coefficient = 0.87–0.89), compared to expert manual tracings, and achieve the smallest sample sizes required to power clinical trials in MCI and AD. The greatest distribution of errors was localized to the caudal hippocampus and alveus-fimbria compartment when these regions were excluded. The definition of the medial body did not significantly alter accuracy among more comprehensive protocols. Voxel-overlap accuracies between automatic and manual labels were lower for the more pathologically heterogeneous Sunnybrook study in comparison to the ADNI-1 sample. Finally, accuracy among protocols appears to significantly differ the most in AD subjects compared to MCI and normal elders. Together, these results suggest that selection of a candidate protocol for fully automatic multi-template based segmentation in AD can influence both segmentation accuracy when compared to expert manual labels and performance as a biomarker in MCI and AD. PMID:23142652

Do different styles of antismoking ads influence the types of smokers who call quitlines?

PubMed

Nonnemaker, James M; Farrelly, Matthew C; Kamyab, Kian; MacMonegle, Anna J

2013-02-01

This study examined the relationship between television antismoking advertisements and the proportion of smokers who call a smokers' quitline who are ready to quit or have high confidence in quitting. The primary data of interest came from completed intake interviews of smokers. Using a generalized linear model, we modeled the proportion of Quitline callers who are ready to quit and/or have high confidence in quitting. The primary explanatory variable was monthly target audience rating points (TARPs) for antismoking advertisements, a measure of broadcast media exposure, obtained from the state's media buyer. The proportions of callers ready to quit and with high confidence in quitting were negatively associated with total TARPs. This result, over all ad types, was driven by why to quit-graphic ads. These results suggest that why to quit-graphic ads influence smokers who are less ready to quit or have lower confidence they can quit, likely new quitters, to call the Quitline.

Boomerang RG flows in M-theory with intermediate scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donos, Aristomenis; Gauntlett, Jerome P.; Rosen, Christopher; Sosa-Rodriguez, Omar

2017-07-01

We construct novel RG flows of D=11 supergravity that asymptotically approach AdS 4 × S 7 in the UV with deformations that break spatial translations in the dual field theory. In the IR the solutions return to exactly the same AdS 4 × S 7 vacuum, with a renormalisation of relative length scales, and hence we refer to the flows as `boomerang RG flows'. For sufficiently large deformations, on the way to the IR the solutions also approach two distinct intermediate scaling regimes, each with hyperscaling violation. The first regime is Lorentz invariant with dynamical exponent z = 1 while the second has z = 5/2. Neither ofthe two intermediatescaling regimesare associatedwith exact hyperscaling violation solutions of D = 11 supergravity. The RG flow solutions are constructed using the four dimensional N = 2 STU gauged supergravity theory with vanishing gauge fields, but non-vanishing scalar and pseudoscalar fields. In the ABJM dual field theory the flows are driven by spatially modulated deformation parameters for scalar and fermion bilinear operators.

Genetic variation affecting exon skipping contributes to brain structural atrophy in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Lee, Younghee; Han, Seonggyun; Kim, Dongwook; Kim, Dokyoon; Horgousluoglu, Emrin; Risacher, Shannon L; Saykin, Andrew J; Nho, Kwangsik

2018-01-01

Genetic variation in cis-regulatory elements related to splicing machinery and splicing regulatory elements (SREs) results in exon skipping and undesired protein products. We developed a splicing decision model to identify actionable loci among common SNPs for gene regulation. The splicing decision model identified SNPs affecting exon skipping by analyzing sequence-driven alternative splicing (AS) models and by scanning the genome for the regions with putative SRE motifs. We used non-Hispanic Caucasians with neuroimaging, and fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and identified 17,088 common exonic SNPs affecting exon skipping. GWAS identified one SNP (rs1140317) in HLA-DQB1 as significantly associated with entorhinal cortical thickness, AD neuroimaging biomarker, after controlling for multiple testing. Further analysis revealed that rs1140317 was significantly associated with brain amyloid-f deposition (PET and CSF). HLA-DQB1 is an essential immune gene and may regulate AS, thereby contributing to AD pathology. SRE may hold potential as novel therapeutic targets for AD.

Accelerator-based conversion (ABC) of weapons plutonium: Plant layout study and related design issues

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

Cowell, B.S.; Fontana, M.H.; Krakowski, R.A.

1995-04-01

In preparation for and in support of a detailed R and D Plan for the Accelerator-Based Conversion (ABC) of weapons plutonium, an ABC Plant Layout Study was conducted at the level of a pre-conceptual engineering design. The plant layout is based on an adaptation of the Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor (MSBR) detailed conceptual design that was completed in the early 1070s. Although the ABC Plant Layout Study included the Accelerator Equipment as an essential element, the engineering assessment focused primarily on the Target; Primary System (blanket and all systems containing plutonium-bearing fuel salt); the Heat-Removal System (secondary-coolant-salt and supercritical-steam systems); Chemicalmore » Processing; Operation and Maintenance; Containment and Safety; and Instrumentation and Control systems. Although constrained primarily to a reflection of an accelerator-driven (subcritical) variant of MSBR system, unique features and added flexibilities of the ABC suggest improved or alternative approaches to each of the above-listed subsystems; these, along with the key technical issues in need of resolution through a detailed R&D plan for ABC are described on the bases of the ``strawman`` or ``point-of-departure`` plant layout that resulted from this study.« less

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine Hybrid Cycle Technology for Auxiliary Aerospace Power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steffen, Christopher J., Jr.; Freeh, Joshua E.; Larosiliere, Louis M.

2005-01-01

A notional 440 kW auxiliary power unit has been developed for 300 passenger commercial transport aircraft in 2015AD. A hybrid engine using solid-oxide fuel cell stacks and a gas turbine bottoming cycle has been considered. Steady-state performance analysis during cruise operation has been presented. Trades between performance efficiency and system mass were conducted with system specific energy as the discriminator. Fuel cell performance was examined with an area specific resistance. The ratio of fuel cell versus turbine power was explored through variable fuel utilization. Area specific resistance, fuel utilization, and mission length had interacting effects upon system specific energy. During cruise operation, the simple cycle fuel cell/gas turbine hybrid was not able to outperform current turbine-driven generators for system specific energy, despite a significant improvement in system efficiency. This was due in part to the increased mass of the hybrid engine, and the increased water flow required for on-board fuel reformation. Two planar, anode-supported cell design concepts were considered. Designs that seek to minimize the metallic interconnect layer mass were seen to have a large effect upon the system mass estimates.

A pulse-compression-ring circuit for high-efficiency electric propulsion.

PubMed

Owens, Thomas L

2008-03-01

A highly efficient, highly reliable pulsed-power system has been developed for use in high power, repetitively pulsed inductive plasma thrusters. The pulsed inductive thruster ejects plasma propellant at a high velocity using a Lorentz force developed through inductive coupling to the plasma. Having greatly increased propellant-utilization efficiency compared to chemical rockets, this type of electric propulsion system may one day propel spacecraft on long-duration deep-space missions. High system reliability and electrical efficiency are extremely important for these extended missions. In the prototype pulsed-power system described here, exceptional reliability is achieved using a pulse-compression circuit driven by both active solid-state switching and passive magnetic switching. High efficiency is achieved using a novel ring architecture that recovers unused energy in a pulse-compression system with minimal circuit loss after each impulse. As an added benefit, voltage reversal is eliminated in the ring topology, resulting in long lifetimes for energy-storage capacitors. System tests were performed using an adjustable inductive load at a voltage level of 3.3 kV, a peak current of 20 kA, and a current switching rate of 15 kA/micros.

Communication of Expectations between Principals and Entry-Year Instrumental Music Teachers: Implications for Music Teacher Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edgar, Scott

2012-01-01

Assessment of arts educators, including music educators, has evolved into a high-stakes situation that drives teacher pay, promotion, and retention. This assessment process is driven by federal policy advocating for a value-added model based on student performance. Principals, who are often charged with assessing artistic musical performance,…

Reframing Our Approach to Doctoral Programs: An Integrative Framework for Action and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAlpine, Lynn; Norton, Judith

2006-01-01

A serious problem exists in the academic world, namely doctoral education attrition rates that approach 50% in some disciplines. Yet, calls for action have generally been "ad hoc" rather than theory driven. Further, research has not been conceived and implemented with sufficient breadth to integrate factors influencing the outcomes across the…

Powder-driven-nail connections for round timber

Treesearch

Ronald W. Wolfe; KugBo Shim; Marshall Begel

2003-01-01

In an effort to encourage the development of value-added engineered applications for small diameter round timber, research is being conducted at the US Forest Products Laboratory to develop and verify design guidelines for connections with specific application to round timbers. The objective of this work is to provide potential users with a number of viable connection...

Mission-Driven Advertising: "Makes You Want to Work There"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copeland, Margaret Leitch; Gimilaro, Susan; Sullivan, Nancy

2011-01-01

When directors sit down to advertise for new staff, it is often not a happy moment. Directors quite naturally write ads from their perspectives as employers and sometimes emphasize that attribute which the leave-taking staff member lacked, e.g. "must be reliable," leading an applicant to believe that reliability is a big issue at this program. The…

Monte carlo simulations of Yttrium reaction rates in Quinta uranium target

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suchopár, M.; Wagner, V.; Svoboda, O.; Vrzalová, J.; Chudoba, P.; Tichý, P.; Kugler, A.; Adam, J.; Závorka, L.; Baldin, A.; Furman, W.; Kadykov, M.; Khushvaktov, J.; Solnyshkin, A.; Tsoupko-Sitnikov, V.; Tyutyunnikov, S.; Bielewicz, M.; Kilim, S.; Strugalska-Gola, E.; Szuta, M.

2017-03-01

The international collaboration Energy and Transmutation of Radioactive Waste (E&T RAW) performed intensive studies of several simple accelerator-driven system (ADS) setups consisting of lead, uranium and graphite which were irradiated by relativistic proton and deuteron beams in the past years at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia. The most recent setup called Quinta, consisting of natural uranium target-blanket and lead shielding, was irradiated by deuteron beams in the energy range between 1 and 8 GeV in three accelerator runs at JINR Nuclotron in 2011 and 2012 with yttrium samples among others inserted inside the setup to measure the neutron flux in various places. Suitable activation detectors serve as one of possible tools for monitoring of proton and deuteron beams and for measurements of neutron field distribution in ADS studies. Yttrium is one of such suitable materials for monitoring of high energy neutrons. Various threshold reactions can be observed in yttrium samples. The yields of isotopes produced in the samples were determined using the activation method. Monte Carlo simulations of the reaction rates leading to production of different isotopes were performed in the MCNPX transport code and compared with the experimental results obtained from the yttrium samples.

Heat Transfer and Entropy Generation Analysis of an Intermediate Heat Exchanger in ADS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongwei; Huai, Xiulan

2018-04-01

The intermediate heat exchanger for enhancement heat transfer is the important equipment in the usage of nuclear energy. In the present work, heat transfer and entropy generation of an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) in the accelerator driven subcritical system (ADS) are investigated experimentally. The variation of entropy generation number with performance parameters of the IHX is analyzed, and effects of inlet conditions of the IHX on entropy generation number and heat transfer are discussed. Compared with the results at two working conditions of the constant mass flow rates of liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) and helium gas, the total pumping power all tends to reduce with the decreasing entropy generation number, but the variations of the effectiveness, number of transfer units and thermal capacity rate ratio are inconsistent, and need to analyze respectively. With the increasing inlet mass flow rate or LBE inlet temperature, the entropy generation number increases and the heat transfer is enhanced, while the opposite trend occurs with the increasing helium gas inlet temperature. The further study is necessary for obtaining the optimized operation parameters of the IHX to minimize entropy generation and enhance heat transfer.

Design, economic and system considerations of large wind-driven generators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jorgensen, G. E.; Lotker, M.; Meier, R. C.; Brierley, D.

1976-01-01

The increased search for alternative energy sources has lead to renewed interest and studies of large wind-driven generators. This paper presents the results and considerations of such an investigation. The paper emphasizes the concept selection of wind-driven generators, system optimization, control system design, safety aspects, economic viability on electric utility systems and potential electric system interfacing problems.

Hydroclimate variability and regional atmospheric circulation over the past 1,350 years reconstructed from Lake Ohau, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roop, H. A.; Levy, R. H.; Vandergoes, M.; Dunbar, G. B.; Howarth, J. D.; Lorrey, A.; Phipps, S. J.

2016-12-01

Comprehensive understanding of natural climate-system dynamics requires high-resolution paleoclimate records extending beyond the instrumental period. This is particularly the case for the sparsely-instrumented Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, where the timing and amplitude of regional and hemispheric-scale climatic events are poorly constrained. Here we present a 1,350-year record of hydroclimatic variability and regional circulation derived from an annually laminated sediment record from Lake Ohau, South Island, New Zealand (44.23°S, 169.85°E). The climate of New Zealand is influenced by climatological patterns originating in both the tropics (e.g. El-Niño-Southern Oscillation, Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation) and the Antarctic (Southern Annular Mode, SAM). Utilizing the annually resolved Lake Ohau hydroclimate record in combination with a tree-ring record of summer temperature from Oroko Swamp, New Zealand (Cook et al., 2002), we generate a circulation index for the Western South Island of New Zealand. This index utilizes the temperature and precipitation anomalies defined by the Regional Climate Regime Classification scheme for New Zealand to assign synoptic scale circulation patterns to 25-year intervals from 900-2000 AD. This circulation index shows significant periods of change, most notably 835 - 985 AD when northerly airflow dominated and from 1385 - 1710 AD when strong southerly airflow persisted. Comparisons with regional SAM and ENSO reconstructions show that dry, warm conditions at Lake Ohau are consistently associated with strengthened tropical teleconnections to New Zealand and a positive SAM, while cold and wet conditions are driven by increased southerly airflow and negative phase SAM. A persistent negative SAM dominates the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1385-1710 AD) interval in the Western South Island. This same period coincides with the Northern Hemisphere LIA.

Applicability of digital analysis and imaging technology in neuropathology assessment.

PubMed

Dunn, William D; Gearing, Marla; Park, Yuna; Zhang, Lifan; Hanfelt, John; Glass, Jonathan D; Gutman, David A

2016-06-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects more than 30 million people worldwide. While various dementia-related losses in cognitive functioning are its hallmark clinical symptoms, ultimate diagnosis is based on manual neuropathological assessments using various schemas, including Braak staging, CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) and Thal phase scoring. Since these scoring systems are based on subjective assessment, there is inevitably some degree of variation between readers, which could affect ultimate neuropathology diagnosis. Here, we report a pilot study investigating the applicability of computer-driven image analysis for characterizing neuropathological features, as well as its potential to supplement or even replace manually derived ratings commonly performed in medical settings. In this work, we quantitatively measured amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque in various brain regions from 34 patients using a robust digital quantification algorithm. We next verified these digitally derived measures to the manually derived pathology ratings using correlation and ordinal logistic regression methods, while also investigating the association with other AD-related neuropathology scoring schema commonly used at autopsy, such as Braak and CERAD. In addition to successfully verifying our digital measurements of Aβ plaques with respective categorical measurements, we found significant correlations with most AD-related scoring schemas. Our results demonstrate the potential for digital analysis to be adapted to more complex staining procedures commonly used in neuropathological diagnosis. As the efficiency of scanning and digital analysis of histology images increases, we believe that the basis of our semi-automatic approach may better standardize quantification of neuropathological changes and AD diagnosis, ultimately leading to a more comprehensive understanding of neurological disorders and more efficient patient care. © 2015 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

Applicability of digital analysis and imaging technology in neuropathology assessment

PubMed Central

Dunn, William D.; Gearing, Marla; Park, Yuna; Zhang, Lifan; Hanfelt, John; Glass, Jonathan D.; Gutman, David A.

2017-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects more than 30 million people worldwide. While various dementia-related losses in cognitive functioning are its hallmark clinical symptoms, ultimate diagnosis is based on manual neuropathological assessments using various schemas, including Braak staging, CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease) and Thal phase scoring. Since these scoring systems are based on subjective assessment, there is inevitably some degree of variation between readers, which could affect ultimate neuropathology diagnosis. Here, we report a pilot study investigating the applicability of computer-driven image analysis for characterizing neuropathological features, as well as its potential to supplement or even replace manually derived ratings commonly performed in medical settings. In this work, we quantitatively measured amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque in various brain regions from 34 patients using a robust digital quantification algorithm. We next verified these digitally derived measures to the manually derived pathology ratings using correlation and ordinal logistic regression methods, while also investigating the association with other AD-related neuropathology scoring schema commonly used at autopsy, such as Braak and CERAD. In addition to successfully verifying our digital measurements of Aβ plaques with respective categorical measurements, we found significant correlations with most AD-related scoring schemas. Our results demonstrate the potential for digital analysis to be adapted to more complex staining procedures commonly used in neuropathological diagnosis. As the efficiency of scanning and digital analysis of histology images increases, we believe that the basis of our semi-automatic approach may better standardize quantification of neuropathological changes and AD diagnosis, ultimately leading to a more comprehensive understanding of neurological disorders and more efficient patient care. PMID:26577803

Bottom-up approaches to strengthening child protection systems: Placing children, families, and communities at the center.

PubMed

Wessells, Michael G

2015-05-01

Efforts to strengthen national child protection systems have frequently taken a top-down approach of imposing formal, government-managed services. Such expert-driven approaches are often characterized by low use of formal services and the misalignment of the nonformal and formal aspects of the child protection system. This article examines an alternative approach of community-driven, bottom-up work that enables nonformal-formal collaboration and alignment, greater use of formal services, internally driven social change, and high levels of community ownership. The dominant approach of reliance on expert-driven Child Welfare Committees produces low levels of community ownership. Using an approach developed and tested in rural Sierra Leone, community-driven action, including collaboration and linkages with the formal system, promoted the use of formal services and achieved increased ownership, effectiveness, and sustainability of the system. The field needs less reliance on expert-driven approaches and much wider use of slower, community-driven, bottom-up approaches to child protection. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Current fluctuations in periodically driven systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barato, Andre C.; Chetrite, Raphael

2018-05-01

Small nonequelibrium systems driven by an external periodic protocol can be described by Markov processes with time-periodic transition rates. In general, current fluctuations in such small systems are large and may play a crucial role. We develop a theoretical formalism to evaluate the rate of such large deviations in periodically driven systems. We show that the scaled cumulant generating function that characterizes current fluctuations is given by a maximal Floquet exponent. Comparing deterministic protocols with stochastic protocols, we show that, with respect to large deviations, systems driven by a stochastic protocol with an infinitely large number of jumps are equivalent to systems driven by deterministic protocols. Our results are illustrated with three case studies: a two-state model for a heat engine, a three-state model for a molecular pump, and a biased random walk with a time-periodic affinity.

Stability of magnetohydrodynamic Dean Flow as applied to centrifugally confined plasmas

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

Hassam, A.B.

1999-10-01

Dean Flow is the azimuthal flow of fluid between static concentric cylinders. In a magnetized plasma, there may also be radial stratification of the pressure. The ideal magnetohydrodynamic stability of such a flow in the presence of a strong axial magnetic field and an added radial gravitational force is examined. It is shown that both the Kelvin{endash}Helmholtz instability and pressure-gradient-driven interchanges can be stabilized if the flow is driven by a unidirectional external force and if the plasma annulus is sufficiently thin (large aspect ratio). These results find application in schemes using centrifugal confinement of plasma for fusion. {copyright} {italmore » 1999 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Evaluation in the Design of Complex Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Li-An; Schwen, Thomas M.

2006-01-01

We identify literature that argues the process of creating knowledge-based system is often imbalanced. In most knowledge-based systems, development is often technology-driven instead of requirement-driven. Therefore, we argue designers must recognize that evaluation is a critical link in the application of requirement-driven development models…

Evaluation and selection of refrigeration systems for lunar surface and space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Copeland, R. J.; Blount, T. D.; Williams, J. L.

1971-01-01

Evaluated are the various refrigeration machines which could be used to provide heat rejection in environmental control systems for lunar surface and spacecraft applications, in order to select the best refrigeration machine for satisfying each individual application and the best refrigeration machine for satisfying all of the applications. The refrigeration machine considered include: (1) vapor comparison cycle (work-driven); (2) vapor adsorption cycle (heat-driven); (3) vapor absorption cycle (heat-driven); (4) thermoelectric (electrically-driven); (5) gas cycle (work driven); (6) steam-jet (heat-driven).

[Analysis of cost and efficiency of a medical nursing unit using time-driven activity-based costing].

PubMed

Lim, Ji Young; Kim, Mi Ja; Park, Chang Gi

2011-08-01

Time-driven activity-based costing was applied to analyze the nursing activity cost and efficiency of a medical unit. Data were collected at a medical unit of a general hospital. Nursing activities were measured using a nursing activities inventory and classified as 6 domains using Easley-Storfjell Instrument. Descriptive statistics were used to identify general characteristics of the unit, nursing activities and activity time, and stochastic frontier model was adopted to estimate true activity time. The average efficiency of the medical unit using theoretical resource capacity was 77%, however the efficiency using practical resource capacity was 96%. According to these results, the portion of non-added value time was estimated 23% and 4% each. The sums of total nursing activity costs were estimated 109,860,977 won in traditional activity-based costing and 84,427,126 won in time-driven activity-based costing. The difference in the two cost calculating methods was 25,433,851 won. These results indicate that the time-driven activity-based costing provides useful and more realistic information about the efficiency of unit operation compared to traditional activity-based costing. So time-driven activity-based costing is recommended as a performance evaluation framework for nursing departments based on cost management.

Piloted Simulation to Evaluate the Utility of a Real Time Envelope Protection System for Mitigating In-Flight Icing Hazards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ranaudo, Richard J.; Martos, Borja; Norton, Bill W.; Gingras, David R.; Barnhart, Billy P.; Ratvasky, Thomas P.; Morelli, Eugene

2011-01-01

The utility of the Icing Contamination Envelope Protection (ICEPro) system for mitigating a potentially hazardous icing condition was evaluated by 29 pilots using the NASA Ice Contamination Effects Flight Training Device (ICEFTD). ICEPro provides real time envelope protection cues and alerting messages on pilot displays. The pilots participating in this test were divided into two groups; a control group using baseline displays without ICEPro, and an experimental group using ICEPro driven display cueing. Each group flew identical precision approach and missed approach procedures with a simulated failure case icing condition. Pilot performance, workload, and survey questionnaires were collected for both groups of pilots. Results showed that real time assessment cues were effective in reducing the number of potentially hazardous upset events and in lessening exposure to loss of control following an incipient upset condition. Pilot workload with the added ICEPro displays was not measurably affected, but pilot opinion surveys showed that real time cueing greatly improved their situation awareness of a hazardous aircraft state.

System-wide Benefits of Intermeal Fasting by Autophagy.

PubMed

Martinez-Lopez, Nuria; Tarabra, Elena; Toledo, Miriam; Garcia-Macia, Marina; Sahu, Srabani; Coletto, Luisa; Batista-Gonzalez, Ana; Barzilai, Nir; Pessin, Jeffrey E; Schwartz, Gary J; Kersten, Sander; Singh, Rajat

2017-12-05

Autophagy failure is associated with metabolic insufficiency. Although caloric restriction (CR) extends healthspan, its adherence in humans is poor. We established an isocaloric twice-a-day (ITAD) feeding model wherein ITAD-fed mice consume the same food amount as ad libitum controls but at two short windows early and late in the diurnal cycle. We hypothesized that ITAD feeding will provide two intervals of intermeal fasting per circadian period and induce autophagy. We show that ITAD feeding modifies circadian autophagy and glucose/lipid metabolism that correlate with feeding-driven changes in circulating insulin. ITAD feeding decreases adiposity and, unlike CR, enhances muscle mass. ITAD feeding drives energy expenditure, lowers lipid levels, suppresses gluconeogenesis, and prevents age/obesity-associated metabolic defects. Using liver-, adipose-, myogenic-, and proopiomelanocortin neuron-specific autophagy-null mice, we mapped the contribution of tissue-specific autophagy to system-wide benefits of ITAD feeding. Our studies suggest that consuming two meals a day without CR could prevent the metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantum Stat Mech in a Programmable Spin Chain of Trapped Ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monroe, Christopher

2017-04-01

Trapped atomic ions are a versatile and very clean platform for the quantum programming of interacting spin models and the study of quantum nonequilibrium phenomena. When spin-dependent optical dipole forces are applied to a collection of trapped ions, an effective long-range quantum magnetic interaction arises, with reconfigurable and tunable graphs. Following earlier work on many-body spectroscopy and quench dynamics, we have recently studied many body non-thermalization processes in this system. Frustrated Hamiltonian dynamics can lead to prethermalization, and by adding programmable disorder between the sites, we have observed the phenomenon of many body localization (MBL). Finally, by applying a periodically driven Floquet Hamiltonian tempered by MBL, we report the observation of a discrete ``time crystal'' in the stable appearance of a subharmonic response of the system to the periodic drive. This work is supported by the ARO Atomic Physics Program, the AFOSR MURI on Quantum Measurement and Verification, the IARPA LogiQ Program, and the NSF Physics Frontier Center at JQI.

Scattering Studies on Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)- Polystyrenesulfonate in the Presence of Ionic Liquids

DOE PAGES

Murphy, Ryan J.; Weigandt, Katie M.; Uhrig, David; ...

2015-11-30

The demand for lower cost and flexible electronics has driven industry to develop alternative transparent electrode (TE) materials to replace indium tin oxide (ITO). ITO is the benchmark TE on the market, but its high cost and low flexibility limit it for use in future technologies. Recent work has shown the combination of the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) with the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate (EMIM:TCB) is a viable ITO replacement. This study investigates the nature of the interaction between PEDOT:PSS and EMIM:TCB in the solution state. A combination of scattering methods is used to illustrate a novel, multilength scale modelmore » of this system. At length scales larger than 300nm PEODT:PSS adopts a microgel-like structure, and below ~300nm the system adopts an entangled polyelectrolyte mesh structure. As EMIM:TCB is added, the microgel interior adopts a more neutral polymer mesh structure as EMIM:TCB concentration is increased.« less

Robustness of multidimensional Brownian ratchets as directed transport mechanisms.

PubMed

González-Candela, Ernesto; Romero-Rochín, Víctor; Del Río, Fernando

2011-08-07

Brownian ratchets have recently been considered as models to describe the ability of certain systems to locate very specific states in multidimensional configuration spaces. This directional process has particularly been proposed as an alternative explanation for the protein folding problem, in which the polypeptide is driven toward the native state by a multidimensional Brownian ratchet. Recognizing the relevance of robustness in biological systems, in this work we analyze such a property of Brownian ratchets by pushing to the limits all the properties considered essential to produce directed transport. Based on the results presented here, we can state that Brownian ratchets are able to deliver current and locate funnel structures under a wide range of conditions. As a result, they represent a simple model that solves the Levinthal's paradox with great robustness and flexibility and without requiring any ad hoc biased transition probability. The behavior of Brownian ratchets shown in this article considerably enhances the plausibility of the model for at least part of the structural mechanism behind protein folding process.

The formation of rings and gaps in magnetically coupled disc-wind systems: ambipolar diffusion and reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suriano, Scott S.; Li, Zhi-Yun; Krasnopolsky, Ruben; Shang, Hsien

2018-06-01

Radial substructures in circumstellar discs are now routinely observed by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. There is also growing evidence that disc winds drive accretion in such discs. We show through 2D (axisymmetric) simulations that rings and gaps develop naturally in magnetically coupled disc-wind systems on the scale of tens of au, where ambipolar diffusion (AD) is the dominant non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic effect. In simulations where the magnetic field and matter are moderately coupled, the disc remains relatively laminar with the radial electric current steepened by AD into a thin layer near the mid-plane. The toroidal magnetic field sharply reverses polarity in this layer, generating a large magnetic torque that drives fast accretion, which drags the poloidal field into a highly pinched radial configuration. The reconnection of this pinched field creates magnetic loops where the net poloidal magnetic flux (and thus the accretion rate) is reduced, yielding dense rings. Neighbouring regions with stronger poloidal magnetic fields accrete faster, forming gaps. In better magnetically coupled simulations, the so-called avalanche accretion streams develop continuously near the disc surface, rendering the disc-wind system more chaotic. Nevertheless, prominent rings and gaps are still produced, at least in part, by reconnection, which again enables the segregation of the poloidal field and the disc material similar to the more diffusive discs. However, the reconnection is now driven by the non-linear growth of magnetorotational instability channel flows. The formation of rings and gaps in rapidly accreting yet laminar discs has interesting implications for dust settling and trapping, grain growth, and planet formation.

MAPT H1 Haplotype is Associated with Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Risk in APOEɛ4 Noncarriers: Results from the Dementia Genetics Spanish Consortium.

PubMed

Pastor, Pau; Moreno, Fermín; Clarimón, Jordi; Ruiz, Agustín; Combarros, Onofre; Calero, Miguel; López de Munain, Adolfo; Bullido, Maria J; de Pancorbo, Marian M; Carro, Eva; Antonell, Anna; Coto, Eliecer; Ortega-Cubero, Sara; Hernandez, Isabel; Tárraga, Lluís; Boada, Mercè; Lleó, Alberto; Dols-Icardo, Oriol; Kulisevsky, Jaime; Vázquez-Higuera, José Luis; Infante, Jon; Rábano, Alberto; Fernández-Blázquez, Miguel Ángel; Valentí, Meritxell; Indakoetxea, Begoña; Barandiarán, Myriam; Gorostidi, Ana; Frank-García, Ana; Sastre, Isabel; Lorenzo, Elena; Pastor, María A; Elcoroaristizabal, Xabier; Lennarz, Martina; Maier, Wolfang; Rámirez, Alfredo; Serrano-Ríos, Manuel; Lee, Suzee E; Sánchez-Juan, Pascual

2016-01-01

The MAPT H1 haplotype has been linked to several disorders, but its relationship with Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains controversial. A rare variant in MAPT (p.A152T) has been linked with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and AD. We genotyped H1/H2 and p.A152T MAPT in 11,572 subjects from Spain (4,327 AD, 563 FTD, 648 Parkinson's disease (PD), 84 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and 5,950 healthy controls). Additionally, we included 101 individuals from 21 families with genetic FTD. MAPT p.A152T was borderline significantly associated with FTD [odds ratio (OR) = 2.03; p = 0.063], but not with AD. MAPT H1 haplotype was associated with AD risk (OR = 1.12; p = 0.0005). Stratification analysis showed that this association was mainly driven by APOE ɛ4 noncarriers (OR = 1.14; p = 0.0025). MAPT H1 was also associated with risk for PD (OR = 1.30; p = 0.0003) and PSP (OR = 3.18; p = 8.59 × 10-8) but not FTD. Our results suggest that the MAPT H1 haplotype increases the risk of PD, PSP, and non-APOE ɛ4 AD.

Generation of an Adenovirus-Parvovirus Chimera with Enhanced Oncolytic Potential

PubMed Central

El-Andaloussi, Nazim; Bonifati, Serena; Kaufmann, Johanna K.; Mailly, Laurent; Daeffler, Laurent; Deryckère, François; Nettelbeck, Dirk M.; Rommelaere, Jean

2012-01-01

In this study, our goal was to generate a chimeric adenovirus-parvovirus (Ad-PV) vector that combines the high-titer and efficient gene transfer of adenovirus with the anticancer potential of rodent parvovirus. To this end, the entire oncolytic PV genome was inserted into a replication-defective E1- and E3-deleted Ad5 vector genome. As we found that parvoviral NS expression inhibited Ad-PV chimera production, we engineered the parvoviral P4 early promoter, which governs NS expression, by inserting into its sequence tetracycline operator elements. As a result of these modifications, P4-driven expression was blocked in the packaging T-REx-293 cells, which constitutively express the tetracycline repressor, allowing high-yield chimera production. The chimera effectively delivered the PV genome into cancer cells, from which fully infectious replication-competent parvovirus particles were generated. Remarkably, the Ad-PV chimera exerted stronger cytotoxic activities against various cancer cell lines, compared with the PV and Ad parental viruses, while being still innocuous to a panel of tested healthy primary human cells. This Ad-PV chimera represents a novel versatile anticancer agent which can be subjected to further genetic manipulations in order to reinforce its enhanced oncolytic capacity through arming with transgenes or retargeting into tumor cells. PMID:22787235

Generation of an adenovirus-parvovirus chimera with enhanced oncolytic potential.

PubMed

El-Andaloussi, Nazim; Bonifati, Serena; Kaufmann, Johanna K; Mailly, Laurent; Daeffler, Laurent; Deryckère, François; Nettelbeck, Dirk M; Rommelaere, Jean; Marchini, Antonio

2012-10-01

In this study, our goal was to generate a chimeric adenovirus-parvovirus (Ad-PV) vector that combines the high-titer and efficient gene transfer of adenovirus with the anticancer potential of rodent parvovirus. To this end, the entire oncolytic PV genome was inserted into a replication-defective E1- and E3-deleted Ad5 vector genome. As we found that parvoviral NS expression inhibited Ad-PV chimera production, we engineered the parvoviral P4 early promoter, which governs NS expression, by inserting into its sequence tetracycline operator elements. As a result of these modifications, P4-driven expression was blocked in the packaging T-REx-293 cells, which constitutively express the tetracycline repressor, allowing high-yield chimera production. The chimera effectively delivered the PV genome into cancer cells, from which fully infectious replication-competent parvovirus particles were generated. Remarkably, the Ad-PV chimera exerted stronger cytotoxic activities against various cancer cell lines, compared with the PV and Ad parental viruses, while being still innocuous to a panel of tested healthy primary human cells. This Ad-PV chimera represents a novel versatile anticancer agent which can be subjected to further genetic manipulations in order to reinforce its enhanced oncolytic capacity through arming with transgenes or retargeting into tumor cells.

75 FR 91 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. (Type Certificate Previously Held by Canadair) Model...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-04

... condition as: Two cases of a crack on a ``dry'' ADG (Air Driven Generator) (Hamilton Sundstrand part number in the 761339 series) in the aft area of the strut and generator housing assembly, have been reported... typically 45 days, which is consistent with the comment period for domestic transport ADs. We will post all...

Agribusiness Group Paper

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-11-21

services, markets, and consumers. A Consumer-Driven Market Increasingly, consumers define the food market. Changes in consumer preferences have resulted...ownership and production becomes more concentrated to better meet consumer preferences and the demand for food. 8 CHALLENGES While the United States is...vie for market share. In order to obtain competitive advantage, agribusinesses must focus on price and value- added products that meet consumer

Agribusiness Group Paper

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

obtain competitive advantage, agribusinesses must focus on price and value- added products that meet consumer preferences and desires. In today’s global...Driven Market Increasingly, consumers define the food market. Changes in consumer preferences have resulted in declining markets for certain...concentrated to better meet consumer preferences and the demand for food. 8 CHALLENGES While the United States is the world leader in agribusiness, it

Neuropsychiatric symptoms predict hypometabolism in preclinical Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Ng, Kok Pin; Pascoal, Tharick A; Mathotaarachchi, Sulantha; Chung, Chang-Oh; Benedet, Andréa L; Shin, Monica; Kang, Min Su; Li, Xiaofeng; Ba, Maowen; Kandiah, Nagaendran; Rosa-Neto, Pedro; Gauthier, Serge

2017-05-09

To identify regional brain metabolic dysfunctions associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD). We stratified 115 cognitively normal individuals into preclinical AD (both amyloid and tau pathologies present), asymptomatic at risk for AD (either amyloid or tau pathology present), or healthy controls (no amyloid or tau pathology present) using [ 18 F]florbetapir PET and CSF phosphorylated tau biomarkers. Regression and voxel-based regression models evaluated the relationships between baseline NPS measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and baseline and 2-year change in metabolism measured by [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET. Individuals with preclinical AD with higher NPI scores had higher [ 18 F]FDG uptake in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and right anterior insula at baseline. High NPI scores predicted subsequent hypometabolism in the PCC over 2 years only in individuals with preclinical AD. Sleep/nighttime behavior disorders and irritability and lability were the components of the NPI that drove this metabolic dysfunction. The magnitude of NPS in preclinical cases, driven by sleep behavior and irritability domains, is linked to transitory metabolic dysfunctions within limbic networks vulnerable to the AD process and predicts subsequent PCC hypometabolism. These findings support an emerging conceptual framework in which NPS constitute an early clinical manifestation of AD pathophysiology. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.

On the relationship between emotional state and abnormal unfairness sensitivity in alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Brevers, Damien; Noël, Xavier; Hanak, Catherine; Verbanck, Paul; Kornreich, Charles

2015-01-01

Recent empirical findings suggest that alcohol dependence is characterized by heightened sensitivity to unfairness during social transactions. The present study went a step further and aimed to ascertain whether this abnormal level of sensitivity to unfairness is underlined by an increased emotional reactivity. Twenty-six recently abstinent alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals and 32 controls performed an ultimatum game (UG), in which participants had to respond to take-it-or-leave-it offers, ranging from fair to unfair and made by a fictive proposer. Emotional state was recorded during UG offers presentation and was indexed by the amplitude of skin conductance response (SCR). Results showed that AD decided to reject unfair offers more frequently than their controls, confirming previous data. The proportion of rejected unfair UG offers was correlated with SCR, in the AD but not in the control group. This finding suggests that deciding to accept or reject unfair UG offers is influenced by arousal-affective activity in AD, but not in controls. Heightened emotional reactivity may have driven AD to punish the proposer rather than acting as a rational economic agent. An implication of present findings is that AD might have difficult to cope with unfair situations triggered by social interactions. Future studies are needed in order to examine whether-emotional and behavioral-reactivity to unfairness during the UG could impact alcohol consumption and relapse in AD.

Feature-based Morphometry

PubMed Central

Toews, Matthew; Wells, William M.; Collins, Louis; Arbel, Tal

2013-01-01

This paper presents feature-based morphometry (FBM), a new, fully data-driven technique for identifying group-related differences in volumetric imagery. In contrast to most morphometry methods which assume one-to-one correspondence between all subjects, FBM models images as a collage of distinct, localized image features which may not be present in all subjects. FBM thus explicitly accounts for the case where the same anatomical tissue cannot be reliably identified in all subjects due to disease or anatomical variability. A probabilistic model describes features in terms of their appearance, geometry, and relationship to sub-groups of a population, and is automatically learned from a set of subject images and group labels. Features identified indicate group-related anatomical structure that can potentially be used as disease biomarkers or as a basis for computer-aided diagnosis. Scale-invariant image features are used, which reflect generic, salient patterns in the image. Experiments validate FBM clinically in the analysis of normal (NC) and Alzheimer’s (AD) brain images using the freely available OASIS database. FBM automatically identifies known structural differences between NC and AD subjects in a fully data-driven fashion, and obtains an equal error classification rate of 0.78 on new subjects. PMID:20426102

Particle force model effects in a shock-driven multiphase instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black, W. J.; Denissen, N.; McFarland, J. A.

2018-05-01

This work presents simulations on a shock-driven multiphase instability (SDMI) at an initial particle volume fraction of 1% with the addition of a suite of particle force models applicable in dense flows. These models include pressure-gradient, added-mass, and interparticle force terms in an effort to capture the effects neighboring particles have in non-dilute flow regimes. Two studies are presented here: the first seeks to investigate the individual contributions of the force models, while the second study focuses on examining the effect of these force models on the hydrodynamic evolution of a SDMI with various particle relaxation times (particle sizes). In the force study, it was found that the pressure gradient and interparticle forces have little effect on the instability under the conditions examined, while the added-mass force decreases the vorticity deposition and alters the morphology of the instability. The relaxation-time study likewise showed a decrease in metrics associated with the evolution of the SDMI for all sizes when the particle force models were included. The inclusion of these models showed significant morphological differences in both the particle and carrier species fields, which increased as particle relaxation times increased.

Heating and thermal squeezing in parametrically driven oscillators with added noise.

PubMed

Batista, Adriano A

2012-11-01

In this paper we report a theoretical model based on Green's functions, Floquet theory, and averaging techniques up to second order that describes the dynamics of parametrically driven oscillators with added thermal noise. Quantitative estimates for heating and quadrature thermal noise squeezing near and below the transition line of the first parametric instability zone of the oscillator are given. Furthermore, we give an intuitive explanation as to why heating and thermal squeezing occur. For small amplitudes of the parametric pump the Floquet multipliers are complex conjugate of each other with a constant magnitude. As the pump amplitude is increased past a threshold value in the stable zone near the first parametric instability, the two Floquet multipliers become real and have different magnitudes. This creates two different effective dissipation rates (one smaller and the other larger than the real dissipation rate) along the stable manifolds of the first-return Poincaré map. We also show that the statistical average of the input power due to thermal noise is constant and independent of the pump amplitude and frequency. The combination of these effects causes most of heating and thermal squeezing. Very good agreement between analytical and numerical estimates of the thermal fluctuations is achieved.

Modeling Well Sampled Composite Spectral Energy Distributions of Distant Galaxies via an MCMC-driven Inference Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasha, Imad; Kriek, Mariska; Johnson, Benjamin; Conroy, Charlie

2018-01-01

Using a novel, MCMC-driven inference framework, we have modeled the stellar and dust emission of 32 composite spectral energy distributions (SEDs), which span from the near-ultraviolet (NUV) to far infrared (FIR). The composite SEDs were originally constructed in a previous work from the photometric catalogs of the NEWFIRM Medium-Band Survey, in which SEDs of individual galaxies at 0.5 < z < 2.0 were iteratively matched and sorted into types based on their rest-frame UV-to-NIR photometry. In a subsequent work, MIPS 24 μm was added for each SED type, and in this work, PACS 100 μm, PACS160 μm, SPIRE 25 μm, and SPIRE 350 μm photometry have been added to extend the range of the composite SEDs into the FIR. We fit the composite SEDs with the Prospector code, which utilizes an MCMC sampling to explore the parameter space for models created by the Flexible Stellar Population Synthesis (FSPS) code, in order to investigate how specific star formation rate (sSFR), dust temperature, and other galaxy properties vary with SED type.This work is also being used to better constrain the SPS models within FSPS.

Chaotic He-Ne laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuusela, Tom A.

2017-09-01

A He-Ne laser is an example of a class A laser, which can be described by a single nonlinear differential equation of the complex electric field. This laser system has only one degree of freedom and is thus inherently stable. A He-Ne laser can be driven to the chaotic condition when a large fraction of the output beam is injected back to the laser. In practice, this can be done simply by adding an external mirror. In this situation, the laser system has infinite degrees of freedom and therefore it can have a chaotic attractor. We show the fundamental laser equations and perform elementary stability analysis. In experiments, the laser intensity variations are measured by a simple photodiode circuit. The laser output intensity time series is studied using nonlinear analysis tools which can be found freely on the internet. The results show that the laser system with feedback has an attractor of a reasonably high dimension and that the maximal Lyapunov exponent is positive, which is clear evidence of chaotic behaviour. The experimental setup and analysis steps are so simple that the studies can even be implemented in the undergraduate physics laboratory.

Topological gaps without masses in driven graphene-like systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iadecola, Thomas; Neupert, Titus; Chamon, Claudio

2014-03-01

We illustrate the possibility of realizing band gaps in graphene-like systems that fall outside the existing classification of gapped Dirac Hamiltonians in terms of masses. As our primary example we consider a band gap arising due to time-dependent distortions of the honeycomb lattice. By means of an exact, invertible, and transport-preserving mapping to a time-independent Hamiltonian, we show that the system exhibits Chern-insulating phases with quantized Hall conductivities +/-e2 / h . The chirality of the corresponding gapless edge modes is controllable by both the frequency of the driving and the manner in which sublattice symmetry is broken by the dynamical lattice modulations. We demonstrate that, while these phases are in the same topological sector as the Haldane model, they are nevertheless separated from the latter by a gap-closing transition unless an extra parameter is added to the Hamiltonian. Finally, we discuss a promising possible realization of this physics in photonic lattices. This work is supported in part by DOE Grant DEF-06ER46316 (T.I. and C.C.).

Optimal protocols for slowly driven quantum systems.

PubMed

Zulkowski, Patrick R; DeWeese, Michael R

2015-09-01

The design of efficient quantum information processing will rely on optimal nonequilibrium transitions of driven quantum systems. Building on a recently developed geometric framework for computing optimal protocols for classical systems driven in finite time, we construct a general framework for optimizing the average information entropy for driven quantum systems. Geodesics on the parameter manifold endowed with a positive semidefinite metric correspond to protocols that minimize the average information entropy production in finite time. We use this framework to explicitly compute the optimal entropy production for a simple two-state quantum system coupled to a heat bath of bosonic oscillators, which has applications to quantum annealing.

Evaluation of regional climate simulations for air quality modelling purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menut, Laurent; Tripathi, Om P.; Colette, Augustin; Vautard, Robert; Flaounas, Emmanouil; Bessagnet, Bertrand

2013-05-01

In order to evaluate the future potential benefits of emission regulation on regional air quality, while taking into account the effects of climate change, off-line air quality projection simulations are driven using weather forcing taken from regional climate models. These regional models are themselves driven by simulations carried out using global climate models (GCM) and economical scenarios. Uncertainties and biases in climate models introduce an additional "climate modeling" source of uncertainty that is to be added to all other types of uncertainties in air quality modeling for policy evaluation. In this article we evaluate the changes in air quality-related weather variables induced by replacing reanalyses-forced by GCM-forced regional climate simulations. As an example we use GCM simulations carried out in the framework of the ERA-interim programme and of the CMIP5 project using the Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace climate model (IPSLcm), driving regional simulations performed in the framework of the EURO-CORDEX programme. In summer, we found compensating deficiencies acting on photochemistry: an overestimation by GCM-driven weather due to a positive bias in short-wave radiation, a negative bias in wind speed, too many stagnant episodes, and a negative temperature bias. In winter, air quality is mostly driven by dispersion, and we could not identify significant differences in either wind or planetary boundary layer height statistics between GCM-driven and reanalyses-driven regional simulations. However, precipitation appears largely overestimated in GCM-driven simulations, which could significantly affect the simulation of aerosol concentrations. The identification of these biases will help interpreting results of future air quality simulations using these data. Despite these, we conclude that the identified differences should not lead to major difficulties in using GCM-driven regional climate simulations for air quality projections.

Characteristics of spondylotic myelopathy on 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo and 2D fast spin echo magnetic resonance imaging: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Abdulhadi, Mike A; Perno, Joseph R; Melhem, Elias R; Nucifora, Paolo G P

2014-01-01

In patients with spinal stenosis, magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine can be improved by using 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences to provide a high-resolution assessment of osseous and ligamentous structures. However, it is not yet clear whether 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences adequately evaluate the spinal cord itself. As a result, they are generally supplemented by additional 2D fast spin echo sequences, adding time to the examination and potential discomfort to the patient. Here we investigate the hypothesis that in patients with spinal stenosis and spondylotic myelopathy, 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences can characterize cord lesions equally well as 2D fast spin echo sequences. We performed a retrospective analysis of 30 adult patients with spondylotic myelopathy who had been examined with both 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences and 2D fast spin echo sequences at the same scanning session. The two sequences were inspected separately for each patient, and visible cord lesions were manually traced. We found no significant differences between 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo and 2D fast spin echo sequences in the mean number, mean area, or mean transverse dimensions of spondylotic cord lesions. Nevertheless, the mean contrast-to-noise ratio of cord lesions was decreased on 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences compared to 2D fast spin echo sequences. These findings suggest that 3D driven-equilibrium fast spin echo sequences do not need supplemental 2D fast spin echo sequences for the diagnosis of spondylotic myelopathy, but they may be less well suited for quantitative signal measurements in the spinal cord.

HOW DOES ADDING AND REMOVING LIQUID FROM SOCKET BLADDERS AFFECT RESIDUAL LIMB FLUID VOLUME?

PubMed Central

Sanders, JE; Cagle, JC; Harrison, DS; Myers, TR; Allyn, KJ

2015-01-01

Adding and removing liquid from socket bladders is a means for people with limb loss to accommodate residual limb volume change. Nineteen people with trans-tibial amputation using their regular prosthetic socket fitted with fluid bladders on the inside socket surface underwent cycles of bladder liquid addition and removal. In each cycle, subjects sat, stood, and walked for 90s with bladder liquid added and then sat, stood, and walking for 90s again with the bladder liquid removed. The amount of bladder liquid added was increased in each cycle. Bioimpedance analysis was implemented to measure residual limb fluid volume. Results showed that the preferred bladder liquid volume was 16.8 mL (s.d.8.4), corresponding to 1.7% (s.d.0.8%) of the average socket volume between the bioimpedance voltage-sensing electrodes. Limb fluid volume driven out of the residual limb when bladder liquid was added was typically not recovered upon subsequent bladder liquid removal. Fifteen of nineteen subjects experienced a gradual limb fluid volume loss over the test session. Care should be taken when implementing adjustable socket technologies in people with limb amputation. Reducing socket volume may accentuate limb fluid volume loss. PMID:24203546

Balancing mechanical strength with bioactivity in chitosan-calcium phosphate 3D microsphere scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: air- vs. freeze-drying processes.

PubMed

Nguyen, D T; McCanless, J D; Mecwan, M M; Noblett, A P; Haggard, W O; Smith, R A; Bumgardner, J D

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential benefit of 3D composite scaffolds composed of chitosan and calcium phosphate for bone tissue engineering. Additionally, incorporation of mechanically weak lyophilized microspheres within those air-dried (AD) was considered for enhanced bioactivity. AD microsphere, alone, and air- and freeze-dried microsphere (FDAD) 3D scaffolds were evaluated in vitro using a 28-day osteogenic culture model with the Saos-2 cell line. Mechanical testing, quantitative microscopy, and lysozyme-driven enzymatic degradation of the scaffolds were also studied. FDAD scaffold showed a higher concentration (p < 0.01) in cells per scaffold mass vs. AD constructs. Collagen was ∼31% greater (p < 0.01) on FDAD compared to AD scaffolds not evident in microscopy of microsphere surfaces. Alternatively, AD scaffolds demonstrated a superior threefold increase in compressive strength over FDAD (12 vs. 4 MPa) with minimal degradation. Inclusion of FD spheres within the FDAD scaffolds allowed increased cellular activity through improved seeding, proliferation, and extracellular matrix production (as collagen), although mechanical strength was sacrificed through introduction of the less stiff, porous FD spheres.

Effects of climate change on the delivery of soil-mediated ecosystem services within the primary sector in temperate ecosystems: a review and New Zealand case study.

PubMed

Orwin, Kate H; Stevenson, Bryan A; Smaill, Simeon J; Kirschbaum, Miko U F; Dickie, Ian A; Clothier, Brent E; Garrett, Loretta G; van der Weerden, Tony J; Beare, Michael H; Curtin, Denis; de Klein, Cecile A M; Dodd, Michael B; Gentile, Roberta; Hedley, Carolyn; Mullan, Brett; Shepherd, Mark; Wakelin, Steven A; Bell, Nigel; Bowatte, Saman; Davis, Murray R; Dominati, Estelle; O'Callaghan, Maureen; Parfitt, Roger L; Thomas, Steve M

2015-08-01

Future human well-being under climate change depends on the ongoing delivery of food, fibre and wood from the land-based primary sector. The ability to deliver these provisioning services depends on soil-based ecosystem services (e.g. carbon, nutrient and water cycling and storage), yet we lack an in-depth understanding of the likely response of soil-based ecosystem services to climate change. We review the current knowledge on this topic for temperate ecosystems, focusing on mechanisms that are likely to underpin differences in climate change responses between four primary sector systems: cropping, intensive grazing, extensive grazing and plantation forestry. We then illustrate how our findings can be applied to assess service delivery under climate change in a specific region, using New Zealand as an example system. Differences in the climate change responses of carbon and nutrient-related services between systems will largely be driven by whether they are reliant on externally added or internally cycled nutrients, the extent to which plant communities could influence responses, and variation in vulnerability to erosion. The ability of soils to regulate water under climate change will mostly be driven by changes in rainfall, but can be influenced by different primary sector systems' vulnerability to soil water repellency and differences in evapotranspiration rates. These changes in regulating services resulted in different potentials for increased biomass production across systems, with intensively managed systems being the most likely to benefit from climate change. Quantitative prediction of net effects of climate change on soil ecosystem services remains a challenge, in part due to knowledge gaps, but also due to the complex interactions between different aspects of climate change. Despite this challenge, it is critical to gain the information required to make such predictions as robust as possible given the fundamental role of soils in supporting human well-being. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Customer-Driven Reliability Models for Multistate Coherent Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

AENCYUSEONLY(Leae bank)2. RPO- COVERED 1 11992DISSERTATION 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Customer -Driven Reliability Models For Multistate Coherent...UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE CUSTOMER -DRIVEN RELIABILITY MODELS FOR MULTISTATE COHERENT SYSTEMS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY...BOEDIGHEIMER I Norman, Oklahoma Distribution/ Av~ilability Codes 1992 A vil andior Dist Special CUSTOMER -DRIVEN RELIABILITY MODELS FOR MULTISTATE

Shock propagation in locally driven granular systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joy, Jilmy P.; Pathak, Sudhir N.; Das, Dibyendu; Rajesh, R.

2017-09-01

We study shock propagation in a system of initially stationary hard spheres that is driven by a continuous injection of particles at the origin. The disturbance created by the injection of energy spreads radially outward through collisions between particles. Using scaling arguments, we determine the exponent characterizing the power-law growth of this disturbance in all dimensions. The scaling functions describing the various physical quantities are determined using large-scale event-driven simulations in two and three dimensions for both elastic and inelastic systems. The results are shown to describe well the data from two different experiments on granular systems that are similarly driven.

Shock propagation in locally driven granular systems.

PubMed

Joy, Jilmy P; Pathak, Sudhir N; Das, Dibyendu; Rajesh, R

2017-09-01

We study shock propagation in a system of initially stationary hard spheres that is driven by a continuous injection of particles at the origin. The disturbance created by the injection of energy spreads radially outward through collisions between particles. Using scaling arguments, we determine the exponent characterizing the power-law growth of this disturbance in all dimensions. The scaling functions describing the various physical quantities are determined using large-scale event-driven simulations in two and three dimensions for both elastic and inelastic systems. The results are shown to describe well the data from two different experiments on granular systems that are similarly driven.

Evaluation of lightning accommodation systems for wind-driven turbine rotors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bankaitis, H.

1982-01-01

Wind-driven turbine generators are being evaluated as an alternative source of electric energy. Areas of favorable location for the wind-driven turbines (high wind density) coincide with areas of high incidence of thunderstorm activity. These locations, coupled with the 30-m or larger diameter rotor blades, make the wind-driven turbine blades probable terminations for lightning strikes. Several candidate systems of lightning accommodation for composite-structural-material blades were designed and their effectiveness evaluated by submitting the systems to simulated lightning strikes. The test data were analyzed and system design were reviewed on the basis of the analysis.

Flow control using audio tones in resonant microfluidic networks: towards cell-phone controlled lab-on-a-chip devices.

PubMed

Phillips, Reid H; Jain, Rahil; Browning, Yoni; Shah, Rachana; Kauffman, Peter; Dinh, Doan; Lutz, Barry R

2016-08-16

Fluid control remains a challenge in development of portable lab-on-a-chip devices. Here, we show that microfluidic networks driven by single-frequency audio tones create resonant oscillating flow that is predicted by equivalent electrical circuit models. We fabricated microfluidic devices with fluidic resistors (R), inductors (L), and capacitors (C) to create RLC networks with band-pass resonance in the audible frequency range available on portable audio devices. Microfluidic devices were fabricated from laser-cut adhesive plastic, and a "buzzer" was glued to a diaphragm (capacitor) to integrate the actuator on the device. The AC flowrate magnitude was measured by imaging oscillation of bead tracers to allow direct comparison to the RLC circuit model across the frequency range. We present a systematic build-up from single-channel systems to multi-channel (3-channel) networks, and show that RLC circuit models predict complex frequency-dependent interactions within multi-channel networks. Finally, we show that adding flow rectifying valves to the network creates pumps that can be driven by amplified and non-amplified audio tones from common audio devices (iPod and iPhone). This work shows that RLC circuit models predict resonant flow responses in multi-channel fluidic networks as a step towards microfluidic devices controlled by audio tones.

Hourly runoff forecasting for flood risk management: Application of various computational intelligence models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badrzadeh, Honey; Sarukkalige, Ranjan; Jayawardena, A. W.

2015-10-01

Reliable river flow forecasts play a key role in flood risk mitigation. Among different approaches of river flow forecasting, data driven approaches have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their minimum information requirements and ability to simulate nonlinear and non-stationary characteristics of hydrological processes. In this study, attempts are made to apply four different types of data driven approaches, namely traditional artificial neural networks (ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS), wavelet neural networks (WNN), and, hybrid ANFIS with multi resolution analysis using wavelets (WNF). Developed models applied for real time flood forecasting at Casino station on Richmond River, Australia which is highly prone to flooding. Hourly rainfall and runoff data were used to drive the models which have been used for forecasting with 1, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h lead-time. The performance of models further improved by adding an upstream river flow data (Wiangaree station), as another effective input. All models perform satisfactorily up to 12 h lead-time. However, the hybrid wavelet-based models significantly outperforming the ANFIS and ANN models in the longer lead-time forecasting. The results confirm the robustness of the proposed structure of the hybrid models for real time runoff forecasting in the study area.

Periphyton Biofilms Influence Net Methylmercury Production in an Industrially Contaminated System.

PubMed

Olsen, Todd A; Brandt, Craig C; Brooks, Scott C

2016-10-18

Mercury (Hg) methylation and methylmercury (MMHg) demethylation activity of periphyton biofilms from the industrially contaminated East Fork Poplar Creek, Tennessee (EFPC) were measured during 2014-2016 using stable Hg isotopic rate assays. 201 Hg II and MM 202 Hg were added to intact periphyton samples in ambient streamwater and the formation of MM 201 Hg and loss of MM 202 Hg were monitored over time and used to calculate first-order rate potentials for methylation and demethylation. The influences of location, temperature/season, light exposure and biofilm structure on methylation and demethylation potentials were examined. Between-site differences in net methylation for samples collected from an upstream versus downstream location were driven by differences in the demethylation rate potential (k d ). In contrast, the within-site temperature-dependent difference in net methylation was driven by changes in the methylation rate potential (k m ). Samples incubated in the dark had lower net methylation due to lower k m values than those incubated in the light. Disrupting the biofilm structure decreased k m and resulted in lower net methylation. Overall, the measured rates resulted in a net excess of MMHg generated which could account for 3.71-7.88 mg d -1 MMHg flux in EFPC and suggests intact, actively photosynthesizing periphyton biofilms harbor zones of MMHg production.

Periphyton biofilms influence net methylmercury production in an industrially contaminated system

DOE PAGES

Olsen, Todd Andrew; Brandt, Craig C.; Brooks, Scott C.

2016-09-12

Mercury (Hg) methylation and methylmercury (MMHg) demethylation activity of periphyton biofilms from East Fork Poplar Creek, Tennessee, USA (EFPC) were measured during 2014-2015 using stable Hg isotopic rate assays. 201Hg II and MM 202Hg were added to intact periphyton samples and the formation of MM 201Hg and loss of MM 202Hg were monitored over time and used to calculate first-order rate constants for methylation and demethylation, respectively. The influence of location, temperature/season, light exposure and biofilm structure on methylation and demethylation were examined. Between-site differences in net methylation for samples collected from an upstream versus downstream location were driven bymore » differences in the demethylation rate constant (k d). In contrast, the within-site seasonal difference in net methylation was driven by changes in the methylation rate constant (k m). Samples incubated in the dark had lower net methylation due to km values that were 60% less than those incubated in the light. Disrupting the biofilm structure decreased km by 50% and resulted in net demethylating conditions. Overall, the measured rates resulted in a net excess of MMHg generated which could account for 27-85% of the MMHg flux in EFPC and suggests intact, actively photosynthesizing periphyton biofilms harbor zones of MMHg production.« less

Visualising landscape evolution: the effects of resolution on soil redistribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoorl, Jeroen M.; Claessens, Lieven; (A) Veldkamp, Tom

2017-04-01

Landscape forming processes such as erosion by water, land sliding by water and gravity or ploughing by gravity, are closely related to resolution and land use changes. These processes may be controlled and influenced by multiple bio-physical and socio-economic driving factors, resulting in a complex multi-scale system. Consequently, land use changes should not be analysed in isolation without accounting for both on-site and off-site effects of these landscape processes in landscapes where water driven and or gravity driven processes are very active,. Especially the visualisation of these on- and off-site effects as a movie of evolving time series and changes is a potential valuable possibility in DEM modelling approaches. To investigate the interactions between land use, land use change, resolution of DEMs and landscape processes, a case study for the Álora region in southern Spain will presented, mainly as movies of modelling time-series, Starting from a baseline scenario of land use change, different levels of resolutions, interactions and feedbacks are added to the coupled LAPSUS model framework: Quantities and spatial patterns of both land use change and soil redistribution are compared between the baseline scenario without interactions and with each of the interaction mechanisms implemented consecutively. All as a function of spatial resolution. Keywords: LAPSUS; land use change; soil erosion, movie;

Development of spontaneous magnetism and half-metallicity in monolayer MoS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Altaf Ur; Rahman, Gul; García-Suárez, Víctor M.

2017-12-01

Half-metallic behavior and ferromagnetism are predicted in strained MoS2 with different light elements adsorbed using density functional theory. We find that strain increases the density of states at the Fermi energy for Y doping (Y = H, Li, and F) at the S sites and strain-driven magnetism develops in agreement with the Stoner mean field model. Strain-driven magnetism requires less strain (∼3%) for H doping as compared with F and Li doping. No saturation of the spin-magnetic moment is observed in Li-doped MoS2 due to less charge transfer from the Mo d electrons and the added atoms do not significantly increase the Spin-orbit coupling. Half-metallic ferromagnetism is predicted in H and F-doped MoS2. Fixed magnetic moments calculations are also performed, and the DFT computed data is fitted with the Landau mean field theory to investigate the emergence of spontaneous magnetism in Y-doped MoS2. We predict spontaneous magnetism in systems with large (small) mag netic moments for H/F (Li) atoms. The large (small) magnetic moments are atttributed to the electronegativity difference between S and Y atoms. These results suggest that H and F adsorbed monolayer MoS2 is a good candidate for spin-based electronic devices.

The LTX- β Research Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeski, R.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.; Hughes, P. E.; Kaita, R.; Kozub, T.; Merino, E.; Zhang, X.; Biewer, T. M.; Canik, J. M.; Elliott, D. B.; Reinke, M. L.; Bialek, J.; Hansen, C.; Jarboe, T.; Kubota, S.; Rhodes, T.; Dorf, M. A.; Rognlien, T.; Scotti, F.; Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Koel, B. E.; Donovan, D.; Maan, A.

2017-10-01

LTX- β, the upgrade to the Lithium Tokamak Experiment, approximately doubles the toroidal field (to 3.4 kG) and plasma current (to 150 - 175 kA) of LTX. Neutral beam injection at 20 kV, 30 A will be added in February 2018, with systems provided by Tri-Alpha Energy. A 9.3 GHz, 100 kW, short-pulse (5-10 msec) source will be available in summer 2018 for electron Bernstein wave heating. New lithium evaporation sources will allow between-shots recoating of the walls. Upgrades to the diagnostic set are intended to strengthen the research program in the critical areas of equilibrium, core transport, scrape-off layer physics, and plasma-material interactions. The LTX- β research program will combine the capability for gradient-free temperature profiles, to stabilize ion and electron temperature gradient-driven modes, with approaches to stabilization of ∇n-driven modes, such as the trapped electron mode (TEM). Candidate stabilization mechanisms for the TEM include sheared flow stabilization, which can be tested on LTX- β. The goal will be to minimize anomalous transport in a low aspect ratio tokamak, which would lead to a very compact, tokamak-based fusion core. This work supported by US DOE contracts DE-AC02-09CH11466 and DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Severity-Related Increase and Cognitive Correlates of Serum VEGF Levels in Alzheimer's Disease ApoE4 Carriers.

PubMed

Alvarez, X Anton; Alvarez, Irene; Aleixandre, Manuel; Linares, Carlos; Muresanu, Dafin; Winter, Stefan; Moessler, Herbert

2018-01-01

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angioneurin involved in the regulation of vascular and neural functions relevant for the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the influence of AD severity and ApoE4 status on circulating VEGF and its relationship with cognition has not been investigated. We assessed serum VEGF levels and cognitive performance in AD, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and control subjects. VEGF levels were higher in AD patients than in MCI cases and controls (p < 0.05) and showed a progressive increase with clinical severity in the whole study population (p < 0.01). Among AD patients, severity-related VEGF elevations were significant in ApoE4 carriers (p < 0.05), but not in non-carriers. Increased VEGF levels were associated with disease severity and showed mild correlations with cognitive impairment that were only consistent for the ADAS-cog+ items remembering test instructions (memory) and maze task (executive functions) in the group of AD patients (p < 0.05). On the other hand, higher VEGF values were related to better memory and language performance in ApoE4 carriers with moderately-severe AD. According to these results showing severity- and ApoE4-related differences in serum VEGF and its cognitive correlates, it is suggested that increases in VEGF levels might represent an endogenous response driven by pathological factors and could entail cognitive benefits in AD patients, particularly in ApoE4 carriers. Our findings support the notion that VEGF constitutes a relevant molecular target to be further explored in AD pathology and therapy.

Integrated Display and Simulation for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and Traffic Collision Avoidance System Data Fusion.

PubMed

Wang, Yanran; Xiao, Gang; Dai, Zhouyun

2017-11-13

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is the direction of airspace surveillance development. Research analyzing the benefits of Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and ADS-B data fusion is almost absent. The paper proposes an ADS-B minimum system from ADS-B In and ADS-B Out. In ADS-B In, a fusion model with a variable sampling Variational Bayesian-Interacting Multiple Model (VSVB-IMM) algorithm is proposed for integrated display and an airspace traffic situation display is developed by using ADS-B information. ADS-B Out includes ADS-B Out transmission based on a simulator platform and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platform. This paper describes the overall implementation of ADS-B minimum system, including theoretical model design, experimental simulation verification, engineering implementation, results analysis, etc. Simulation and implementation results show that the fused system has better performance than each independent subsystem and it can work well in engineering applications.

Global stabilisation of a class of generalised cascaded systems by homogeneous method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Shihong; Zheng, Wei Xing

2016-04-01

This paper considers the problem of global stabilisation of a class of generalised cascaded systems. By using the extended adding a power integrator technique, a global controller is first constructed for the driving subsystem. Then based on the homogeneous properties and polynomial assumption, it is shown that the stabilisation of the driving subsystem implies the stabilisation of the overall cascaded system. Meanwhile, by properly choosing some control parameters, the global finite-time stability of the closed-loop cascaded system is also established. The proposed control method has several new features. First, the nonlinear cascaded systems considered in the paper are more general than the conventional ones, since the powers in the nominal part of the driving subsystem are not required to be restricted to ratios of positive odd numbers. Second, the proposed method has some flexible parameters which provide the possibility for designing continuously differentiable controllers for cascaded systems, while the existing designed controllers for such kind of cascaded systems are only continuous. Third, the homogenous and polynomial conditions adopted for the driven subsystem are easier to verify when compared with the matching conditions that are widely used previously. Furthermore, the efficiency of the proposed control method is validated by its application to finite-time tracking control of non-holonomic wheeled mobile robot.

Challenges in Achieving Trajectory-Based Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cate, Karen Tung

2012-01-01

In the past few years much of the global ATM research community has proposed advanced systems based on Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO). The concept of TBO uses four-dimensional aircraft trajectories as the base information for managing safety and capacity. Both the US and European advanced ATM programs call for the sharing of trajectory data across different decision support tools for successful operations. However, the actual integration of TBO systems presents many challenges. Trajectory predictors are built to meet the specific needs of a particular system and are not always compatible with others. Two case studies are presented which examine the challenges of introducing a new concept into two legacy systems in regards to their trajectory prediction software. The first case describes the issues with integrating a new decision support tool with a legacy operational system which overlap in domain space. These tools perform similar functions but are driven by different requirements. The difference in the resulting trajectories can lead to conflicting advisories. The second case looks at integrating this same new tool with a legacy system originally developed as an integrated system, but diverged many years ago. Both cases illustrate how the lack of common architecture concepts for the trajectory predictors added cost and complexity to the integration efforts.

Acclimatization in first-time hearing aid users using three different fitting protocols.

PubMed

Reber, Monika Bertges; Kompis, Martin

2005-12-01

To study auditory acclimatization and outcome in first time hearing aid users fitted with state of the art hearing aids as a function of different hearing aid fitting protocols. Twenty-eight adult subjects participated in the study. Each subject was assigned to one of three study groups (named audiologist driven, AD; patient driven, PD; set-to-target, STT according to the fitting protocol used) and fitted with digital hearing aids (Bernafon Symbio). Speech recognition scores were measured in aided and unaided conditions over a 6-month period. Five subjects (three from the PD-group, two from the STT group) decided to withdraw from the study during the 6-month-study period, leaving a total of 23 complete data sets for analysis. Aided speech understanding increased significantly over this time period in all three groups. However, average hearing aid insertion gain changes were small over the same period. There were no statistically significant differences in aided or unaided speech recognition scores between the three groups after 2 weeks or after 6 months. On average, twice as many fine tunings of the hearing aids were requested by the patients in the AD and the STT group than in the PD group and subjects in the AD and STT group used their hearing aids approximately twice as much as subjects in the PD group. The substantial increase in speech intelligibility without significant changes of the insertion gain of the hearing aids over a 6-month period in all three groups suggests a significant acclimatization effect. Although the speech recognition with hearing aids did not differ significantly among the three study groups after 6 months, the lower average wearing time and the higher number of withdrawals from the study in the PD group suggest that the patients' needs are not adequately met. In terms of aided speech recognition scores and hearing aid wearing time the STT group and the AD group were very similar. However, comments of the patients and the higher rate of withdrawals in the STT group suggest an over-all advantage for the AD fitting protocol.

Convergence of service, policy, and science toward consumer-driven mental health care.

PubMed

Carroll, Christopher D; Manderscheid, Ronald W; Daniels, Allen S; Compagni, Amelia

2006-12-01

A common theme is emerging in sentinel reports on the United States health care system. Consumer relevance and demands on service systems and practices are influencing how mental health care is delivered and how systems will be shaped in the future. The present report seeks to assemble a confluence of consumer-driven themes from noteworthy reports on the state of the mental health system in the U.S. It also explores innovative efforts, promising practices, collaborative efforts, as well as identification of barriers to consumer-directed care, with possible solutions. The report reviews the relevant public mental health policy and data used in published work. The findings indicate an increasing public and private interest in promoting consumer-driven care, even though historical systems of care predominate, and often create, barriers to wide-spread redesign of a consumer-centered mental health care system. Innovative consumer-driven practices are increasing as quality, choice, and self-determination become integral parts of a redesigned U.S. mental health care system. The use of consumer-driven approaches in mental health is limited at best. These programs challenge industry norms and traditional practices. Limitations include the need for additional and thorough evaluations of effectiveness (cost and clinical) and replicability of consumer-directed programs. Consumer-driven services indicate that mental health consumers are expecting to be more participative in their mental health care. This expectation will influence how traditional mental health services and providers become more consumer-centric and meet the demand. Public and private interest in consumer-driven health care range from creating cost-conscious consumers to individualized control of recovery. The health care sector should seek to invest more resources in the provision of consumer-driven health care programs. The results of this study have implications and are informative for other countries where consumer-directed care is delivered in either the private or public health care systems. More research is needed to obtain further evidence on the use of consumer-driven services and their overall effectiveness.

Depletion of coagulation factor XII ameliorates brain pathology and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease mice.

PubMed

Chen, Zu-Lin; Revenko, Alexey S; Singh, Pradeep; MacLeod, A Robert; Norris, Erin H; Strickland, Sidney

2017-05-04

Vascular abnormalities and inflammation are found in many Alzheimer disease (AD) patients, but whether these changes play a causative role in AD is not clear. The factor XII (FXII) -initiated contact system can trigger both vascular pathology and inflammation and is activated in AD patients and AD mice. We have investigated the role of the contact system in AD pathogenesis. Cleavage of high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK), a marker for activation of the inflammatory arm of the contact system, is increased in a mouse model of AD, and this cleavage is temporally correlated with the onset of brain inflammation. Depletion of FXII in AD mice inhibited HK cleavage in plasma and reduced neuroinflammation, fibrinogen deposition, and neurodegeneration in the brain. Moreover, FXII-depleted AD mice showed better cognitive function than untreated AD mice. These results indicate that FXII-mediated contact system activation contributes to AD pathogenesis, and therefore this system may offer novel targets for AD treatment. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

Medical Isotope Production Analyses In KIPT Neutron Source Facility

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

Talamo, Alberto; Gohar, Yousry

Medical isotope production analyses in Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) neutron source facility were performed to include the details of the irradiation cassette and the self-shielding effect. An updated detailed model of the facility was used for the analyses. The facility consists of an accelerator-driven system (ADS), which has a subcritical assembly using low-enriched uranium fuel elements with a beryllium-graphite reflector. The beryllium assemblies of the reflector have the same outer geometry as the fuel elements, which permits loading the subcritical assembly with different number of fuel elements without impacting the reflector performance. The subcritical assembly is drivenmore » by an external neutron source generated from the interaction of 100-kW electron beam with a tungsten target. The facility construction was completed at the end of 2015, and it is planned to start the operation during the year of 2016. It is the first ADS in the world, which has a coolant system for removing the generated fission power. Argonne National Laboratory has developed the design concept and performed extensive design analyses for the facility including its utilization for the production of different radioactive medical isotopes. 99Mo is the parent isotope of 99mTc, which is the most commonly used medical radioactive isotope. Detailed analyses were performed to define the optimal sample irradiation location and the generated activity, for several radioactive medical isotopes, as a function of the irradiation time.« less

Nonlinear optimal control policies for buoyancy-driven flows in the built environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabi, Saleh; Grover, Piyush; Caulfield, Colm

2017-11-01

We consider optimal control of turbulent buoyancy-driven flows in the built environment, focusing on a model test case of displacement ventilation with a time-varying heat source. The flow is modeled using the unsteady Reynolds-averaged equations (URANS). To understand the stratification dynamics better, we derive a low-order partial-mixing ODE model extending the buoyancy-driven emptying filling box problem to the case of where both the heat source and the (controlled) inlet flow are time-varying. In the limit of a single step-change in the heat source strength, our model is consistent with that of Bower et al.. Our model considers the dynamics of both `filling' and `intruding' added layers due to a time-varying source and inlet flow. A nonlinear direct-adjoint-looping optimal control formulation yields time-varying values of temperature and velocity of the inlet flow that lead to `optimal' time-averaged temperature relative to appropriate objective functionals in a region of interest.

Can data-driven benchmarks be used to set the goals of healthy people 2010?

PubMed Central

Allison, J; Kiefe, C I; Weissman, N W

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Expert panels determined the public health goals of Healthy People 2000 subjectively. The present study examined whether data-driven benchmarks provide a better alternative. METHODS: We developed the "pared-mean" method to define from data the best achievable health care practices. We calculated the pared-mean benchmark for screening mammography from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey, using the metropolitan statistical area as the "provider" unit. Beginning with the best-performing provider and adding providers in descending sequence, we established the minimum provider subset that included at least 10% of all women surveyed on this question. The pared-mean benchmark is then the proportion of women in this subset who received mammography. RESULTS: The pared-mean benchmark for screening mammography was 71%, compared with the Healthy People 2000 goal of 60%. CONCLUSIONS: For Healthy People 2010, benchmarks derived from data reflecting the best available care provide viable alternatives to consensus-derived targets. We are currently pursuing additional refinements to the data-driven pared-mean benchmark approach. PMID:9987466

Current and emerging topical therapies for atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Udkoff, Jeremy; Waldman, Andrea; Ahluwalia, Jusleen; Borok, Jenna; Eichenfield, Lawrence F

The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) involves epidermal barrier dysfunction and T helper cell type 2 (T h 2) lymphocyte-driven inflammation. Cytokines, such as interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-13, are important in this reaction. They stimulate B cells to produce immunoglobulin E, causing atopic disease. This process has been well characterized, and new therapies for AD, such as phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4) inhibitors, T h 2-expressed chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule antagonists, and Janus kinase inhibitors, work by antagonizing this cellular pathway. Recently, there have been many advances in treatment strategies and novel therapies for AD. This review summarizes the clinical evidence supporting the use of current and emerging topical treatments for AD, as well as their safety and efficacy profiles. Crisaborole, a novel PDE-4 inhibitor, is of particular note because phase III clinical trials were recently completed, as summarized here. It is prudent for dermatologists to be current with updates in the field because therapies are constantly changing. In addition to the academic interest, this results in improvement of patient care and advancement of the field. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Research on influence factor about the dynamic characteristic of armored vehicle hydraulic-driven fan system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Zhiqiang; Mao, Feiyue; Liu, Xiangbo; Li, Huaying; Han, Shousong

2017-01-01

In view of the large power of armored vehicle cooling system, the demand for high fan speed control and energy saving, this paper expounds the basic composition and principle of hydraulic-driven fan system and establishes the mathematical model of the system. Through the simulation analysis of different parameters, such as displacement of motor and working volume of fan system, the influences of performance parameters on the dynamic characteristic of hydraulic-driven fan system are obtained, which can provide theoretical guidance for system optimization design.

Deciphering human-climate interactions in an ombrotrophic peat record: REE, Nd and Pb isotope signatures of dust supplies over the last 2500 years (Misten bog, Belgium)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagel, N.; Allan, M.; Le Roux, G.; Mattielli, N.; Piotrowska, N.; Sikorski, J.

2014-06-01

A high-resolution peat record from Eastern Belgium reveals the chronology of dust deposition for the last 2500 years. REE and lithogenic elements in addition to Nd and Pb isotopes were measured in a 173 cm age-dated peat profile and provide a continuous chronology of dust source and intensity. Calculated dust flux show pronounced increases c. 300 BC, 600 AD, 1000 AD, 1200 AD and from 1700 AD, corresponding to local and regional human activities combined with climate change. The Industrial Revolution samples (1700-1950 AD) are characterised by a significant enrichment in Sc-normalised REE abundance (sum REE/Sc > 25) due to intensive coal combustion. For the pre-Industrial Revolution samples, the Sc-normalised REE abundance (10 < Sum REE/Sc < 25) and the εNd variability (-13 to -9) are interpreted by a mixing between dust particles from local soils and long-range transport of desert particles. Three periods characterised by dominant-distal sources (c. 320 AD, 1000 AD and 1700 AD) are consistent with local wetter-than-average intervals as indicated by a lower degree of peat humification. Local erosion prevails during the drier (higher humification) intervals (100 AD, 600 AD). On a global scale, more distal supplies are driven during colder periods, in particular during the Oort and Maunder minima, suggesting a potential link between dust deposition and global climate. Combining REE abundance, fractionation between Light REE and Heavy REE and Nd isotope data in ombrotrophic peat allows one to distinguish between dust flux changes related to human and climate forcings.

Atopic dermatitis: Interaction between genetic variants of GSTP1, TNF, TLR2, and TLR4 and air pollution in early life.

PubMed

Hüls, Anke; Klümper, Claudia; MacIntyre, Elaina A; Brauer, Michael; Melén, Erik; Bauer, Mario; Berdel, Dietrich; Bergström, Anna; Brunekreef, Bert; Chan-Yeung, Moira; Fuertes, Elaine; Gehring, Ulrike; Gref, Anna; Heinrich, Joachim; Standl, Marie; Lehmann, Irina; Kerkhof, Marjan; Koppelman, Gerard H; Kozyrskyj, Anita L; Pershagen, Göran; Carlsten, Christopher; Krämer, Ursula; Schikowski, Tamara

2018-04-06

Associations between traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) remain inconsistent, possibly due to unexplored gene-environment interactions. The aim of this study was to examine whether a potential effect of TRAP on AD prevalence in children is modified by selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to oxidative stress and inflammation. Doctor-diagnosed AD up to age 2 years and at 7-8 years, as well as AD symptoms up to age 2 years, was assessed using parental-reported questionnaires in six birth cohorts (N = 5685). Associations of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) estimated at the home address of each child at birth and nine SNPs within the GSTP1, TNF, TLR2, or TLR4 genes with AD were examined. Weighted genetic risk scores (GRS) were calculated from the above SNPs and used to estimate combined marginal genetic effects of oxidative stress and inflammation on AD and its interaction with TRAP. GRS was associated with childhood AD and modified the association between NO 2 and doctor-diagnosed AD up to the age of 2 years (P(interaction) = .029). This interaction was mainly driven by a higher susceptibility to air pollution in TNF rs1800629 minor allele (A) carriers. TRAP was not associated with the prevalence of AD in the general population. The marginal genetic association of a weighted GRS from GSTP1, TNF, TLR2, and TLR4SNPs and its interaction with air pollution supports the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in AD. © 2018 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Holographic Floquet states I: a strongly coupled Weyl semimetal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Koji; Kinoshita, Shunichiro; Murata, Keiju; Oka, Takashi

2017-05-01

Floquet states can be realized in quantum systems driven by continuous time-periodic perturbations. It is known that a state known as the Floquet Weyl semimetal can be realized when free Dirac fermions are placed in a rotating electric field. What will happen if strong interaction is introduced to this system? Will the interaction wash out the characteristic features of Weyl semimetals such as the Hall response? Is there a steady state and what is its thermodynamic behavior? We answer these questions using AdS/CFT correspondence in the N = 2 supersymmetric massless QCD in a rotating electric field in the large N c limit realizing the first example of a "holographic Floquet state". In this limit, gluons not only mediate interaction, but also act as an energy reservoir and stabilize the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS). We obtain the electric current induced by a rotating electric field: in the high frequency region, the Ohm's law is satisfied, while we recover the DC nonlinear conductivity at low frequency, which was obtained holographically in a previous work. The thermodynamic properties of the NESS, e.g., fluctuation-dissipation relation, is characterized by the effective Hawking temperature that is defined from the effective horizon giving a holographic meaning to the "periodic thermodynamic" concept. In addition to the strong (pump) rotating electric field, we apply an additional weak (probe) electric field in the spirit of the pump-probe experiments done in condensed matter experiments. Weak DC and AC probe analysis in the background rotating electric field shows Hall currents as a linear response, therefore the Hall response of Floquet Weyl semimetals survives at the strong coupling limit. We also find frequency mixed response currents, i.e., a heterodyning effect, characteristic to periodically driven Floquet systems.

Atmospheric Composition Data and Information Services Center (ACDISC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kempler, S.

2005-01-01

NASA's GSFC Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information and Data Services Center (DISC) manages the archive, distribution and data access for atmospheric composition data from AURA'S OMI, MLS, and hopefully one day, HIRDLS instruments, as well as heritage datasets from TOMS, UARS, MODIS, and AIRS. This data is currently archived in the GES Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). The GES DISC has begun the development of a community driven data management system that's sole purpose is to manage and provide value added services to NASA's Atmospheric Composition (AC) Data. This system, called the Atmospheric Composition Data and Information Services Center (ACDISC) will provide access all AC datasets from the above mentioned instruments, as well as AC datasets residing at remote archive sites (e.g, LaRC DAAC) The goals of the ACDISC are to: 1) Provide a data center for Atmospheric Scientists, guided by Atmospheric Scientists; 2) Be absolutely responsive to the data and data service needs of the Atmospheric Composition (AC) community; 3) Provide services (i.e., expertise) that will facilitate the effortless access to and usage of AC data; 4) Collaborate with AC scientists to facilitate the use of data from multiple sensors for long term atmospheric research. The ACDISC is an AC specific, user driven, multi-sensor, on-line, easy access archive and distribution system employing data analysis and visualization, data mining, and other user requested techniques that facilitate science data usage. The purpose of this presentation is to provide the evolution path that the GES DISC in order to better serve AC data, and also to receive continued community feedback and further foster collaboration with AC data users and providers.

Reservoir Computing Beyond Memory-Nonlinearity Trade-off.

PubMed

Inubushi, Masanobu; Yoshimura, Kazuyuki

2017-08-31

Reservoir computing is a brain-inspired machine learning framework that employs a signal-driven dynamical system, in particular harnessing common-signal-induced synchronization which is a widely observed nonlinear phenomenon. Basic understanding of a working principle in reservoir computing can be expected to shed light on how information is stored and processed in nonlinear dynamical systems, potentially leading to progress in a broad range of nonlinear sciences. As a first step toward this goal, from the viewpoint of nonlinear physics and information theory, we study the memory-nonlinearity trade-off uncovered by Dambre et al. (2012). Focusing on a variational equation, we clarify a dynamical mechanism behind the trade-off, which illustrates why nonlinear dynamics degrades memory stored in dynamical system in general. Moreover, based on the trade-off, we propose a mixture reservoir endowed with both linear and nonlinear dynamics and show that it improves the performance of information processing. Interestingly, for some tasks, significant improvements are observed by adding a few linear dynamics to the nonlinear dynamical system. By employing the echo state network model, the effect of the mixture reservoir is numerically verified for a simple function approximation task and for more complex tasks.

Feature-Based Morphometry: Discovering Group-related Anatomical Patterns

PubMed Central

Toews, Matthew; Wells, William; Collins, D. Louis; Arbel, Tal

2015-01-01

This paper presents feature-based morphometry (FBM), a new, fully data-driven technique for discovering patterns of group-related anatomical structure in volumetric imagery. In contrast to most morphometry methods which assume one-to-one correspondence between subjects, FBM explicitly aims to identify distinctive anatomical patterns that may only be present in subsets of subjects, due to disease or anatomical variability. The image is modeled as a collage of generic, localized image features that need not be present in all subjects. Scale-space theory is applied to analyze image features at the characteristic scale of underlying anatomical structures, instead of at arbitrary scales such as global or voxel-level. A probabilistic model describes features in terms of their appearance, geometry, and relationship to subject groups, and is automatically learned from a set of subject images and group labels. Features resulting from learning correspond to group-related anatomical structures that can potentially be used as image biomarkers of disease or as a basis for computer-aided diagnosis. The relationship between features and groups is quantified by the likelihood of feature occurrence within a specific group vs. the rest of the population, and feature significance is quantified in terms of the false discovery rate. Experiments validate FBM clinically in the analysis of normal (NC) and Alzheimer's (AD) brain images using the freely available OASIS database. FBM automatically identifies known structural differences between NC and AD subjects in a fully data-driven fashion, and an equal error classification rate of 0.80 is achieved for subjects aged 60-80 years exhibiting mild AD (CDR=1). PMID:19853047

Welding characteristics of 27, 40 and 67 kHz ultrasonic plastic welding systems using fundamental- and higher-resonance frequencies.

PubMed

Tsujino, Jiromaru; Hongoh, Misugi; Yoshikuni, Masafumi; Hashii, Hidekazu; Ueoka, Tetsugi

2004-04-01

The welding characteristics of 27, 40 and 67 kHz ultrasonic plastic welding systems that are driven at only the fundamental-resonance frequency vibration were compared, and also those of the welding systems that were driven at the fundamental and several higher resonance frequencies simultaneously were studied. At high frequency, welding characteristics can be improved due to the larger vibration loss of plastic materials. For welding of rather thin or small specimens, as the fundamental frequency of these welding systems is higher and the numbers of driven higher frequencies are driven simultaneously, larger welded area and weld strength were obtained.

Exploration of MEMS G-Switches at 100-10,000 G-Levels with Redundancy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

Muntz, A.D. Ketsdever, “Kinetic Modeling of Temperature -Driven Flows in Short Microchannels,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, Vol. 45, No...switches silicon DRIE Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU 59 Suhithi Peiris 703-767-4732 CONVERSION...designed. The devices were fabricated on low resistivity (ɘ.01 Ω-cm) silicon on insulator wafers (SOI) using standard micromachining techniques. Fixed

Advanced Concepts Theory Annual Report 1984.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-26

SUBJECT TERMS (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) - FIELD GROUP SUB-GROUP Radiation Hydrodynamics Plasma Miixtures 1 ABSTRACT...an imploding annular plasma, accelerated radially by the current-driven, azimuthal magnetic field to velocities near 10 7 cm/sec. The on-axis...state consistent 4itn the other level populations, atomic rates, and the ambient r ad iation field . To perform this calculation the critical elements

Unifying the RET design flow with portable modeling information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweis, Jason; Staud, Wolf; Naber, Bob; Laidig, Tom; Van Denbroeke, Doug

2006-05-01

The RET Design Flow has become a conglomeration of various point tools and methodologies. Deep sub-wavelength DFM requirements have forced the design and manufacturing communities into very tight collaboration. EDA is also driven to provide an infrastructure to facilitate communication for these communities. Having this infrastructure in place has a direct impact on productivity and quality for which the value added is emphasized here.

Integrated modeling and analysis of the multiple electromechanical couplings for the direct driven feed system in machine tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaojun; Lu, Dun; Liu, Hui; Zhao, Wanhua

2018-06-01

The complicated electromechanical coupling phenomena due to different kinds of causes have significant influences on the dynamic precision of the direct driven feed system in machine tools. In this paper, a novel integrated modeling and analysis method of the multiple electromechanical couplings for the direct driven feed system in machine tools is presented. At first, four different kinds of electromechanical coupling phenomena in the direct driven feed system are analyzed systematically. Then a novel integrated modeling and analysis method of the electromechanical coupling which is influenced by multiple factors is put forward. In addition, the effects of multiple electromechanical couplings on the dynamic precision of the feed system and their main influencing factors are compared and discussed, respectively. Finally, the results of modeling and analysis are verified by the experiments. It finds out that multiple electromechanical coupling loops, which are overlapped and influenced by each other, are the main reasons of the displacement fluctuations in the direct driven feed system.

Maximum Principle for General Controlled Systems Driven by Fractional Brownian Motions

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

Han Yuecai; Hu Yaozhong; Song Jian, E-mail: jsong2@math.rutgers.edu

2013-04-15

We obtain a maximum principle for stochastic control problem of general controlled stochastic differential systems driven by fractional Brownian motions (of Hurst parameter H>1/2). This maximum principle specifies a system of equations that the optimal control must satisfy (necessary condition for the optimal control). This system of equations consists of a backward stochastic differential equation driven by both fractional Brownian motions and the corresponding underlying standard Brownian motions. In addition to this backward equation, the maximum principle also involves the Malliavin derivatives. Our approach is to use conditioning and Malliavin calculus. To arrive at our maximum principle we need tomore » develop some new results of stochastic analysis of the controlled systems driven by fractional Brownian motions via fractional calculus. Our approach of conditioning and Malliavin calculus is also applied to classical system driven by standard Brownian motions while the controller has only partial information. As a straightforward consequence, the classical maximum principle is also deduced in this more natural and simpler way.« less

Minimal surfaces in AdS space and integrable systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burrington, Benjamin A.; Gao, Peng

2010-04-01

We consider the Pohlmeyer reduction for spacelike minimal area worldsheets in AdS5. The Lax pair for the reduced theory is found, and written entirely in terms of the A3 = D3 root system, generalizing the B2 affine Toda system which appears for the AdS4 string. For the B2 affine Toda system, we show that the area of the worlsheet is obtainable from the moduli space Kähler potential of a related Hitchin system. We also explore the Saveliev-Leznov construction for solutions of the B2 affine Toda system, and recover the rotationally symmetric solution associated to Painleve transcendent.

Integrated Display and Simulation for Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast and Traffic Collision Avoidance System Data Fusion

PubMed Central

Wang, Yanran; Xiao, Gang; Dai, Zhouyun

2017-01-01

Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) is the direction of airspace surveillance development. Research analyzing the benefits of Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and ADS-B data fusion is almost absent. The paper proposes an ADS-B minimum system from ADS-B In and ADS-B Out. In ADS-B In, a fusion model with a variable sampling Variational Bayesian-Interacting Multiple Model (VSVB-IMM) algorithm is proposed for integrated display and an airspace traffic situation display is developed by using ADS-B information. ADS-B Out includes ADS-B Out transmission based on a simulator platform and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platform. This paper describes the overall implementation of ADS-B minimum system, including theoretical model design, experimental simulation verification, engineering implementation, results analysis, etc. Simulation and implementation results show that the fused system has better performance than each independent subsystem and it can work well in engineering applications. PMID:29137194

Green Net Value Added as a Sustainability Metric Based on ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Sustainability measurement in economics involves evaluation of environmental and economic impact in an integrated manner. In this study, system level economic data are combined with environmental impact from a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a common product. We are exploring a costing approach that captures traditional costs but also incorporates externality costs to provide a convenient, easily interpretable metric. Green Net Value Added (GNVA) is a type of full cost accounting that incorporates total revenue, the cost of materials and services, depreciation, and environmental externalities. Two, but not all, of the potential environmental impacts calculated by the standard LCIA method (TRACI) could be converted to externality cost values. We compute externality costs disaggregated by upstream sectors, full cost, and GNVA to evaluate the relative sustainability of Bounty® paper towels manufactured at two production facilities. We found that the longer running, more established line had a higher GNVA than the newer line. The dominant factors contributing to externality costs are calculated to come from the stationary sources in the supply chain: electricity generation (27-35%), refineries (20-21%), pulp and paper making (15-23%). Health related externalities from Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions appear largely driven by electricity usage and emissions by the facilities, followed by pulp processing and transport. Supply

Transmutation of Nuclear Waste and the future MYRRHA Demonstrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Alex C.

2013-03-01

While a considerable and world-wide growth of the nuclear share in the global energy mix is desirable for many reasons, there are also, in particular in the "old world" major objections. These are both concerns about safety, in particular in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident and concerns about the long-term burden that is constituted by the radiotoxic waste from the spent fuel. With regard to the second topic, the present contribution will outline the concept of Partitioning & Transmutation (P&T), as scientific and technological answer. Deployment of P&T may use dedicated "Transmuter" or "Burner" reactors, using a fast neutron spectrum. For the transmutation of waste with a large content (up to 50%) of (very long-lived) Minor Actinides, a sub-critical reactor, using an external neutron source is a most attractive solution. It is constituted by coupling a proton accelerator, a spallation target and a subcritical core. This promising new technology is named ADS, for accelerator-driven system. The present paper aims at a short introduction into the field that has been characterized by a high collaborative activity during the last decade in Europe, in order to focus, in its later part, on the MYRRHA project as the European ADS technology demonstrator.

Validation of Monte Carlo simulation of neutron production in a spallation experiment

DOE PAGES

Zavorka, L.; Adam, J.; Artiushenko, M.; ...

2015-02-25

A renewed interest in experimental research on Accelerator-Driven Systems (ADS) has been initiated by the global attempt to produce energy from thorium as a safe(r), clean(er) and (more) proliferation-resistant alternative to the uranium-fuelled thermal nuclear reactors. The ADS research has been actively pursued at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, since decades. Most recently, the emission of fast neutrons was experimentally investigated at the massive (m = 512 kg) natural uranium spallation target QUINTA. The target has been irradiated with the relativistic deuteron beams of energy from 0.5 AGeV up to 4 AGeV at the JINR Nuclotron acceleratormore » in numerous experiments since 2011. Neutron production inside the target was studied through the gamma-ray spectrometry measurement of natural uranium activation detectors. Experimental reaction rates for (n,γ), (n,f) and (n,2n) reactions in uranium have provided valuable information about the neutron distribution over a wide range of energies up to some GeV. The experimental data were compared to the predictions of Monte Carlo simulations using the MCNPX 2.7.0 code. In conclusion, the results are presented and potential sources of partial disagreement are discussed later in this work.« less

High temperature ultrasonic transducers for imaging and measurements in a liquid Pb/Bi eutectic alloy.

PubMed

Kazys, Rymantas; Voleisis, Algirdas; Sliteris, Reimondas; Mazeika, Liudas; Van Nieuwenhove, Rudi; Kupschus, Peter; Abderrahim, Hamid Aït

2005-04-01

In some nuclear reactors or accelerator-driven systems (ADS) the core is intended to be cooled by means of a heavy liquid metal, for example, lead-bismuth (Pb/Bi) eutectic alloy. For safety and licensing reasons, an imaging method of the interior of ADS, based on application of ultrasonic waves, has thus to be developed. This paper is devoted to description of developed various ultrasonic transducers suitable for long term imaging and measurements in the liquid Pb/Bi alloy. The results of comparative experimental investigations of the developed transducers of different designs in a liquid Pb/Bi alloy up to 450 degrees C are presented. Prototypes with different high temperature piezoelectric materials were investigated: PZT, bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12), lithium niobate (LiNbO3), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) and aluminum nitride (A1N). For acoustic coupling with the metal alloy, it was proposed to coat the active surface of the transducers by diamond like carbon (DLC). The radiation robustness was assessed by exposing the transducers to high gamma dose rates in one of the irradiation facilities at SCK x CEN. The experimental results proved that the developed transducers are suitable for long-term operation in harsh conditions.

Eikonal instability of Gauss-Bonnet-(anti-)-de Sitter black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konoplya, R. A.; Zhidenko, A.

2017-05-01

Here we have shown that asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes in the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet (GB) theory are unstable under linear perturbations of space-time in some region of parameters. This (eikonal) instability develops at high multipole numbers. We found the exact parametric regions of the eikonal instability and extended this consideration to asymptotically flat and de Sitter cases. The approach to the threshold of instability is driven by purely imaginary quasinormal modes, which are similar to those found recently in Grozdanov, Kaplis, and Starinets, [J. High Energy Phys. 07 (2016) 151, 10.1007/JHEP07(2016)151] for the higher curvature corrected black hole with the planar horizon. The found instability may indicate limits of holographic applicability of the GB-AdS backgrounds. Recently, through the analysis of critical behavior in AdS space-time in the presence of the Gauss-Bonnet term, it was shown [Deppe et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 071102 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.071102], that, if the total energy content of the AdS space-time is small, then no black holes can be formed with mass less than some critical value. A similar mass gap was also found when considering collapse of mass shells in asymptotically flat Gauss-Bonnet theories [Frolov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 051102 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.051102]. The found instability of all sufficiently small Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet-AdS, dS and asymptotically flat black holes may explain the existing mass gaps in their formation.

Quantitative determination of adenovirus-mediated gene delivery to rat cardiac myocytes in vitro and in vivo.

PubMed Central

Kass-Eisler, A; Falck-Pedersen, E; Alvira, M; Rivera, J; Buttrick, P M; Wittenberg, B A; Cipriani, L; Leinwand, L A

1993-01-01

To optimize the use of modified adenoviruses as vectors for gene delivery to the myocardium, we have characterized infection of cultured fetal and adult rat cardiac myocytes in vitro and of adult cardiac myocytes in vivo by using a replication-defective adenovirus carrying the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene driven by the cytomegalovirus promoter (AdCMVCATgD). In vitro, virtually all fetal or adult cardiocytes express the CAT gene when infected with 1 plaque-forming unit of virus per cell. CAT enzymatic activity can be detected in these cells as early as 4 hr after infection, reaching near-maximal levels at 48 hr. In fetal cells, CAT expression was maintained without a loss in activity for at least 1 week. Using in vitro studies as a guide, we introduced the AdCMVCATgD virus directly into adult rat myocardium and compared the expression results obtained from virus injection with those obtained by direct injection of pAdCMVCATgD plasmid DNA. The amount of CAT activity resulting from adenovirus infection of the myocardium was orders of magnitude higher than that seen from DNA injection and was proportional to the amount of input virus. Immunostaining for CAT protein in cardiac tissue sections following adenovirus injection demonstrated large numbers of positive cells, reaching nearly 100% of the myocytes in many regions of the heart. Expression of genes introduced by adenovirus peaked at 5 days but was still detectable 55 days following infection. Adenoviruses are therefore a very useful tool for high-efficiency gene transfer into the cardiovascular system. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 5 PMID:8265580

Inhibition of (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase by Cibacron Blue 3G-A and its analogues.

PubMed

Breier, A; Bohácová, V; Docolomanský, P

2006-12-01

A specific feature of anthraquinone dyes (AD) is to mimic the adenine nucleotides ATP, ADP, NAD and NADH, enabling them to act as ligands in interaction with nucleotide-binding sites of several enzymes and receptors. In the present study, the interactions and/or inhibitory effects of eight AD, including Cibacron Blue 3G-A (Reactive Blue 2), Procion Blue MX-R (Reactive Blue 4) and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (Reactive Blue 19) on the activity of (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase were investigated. The AD used in this paper could be divided into two groups: i) AD1-AD4 that do not contain the triazine moiety; ii) AD5-AD8 that contain the triazine moiety. Interaction affinity between the respective dye and (Na+/K+)-ATPase was characterized by means of enzyme kinetics. All AD, excluding AD1 and AD2 (which were practically ineffective) exerted effective competitive inhibition to the (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase activity. Present study is devoted to elucidation of relationship between the inhibitory efficacy of AD against (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase activity, their acid-basic properties and their three dimensional structure. From the results obtained, the following conclusions could be driven: 1. Similarities in the mutual position of positively and negatively charged parts of ATP and AD are responsible for their interaction with ATP-binding site of (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase. This may be documented by fact that mutual position of 1-aminogroup of anthraquinone and -SO3(-) group of benzenesulphonate part of respective AD plays crucial role for inhibition of this enzyme. Distances of these two groups on all effective AD were found to be similar as the distance of the 6-aminogroup of adenine and the second phosphate group on ATP molecule. This similarity could be responsible for biomimetic recognition of AD in ATP-binding loci of (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase. 2. The affinity of AD to ATP binding site of (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase increases with increasing values of molar refractivity, i. e., with increasing molecular volume and polarizability.

Negative differential mobility in interacting particle systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Amit Kumar; Basu, Urna; Mohanty, P. K.

2018-05-01

Driven particles in the presence of crowded environment, obstacles, or kinetic constraints often exhibit negative differential mobility (NDM) due to their decreased dynamical activity. Based on the empirical studies of conserved lattice gas model, two species exclusion model and other interacting particle systems we propose a new mechanism for complex many-particle systems where slowing down of certain non-driven degrees of freedom by the external field can give rise to NDM. To prove that the slowing down of the non-driven degrees is indeed the underlying cause, we consider several driven diffusive systems including two species exclusion models, misanthrope process, and show from the exact steady state results that NDM indeed appears when some non-driven modes are slowed down deliberately. For clarity, we also provide a simple pedagogical example of two interacting random walkers on a ring which conforms to the proposed scenario.

Data-Driven Model Uncertainty Estimation in Hydrologic Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathiraja, S.; Moradkhani, H.; Marshall, L.; Sharma, A.; Geenens, G.

2018-02-01

The increasing availability of earth observations necessitates mathematical methods to optimally combine such data with hydrologic models. Several algorithms exist for such purposes, under the umbrella of data assimilation (DA). However, DA methods are often applied in a suboptimal fashion for complex real-world problems, due largely to several practical implementation issues. One such issue is error characterization, which is known to be critical for a successful assimilation. Mischaracterized errors lead to suboptimal forecasts, and in the worst case, to degraded estimates even compared to the no assimilation case. Model uncertainty characterization has received little attention relative to other aspects of DA science. Traditional methods rely on subjective, ad hoc tuning factors or parametric distribution assumptions that may not always be applicable. We propose a novel data-driven approach (named SDMU) to model uncertainty characterization for DA studies where (1) the system states are partially observed and (2) minimal prior knowledge of the model error processes is available, except that the errors display state dependence. It includes an approach for estimating the uncertainty in hidden model states, with the end goal of improving predictions of observed variables. The SDMU is therefore suited to DA studies where the observed variables are of primary interest. Its efficacy is demonstrated through a synthetic case study with low-dimensional chaotic dynamics and a real hydrologic experiment for one-day-ahead streamflow forecasting. In both experiments, the proposed method leads to substantial improvements in the hidden states and observed system outputs over a standard method involving perturbation with Gaussian noise.

NextGEOSS project: A user-driven approach to build a Earth Observations Data Hub

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Percivall, G.; Voidrot, M. F.; Bye, B. L.; De Lathouwer, B.; Catarino, N.; Concalves, P.; Kraft, C.; Grosso, N.; Meyer-Arnek, J.; Mueller, A.; Goor, E.

2017-12-01

Several initiatives and projects contribute to support Group on Earth Observation's (GEO) global priorities including support to the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction . Running until 2020, the NextGEOSS project evolves the European vision of a user driven GEOSS data exploitation for innovation and business, relying on the three main pillars: engaging communities of practice delivering technological advancements advocating the use of GEOSS These 3 pillars support the creation and deployment of Earth observation based innovative research activities and commercial services. In this presentation we will emphasise how the NextGEOSS project uses a pilot-driven approach to ramp up and consolidate the system in a pragmatique way, integrating the complexity of the existing global ecosystem, leveraging previous investments, adding new cloud technologies and resources and engaging the diverse communities to address all types of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A set of 10 initial pilots have been defined by the project partners to address the main challenges and include as soon as possible contributions to SDGs associated with Food Sustainability, Bio Diversity, Space and Security, Cold Regions, Air Pollutions, Disaster Risk Reduction, Territorial Planning, Energy. In 2018 and 2019 the project team will work on two new series of Architecture Implementation Pilots (AIP-10 and AIP-11), opened world-wide, to increase discoverability, accessibility and usability of data with a strong User Centric approach for innovative GEOSS powered applications for multiple societal areas. All initiatives with an interest in and need of Earth observations (data, processes, models, ...) are welcome to participate to these pilots initiatives. NextGEOSS is a H2020 Research and Development Project from the European Community under grant agreement 730329.

Discovery of gene-gene interactions across multiple independent data sets of late onset Alzheimer disease from the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium.

PubMed

Hohman, Timothy J; Bush, William S; Jiang, Lan; Brown-Gentry, Kristin D; Torstenson, Eric S; Dudek, Scott M; Mukherjee, Shubhabrata; Naj, Adam; Kunkle, Brian W; Ritchie, Marylyn D; Martin, Eden R; Schellenberg, Gerard D; Mayeux, Richard; Farrer, Lindsay A; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A; Haines, Jonathan L; Thornton-Wells, Tricia A

2016-02-01

Late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) has a complex genetic etiology, involving locus heterogeneity, polygenic inheritance, and gene-gene interactions; however, the investigation of interactions in recent genome-wide association studies has been limited. We used a biological knowledge-driven approach to evaluate gene-gene interactions for consistency across 13 data sets from the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium. Fifteen single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-SNP pairs within 3 gene-gene combinations were identified: SIRT1 × ABCB1, PSAP × PEBP4, and GRIN2B × ADRA1A. In addition, we extend a previously identified interaction from an endophenotype analysis between RYR3 × CACNA1C. Finally, post hoc gene expression analyses of the implicated SNPs further implicate SIRT1 and ABCB1, and implicate CDH23 which was most recently identified as an AD risk locus in an epigenetic analysis of AD. The observed interactions in this article highlight ways in which genotypic variation related to disease may depend on the genetic context in which it occurs. Further, our results highlight the utility of evaluating genetic interactions to explain additional variance in AD risk and identify novel molecular mechanisms of AD pathogenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is there potential added value in COSMO-CLM forced by ERA reanalysis data?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenz, Claus-Jürgen; Früh, Barbara; Adalatpanah, Fatemeh Davary

2017-12-01

An application of the potential added value (PAV) concept suggested by Di Luca et al. (Clim Dyn 40:443-464, 2013a) is applied to ERA Interim driven runs of the regional climate model COSMO-CLM. They are performed for the time period 1979-2013 for the EURO-CORDEX domain at horizontal grid resolutions 0.11°, 0.22°, and 0.44° such that the higher resolved model grid fits into the next coarser grid. The concept of the potential added value is applied to annual, seasonal, and monthly means of the 2 m air temperature. Results show the highest potential added value at the run with the finest grid and generally increasing PAV with increasing resolution. The potential added value strongly depends on the season as well as the region of consideration. The gain of PAV is higher enhancing the resolution from 0.44° to 0.22° than from 0.22° to 0.11°. At grid aggregations to 0.88° and 1.76° the differences in PAV between the COSMO-CLM runs on the mentioned grid resolutions are maximal. They nearly vanish at aggregations to even coarser grids. In all cases the PAV is dominated by at least 80% by its stationary part.

Acceleration of Rural Industrialization Using Renewable Energy Technolgoy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Kamaruddin

2007-10-01

Solar, wind, biomass and micro-hydro can be found in abundant in almost all rural area throughout the world. Despite of the fact that there are already so many research results showing the potential application of these renewable resources to substitute fossil fuel and to increase added value of local products, however, up to now very view if any result that has been realized in significant way. A concept of Small Provessing Unit using renewable energy sources have been introduced in Indonesia since 1999, in which domestically developed conversion technology, such as the greenhouse effect (GHE) solar drying system has been applied to process agricultural products such as coffee, cocoa, soices, various types of fishes and sea weeds. In addition, hybrid nocturnal cooling method has also beeing developed and used to help the farmer in extending shelf life of tropical fruits and vegetables and therefore, contributed in reducing post harvest losses. The Small Processing Unit concept as well as the developed renewable energy technology are now gradually being appreciated by both the central and local authorities, the private sectors including the NGO. The demand of such system is also gradually increasing each year and the area of applications have been extended not only within the heavtily inhavited Java Island but also to the other island of Indonesia. Our experiences in dealing with the system have also been transferred to fellow ASEAN engineers as well as those coming from the African continent through training and workshops activities. The future direction of the development will be to enhace the role of the Small Processing Unit (SPU) by providing more value added facilities driven by renewable energy technology.

Targeting Palmitoyl Acyltransferases in Mutant NRAS-Driven Melanoma

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

activation in melanoma cells using chemical biology and functional genomic approaches. In the first year of the study, we have developed more potent...post-translational modification by adding a 16-carbon palmitate) is required for N-RAS proper membrane localization and its oncogenic activities ...RAS regulation could be a novel strategy to treat N-RAS mutant melanoma. We have developed chemical probes that covalently label the active sites of

enhancedGraphics: a Cytoscape app for enhanced node graphics

PubMed Central

Morris, John H.; Kuchinsky, Allan; Ferrin, Thomas E.; Pico, Alexander R.

2014-01-01

enhancedGraphics ( http://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/enhancedGraphics) is a Cytoscape app that implements a series of enhanced charts and graphics that may be added to Cytoscape nodes. It enables users and other app developers to create pie, line, bar, and circle plots that are driven by columns in the Cytoscape Node Table. Charts are drawn using vector graphics to allow full-resolution scaling. PMID:25285206

The Added Value of a PhD in Medicine--PhD Students' Perceptions of Acquired Competences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anttila, Henrika; Lindblom-Ylänne, Sari; Lonka, Kristi; Pyhältö, Kirsi

2015-01-01

PhD in the field of medicine is more common than in any other domain. Many medical doctors are driven towards PhD, but also students with other backgrounds (usually MSc) are conducting a PhD in medical schools. Higher education has invested a lot in developing generic and research competences. Still little is known about how PhD students…

Study of the Influence of Age in 18F-FDG PET Images Using a Data-Driven Approach and Its Evaluation in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Jiang, Jiehui; Sun, Yiwu; Zhou, Hucheng; Li, Shaoping; Huang, Zhemin; Wu, Ping; Shi, Kuangyu; Zuo, Chuantao; Neuroimaging Initiative, Alzheimer's Disease

2018-01-01

18 F-FDG PET scan is one of the most frequently used neural imaging scans. However, the influence of age has proven to be the greatest interfering factor for many clinical dementia diagnoses when analyzing 18 F-FDG PET images, since radiologists encounter difficulties when deciding whether the abnormalities in specific regions correlate with normal aging, disease, or both. In the present paper, the authors aimed to define specific brain regions and determine an age-correction mathematical model. A data-driven approach was used based on 255 healthy subjects. The inferior frontal gyrus, the left medial part and the left medial orbital part of superior frontal gyrus, the right insula, the left anterior cingulate, the left median cingulate, and paracingulate gyri, and bilateral superior temporal gyri were found to have a strong negative correlation with age. For evaluation, an age-correction model was applied to 262 healthy subjects and 50 AD subjects selected from the ADNI database, and partial correlations between SUVR mean and three clinical results were carried out before and after age correction. All correlation coefficients were significantly improved after the age correction. The proposed model was effective in the age correction of both healthy and AD subjects.

Salinity-gradient energy driven microbial electrosynthesis of value-added chemicals from CO2 reduction.

PubMed

Li, Xiaohu; Angelidaki, Irini; Zhang, Yifeng

2018-06-14

Biological conversion of CO 2 to value-added chemicals and biofuels has emerged as an attractive strategy to address the energy and environmental concerns caused by the over-reliance on fossil fuels. In this study, an innovative microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell (MREC), which combines the strengths of reverse electrodialysis (RED) and microbial electrosynthesis technology platforms, was developed to achieve efficient CO 2 -to-value chemicals bioconversion by using the salinity gradient energy as driven energy sources. In the MREC, maximum acetate and ethanol concentrations of 477.5 ± 33.2 and 46.2 ± 8.2 mg L -1 were obtained at the cathode, catalyzed by Sporomusa ovata with production rates of 165.79 ± 11.52 and 25.11 ± 4.46 mmol m -2 d -1 , respectively. Electron balance analysis indicates that 94.4 ± 3.9% of the electrons derived from wastewater and salinity gradient were recovered in acetate and ethanol. This work for the first time proved the potential of innovative MREC configuration has the potential as an efficient technology platform for simultaneous CO 2 capture and electrosynthesis of valuable chemicals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shape changing thin films powered by DNA hybridization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shim, Tae Soup; Estephan, Zaki G.; Qian, Zhaoxia; Prosser, Jacob H.; Lee, Su Yeon; Chenoweth, David M.; Lee, Daeyeon; Park, So-Jung; Crocker, John C.

2017-01-01

Active materials that respond to physical and chemical stimuli can be used to build dynamic micromachines that lie at the interface between biological systems and engineered devices. In principle, the specific hybridization of DNA can be used to form a library of independent, chemically driven actuators for use in such microrobotic applications and could lead to device capabilities that are not possible with polymer- or metal-layer-based approaches. Here, we report shape changing films that are powered by DNA strand exchange reactions with two different domains that can respond to distinct chemical signals. The films are formed from DNA-grafted gold nanoparticles using a layer-by-layer deposition process. Films consisting of an active and a passive layer show rapid, reversible curling in response to stimulus DNA strands added to solution. Films consisting of two independently addressable active layers display a complex suite of repeatable transformations, involving eight mechanochemical states and incorporating self-righting behaviour.

Decay heat uncertainty quantification of MYRRHA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiorito, Luca; Buss, Oliver; Hoefer, Axel; Stankovskiy, Alexey; Eynde, Gert Van den

2017-09-01

MYRRHA is a lead-bismuth cooled MOX-fueled accelerator driven system (ADS) currently in the design phase at SCK·CEN in Belgium. The correct evaluation of the decay heat and of its uncertainty level is very important for the safety demonstration of the reactor. In the first part of this work we assessed the decay heat released by the MYRRHA core using the ALEPH-2 burnup code. The second part of the study focused on the nuclear data uncertainty and covariance propagation to the MYRRHA decay heat. Radioactive decay data, independent fission yield and cross section uncertainties/covariances were propagated using two nuclear data sampling codes, namely NUDUNA and SANDY. According to the results, 238U cross sections and fission yield data are the largest contributors to the MYRRHA decay heat uncertainty. The calculated uncertainty values are deemed acceptable from the safety point of view as they are well within the available regulatory limits.

Tailored Ink For Piston-Driven Electrostatic Liquid Drop Modulator

DOEpatents

Wong, Raymond W.; Breton, Marcel P.; Bedford, Christine E.; Carreira, Leonard M.; Gooray, Arthur M.; Roller, George J.; Zavadil, Kevin; Galambos, Paul; Crowley, Joseph

2005-04-19

The present invention relates to an ink composition including water, a solvent, a solvent-soluble dye, and a surfactant, where the ink exhibits a stable liquid microemulsion phase at a first temperature and a second temperature higher than the first temperature and has a conductivity of at most about 200 .mu.S/cm and a dielectric constant of at least about 60, and methods of making such ink compositions. The present invention also relates to a method of making an ink composition for use in a microelectromechanical system-based fluid ejector. The method involves providing a solution or dispersion including a dye or a pigment and adding to the solution or dispersion an additive which includes a material that enhances dielectric permittivity and/or reduces conductivity under conditions effective to produce an ink composition having a conductivity of at most about 200 .mu.S/cm and a dielectric constant of at least about 60.

Stochastic Modeling and Generation of Partially Polarized or Partially Coherent Electromagnetic Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Brynmor; Kim, Edward; Piepmeier, Jeffrey; Hildebrand, Peter H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Many new Earth remote-sensing instruments are embracing both the advantages and added complexity that result from interferometric or fully polarimetric operation. To increase instrument understanding and functionality a model of the signals these instruments measure is presented. A stochastic model is used as it recognizes the non-deterministic nature of any real-world measurements while also providing a tractable mathematical framework. A stationary, Gaussian-distributed model structure is proposed. Temporal and spectral correlation measures provide a statistical description of the physical properties of coherence and polarization-state. From this relationship the model is mathematically defined. The model is shown to be unique for any set of physical parameters. A method of realizing the model (necessary for applications such as synthetic calibration-signal generation) is given and computer simulation results are presented. The signals are constructed using the output of a multi-input multi-output linear filter system, driven with white noise.

Security policies and trust in ubiquitous computing.

PubMed

Joshi, Anupam; Finin, Tim; Kagal, Lalana; Parker, Jim; Patwardhan, Anand

2008-10-28

Ubiquitous environments comprise resource-constrained mobile and wearable devices and computational elements embedded in everyday artefacts. These are connected to each other using both infrastructure-based as well as short-range ad hoc networks. Limited Internet connectivity limits the use of conventional security mechanisms such as public key infrastructures and other forms of server-centric authentication. Under these circumstances, peer-to-peer interactions are well suited for not just information interchange, but also managing security and privacy. However, practical solutions for protecting mobile devices, preserving privacy, evaluating trust and determining the reliability and accuracy of peer-provided data in such interactions are still in their infancy. Our research is directed towards providing stronger assurances of the reliability and trustworthiness of information and services, and the use of declarative policy-driven approaches to handle the open and dynamic nature of such systems. This paper provides an overview of some of the challenges and issues, and points out directions for progress.

Harmonic generation by yeast cells in response to low-frequency electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawarathna, D.; Claycomb, J. R.; Cardenas, G.; Gardner, J.; Warmflash, D.; Miller, J. H., Jr.; Widger, W. R.

2006-05-01

We report on harmonic generation by budding yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 108cells/ml ) in response to sinusoidal electric fields with amplitudes ranging from zero to 5V/cm in the frequency range 10-300Hz . The cell-generated harmonics are found to exhibit strong amplitude and frequency dependence. Sodium metavanadate, an inhibitor of the proton pump known as H+ -ATPase, and glucose, a substrate of H+ -ATPase, are found to increase harmonic production at low amplitudes while reducing it at large amplitudes. This P-type proton pump can be driven by an oscillatory transmembrane potential, and its nonlinear response is believed to be largely responsible for harmonic production at low frequencies in yeast cells. We find that the observed harmonics show dramatic changes with time and in their field and frequency dependence after perturbing the system by adding an inhibitor, substrate, or membrane depolarizer to the cell suspension.

Reaction Acceleration in Thin Films with Continuous Product Deposition for Organic Synthesis.

PubMed

Wei, Zhenwei; Wleklinski, Michael; Ferreira, Christina; Cooks, R Graham

2017-08-01

Thin film formats are used to study the Claisen-Schmidt base-catalyzed condensation of 6-hydroxy-1-indanone with substituted benzaldehydes and to compare the reaction acceleration relative to the bulk. Relative acceleration factors initially exceeded 10 3 and were on the order of 10 2 at steady state, although the confined volume reaction was not electrostatically driven. Substituent effects were muted compared to those in the corresponding bulk and microdroplet reactions and it is concluded that the rate-limiting step at steady state is reagent transport to the interface. Conditions were found that allowed product deposition from the thin film to occur continuously as the reaction mixture was added and as the solvent evaporated. Yields of 74 % and production rates of 98 mg h -1 were reached in a very simple experimental system that could be multiplexed to greater scales. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mapping of the thermal neutron distribution in the lead block assembly of the PS-211 experiment at CERN, using thermoluminescence and nuclear track detectors.

PubMed

Savvidis, E; Eleftheriadis, C A; Kitis, G

2002-01-01

The main purpose of the TARC (Transmutation by Adiabatic Resonance Crossing) experiment (PS-211), was to demonstrate the possibility to destroy efficiently Long-Lived Fission Fragments (LLFF) in Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS). The experimental set-up which consisted of a lead block with dimensions 3.3 x 3.3 x 3 m3, was installed in a CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) beam line. The proton beam at 2.5 GeV/c and 3.5 GeV/c, was incident in the centre of the lead block assembly producing neutrons via spallation reactions. In this study, neutron flux measurements are presented in the lead block assembly using thermoluminescence and nuclear track detectors. The results are in good agreement with Monte Carlo calculations as well as with the results of the other methods used in the framework of the TARC experiment.

Nonequilibrium steady states and resonant tunneling in time-periodically driven systems with interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Tao; Hofstetter, Walter

2018-03-01

Time-periodically driven systems are a versatile toolbox for realizing interesting effective Hamiltonians. Heating, caused by excitations to high-energy states, is a challenge for experiments. While most setups so far address the relatively weakly interacting regime, it is of general interest to study heating in strongly correlated systems. Using Floquet dynamical mean-field theory, we study nonequilibrium steady states (NESS) in the Falicov-Kimball model, with time-periodically driven kinetic energy or interaction. We systematically investigate the nonequilibrium properties of the NESS. For a driven kinetic energy, we show that resonant tunneling, where the interaction is an integer multiple of the driving frequency, plays an important role in the heating. In the strongly correlated regime, we show that this can be well understood using Fermi's golden rule and the Schrieffer-Wolff transformation for a time-periodically driven system. We furthermore demonstrate that resonant tunneling can be used to control the population of Floquet states to achieve "photodoping." For driven interactions introduced by an oscillating magnetic field near a widely adopted Feshbach resonance, we find that the double occupancy is strongly modulated. Our calculations apply to shaken ultracold-atom systems and to solid-state systems in a spatially uniform but time-dependent electric field. They are also closely related to lattice modulation spectroscopy. Our calculations are helpful to understand the latest experiments on strongly correlated Floquet systems.

Development, Implementation, and Pilot Evaluation of a Model-Driven Envelope Protection System to Mitigate the Hazard of In-Flight Ice Contamination on a Twin-Engine Commuter Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martos, Borja; Ranaudo, Richard; Norton, Billy; Gingras, David; Barnhart, Billy

2014-01-01

Fatal loss-of-control accidents have been directly related to in-flight airframe icing. The prototype system presented in this report directly addresses the need for real-time onboard envelope protection in icing conditions. The combination of prior information and real-time aerodynamic parameter estimations are shown to provide sufficient information for determining safe limits of the flight envelope during inflight icing encounters. The Icing Contamination Envelope Protection (ICEPro) system was designed and implemented to identify degradations in airplane performance and flying qualities resulting from ice contamination and provide safe flight-envelope cues to the pilot. The utility of the ICEPro system for mitigating a potentially hazardous icing condition was evaluated by 29 pilots using the NASA Ice Contamination Effects Flight Training Device. Results showed that real time assessment cues were effective in reducing the number of potentially hazardous upset events and in lessening exposure to loss of control following an incipient upset condition. Pilot workload with the added ICEPro displays was not measurably affected, but pilot opinion surveys showed that real time cueing greatly improved their awareness of a hazardous aircraft state. The performance of ICEPro system was further evaluated by various levels of sensor noise and atmospheric turbulence.

High-speed high-resolution epifluorescence imaging system using CCD sensor and digital storage for neurobiological research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takashima, Ichiro; Kajiwara, Riichi; Murano, Kiyo; Iijima, Toshio; Morinaka, Yasuhiro; Komobuchi, Hiroyoshi

2001-04-01

We have designed and built a high-speed CCD imaging system for monitoring neural activity in an exposed animal cortex stained with a voltage-sensitive dye. Two types of custom-made CCD sensors were developed for this system. The type I chip has a resolution of 2664 (H) X 1200 (V) pixels and a wide imaging area of 28.1 X 13.8 mm, while the type II chip has 1776 X 1626 pixels and an active imaging area of 20.4 X 18.7 mm. The CCD arrays were constructed with multiple output amplifiers in order to accelerate the readout rate. The two chips were divided into either 24 (I) or 16 (II) distinct areas that were driven in parallel. The parallel CCD outputs were digitized by 12-bit A/D converters and then stored in the frame memory. The frame memory was constructed with synchronous DRAM modules, which provided a capacity of 128 MB per channel. On-chip and on-memory binning methods were incorporated into the system, e.g., this enabled us to capture 444 X 200 pixel-images for periods of 36 seconds at a rate of 500 frames/second. This system was successfully used to visualize neural activity in the cortices of rats, guinea pigs, and monkeys.

On Mixed Data and Event Driven Design for Adaptive-Critic-Based Nonlinear $H_{\\infty}$ Control.

PubMed

Wang, Ding; Mu, Chaoxu; Liu, Derong; Ma, Hongwen

2018-04-01

In this paper, based on the adaptive critic learning technique, the control for a class of unknown nonlinear dynamic systems is investigated by adopting a mixed data and event driven design approach. The nonlinear control problem is formulated as a two-player zero-sum differential game and the adaptive critic method is employed to cope with the data-based optimization. The novelty lies in that the data driven learning identifier is combined with the event driven design formulation, in order to develop the adaptive critic controller, thereby accomplishing the nonlinear control. The event driven optimal control law and the time driven worst case disturbance law are approximated by constructing and tuning a critic neural network. Applying the event driven feedback control, the closed-loop system is built with stability analysis. Simulation studies are conducted to verify the theoretical results and illustrate the control performance. It is significant to observe that the present research provides a new avenue of integrating data-based control and event-triggering mechanism into establishing advanced adaptive critic systems.

Effects of intrinsic stochasticity on delayed reaction-diffusion patterning systems.

PubMed

Woolley, Thomas E; Baker, Ruth E; Gaffney, Eamonn A; Maini, Philip K; Seirin-Lee, Sungrim

2012-05-01

Cellular gene expression is a complex process involving many steps, including the transcription of DNA and translation of mRNA; hence the synthesis of proteins requires a considerable amount of time, from ten minutes to several hours. Since diffusion-driven instability has been observed to be sensitive to perturbations in kinetic delays, the application of Turing patterning mechanisms to the problem of producing spatially heterogeneous differential gene expression has been questioned. In deterministic systems a small delay in the reactions can cause a large increase in the time it takes a system to pattern. Recently, it has been observed that in undelayed systems intrinsic stochasticity can cause pattern initiation to occur earlier than in the analogous deterministic simulations. Here we are interested in adding both stochasticity and delays to Turing systems in order to assess whether stochasticity can reduce the patterning time scale in delayed Turing systems. As analytical insights to this problem are difficult to attain and often limited in their use, we focus on stochastically simulating delayed systems. We consider four different Turing systems and two different forms of delay. Our results are mixed and lead to the conclusion that, although the sensitivity to delays in the Turing mechanism is not completely removed by the addition of intrinsic noise, the effects of the delays are clearly ameliorated in certain specific cases.

Circulation and Directional Amplification in the Josephson Parametric Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatridge, Michael

Nonreciprocal transport and directional amplification of weak microwave signals are fundamental ingredients in performing efficient measurements of quantum states of flying microwave light. This challenge has been partly met, as quantum-limited amplification is now regularly achieved with parametrically-driven, Josephson-junction based superconducting circuits. However, these devices are typically non-directional, requiring external circulators to separate incoming and outgoing signals. Recently this limitation has been overcome by several proposals and experimental realizations of both directional amplifiers and circulators based on interference between several parametric processes in a single device. This new class of multi-parametrically driven devices holds the promise of achieving a variety of desirable characteristics simultaneously- directionality, reduced gain-bandwidth constraints and quantum-limited added noise, and are good candidates for on-chip integration with other superconducting circuits such as qubits.

Quality aspects of ex vivo root canal treatments done by undergraduate dental students using four different endodontic treatment systems.

PubMed

Jungnickel, Luise; Kruse, Casper; Vaeth, Michael; Kirkevang, Lise-Lotte

2018-04-01

To evaluate factors associated with treatment quality of ex vivo root canal treatments performed by undergraduate dental students using different endodontic treatment systems. Four students performed root canal treatment on 80 extracted human teeth using four endodontic treatment systems in designated treatment order following a Latin square design. Lateral seal and length of root canal fillings was radiographically assessed; for lateral seal, a graded visual scale was used. Treatment time was measured separately for access preparation, biomechanical root canal preparation, obturation and for the total procedure. Mishaps were registered. An ANOVA mirroring the Latin square design was performed. Use of machine-driven nickel-titanium systems resulted in overall better quality scores for lateral seal than use of the manual stainless-steel system. Among systems with machine-driven files, scores did not significantly differ. Use of machine-driven instruments resulted in shorter treatment time than manual instrumentation. Machine-driven systems with few files achieved shorter treatment times. With increasing number of treatments, root canal-filling quality increased, treatment time decreased; a learning curve was plotted. No root canal shaping file separated. The use of endodontic treatment systems with machine-driven files led to higher quality lateral seal compared to the manual system. The three contemporary machine-driven systems delivered comparable results regarding quality of root canal fillings; they were safe to use and provided a more efficient workflow than the manual technique. Increasing experience had a positive impact on the quality of root canal fillings while treatment time decreased.

Compiler-Driven Performance Optimization and Tuning for Multicore Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-10

develop a powerful system for auto-tuning of library routines and compute-intensive kernels, driven by the Pluto system for multicores that we are...kernels, driven by the Pluto system for multicores that we are developing. The work here is motivated by recent advances in two major areas of...automatic C-to-CUDA code generator using a polyhedral compiler transformation framework. We have used and adapted PLUTO (our state-of-the-art tool

Detection and recognition of mechanical, digging and vehicle signals in the optical fiber pre-warning system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Qing; Yang, Dan; Zhang, Yuan; Qu, Hongquan

2018-04-01

This paper presents detection and recognition method to locate and identify harmful intrusions in the optical fiber pre-warning system (OFPS). Inspired by visual attention architecture (VAA), the process flow is divided into two parts, i.e., data-driven process and task-driven process. At first, data-driven process takes all the measurements collected by the system as input signals, which is handled by detection method to locate the harmful intrusion in both spatial domain and time domain. Then, these detected intrusion signals are taken over by task-driven process. Specifically, we get pitch period (PP) and duty cycle (DC) of the intrusion signals to identify the mechanical and manual digging (MD) intrusions respectively. For the passing vehicle (PV) intrusions, their strong low frequency component can be used as good feature. In generally, since the harmful intrusion signals only account for a small part of whole measurements, the data-driven process reduces the amount of input data for subsequent task-driven process considerably. Furthermore, the task-driven process determines the harmful intrusions orderly according to their severity, which makes a priority mechanism for the system as well as targeted processing for different harmful intrusion. At last, real experiments are performed to validate the effectiveness of this method.

Curcumin decreases amyloid-beta peptide levels by attenuating the maturation of amyloid-beta precursor protein.

PubMed

Zhang, Can; Browne, Andrew; Child, Daniel; Tanzi, Rudolph E

2010-09-10

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no cure. The pathogenesis of AD is believed to be driven primarily by amyloid-beta (Abeta), the principal component of senile plaques. Abeta is an approximately 4-kDa peptide generated via cleavage of the amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP). Curcumin is a compound in the widely used culinary spice, turmeric, which possesses potent and broad biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, chemopreventative effects, and effects on protein trafficking. Recent in vivo studies indicate that curcumin is able to reduce Abeta-related pathology in transgenic AD mouse models via unknown molecular mechanisms. Here, we investigated the effects of curcumin on Abeta levels and APP processing in various cell lines and mouse primary cortical neurons. We show for the first time that curcumin potently lowers Abeta levels by attenuating the maturation of APP in the secretory pathway. These data provide a mechanism of action for the ability of curcumin to attenuate amyloid-beta pathology.

Curcumin Decreases Amyloid-β Peptide Levels by Attenuating the Maturation of Amyloid-β Precursor Protein*

PubMed Central

Zhang, Can; Browne, Andrew; Child, Daniel; Tanzi, Rudolph E.

2010-01-01

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no cure. The pathogenesis of AD is believed to be driven primarily by amyloid-β (Aβ), the principal component of senile plaques. Aβ is an ∼4-kDa peptide generated via cleavage of the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP). Curcumin is a compound in the widely used culinary spice, turmeric, which possesses potent and broad biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, chemopreventative effects, and effects on protein trafficking. Recent in vivo studies indicate that curcumin is able to reduce Aβ-related pathology in transgenic AD mouse models via unknown molecular mechanisms. Here, we investigated the effects of curcumin on Aβ levels and APP processing in various cell lines and mouse primary cortical neurons. We show for the first time that curcumin potently lowers Aβ levels by attenuating the maturation of APP in the secretory pathway. These data provide a mechanism of action for the ability of curcumin to attenuate amyloid-β pathology. PMID:20622013

Acceleration of modern acidification in the South China Sea driven by anthropogenic CO2

PubMed Central

Liu, Yi; Peng, Zicheng; Zhou, Renjun; Song, Shaohua; Liu, Weiguo; You, Chen-Feng; Lin, Yen-Po; Yu, Kefu; Wu, Chung-Che; Wei, Gangjian; Xie, Luhua; Burr, George S.; Shen, Chuan-Chou

2014-01-01

Modern acidification by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 can profoundly affect the physiology of marine organisms and the structure of ocean ecosystems. Centennial-scale global and regional influences of anthropogenic CO2 remain largely unknown due to limited instrumental pH records. Here we present coral boron isotope-inferred pH records for two periods from the South China Sea: AD 1048–1079 and AD 1838–2001. There are no significant pH differences between the first period at the Medieval Warm Period and AD 1830–1870. However, we find anomalous and unprecedented acidification during the 20th century, pacing the observed increase in atmospheric CO2. Moreover, pH value also varies in phase with inter-decadal changes in Asian Winter Monsoon intensity. As the level of atmospheric CO2 keeps rising, the coupling global warming via weakening the winter monsoon intensity could exacerbate acidification of the South China Sea and threaten this expansive shallow water marine ecosystem. PMID:24888785

Vortex Dynamics of Asymmetric Heave Plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusch, Curtis; Maurer, Benjamin; Polagye, Brian

2017-11-01

Heave plates can be used to provide reaction forces for wave energy converters, which harness the power in ocean surface waves to produce electricity. Heave plate inertia includes both the static mass of the heave plate, as well as the ``added mass'' of surrounding water accelerated with the object. Heave plate geometries may be symmetric or asymmetric, with interest in asymmetric designs driven by the resulting hydrodynamic asymmetry. Limited flow visualization has been previously conducted on symmetric heave plates, but flow visualization of asymmetric designs is needed to understand the origin of observed hydrodynamic asymmetries and their dependence on the Keulegan-Carpenter number. For example, it is hypothesized that the time-varying added mass of asymmetric heave plates is caused by vortex shedding, which is related to oscillation amplitude. Here, using direct flow visualization, we explore the relationship between vortex dynamics and time-varying added mass and drag. These results suggest potential pathways for more advanced heave plate designs that can exploit vortex formation and shedding to achieve more favorable hydrodynamic properties for wave energy converters.

Mediterranean megaturbidite triggered by the AD 365 Crete earthquake and tsunami

PubMed Central

Polonia, Alina; Bonatti, Enrico; Camerlenghi, Angelo; Lucchi, Renata Giulia; Panieri, Giuliana; Gasperini, Luca

2013-01-01

Historian Ammianus Marcellinus documented the devastating effects of a tsunami hitting Alexandria, Egypt, on July 21, AD 365. "The solidity of the earth was made to shake … and the sea was driven away. The waters returning when least expected killed many thousands by drowning. Huge ships… perched on the roofs of houses… hurled miles from the shore….”. Other settlements around the Mediterranean were hit at roughly the same time. This scenario is similar to that of the recent Sumatra and Tohoku tsunamis. Based on geophysical surveys and sediment cores from the Ionian Sea we show that the 20–25 m thick megaturbidite known in the literature as Homogenite/Augias was triggered not by the Santorini caldera collapse but by the 365 AD Cretan earthquake/tsunami. An older similar megaturbidite was deposited after 14.590 ± 80 yr BP, implying a large recurrence time of such extreme sedimentary events in the Mediterranean Sea. PMID:23412517

Acceleration of modern acidification in the South China Sea driven by anthropogenic CO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi; Peng, Zicheng; Zhou, Renjun; Song, Shaohua; Liu, Weiguo; You, Chen-Feng; Lin, Yen-Po; Yu, Kefu; Wu, Chung-Che; Wei, Gangjian; Xie, Luhua; Burr, George S.; Shen, Chuan-Chou

2014-06-01

Modern acidification by the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 can profoundly affect the physiology of marine organisms and the structure of ocean ecosystems. Centennial-scale global and regional influences of anthropogenic CO2 remain largely unknown due to limited instrumental pH records. Here we present coral boron isotope-inferred pH records for two periods from the South China Sea: AD 1048-1079 and AD 1838-2001. There are no significant pH differences between the first period at the Medieval Warm Period and AD 1830-1870. However, we find anomalous and unprecedented acidification during the 20th century, pacing the observed increase in atmospheric CO2. Moreover, pH value also varies in phase with inter-decadal changes in Asian Winter Monsoon intensity. As the level of atmospheric CO2 keeps rising, the coupling global warming via weakening the winter monsoon intensity could exacerbate acidification of the South China Sea and threaten this expansive shallow water marine ecosystem.

Microbial diversity in innovative mesophilic/thermophilic temperature-phased anaerobic digestion of sludge.

PubMed

Gagliano, M C; Braguglia, C M; Gallipoli, A; Gianico, A; Rossetti, S

2015-05-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the few sustainable technologies that both produce energy and treat waste streams. Driven by a complex and diverse community of microbes, AD may be affected by different factors, many of which also influence the composition and activity of the microbial community. In this study, the biodiversity of microbial populations in innovative mesophilic/thermophilic temperature-phased AD of sludge was evaluated by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The increase of digestion temperature drastically affected the microbial composition and selected specialized biomass. Hydrogenotrophic Methanobacteriales and the protein fermentative bacterium Coprothermobacter spp. were identified in the thermophilic anaerobic biomass. Shannon-Weaver diversity (H') and evenness (E) indices were calculated using FISH data. Species richness was lower under thermophilic conditions compared with the values estimated in mesophilic samples, and it was flanked by similar trend of the evenness indicating that thermophilic communities may be therefore more susceptible to sudden changes and less prompt to adapting to operative variations.

A Multi-mission Event-Driven Component-Based System for Support of Flight Software Development, ATLO, and Operations first used by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dehghani, Navid; Tankenson, Michael

2006-01-01

This paper details an architectural description of the Mission Data Processing and Control System (MPCS), an event-driven, multi-mission ground data processing components providing uplink, downlink, and data management capabilities which will support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project as its first target mission. MPCS is developed based on a set of small reusable components, implemented in Java, each designed with a specific function and well-defined interfaces. An industry standard messaging bus is used to transfer information among system components. Components generate standard messages which are used to capture system information, as well as triggers to support the event-driven architecture of the system. Event-driven systems are highly desirable for processing high-rate telemetry (science and engineering) data, and for supporting automation for many mission operations processes.

ADS-B and multilateration sensor fusion algorithm for air traffic control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Mengchen

Air traffic is expected to increase rapidly in the next decade. But, the current Air Traffic Control (ATC) system does not meet the demand of the future safety and efficiency. The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is a transformation program for the ATC system in the United States. The latest estimates by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that by 2018 NextGen will reduce total delays in flight by 35 percent and provide 23 billion dollars in cumulative benefits. A satellite-based technology called the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system is one of the most important elements in NextGen. FAA expects that ADS-B systems will be available in the National Airspace System (NAS) by 2020. However, an alternative surveillance system is needed due to vulnerabilities that exist in ADS-B systems. Multilateration has a high accuracy performance and is believed to be an ideal back-up strategy for ADS-B systems. Thus, in this study, we develop the ADS-B and multilateration sensor fusion algorithm for aircraft tracking applications in ATC. The algorithm contains a fault detection function for ADS-B information monitoring by using Trajectory Change Points reports from ADS-B and numerical vectors from a hybrid estimation algorithm. We consider two types of faults in the ADS-B measurement model to show that the algorithm is able to deal with the bad data from ADS-B systems and automatically select good data from multilateration systems. We apply fuzzy logic concepts and generate time variant parameters during the fusion process. The parameters play a role of weights for combining data from different sensors. The algorithm performance is validated through two aircraft tracking examples.

Visual system manifestations of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Kusne, Yael; Wolf, Andrew B; Townley, Kate; Conway, Mandi; Peyman, Gholam A

2017-12-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an increasingly common disease with massive personal and economic costs. While it has long been known that AD impacts the visual system, there has recently been an increased focus on understanding both pathophysiological mechanisms that may be shared between the eye and brain and how related biomarkers could be useful for AD diagnosis. Here, were review pertinent cellular and molecular mechanisms of AD pathophysiology, the presence of AD pathology in the visual system, associated functional changes, and potential development of diagnostic tools based on the visual system. Additionally, we discuss links between AD and visual disorders, including possible pathophysiological mechanisms and their relevance for improving our understanding of AD. © 2016 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

InfoSymbiotics/DDDAS - The power of Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems for New Capabilities in Environmental -, Geo-, and Space- Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darema, F.

2016-12-01

InfoSymbiotics/DDDAS embodies the power of Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems (DDDAS), a concept whereby an executing application model is dynamically integrated, in a feed-back loop, with the real-time data-acquisition and control components, as well as other data sources of the application system. Advanced capabilities can be created through such new computational approaches in modeling and simulations, and in instrumentation methods, and include: enhancing the accuracy of the application model; speeding-up the computation to allow faster and more comprehensive models of a system, and create decision support systems with the accuracy of full-scale simulations; in addition, the notion of controlling instrumentation processes by the executing application results in more efficient management of application-data and addresses challenges of how to architect and dynamically manage large sets of heterogeneous sensors and controllers, an advance over the static and ad-hoc ways of today - with DDDAS these sets of resources can be managed adaptively and in optimized ways. Large-Scale-Dynamic-Data encompasses the next wave of Big Data, and namely dynamic data arising from ubiquitous sensing and control in engineered, natural, and societal systems, through multitudes of heterogeneous sensors and controllers instrumenting these systems, and where opportunities and challenges at these "large-scales" relate not only to data size but the heterogeneity in data, data collection modalities, fidelities, and timescales, ranging from real-time data to archival data. In tandem with this important dimension of dynamic data, there is an extended view of Big Computing, which includes the collective computing by networked assemblies of multitudes of sensors and controllers, this range from the high-end to the real-time seamlessly integrated and unified, and comprising the Large-Scale-Big-Computing. InfoSymbiotics/DDDAS engenders transformative impact in many application domains, ranging from the nano-scale to the terra-scale and to the extra-terra-scale. The talk will address opportunities for new capabilities together with corresponding research challenges, with illustrative examples from several application areas including environmental sciences, geosciences, and space sciences.

How can soil organic carbon stocks in agriculture be maintained or increased?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Don, Axel; Leifeld, Jens

2015-04-01

CO2 emissions from soils are 10 times higher than anthropogenic CO2 emissions from fossil burning with around 60 Pg C a-1. At the same time around 60 Pg of carbon is added to the soils as litter from roots and leaves. Thus, the balance between both fluxes is supposed to be zero for the global earth system in steady state without human perturbations. However, the global carbon flux has been altered by humans since thousands of years by extracting biomass carbon as food, feed and fiber with global estimate of 40% of net primary productivity (NPP). This fraction is low in forests but agricultural systems, in particular croplands, are systems with a high net exported carbon fraction. Soils are mainly input driven systems. Agricultural soils depend on input to compensate directly for i) respiration losses, ii) extraction of carbon (and nitrogen) and depletion (e.g. via manure) or indirectly via enhances NPP (e.g. via fertilization management). In a literature review we examined the role of biomass extraction and carbon input via roots, crop residues and amendments (manure, slurry etc.) to agricultural soil's carbon stocks. Recalcitrance of biomass carbon was found to be of minor importance for long-term carbon storage. Thus, also the impact of crop type on soil carbon dynamics seems mainly driven by the amount of crop residuals of different crop types. However, we found distinct differences in the efficiency of C input to refill depleted soil C stocks between above ground C input or below ground root litter C input, with root-C being more efficient due to slower turnover rates. We discuss the role of different measures to decrease soil carbon turnover (e.g. decreased tillage intensity) as compared to measures that increase C input (e.g. cover crops) in the light of global developments in agricultural management with ongoing specialization and segregation between catch crop production and dairy farms.

Resonances in a periodically driven bosonic system.

PubMed

Quelle, Anton; Smith, Cristiane Morais

2017-11-01

Periodically driven systems are a common topic in modern physics. In optical lattices specifically, driving is at the origin of many interesting phenomena. However, energy is not conserved in driven systems, and under periodic driving, heating of a system is a real concern. In an effort to better understand this phenomenon, the heating of single-band systems has been studied, with a focus on disorder- and interaction-induced effects, such as many-body localization. Nevertheless, driven systems occur in a much wider context than this, leaving room for further research. Here, we fill this gap by studying a noninteracting model, characterized by discrete, periodically spaced energy levels that are unbounded from above. We couple these energy levels resonantly through a periodic drive, and discuss the heating dynamics of this system as a function of the driving protocol. In this way, we show that a combination of stimulated emission and absorption causes the presence of resonant stable states. This will serve to elucidate the conditions under which resonant driving causes heating in quantum systems.

Resonances in a periodically driven bosonic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quelle, Anton; Smith, Cristiane Morais

2017-11-01

Periodically driven systems are a common topic in modern physics. In optical lattices specifically, driving is at the origin of many interesting phenomena. However, energy is not conserved in driven systems, and under periodic driving, heating of a system is a real concern. In an effort to better understand this phenomenon, the heating of single-band systems has been studied, with a focus on disorder- and interaction-induced effects, such as many-body localization. Nevertheless, driven systems occur in a much wider context than this, leaving room for further research. Here, we fill this gap by studying a noninteracting model, characterized by discrete, periodically spaced energy levels that are unbounded from above. We couple these energy levels resonantly through a periodic drive, and discuss the heating dynamics of this system as a function of the driving protocol. In this way, we show that a combination of stimulated emission and absorption causes the presence of resonant stable states. This will serve to elucidate the conditions under which resonant driving causes heating in quantum systems.

Template-free synthesis of cube-like Ag/AgCl nanostructures via a direct-precipitation protocol: highly efficient sunlight-driven plasmonic photocatalysts.

PubMed

Zhu, Mingshan; Chen, Penglei; Ma, Wanhong; Lei, Bin; Liu, Minghua

2012-11-01

In this paper, we report that cube-like Ag/AgCl nanostructures could be facilely fabricated in a one-pot manner through a direct-precipitation protocol under ambient conditions, wherein no additional issues such as external energy (e.g., high temperature or high pressure), surfactants, or reducing agents are required. In terms of using sodium chloride (NaCl) as chlorine source and silver acetate (CH₃COOAg) as silver source, it is disclosed that simply by adding an aqueous solution of NaCl into an aqueous solution of CH₃COOAg, Ag/AgCl nanostructures with a cube-like geometry, could be successfully formulated. We show that thus-formulated cube-like Ag/AgCl nanospecies could be used as high-performance yet durable visible-light-driven or sunlight-driven plasmonic photocatalysts for the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) pollutants. Compared with the commercially available P25-TiO₂, and the Ag/AgCl nanospheres previously fabricated via a surfactant-assisted method, our current cube-like Ag/AgCl nanostructures could exhibit much higher photocatalytic performance. Our template free protocol might open up new and varied opportunities for an easy synthesis of cube-like Ag/AgCl-based high-performance sunlight-driven plasmonic photocatalysts for organic pollutant elimination.

Measurements Methods for the analysis of Nuclear Reactors Thermal Hydraulic in Water Scaled Facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spaccapaniccia, C.; Planquart, P.; Buchlin, J. M. AB(; ), AC(; )

2018-01-01

The Belgian nuclear research institute (SCK•CEN) is developing MYRRHA. MYRRHA is a flexible fast spectrum research reactor, conceived as an accelerator driven system (ADS). The configuration of the primary loop is pool-type: the primary coolant and all the primary system components (core and heat exchangers) are contained within the reactor vessel, while the secondary fluid is circulating in the heat exchangers. The primary coolant is Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE). The recent nuclear accident of Fukushima in 2011 changed the requirements for the design of new reactors, which should include the possibility to remove the residual decay heat through passive primary and secondary systems, i.e. natural convection (NC). After the reactor shut down, in the unlucky event of propeller failures, the primary and secondary loops should be able to remove the decay heat in passive way (Natural Convection). The present study analyses the flow and the temperature distribution in the upper plenum by applying laser imaging techniques in a laboratory scaled water model. A parametric study is proposed to study stratification mitigation strategies by varying the geometry of the buffer tank simulating the upper plenum.

Evolutionary potential games on lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szabó, György; Borsos, István

2016-04-01

Game theory provides a general mathematical background to study the effect of pair interactions and evolutionary rules on the macroscopic behavior of multi-player games where players with a finite number of strategies may represent a wide scale of biological objects, human individuals, or even their associations. In these systems the interactions are characterized by matrices that can be decomposed into elementary matrices (games) and classified into four types. The concept of decomposition helps the identification of potential games and also the evaluation of the potential that plays a crucial role in the determination of the preferred Nash equilibrium, and defines the Boltzmann distribution towards which these systems evolve for suitable types of dynamical rules. This survey draws parallel between the potential games and the kinetic Ising type models which are investigated for a wide scale of connectivity structures. We discuss briefly the applicability of the tools and concepts of statistical physics and thermodynamics. Additionally the general features of ordering phenomena, phase transitions and slow relaxations are outlined and applied to evolutionary games. The discussion extends to games with three or more strategies. Finally we discuss what happens when the system is weakly driven out of the "equilibrium state" by adding non-potential components representing games of cyclic dominance.

Progress on FIR interferometry and Thomson Scattering measurements on HIT-SI3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Everson, Christopher; Jarboe, Thomas; Morgan, Kyle

2017-10-01

Spatially resolved measurements of the electron temperature (Te) and density (ne) will be fundamental in assessing the degree to which HIT-SI3 demonstrates closed magnetic flux and energy confinement. Further, electron temperature measurements have not yet been made on an inductively-driven spheromak. Far infrared (FIR) interferometer and Thomson Scattering (TS) systems have been installed on the HIT-SI3 spheromak. The TS system currently implemented on HIT-SI3 was originally designed for other magnetic confinement experiments, and progress continues toward modifying and optimizing for HIT-SI3 plasmas. Initial results suggest that the electron temperature is of order 10 eV. Plans to modify the TS system to provide more sensitivity and accuracy at low temperatures are presented. The line-integrated ne is measured on one chord by the FIR interferometer, with densities near 5x1019 m-3. Four cylindrical volumes have been added to the HIT-SI3 apparatus to enhance passive pumping. It is hoped that this will allow for more control of the density during the 2 ms discharges. Density measurements from before and after the installation of the passive pumping volumes are presented for comparison.

A trace-driven analysis of name and attribute caching in a distributed system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirriff, Ken W.; Ousterhout, John K.

1992-01-01

This paper presents the results of simulating file name and attribute caching on client machines in a distributed file system. The simulation used trace data gathered on a network of about 40 workstations. Caching was found to be advantageous: a cache on each client containing just 10 directories had a 91 percent hit rate on name look ups. Entry-based name caches (holding individual directory entries) had poorer performance for several reasons, resulting in a maximum hit rate of about 83 percent. File attribute caching obtained a 90 percent hit rate with a cache on each machine of the attributes for 30 files. The simulations show that maintaining cache consistency between machines is not a significant problem; only 1 in 400 name component look ups required invalidation of a remotely cached entry. Process migration to remote machines had little effect on caching. Caching was less successful in heavily shared and modified directories such as /tmp, but there weren't enough references to /tmp overall to affect the results significantly. We estimate that adding name and attribute caching to the Sprite operating system could reduce server load by 36 percent and the number of network packets by 30 percent.

Self-organized magnetic particles to tune the mechanical behavior of a granular system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, Meredith; Wang, Dong; Barés, Jonathan; Behringer, Robert P.

2016-09-01

Above a certain density a granular material jams. This property can be controlled by either tuning a global property, such as the packing fraction or by applying shear strain, or at the micro-scale by tuning grain shape, inter-particle friction or externally controlled organization. Here, we introduce a novel way to change a local granular property by adding a weak anisotropic magnetic interaction between particles. We measure the evolution of the pressure, P, and coordination number, Z, for a packing of 2D photo-elastic disks, subject to uniaxial compression. A fraction R m of the particles have embedded cuboidal magnets. The strength of the magnetic interactions between particles is too weak to have a strong direct effect on P or Z when the system is jammed. However, the magnetic interactions play an important role in the evolution of latent force networks when systems containing a large enough fraction of the particles with magnets are driven through unjammed to jammed states. In this case, a statistically stable network of magnetic chains self-organizes before jamming and overlaps with force chains once jamming occurs, strengthening the granular medium. This property opens a novel way to control mechanical properties of granular materials.

Dynamic bifurcation and strange nonchaos in a two-frequency parametrically driven nonlinear oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Premraj, D.; Suresh, K.; Palanivel, J.; Thamilmaran, K.

2017-09-01

A periodically forced series LCR circuit with Chua's diode as a nonlinear element exhibits slow passage through Hopf bifurcation. This slow passage leads to a delay in the Hopf bifurcation. The delay in this bifurcation is a unique quantity and it can be predicted using various numerical analysis. We find that when an additional periodic force is added to the system, the delay in bifurcation becomes chaotic which leads to an unpredictability in bifurcation delay. Further, we study the bifurcation of the periodic delay to chaotic delay in the slow passage effect through strange nonchaotic delay. We also report the occurrence of strange nonchaotic dynamics while varying the parameter of the additional force included in the system. We observe that the system exhibits a hitherto unknown dynamical transition to a strange nonchaotic attractor. With the help of Lyapunov exponent, we explain the new transition to strange nonchaotic attractor and its mechanism is studied by making use of rational approximation theory. The birth of SNA has also been confirmed numerically, using Poincaré maps, phase sensitivity exponent, the distribution of finite-time Lyapunov exponents and singular continuous spectrum analysis.

Outlining social physics for modern societies—locating culture, economics, and politics: The Enlightenment reconsidered

PubMed Central

Iberall, A. S.

1985-01-01

A groundwork is laid for a formulation of the modern human social system as a field continuum. As in a simple material physical field, the independent implied relationships of materials or processes in flux have to be based on local conservations of mass, energy, and momentum. In complex fields, the transport fluctuations of momentum are transformed into action modes (e.g., [unk] pdq = ΣHi = H, a characteristic quantum of action over a characteristic cycle time). In complex living systems, a fourth local conservation of population number, the demographic variable, has to be added as a renormalized variable. Modern man, settled in place via agriculture, urbanized, and engaged largely in trade and war, invents a fifth local conservation—value-in-trade, the economic variable. The potentials that drive these five fluxes are also enumerated. Among the more evident external and internal physical-chemical potentials, the driving potentials include a sheaf of internal potential-like components that represent the command-control system emergent as politics. In toto, culture represents the social solvent with the main processes of economics and politics being driven by a social pressure. PMID:16593594

A cable-driven locomotor training system for restoration of gait in human SCI.

PubMed

Wu, Ming; Hornby, T George; Landry, Jill M; Roth, Heidi; Schmit, Brian D

2011-02-01

A novel cable-driven robotic locomotor training system was developed to provide compliant assistance/resistance forces to the legs during treadmill training in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Eleven subjects with incomplete SCI were recruited to participate in two experiments to test the feasibility of the robotic gait training system. Specifically, 10 subjects participated in one experimental session to test the characteristics of the robotic gait training system and one subject participated in repeated testing sessions over 8 weeks with the robotic device to test improvements in locomotor function. Limb kinematics were recorded in one experiment to evaluate the system characteristics of the cable-driven locomotor trainer and the overground gait speed and 6 min walking distance were evaluated at pre, 4 and 8 weeks post treadmill training of a single subject as well. The results indicated that the cable driven robotic gait training system improved the kinematic performance of the leg during treadmill walking and had no significant impact on the variability of lower leg trajectory, suggesting a high backdrivability of the cable system. In addition, results from a patient with incomplete SCI indicated that prolonged robotic gait training using the cable robot improved overground gait speed. Results from this study suggested that a cable driven robotic gait training system is effective in improving leg kinematic performance, yet allows variability of gait kinematics. Thus, it seems feasible to improve the locomotor function in human SCI using this cable driven robotic system, warranting testing with a larger group of patients. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Higher Daily Energy Expenditure and Respiratory Quotient, Rather Than Fat-Free Mass, Independently Determine Greater ad Libitum Overeating.

PubMed

Piaggi, Paolo; Thearle, Marie S; Krakoff, Jonathan; Votruba, Susanne B

2015-08-01

Body fat-free mass (FFM), energy expenditure (EE), and respiratory quotient (RQ) are known predictors of daily food intake. Because FFM largely determines EE, it is unclear whether body composition per se or the underlying metabolism drives dietary intake. The objective of the study was to test whether 24-hour measures of EE and RQ and their components influence ad libitum food intake independently of FFM. One hundred seven healthy individuals (62 males/45 females, 84 Native Americans/23 whites; age 33 ± 8 y; body mass index 33 ± 8 kg/m(2); body fat 31% ± 8%) had 24-hour measures of EE in a whole-room indirect calorimeter during energy balance, followed by 3 days of ad libitum food intake using computerized vending machine systems. Body composition was estimated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. FFM, 24-hour EE, RQ, spontaneous physical activity, sleeping EE (sleeping metabolic rate), awake and fed thermogenesis, and ad libitum food intake (INTAKE) were measured. Higher 24-hour RQ (P < .001, partial R(2) = 16%) and EE (P = .01, partial R(2) = 7%), but not FFM (P = .65), were independent predictors of INTAKE. Mediation analysis demonstrated that 24-hour EE is responsible for 80% of the FFM effect on INTAKE (44.5 ± 16.9 kcal ingested per kilogram of FFM, P= .01), whereas the unique effect due to solely FFM was negligible (10.6 ± 23.2, P = .65). Spontaneous physical activity (r = 0.33, P = .001), but not sleeping metabolic rate (P = .71), positively predicted INTAKE, whereas higher awake and fed thermogenesis determined greater INTAKE only in subjects with a body mass index of 29 kg/m(2) or less (r = 0.44, P = .01). EE and RQ, rather than FFM, independently determine INTAKE, suggesting that competitive energy-sensing mechanisms driven by the preferential macronutrient oxidation and total energy demands may regulate food intake.

Surface expression of anti-CD3scfv stimulates locoregional immunotherapy against hepatocellular carcinoma depending on the E1A-engineered human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.

PubMed

Zhang, Qing; Yuan, Xiang-Fei; Lu, Yang; Li, Zhen-Zhen; Bao, Shi-Qi; Zhang, Xiao-Long; Yang, Yuan-Yuan; Fan, Dong-Mei; Zhang, Yi-Zhi; Wu, Chen-Xuan; Guo, Hong-Xing; Zhang, Yan-Jun; Ye, Zhou; Xiong, Dong-Sheng

2017-10-01

Tumor antigens is at the core of cancer immunotherapy, however, the ideal antigen selection is difficult especially in poorly immunogenic tumors. In this study, we designed a strategy to modify hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells by surface expressing anti-CD3scfv within the tumor site strictly, which depended on the E1A-engineered human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSC.E1A) delivery system. Subsequently, membrane-bound anti-CD3scfv actived the lymphocytes which lysed HCC cells bypassing the expression of antigens or MHC restriction. First, we constructed the anti-CD3scfv gene driven by human α-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter into an adenoviral vector and the E1A gene into the lentiviral vector. Our results showed that anti-CD3scfv could specifically express on the surface of HCC cells and activate the lymphocytes to kill target cells effectively in vitro. HUMSC infected by AdCD3scfv followed by LentiR.E1A could support the adenoviral replication and packaging in vitro 36 h after LentiR.E1A infection. Using a subcutaneous HepG2 xenograft model, we confirmed that AdCD3scfv and LentiR.E1A co-transfected HUMSC could migrate selectively to the tumor site and produce considerable adenoviruses. The new generated AdCD3scfv infected and modified tumor cells successfully. Mice injected with the MSC.E1A.AdCD3scfv and lymphocytes significantly inhibited the tumor growth compared with control groups. Furthermore, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) could sensitize adenovirus infection at low MOI resulting in improved lymphocytes cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. In summary, this study provides a promising strategy for solid tumor immunotherapy. © 2017 UICC.

The BiolAD-DB system : an informatics system for clinical and genetic data.

PubMed

Nielsen, David A; Leidner, Marty; Haynes, Chad; Krauthammer, Michael; Kreek, Mary Jeanne

2007-01-01

The Biology of Addictive Diseases-Database (BiolAD-DB) system is a research bioinformatics system for archiving, analyzing, and processing of complex clinical and genetic data. The database schema employs design principles for handling complex clinical information, such as response items in genetic questionnaires. Data access and validation is provided by the BiolAD-DB client application, which features a data validation engine tightly coupled to a graphical user interface. Data integrity is provided by the password-protected BiolAD-DB SQL compliant server and database. BiolAD-DB tools further provide functionalities for generating customized reports and views. The BiolAD-DB system schema, client, and installation instructions are freely available at http://www.rockefeller.edu/biolad-db/.

Continuous Energy Improvement in Motor Driven Systems - A Guidebook for Industry

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

Gilbert A. McCoy and John G. Douglass

2014-02-01

This guidebook provides a step-by-step approach to developing a motor system energy-improvement action plan. An action plan includes which motors should be repaired or replaced with higher efficiency models, recommendations on maintaining a spares inventory, and discussion of improvements in maintenance practices. The guidebook is the successor to DOE’s 1997 Energy Management for Motor Driven Systems. It builds on its predecessor publication by including topics such as power transmission systems and matching driven equipment to process requirements in addition to motors.

Ion adsorption-induced wetting transition in oil-water-mineral systems.

PubMed

Mugele, Frieder; Bera, Bijoyendra; Cavalli, Andrea; Siretanu, Igor; Maestro, Armando; Duits, Michel; Cohen-Stuart, Martien; van den Ende, Dirk; Stocker, Isabella; Collins, Ian

2015-05-27

The relative wettability of oil and water on solid surfaces is generally governed by a complex competition of molecular interaction forces acting in such three-phase systems. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate how the adsorption of in nature abundant divalent Ca(2+) cations to solid-liquid interfaces induces a macroscopic wetting transition from finite contact angles (≈ 10°) with to near-zero contact angles without divalent cations. We developed a quantitative model based on DLVO theory to demonstrate that this transition, which is observed on model clay surfaces, mica, but not on silica surfaces nor for monovalent K(+) and Na(+) cations is driven by charge reversal of the solid-liquid interface. Small amounts of a polar hydrocarbon, stearic acid, added to the ambient decane synergistically enhance the effect and lead to water contact angles up to 70° in the presence of Ca(2+). Our results imply that it is the removal of divalent cations that makes reservoir rocks more hydrophilic, suggesting a generalizable strategy to control wettability and an explanation for the success of so-called low salinity water flooding, a recent enhanced oil recovery technology.

Market environment and Medicaid acceptance: What influences the access gap?

PubMed

Bond, Amelia; Pajerowski, William; Polsky, Daniel; Richards, Michael R

2017-12-01

The U.S. health care system is undergoing significant changes. Two prominent shifts include millions added to Medicaid and greater integration and consolidation among firms. We empirically assess if these two industry trends may have implications for each other. Using experimentally derived ("secret shopper") data on primary care physicians' real-world behavior, we observe their willingness to accept new privately insured and Medicaid patients across 10 states. We combine this measure of patient acceptance with detailed information on physician and commercial insurer market structure and show that insurer and provider concentration are each positively associated with relative improvements in appointment availability for Medicaid patients. The former is consistent with a smaller price discrepancy between commercial and Medicaid patients and suggests a beneficial spillover from greater insurer market power. The findings for physician concentration do not align with a simple price bargaining explanation but do appear driven by physician firms that are not vertically integrated with a health system. These same firms also tend to rely more on nonphysician clinical staff. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Recent 121-year variability of western boundary upwelling in the northern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi; Peng, Zicheng; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Zhou, Renjun; Song, Shaohua; Shi, Zhengguo; Chen, Tegu; Wei, Gangjian; Delong, Kristine L.

2013-06-01

upwelling is typically related to the eastern boundary upwelling system, whereas the powerful southwest Asian summer monsoon can also generate significant cold, nutrient-rich deep water in western coastal zones. Here we present a sea surface temperature record (A.D. 1876-1996) derived from coral Porites Sr/Ca for an upwelling zone in the northern South China Sea. The upwelling-induced sea surface temperature anomaly record reveals prominent multidecadal variability driven by Asian summer monsoon dynamics with an abrupt transition from warmer to colder conditions in 1930, and a return to warmer conditions after 1960. Previous studies suggest the expected increase in atmospheric CO2 for the coming decades may result in intensification in the eastern boundary upwelling system, which could enhance upwelling of CO2-rich deep water thus exacerbating the impact of acidification in these productive zones. In contrast, the weakening trend since 1961 in the upwelling time series from the northern South China Sea suggests moderate regional ocean acidification from upwelling thus a stress relief for marine life in this region.

Fabrication of Quench Condensed Thin Films Using an Integrated MEMS Fab on a Chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lally, Richard; Reeves, Jeremy; Stark, Thomas; Barrett, Lawrence; Bishop, David

Atomic calligraphy is a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based dynamic stencil nanolithography technique. Integrating MEMS devices into a bonded stacked array of three die provides a unique platform for conducting quench condensed thin film mesoscopic experiments. The atomic calligraphy Fab on a Chip process incorporates metal film sources, electrostatic comb driven stencil plate, mass sensor, temperature sensor, and target surface into one multi-die assembly. Three separate die are created using the PolyMUMPs process and are flip-chip bonded together. A die containing joule heated sources must be prepared with metal for evaporation prior to assembly. A backside etch of the middle/central die exposes the moveable stencil plate allowing the flux to pass through the stencil from the source die to the target die. The chip assembly is mounted in a cryogenic system at ultra-high vacuum for depositing extremely thin films down to single layers of atoms across targeted electrodes. Experiments such as the effect of thin film alloys or added impurities on their superconductivity can be measured in situ with this process.

[Acclimatization and characteristics of microbial community in sulphate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation].

PubMed

Xi, Jing-Ru; Liu, Su-Qin; Li, Lin; Liu, Jun-Xin

2014-12-01

The greenhouse effect of methane is 26 times worse than that of carbon dioxide, and wastewater containing high concentrations of sulfate is harmful to water, soil and plants. Therefore, anaerobic oxidation of methane driven by sulfate is one of the effective ways for methane reduction. In this paper, with sulfate as the electron accepter, a microbial consortium capable of oxidating methane under anaerobic condition was cultured. The diversity and characteristics of bacterial and archaeal community were investigated by PCR-DGGE, and phylogenetic analysis of the dominant microorganisms was also carried out. The DGGE fingerprints showed that microbial community structure changed distinctly, and the abundance of methane-oxidizing archea and sulfate-reducing bacteria increased in the acclimatization system added sulfate. After acclimatization, the bacterial diversity increased, while archaea diversity decreased slightly. The representative bands in the DGGE profiles were excised and sequenced. Results indicated that the dominant species in the acclimatization system were Spirochaetes, Desulfuromonadales, Methanosarcinales, Methanosaeta. Methane converted into carbon dioxide while sulfate transformed into hydrogen sulfide and sulfur in the process of anaerobic methane oxidation accompanied by sulphate reduction.

A practitioner-driven research agenda for syndromic surveillance

DOE PAGES

Hopkins, Richard S.; Gunn, Julia; Berezowski, John; ...

2017-05-02

The objective here is to obtain feedback and seek future directions for an ISDS initiative to establish and update research questions in Informatics, Analytics,Communications, and Systems Research with the greatest perceived impact for improving surveillance practice.Introduction Over the past fifteen years, syndromic surveillance (SyS) has evolved from a set of ad hoc methods used mostly in post-disaster settings, then expanded with broad support and development because of bioterrorism concerns, and subsequently evolved to a mature technology that runs continuously to detect and monitor a wide range of health issues. Continued enhancements needed to meet the challenges of novel health threatsmore » with increasingly complex information sources will require technical advances focused on day-to-day public health needs.Since its formation in 2005, the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) has sought to clarify and coordinate global priorities in surveillance research. As part of a practitioner-driven initiative to identify current research priorities in SyS, ISDS polled its members about capabilities needed by SyS practitioners that could be improved as a result of research efforts. A taskforce of the ISDS Research Committee, consisting of national and global subject matter experts (SMEs) in SyS and ISDS professional staff, carried out the project. This panel will discuss the results and the preferred means to determine and communicate priorities in the future.« less

A practitioner-driven research agenda for syndromic surveillance

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

Hopkins, Richard S.; Gunn, Julia; Berezowski, John

The objective here is to obtain feedback and seek future directions for an ISDS initiative to establish and update research questions in Informatics, Analytics,Communications, and Systems Research with the greatest perceived impact for improving surveillance practice.Introduction Over the past fifteen years, syndromic surveillance (SyS) has evolved from a set of ad hoc methods used mostly in post-disaster settings, then expanded with broad support and development because of bioterrorism concerns, and subsequently evolved to a mature technology that runs continuously to detect and monitor a wide range of health issues. Continued enhancements needed to meet the challenges of novel health threatsmore » with increasingly complex information sources will require technical advances focused on day-to-day public health needs.Since its formation in 2005, the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) has sought to clarify and coordinate global priorities in surveillance research. As part of a practitioner-driven initiative to identify current research priorities in SyS, ISDS polled its members about capabilities needed by SyS practitioners that could be improved as a result of research efforts. A taskforce of the ISDS Research Committee, consisting of national and global subject matter experts (SMEs) in SyS and ISDS professional staff, carried out the project. This panel will discuss the results and the preferred means to determine and communicate priorities in the future.« less

On controlling the flow behavior driven by induction electrohydrodynamics in microfluidic channels.

PubMed

Li, Yanbo; Ren, Yukun; Liu, Weiyu; Chen, Xiaoming; Tao, Ye; Jiang, Hongyuan

2017-04-01

In this study, we develop a nondimensional physical model to demonstrate fluid flow at the micrometer dimension driven by traveling-wave induction electrohydrodynamics (EHD) through direct numerical simulation. In order to realize an enhancement in the pump flow rate as well as a flexible adjustment of anisotropy of flow behavior generated by induction EHD in microchannels, while not adding the risk of causing dielectric breakdown of working solution and material for insulation, a pair of synchronized traveling-wave voltage signals are imposed on double-sided electrode arrays that are mounted on the top and bottom insulating substrate, respectively. Accordingly, we present a model evidence, that not only the pump performance is improved evidently, but a variety of flow profiles, including the symmetrical and parabolic curve, plug-like shape and even biased flow behavior of quite high anisotropy are produced by the device design of "mix-type", "superimposition-type" and "adjustable-type" proposed herein as well, with the resulting controllable fluid motion being able to greatly facilitate an on-demand transportation mode of on-chip bio-microfluidic samples. Besides, automatic conversion in the direction of pump flow is achievable by switching on and off a second voltage wave. Our results provide utilitarian guidelines for constructing flexible electrokinetic framework useful in controllable transportation of particle and fluid samples in modern microfluidic systems. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Photo-driven nanoactuators based on carbon nanocoils and vanadium dioxide bimorphs.

PubMed

Ma, He; Zhang, Xinping; Cui, Ruixue; Liu, Feifei; Wang, Meng; Huang, Cuiying; Hou, Jiwei; Wang, Guang; Wei, Yang; Jiang, Kaili; Pan, Lujun; Liu, Kai

2018-06-06

Photo-driven actuators are highly desirable in various smart systems owing to the advantages of wireless control and possible actuation by solar energy. Miniaturization of photo-driven actuators is particularly essential in micro-robotics and micro-/nano-electro-mechanical systems. However, it remains a great challenge to build up nano-scale photo-driven actuators with competitive performance in amplitude, response speed, and lifetime. In this work, we developed photo-driven nanoactuators based on bimorph structures of vanadium dioxides (VO2) and carbon nanocoils (CNCs). Activated by the huge structural phase transition of VO2, the photo-driven VO2/CNC nanoactuators deliver a giant amplitude, a fast response up to 9400 Hz, and a long lifetime more than 10 000 000 actuation cycles. Both experimental and simulation results show that the helical structure of CNCs enables a low photo-driven threshold of VO2/CNC nanoactuators, which provides an effective method to construct photo-driven nanoactuators with low power consumption. Our photo-driven VO2/CNC nanoactuators would find potential applications in nano-scale electrical/optical switches and other smart devices.

A Null Space Control of Two Wheels Driven Mobile Manipulator Using Passivity Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibata, Tsuyoshi; Murakami, Toshiyuki

This paper describes a control strategy of null space motion of a two wheels driven mobile manipulator. Recently, robot is utilized in various industrial fields and it is preferable for the robot manipulator to have multiple degrees of freedom motion. Several studies of kinematics for null space motion have been proposed. However stability analysis of null space motion is not enough. Furthermore, these approaches apply to stable systems, but they do not apply unstable systems. Then, in this research, base of manipulator equips with two wheels driven mobile robot. This robot is called two wheels driven mobile manipulator, which becomes unstable system. In the proposed approach, a control design of null space uses passivity based stabilizing. A proposed controller is decided so that closed-loop system of robot dynamics satisfies passivity. This is passivity based control. Then, control strategy is that stabilizing of the robot system applies to work space observer based approach and null space control while keeping end-effector position. The validity of the proposed approach is verified by simulations and experiments of two wheels driven mobile manipulator.

Amyloid precursor protein and endosomal-lysosomal dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease: inseparable partners in a multifactorial disease.

PubMed

Nixon, Ralph A

2017-07-01

Abnormalities of the endosomal-lysosomal network (ELN) are a signature feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). These include the earliest known cytopathology that is specific to AD and that affects endosomes and induces the progressive failure of lysosomes, each of which are directly linked by distinct mechanisms to neurodegeneration. The origins of ELN dysfunction and β-amyloidogenesis closely overlap, which reflects their common genetic basis, the established early involvement of endosomes and lysosomes in amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing and clearance, and the pathologic effect of certain APP metabolites on ELN functions. Genes that promote β-amyloidogenesis in AD (APP, PSEN1/2, and APOE4) have primary effects on ELN function. The importance of primary ELN dysfunction to pathogenesis is underscored by the mutations in more than 35 ELN-related genes that, thus far, are known to cause familial neurodegenerative diseases even though different pathogenic proteins may be involved. In this article, I discuss growing evidence that implicates AD gene-driven ELN disruptions as not only the antecedent pathobiology that underlies β-amyloidogenesis but also as the essential partner with APP and its metabolites that drive the development of AD, including tauopathy, synaptic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration. The striking amelioration of diverse deficits in animal AD models by remediating ELN dysfunction further supports a need to integrate APP and ELN relationships, including the role of amyloid-β, into a broader conceptual framework of how AD arises, progresses, and may be effectively therapeutically targeted.-Nixon, R. A. Amyloid precursor protein and endosomal-lysosomal dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease: inseparable partners in a multifactorial disease. © FASEB.

Aberrant RSPO3-LGR4 signaling in Keap1-deficient lung adenocarcinomas promotes tumor aggressiveness.

PubMed

Gong, X; Yi, J; Carmon, K S; Crumbley, C A; Xiong, W; Thomas, A; Fan, X; Guo, S; An, Z; Chang, J T; Liu, Q J

2015-09-03

The four R-spondins (RSPO1-4) and their three related receptors LGR4, 5 and 6 (LGR4-6) have emerged as a major ligand-receptor system with critical roles in development and stem cell survival through modulation of Wnt signaling. Recurrent, gain-of-expression gene fusions of RSPO2 (to EIF3E) and RSPO3 (to PTPRK) occur in a subset of human colorectal cancer. However, the exact roles and mechanisms of the RSPO-LGR system in oncogenesis remain largely unknown. We found that RSPO3 is aberrantly expressed at high levels in approximately half of Keap1-mutated lung adenocarcinomas (ADs). This high RSPO3 expression is driven by a combination of demethylation of its own promoter region and deficiency in Keap1 instead of gene fusion as in colon cancer. Patients with RSPO3-high tumors (~9%, 36/412) displayed much poorer survival than the rest of the cohort (median survival of 28 vs 163 months, log-rank test P<0.0001). Knockdown (KD) of RSPO3, LGR4 or their signaling mediator IQGAP1 in lung cancer cell lines with Keap1 deficiency and high RSPO3-LGR4 expression led to reduction in cell proliferation and migration in vitro, and KD of LGR4 or IQGAP1 resulted in decrease in tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. These findings suggest that aberrant RSPO3-LGR4 signaling potentially acts as a driving mechanism in the aggressiveness of Keap1-deficient lung ADs.

Simulation-Based Design for Wearable Robotic Systems: An Optimization Framework for Enhancing a Standing Long Jump.

PubMed

Ong, Carmichael F; Hicks, Jennifer L; Delp, Scott L

2016-05-01

Technologies that augment human performance are the focus of intensive research and development, driven by advances in wearable robotic systems. Success has been limited by the challenge of understanding human-robot interaction. To address this challenge, we developed an optimization framework to synthesize a realistic human standing long jump and used the framework to explore how simulated wearable robotic devices might enhance jump performance. A planar, five-segment, seven-degree-of-freedom model with physiological torque actuators, which have variable torque capacity depending on joint position and velocity, was used to represent human musculoskeletal dynamics. An active augmentation device was modeled as a torque actuator that could apply a single pulse of up to 100 Nm of extension torque. A passive design was modeled as rotational springs about each lower limb joint. Dynamic optimization searched for physiological and device actuation patterns to maximize jump distance. Optimization of the nominal case yielded a 2.27 m jump that captured salient kinematic and kinetic features of human jumps. When the active device was added to the ankle, knee, or hip, jump distance increased to between 2.49 and 2.52 m. Active augmentation of all three joints increased the jump distance to 3.10 m. The passive design increased jump distance to 3.32 m by adding torques of 135, 365, and 297 Nm to the ankle, knee, and hip, respectively. Dynamic optimization can be used to simulate a standing long jump and investigate human-robot interaction. Simulation can aid in the design of performance-enhancing technologies.

Speech-driven environmental control systems--a qualitative analysis of users' perceptions.

PubMed

Judge, Simon; Robertson, Zoë; Hawley, Mark; Enderby, Pam

2009-05-01

To explore users' experiences and perceptions of speech-driven environmental control systems (SPECS) as part of a larger project aiming to develop a new SPECS. The motivation for this part of the project was to add to the evidence base for the use of SPECS and to determine the key design specifications for a new speech-driven system from a user's perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 users of SPECS from around the United Kingdom. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using a qualitative method based on framework analysis. Reliability is the main influence on the use of SPECS. All the participants gave examples of occasions when their speech-driven system was unreliable; in some instances, this unreliability was reported as not being a problem (e.g., for changing television channels); however, it was perceived as a problem for more safety critical functions (e.g., opening a door). Reliability was cited by participants as the reason for using a switch-operated system as back up. Benefits of speech-driven systems focused on speech operation enabling access when other methods were not possible; quicker operation and better aesthetic considerations. Overall, there was a perception of increased independence from the use of speech-driven environmental control. In general, speech was considered a useful method of operating environmental controls by the participants interviewed; however, their perceptions regarding reliability often influenced their decision to have backup or alternative systems for certain functions.

Line-driven winds revisited in the context of Be stars: Ω-slow solutions with high k values

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

Silaj, J.; Jones, C. E.; Curé, M.

2014-11-01

The standard, or fast, solutions of m-CAK line-driven wind theory cannot account for slowly outflowing disks like the ones that surround Be stars. It has been previously shown that there exists another family of solutions—the Ω-slow solutions—that is characterized by much slower terminal velocities and higher mass-loss rates. We have solved the one-dimensional m-CAK hydrodynamical equation of rotating radiation-driven winds for this latter solution, starting from standard values of the line force parameters (α, k, and δ), and then systematically varying the values of α and k. Terminal velocities and mass-loss rates that are in good agreement with those foundmore » in Be stars are obtained from the solutions with lower α and higher k values. Furthermore, the equatorial densities of such solutions are comparable to those that are typically assumed in ad hoc models. For very high values of k, we find that the wind solutions exhibit a new kind of behavior.« less

Generation of single attosecond pulse within one atomic unit by using multi-cycle inhomogeneous polarization gating technology in bowtie-shaped nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Liqiang; Liu, Hang

2018-04-01

The generations of high-order harmonic spectra and single attosecond pulses (SAPs) driven by the multi-cycle inhomogeneous polarization gating (PG) technology in the bowtie-shaped nanostructure have been theoretically investigated. It is found that by setting the bowtie-shaped nanostructure along the driven laser polarization direction, not only the extension of the harmonic cutoff can be achieved, caused by the surface plasmon polaritons, but also the modulations of the harmonics can be decreased, caused by the PG technology and the inhomogeneous effect. As a result, the contribution of the harmonic plateau is only from one harmonic emission peak with the dominant short quantum path. Further, by properly adding a half-cycle pulse into the driven laser field, the harmonic emission process can be precisely controlled in the half-cycle duration and a supercontinuum with the bandwidth of 263 eV can be obtained. Finally, by directly superposing the harmonics from this supercontinuum, a SAP with the full width at half maximum of 23 as can be obtained, which is shorter than one atomic unit.

Modeling and control of a cable-suspended robot for inspection of vertical structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barry, Nicole; Fisher, Erin; Vaughan, Joshua

2016-09-01

In this paper, a cable-driven system is examined for the application of inspection of large, vertical-walled structures such as chemical storage tanks, large ship hulls, and high-rise buildings. Such cable-driven systems are not commonly used for these tasks due to vibration, which decreases inspection accuracy and degrades safety. The flexible nature of the cables make them difficult to control. In this paper, input shaping is implemented on a cable-driven system to reduce vibration. To design the input shapers, a model of the cable-driven system was developed. Analysis of the dominant dynamics and changes in them over the large workspace are also presented. The performance improvements provided by the input shaping controller are quantified through a series of simulations.

Chaos control and synchronization in Bragg acousto-optic bistable systems driven by a separate chaotic system.

PubMed

Wang, Rong; Gao, Jin-Yue

2005-09-01

In this paper we propose a new scheme to achieve chaos control and synchronization in Bragg acousto-optic bistable systems. In the scheme, we use the output of one system to drive two identical chaotic systems. Using the maximal conditional Lyapunov exponent (MCLE) as the criterion, we analyze the conditions for realizing chaos synchronization. Numerical calculation shows that the two identical systems in chaos with negative MCLEs and driven by a chaotic system can go into chaotic synchronization whether or not they were in chaos initially. The two systems can go into different periodic states from chaos following an inverse period-doubling bifurcation route as well when driven by a periodic system.

A Model-Driven Development Method for Management Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizuno, Tomoki; Matsumoto, Keinosuke; Mori, Naoki

Traditionally, a Management Information System (MIS) has been developed without using formal methods. By the informal methods, the MIS is developed on its lifecycle without having any models. It causes many problems such as lack of the reliability of system design specifications. In order to overcome these problems, a model theory approach was proposed. The approach is based on an idea that a system can be modeled by automata and set theory. However, it is very difficult to generate automata of the system to be developed right from the start. On the other hand, there is a model-driven development method that can flexibly correspond to changes of business logics or implementing technologies. In the model-driven development, a system is modeled using a modeling language such as UML. This paper proposes a new development method for management information systems applying the model-driven development method to a component of the model theory approach. The experiment has shown that a reduced amount of efforts is more than 30% of all the efforts.

Quantum correlations and limit cycles in the driven-dissipative Heisenberg lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owen, E. T.; Jin, J.; Rossini, D.; Fazio, R.; Hartmann, M. J.

2018-04-01

Driven-dissipative quantum many-body systems have attracted increasing interest in recent years as they lead to novel classes of quantum many-body phenomena. In particular, mean-field calculations predict limit cycle phases, slow oscillations instead of stationary states, in the long-time limit for a number of driven-dissipative quantum many-body systems. Using a cluster mean-field and a self-consistent Mori projector approach, we explore the persistence of such limit cycles as short range quantum correlations are taken into account in a driven-dissipative Heisenberg model.

Design of fuzzy system by NNs and realization of adaptability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takagi, Hideyuki

1993-01-01

The issue of designing and tuning fuzzy membership functions by neural networks (NN's) was started by NN-driven Fuzzy Reasoning in 1988. NN-driven fuzzy reasoning involves a NN embedded in the fuzzy system which generates membership values. In conventional fuzzy system design, the membership functions are hand-crafted by trial and error for each input variable. In contrast, NN-driven fuzzy reasoning considers several variables simultaneously and can design a multidimensional, nonlinear membership function for the entire subspace.

Evaluation of two typical distributed energy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Miaomiao; Tan, Xiu

2018-03-01

According to the two-natural gas distributed energy system driven by gas engine driven and gas turbine, in this paper, the first and second laws of thermodynamics are used to measure the distributed energy system from the two parties of “quantity” and “quality”. The calculation results show that the internal combustion engine driven distributed energy station has a higher energy efficiency, but the energy efficiency is low; the gas turbine driven distributed energy station energy efficiency is high, but the primary energy utilization rate is relatively low. When configuring the system, we should determine the applicable natural gas distributed energy system technology plan and unit configuration plan according to the actual load factors of the project and the actual factors such as the location, background and environmental requirements of the project. “quality” measure, the utilization of waste heat energy efficiency index is proposed.

Holographic RG flows on curved manifolds and quantum phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, J. K.; Kiritsis, E.; Nitti, F.; Witkowski, L. T.

2018-05-01

Holographic RG flows dual to QFTs on maximally symmetric curved manifolds (dS d , AdS d , and S d ) are considered in the framework of Einstein-dilaton gravity in d + 1 dimensions. A general dilaton potential is used and the flows are driven by a scalar relevant operator. The general properties of such flows are analyzed and the UV and IR asymptotics computed. New RG flows can appear at finite curvature which do not have a zero curvature counterpart. The so-called `bouncing' flows, where the β-function has a branch cut at which it changes sign, are found to persist at finite curvature. Novel quantum first-order phase transitions are found, triggered by a variation in the d-dimensional curvature in theories allowing multiple ground states.

Fixation of carbon dioxide by a hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium for value-added products.

PubMed

Yu, Jian

2018-06-09

With rapid technology progress and cost reduction, clean hydrogen from water electrolysis driven by renewable powers becomes a potential feedstock for CO 2 fixation by hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria. Cupriavidus necator (formally Ralstonia eutropha), a representative member of the lithoautotrophic prokaryotes, is a promising producer of polyhydroxyalkanoates and single cell proteins. This paper reviews the fundamental properties of the hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, the metabolic activities under limitation of individual gases and nutrients, and the value-added products from CO 2 , including the products with large potential markets. Gas fermentation and bioreactor safety are discussed for achieving high cell density and high productivity of desired products under chemolithotrophic conditions. The review also updates the recent research activities in metabolic engineering of C. necator to produce novel metabolites from CO 2 .

Chemical reaction path modeling of hydrothermal processes on Mars: Preliminary results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Ridley, W. Ian

1992-01-01

Hydrothermal processes are thought to have had significant roles in the development of surficial mineralogies and morphological features on Mars. For example, a significant proportion of the Martian soil could consist of the erosional products of hydrothermally altered impact melt sheets. In this model, impact-driven, vapor-dominated hydrothermal systems hydrothermally altered the surrounding rocks and transported volatiles such as S and Cl to the surface. Further support for impact-driven hydrothermal alteration on Mars was provided by studies of the Ries crater, Germany, where suevite deposits were extensively altered to montmorillonite clays by inferred low-temperature (100-130 C) hydrothermal fluids. It was also suggested that surface outflow from both impact-driven and volcano-driven hydrothermal systems could generate the valley networks, thereby eliminating the need for an early warm wet climate. We use computer-driven chemical reaction path calculation to model chemical processes which were likely associated with postulated Martian hydrothermal systems.

Induction of Shock After Intravenous Injection of Adenovirus Vectors: A Critical Role for Platelet-activating Factor

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhili; Smith, Jeffrey S.; Tian, Jie; Byrnes, Andrew P.

2009-01-01

Innate immune responses are a major barrier to safe systemic gene therapy with adenovirus (Ad) vectors. We show that intravenous (IV) injection of rats with Ad5 vectors causes a novel rapid shock reaction that involves hypotension, hemoconcentration, tissue edema, and vasocongestion, with notable pathology in the pancreas and the gastrointestinal system. We show for the first time that this reaction is dependent on platelet-activating factor (PAF), a lipid signaling molecule that is a known shock inducer. Ad upregulated PAF within 5 minutes in vivo, and antagonists of the PAF receptor were able to prevent Ad-induced shock. Ad upregulated PAF via the reticuloendothelial system (RES), because splenectomy or depletion of phagocytes blocked the ability of Ad to induce both PAF and shock. Rats were considerably more sensitive to Ad-induced shock than were mice, but PAF mediated shock in both species. Other Ad-induced innate immune responses such as cytokine induction and thrombocytopenia were not mediated by PAF. In summary, systemic IV injection of Ad stimulates the RES to upregulate PAF within a matter of minutes, which results in shock. The identification of this novel pathway suggests strategies to improve the safety of systemic gene therapy with Ad vectors. PMID:19953082

EOS Operations Systems: EDOS Implemented Changes to Reduce Operations Costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cordier, Guy R.; Gomez-Rosa, Carlos; McLemore, Bruce D.

2007-01-01

The authors describe in this paper the progress achieved to-date with the reengineering of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Operations System (EDOS), the experience gained in the process and the ensuing reduction of ground systems operations costs. The reengineering effort included a major methodology change, applying to an existing schedule driven system, a data-driven system approach.

DAZZLE project: UAV to ground communication system using a laser and a modulated retro-reflector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thueux, Yoann; Avlonitis, Nicholas; Erry, Gavin

2014-10-01

The advent of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has generated the need for reduced size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements for communications systems with a high data rate, enhanced security and quality of service. This paper presents the current results of the DAZZLE project run by Airbus Group Innovations. The specifications, integration steps and initial performance of a UAV to ground communication system using a laser and a modulated retro-reflector are detailed. The laser operates at the wavelength of 1550nm and at power levels that keep it eye safe. It is directed using a FLIR pan and tilt unit driven by an image processing-based system that tracks the UAV in flight at a range of a few kilometers. The modulated retro-reflector is capable of a data rate of 20Mbps over short distances, using 200mW of electrical power. The communication system was tested at the Pershore Laser Range in July 2014. Video data from a flying Octocopter was successfully transmitted over 1200m. During the next phase of the DAZZLE project, the team will attempt to produce a modulated retro-reflector capable of 1Gbps in partnership with the research institute Acreo1 based in Sweden. A high speed laser beam steering capability based on a Spatial Light Modulator will also be added to the system to improve beam pointing accuracy.

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

Shawver, D.M.; Stansfield, S.

This overview presents current research at Sandia National Laboratories in the Virtual Reality and Intelligent Simulation Lab. Into an existing distributed VR environment which we have been developing, and which provides shared immersion for multiple users, we are adding virtual actor support. The virtual actor support we are adding to this environment is intended to provide semi-autonomous actors, with oversight and high-level guiding control by a director/user, and to allow the overall action to be driven by a scenario. We present an overview of the environment into which our virtual actors will be added in Section 3, and discuss themore » direction of the Virtual Actor research itself in Section 4. We will briefly review related work in Section 2. First however we need to place the research in the context of what motivates it. The motivation for our construction of this environment, and the line of research associated with it, is based on a long-term program of providing support, through simulation, for situational training, by which we mean a type of training in which students learn to handle multiple situations or scenarios. In these situations, the student may encounter events ranging from the routine occurance to the rare emergency. Indeed, the appeal of such training systems is that they could allow the student to experience and develop effective responses for situations they would otherwise have no opportunity to practice, until they happened to encounter an actual occurance. Examples of the type of students for this kind of training would be security forces or emergency response forces. An example of the type of training scenario we would like to support is given in Section 4.2.« less

Interhemispheric gradient of atmospheric radiocarbon reveals natural variability of Southern Ocean winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, K. B.; Mikaloff-Fletcher, S. E.; Bianchi, D.; Beaulieu, C.; Galbraith, E. D.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Hogg, A. G.; Iudicone, D.; Lintner, B. R.; Naegler, T.; Reimer, P. J.; Sarmiento, J. L.; Slater, R. D.

2011-10-01

Tree ring Δ14C data (Reimer et al., 2004; McCormac et al., 2004) indicate that atmospheric Δ14C varied on multi-decadal to centennial timescales, in both hemispheres, over the period between AD 950 and 1830. The Northern and Southern Hemispheric Δ14C records display similar variability, but from the data alone is it not clear whether these variations are driven by the production of 14C in the stratosphere (Stuiver and Quay, 1980) or by perturbations to exchanges between carbon reservoirs (Siegenthaler et al., 1980). As the sea-air flux of 14CO2 has a clear maximum in the open ocean regions of the Southern Ocean, relatively modest perturbations to the winds over this region drive significant perturbations to the interhemispheric gradient. In this study, model simulations are used to show that Southern Ocean winds are likely a main driver of the observed variability in the interhemispheric gradient over AD 950-1830, and further, that this variability may be larger than the Southern Ocean wind trends that have been reported for recent decades (notably 1980-2004). This interpretation also implies that there may have been a significant weakening of the winds over the Southern Ocean within a few decades of AD 1375, associated with the transition between the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age. The driving forces that could have produced such a shift in the winds at the Medieval Climate Anomaly to Little Ice Age transition remain unknown. Our process-focused suite of perturbation experiments with models raises the possibility that the current generation of coupled climate and earth system models may underestimate the natural background multi-decadal- to centennial-timescale variations in the winds over the Southern Ocean.

ADS Model in the TIRELIRE-STRATEGIE Fuel Cycle Simulation Code Application to Minor Actinides Transmutation Studies

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

Garzenne, Claude; Massara, Simone; Tetart, Philippe

2006-07-01

Accelerator Driven Systems offer the advantage, thanks to the core sub-criticality, to burn highly radioactive elements such as americium and curium in a dedicated stratum, and then to avoid polluting with these elements the main part of the nuclear fleet, which is optimized for electricity production. This paper presents firstly the ADS model implemented in the fuel cycle simulation code TIRELIRE-STRATEGIE that we developed at EDF R and D Division for nuclear power scenario studies. Then we show and comment the results of TIRELIRE-STRATEGIE calculation of a transition scenario between the current French nuclear fleet, and a fast reactor fleetmore » entirely deployed towards the end of the 21. century, consistently with the EDF prospective view, with 3 options for the minor actinides management:1) vitrified with fission products to be sent to the final disposal; 2) extracted together with plutonium from the spent fuel to be transmuted in Generation IV fast reactors; 3) eventually extracted separately from plutonium to be incinerated in a ADSs double stratum. The comparison of nuclear fuel cycle material fluxes and inventories between these options shows that ADSs are not more efficient than critical fast reactors for reducing the high level waste radio-toxicity; that minor actinides inventory and fluxes in the fuel cycle are more than twice as high in case of a double ADSs stratum than in case of minor actinides transmutation in Generation IV FBRs; and that about fourteen 400 MWth ADS are necessary to incinerate minor actinides issued from a 60 GWe Generation IV fast reactor fleet, corresponding to the current French nuclear fleet installed power. (authors)« less

Design and Development of Wireless Power Transmission for Unmanned Air Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING and MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL September 2012...Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS). Tuning elements were added and adjusted in order to optimize the efficiency. A maximum efficiency of 57% was...investigated by a series of simulations using Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS). Tuning elements were added and adjusted

An Updated Analysis of Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements for Prescription Drugs.

PubMed

Applequist, Janelle; Ball, Jennifer Gerard

2018-05-01

In 2015, the American Medical Association called for a ban of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs. Yet, the pharmaceutical industry spends more than ever on broadcast advertisements, with national health care costs largely driven by drug spending. An evaluation of these ads is critical, as these advertisements can impact the frequency which patients ask their doctors about medications. A content analysis of prime-time direct-to-consumer ads was conducted across 4 major cable television networks. The ad content (n = 61) was coded for factual claims made regarding target conditions, appeals used, portrayal of medications, and lifestyle characteristics shown. We found a substantial decrease in the percentage of ads that conveyed information about the conditions being targeted, such as risk factors (16%) and prevalence (16%). Positive emotional appeals (94%) continued to be emphasized; yet there was decreased use of negative emotional appeals (51%), pointing to an overall more positive portrayal of a patient's experience with a medication. The lifestyles portrayed in the sample largely featured how products can enable more recreational activities (69%) and fewer ads (7%) presented alternatives to product use. Direct-to-consumer advertising continued to promote prescription drugs above educating the population. Improvement in the educational value of DTCA is likely to require regulatory action rather than reliance on self-regulation by the pharmaceutical industry. © 2018 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Interior noise control prediction study for high-speed propeller-driven aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rennison, D. C.; Wilby, J. F.; Marsh, A. H.; Wilby, E. G.

1979-01-01

An analytical model was developed to predict the noise levels inside propeller-driven aircraft during cruise at M = 0.8. The model was applied to three study aircraft with fuselages of different size (wide body, narrow body and small diameter) in order to determine the noise reductions required to achieve the goal of an A-weighted sound level which does not exceed 80 dB. The model was then used to determine noise control methods which could achieve the required noise reductions. Two classes of noise control treatments were investigated: add-on treatments which can be added to existing structures, and advanced concepts which would require changes to the fuselage primary structure. Only one treatment, a double wall with limp panel, provided the required noise reductions. Weight penalties associated with the treatment were estimated for the three study aircraft.

Quantum spectral curve for the η-deformed AdS5 × S5 superstring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klabbers, Rob; van Tongeren, Stijn J.

2017-12-01

The spectral problem for the AdS5 ×S5 superstring and its dual planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory can be efficiently solved through a set of functional equations known as the quantum spectral curve. We discuss how the same concepts apply to the η-deformed AdS5 ×S5 superstring, an integrable deformation of the AdS5 ×S5 superstring with quantum group symmetry. This model can be viewed as a trigonometric version of the AdS5 ×S5 superstring, like the relation between the XXZ and XXX spin chains, or the sausage and the S2 sigma models for instance. We derive the quantum spectral curve for the η-deformed string by reformulating the corresponding ground-state thermodynamic Bethe ansatz equations as an analytic Y system, and map this to an analytic T system which upon suitable gauge fixing leads to a Pμ system - the quantum spectral curve. We then discuss constraints on the asymptotics of this system to single out particular excited states. At the spectral level the η-deformed string and its quantum spectral curve interpolate between the AdS5 ×S5 superstring and a superstring on "mirror" AdS5 ×S5, reflecting a more general relationship between the spectral and thermodynamic data of the η-deformed string. In particular, the spectral problem of the mirror AdS5 ×S5 string, and the thermodynamics of the undeformed AdS5 ×S5 string, are described by a second rational limit of our trigonometric quantum spectral curve, distinct from the regular undeformed limit.

WE-G-BRA-02: SafetyNet: Automating Radiotherapy QA with An Event Driven Framework

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

Hadley, S; Kessler, M; Litzenberg, D

2015-06-15

Purpose: Quality assurance is an essential task in radiotherapy that often requires many manual tasks. We investigate the use of an event driven framework in conjunction with software agents to automate QA and eliminate wait times. Methods: An in house developed subscription-publication service, EventNet, was added to the Aria OIS to be a message broker for critical events occurring in the OIS and software agents. Software agents operate without user intervention and perform critical QA steps. The results of the QA are documented and the resulting event is generated and passed back to EventNet. Users can subscribe to those eventsmore » and receive messages based on custom filters designed to send passing or failing results to physicists or dosimetrists. Agents were developed to expedite the following QA tasks: Plan Revision, Plan 2nd Check, SRS Winston-Lutz isocenter, Treatment History Audit, Treatment Machine Configuration. Results: Plan approval in the Aria OIS was used as the event trigger for plan revision QA and Plan 2nd check agents. The agents pulled the plan data, executed the prescribed QA, stored the results and updated EventNet for publication. The Winston Lutz agent reduced QA time from 20 minutes to 4 minutes and provided a more accurate quantitative estimate of radiation isocenter. The Treatment Machine Configuration agent automatically reports any changes to the Treatment machine or HDR unit configuration. The agents are reliable, act immediately, and execute each task identically every time. Conclusion: An event driven framework has inverted the data chase in our radiotherapy QA process. Rather than have dosimetrists and physicists push data to QA software and pull results back into the OIS, the software agents perform these steps immediately upon receiving the sentinel events from EventNet. Mr Keranen is an employee of Varian Medical Systems. Dr. Moran’s institution receives research support for her effort for a linear accelerator QA project from Varian Medical Systems. Other quality projects involving her effort are funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the NIH.« less

Review of Systemic Treatment Options for Adult Atopic Dermatitis.

PubMed

Gooderham, Melinda; Lynde, Charles W; Papp, Kim; Bourcier, Marc; Guenther, Lyn; Gulliver, Wayne; Hong, Chih-Ho; Poulin, Yves; Sussman, Gordon; Vender, Ronald

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin disease resulting from defects in skin barrier and aberrant immune responses. AD significantly affects the quality of life. Not all patients respond to topical therapies, and often systemic therapy is required to control the disease. To review the treatment options for adult AD patients including those options for patients who do not respond adequately or have contraindications to oral systemic therapy. A working group of clinicians with experience managing AD was convened to review the current literature on treatment options for adult AD patients. This review is based on the best available evidence from a published systematic review and an additional literature search. Current treatments for AD are reviewed, including options for adult AD patients who do not respond or have contraindications to current systemic therapies. A new approach with targeted therapies is reviewed based on best available evidence. Many AD patients respond satisfactorily to topical or systemic treatments, but for those patients who do not respond or have contraindications, new biologic agents appear to be promising therapies.

Dicer functions as an antiviral system against human adenoviruses via cleavage of adenovirus-encoded noncoding RNA

PubMed Central

Machitani, Mitsuhiro; Sakurai, Fuminori; Wakabayashi, Keisaku; Tomita, Kyoko; Tachibana, Masashi; Mizuguchi, Hiroyuki

2016-01-01

In various organisms, including nematodes and plants, RNA interference (RNAi) is a defense system against virus infection; however, it is unclear whether RNAi functions as an antivirus system in mammalian cells. Rather, a number of DNA viruses, including herpesviruses, utilize post-transcriptional silencing systems for their survival. Here we show that Dicer efficiently suppresses the replication of adenovirus (Ad) via cleavage of Ad-encoding small RNAs (VA-RNAs), which efficiently promote Ad replication via the inhibition of eIF2α phosphorylation, to viral microRNAs (mivaRNAs). The Dicer knockdown significantly increases the copy numbers of VA-RNAs, leading to the efficient inhibition of eIF2α phosphorylation and the subsequent promotion of Ad replication. Conversely, overexpression of Dicer significantly inhibits Ad replication. Transfection with mivaRNA does not affect eIF2α phosphorylation or Ad replication. These results indicate that Dicer-mediated processing of VA-RNAs leads to loss of activity of VA-RNAs for enhancement of Ad replication and that Dicer functions as a defence system against Ad in mammalian cells. PMID:27273616

Submolecular Structure and Orientation of Oligonucleotide Duplexes Tethered to Gold Electrodes Probed by Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy: Effect of the Electrode Potentials.

PubMed

Kékedy-Nagy, László; Ferapontova, Elena E; Brand, Izabella

2017-02-23

Unique electronic and ligand recognition properties of the DNA double helix provide basis for DNA applications in biomolecular electronic and biosensor devices. However, the relation between the structure of DNA at electrified interfaces and its electronic properties is still not well understood. Here, potential-driven changes in the submolecular structure of DNA double helices composed of either adenine-thymine (dAdT) 25 or cytosine-guanine (dGdC) 20 base pairs tethered to the gold electrodes are for the first time analyzed by in situ polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM IRRAS) performed under the electrochemical control. It is shown that the conformation of the DNA duplexes tethered to gold electrodes via the C 6 alkanethiol linker strongly depends on the nucleic acid sequence composition. The tilt of purine and pyrimidine rings of the complementary base pairs (dAdT and dGdC) depends on the potential applied to the electrode. By contrast, neither the conformation nor orientation of the ionic in character phosphate-sugar backbone is affected by the electrode potentials. At potentials more positive than the potential of zero charge (pzc), a gradual tilting of the double helix is observed. In this tilted orientation, the planes of the complementary purine and pyrimidine rings lie ideally parallel to each other. These potentials do not affect the integral stability of the DNA double helix at the charged interface. At potentials more negative than the pzc, DNA helices adopt a vertical to the gold surface orientation. Tilt of the purine and pyrimidine rings depends on the composition of the double helix. In monolayers composed of (dAdT) 25 molecules the rings of the complementary base pairs lie parallel to each other. By contrast, the tilt of purine and pyrimidine rings in (dGdC) 20 helices depends on the potential applied to the electrode. Such potential-induced mobility of the complementary base pairs can destabilize the helix structure at a submolecular level. These pioneer results on the potential-driven changes in the submolecular structure of double stranded DNA adsorbed on conductive supports contribute to further understanding of the potential-driven sequence-specific electronic properties of surface-tethered oligonucleotides.

Connecting the Astrophysics Data System and Planetary Data System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichhorn, G.; Kurtz, M. J.; Accomazzi, A.; Grant, C. S.; Murray, S. S.; Hughes, J. S.; Mortellaro, J.; McMahon, S. K.

1997-07-01

The Astrophysics Data System (ADS) provides access to astronomical literature through a sophisticated search engine. Over 10,000 users retrieve almost 5 million references and read more than 25,000 full text articles per month. ADS cooperates closely with all the main astronomical journals and data centers to create and maintain a state-of-the-art digital library. The Planetary Data System (PDS) publishes high quality peer reviewed planetary science data products, defines planetary archiving standards to make products usable, and provides science expertise to users in data product preparation and use. Data products are available to users on CD media, with more than 600 CD-ROM titles in the inventory from past missions as well as the recent releases from active planetary missions and observations. The ADS and PDS serve overlapping communities and offer complementary functions. The ADS and PDS are both part of the NASA Space Science Data System, sponsored by the Office of Space Science, which curates science data products for researchers and the general public. We are in the process of connecting these two data systems. As a first step we have included entries for PDS data sets in the ADS abstract service. This allows ADS users to find PDS data sets by searching for their descriptions through the ADS search system. The information returned from the ADS links directly to the data set's entry in the PDS data set catalog. After linking to this catalog, the user will have access to more comprehensive data set information, related ancillary information, and on-line data products. The PDS on the other hand will use the ADS to provide access to bibliographic information. This includes links from PDS data set catalog bibliographic citations to ADS abstracts and on-line articles. The cross-linking between these data systems allows each system to concentrate on its main objectives and utilize the other system to provide more and improved services to the users of both systems.

Secure ADS-B authentication system and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viggiano, Marc J (Inventor); Valovage, Edward M (Inventor); Samuelson, Kenneth B (Inventor); Hall, Dana L (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A secure system for authenticating the identity of ADS-B systems, including: an authenticator, including a unique id generator and a transmitter transmitting the unique id to one or more ADS-B transmitters; one or more ADS-B transmitters, including a receiver receiving the unique id, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id with the ADS-B transmitter's identification, data and secret key and generating a secure code identification and a transmitter transmitting a response containing the secure code and ADSB transmitter's data to the authenticator; the authenticator including means for independently determining each ADS-B transmitter's secret key, a receiver receiving each ADS-B transmitter's response, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id, ADS-B transmitter's identification and data and generating a secure code, and comparison processing comparing the authenticator-generated secure code and the ADS-B transmitter-generated secure code and providing an authentication signal based on the comparison result.

Hybrid online sensor error detection and functional redundancy for systems with time-varying parameters.

PubMed

Feng, Jianyuan; Turksoy, Kamuran; Samadi, Sediqeh; Hajizadeh, Iman; Littlejohn, Elizabeth; Cinar, Ali

2017-12-01

Supervision and control systems rely on signals from sensors to receive information to monitor the operation of a system and adjust manipulated variables to achieve the control objective. However, sensor performance is often limited by their working conditions and sensors may also be subjected to interference by other devices. Many different types of sensor errors such as outliers, missing values, drifts and corruption with noise may occur during process operation. A hybrid online sensor error detection and functional redundancy system is developed to detect errors in online signals, and replace erroneous or missing values detected with model-based estimates. The proposed hybrid system relies on two techniques, an outlier-robust Kalman filter (ORKF) and a locally-weighted partial least squares (LW-PLS) regression model, which leverage the advantages of automatic measurement error elimination with ORKF and data-driven prediction with LW-PLS. The system includes a nominal angle analysis (NAA) method to distinguish between signal faults and large changes in sensor values caused by real dynamic changes in process operation. The performance of the system is illustrated with clinical data continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors from people with type 1 diabetes. More than 50,000 CGM sensor errors were added to original CGM signals from 25 clinical experiments, then the performance of error detection and functional redundancy algorithms were analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed system can successfully detect most of the erroneous signals and substitute them with reasonable estimated values computed by functional redundancy system.

mTOR drives cerebral blood flow and memory deficits in LDLR-/- mice modeling atherosclerosis and vascular cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Jahrling, Jordan B; Lin, Ai-Ling; DeRosa, Nicholas; Hussong, Stacy A; Van Skike, Candice E; Girotti, Milena; Javors, Martin; Zhao, Qingwei; Maslin, Leigh Ann; Asmis, Reto; Galvan, Veronica

2018-01-01

We recently showed that mTOR attenuation blocks progression and abrogates established cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models. These outcomes were associated with the restoration of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and brain vascular density (BVD) resulting from relief of mTOR inhibition of NO release. Recent reports suggested a role of mTOR in atherosclerosis. Because mTOR drives aging and vascular dysfunction is a universal feature of aging, we hypothesized that mTOR may contribute to brain vascular and cognitive dysfunction associated with atherosclerosis. We measured CBF, BVD, cognitive function, markers of inflammation, and parameters of cardiovascular disease in LDLR -/- mice fed maintenance or high-fat diet ± rapamycin. Cardiovascular pathologies were proportional to severity of brain vascular dysfunction. Aortic atheromas were reduced, CBF and BVD were restored, and cognitive dysfunction was attenuated potentially through reduction in systemic and brain inflammation following chronic mTOR attenuation. Our studies suggest that mTOR regulates vascular integrity and function and that mTOR attenuation may restore neurovascular function and cardiovascular health. Together with our previous studies in AD models, our data suggest mTOR-driven vascular damage may be a mechanism shared by age-associated neurological diseases. Therefore, mTOR attenuation may have promise for treatment of cognitive impairment in atherosclerosis.

Neutronics performance and activation calculation of dense tungsten granular target for China-ADS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yaling; Li, Jianyang; Zhang, Xunchao; Cai, Hanjie; Yan, Xuesong; Yu, Lin; Fu, Fen; Lin, Ping; Gao, Xiaofei; Zhang, Zhilei; Zhang, Yanshi; Yang, Lei

2017-11-01

Spallation target, which constitutes the physical and functional interface between the high power accelerator and the subcritical core, is one of the most important components in Accelerator Driven Subcritical System (ADS). In this paper, we investigated the neutronics performance, the radiation damage and the activation of dense tungsten granular flow spallation target by using the Monte Carlo programs GMT and FLUKA at the proton energy of 250 MeV with a beam current of 10 mA . First, the leaking neutron yield, leaking neutron energy spectrum and laterally leaking neutron distribution at several time nodes and with different target parameters are explored. After that, the displacement per atom (DPA) and the helium/hydrogen production for tungsten grains and structural materials with stainless steel 316L are estimated. Finally, the radioactivity, residual dose rate and afterheat of granular target are presented. Results indicate that granule diameter below 1 cm and the beam profile diameter have negligible impact on neutronics performance, while the target diameter and volume fraction of grain have notable influence. The maximum DPA for target vessel (beam tube) is about 1.0 (1.6) DPA/year in bare target, and increased to 2.6 (2.8) DPA/year in fission environment. Average DPA for tungsten grains is relatively low. The decline rate of radioactivity and afterheat with cooling time grows with the decrease of the irradiation time.

C-arm technique using distance driven method for nephrolithiasis and kidney stones detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malalla, Nuhad; Sun, Pengfei; Chen, Ying; Lipkin, Michael E.; Preminger, Glenn M.; Qin, Jun

2016-04-01

Distance driven represents a state of art method that used for reconstruction for x-ray techniques. C-arm tomography is an x-ray imaging technique that provides three dimensional information of the object by moving the C-shaped gantry around the patient. With limited view angle, C-arm system was investigated to generate volumetric data of the object with low radiation dosage and examination time. This paper is a new simulation study with two reconstruction methods based on distance driven including: simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) and Maximum Likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM). Distance driven is an efficient method that has low computation cost and free artifacts compared with other methods such as ray driven and pixel driven methods. Projection images of spherical objects were simulated with a virtual C-arm system with a total view angle of 40 degrees. Results show the ability of limited angle C-arm technique to generate three dimensional images with distance driven reconstruction.

Improved Lower Mekong River Basin Hydrological Decision Making Using NASA Satellite-based Earth Observation Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolten, J. D.; Mohammed, I. N.; Srinivasan, R.; Lakshmi, V.

2017-12-01

Better understanding of the hydrological cycle of the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMRB) and addressing the value-added information of using remote sensing data on the spatial variability of soil moisture over the Mekong Basin is the objective of this work. In this work, we present the development and assessment of the LMRB (drainage area of 495,000 km2) Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The coupled model framework presented is part of SERVIR, a joint capacity building venture between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development, providing state-of-the-art, satellite-based earth monitoring, imaging and mapping data, geospatial information, predictive models, and science applications to improve environmental decision-making among multiple developing nations. The developed LMRB SWAT model enables the integration of satellite-based daily gridded precipitation, air temperature, digital elevation model, soil texture, and land cover and land use data to drive SWAT model simulations over the Lower Mekong River Basin. The LMRB SWAT model driven by remote sensing climate data was calibrated and verified with observed runoff data at the watershed outlet as well as at multiple sites along the main river course. Another LMRB SWAT model set driven by in-situ climate observations was also calibrated and verified to streamflow data. Simulated soil moisture estimates from the two models were then examined and compared to a downscaled Soil Moisture Active Passive Sensor (SMAP) 36 km radiometer products. Results from this work present a framework for improving SWAT performance by utilizing a downscaled SMAP soil moisture products used for model calibration and validation. Index Terms: 1622: Earth system modeling; 1631: Land/atmosphere interactions; 1800: Hydrology; 1836 Hydrological cycles and budgets; 1840 Hydrometeorology; 1855: Remote sensing; 1866: Soil moisture; 6334: Regional Planning

Power Transfer in Physical Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaeck, Jack A.

1990-01-01

Explores the power transfer using (1) a simple electric circuit consisting of a power source with internal resistance; (2) two different mechanical systems (gravity driven and constant force driven); (3) ecological examples; and (4) a linear motor. (YP)

Solar receiver heliostat reflector having a linear drive and position information system

DOEpatents

Horton, Richard H.

1980-01-01

A heliostat for a solar receiver system comprises an improved drive and control system for the heliostat reflector assembly. The heliostat reflector assembly is controllably driven in a predetermined way by a light-weight drive system so as to be angularly adjustable in both elevation and azimuth to track the sun and efficiently continuously reflect the sun's rays to a focal zone, i.e., heat receiver, which forms part of a solar energy utilization system, such as a solar energy fueled electrical power generation system. The improved drive system includes linear stepping motors which comprise low weight, low cost, electronic pulse driven components. One embodiment comprises linear stepping motors controlled by a programmed, electronic microprocessor. Another embodiment comprises a tape driven system controlled by a position control magnetic tape.

To react or not to react? Intrinsic stochasticity of human control in virtual stick balancing

PubMed Central

Zgonnikov, Arkady; Lubashevsky, Ihor; Kanemoto, Shigeru; Miyazawa, Toru; Suzuki, Takashi

2014-01-01

Understanding how humans control unstable systems is central to many research problems, with applications ranging from quiet standing to aircraft landing. Increasingly, much evidence appears in favour of event-driven control hypothesis: human operators only start actively controlling the system when the discrepancy between the current and desired system states becomes large enough. The event-driven models based on the concept of threshold can explain many features of the experimentally observed dynamics. However, much still remains unclear about the dynamics of human-controlled systems, which likely indicates that humans use more intricate control mechanisms. This paper argues that control activation in humans may be not threshold-driven, but instead intrinsically stochastic, noise-driven. Specifically, we suggest that control activation stems from stochastic interplay between the operator's need to keep the controlled system near the goal state, on the one hand, and the tendency to postpone interrupting the system dynamics, on the other hand. We propose a model capturing this interplay and show that it matches the experimental data on human balancing of virtual overdamped stick. Our results illuminate that the noise-driven activation mechanism plays a crucial role at least in the considered task, and, hypothetically, in a broad range of human-controlled processes. PMID:25056217

Dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion and microbial fuel cells: An integrated system to valorize swine manure and rice bran.

PubMed

Schievano, Andrea; Sciarria, Tommy Pepè; Gao, Yong Chang; Scaglia, Barbara; Salati, Silvia; Zanardo, Marina; Quiao, Wei; Dong, Renjie; Adani, Fabrizio

2016-10-01

This work describes how dark fermentation (DF), anaerobic digestion (AD) and microbial fuel cells (MFC) and solid-liquid separation can be integrated to co-produce valuable biochemicals (hydrogen and methane), bioelectricity and biofertilizers. Two integrated systems (System 1: AD+MFC, and System 2: DF+AD+MFC) are described and compared to a traditional one-stage AD system in converting a mixture (COD=124±8.1gO2kg(-1)Fresh Matter) of swine manure and rice bran. System 1 gave a biomethane yield of 182 LCH4kg(-1)COD-added, while System 2 gave L yields of bio-hydrogen and bio-methane of 27.3±7.2LH2kg(-1)COD-added and 154±14LCH4kg(-1)COD-added, respectively. A solid-liquid separation (SLS) step was applied to the digested slurry, giving solid and liquid fractions. The liquid fraction was treated via the MFC-steps, showing power densities of 12-13Wm(-3) (500Ω) and average bioelectricity yields of 39.8Whkg(-1)COD to 54.2Whkg(-1)COD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carrier-envelope phase-dependent effect of high-order sideband generation in ultrafast driven optomechanical system.

PubMed

Xiong, Hao; Si, Liu-Gang; Lü, Xin-You; Yang, Xiaoxue; Wu, Ying

2013-02-01

We analyze the features of the output field of a generic optomechanical system that is driven by a control field and a nanosecond driven pulse, and find a robust high-order sideband generation in optomechanical systems. The typical spectral structure, plateau and cutoff, confirms the nonperturbative nature of the effect, which is similar to high-order harmonic generation in atoms or molecules. Based on the phenomenon, we show that the carrier-envelope phase of laser pulses that contain huge numbers of cycles can cause profound effects.

Stability analysis of hybrid-driven underwater glider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Wen-dong; Wang, Shu-xin; Wang, Yan-hui; Song, Yang; Zhu, Ya-qiang

2017-10-01

Hybrid-driven underwater glider is a new type of unmanned underwater vehicle, which combines the advantages of autonomous underwater vehicles and traditional underwater gliders. The autonomous underwater vehicles have good maneuverability and can travel with a high speed, while the traditional underwater gliders are highlighted by low power consumption, long voyage, long endurance and good stealth characteristics. The hybrid-driven underwater gliders can realize variable motion profiles by their own buoyancy-driven and propeller propulsion systems. Stability of the mechanical system determines the performance of the system. In this paper, the Petrel-II hybrid-driven underwater glider developed by Tianjin University is selected as the research object and the stability of hybrid-driven underwater glider unitedly controlled by buoyancy and propeller has been targeted and evidenced. The dimensionless equations of the hybrid-driven underwater glider are obtained when the propeller is working. Then, the steady speed and steady glide path angle under steady-state motion have also been achieved. The steady-state operating conditions can be calculated when the hybrid-driven underwater glider reaches the desired steady-state motion. And the steadystate operating conditions are relatively conservative at the lower bound of the velocity range compared with the range of the velocity derived from the method of the composite Lyapunov function. By calculating the hydrodynamic coefficients of the Petrel-II hybrid-driven underwater glider, the simulation analysis has been conducted. In addition, the results of the field trials conducted in the South China Sea and the Danjiangkou Reservoir of China have been presented to illustrate the validity of the analysis and simulation, and to show the feasibility of the method of the composite Lyapunov function which verifies the stability of the Petrel-II hybrid-driven underwater glider.

Alzheimer disease brain atrophy subtypes are associated with cognition and rate of decline.

PubMed

Risacher, Shannon L; Anderson, Wesley H; Charil, Arnaud; Castelluccio, Peter F; Shcherbinin, Sergey; Saykin, Andrew J; Schwarz, Adam J

2017-11-21

To test the hypothesis that cortical and hippocampal volumes, measured in vivo from volumetric MRI (vMRI) scans, could be used to identify variant subtypes of Alzheimer disease (AD) and to prospectively predict the rate of clinical decline. Amyloid-positive participants with AD from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) 1 and ADNI2 with baseline MRI scans (n = 229) and 2-year clinical follow-up (n = 100) were included. AD subtypes (hippocampal sparing [HpSp MRI ], limbic predominant [LP MRI ], typical AD [tAD MRI ]) were defined according to an algorithm analogous to one recently proposed for tau neuropathology. Relationships between baseline hippocampal volume to cortical volume ratio (HV:CTV) and clinical variables were examined by both continuous regression and categorical models. When participants were divided categorically, the HpSp MRI group showed significantly more AD-like hypometabolism on 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET ( p < 0.05) and poorer baseline executive function ( p < 0.001). Other baseline clinical measures did not differ across the 3 groups. Participants with HpSp MRI also showed faster subsequent clinical decline than participants with LP MRI on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale, 13-Item Subscale (ADAS-Cog 13 ), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Functional Assessment Questionnaire (all p < 0.05) and tAD MRI on the MMSE and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) (both p < 0.05). Finally, a larger HV:CTV was associated with poorer baseline executive function and a faster slope of decline in CDR-SB, MMSE, and ADAS-Cog 13 score ( p < 0.05). These associations were driven mostly by the amount of cortical rather than hippocampal atrophy. AD subtypes with phenotypes consistent with those observed with tau neuropathology can be identified in vivo with vMRI. An increased HV:CTV ratio was predictive of faster clinical decline in participants with AD who were clinically indistinguishable at baseline except for a greater dysexecutive presentation. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

The Traffic Adaptive Data Dissemination (TrAD) Protocol for both Urban and Highway Scenarios.

PubMed

Tian, Bin; Hou, Kun Mean; Zhou, Haiying

2016-06-21

The worldwide economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be US$518 billion per year and the annual congestion cost in France is estimated to be €5.9 billion. Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) are one solution to improve transport features such as traffic safety, traffic jam and infotainment on wheels, where a great number of event-driven messages need to be disseminated in a timely way in a region of interest. In comparison with traditional wireless networks, VANETs have to consider the highly dynamic network topology and lossy links due to node mobility. Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) protocols are the keystone of VANETs. According to our survey, most of the proposed IVC protocols focus on either highway or urban scenarios, but not on both. Furthermore, too few protocols, considering both scenarios, can achieve high performance. In this paper, an infrastructure-less Traffic Adaptive data Dissemination (TrAD) protocol which takes into account road traffic and network traffic status for both highway and urban scenarios will be presented. TrAD has double broadcast suppression techniques and is designed to adapt efficiently to the irregular road topology. The performance of the TrAD protocol was evaluated quantitatively by means of realistic simulations taking into account different real road maps, traffic routes and vehicular densities. The obtained simulation results show that TrAD is more efficient in terms of packet delivery ratio, number of transmissions and delay in comparison with the performance of three well-known reference protocols. Moreover, TrAD can also tolerate a reasonable degree of GPS drift and still achieve efficient data dissemination.

The Traffic Adaptive Data Dissemination (TrAD) Protocol for both Urban and Highway Scenarios

PubMed Central

Tian, Bin; Hou, Kun Mean; Zhou, Haiying

2016-01-01

The worldwide economic cost of road crashes and injuries is estimated to be US$518 billion per year and the annual congestion cost in France is estimated to be €5.9 billion. Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) are one solution to improve transport features such as traffic safety, traffic jam and infotainment on wheels, where a great number of event-driven messages need to be disseminated in a timely way in a region of interest. In comparison with traditional wireless networks, VANETs have to consider the highly dynamic network topology and lossy links due to node mobility. Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) protocols are the keystone of VANETs. According to our survey, most of the proposed IVC protocols focus on either highway or urban scenarios, but not on both. Furthermore, too few protocols, considering both scenarios, can achieve high performance. In this paper, an infrastructure-less Traffic Adaptive data Dissemination (TrAD) protocol which takes into account road traffic and network traffic status for both highway and urban scenarios will be presented. TrAD has double broadcast suppression techniques and is designed to adapt efficiently to the irregular road topology. The performance of the TrAD protocol was evaluated quantitatively by means of realistic simulations taking into account different real road maps, traffic routes and vehicular densities. The obtained simulation results show that TrAD is more efficient in terms of packet delivery ratio, number of transmissions and delay in comparison with the performance of three well-known reference protocols. Moreover, TrAD can also tolerate a reasonable degree of GPS drift and still achieve efficient data dissemination. PMID:27338393

State Estimation for Linear Systems Driven Simultaneously by Wiener and Poisson Processes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-01

The state estimation problem of linear stochastic systems driven simultaneously by Wiener and Poisson processes is considered, especially the case...where the incident intensities of the Poisson processes are low and the system is observed in an additive white Gaussian noise. The minimum mean squared

Periodic and quasiperiodic revivals in periodically driven interacting quantum systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luitz, David J.; Lazarides, Achilleas; Bar Lev, Yevgeny

2018-01-01

Recently it has been shown that interparticle interactions generically destroy dynamical localization in periodically driven systems, resulting in diffusive transport and heating. In this Rapid Communication we rigorously construct a family of interacting driven systems which are dynamically localized and effectively decoupled from the external driving potential. We show that these systems exhibit tunable periodic or quasiperiodic revivals of the many-body wave function and thus of all physical observables. By numerically examining spinless fermions on a one-dimensional lattice we show that the analytically obtained revivals of such systems remain stable for finite systems with open boundary conditions while having a finite lifetime in the presence of static spatial disorder. We find this lifetime to be inversely proportional to the disorder strength.

The application of domain-driven design in NMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jinsong; Chen, Yan; Qin, Shengjun

2011-12-01

In the traditional design approach of data-model-driven, system analysis and design phases are often separated which makes the demand information can not be expressed explicitly. The method is also easy to lead developer to the process-oriented programming, making codes between the modules or between hierarchies disordered. So it is hard to meet requirement of system scalability. The paper proposes a software hiberarchy based on rich domain model according to domain-driven design named FHRDM, then the Webwork + Spring + Hibernate (WSH) framework is determined. Domain-driven design aims to construct a domain model which not only meets the demand of the field where the software exists but also meets the need of software development. In this way, problems in Navigational Maritime System (NMS) development like big system business volumes, difficulty of requirement elicitation, high development costs and long development cycle can be resolved successfully.

Probabilistic density function method for nonlinear dynamical systems driven by colored noise

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

Barajas-Solano, David A.; Tartakovsky, Alexandre M.

2016-05-01

We present a probability density function (PDF) method for a system of nonlinear stochastic ordinary differential equations driven by colored noise. The method provides an integro-differential equation for the temporal evolution of the joint PDF of the system's state, which we close by means of a modified Large-Eddy-Diffusivity-type closure. Additionally, we introduce the generalized local linearization (LL) approximation for deriving a computable PDF equation in the form of the second-order partial differential equation (PDE). We demonstrate the proposed closure and localization accurately describe the dynamics of the PDF in phase space for systems driven by noise with arbitrary auto-correlation time.more » We apply the proposed PDF method to the analysis of a set of Kramers equations driven by exponentially auto-correlated Gaussian colored noise to study the dynamics and stability of a power grid.« less

Phase field model of fluid-driven fracture in elastic media: Immersed-fracture formulation and validation with analytical solutions

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

Santillán, David; Juanes, Ruben; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis

Propagation of fluid-driven fractures plays an important role in natural and engineering processes, including transport of magma in the lithosphere, geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, and oil and gas recovery from low-permeability formations, among many others. The simulation of fracture propagation poses a computational challenge as a result of the complex physics of fracture and the need to capture disparate length scales. Phase field models represent fractures as a diffuse interface and enjoy the advantage that fracture nucleation, propagation, branching, or twisting can be simulated without ad hoc computational strategies like remeshing or local enrichment of the solution space. Heremore » we propose a new quasi-static phase field formulation for modeling fluid-driven fracturing in elastic media at small strains. The approach fully couples the fluid flow in the fracture (described via the Reynolds lubrication approximation) and the deformation of the surrounding medium. The flow is solved on a lower dimensionality mesh immersed in the elastic medium. This approach leads to accurate coupling of both physics. We assessed the performance of the model extensively by comparing results for the evolution of fracture length, aperture, and fracture fluid pressure against analytical solutions under different fracture propagation regimes. Thus, the excellent performance of the numerical model in all regimes builds confidence in the applicability of phase field approaches to simulate fluid-driven fracture.« less

PLRP-3: Operational Perspectives of Conducting Science-Driven Extravehicular Activity with Communications Latency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Matthew J.; Lim, Darlene S. S.; Brady, Allyson; Cardman, Zena; Bell, Ernest; Garry, Brent; Reid, Donnie; Chappell, Steve; Abercromby, Andrew F. J.

2016-01-01

The Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) is a unique platform where the combination of scientific research and human space exploration concepts can be tested in an underwater spaceflight analog environment. The 2015 PLRP field season was performed at Pavilion Lake, Canada, where science-driven exploration techniques focusing on microbialite characterization and acquisition were evaluated within the context of crew and robotic extravehicular activity (EVA) operations. The primary objectives of this analog study were to detail the capabilities, decision-making process, and operational concepts required to meet non-simulated scientific objectives during 5-minute one-way communication latency utilizing crew and robotic assets. Furthermore, this field study served as an opportunity build upon previous tests at PLRP, NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), and NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) to characterize the functional roles and responsibilities of the personnel involved in the distributed flight control team and identify operational constraints imposed by science-driven EVA operations. The relationship and interaction between ground and flight crew was found to be dependent on the specific scientific activities being addressed. Furthermore, the addition of a second intravehicular operator was found to be highly enabling when conducting science-driven EVAs. Future human spaceflight activities will need to cope with the added complexity of dynamic and rapid execution of scientific priorities both during and between EVA execution to ensure scientific objectives are achieved.

Phase field model of fluid-driven fracture in elastic media: Immersed-fracture formulation and validation with analytical solutions

DOE PAGES

Santillán, David; Juanes, Ruben; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis

2017-04-20

Propagation of fluid-driven fractures plays an important role in natural and engineering processes, including transport of magma in the lithosphere, geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, and oil and gas recovery from low-permeability formations, among many others. The simulation of fracture propagation poses a computational challenge as a result of the complex physics of fracture and the need to capture disparate length scales. Phase field models represent fractures as a diffuse interface and enjoy the advantage that fracture nucleation, propagation, branching, or twisting can be simulated without ad hoc computational strategies like remeshing or local enrichment of the solution space. Heremore » we propose a new quasi-static phase field formulation for modeling fluid-driven fracturing in elastic media at small strains. The approach fully couples the fluid flow in the fracture (described via the Reynolds lubrication approximation) and the deformation of the surrounding medium. The flow is solved on a lower dimensionality mesh immersed in the elastic medium. This approach leads to accurate coupling of both physics. We assessed the performance of the model extensively by comparing results for the evolution of fracture length, aperture, and fracture fluid pressure against analytical solutions under different fracture propagation regimes. Thus, the excellent performance of the numerical model in all regimes builds confidence in the applicability of phase field approaches to simulate fluid-driven fracture.« less

Control system for several rotating mirror camera synchronization operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ningwen; Wu, Yunfeng; Tan, Xianxiang; Lai, Guoji

1997-05-01

This paper introduces a single chip microcomputer control system for synchronization operation of several rotating mirror high-speed cameras. The system consists of four parts: the microcomputer control unit (including the synchronization part and precise measurement part and the time delay part), the shutter control unit, the motor driving unit and the high voltage pulse generator unit. The control system has been used to control the synchronization working process of the GSI cameras (driven by a motor) and FJZ-250 rotating mirror cameras (driven by a gas driven turbine). We have obtained the films of the same objective from different directions in different speed or in same speed.

Tracking Control and System Development for Laser-Driven Micro-Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajiwara, Itsuro; Hoshino, Kentaro; Hara, Shinji; Shiokata, Daisuke; Yabe, Takashi

The purpose of this paper is to design a control system for an integrated laser propulsion/tracking system to achieve continuous motion and control of laser-driven micro-vehicles. Laser propulsion is significant in achieving miniature and light micro-vehicles. A laser-driven micro-airplane has been studied using a paper airplane and YAG laser, resulting in successful gliding of the airplane. High-performance laser tracking control is required to achieve continuous flight. This paper presents a control design strategy based on the generalized Kalman-Yakubovic-Popov lemma to achieve this requirement. Experiments have been carried out to evaluate the performance of the integrated laser propulsion/tracking system.

Adoption of Test Driven Development and Continuous Integration for the Development of the Trick Simulation Toolkit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penn, John M.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the adoption of a Test Driven Development approach and a Continuous Integration System in the development of the Trick Simulation Toolkit, a generic simulation development environment for creating high fidelity training and engineering simulations at the NASA/Johnson Space Center and many other NASA facilities. It describes what was learned and the significant benefits seen, such as fast, thorough, and clear test feedback every time code is checked-in to the code repository. It also describes a system that encourages development of code that is much more flexible, maintainable, and reliable. The Trick Simulation Toolkit development environment provides a common architecture for user-defined simulations. Trick builds executable simulations using user-supplied simulation-definition files (S_define) and user supplied "model code". For each Trick-based simulation, Trick automatically provides job scheduling, checkpoint / restore, data-recording, interactive variable manipulation (variable server), and an input-processor. Also included are tools for plotting recorded data and various other supporting tools and libraries. Trick is written in C/C++ and Java and supports both Linux and MacOSX. Prior to adopting this new development approach, Trick testing consisted primarily of running a few large simulations, with the hope that their complexity and scale would exercise most of Trick's code and expose any recently introduced bugs. Unsurprising, this approach yielded inconsistent results. It was obvious that a more systematic, thorough approach was required. After seeing examples of some Java-based projects that used the JUnit test framework, similar test frameworks for C and C++ were sought. Several were found, all clearly inspired by JUnit. Googletest, a freely available Open source testing framework, was selected as the most appropriate and capable. The new approach was implemented while rewriting the Trick memory management component, to eliminate a fundamental design flaw. The benefits became obvious almost immediately, not just in the correctness of the individual functions and classes but also in the correctness and flexibility being added to the overall design. Creating code to be testable, and testing as it was created resulted not only in better working code, but also in better-organized, flexible, and readable (i.e., articulate) code. This was, in essence the Test-driven development (TDD) methodology created by Kent Beck. Seeing the benefits of Test Driven Development, other Trick components were refactored to make them more testable and tests were designed and implemented for them.

Report to the Institutional Computing Executive Group (ICEG) August 14, 2006

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

Carnes, B

We have delayed this report from its normal distribution schedule for two reasons. First, due to the coverage provided in the White Paper on Institutional Capability Computing Requirements distributed in August 2005, we felt a separate 2005 ICEG report would not be value added. Second, we wished to provide some specific information about the Peloton procurement and we have just now reached a point in the process where we can make some definitive statements. The Peloton procurement will result in an almost complete replacement of current M&IC systems. We have plans to retire MCR, iLX, and GPS. We will replacemore » them with new parallel and serial capacity systems based on the same node architecture in the new Peloton capability system named ATLAS. We are currently adding the first users to the Green Data Oasis, a large file system on the open network that will provide the institution with external collaboration data sharing. Only Thunder will remain from the current M&IC system list and it will be converted from Capability to Capacity. We are confident that we are entering a challenging yet rewarding new phase for the M&IC program. Institutional computing has been an essential component of our S&T investment strategy and has helped us achieve recognition in many scientific and technical forums. Through consistent institutional investments, M&IC has grown into a powerful unclassified computing resource that is being used across the Lab to push the limits of computing and its application to simulation science. With the addition of Peloton, the Laboratory will significantly increase the broad-based computing resources available to meet the ever-increasing demand for the large scale simulations indispensable to advancing all scientific disciplines. All Lab research efforts are bolstered through the long term development of mission driven scalable applications and platforms. The new systems will soon be fully utilized and will position Livermore to extend the outstanding science and technology breakthroughs the M&IC program has enabled to date.« less

Generating a fractal butterfly Floquet spectrum in a class of driven SU(2) systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiao; Gong, Jiangbin

2010-02-01

A scheme for generating a fractal butterfly Floquet spectrum, first proposed by Wang and Gong [Phys. Rev. A 77, 031405(R) (2008)], is extended to driven SU(2) systems such as a driven two-mode Bose-Einstein condensate. A class of driven systems without a link with the Harper-model context is shown to have an intriguing butterfly Floquet spectrum. The found butterfly spectrum shows remarkable deviations from the known Hofstadter’s butterfly. In addition, the level crossings between Floquet states of the same parity and between Floquet states of different parities are studied and highlighted. The results are relevant to studies of fractal statistics, quantum chaos, and coherent destruction of tunneling, as well as the validity of mean-field descriptions of Bose-Einstein condensates.

Generating a fractal butterfly Floquet spectrum in a class of driven SU(2) systems

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

Wang Jiao; Temasek Laboratories, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542; Gong Jiangbin

2010-02-15

A scheme for generating a fractal butterfly Floquet spectrum, first proposed by Wang and Gong [Phys. Rev. A 77, 031405(R) (2008)], is extended to driven SU(2) systems such as a driven two-mode Bose-Einstein condensate. A class of driven systems without a link with the Harper-model context is shown to have an intriguing butterfly Floquet spectrum. The found butterfly spectrum shows remarkable deviations from the known Hofstadter's butterfly. In addition, the level crossings between Floquet states of the same parity and between Floquet states of different parities are studied and highlighted. The results are relevant to studies of fractal statistics, quantummore » chaos, and coherent destruction of tunneling, as well as the validity of mean-field descriptions of Bose-Einstein condensates.« less

Laser ignition of an experimental combustion chamber with a multi-injector configuration at low pressure conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Börner, Michael; Manfletti, Chiara; Kroupa, Gerhard; Oschwald, Michael

2017-09-01

In search of reliable and light-weight ignition systems for re-ignitable upper stage engines, a laser ignition system was adapted and tested on an experimental combustion chamber for propellant injection into low combustion chamber pressures at 50-80 mbar. The injector head pattern consisted of five coaxial injector elements. Both, laser-ablation-driven ignition and laser-plasma-driven ignition were tested for the propellant combination liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen. The 122 test runs demonstrated the reliability of the ignition system for different ignition configurations and negligible degradation due to testing. For the laser-plasma-driven scheme, minimum laser pulse energies needed for 100% ignition probability were found to decrease when increasing the distance of the ignition location from the injector faceplate with a minimum of 2.6 mJ. For laser-ablation-driven ignition, the minimum pulse energy was found to be independent of the ablation material tested and was about 1.7 mJ. The ignition process was characterized using both high-speed Schlieren and OH* emission diagnostics. Based on these findings and on the increased fiber-based pulse transport capabilities recently published, new ignition system configurations for space propulsion systems relying on fiber-based pulse delivery are formulated. If the laser ignition system delivers enough pulse energy, the laser-plasma-driven configuration represents the more versatile configuration. If the laser ignition pulse power is limited, the application of laser-ablation-driven ignition is an option to realize ignition, but implies restrictions concerning the location of ignition.

Aging related cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's disease in Down syndrome.

PubMed

Firth, Nicholas C; Startin, Carla M; Hithersay, Rosalyn; Hamburg, Sarah; Wijeratne, Peter A; Mok, Kin Y; Hardy, John; Alexander, Daniel C; Strydom, André

2018-06-01

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have an extremely high genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, the course of cognitive decline associated with progression to dementia is ill-defined. Data-driven methods can estimate long-term trends from cross-sectional data while adjusting for variability in baseline ability, which complicates dementia assessment in those with DS. We applied an event-based model to cognitive test data and informant-rated questionnaire data from 283 adults with DS (the largest study of cognitive functioning in DS to date) to estimate the sequence of cognitive decline and individuals' disease stage. Decline in tests of memory, sustained attention/motor coordination, and verbal fluency occurred early, demonstrating that AD in DS follows a similar pattern of change to other forms of AD. Later decline was found for informant measures. Using the resulting staging model, we showed that adults with a clinical diagnosis of dementia and those with APOE 3:4 or 4:4 genotype were significantly more likely to be staged later, suggesting that the model is valid. Our results identify tests of memory and sustained attention may be particularly useful measures to track decline in the preclinical/prodromal stages of AD in DS whereas informant-measures may be useful in later stages (i.e. during conversion into dementia, or postdiagnosis). These results have implications for the selection of outcome measures of treatment trials to delay or prevent cognitive decline due to AD in DS. As clinical diagnoses are generally made late into AD progression, early assessment is essential.

Electron transfer driven decomposition of adenine and selected analogs as probed by experimental and theoretical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunha, T.; Mendes, M.; Ferreira da Silva, F.; Eden, S.; García, G.; Bacchus-Montabonel, M.-C.; Limão-Vieira, P.

2018-04-01

We report on a combined experimental and theoretical study of electron-transfer-induced decomposition of adenine (Ad) and a selection of analog molecules in collisions with potassium (K) atoms. Time-of-flight negative ion mass spectra have been obtained in a wide collision energy range (6-68 eV in the centre-of-mass frame), providing a comprehensive investigation of the fragmentation patterns of purine (Pu), adenine (Ad), 9-methyl adenine (9-mAd), 6-dimethyl adenine (6-dimAd), and 2-D adenine (2-DAd). Following our recent communication about selective hydrogen loss from the transient negative ions (TNIs) produced in these collisions [T. Cunha et al., J. Chem. Phys. 148, 021101 (2018)], this work focuses on the production of smaller fragment anions. In the low-energy part of the present range, several dissociation channels that are accessible in free electron attachment experiments are absent from the present mass spectra, notably NH2 loss from adenine and 9-methyl adenine. This can be understood in terms of a relatively long transit time of the K+ cation in the vicinity of the TNI tending to enhance the likelihood of intramolecular electron transfer. In this case, the excess energy can be redistributed through the available degrees of freedom inhibiting fragmentation pathways. Ab initio theoretical calculations were performed for 9-methyl adenine (9-mAd) and adenine (Ad) in the presence of a potassium atom and provided a strong basis for the assignment of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals accessed in the collision process.

Simulation of charge transfer and orbital rehybridization in molecular and condensed matter systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nistor, Razvan A.

The mixing and shifting of electronic orbitals in molecules, or between atoms in bulk systems, is crucially important to the overall structure and physical properties of materials. Understanding and accurately modeling these orbital interactions is of both scientific and industrial relevance. Electronic orbitals can be perturbed in several ways. Doping, adding or removing electrons from systems, can change the bond-order and the physical properties of certain materials. Orbital rehybridization, driven by either thermal or pressure excitation, alters the short-range structure of materials and changes their long-range transport properties. Macroscopically, during bond formation, the shifting of electronic orbitals can be interpreted as a charge transfer phenomenon, as electron density may pile up around, and hence, alter the effective charge of, a given atom in the changing chemical environment. Several levels of theory exist to elucidate the mechanisms behind these orbital interactions. Electronic structure calculations solve the time-independent Schrodinger equation to high chemical accuracy, but are computationally expensive and limited to small system sizes and simulation times. Less fundamental atomistic calculations use simpler parameterized functional expressions called force-fields to model atomic interactions. Atomistic simulations can describe systems and time-scales larger and longer than electronic-structure methods, but at the cost of chemical accuracy. In this thesis, both first-principles and phenomenological methods are addressed in the study of several encompassing problems dealing with charge transfer and orbital rehybridization. Firstly, a new charge-equilibration method is developed that improves upon existing models to allow next-generation force-fields to describe the electrostatics of changing chemical environments. Secondly, electronic structure calculations are used to investigate the doping dependent energy landscapes of several high-temperature superconducting materials in order to parameterize the apparently large nonlinear electron-phonon coupling. Thirdly, ab initio simulations are used to investigate the role of pressure-driven structural re-organization in the crystalline-to-amorphous (or, metallic-to-insulating) transition of a common binary phase-change material composed of Ge and Sb. Practical applications of each topic will be discussed. Keywords. Charge-equilibration methods, molecular dynamics, electronic structure calculations, ab initio simulations, high-temperature superconductors, phase-change materials.

Adenoviral transfer of HSP-70 into pulmonary epithelium ameliorates experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome.

PubMed

Weiss, Yoram G; Maloyan, Alina; Tazelaar, John; Raj, Nichelle; Deutschman, Clifford S

2002-09-01

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) provokes three pathologic processes: unchecked inflammation, interstitial/alveolar protein accumulation, and destruction of pulmonary epithelial cells. The highly conserved heat shock protein HSP-70 can limit all three responses but is not appropriately expressed in the lungs after cecal ligation and double puncture (2CLP), a clinically relevant model of ARDS. We hypothesize that restoring expression of HSP-70 using adenovirus-mediated gene therapy will limit pulmonary pathology following 2CLP. We administered a vector containing the porcine HSP-70 cDNA driven by a CMV promoter (AdHSP) into the lungs of rats subjected to 2CLP or sham operation. Administration of AdHSP after either sham operation or 2CLP increased HSP-70 protein expression in lung tissue, as determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot hybridization. Administration of AdHSP significantly attenuated interstitial and alveolar edema and protein exudation and dramatically decreased neutrophil accumulation, relative to a control adenovirus. CLP-associated mortality at 48 hours was reduced by half. Modulation of HSP-70 production reduces pathologic changes and may improve outcome in experimental ARDS.

Dietary resveratrol prevents Alzheimer's markers and increases life span in SAMP8.

PubMed

Porquet, David; Casadesús, Gemma; Bayod, Sergi; Vicente, Alberto; Canudas, Anna M; Vilaplana, Jordi; Pelegrí, Carme; Sanfeliu, Coral; Camins, Antoni; Pallàs, Mercè; del Valle, Jaume

2013-10-01

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that is mainly found in grapes and red wine and has been reported to be a caloric restriction (CR) mimetic driven by Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) activation. Resveratrol increases metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial biogenesis and physical endurance, and reduces fat accumulation in mice. In addition, resveratrol may be a powerful agent to prevent age-associated neurodegeneration and to improve cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, different findings support the view that longevity in mice could be promoted by CR. In this study, we examined the role of dietary resveratrol in SAMP8 mice, a model of age-related AD. We found that resveratrol supplements increased mean life expectancy and maximal life span in SAMP8 and in their control, the related strain SAMR1. In addition, we examined the resveratrol-mediated neuroprotective effects on several specific hallmarks of AD. We found that long-term dietary resveratrol activates AMPK pathways and pro-survival routes such as SIRT1 in vivo. It also reduces cognitive impairment and has a neuroprotective role, decreasing the amyloid burden and reducing tau hyperphosphorylation.

Event-driven management algorithm of an Engineering documents circulation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzenkov, V.; Zebzeev, A.; Gromakov, E.

2015-04-01

Development methodology of an engineering documents circulation system in the design company is reviewed. Discrete event-driven automatic models using description algorithms of project management is offered. Petri net use for dynamic design of projects is offered.

Monophasic demyelination reduces brain growth in children

PubMed Central

Weier, Katrin; Longoni, Giulia; Fonov, Vladimir S.; Bar-Or, Amit; Marrie, Ruth Ann; Yeh, E. Ann; Narayanan, Sridar; Arnold, Douglas L.; Verhey, Leonard H.; Banwell, Brenda; Collins, D. Louis

2017-01-01

Objective: To investigate how monophasic acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) affect age-expected brain growth over time. Methods: We analyzed 83 pediatric patients imaged serially from initial demyelinating attack: 18 with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and 65 with other monophasic ADS presentations (monoADS). We further subdivided the monoADS group by the presence (n = 33; monoADSlesion) or absence (n = 32; monoADSnolesion) of T2 lesions involving the brain at onset. We used normative data to compare brain volumes and calculate age- and sex-specific z scores, and used mixed-effect models to investigate their relationship with time from demyelinating illness. Results: Children with monophasic demyelination (ADEM, non-ADEM with brain lesions, and those without brain involvement) demonstrated reduced age-expected brain growth on serial images, driven by reduced age-expected white matter growth. Cortical gray matter volumes were not reduced at onset but demonstrated reduced age-expected growth afterwards in all groups. Brain volumes differed from age- and sex-expected values to the greatest extent in children with ADEM. All patient groups failed to recover age-expected brain growth trajectories. Conclusions: Brain volume, and more importantly age-expected brain growth, is negatively affected by acquired demyelination, even in the absence of chronicity, implicating factors other than active inflammation as operative in this process. PMID:28381515

Monophasic demyelination reduces brain growth in children.

PubMed

Aubert-Broche, Bérengère; Weier, Katrin; Longoni, Giulia; Fonov, Vladimir S; Bar-Or, Amit; Marrie, Ruth Ann; Yeh, E Ann; Narayanan, Sridar; Arnold, Douglas L; Verhey, Leonard H; Banwell, Brenda; Collins, D Louis

2017-05-02

To investigate how monophasic acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) affect age-expected brain growth over time. We analyzed 83 pediatric patients imaged serially from initial demyelinating attack: 18 with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and 65 with other monophasic ADS presentations (monoADS). We further subdivided the monoADS group by the presence (n = 33; monoADSlesion) or absence (n = 32; monoADSnolesion) of T2 lesions involving the brain at onset. We used normative data to compare brain volumes and calculate age- and sex-specific z scores, and used mixed-effect models to investigate their relationship with time from demyelinating illness. Children with monophasic demyelination (ADEM, non-ADEM with brain lesions, and those without brain involvement) demonstrated reduced age-expected brain growth on serial images, driven by reduced age-expected white matter growth. Cortical gray matter volumes were not reduced at onset but demonstrated reduced age-expected growth afterwards in all groups. Brain volumes differed from age- and sex-expected values to the greatest extent in children with ADEM. All patient groups failed to recover age-expected brain growth trajectories. Brain volume, and more importantly age-expected brain growth, is negatively affected by acquired demyelination, even in the absence of chronicity, implicating factors other than active inflammation as operative in this process. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

Vitamin panacea: Is advertising fueling demand for products with uncertain scientific benefit?

PubMed

Eisenberg, Matthew D; Avery, Rosemary J; Cantor, Jonathan H

2017-09-01

This study examines the effect of advertising on demand for vitamins-products with spiraling sales despite little evidence of efficacy. We merge seven years (2003-2009) of advertising data from Kantar Media with the Simmons National Consumer Survey to estimate individual-level vitamin print and television ad exposure effects. Identification relies on exploiting exogenous variation in year-to-year advertising exposure by controlling for each individual's unique media consumption. We find that increasing advertising exposure from zero to the mean number of ads increases the probability of consumption by 1.2 and 0.8% points (or 2 and 1.4%) in print and television respectively. Stratifications by the presence of health conditions suggests that in print demand is being driven by both healthy and sick individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Revisiting Statistical Aspects of Nuclear Material Accounting

DOE PAGES

Burr, T.; Hamada, M. S.

2013-01-01

Nuclear material accounting (NMA) is the only safeguards system whose benefits are routinely quantified. Process monitoring (PM) is another safeguards system that is increasingly used, and one challenge is how to quantify its benefit. This paper considers PM in the role of enabling frequent NMA, which is referred to as near-real-time accounting (NRTA). We quantify NRTA benefits using period-driven and data-driven testing. Period-driven testing makes a decision to alarm or not at fixed periods. Data-driven testing decides as the data arrives whether to alarm or continue testing. The difference between period-driven and datad-riven viewpoints is illustrated by using one-year andmore » two-year periods. For both one-year and two-year periods, period-driven NMA using once-per-year cumulative material unaccounted for (CUMUF) testing is compared to more frequent Shewhart and joint sequential cusum testing using either MUF or standardized, independently transformed MUF (SITMUF) data. We show that the data-driven viewpoint is appropriate for NRTA and that it can be used to compare safeguards effectiveness. In addition to providing period-driven and data-driven viewpoints, new features include assessing the impact of uncertainty in the estimated covariance matrix of the MUF sequence and the impact of both random and systematic measurement errors.« less