The first year of observations of Jupiter's magnetosphere from Juno's Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valek, P. W.; Allegrini, F.; Angold, N. G.; Bagenal, F.; Bolton, S. J.; Chae, K.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Ebert, R. W.; Gladstone, R.; Kim, T. K. H.; Kurth, W. S.; Levin, S.; Louarn, P.; Loeffler, C. E.; Mauk, B.; McComas, D. J.; Pollock, C. J.; Reno, M. L.; Szalay, J. R.; Thomsen, M. F.; Weidner, S.; Wilson, R. J.

2017-12-01

Juno observations of the Jovian plasma environment are made by the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) which consists of two nearly identical electron sensors - JADE-E - and an ion sensor - JADE-I. JADE-E measures the electron distribution in the range of 100 eV to 100 keV and uses electrostatic deflection to measure the full pitch angle distribution. JADE-I measures the composition separated energy per charge in the range of 10 eV / q to 46 keV / q. The large orbit - apojove 110 Rj, perijove 1.05 Rj - allows JADE to periodically cross through the magnetopause into the magnetosheath, transverse the outer, middle, and inner magnetosphere, and measures the plasma population down to the ionosphere. We present here in situ plasma observations of the Jovian magnetosphere and topside ionosphere made by the JADE instrument during the first year in orbit. Dawn-side crossings of the plasmapause have shown a general dearth of heavy ions except during some intervals at lower magnetic latitudes. Plasma disk crossings in the middle and inner magnetosphere show a mixture of heavy and light ions. During perijove crossings at high latitudes when Juno was connected to the Io torus, JADE-I observed heavy ions with energies consistent with a corotating pickup population. In the auroral regions the core of the electron energy distribution is generally from about 100 eV when on field lines that are connected to the inner plasmasheet, several keVs when connected to the outer plasmasheet, and tens of keVs when Juno is over the polar regions. JADE has observed upward electron beams and upward loss cones, both in the north and south auroral regions, and downward electron beams in the south. Some of the beams are of short duration ( 1 s) implying that the magnetosphere has a very fine spatial and/or temporal structure within the auroral regions. Joint observations with the Waves instrument have demonstrated that the observed loss cone distributions provide sufficient growth rates to drive the cyclotron maser instability. The high velocity of the Juno spacecraft near perijove ( 50 km/s) allows observations for of very low energy ions in the spacecraft ram direction, down to below 1 eV/q for protons.

3 CFR - Limited Waiver of Certain Sanctions Imposed by, and Delegation of Certain Authorities Pursuant to...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Delegation of Certain Authorities Pursuant to, the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic... Authorities Pursuant to, the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008... (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-286) (JADE Act) and section 301 of title 3...

The Jade File System. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Herman Chung-Hwa

1991-01-01

File systems have long been the most important and most widely used form of shared permanent storage. File systems in traditional time-sharing systems, such as Unix, support a coherent sharing model for multiple users. Distributed file systems implement this sharing model in local area networks. However, most distributed file systems fail to scale from local area networks to an internet. Four characteristics of scalability were recognized: size, wide area, autonomy, and heterogeneity. Owing to size and wide area, techniques such as broadcasting, central control, and central resources, which are widely adopted by local area network file systems, are not adequate for an internet file system. An internet file system must also support the notion of autonomy because an internet is made up by a collection of independent organizations. Finally, heterogeneity is the nature of an internet file system, not only because of its size, but also because of the autonomy of the organizations in an internet. The Jade File System, which provides a uniform way to name and access files in the internet environment, is presented. Jade is a logical system that integrates a heterogeneous collection of existing file systems, where heterogeneous means that the underlying file systems support different file access protocols. Because of autonomy, Jade is designed under the restriction that the underlying file systems may not be modified. In order to avoid the complexity of maintaining an internet-wide, global name space, Jade permits each user to define a private name space. In Jade's design, we pay careful attention to avoiding unnecessary network messages between clients and file servers in order to achieve acceptable performance. Jade's name space supports two novel features: (1) it allows multiple file systems to be mounted under one direction; and (2) it permits one logical name space to mount other logical name spaces. A prototype of Jade was implemented to examine and validate its design. The prototype consists of interfaces to the Unix File System, the Sun Network File System, and the File Transfer Protocol.

The JWST Extragalactic Mock Catalog: Modeling Galaxy Populations from the UV through the Near-IR over 13 Billion Years of Cosmic History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Christina C.; Curtis-Lake, Emma; Hainline, Kevin N.; Chevallard, Jacopo; Robertson, Brant E.; Charlot, Stephane; Endsley, Ryan; Stark, Daniel P.; Willmer, Christopher N. A.; Alberts, Stacey; Amorin, Ricardo; Arribas, Santiago; Baum, Stefi; Bunker, Andrew; Carniani, Stefano; Crandall, Sara; Egami, Eiichi; Eisenstein, Daniel J.; Ferruit, Pierre; Husemann, Bernd; Maseda, Michael V.; Maiolino, Roberto; Rawle, Timothy D.; Rieke, Marcia; Smit, Renske; Tacchella, Sandro; Willott, Chris J.

2018-06-01

We present an original phenomenological model to describe the evolution of galaxy number counts, morphologies, and spectral energy distributions across a wide range of redshifts (0.2< z< 15) and stellar masses [{log}(M/{M}ȯ )≥slant 6]. Our model follows observed mass and luminosity functions of both star-forming and quiescent galaxies, and reproduces the redshift evolution of colors, sizes, star formation, and chemical properties of the observed galaxy population. Unlike other existing approaches, our model includes a self-consistent treatment of stellar and photoionized gas emission and dust attenuation based on the BEAGLE tool. The mock galaxy catalogs generated with our new model can be used to simulate and optimize extragalactic surveys with future facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and to enable critical assessments of analysis procedures, interpretation tools, and measurement systematics for both photometric and spectroscopic data. As a first application of this work, we make predictions for the upcoming JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), a joint program of the JWST/NIRCam and NIRSpec Guaranteed Time Observations teams. We show that JADES will detect, with NIRCam imaging, 1000s of galaxies at z ≳ 6, and 10s at z ≳ 10 at {m}{AB}≲ 30 (5σ) within the 236 arcmin2 of the survey. The JADES data will enable accurate constraints on the evolution of the UV luminosity function at z > 8, and resolve the current debate about the rate of evolution of galaxies at z ≳ 8. Ready-to-use mock catalogs and software to generate new realizations are publicly available as the JAdes extraGalactic Ultradeep Artificial Realizations (JAGUAR) package.

Observation sand Results Gained from the Jade Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-04

project different dependency-based Center, 5095 Mawson Lakes (Adelaide) SA, Australia, email: models have been created that vary in their levels of...test eris Columna# T indenotesth n erfofmtests the Java programming language. Currently, exception han- of the respective test series. dling and...meets sentation in the debugging of software to reduce the problem error diagnosis in logic programs. In Proceedings 1 3 t h of structural faults in

The Alaskan mineral resource assessment program; background information to accompany folio of geologic and mineral resource maps of the Ambler River Quadrangle, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mayfield, Charles F.; Tailleur, I.L.; Albert, N.R.; Ellersieck, Inyo; Grybeck, Donald; Hackett, S.W.

1983-01-01

The Ambler River quadrangle, consisting of 14,290 km2 (5,520 mi2) in northwest Alaska, was investigated by an interdisciplinary research team for the purpose of assessing the mineral resource potential of the quadrangle. This report provides background information for a folio of maps on the geology, reconnaissance geochemistry, aeromagnetics, Landsat imagery, and mineral resource evaluation of the quadrangle. A summary of the geologic history, radiometric dates, and fossil localities and a comprehensive bibliography are also included. The quadrangle contains jade reserves, now being mined, and potentially significant resources of copper, zinc, lead, and silver.

Preliminary Sweep Width Determination for HU-25A Airborne Radars: Life Raft and Recreational Boat Targets

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

East Vivant (Facility No. 9216) Jade East (Facility No. 6117) Skippers II (Facility No. 6104) Lady Irene (Facility No. 9204) Pete’s Pride (Facility No...fiberglass 25 x 8.2 x 6 Vivant Albin 27 trawler fiberglass 27 x 10 x 9 R/V Oceaneer Long Line trawler fiberglass 34 x 13 x 7.5 Jade East Sail Cutter...Too III 5:1 = CG 252501 6 = Vivant 7 = Oceaneer 8 = Jade East 9 = Skippers U 10 = Lady Irene 11 = Pete’s Pride 12 =CG 41341 2. AN/APS-131 Side Looking

Distributed Planning in a Mixed-Initiative Environment: Collaborative Technologies for Network Centric Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

Agents in the DEEP architecture extend and use the Java Agent Development (JADE) framework. DEEP requires a distributed multi-agent system and a...framework to help simplify the implementation of this system. JADE was chosen because it is fully implemented in Java , and supports these requirements

76 FR 52378 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-22

... Determinations: ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections From the National Museum of History, Taiwan..., which is ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections from the National Museum of History, Taiwan... objects is at the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX, from on or about October 1, 2011, until on...

76 FR 45646 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “5,000 Years of Chinese...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 7540] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections From the National Museum of Taiwan and the... ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections from the National Museum of Taiwan and the Arthur M...

Dimethyl fumarate attenuates intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced spatial memory impairment and hippocampal neurodegeneration in rats.

PubMed

Majkutewicz, Irena; Kurowska, Ewelina; Podlacha, Magdalena; Myślińska, Dorota; Grembecka, Beata; Ruciński, Jan; Plucińska, Karolina; Jerzemowska, Grażyna; Wrona, Danuta

2016-07-15

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) is a widely-accepted animal model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD). The present study evaluated the ability of dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, to prevent spatial memory impairments and hippocampal neurodegeneration mediated by ICV injection of STZ in 4-month-old rats. Rodent chow containing DMF (0.4%) or standard rodent chow was made available on day 0. Rat body weight and food intake were measured daily for whole the experiment (21days). STZ or vehicle (SHAM) ICV injections were performed on days 2 and 4. Spatial reference and working memory were evaluated using the Morris water maze on days 14-21. Cells containing Fluoro-Jade B (neurodegeneration marker), IL-6, IL-10 were quantified in the hippocampus and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the basal forebrain. The disruption of spatial memory and a high density of hippocampal CA1-3 cells labeled with Fluoro-Jade B or containing IL-6 or IL-10 were observed in the STZ group but not in the STZ+DMF group, as compared to the SHAM or SHAM+DMF groups. STZ vs. STZ+DMF differences were found: worse reference memory acquisition, fewer ChAT-positive neurons in the medial septum (Ch1), more Fluoro-Jade-positive CA1 hippocampal cells in STZ rats. DMF therapy in a rodent model of sAD prevented the disruption of spatial reference and working memory, loss of Ch1 cholinergic cells and hippocampal neurodegeneration as well as the induction of IL-6 and IL-10 in CA1. These beneficial cognitive and molecular effects validate the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties of DMF in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Holocene palaeogeography and relative sea level for two tidal basins of the German North Sea coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bungenstock, Friederike; Wartenberg, Wolfram; Mauz, Barbara; Freund, Holger; Frechen, Manfred; Weerts, Henk J. T.; Berner, Heinrich

2014-05-01

The response of coasts to global sea-level rise is highly variable. Knowledge of driving coastal parameters alongside the regional sea-level history is therefore indispensable when the response to global sea-level rise is to be assessed. Here, we study the Holocene relative sea-level of the south coast of the North Sea which is controlled by a number of very local parameters, as well as by regional glacio-isostatic adjustments. It is therefore crucial to restrict the data acquisition and evaluation to small coastal sections, ideally to single tidal basins, to minimize the sources of uncertainties (Bungenstock & Weerts 2010, 2012). We present data from two tidal basins, Langeoog and Jade Bay. For Langeoog a database derived from 600 cores, 68 km of Boomer seismic data, 33 radiocarbon ages and 8 OSL dates is available. (Bungenstock & Schäfer 2009, Mauz & Bungenstock 2007). For the Jade bay, the database comprises sedimentary markers, pollen and macro remains derived from 68 cores. The sedentary chronology is based on 54 radiocarbon ages and pollen constraints (Wartenberg & Freund 2011, Wartenberg et al. 2013). For both tidal basins the sedimentological record was interpreted in terms of the local paleogeographical development since about 7000 cal BP and its influence on the local relative sea-level curve. While the trend of the relative sea level is similar for both tidal basins, it shows a different altitude. The timing of the main marine transgression within the Langeoog area takes place ~3000 cal. BP whereas the sedimentological record of the Jade Bay shows two prominent transgressions, one for ~5000 cal. BP and one for ~3000 cal. BP. The Langeoog palaeo-environment is continuously characterised by marine influence. Within the Jade Bay two different palaeo-environments could be identified, documenting that from the West to the centre the landscape development in the Jade Bay was drainage driven feeding the associated fen peat with minerogenic water but being autonomous from isochronic relative sea-level. This all shows the importance to understand the differences of local landscape and depositional developments for a reliable interpretation of sea-level data. References Bungenstock, F. & Schäfer, A. (2009): The Holocene relative sea-level curve for the tidal basin of the barrier island Langeoog, German Bight, Southern North Sea. - Global and Planetary Change 66: 34-51. Bungenstock, F. & Weerts, H.J.T. (2011): The high-resolution Holocene sea-level curve for Nothwest Germany: global signals, local effects or data-artefacts? - International Journal of Earth Sciences 99: 1687-1706. Bungenstock, F. & Weerts, H.J.T. (2012): Holocene relative sea-level curves for the German North Sea coast. International Journal of Earth Sciences. ? - International Journal of Earth Sciences 101:1083-1099. Mauz, B. & Bungenstock, F. (2007):. How to reconstruct trends of late Holocene relative sea level: A new approach using tidal flat clastic sediments and optical dating. Marine Geology 237: 225-237. Wartenberg, W. & Freund, H. (2011): Late Pleistocene and Holocene sedimentary record within the Jade Bay, Lower Saxony, Northwest Germany - New aspects for the palaeoecological record. - Quaternary International:1-11. Wartenberg, W., Vött, A., Freund, H. Hadler, H., Frechen, M., Willershäuser, T., Schnaidt, S., Fischer, P. & Obrocki, L. (2013): Evidence of isochronic transgressive surfaces within the Jade Bay tidal flfl at area, southern German North Sea coast - Holocene event horizons of regional interest. - Zeitschrift für Geomorphologi, Supplementary Issue. DOI: 10.1127/0372-8854/2013/S-00150

Cold blobs of protons in Jupiter's outer magnetosphere as observed by Juno's JADE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, R. J.; Bagenal, F.; Valek, P. W.; Allegrini, F.; Angold, N. G.; Chae, K.; Ebert, R. W.; Kim, T. K. H.; Loeffler, C.; Louarn, P.; McComas, D. J.; Pollock, C. J.; Ranquist, D. A.; Reno, C.; Szalay, J. R.; Thomsen, M. F.; Weidner, S.; Bolton, S. J.; Levin, S.

2017-12-01

Juno's 53-day polar orbits cut through the equatorial plane when inbound to perijove. The JADE instrument has been observing thermal ions (0.01-50 keV/q) and electrons (0.1-100 keV/q) in these regions since Orbit 05. Even at distances greater than 70 RJ, magnetodisk crossings are clear with high count rates measured before returning to rarified plasma conditions outside the disk. However JADE's detectors observes regions of slightly greater ion counts that last for about an hour. The ion counts are too low to analyze at the typical 30s or 60s low rate instrument cadence, but by summing to 10-minute resolution the features become analyzable. We find these regions are populated with protons with higher density than those typically observed outside the magnetodisk, and that they are colder than the ambient plasma. Reanalysis of Voyager data (DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024053) also showed cold dense blobs of plasma in the inner to middle magnetosphere, however these were of heavier ion species, short lived (several minutes) and within 40 RJ of Jupiter. This presentation will investigate the JADE identified cold blobs observed to date and compare with those observed with Voyager.

Magical hair as dirt: Ecstatic bodies and postcolonial reform in South India.

PubMed

Ramberg, Lucinda

2009-12-01

This paper offers an ethnography of the medicalization of matted locks of hair (jade) worn by female ecstatics in a South Indian devi (goddess) cult. These jade are taken by devotees of the devi Yellamma to be a manifestation of her presence in the bodies of women who enter possession states and give oracles. At her temples across the central Deccan Plateau, Yellamma women can be seen wearing heavy locks of matted hair anointed with turmeric, the color and healing properties of which are identified with this devi. Under a recent government-sponsored campaign, reformers cut jade and hand out packets of shampoo as a means of reforming the extended and illicit sexuality of these women. Associations between sexuality and hair practices have long preoccupied anthropologists interested in the relationship between the body and culture. In this paper, I draw on this literature and more than 2 years of field research to consider the encounter between biomedical and Shakta epistemologies of the body dramatized in these jade cutting campaigns. This effort to remake the body as a fit site and sign of modernity elaborates the postcolonial politics of sexuality, gender and religiosity in India.

"Mayan Eyes Have Seen the Glory..." or "Please Don't Squeeze the Shaman!" An Interdisciplinary, Integrated, Thematic Study "Chaac" Full of Culture and "Jaded" History of the Mayan Civilization. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program, 2000 (Mexico/Guatemala).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radkey, Tom

This curriculum unit, intended for students in grade 6, covers the Mayas, Mayan history, and ancient civilizations. The unit was developed using Roger Taylor's collaborative team model "Connecting the Curriculum: Using an Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Thematic Approach." The unit addresses multiple intelligences, brain research,…

Histological evidence supporting a role for the striatal neurokinin-1 receptor in methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in the mouse brain

PubMed Central

Yu, Jing; Wang, Jing; Cadet, Jean Lud; Angulo, Jesus A.

2010-01-01

Several studies have documented the effect of methamphetamine (METH) on the toxicity of the dopamine (DA) terminals of the striatum but only a few studies have assessed the damaging effects of METH on striatal neurons postsynaptic to the nigrostriatal DA terminals. In the present study, we employed histological methods to study the effect of METH on DA terminals and striatal neurons. We also assessed the role of the striatal neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor on pre- and post-synaptic METH-induced damage. Male mice were treated with METH (10 mg/kg) four times at 2-h intervals and were sacrificed 3 days after the treatment. A number of animals received the non-peptide NK-1 receptor antagonist WIN-51,708 (10 mg/kg) 30 min before the first and fourth injections of METH. Immunocytochemical staining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) showed significant deficits throughout all aspects of the caudate-putamen in animals exposed to METH. Pretreatment with WIN-51,708 prevented the METH-induced loss of TH immunostaining. Sections from a separate set of mice were stained with Fluoro-Jade B (FJB), a fluorochrome that binds specifically to degenerating fibers and cell bodies of neurons. Treatment with METH shows Fluoro-Jade B positive cell bodies in the striatum and pretreatment with WIN-51,708 abolished Fluoro-Jade B staining. Moreover, double labeling with Fluoro-Jade B and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) shows reactive astrocytosis in the area adjacent to the Fluoro-Jade B-positive cells but no Fluoro-Jade B staining of the astrocytes. This observation suggests that the degenerating cells must be striatal neurons and not astrocytes. The data demonstrate that METH induces pre- and post-synaptic damage in the striatum and the damage can be prevented with pharmacological blockade of the NK-1 receptor. These findings represent a new direction in the study of the mechanism of toxicity to METH and could be useful in the treatment of some neurological disorders. PMID:15064143

[Identification of B jade by Raman spectroscopy].

PubMed

Zu, En-dong; Chen, Da-peng; Zhang, Peng-xiang

2003-02-01

Raman spectroscopy has been found to be a useful tool for identification of bleached and polymer-impregnated jadeites (so-called B jade). The major advantage of this system over classical methods of gem testing is the non-destructive identification of inclusions in gemstones and the determination of organic fracture filling in jade. Fissures in jadeites have been filled with oils and various resins to enhance their clarity, such as paraffin wax, paraffin oil, AB glue and epoxy resins. They show different peaks depending on their chemical composition. The characteristic spectrum ranges from 1,200-1,700 cm-1 to 2,800-3,100 cm-1. The spectra of resins show that they all have four strongest peaks related with phenyl: two C-C stretching modes at 1,116 and 1,609 cm-1, respectively, one C-H stretching mode at 3,069 cm-1, and a in-plane C-H bending mode at 1,189 cm-1. In addition, other two -CH2, -CH3 stretching modes at 2,906 and 2,869 cm-1, respectively, are very similar to paraffin. Therefore, the peaks at 1,116, 1,609, 1,189 and 3,069 cm-1 are important in distinguishing resin from paraffin, and we can identify B jade depending on them.

Effects of telephone-based peer support in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving integrated care: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Chan, Juliana C N; Sui, Yi; Oldenburg, Brian; Zhang, Yuying; Chung, Harriet H Y; Goggins, William; Au, Shimen; Brown, Nicola; Ozaki, Risa; Wong, Rebecca Y M; Ko, Gary T C; Fisher, Ed

2014-06-01

In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), team management using protocols with regular feedback improves clinical outcomes, although suboptimal self-management and psychological distress remain significant challenges. To investigate if frequent contacts through a telephone-based peer support program (Peer Support, Empowerment, and Remote Communication Linked by Information Technology [PEARL]) would improve cardiometabolic risk and health outcomes by enhancing psychological well-being and self-care in patients receiving integrated care implemented through a web-based multicomponent quality improvement program (JADE [Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation]). Between 2009 and 2010, 628 of 2766 Hong Kong Chinese patients with T2DM from 3 publicly funded hospital-based diabetes centers were randomized to the JADE + PEARL (n = 312) or JADE (n = 316) groups, with comprehensive assessment at 0 and 12 months. Thirty-three motivated patients with well-controlled T2DM received 32 hours of training (four 8-hour workshops) to become peer supporters, with 10 patients assigned to each. Peer supporters called their peers at least 12 times, guided by a checklist. Changes in hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) level (primary), proportions of patients with attained treatment targets (HbA(1c) <7%; blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <2.6 mmol/L [to convert to milligrams per deciliter, divide by 0.0256]) (secondary), and other health outcomes at month 12. Both groups had similar baseline characteristics (mean [SD] age, 54.7 [9.3] years; 57% men; disease duration, 9.4 [7.7] years; HbA(1c) level, 8.2% [1.6%]; systolic blood pressure, 136 [19] mm Hg; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, 2.89 [0.82] mmol/L; 17.4% cardiovascular-renal complications; and 34.9% insulin treated). After a mean (SD) follow-up period of 414 (55) days, 5 patients had died, 144 had at least 1 hospitalization, and 586 had repeated comprehensive assessments. On intention-to-treat analysis, both groups had similar reductions in HbA(1c) (JADE + PEARL, 0.30% [95% CI, 0.12%-0.47%], vs JADE, 0.29% [95% CI, 0.12%-0.47%] [P = .97]) and improvements in treatment targets and psychological-behavioral measures. In the JADE + PEARL group, 90% of patients maintained contacts with their peer supporters, with a median of 20 calls per patient. Most of the discussion items were related to self-management. In patients with T2DM receiving integrated care, peer support did not improve cardiometabolic risks or psychological well-being. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00950716.

Tidal cycles of total particulate mercury in the Jade Bay, lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, southern North Sea.

PubMed

Jin, Huafang; Liebezeit, Gerd

2013-01-01

In this study, we evaluate the nature of the relationship between particulate matter and total mercury concentrations. For this purpose, we estimate both of the two values in water column over 12-h tidal cycles of the Jade Bay, southern North Sea. Total particulate mercury in 250 mL water samples was determined by oxygen combustion-gold amalgamation. Mercury contents varied from 63 to 259 ng/g suspended particulate matter (SPM) or 3.5-52.8 ng/L in surface waters. Total particulate mercury content (THg(p)) was positively correlated with (SPM), indicating that mercury in tidal waters is mostly associated with (SPM), and that tidal variations of total particulate mercury are mainly due to changes in (SPM) content throughout the tidal cycle. Maximum values for THg(p) were observed during mid-flood and mid-ebb, while the lowest values were determined at low tide and high tide. These data suggest that there are no mercury point sources in the Jade Bay. Moreover, the THg(p) content at low tide and high tide were significantly lower than the values recorded in the bottom sediment of the sampling site (>200 ng/g DW), while THg(p) content during the mid-flood and mid-ebb were comparable to the THg content in the surface bottom sediments. Therefore, changes in THg(p) content in the water column due to tidal forcing may have resulted from re-suspension of underlying surface sediments with relatively high mercury content.

Latitudinal distribution of the Jovian plasma sheet ions observed by Juno JADE-I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, T. K. H.; Valek, P. W.; McComas, D. J.; Allegrini, F.; Bagenal, F.; Bolton, S. J.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Ebert, R. W.; Levin, S.; Louarn, P.; Pollock, C. J.; Ranquist, D. A.; Szalay, J.; Thomsen, M. F.; Wilson, R. J.

2017-12-01

The Jovian plasma sheet is a region where the centrifugal force dominates the heavy ion plasma. Properties of the plasma sheet ions near the equatorial plane have been studied with in-situ measurements from the Pioneer, Voyager, and Galileo spacecraft. However, the ion properties for the off-equator regions are not well known due to the limited measurements. Juno is the first polar orbiting spacecraft that can investigate the high latitude region of the Jovian magnetosphere. With Juno's unique trajectory, we will investigate the latitudinal distribution of the Jovian plasma sheet ions using measurements from the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment Ion sensor (JADE-I). JADE-I measures an ion's energy-per-charge (E/Q) from 0.01 keV/q to 46.2 keV/q with an electrostatic analyzer (ESA) and a mass-per-charge (M/Q) up to 64 amu/q with a carbon-foil-based time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. We have shown that the ambiguity between and (both have M/Q of 16) can be resolved in JADE-I using a semi-empirical simulation tool based on carbon foil effects (i.e., charge state modification, angular scattering, and energy loss) from incident ions passing through the TOF mass spectrometer. Based on the simulation results, we have developed an Ion Composition Analysis Tool (ICAT) that determines ion composition at each energy step of JADE-I (total of 64 steps). The velocity distribution for each ion species can be obtained from the ion composition as a function of each energy step. Since there is an ambipolar electric field due to mobile electrons and equatorially confined heavy ions, we expect to see acceleration along the field line. This study will show the species separated velocity distribution at various latitudes to investigate how the plasma sheet ions evolve along the field line.

Astronomical Alignments in a Neolithic Chinese Site?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, S.; Stencel, R. E.

1997-12-01

In the Manchurian province of Liaoning, near 41N19' and 119E30', exist ruins of a middle Neolithic society (2500 to 4000 BC) known as the Hongshan culture. This location, called Niuheliang, is comprised of 16 locations with monumental structures scattered over 80 square kilometers of hills. Most are stone burial structures that contain jade artifacts implying wealth and power. One structure is unique in being unusually shaped and containing oversized effigies of goddess figures. This structure also has a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. The presence of decorated pottery, jade and worked copper suggests the Hongshan people were sophisticated artisans and engaged in long-distance trading. During 1997, we've conducted a course at Denver as part of our Core Curriculum program for upper division students, that has examined the astronomical and cultural aspects of the Niuheliang site, to attempt to determine whether these contemporaries of the builders of Stonehenge may have included astronomical alignments into their constructions. The preliminary result of our studies suggests that certain monuments have potential for lunar standstill observation from the "goddess temple". For updates on these results, please see our website: www.du.edu/ rstencel/core2103.html.

Fluoro-Jade and TUNEL staining as useful tools to identify ischemic brain damage following moderate extradural compression of sensorimotor cortex.

PubMed

Kundrotiene, Jurgita; Wägner, Anna; Liljequist, Sture

2004-01-01

Cerebral ischemia was produced by moderate compression for 30 min of a specific brain area in the sensorimotor cortex of Sprague-Dawley rats. On day 1, that is 24 h after the transient sensorimotor compression, ischemia-exposed animals displayed a marked focal neurological deficit documented as impaired beam walking performance. This functional disturbance was mainly due to contralateral fore- and hind-limb paresis. As assessed by daily beam walking tests it was shown that there was a spontaneous recovery of motor functions over a period of five to seven days after the ischemic event. Using histopathological analysis (Nissl staining) we have previously reported that the present experimental paradigm does not produce pannecrosis (tissue cavitation) despite the highly reproducible focal neurological deficit. We now show how staining with fluorescent markers for neuronal death, that is Fluoro-Jade and TUNEL, respectively, identifies regional patterns of selective neuronal death. These observations add further support to the working hypothesis that the brain damage caused by cortical compression-induced ischemia consists of scattered, degenerating neurons in specific brain regions. Postsurgical administration of the AMPA receptor specific antagonist, LY326325 (30 mg/kg; i.p., 70 min after compression), not only improved beam walking performance on day 1 to 3, respectively but also significantly reduced the number of Fluoro-Jade stained neurons on day 5. These results suggest that enhanced AMPA/glutamate receptor activity is at least partially responsible for the ischemia-produced brain damage detected by the fluorescent marker Fluoro-Jade.

Fetal ECG extraction using independent component analysis by Jade approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giraldo-Guzmán, Jader; Contreras-Ortiz, Sonia H.; Lasprilla, Gloria Isabel Bautista; Kotas, Marian

2017-11-01

Fetal ECG monitoring is a useful method to assess the fetus health and detect abnormal conditions. In this paper we propose an approach to extract fetal ECG from abdomen and chest signals using independent component analysis based on the joint approximate diagonalization of eigenmatrices approach. The JADE approach avoids redundancy, what reduces matrix dimension and computational costs. Signals were filtered with a high pass filter to eliminate low frequency noise. Several levels of decomposition were tested until the fetal ECG was recognized in one of the separated sources output. The proposed method shows fast and good performance.

Extraction and Production of Omega-3 from UniMAP Puyu (Jade Perch) and Mackarel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nur Izzati, I.; Zainab, H.; Nornadhiratulhusna, M.; Chee Hann, Y.; Khairunissa Syairah, A. S.; Amira Farzana, S.

2018-03-01

Extraction techniques to extract fish oil from various types of fish are numerous but not widely accepted because of the use of chemicals that may be harmful to health. In this study, fish oil is extracted using a technique of Microwave-Assisted Extraction, which uses only water. The optimum conditions required for the production of fish oil for extraction is carried out by examining three parameters such as microwave power (300-700W), extraction time (10-30 min) and amount of water used (70-190ml). Optimum conditions were determined after using design of experiments (DOE). The optimum condition obtained was 300 W for microwave power, 10 minutes extraction time and 190 milliliter amounts of water used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the functional groups of fish oil. Two types of fish such as Jade Perch or UniMAP Puyu and Indian Mackerel were used. A standard omega-3 oil sample (Blackmores) purchased from pharmacy was also determined to confirm the presence of omega-3 oil in these fishes. Similar compounds were present in Jade Perch and Indian Mackerel as compared to the standard. Therefore, there were presence of omega-3 fish oil in the two types of fish. From this study, omega-3 in UniMAP Puyu fish was higher compared to Indian Mackerel fish. However, based on the FTIR analysis, besides the presence of omega-3, the two fishes also contain other functional groups such as alkanes, alkenes, aldehyde, ketones and many others. The yield of fish oil for the Jade Perch was low compared to Indian Mackerel which was 9% while Indian Mackerel was 10 %.

Effect of equipotent doses of bupivacaine and ropivacaine in high-fat diet fed neonatal rodent model.

PubMed

Lian, Ying-Dong; Chen, Zong-Xiang; Zhu, Kang-Ru; Sun, Shu-Yin; Zhu, Li-Ping

The increase in the prevalence of obesity presents a significant health and economic problem. Obesity has been reported to be a major contributor to variety of chronic diseases. Childhood obesity has been rising over the past decades leading to various complications in health. Millions of infants and children undergo surgery every year on various health grounds. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of spinal anesthesia of equipotent doses of ropivacaine and bupivacaine on over-weight neonatal rats. The Sprague-Dawley rat pups were overfed on high fat diet to induce obesity. Behavioral assessments for sensory and motor blockade was made by evaluating thermal and mechanical withdrawal latencies at various time intervals following intrathecal injections of bupivacaine (5.0mg·kg -1 ) and ropivacaine (7.5mg·kg -1 ) in P14 rats. Spinal tissue was analyzed for apoptosis by determination of activated caspase-3 using monoclonal anti-activated caspase-3 and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Long-term spinal function in P30 rat pups was evaluated. Exposure to intrathecal anesthesia in P14 increased thermal and mechanical latencies and was observed to increase apoptosis as presented by increase in activated caspase-3 and Fluro-Jade C positive cells. Significant alterations in spinal function were observed in high fat diet-fed pups as against non-obese control pups that were on standard diet. Bupivacaine produced more pronounced apoptotic effects on P14 pups; ropivacaine however produced long lasting effects as evidenced in motor function tests at P30. Ropivacaine and bupivacaine induced spinal toxicity that was more pronounced in over-fed rat pups as against normal controls. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

[Effect of equipotent doses of bupivacaine and ropivacaine in high-fat diet fed neonatal rodent model].

PubMed

Lian, Ying-Dong; Chen, Zong-Xiang; Zhu, Kang-Ru; Sun, Shu-Yin; Zhu, Li-Ping

The increase in the prevalence of obesity presents a significant health and economic problem. Obesity has been reported to be a major contributor to variety of chronic diseases. Childhood obesity has been rising over the past decades leading to various complications in health. Millions of infants and children undergo surgery every year on various health grounds. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of spinal anesthesia of equipotent doses of ropivacaine and bupivacaine on over-weight neonatal rats. The Sprague-Dawley rat pups were overfed on high fat diet to induce obesity. Behavioral assessments for sensory and motor blockade was made by evaluating thermal and mechanical withdrawal latencies at various time intervals following intrathecal injections of bupivacaine (5.0mg·kg -1 ) and ropivacaine (7.5mg·kg -1 ) in P14 rats. Spinal tissue was analyzed for apoptosis by determination of activated caspase-3 using monoclonal anti-activated caspase-3 and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Long-term spinal function in P30 rat pups was evaluated. Exposure to intrathecal anesthesia in P14 increased thermal and mechanical latencies and was observed to increase apoptosis as presented by increase in activated caspase-3 and Fluro-Jade C positive cells. Significant alterations in spinal function were observed in high fat diet-fed pups as against non-obese control pups that were on standard diet. Bupivacaine produced more pronounced apoptotic effects on P14 pups; ropivacaine however produced long lasting effects as evidenced in motor function tests at P30. Ropivacaine and bupivacaine induced spinal toxicity that was more pronounced in over-fed rat pups as against normal controls. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Evolution of Diabetes Care in Hong Kong: From the Hong Kong Diabetes Register to JADE-PEARL Program to RAMP and PEP Program

PubMed Central

Cheung, Kitty K.T.; Yau, Tiffany T.L.; Chow, Elaine; Ozaki, Risa

2018-01-01

The rapid increase in diabetes prevalence globally has contributed to large increases in health care expenditure on diabetic complications, posing a major health burden to countries worldwide. Asians are commonly observed to have poorer β-cell function and greater insulin resistance compared to the Caucasian population, which is attributed by their lower lean body mass and central obesity. This “double phenotype” as well as the rising prevalence of young onset diabetes in Asia has placed Asians with diabetes at high risk of cardiovascular and renal complications, with cancer emerging as an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The experience from Hong Kong had demonstrated that a multifaceted approach, involving team-based integrated care, information technological advances, and patient empowerment programs were able to reduce the incidence of diabetic complications, hospitalizations, and mortality. System change and public policies to enhance implementation of such programs may provide solutions to combat the burgeoning health problem of diabetes at a societal level. PMID:29589385

A new method for quantifying the performance of EEG blind source separation algorithms by referencing a simultaneously recorded ECoG signal.

PubMed

Oosugi, Naoya; Kitajo, Keiichi; Hasegawa, Naomi; Nagasaka, Yasuo; Okanoya, Kazuo; Fujii, Naotaka

2017-09-01

Blind source separation (BSS) algorithms extract neural signals from electroencephalography (EEG) data. However, it is difficult to quantify source separation performance because there is no criterion to dissociate neural signals and noise in EEG signals. This study develops a method for evaluating BSS performance. The idea is neural signals in EEG can be estimated by comparison with simultaneously measured electrocorticography (ECoG). Because the ECoG electrodes cover the majority of the lateral cortical surface and should capture most of the original neural sources in the EEG signals. We measured real EEG and ECoG data and developed an algorithm for evaluating BSS performance. First, EEG signals are separated into EEG components using the BSS algorithm. Second, the EEG components are ranked using the correlation coefficients of the ECoG regression and the components are grouped into subsets based on their ranks. Third, canonical correlation analysis estimates how much information is shared between the subsets of the EEG components and the ECoG signals. We used our algorithm to compare the performance of BSS algorithms (PCA, AMUSE, SOBI, JADE, fastICA) via the EEG and ECoG data of anesthetized nonhuman primates. The results (Best case >JADE = fastICA >AMUSE = SOBI ≥ PCA >random separation) were common to the two subjects. To encourage the further development of better BSS algorithms, our EEG and ECoG data are available on our Web site (http://neurotycho.org/) as a common testing platform. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Amphibole ceramics: conceptual development and preliminary experiments

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

Lauf, R.J.

1985-08-01

Certain natural silicate minerals, commonly called jade, are well known for their resistance to brittle fracture. One type of jade, nephrite, is a compacted form of the amphibole mineral series tremolite-actinolite. Nephrite is tough because the naturally acicular crystal habit of these amphibole minerals produces an interwoven fibrous microstructure that impedes crack propagation. Object of this work was to duplicate the fibrous microstructure of nephrite by pulverizing natural tremolite or actinolite and then compacting it by hot pressing to form a dense body. Two other materials were also investigated, namely, clinochrysotile (serpentine asbestos) and synthetic fluor-tremolite. For each material, themore » milling characteristics and densification were studied. The resulting microstructures were characterized, and fracture toughness was measured for a limited number of samples. The most ''fibrous'' microstructure was obtained by hot pressing clinochrysotile 15 min a 1000/sup 0/C. Actinolite, hot pressed 15 min at 1100/sup 0/C, had a critical fracture toughness K/sub IC/ = 4.5 MPa m/sup 1/2/, which compares favorably with the toughness of nephrite jade (K/sub IC/ = 3.6). Decomposition of tremolite and actinolite to more stable phases occurred to some degree during hot pressing. Results suggest that hot isostatic pressing at high water vapor pressure should yield a dense product without causing amphibole decomposition. 28 figs., 7 tabs.« less

MEDLINE SDI services: how do they compare?*

PubMed Central

Shultz, Mary; De Groote, Sandra L.

2003-01-01

Introduction: Selective dissemination of information (SDI) services regularly alert users to new information on their chosen topics. This type of service can increase a user's ability to keep current and may have a positive impact on efficiency and productivity. Currently, there are many venues available where users can establish, store, and automatically run MEDLINE searches. Purpose: To describe, evaluate, and compare SDI services for MEDLINE. Resources: The following SDI services were selected for this study: PubMed Cubby, BioMail, JADE, PubCrawler, OVID, and ScienceDirect. Methodology: Identical searches were established in four of the six selected SDI services and were run on a weekly basis over a period of two months. Eight search strategies were used in each system to test performance under various search conditions. The PubMed Cubby system was used as the baseline against which the other systems were compared. Other aspects were evaluated in all six services and include ease of use, frequency of results, ability to use MeSH, ability to access and edit existing search strategies, and ability to download to a bibliographic management program. Results: Not all MEDLINE SDI services retrieve identical results, even when identical search strategies are used. This study also showed that the services vary in terms of features and functions offered. PMID:14566377

15 CFR 922.133 - Permit procedures and criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... research designed to further understanding of Sanctuary resources and qualities; (2) Will further the... for applications proposing to collect loose pieces of jade for research or educational purposes. (e...

Evolution of Diabetes Care in Hong Kong: From the Hong Kong Diabetes Register to JADE-PEARL Program to RAMP and PEP Program.

PubMed

Ng, Ivy H Y; Cheung, Kitty K T; Yau, Tiffany T L; Chow, Elaine; Ozaki, Risa; Chan, Juliana C N

2018-03-01

The rapid increase in diabetes prevalence globally has contributed to large increases in health care expenditure on diabetic complications, posing a major health burden to countries worldwide. Asians are commonly observed to have poorer β-cell function and greater insulin resistance compared to the Caucasian population, which is attributed by their lower lean body mass and central obesity. This "double phenotype" as well as the rising prevalence of young onset diabetes in Asia has placed Asians with diabetes at high risk of cardiovascular and renal complications, with cancer emerging as an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The experience from Hong Kong had demonstrated that a multifaceted approach, involving team-based integrated care, information technological advances, and patient empowerment programs were able to reduce the incidence of diabetic complications, hospitalizations, and mortality. System change and public policies to enhance implementation of such programs may provide solutions to combat the burgeoning health problem of diabetes at a societal level. Copyright © 2018 Korean Endocrine Society.

Publications - SR 51 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

& Geophysical Surveys Comments: Your help is crucial in the compilation of future Alaska Minerals Resources; Fluorine; Geophysics; Germanium; Gold; Heap Leach; Iron; Jade; Lead; Lode; Mercury; Minerals

Ancient jades map 3,000 years of prehistoric exchange in Southeast Asia

PubMed Central

Hung, Hsiao-Chun; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Bellwood, Peter; Nguyen, Kim Dung; Bellina, Bérénice; Silapanth, Praon; Dizon, Eusebio; Santiago, Rey; Datan, Ipoi; Manton, Jonathan H.

2007-01-01

We have used electron probe microanalysis to examine Southeast Asian nephrite (jade) artifacts, many archeologically excavated, dating from 3000 B.C. through the first millennium A.D. The research has revealed the existence of one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world. Green nephrite from a source in eastern Taiwan was used to make two very specific forms of ear pendant that were distributed, between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D., through the Philippines, East Malaysia, southern Vietnam, and peninsular Thailand, forming a 3,000-km-diameter halo around the southern and eastern coastlines of the South China Sea. Other Taiwan nephrite artifacts, especially beads and bracelets, were distributed earlier during Neolithic times throughout Taiwan and from Taiwan into the Philippines. PMID:18048347

Studies of the 4-JET Rate and of Moments of Event Shape Observables Using Jade Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluth, S.

2005-04-01

Data from e+e- annihilation into hadrons collected by the JADE experiment at centre-of-mass energies between 14 and 44 GeV were used to study the 4-jet rate using the Durham algorithm as well as the first five moments of event shape observables. The data were compared with NLO QCD predictions, augmented by resummed NLLA calculations for the 4-jet rate, in order to extract values of the strong coupling constant αS. The preliminary results are αS(MZ0) = 0.1169 ± 0.0026 (4-jet rate) and αS(MZ0) = 0.1286 ± 0.0072 (moments) consistent with the world average value. For some of the higher moments systematic deficiencies of the QCD predictions are observed.

Ancient jades map 3,000 years of prehistoric exchange in Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Hung, Hsiao-Chun; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Bellwood, Peter; Nguyen, Kim Dung; Bellina, Bérénice; Silapanth, Praon; Dizon, Eusebio; Santiago, Rey; Datan, Ipoi; Manton, Jonathan H

2007-12-11

We have used electron probe microanalysis to examine Southeast Asian nephrite (jade) artifacts, many archeologically excavated, dating from 3000 B.C. through the first millennium A.D. The research has revealed the existence of one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world. Green nephrite from a source in eastern Taiwan was used to make two very specific forms of ear pendant that were distributed, between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D., through the Philippines, East Malaysia, southern Vietnam, and peninsular Thailand, forming a 3,000-km-diameter halo around the southern and eastern coastlines of the South China Sea. Other Taiwan nephrite artifacts, especially beads and bracelets, were distributed earlier during Neolithic times throughout Taiwan and from Taiwan into the Philippines.

Forced swimming stress does not affect monoamine levels and neurodegeneration in rats.

PubMed

Abbas, Ghulam; Naqvi, Sabira; Mehmood, Shahab; Kabir, Nurul; Dar, Ahsana

2011-10-01

The current study was aimed to investigate the correlations between immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST, a behavioral indicator of stress level) and hippocampal monoamine levels (markers of depression), plasma adrenalin level (a peripheral marker of stress) as well as fluoro-jade C staining (a marker of neurodegeneration). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to acute, sub-chronic (7 d) or chronic (14 d) FSTs and immobility time was recorded. Levels of noradrenalin, serotonin and dopamine in the hippocampus, and adrenalin level in the plasma were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Brain sections from rats after chronic forced swimming or rotenone treatment (3 mg/kg subcutaneously for 4 d) were stained with fluoro-jade C. The rats subjected to swimming stress (acute, sub-chronic and chronic) showed long immobility times [(214 +/- 5), (220 +/- 4) and (231 +/- 7) s, respectively], indicating that the animals were under stress. However, the rats did not exhibit significant declines in hippocampal monoamine levels, and the plasma adrenalin level was not significantly increased compared to that in unstressed rats. The rats that underwent chronic swimming stress did not manifest fluoro-jade C staining in brain sections, while degenerating neurons were evident after rotenone treatment. The immobility time in the FST does not correlate with markers of depression (monoamine levels) and internal stress (adrenalin levels and neurodegeneration), hence this parameter may not be a true indicator of stress level.

Characterization of Mesoamerican jade

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

Bishop, R.L.; Sayre, E.V.; van Zelst, L.

1983-11-23

Jadeite occurring in the Motague River Valley of Guatemala has been characterized by neutron activation analysis and forms two district, phase-related groups. Comparison of the compositional profiles of Mayan jadeite artifacts reveals many specimens having profiles matching those of the Montagua source. Of particular interest are the large number of jadeite artifacts which show internal similarity yet have compositional patterns which are significantly different from the Montagua samples and Montagua-related artifacts. A few of the analyzed Costa Rican artifacts show patterns similar to those of the Motagua yet the vast majority fall within one of the two Costa Rican compositionalmore » groups. When considering the non-Motagua related Mayan artifacts, the analytical approach appears to be sufficiently sensitive so as to distinguish differences between the Chrome-green and Chichen-green material. Even two Honduran site specific groups of albite - cultural jade - form distinct groups.« less

Fault-tolerant Control of a Cyber-physical System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roxana, Rusu-Both; Eva-Henrietta, Dulf

2017-10-01

Cyber-physical systems represent a new emerging field in automatic control. The fault system is a key component, because modern, large scale processes must meet high standards of performance, reliability and safety. Fault propagation in large scale chemical processes can lead to loss of production, energy, raw materials and even environmental hazard. The present paper develops a multi-agent fault-tolerant control architecture using robust fractional order controllers for a (13C) cryogenic separation column cascade. The JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment Framework) platform was used to implement the multi-agent fault tolerant control system while the operational model of the process was implemented in Matlab/SIMULINK environment. MACSimJX (Multiagent Control Using Simulink with Jade Extension) toolbox was used to link the control system and the process model. In order to verify the performance and to prove the feasibility of the proposed control architecture several fault simulation scenarios were performed.

Online Artifact Removal for Brain-Computer Interfaces Using Support Vector Machines and Blind Source Separation

PubMed Central

Halder, Sebastian; Bensch, Michael; Mellinger, Jürgen; Bogdan, Martin; Kübler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

We propose a combination of blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) (signal decomposition into artifacts and nonartifacts) with support vector machines (SVMs) (automatic classification) that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA) and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE) are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic (EOG) artifacts into individual components. An implementation of the selected BSS/ICA method with SVMs trained to classify EMG and EOG artifacts, which enables the usage of the method as a filter in measurements with online feedback, is described. This filter is evaluated on three BCI datasets as a proof-of-concept of the method. PMID:18288259

Online artifact removal for brain-computer interfaces using support vector machines and blind source separation.

PubMed

Halder, Sebastian; Bensch, Michael; Mellinger, Jürgen; Bogdan, Martin; Kübler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels; Rosenstiel, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

We propose a combination of blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) (signal decomposition into artifacts and nonartifacts) with support vector machines (SVMs) (automatic classification) that are designed for online usage. In order to select a suitable BSS/ICA method, three ICA algorithms (JADE, Infomax, and FastICA) and one BSS algorithm (AMUSE) are evaluated to determine their ability to isolate electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic (EOG) artifacts into individual components. An implementation of the selected BSS/ICA method with SVMs trained to classify EMG and EOG artifacts, which enables the usage of the method as a filter in measurements with online feedback, is described. This filter is evaluated on three BCI datasets as a proof-of-concept of the method.

Using online adverts to increase the uptake of cervical screening amongst “real Eastenders”: an opportunistic controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cervical screening uptake has increased as a result of occurrences of cervical cancer in TV ‘soap operas’ and in real life celebrities such as Jade Goody. Media analysis at the time of Jade Goody’s death suggested the NHS did not take sufficient advantage of this opportunity to improve cervical screening rates. Google AdWords has been used to recruit and raise awareness of health but we were not aware of its use to supplement media events. Methods This was an opportunistic service evaluation to accompany a cervical cancer storyline in Eastenders (a TV ‘soap opera’). We ran an AdWords campaign based on keywords such as ‘Eastenders’, and ‘cervical cancer’ in a one mile radius in East London, linked to one webpage giving details of 10 practices and other links on cervical cancer. We recorded costs of adverts and setting up the webpage. We used routine statistics from Tower Hamlets, City and Hackney, and Newham Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of the number of smears, eligible populations, and coverage by practice by month from September 2010 to January 2012 to compare the ten intervention practices with controls. Results Eight people per day in the target area viewed the project webpage. The cost of setting up the website and running Google AdWords was £1320 or £1.88 per person viewing the webpage. Unlike Jade Goody’s death, there was no major impact from the Eastenders’ storyline on Google searches for cervical cancer. There was considerable monthly variation in the number of smear tests in the 3 PCTs. The AdWords campaign may have had some effect on smear rates but this showed, at best, a marginal statistical difference. Assuming a ‘real’ effect, the intervention may have resulted in 110 ‘extra’ women being screened but there was no change in coverage. Conclusions Although the Eastenders storyline seemed to have no effect on interest in cervical cancer or screening, the AdWords campaign may have had some effect. Given the small scale exploratory nature of the study this was not statistically significant but the relatively modest cost of advertising suggests a larger study may be worthwhile. An outline of a possible study is described. PMID:23531167

Using online adverts to increase the uptake of cervical screening amongst "real Eastenders": an opportunistic controlled trial.

PubMed

Jones, Ray B; Soler-Lopez, Mar; Zahra, Daniel; Shankleman, Judith; Trenchard-Mabere, Esther

2013-03-26

Cervical screening uptake has increased as a result of occurrences of cervical cancer in TV 'soap operas' and in real life celebrities such as Jade Goody. Media analysis at the time of Jade Goody's death suggested the NHS did not take sufficient advantage of this opportunity to improve cervical screening rates. Google AdWords has been used to recruit and raise awareness of health but we were not aware of its use to supplement media events. This was an opportunistic service evaluation to accompany a cervical cancer storyline in Eastenders (a TV 'soap opera'). We ran an AdWords campaign based on keywords such as 'Eastenders', and 'cervical cancer' in a one mile radius in East London, linked to one webpage giving details of 10 practices and other links on cervical cancer. We recorded costs of adverts and setting up the webpage. We used routine statistics from Tower Hamlets, City and Hackney, and Newham Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of the number of smears, eligible populations, and coverage by practice by month from September 2010 to January 2012 to compare the ten intervention practices with controls. Eight people per day in the target area viewed the project webpage. The cost of setting up the website and running Google AdWords was £1320 or £1.88 per person viewing the webpage. Unlike Jade Goody's death, there was no major impact from the Eastenders' storyline on Google searches for cervical cancer. There was considerable monthly variation in the number of smear tests in the 3 PCTs. The AdWords campaign may have had some effect on smear rates but this showed, at best, a marginal statistical difference. Assuming a 'real' effect, the intervention may have resulted in 110 'extra' women being screened but there was no change in coverage. Although the Eastenders storyline seemed to have no effect on interest in cervical cancer or screening, the AdWords campaign may have had some effect. Given the small scale exploratory nature of the study this was not statistically significant but the relatively modest cost of advertising suggests a larger study may be worthwhile. An outline of a possible study is described.

High Intracranial Pressure Induced Injury in the Healthy Rat Brain.

PubMed

Dai, Xingping; Bragina, Olga; Zhang, Tongsheng; Yang, Yirong; Rao, Gutti R; Bragin, Denis E; Statom, Gloria; Nemoto, Edwin M

2016-08-01

We recently showed that increased intracranial pressure to 50 mm Hg in the healthy rat brain results in microvascular shunt flow characterized by tissue hypoxia, edema, and increased blood-brain barrier permeability. We now determined whether increased intracranial pressure results in neuronal injury by Fluoro-Jade stain and whether changes in cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen suggest nonnutritive microvascular shunt flow. Intracranial pressure was elevated by a reservoir of artificial cerebrospinal fluid connected to the cisterna magna. Arterial blood gases, cerebral arterial-venous oxygen content difference, and cerebral blood flow by MRI were measured. Fluoro-Jade stain neurons were counted in histologic sections of the right and left dorsal and lateral cortices and hippocampus. University laboratory. Male Sprague Dawley rats. Arterial pressure support if needed by IV dopamine infusion and base deficit corrected by sodium bicarbonate. Fluoro-Jade stain neurons increased 2.5- and 5.5-fold at intracranial pressures of 30 and 50 mm Hg and cerebral perfusion pressures of 57 ± 4 (mean ± SEM) and 47 ± 6 mm Hg, respectively (p < 0.001) (highest in the right and left cortices). Voxel frequency histograms of cerebral blood flow showed a pattern consistent with microvascular shunt flow by dispersion to higher cerebral blood flow at high intracranial pressure and decreased cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen. High intracranial pressure likely caused neuronal injury because of a transition from normal capillary flow to nonnutritive microvascular shunt flow resulting in tissue hypoxia and edema, and it is manifest by a reduction in the cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2012-01-01

The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2011 was $10.6 million, a 6-percent increase from 2010. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2013-01-01

The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2012 was $11.1 million, a slight increase from 2011. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2011-01-01

The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2010 was $8.5 million, a slight increase from 2009. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials.

Under the Jade Vault Lei Feng Salutes Mark Twain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krysl, Marilyn

1984-01-01

The experiences of a teacher who lectured undergraduates in the People's Republic of China on the American short story and taught a refresher course for Chinese teachers of English at the Tianjin Foreign Language Institute are presented. (Author/MLW)

Fluoro jade-C staining in the assessment of brain injury after deep hypothermia circulatory arrest.

PubMed

Wang, Ren; Ma, Wei-Guo; Gao, Guo-Dong; Mao, Qun-Xia; Zheng, Jun; Sun, Li-Zhong; Liu, Ying-Long

2011-02-04

To evaluate the efficacy of Fluoro Jade-C staining (FJC) in the assessment of brain injury after deep hypothermia circulatory arrest (DHCA). Six healthy adult miniature male pigs underwent DHCA, the rectal temperature was down to 18°C, circulation was stopped , circulatory arrest was maintained for 60 minutes. On postoperative day 1, perfusion-fixation was performed on brain tissue. Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum were taken for sampling. FJC, hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), nissl staining (NISSL), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) were performed to detect the histological and pathological changes. Histological scores of all slices were ranked. Comparison between the FJC and other techniques was done by analysis of variance (ANOVA) according to histological scores. All animals survived the operation. On the cerebral cortex, in comparison of FJC between HE, NISSL and TUNEL, the p value was 0.90, 0.40, 0.16 respectively (p>0.05). On the hippocampus, the comparison of FJC with HE, NISSL and TUNEL had a p value of 0.12, 0.23, 0.62 respectively (p>0.05). On the cerebellum, in comparing FJC with HE, NISSL and TUNEL, the p value was 0.96, 0.77, 0.96 respectively (p>0.05). On representative regions, the results of FJC were in accordance with that of TUNEL, NISSL and HE. Furthermore, ascertainment of brain injury is easier with FJC. FJC is a reliable and convenient method to assess brain injury after DHCA. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thallium dynamics in the southern North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böning, Philipp; Schnetger, Bernhard; Beck, Melanie; Brumsack, Hans-Jürgen

2018-04-01

In open ocean waters thallium (Tl) belongs to the group of conservative elements, even though deviations from this trend have been observed in NW German coastal waters. Here, we report on tidal, seasonal and spatial dynamics of Tl along with Mo and Mn in the water column of a backbarrier tidal flat close to the island of Spiekeroog, the Jade system (Inner Jade and Jade Bay) and the adjacent offshore region. Dissolved thallium (Tldiss) displays strong tidal and seasonal variations (∼25-60 pM) unrelated to salinity. In all study areas, Tldiss clearly deviates from conservative behavior. In general, Tldiss is low during low tide (with a loss of up to 50%) and inversely related to Mndiss, except in summer. The tidal Tl variations as well as the loss of Tl in the water column may be due to Tl removal from pore waters in reducing sediments and drainage of Tl-free but Mn-rich pore waters into the water column during low tide. The negative Tl anomaly can be traced offshore for more than 40 km to the island of Helgoland. The redox chemistry of Tl is not well studied, and Tl removal from pore waters was previously suggested to only occur under anoxic/sulfidic conditions. By contrast, our preliminary pore water results suggest that Tl could be removed already under slightly reducing (suboxic) conditions, likely along with microbially induced Mn reduction in the sediments. Therefore, this study supports the biological involvement in the aqueous cycling of Tl. We propose the use of Tldiss next to Mndiss as valuable indicator of suboxic or anoxic pore water discharge to the coastal realm.

jade: An End-To-End Data Transfer and Catalog Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meade, P.

2017-10-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometer neutrino telescope located at the Geographic South Pole. IceCube collects 1 TB of data every day. An online filtering farm processes this data in real time and selects 10% to be sent via satellite to the main data center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. IceCube has two year-round on-site operators. New operators are hired every year, due to the hard conditions of wintering at the South Pole. These operators are tasked with the daily operations of running a complex detector in serious isolation conditions. One of the systems they operate is the data archiving and transfer system. Due to these challenging operational conditions, the data archive and transfer system must above all be simple and robust. It must also share the limited resource of satellite bandwidth, and collect and preserve useful metadata. The original data archive and transfer software for IceCube was written in 2005. After running in production for several years, the decision was taken to fully rewrite it, in order to address a number of structural drawbacks. The new data archive and transfer software (JADE2) has been in production for several months providing improved performance and resiliency. One of the main goals for JADE2 is to provide a unified system that handles the IceCube data end-to-end: from collection at the South Pole, all the way to long-term archive and preservation in dedicated repositories at the North. In this contribution, we describe our experiences and lessons learned from developing and operating the data archive and transfer software for a particle physics experiment in extreme operational conditions like IceCube.

Publications - SR 56 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Minerals; Iron; Jade; Jurassic; Kanayut Conglomerate; Kayak Shale; Kuskokwim Group; Lead; Limestone; Lode ; Nickel; Nikolai Greenstone; Noatak Sandstone; Nome Group; Nuggets; Orca Group; Ordovician; Ores ; Paleozoic; Palladium; Pennsylvanian; Placer; Platinum; Platinum Group Elements; Plutonic; Plutonic Hosted

Publications - SR 54 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Minerals; Iron; Jade; Jurassic; Kanayut Conglomerate; Kayak Shale; Kuskokwim Group; Lead; Limestone; Lode ; Nickel; Nikolai Greenstone; Noatak Sandstone; Nome Group; Nuggets; Orca Group; Ordovician; Ores ; Paleozoic; Palladium; Pennsylvanian; Placer; Platinum; Platinum Group Elements; Plutonic; Plutonic Hosted

Publications - SR 55 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Minerals; Iron; Jade; Jurassic; Kanayut Conglomerate; Kayak Shale; Kuskokwim Group; Lead; Limestone; Lode ; Nickel; Nikolai Greenstone; Noatak Sandstone; Nome Group; Nuggets; Orca Group; Ordovician; Ores ; Paleozoic; Palladium; Pennsylvanian; Placer; Platinum; Platinum Group Elements; Plutonic; Plutonic Hosted

VERA Geodetic Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jike, Takaaki; Tamura, Yoshiaki; Shizugami, Makoto

2013-01-01

This report briefly describes the geodetic activities of VERA in the year 2012. The regular geodetic observations are carried out both in K- and S/X-bands. The frequency of regular observations is three times a month-twice for the VERA internal observations in K-band. The networks of the S/X sessions are JADE of GSI and IVS-T2. The raw data of the T2 and JADE sessions are electronically transferred to the Bonn, Haystack, and GSI correlators via Internet. Gravimetric observations are carried out at the VERA stations. An SG was installed at Mizusawa and placed in the vicinity of the VERA antenna in order to monitor vertical displacement at the end of 2008, and the observations continued throughout the year. Also at the VERA-Ishigakijima station, continuous operation of the SG started in 2012. The crustal movements generated by the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku continued during 2012, and displacement of the VERA-Mizusawa position by post-seismic creeping continued.

Solar Wind Properties During Juno's Approach to Jupiter: Data Analysis and Resulting Plasma Properties Utilizing a 1-D Forward Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, R. J.; Bagenal, Fran; Valek, Philip W.; McComas, D. J.; Allegrini, Frederic; Ebert, Robert W.; Kim, Thomas K.; Kurth, W. S.; Szalay, Jamey R.; Thomsen, Michelle F.

2018-04-01

The Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment ion sensor (JADE-I) on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Juno mission measured solar wind ions for ≈40 days prior to the spacecraft's arrival at Jupiter, simultaneous with numerous telescope observations of the Jovian aurora. JADE-I is a thermal plasma time-of-flight instrument designed to measure Jovian auroral and magnetospheric ions. This study provides a solar wind parameter data set for the approach phase that may be used in coordinated studies with remote measurements of the Jovian aurora, to compare with models that propagate solar wind conditions from Earth and to apply to Jovian bow shock or magnetopause models. While multiple bow shock crossings were predicted during Juno's approach, there was only one observed suggesting a compressed magnetosphere that was shrinking as Juno approached. However, the calculated ram pressure at the bow shock was near the median value of those 40 days, rather than being in an upper percentile.

Rotorcraft Airloads Measurements - Extraordinary Costs, Extraordinary Benefits

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

obtained in the 1980s by the PETRA collider in a high-energy physics lab near Hamburg, Germany. The project, called JADE, was an international...and R. M. Martin . 1990. Aerodynamic and Acoustic Test of a United Technologies Scale Model Rotor at DNW. Amer. Hel. Soc. 46th Annual Forum, Wash

Why Study Classical Languages?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberman, Samuel

This speech emphasizes the significance of living literatures and living cultures which owe a direct debt to the Romans and the Greeks from whom they can trace their origins. After commenting on typical rejoinders to the question "Why study classical languages?" and poking fun at those who advance jaded, esoteric responses, the author dispels the…

78 FR 78515 - Removal of JADE Act Tags

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-26

... pursuant to IEEPA: 1. GOLDEN AARON PTE. LTD. 2. MAX MYANMAR GROUP OF COMPANIES 3. DAGON INTERNATIONAL... AVENIR EXECUTIVE SERVICED APARTMENT 9. MAX (MYANMAR) CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. 10. MAX MYANMAR GEMS AND JEWELLERY CO. LTD. 11. MAX MYANMAR MANUFACTURING CO. LTD. 12. MAX MYANMAR SERVICES CO. LTD. 13. MAX MYANMAR...

Bush Blitz Teachlive 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teaching Science, 2016

2016-01-01

This article reports on an event that took place in February 2016, where five teachers (Jade Tinney, Louise Hoey, Mary-Anne Kefaloukos, Nicole Sadler, and Bruce Mills) from across Australia headed off into the chilly wilderness of South Bruny National Park, on Bruny Island, Tasmania, to participate in the "Bush Blitz TeachLive 2016"…

77 FR 16552 - Agency Information Collection Activities: JADE Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-21

... submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for... additional 30 days for public comments. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10. DATES... and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be addressed to the OMB Desk...

77 FR 1947 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Jade Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-12

... technology; and (e) the annual costs burden to respondents or record keepers from the collection of... CBP Form 7501, Entry Summary, which serves as the importer's certification. In addition, at the time... Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 20. Estimated Total Annual Responses: 443,940. Estimated Time...

Multimodal pediatric pain management (part 2).

PubMed

Friedrichsdorf, Stefan J

2017-05-01

Dr Stefan Friedrichsdorf speaks to Commissioning Editor Jade Parker: Stefan Friedrichsdorf, MD, is medical director of the Department of Pain Medicine, Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota in Minneapolis/St Paul, MN, USA, home to one of the largest and most comprehensive programs of its kind in the country. The pain and palliative care program is devoted to control acute, chronic/complex and procedural pain for inpatients and outpatients in close collaboration with all pediatric subspecialties at Children's Minnesota. The team also provides holistic, interdisciplinary care for children and teens with life limiting or terminal diseases and their families. Integrative medicine provides and teaches integrative, nonpharmacological therapies (such as massage, acupuncture/acupressure, biofeedback, aromatherapy and self-hypnosis) to provide care that promotes optimal health and supports the highest level of functioning in all individual children's activities. In this second part of the interview they discuss multimodal (opioid-sparing) analgesia for hospitalized children in pain and how analgesics and adjuvant medications, interventions, rehabilitation, psychological and integrative therapies act synergistically for more effective pediatric pain control with fewer side effects than a single analgesic or modality.

A measurement of multi-jet rates in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abt, I.; Ahmed, T.; Andreev, V.; Andrieu, B.; Appuhn, R.-D.; Arpagaus, M.; Babaev, A.; Bärwolff, H.; Bán, J.; Baranov, P.; Barrelet, E.; Bartel, W.; Bassler, U.; Beck, H. P.; Behrend, H.-J.; Belousov, A.; Berger, Ch.; Bergstein, H.; Bernardi, G.; Bernet, R.; Bertrand-Coremans, G.; Besançon, M.; Biddulph, P.; Binder, E.; Bischoff, A.; Bizot, J. C.; Blobel, V.; Borras, K.; Bosetti, P. C.; Boudry, V.; Bourdarios, C.; Brasse, F.; Braun, U.; Braunschweig, W.; Brisson, V.; Bruncko, D.; Büngener, L.; Bürger, J.; Büsser, F. W.; Buniatian, A.; Burke, S.; Buschhorn, G.; Campbell, A. J.; Carli, T.; Charles, F.; Clarke, D.; Clegg, A. B.; Colombo, M.; Coughlan, J. A.; Courau, A.; Coutures, Ch.; Cozzika, G.; Criegee, L.; Cvach, J.; Dagoret, S.; Dainton, J. B.; Danilov, M.; Dann, A. W. E.; Dau, W. D.; David, M.; Deffur, E.; Delcourt, B.; Del Buono, L.; Devel, M.; de Roeck, A.; Dingus, P.; Dollfus, C.; Dowell, J. D.; Dreis, H. B.; Drescher, A.; Duboc, J.; Düllmann, D.; Dünger, O.; Duhm, H.; Ebbinghaus, R.; Eberle, M.; Ebert, J.; Ebert, T. R.; Eckerlin, G.; Efremenko, V.; Egli, S.; Eichenberger, S.; Eichler, R.; Eisele, F.; Eisenhandler, E.; Ellis, N. N.; Ellison, R. J.; Elsen, E.; Erdmann, M.; Evrard, E.; Favart, L.; Fedotov, A.; Feeken, D.; Felst, R.; Feltesse, J.; Fensome, I. F.; Ferencei, J.; Ferrarotto, F.; Flamm, K.; Flauger, W.; Fleischer, M.; Flieser, M.; Flügge, G.; Fomenko, A.; Fominykh, B.; Forbush, M.; Formánek, J.; Foster, J. M.; Franke, G.; Fretwurst, E.; Fuhrmann, P.; Gabathuler, E.; Gamerdinger, K.; Garvey, J.; Gayler, J.; Gellrich, A.; Gennis, M.; Genzel, H.; Gerhards, R.; Godfrey, L.; Goerlach, U.; Goerlich, L.; Gogitidze, N.; Goldberg, M.; Goodall, A. M.; Gorelov, I.; Goritchev, P.; Grab, C.; Grässler, H.; Grässler, R.; Greenshaw, T.; Greif, H.; Grindhammer, G.; Gruber, C.; Haack, J.; Haidt, D.; Hajduk, L.; Hamon, O.; Handschuh, D.; Hanlon, E. M.; Hapke, M.; Harjes, J.; Haydar, R.; Haynes, W. J.; Heatherington, J.; Hedberg, V.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henderson, R. C. W.; Henschel, H.; Herma, R.; Herynek, I.; Hildesheim, W.; Hill, P.; Hilton, C. D.; Hladký, J.; Hoeger, K. C.; Huet, Ph.; Hufnagel, H.; Huot, N.; Ibbotson, M.; Itterbeck, H.; Jabiol, M.-A.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jacobsson, C.; Jaffre, M.; Jansen, T.; Jönsson, L.; Johannsen, K.; Johnson, D. P.; Johnson, L.; Jung, H.; Kalmus, P. I. P.; Kasarian, S.; Kaschowitz, R.; Kasselmann, P.; Kathage, U.; Kaufmann, H. H.; Kenyon, I. R.; Kermiche, S.; Keuker, C.; Kiesling, C.; Klein, M.; Kleinwort, C.; Knies, G.; Ko, W.; Köhler, T.; Kolanoski, H.; Kole, F.; Kolya, S. D.; Korbel, V.; Korn, M.; Kostka, P.; Kotelnikov, S. K.; Krasny, M. W.; Krehbiel, H.; Krücker, D.; Krüger, U.; Kubenka, J. P.; Küster, H.; Kuhlen, M.; Kurča, T.; Kurzhöfer, J.; Kuznik, B.; Lacour, D.; Lamarche, F.; Lander, R.; Landon, M. P. J.; Lange, W.; Langkau, R.; Lanius, P.; Laporte, J. F.; Lebedev, A.; Leuschner, A.; Leverenz, C.; Levonian, S.; Lewin, D.; Ley, Ch.; Lindner, A.; Lindström, G.; Linsel, F.; Lipinski, J.; Loch, P.; Lohmander, H.; Lopez, G. C.; Lüers, D.; Magnussen, N.; Malinovski, E.; Mani, S.; Marage, P.; Marks, J.; Marshall, R.; Martens, J.; Martin, R.; Martyn, H.-U.; Martyniak, J.; Masson, S.; Mavroidis, A.; Maxfield, S. J.; McMahon, S. J.; Mehta, A.; Meier, K.; Mercer, D.; Merz, T.; Meyer, C. A.; Meyer, H.; Meyer, J.; Mikocki, S.; Milone, V.; Monnier, E.; Moreau, F.; Moreels, J.; Morris, J. V.; Müller, K.; Murín, P.; Murray, S. A.; Nagovizin, V.; Naroska, B.; Naumann, Th.; Newman, P. R.; Newton, D.; Neyret, D.; Nguyen, H. K.; Niebergall, F.; Niebuhr, C.; Nisius, R.; Nowak, G.; Noyes, G. W.; Nyberg, M.; Oberlack, H.; Obrock, U.; Olsson, J. E.; Orenstein, S.; Ould-Saada, F.; Pascaud, C.; Patel, G. D.; Peppel, E.; Peters, S.; Phillips, H. T.; Phillips, J. P.; Pichler, Ch.; Pilgram, W.; Pitzl, D.; Prell, S.; Prosi, R.; Rädel, G.; Raupach, F.; Rauschnabel, K.; Reimer, P.; Reinshagen, S.; Ribarics, P.; Riech, V.; Riedlberger, J.; Riess, S.; Rietz, M.; Robertson, S. M.; Robmann, P.; Roosen, R.; Rostovtsev, A.; Royon, C.; Rudowicz, M.; Ruffer, M.; Rusakov, S.; Rybicki, K.; Sahlmann, N.; Sanchez, E.; Sankey, D. P. C.; Savitsky, M.; Schacht, P.; Schleper, P.; von Schlippe, W.; Schmidt, C.; Schmidt, D.; Schmitz, W.; Schöning, A.; Schröder, V.; Schulz, M.; Schwab, B.; Schwind, A.; Scobel, W.; Seehausen, U.; Sell, R.; Semenov, A.; Shekelyan, V.; Sheviakov, I.; Shooshtari, H.; Shtarkov, L. N.; Siegmon, G.; Siewert, U.; Sirois, Y.; Skillicorn, I. O.; Smirnov, P.; Smith, J. R.; Smolik, L.; Soloviev, Y.; Spitzer, H.; Staroba, P.; Steenbock, M.; Steffen, P.; Steinberg, R.; Stella, B.; Stephens, K.; Stier, J.; Stösslein, U.; Strachota, J.; Straumann, U.; Struczinski, W.; Sutton, J. P.; Taylor, R. E.; Tchernyshov, V.; Thiebaux, C.; Thompson, G.; Tichomirov, I.; Truöl, P.; Turnau, J.; Tutas, J.; Urban, L.; Usik, A.; Valkar, S.; Valkarova, A.; Vallée, C.; van Esch, P.; Vartapetian, A.; Vazdik, Y.; Vecko, M.; Verrecchia, P.; Vick, R.; Villet, G.; Vogel, E.; Wacker, K.; Walker, I. W.; Walther, A.; Weber, G.; Wegener, D.; Wegner, A.; Wellisch, H. P.; West, L. R.; Willard, S.; Winde, M.; Winter, G.-G.; Wolff, Th.; Womersley, L. A.; Wright, A. E.; Wulff, N.; Yiou, T. P.; Žáček, J.; Závada, P.; Zeitnitz, C.; Ziaeepour, H.; Zimmer, M.; Zimmermann, W.; Zomer, F.

1994-03-01

Multi-jet production is observed in deep-inelastic electron proton scattering with the H1 detector at HERA. Jet rates for momentum transfers squared up to 500 GeV2 are determined using the JADE jet clustering algorithm. They are found to be in agreement with predictions from QCD based models.

Virtual Mirrors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenslade, Thomas B., Jr.

2010-01-01

The multiple-reflection photograph in Fig. 1 was taken in an elevator on board the cruise ship Norwegian Jade in March 2008. Three of the four walls of the elevator were mirrored, allowing me to see the combination of two standard arrangements of plane mirrors: two mirrors set at 90 degrees to each other and two parallel mirrors. Optical phenomena…

De-Schooling Art and Design: Illich Redux

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Tom

2012-01-01

Using Ivan Illich's seminal works, "Deschooling Society" and "Tools for Conviviality" as touchstones, this paper returns to further pursue the thrust of my article in "iJADE" 25.3 (2006), "Domain poisoning: the redundancy of current models of assessment through art," and might be considered as a more radical addendum. The central strand of…

Litigating Grades: A Cautionary Tale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Lionel S.

2005-01-01

This account of an academic lawsuit qualifies as a horror story. A mediocre minority student abuses civil rights and ADA protections to win a massive monetary award against his school on the flimsiest of evidence. Jaded lawyers for the state university represent powerless faculty defendants in court, torpidly allowing the jury to throw 50 years of…

From big data analysis in the cloud to robotic pot drumming: tales from the Met Office Informatics Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Niall; Tomlinson, Jacob; Prudden, Rachel; Hilson, Alex; Arribas, Alberto

2017-04-01

The Met Office Informatics Lab is a small multidisciplinary team which sits between science, technology and design. Our mission is simply "to make Met Office data useful" - a deliberately broad objective. Our prototypes often trial cutting edge technologies, and so far have included projects such as virtual reality data visualisation in the web browser, bots and natural language interfaces, and artificially intelligent weather warnings. In this talk we focus on our latest project, Jade, a big data analysis platform in the cloud. It is a powerful, flexible and simple to use implementation which makes extensive use of technologies such as Jupyter, Dask, containerisation, Infrastructure as Code, and auto-scaling. Crucially, Jade is flexible enough to be used for a diverse set of applications: it can present weather forecast information to meteorologists and allow climate scientists to analyse big data sets, but it is also effective for analysing non-geospatial data. As well as making data useful, the Informatics Lab also trials new working practises. In this presentation, we will talk about our experience of making a group like the Lab successful.

[A brief textual research on circulated versions of Dan tai yu an (Jade Case Records of Red Stage].

PubMed

Xu, Gao; Zhu, Jianping

2014-03-01

Dan tai yu an (Jade Case Records of Red Stage) was compiled by a doctor of the Ming Dynasty Sun Wenyin, including 6 volumes. This book involves Chinese internal medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, external medicine, and Department of the sense organs (ENT) classified into 73 categories, each of which contains 80 kinds of disease. The total number of disease was 157. Each kind of disease is discussed under the order of etiology, syndrome, pulse condition and treatment. The range of traditional Chinese prescriptions in this book is rather extensive with its indications, administrations and modification of main prescriptions given concretely. Both internal and external treatment are included, and the individual drug and proved recipe are practical and effective, which is a significant reference to clinical practice. There are many versions of this book extant. According to our investigation and research, we replenished some information to the"General Catalogue of TCM Ancient Books", and at the same time, correct some mistakes, providing the basis for further collation and publishing.

Understanding the Origin of Jupiter's Diffuse Aurora Using Juno's First Perijove Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.; Thorne, R. M.; Ma, Q.; Zhang, X.-J.; Gladstone, G. R.; Hue, V.; Valek, P. W.; Allegrini, F.; Mauk, B. H.; Clark, G.; Kurth, W. S.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Bolton, S. J.

2017-10-01

Juno observed the low-altitude polar region during perijove 1 on 27 August 2016 for the first time. Auroral intensity and false-color maps from the Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instrument show extensive diffuse aurora observed equatorward of the main auroral oval. Juno passed over the diffuse auroral region near the System III longitude of 120°-150° (90°-120°) in the northern (southern) hemisphere. In the region where these diffuse auroral emissions were observed, the Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) and Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instruments measured nearly full loss cone distributions for the downward going electrons over energies of 0.1-700 keV but very few upward going electrons. The false-color maps from UVS indicate more energetic electron precipitation at lower latitudes than less energetic electron precipitation, consistent with observations of precipitating electrons measured by JEDI and JADE. The comparison between particle and aurora measurements provides first direct evidence that these precipitating energetic electrons are mainly responsible for the diffuse auroral emissions at Jupiter.

Altitudinal patterns of plant diversity on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, southwestern China.

PubMed

Xu, Xiang; Zhang, Huayong; Tian, Wang; Zeng, Xiaoqiang; Huang, Hai

2016-01-01

Understanding altitudinal patterns of biological diversity and their underlying mechanisms is critically important for biodiversity conservation in mountainous regions. The contribution of area to plant diversity patterns is widely acknowledged and may mask the effects of other determinant factors. In this context, it is important to examine altitudinal patterns of corrected taxon richness by eliminating the area effect. Here we adopt two methods to correct observed taxon richness: a power-law relationship between richness and area, hereafter "method 1"; and richness counted in equal-area altitudinal bands, hereafter "method 2". We compare these two methods on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is the nearest large-scale altitudinal gradient to the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere. We find that seed plant species richness, genus richness, family richness, and species richness of trees, shrubs, herbs and Groups I-III (species with elevational range size <150, between 150 and 500, and >500 m, respectively) display distinct hump-shaped patterns along the equal-elevation altitudinal gradient. The corrected taxon richness based on method 2 (TRcor2) also shows hump-shaped patterns for all plant groups, while the one based on method 1 (TRcor1) does not. As for the abiotic factors influencing the patterns, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and mid-domain effect explain a larger part of the variation in TRcor2 than in TRcor1. In conclusion, for biodiversity patterns on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, method 2 preserves the significant influences of abiotic factors to the greatest degree while eliminating the area effect. Our results thus reveal that although the classical method 1 has earned more attention and approval in previous research, method 2 can perform better under certain circumstances. We not only confirm the essential contribution of method 1 in community ecology, but also highlight the significant role of method 2 in eliminating the area effect, and call for more application of method 2 in further macroecological studies.

COX-2 regulation and TUNEL-positive cell death differ between genders in the secondary inflammatory response following experimental penetrating focal brain injury in rats.

PubMed

Günther, Mattias; Plantman, Stefan; Davidsson, Johan; Angéria, Maria; Mathiesen, Tiit; Risling, Mårten

2015-04-01

Traumatic brain injury is followed by secondary neuronal degeneration, largely dependent on an inflammatory response. This response is probably gender specific, since females are better protected than males in experimental models. The reasons are not fully known. We examined aspects of the inflammatory response following experimental TBI in male and female rats to explore possible gender differences at 24 h and 72 h after trauma, times of peak histological inflammation and neuronal degeneration. A penetrating brain injury model was used to produce penetrating focal TBI in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats, 5 males and 5 females for each time point. After 24 and 72 h the brains were removed and subjected to in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical analyses for COX-2, iNOS, osteopontin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, 3-nitrotyrosine, TUNEL and Fluoro-Jade. COX-2 mRNA and protein levels were increased in the perilesional area compared to the uninjured contralateral side and significantly higher in males at 24 h and 72 h (p < 0.05). iNOS mRNA was significantly increased in females at 24 h (p < 0.05) although protein was not. TUNEL was increased in male rats after 24 h (p < 0.05). Glial fibrillary acidic protein, osteopontin, 3-nitrotyrosine and Fluoro-Jade stained degenerating neurons were increased in the perilesional area, showing no difference between genders. COX-2 regulation differed between genders after TBI. The increased COX-2 expression in male rats correlated with increased apoptotic cell death detected by increased TUNEL staining at 24 h, but not with neuronal necrosis measured by Flouro-Jade. Astrogliosis and microgliosis did not differ, confirming a comparable level of trauma. The gender-specific trait of the secondary inflammatory response may be connected to prostaglandin regulation, which may partially explain gender variances in outcome after TBI.

Archaeological jade mystery solved using a 119-year-old rock collection specimen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, G. E.; Davies, H. L.; Summerhayes, G. R.; Matisoo-Smith, E.

2012-12-01

In a recent publication (Harlow et al. 2012), a ~3200-year old small stone artefact from an archaeological excavation on Emirau Island, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea was described and determined to be a piece of jadeite jade (jadeitite). True jadeitite from any part of New Guinea was not previously known, either in an archaeological or geological context, so this object was of considerable interest with respect to its geological source and what that would mean about trade between this source and Emirau Island. Fortuitously, the artefact, presumably a wood-carving gouge, is very unusual with respect to both pyroxene composition and minor mineral constituents. Pyroxene compositions lie essentially along the jadeite-aegirine join: Jd94Ae6 to Jd63Ae36, and without any coexisting omphacite. This contrasts with Jd-Di or Jd-Aug compositional trends commonly observed in jadeitites worldwide. Paragonite and albite occur in veins and cavities with minor titanite, epidote-allanite, and zircon, an assemblage seen in a few jadeitites. Surprisingly, some titanite contains up to 6 wt% Nb2O5 with only trace Ta and a single grain of a Y-Nb phase (interpreted as fergusonite) is present; these are unique for jadeitite. In a historical tribute to C.E.A. Wichmann, a German geologist who taught at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, a previously unpublished description of chlormelanite from the Torare River in extreme northeast Papua, Indonesia was given. The bulk composition essentially matches the pyroxene composition of the jade, so this sample was hypothesized as coming from the source. We were able to arrange a loan from the petrology collection at Utrecht University of the specimen acquired by Wichmann in 1893. In addition we borrowed stone axes from the Natural History Museum - Naturalis in Leiden obtained from natives near what is now Jayapura in eastern-most Papua. Petrography and microprobe analysis of sections of these samples clearly show that (1) Wichmann's 1893 Torare River "chloromelanite" is an extremely close match texturally and mineralogically with the jadeitite jade gouge, including Nb-rich titanite—thus a match, but that (2) the axes are omphacitites that have a geologically similar origin (high pressure/low-temperature subduction channel) but do not share the jadeite+aegerine-rich pyroxene or Nb-Y rich accessory phases. This research clearly shows that natural history collections are important archives that contain samples of potentially important value for science and cultural research. Moreover, research like this that connects geology, archaeology, history and preserved collections can yield a story that makes science and collections tangible and interesting to a popular audience. References: Harlow et al. 2012, Eur. J. Mineral. 24, 391-399.

Applications of Raman spectroscopy to gemology.

PubMed

Bersani, Danilo; Lottici, Pier Paolo

2010-08-01

Being nondestructive and requiring short measurement times, a low amount of material, and no sample preparation, Raman spectroscopy is used for routine investigation in the study of gemstone inclusions and treatments and for the characterization of mounted gems. In this work, a review of the use of laboratory Raman and micro-Raman spectrometers and of portable Raman systems in the gemology field is given, focusing on gem identification and on the evaluation of the composition, provenance, and genesis of gems. Many examples are shown of the use of Raman spectroscopy as a tool for the identification of imitations, synthetic gems, and enhancement treatments in natural gemstones. Some recent developments are described, with particular attention being given to the semiprecious stone jade and to two important organic materials used in jewelry, i.e., pearls and corals.

The Overselling of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leef, George C.

2006-01-01

There is not enough substance behind a degree to warrant the ubiquitous belief that a stint in higher education is a "sine qua non" for success in America. While college diplomas may translate into higher-paying jobs for some, high school signifies little in the way of education these days, so jaded employers' estimates of the real value of…

Insurgent Uprising: An Unconventional Warfare Wargame

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services , Directorate for Information Operations...Command (USSOCOM) trains , equips, and restructures to meet future UW requirements, a classroom-based practical exercise educational tool may prove critical...preparation of UW exercises in all training environments including the qualification courses, JADE HELM, and the Combined Training Center (CTC) rotations

Jaded Optimism and Other Critical Elements for 21st Century Educational Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theoharis, George

2010-01-01

The job of school leaders is becoming increasing complex within a context of greater pressure and demands. Thus, effective schools in a democratic society require a great deal from educational leadership. With a focus on creating and maintaining schools that foster equitable and excellent education for each and every child, The author discusses…

Protective effect of estrogen in endothelin-induced middle cerebral artery occlusion in female rats.

PubMed

Glendenning, Michele L; Lovekamp-Swan, Tara; Schreihofer, Derek A

2008-11-14

Estrogen is a powerful endogenous and exogenous neuroprotective agent in animal models of brain injury, including focal cerebral ischemia. Although this protection has been demonstrated in several different treatment and injury paradigms, it has not been demonstrated in focal cerebral ischemia induced by intraparenchymal endothelin-1 injection, a model with many advantages over other models of experimental focal ischemia. Reproductively mature female Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized and divided into placebo and estradiol-treated groups. Two weeks later, halothane-anesthetized rats underwent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion by interparenchymal stereotactic injection of the potent vasoconstrictor endothelin 1 (180pmoles/2microl) near the middle cerebral artery. Laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) revealed similar reductions in cerebral blood flow in both groups. Animals were behaviorally evaluated before, and 2 days after, stroke induction, and infarct size was evaluated. In agreement with other models, estrogen treatment significantly reduced infarct size evaluated by both TTC and Fluoro-Jade staining and behavioral deficits associated with stroke. Stroke size was significantly correlated with LDF in both groups, suggesting that cranial perfusion measures can enhance success in this model.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2006-01-01

During 2005, the estimated value of natural gemstones produced from US deposits was $13.9 million. Production included agates, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, and torquoise among others. For the year, the US gemstone trade with all countries and territories exceeded $26 billion. There are indication that there may be continued growth in the US diamond and jewelry markets in 2006.

Jade: using on-demand cloud analysis to give scientists back their flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, N.; Tomlinson, J.; Hilson, A. J.; Arribas, A.; Powell, T.

2017-12-01

The UK's Met Office generates 400 TB weather and climate data every day by running physical models on its Top 20 supercomputer. As data volumes explode, there is a danger that analysis workflows become dominated by watching progress bars, and not thinking about science. We have been researching how we can use distributed computing to allow analysts to process these large volumes of high velocity data in a way that's easy, effective and cheap.Our prototype analysis stack, Jade, tries to encapsulate this. Functionality includes: An under-the-hood Dask engine which parallelises and distributes computations, without the need to retrain analysts Hybrid compute clusters (AWS, Alibaba, and local compute) comprising many thousands of cores Clusters which autoscale up/down in response to calculation load using Kubernetes, and balances the cluster across providers based on the current price of compute Lazy data access from cloud storage via containerised OpenDAP This technology stack allows us to perform calculations many orders of magnitude faster than is possible on local workstations. It is also possible to outperform dedicated local compute clusters, as cloud compute can, in principle, scale to much larger scales. The use of ephemeral compute resources also makes this implementation cost efficient.

Media coverage and public reaction to a celebrity cancer diagnosis.

PubMed

Metcalfe, D; Price, C; Powell, J

2011-03-01

Celebrity diagnoses can have important effects on public behaviour. UK television celebrity Jade Goody died from cervical cancer in 2009. We investigated the impact of her illness on media coverage of cervical cancer prevention, health information seeking behaviour and cervical screening coverage. National UK newspaper articles containing the words 'Jade Goody' and 'cancer' were examined for public health messages. Google Insights for Search was used to quantify Internet searches as a measure of public health information seeking. Cervical screening coverage data were examined for temporal associations with this story. Of 1203 articles, 116 (9.6%) included a clear public health message. The majority highlighted screening (8.2%). Fewer articles provided advice about vaccination (3.0%), number of sexual partners (1.4%), smoking (0.6%) and condom use (0.4%). Key events were associated with increased Internet searches for 'cervical cancer' and 'smear test', although only weakly with searches for 'HPV'. Cervical screening coverage increased during this period. Increased public interest in disease prevention can follow a celebrity diagnosis. Although media coverage sometimes included public health information, articles typically focused on secondary instead of primary prevention. There is further potential to maximize the public health benefit of future celebrity diagnoses.

77 FR 67725 - Delegation by the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-13

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Delegation of Authority No. 346] Delegation by the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Authority To Waive the Visa Ban Under the JADE... Affairs, to the extent authorized by law, the authority under Section 5(a)(2) to waive the visa bans...

The targets of acetone cyanohydrin neurotoxicity in the rat are not the ones expected in an animal model of konzo.

PubMed

Soler-Martín, Carla; Riera, Judith; Seoane, Ana; Cutillas, Blanca; Ambrosio, Santiago; Boadas-Vaello, Pere; Llorens, Jordi

2010-01-01

Konzo is a neurotoxic motor disease caused by excess consumption of insufficiently processed cassava. Cassava contains the cyanogenic glucoside linamarin, but konzo does not present the known pathological effects of cyanide. We hypothesized that the aglycone of linamarin, acetone cyanohydrin, may be the cause of konzo. This nitrile rapidly decomposes into cyanide and acetone, but the particular exposure and nutrition conditions involved in the emergence of konzo may favor its stabilization and subsequent acute neurotoxicity. A number of preliminary observations were used to design an experiment to test this hypothesis. In the experiment, young female Long-Evans rats were given 10mM acetone cyanohydrin in drinking water for 2 weeks, and then 20mM for 6 weeks. Nutrition deficits associated with konzo were modeled by providing tapioca (cassava starch) as food for the last 3 of these weeks. After this period, rats were fasted for 24h in order to increase endogenous acetone synthesis, and then exposed to 0 (control group) or 50 micromol/kg-h of acetone cyanohydrin for 24h (treated group) through subcutaneous osmotic minipump infusion (n=6/group). Motor activity and gait were evaluated before exposure (pre-test), and 1 and 6 days after exposure. Brains (n=4) were stained for neuronal degeneration by fluoro-jade B. Rats exposed to 50 micromol/kg-h of acetone cyanohydrin showed acute signs of toxicity, but no persistent motor deficits. Two animals showed fluoro-jade staining in discrete thalamic nuclei, including the paraventricular and the ventral reuniens nuclei; one also exhibited labeling of the dorsal endopiriform nucleus. Similar effects were not elicited by equimolar KCN exposure. Therefore, acetone cyanohydrin may cause selective neuronal degeneration in the rat, but the affected areas are not those expected in an animal model of konzo. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determinants of hospitalization in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes receiving a peer support intervention and JADE integrated care: the PEARL randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Yeung, Roseanne O; Cai, Jing-Heng; Zhang, Yuying; Luk, Andrea O; Pan, Jun-Hao; Yin, Junmei; Ozaki, Risa; Kong, Alice P S; Ma, Ronald; So, Wing-Yee; Tsang, Chiu Chi; Lau, K P; Fisher, Edwin; Goggins, Williams; Oldenburg, Brian; Chan, Julianna

2018-01-01

In a randomized controlled trial of 628 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes receiving multidisciplinary care in the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Progam, 372 were randomized to receive additional telephone-based peer support (Peer Empowerment And Remote communication Linked by information technology, PEARL) intervention. After 12 months, all-cause hospitalization was reduced by half in the PEARL group especially in those with high Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) scores. We used stratified analyses, negative binomial regression, and structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine the inter-relationships between emotions, self-management, cardiometabolic risk factors, and hospitalization. Hospitalized patients were older, more likely to have heart or kidney disease, and negative emotions than those without hospitalization. Patients with high DASS score who did not receive peer support had the highest hospitalization rates. After adjustment for confounders, peer support reduced the frequency of hospitalizations by 48% with a relative risk of 0.52 (95% CI 0·35-0·79; p  = 0·0018). Using SEM, improvement of negative emotions reduced treatment nonadherence (Est = 0.240, p  = 0.034) and hospitalizations (Est=-0.218, p  = 0.001). The latter was also reduced by an interactive term of peer support and chronic kidney disease (Est = 0.833, p  = < 0.001) and that of peer support and heart disease (Est = 0.455, p  = 0.001). In type 2 diabetes, improvement of negative emotions and peer support reduced hospitalizations, especially in those with comorbidities, in part mediated through improving treatment nonadherence. Integrating peer support is feasible and adds value to multidisciplinary care, augmented by information technology, especially in patients with comorbidities. NCT00950716 Registered July 31, 2009.

Using Immersion to teach Global Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumners, C. T.; Handron, K.; Reiff, P. H.; Law, C. C.

2004-12-01

Students are increasingly jaded to programs that preach, and museums are increasingly finding it difficult to attract students who can retrieve information quickly from the internet or cable TV. A new medium of immersive theater can now engulf the viewer in the subject, bringing a novel view to the exciting new data sets and images now available. By telling a compelling story with characters they can identify with, global climate change can be experienced and its effects brought home in a dramatic and effective way. We have developed several shows highlighting climate change (Powers of Time, Secrets of the Dead Sea), and are developing new shows (Earth's Wild Ride, Earth in the Balance) which can be used to take the visitor into the past or into the future. Clips from the shows and evidence of their effectiveness as an educational tool for Earth science will be shown. If possible, our new portable dome system will be set up in the poster hall for longer live demos of our shows.

Benchmark Intelligent Agent Systems for Distributed Battle Tracking

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-20

services in the military and other domains, each entity in the benchmark system exposes a standard set of Web services. Jess ( Java Expert Shell...System) is a rule engine for the Java platform and is an interpreter for the Jess rule language. It is used here to implement policies that maintain...battle tracking system (DBTS), maintaining distributed situation awareness. The Java Agent DEvelopment (JADE) framework is a software framework

About the cumulants of periodic signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrau, Axel; El Badaoui, Mohammed

2018-01-01

This note studies cumulants of time series. These functions originating from the probability theory being commonly used as features of deterministic signals, their classical properties are examined in this modified framework. We show additivity of cumulants, ensured in the case of independent random variables, requires here a different hypothesis. Practical applications are proposed, in particular an analysis of the failure of the JADE algorithm to separate some specific periodic signals.

Out with the New, In with the Old | Poster

Cancer.gov

On any given day, you can find a variety of bargains on items forgotten by some but coveted by others at the Thrift Shop at Fort Detrick. For instance, near the back of the modest shop is a complete hand-painted set of bowls, plates, and mugs, along with lightly worn military and civilian clothing. Closer to the front are diverse and engaging antique books; jade, glass, and

Brain Vulnerability to Repeated Blast Overpressure and Polytrauma

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-28

devoid of any obvious cell loss or injury when assessed using either Nissl or Fluoro Jade stains , they consistently showed widespread fiber degeneration...injured brain after thionine (l) or silver (r) staining . experimental parameters (e.g. driver volume, tube position, Mylar membrane thickness, and type...5. Thionine- (top) and silver- (bottom) stained brain sections following exposure to 126 kPa airblast at the mouth of the tube. From Long et al

Performance comparison of independent component analysis algorithms for fetal cardiac signal reconstruction: a study on synthetic fMCG data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantini, D.; Hild, K. E., II; Alleva, G.; Comani, S.

2006-02-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms have been successfully used for signal extraction tasks in the field of biomedical signal processing. We studied the performances of six algorithms (FastICA, CubICA, JADE, Infomax, TDSEP and MRMI-SIG) for fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG). Synthetic datasets were used to check the quality of the separated components against the original traces. Real fMCG recordings were simulated with linear combinations of typical fMCG source signals: maternal and fetal cardiac activity, ambient noise, maternal respiration, sensor spikes and thermal noise. Clusters of different dimensions (19, 36 and 55 sensors) were prepared to represent different MCG systems. Two types of signal-to-interference ratios (SIR) were measured. The first involves averaging over all estimated components and the second is based solely on the fetal trace. The computation time to reach a minimum of 20 dB SIR was measured for all six algorithms. No significant dependency on gestational age or cluster dimension was observed. Infomax performed poorly when a sub-Gaussian source was included; TDSEP and MRMI-SIG were sensitive to additive noise, whereas FastICA, CubICA and JADE showed the best performances. Of all six methods considered, FastICA had the best overall performance in terms of both separation quality and computation times.

A Study on the Operation Mechanism of Ongnu, the Astronomical Clock in Sejong Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang Hyuk; Lee, Yong Sam; Lee, Min Soo

2011-03-01

Ongnu (Jade Clepsydra; also called Heumgyeonggaknu) is a water clock was made by Jang Yeong-sil in 1438. It is not only an automatic water clock that makes the sound at every hour on the hour by striking bell, drum and gong, but also an astronomical clock that shows the sun's movement over time. Ongnu's power mechanism used is a water-hammering method applied to automatic time-signal device. The appearance of Ongnu is modeled by Gasan (pasted-paper imitation mountain) and Binpungdo (landscape of farming work scene) is drawn at the foot of the mountain. The structure of Ongnu is divided into the top of the mountain, the foot of the mountain and the flatland. There located are sunmovement device, Ongnyeo (jade female immortal; I) and Four gods (shaped of animal-like immortals) at the top of the mountain, Sasin (jack hour) and Musa (warrior) at the foot of the mountain, and Twelve gods, Ongnyeo (II) and Gwanin on the flatland. In this study, we clearly and systematically understood the time-announcing mechanism of each puppet.Also, we showed the working mechanism of the sun-movement device. Finally, we completely established the 3D model of Ongnu based on this study.

Making death 'good': instructional tales for dying in newspaper accounts of Jade Goody's death.

PubMed

Frith, Hannah; Raisborough, Jayne; Klein, Orly

2013-03-01

Facilitating a 'good' death is a central goal for hospices and palliative care organisations. The key features of such a death include an acceptance of death, an open awareness of and communication about death, the settling of practical and interpersonal business, the reduction of suffering and pain, and the enhancement of autonomy, choice and control. Yet deaths are inherently neither good nor bad; they require cultural labour to be 'made over' as good. Drawing on media accounts of the controversial death of UK reality television star Jade Goody, and building on existing analyses of her death, we examine how cultural discourses actively work to construct deaths as good or bad and to position the dying and those witnessing their death as morally accountable. By constructing Goody as bravely breaking social taboos by openly acknowledging death, by contextualising her dying as occurring at the end of a life well lived and by emphasising biographical continuity and agency, newspaper accounts serve to position themselves as educative rather than exploitative, and readers as information-seekers rather than ghoulishly voyeuristic. We argue that popular culture offers moral instruction in dying well which resonates with the messages from palliative care. © 2012 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2012 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Neuronal Death Following Soman Intoxication: Necrosis or Apoptosis?

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-01

post-treated with atropine methyl nitrate (AMN) (2.0 mg/kg, IM). HI-6 and AMN were used to decrease the mortality of soman-exposed animals (Shih et...and lithium- pilocarpine (Voutsinos-Porche et al., 2004; Kubova et al., 2002). Our results showed a strong association between the duration of...Fluoro-Jade labelling in the rat hippocampus following pilocarpine -induced status epilepticus. Neuroscience. 97:59-68. Posmantur RM, Kampfl A, Taft WC

Gaining Control of Iraq’s Shadow Economy

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

branches of the Silk Road. For about two thousand years, silk, cotton, wool , glass, jade, lapis lazuli, metals, salt, spices, tea, herbal medicines...facilitated the process of smuggling, while the tribes provided access to their kin in Syria and Jordan. Once sanctions were in full swing, the...pipelines and water mains as well any individuals who participated in the reconstruction process .76 As 74James A Baker III and Lee H Hamilton, The Iraq

Concept and Practice of Teaching Technical University Students to Modern Technologies of 3d Data Acquisition and Processing: a Case Study of Close-Range Photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravchenko, Iulia; Luhmann, Thomas; Shults, Roman

2016-06-01

For the preparation of modern specialists in the acquisition and processing of three-dimensional data, a broad and detailed study of related modern methods and technologies is necessary. One of the most progressive and effective methods of acquisition and analyzing spatial data is terrestrial laser scanning. The study of methods and technologies for terrestrial laser scanning is of great importance not only for GIS specialists, but also for surveying engineers who make decisions in traditional engineering tasks (monitoring, executive surveys, etc.). The understanding and formation of the right approach in preparing new professionals need to develop a modern and variable educational program. This educational program must provide effective practical and laboratory work and the student's coursework. The resulting knowledge of the study should form the basis for practical or research of young engineers. In 2014, the Institute of Applied Sciences (Jade University Oldenburg, Germany) and Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (Kiev, Ukraine) had launched a joint educational project for the introduction of terrestrial laser scanning technology for collection and processing of spatial data. As a result of this project practical recommendations have been developed for the organization of educational processes in the use of terrestrial laser scanning. An advanced project-oriented educational program was developed which is presented in this paper. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the program a 3D model of the big and complex main campus of Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture has been generated.

Mineral resource of the month: gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, Donald W.

2008-01-01

Humans have been intrigued by gemstones since prehistoric times. Gemstones have been valued as treasured objects throughout history by all societies in all parts of the world. The first stones known to have been used for making jewelry include amber, amethyst, coral, diamond, emerald, garnet, jade, jasper, lapis lazuli, pearl, rock crystal, ruby, serpentine and turquoise. These stones served as status symbols for the wealthy. Today, arguably, gems are worn more for pleasure and in appreciation of their beauty than to demonstrate wealth.

Operations Praetorian, Phalanx, Fusileer, and Grenadier, Events HURON LANDING/DIAMOND ACE, MINI JADE, TOMME/MIDNIGHT ZEPHYR, MIDAS MYTH/MILAGRO and MISTY RAIN

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-01

General requirements and standards governing safety were based on the FCTC "Safety and Health Compliance Guide for Underground and Nuclear Effects Tests...Defense (DOD)-sponsored underground nuclear tests were conducted from 23 September 1982 through 6 April 1985 to study weapons effects . All six were...weapons- related or effects purposes, and 33 were safety experiments. An additional 24 nuclear experiments were conducted from December 1954 to February

Microplastic concentrations in beach sediments along the German Baltic coast.

PubMed

Stolte, Andrea; Forster, Stefan; Gerdts, Gunnar; Schubert, Hendrik

2015-10-15

The contamination with microplastic particles and fibres was evaluated on beaches along the German Baltic coast. Sediments were sampled near the Warnow and Oder/Peene estuaries, on Rügen island and along the Rostock coast to derive possible entry pathways. Seasonal variations were monitored along the Rostock coast from March to July 2014. After density separation in saline solution, floating particles were found to be dominated by sand grains. Water surface tension is shown to be sufficient to explain floatation of grains with sizes less than 1.5mm. Selecting intensely coloured particles and fibres, we find lower limits of the microplastic concentrations of 0-7 particles/kg and 2-11 fibres/kg dry sediment. The largest microplastic contaminations are measured at the Peene outlet into the Baltic Sea and in the North Sea Jade Bay. City discharges, industrial production sites, fishing activity and tourism are the most likely sources for the highest microplastic concentrations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Controller and data acquisition system for SIDECAR ASIC driven HAWAII detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramaprakash, Anamparambu; Burse, Mahesh; Chordia, Pravin; Chillal, Kalpesh; Kohok, Abhay; Mestry, Vilas; Punnadi, Sujit; Sinha, Sakya

2010-07-01

SIDECAR is an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which can be used for control and data acquisition from near-IR HAWAII detectors offered by Teledyne Imaging Sensors (TIS), USA. The standard interfaces provided by Teledyne are COM API and socket servers running under MS Windows platform. These interfaces communicate to the ASIC (and the detector) through an intermediate card called JWST ASIC Drive Electronics (JADE2). As part of an ongoing programme of several years, for developing astronomical focal plane array (CCDs, CMOS and Hybrid) controllers and data acquisition systems (CDAQs), IUCAA is currently developing the next generation controllers employing Virtex-5 family FPGA devices. We present here the capabilities which are built into these new CDAQs for handling HAWAII detectors. In our system, the computer which hosts the application programme, user interface and device drivers runs on a Linux platform. It communicates through a hot-pluggable USB interface (with an optional optical fibre extender) to the FPGA-based card which replaces the JADE2. The FPGA board in turn, controls the SIDECAR ASIC and through it a HAWAII-2RG detector, both of which are located in a cryogenic test Dewar set up which is liquid nitrogen cooled. The system can acquire data over 1, 4, or 32 readout channels, with or without binning, at different speeds, can define sub-regions for readout, offers various readout schemes like Fowler sampling, up-theramp etc. In this paper, we present the performance results obtained from a prototype system.

[Appropriate dust control measures for jade carving operations].

PubMed

Liu, Jiang; Wang, Qiushui; Liu, Guangquan

2002-12-01

To provide the appropriate dust control measures for jade carving operations. Dust concentrations in the workplace were measured according to GB/T 5748-85. Ventilation system of dust control were measured according to GB/T 16157-1996. Dust particle size distributions for different sources and particle size fraction collecting efficiencies of the dust collectors were measured with WY-1 in-stack 7 stage cascade impactors. On the basis of adopting wet process in the carving operations, local exhaust ventilation system for dust control was installed, which included: the special designed slot exhaust hoods with hood face velocity of 2.5 m/s and exhaust volume of 600 m3/h. The pipe sizes were determined according to the air volume passing through the pipe and the reasonable air velocities. Impinging scrubber or bag filter dust collector were selected to treat the dust laden air from the local exhaust ventilation system, which gave a total collecting efficiency of 97% for impinging scrubber and 98% for bag filter; The type of fan and its size were selected according to the total air volume of the ventilation system and maximum total pressure needed for the longest pipe line plus the pressure drop of the dust collector. Practical application showed that, after installation and use of the appropriate dust control measures, the dust concentrations in the workplaces could meet or nearly meet the national hygienic standard and the dust laden air at the local exhaust ventilation system could meet the national emission standard.

Further Automate Planned Cluster Maintenance to Minimize System Downtime during Maintenance Windows

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

Springmeyer, R.

This report documents the integration and testing of the automated update process of compute clusters in LC to minimize impact to user productivity. Description: A set of scripts will be written and deployed to further standardize cluster maintenance activities and minimize downtime during planned maintenance windows. Completion Criteria: When the scripts have been deployed and used during planned maintenance windows and a timing comparison is completed between the existing process and the new more automated process, this milestone is complete. This milestone was completed on Aug 23, 2016 on the new CTS1 cluster called Jade when a request to upgrademore » the version of TOSS 3 was initiated while SWL jobs and normal user jobs were running. Jobs that were running when the update to the system began continued to run to completion. New jobs on the cluster started on the new release of TOSS 3. No system administrator action was required. Current update procedures in TOSS 2 begin by killing all users jobs. Then all diskfull nodes are updated, which can take a few hours. Only after the updates are applied are all nodes are rebooted, and then finally put back into service. A system administrator is required for all steps. In terms of human time spent during a cluster OS update, the TOSS 3 automated procedure on Jade took 0 FTE hours. Doing the same update without the Toss Update Tool would have required 4 FTE hours.« less

Quercetin reverses hypobaric hypoxia-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration and improves memory function in the rat.

PubMed

Prasad, Jyotsna; Baitharu, Iswar; Sharma, Alpesh Kumar; Dutta, Ruma; Prasad, Dipti; Singh, Shashi Bala

2013-12-01

Inadequate oxygen availability at high altitude causes elevated oxidative stress, resulting in hippocampal neurodegeneration and memory impairment. Though oxidative stress is known to be a major cause of neurodegeneration in hypobaric hypoxia, neuroprotective and ameliorative potential of quercetin, a flavonoid with strong antioxidant properties in reversing hypobaric hypoxia-induced memory impairment has not been studied. Four groups of male adult Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 7 days in an animal decompression chamber at an altitude of 7600 meters. Rats were supplemented with quercetin orally by gavage during 7 days of hypoxic exposure. Spatial working memory was assessed by a Morris Water Maze before and after exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Changes in oxidative stress markers and apoptotic marker caspase 3 expression in hippocampus were assessed. Histological assessment of neurodegeneration was performed by cresyl violet and fluoro Jade B staining. Our results showed that quercetin supplementation during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia decreased reactive oxygen species levels and consequent lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus by elevating antioxidant status and free radical scavenging enzyme system. There was reduction in caspase 3 expression, and decrease in the number of pyknotic and fluoro Jade B-positive neurons in hippocampus after quercetin supplementation during hypoxic exposure. Behavioral studies showed that quercetin reversed the hypobaric hypoxia-induced memory impairment. These findings suggest that quercetin provides neuroprotection to hippocampal neurons during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia through antioxidative and anti-apoptotic mechanisms, and possesses promising therapeutic potential to ameliorate hypoxia-induced memory dysfunction.

Key and Driving Requirements for the Juno Payload of Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodge, Randy; Boyles, Mark A.; Rasbach, Chuck E.

2007-01-01

The Juno Mission was selected in the summer of 2005 via NASA's New Frontiers competitive AO process (refer to http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jun/HQ_05138_New_Frontiers_2.html). The Juno project is led by a Principle Investigator based at Southwest Research Institute [SwRI] in San Antonio, Texas, with project management based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL] in Pasadena, California, while the Spacecraft design and Flight System Integration are under contract to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company [LM-SSC] in Denver, Colorado. the payload suite consists of a large number of instruments covering a wide spectrum of experimentation. The science team includes a lead Co-investigator for each one of the following experiments: A Magnetometer experiment (consisting of both a FluxGate Magnetometer (FGM) built at Goddard Space Flight Center GSFC] and a Scalar Helium Magnetometer (SHM) built at JPL, a MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) also built at JPL, a Gravity Science experiment (GS) implemented via the telecom subsystem, two complementary particle instruments (Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment, JADE developed by SwRI and Juno Energetic-particle Detector Instrument, JEDI from the Applied Physics Lab (APL)--JEDI and JADE both measure electrons and ions), an Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) also developed at SwRI, and a radio and plasma (WAVES) experiment (from the University of Iowa). In addition, a visible camera (JunoCam) is included in the payload to facilitate education and public outreach (designed & fabricated by Malin Space Science Systems [MSSS]).

JAVA Stereo Display Toolkit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmonds, Karina

2008-01-01

This toolkit provides a common interface for displaying graphical user interface (GUI) components in stereo using either specialized stereo display hardware (e.g., liquid crystal shutter or polarized glasses) or anaglyph display (red/blue glasses) on standard workstation displays. An application using this toolkit will work without modification in either environment, allowing stereo software to reach a wider audience without sacrificing high-quality display on dedicated hardware. The toolkit is written in Java for use with the Swing GUI Toolkit and has cross-platform compatibility. It hooks into the graphics system, allowing any standard Swing component to be displayed in stereo. It uses the OpenGL graphics library to control the stereo hardware and to perform the rendering. It also supports anaglyph and special stereo hardware using the same API (application-program interface), and has the ability to simulate color stereo in anaglyph mode by combining the red band of the left image with the green/blue bands of the right image. This is a low-level toolkit that accomplishes simply the display of components (including the JadeDisplay image display component). It does not include higher-level functions such as disparity adjustment, 3D cursor, or overlays all of which can be built using this toolkit.

Dietary fish oil supplements increase tissue n-3 fatty acid composition and expression of delta-6 desaturase and elongase-2 in Jade Tiger hybrid abalone.

PubMed

Mateos, Hintsa T; Lewandowski, Paul A; Su, Xiao Q

2011-08-01

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fish oil (FO) supplements on fatty acid composition and the expression of ∆6 desaturase and elongase 2 genes in Jade Tiger abalone. Five test diets were formulated to contain 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5% of FO respectively, and the control diet was the normal commercial abalone diet with no additional FO supplement. The muscle, gonad and digestive glands (DG) of abalone fed with all of the five test diets showed significantly high levels of total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid n-3 (DPAn-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than the control group. In all three types of tissue, abalone fed diet supplemented with 1.5% FO showed the highest level of these fatty acids (P < 0.05). For DPAn-3 the higher level was also found in muscle and gonad of abalone fed diet supplemented with 2% FO (P < 0.05). Elongase 2 expression was markedly higher in the muscle of abalone fed diet supplemented with 1.5% FO (P < 0.05), followed by the diet containing 2% FO supplement. For ∆6 desaturase, significantly higher expression was observed in muscle of abalone fed with diet containing 0.5% FO supplement (P < 0.05). Supplementation with FO in the normal commercial diet can significantly improve long chain n-3 PUFA level in cultured abalone, with 1.5% being the most effective supplementation level.

The role of the neuropeptide somatostatin on methamphetamine and glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in the striatum of mice.

PubMed

Afanador, Lauriaselle; Mexhitaj, Ina; Diaz, Carolyn; Ordonez, Dalila; Baker, Lisa; Angulo, Jesus A

2013-05-13

A large body of evidence shows that methamphetamine (METH) causes sustained damage to the brain in animal models and human METH users. In chronic users there are indications of cognitive and motor deficits. Striatal neuropeptides are in a position to modulate the neurochemical effects of METH and consequently striatal neural damage. Somatostatin (SST) is an intrinsic striatal neuropeptide that has been shown to inhibit glutamate transmission; glutamate is integral to METH toxicity and contributes to nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. We hypothesize that SST will protect from METH by inhibition of NO synthesis and thus reducing oxidative stress. To this end, the SST analogue octreotide (OCT) was microinjected into the striatum prior to a systemic injection of METH (30mg/kg). We then assessed 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), an indirect index of NO production, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein levels (dopamine terminal marker) and Fluoro-Jade C positive cells (degenerating cells). The SST agonist OCT dose dependently attenuated the METH-induced accumulation of striatal 3-NT. Moreover, pretreatment with OCT effectively mitigated cell death but failed to protect dopamine terminals. Next we co-infused OCT and NMDA and measured 3-NT and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Treatment with OCT had no effect on these parameters. The data demonstrate that SST attenuates the METH-induced production of NO protecting the striatum from the METH-induced cell loss. However, SST failed to prevent the toxicity of the dopamine terminals suggesting that pre- and post-synaptic striatal damage occur via independent mechanisms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Role of the Neuropeptide Somatostatin on Methamphetamine and Glutamate-Induced Neurotoxicity in the Striatum of Mice

PubMed Central

Afanador, Lauriaselle; Mexhitaj, Ina; Diaz, Carolyn; Ordonez, Dalila; Baker, Lisa; Angulo, Jesus A.

2014-01-01

A large body of evidence shows that methamphetamine (METH) causes sustained damage to the brain in animal models and human METH users. In chronic users there are indications of cognitive and motor deficits. Striatal neuropeptides are in a position to modulate the neurochemical effects of METH and consequently striatal neural damage. Somatostatin (SST) is an intrinsic striatal neuropeptide that has been shown to inhibit glutamate transmission; glutamate is integral to METH toxicity and contributes to nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. We hypothesize that SST will protect from METH by inhibition of NO synthesis and thus reducing oxidative stress. To this end, the SST analogue octreotide (OCT) was microinjected into the striatum prior to a systemic injection of METH (30 mg/kg). We then assessed 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), an indirect index of NO production, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein levels (dopamine terminal marker) and Fluoro-Jade C positive cells (degenerating cells). The SST agonist OCT dose dependently attenuated the METH-induced accumulation of striatal 3-NT. Moreover, pretreatment with OCT effectively mitigated cell death but failed to protect dopamine terminals. Next we co-infused OCT and NMDA and measured 3-NT and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Treatment with OCT had no effect on these parameters. The data demonstrate that SST attenuates the METH-induced production of NO protecting the striatum from the METH-induced cell loss. However, SST failed to prevent the toxicity of the dopamine terminals suggesting that pre- and post-synaptic striatal damage occur via independent mechanisms. PMID:23524190

Coverage of Jade Goody's cervical cancer in UK newspapers: a missed opportunity for health promotion?

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background It has been claimed that publicity surrounding popular celebrity Jade Goody's experience of cervical cancer will raise awareness about the disease. This study examines the content of newspaper articles covering her illness to consider whether 'mobilising information' which could encourage women to adopt risk-reducing and health promoting behaviours has been included. Methods Content analysis of 15 national newspapers published between August 2008 and April 2009 Findings In the extensive coverage of Goody's illness (527 articles in the 7 months of study) few newspaper articles included information that might make women more aware of the signs and symptoms or risk factors for the disease, or discussed the role of the human papilloma virus (HPV) and the recently introduced HPV vaccination programme to reduce the future incidence of cervical cancer. For example, less than 5% of articles mentioned well-known risk-factors for cervical cancer and less than 8% gave any information about HPV. The 'human interest' aspects of Goody's illness (her treatment, the spread of her disease in later months, her wedding, and her preparations for her children's future) were more extensively covered. Conclusions Newspaper coverage of Goody's illness has tended not to include factual or educational information that could mobilise or inform women, or help them to recognise early symptoms. However, the focus on personal tragedy may encourage women to be receptive to HPV vaccination or screening if her story acts as a reminder that cervical cancer can be a devastating and fatal disease in the longer term. PMID:20576115

Brain Aging and AD-Like Pathology in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

PubMed Central

Wang, Jian-Qin; Yin, Jie; Song, Yan-Feng; Zhang, Lang; Ren, Ying-Xiang; Wang, De-Gui; Gao, Li-Ping; Jing, Yu-Hong

2014-01-01

Objective. Numerous epidemiological studies have linked diabetes mellitus (DM) with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, whether or not diabetic encephalopathy shows AD-like pathology remains unclear. Research Design and Methods. Forebrain and hippocampal volumes were measured using stereology in serial coronal sections of the brain in streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced rats. Neurodegeneration in the frontal cortex, hypothalamus, and hippocampus was evaluated using Fluoro-Jade C (FJC). Aβ aggregation in the frontal cortex and hippocampus was tested using immunohistochemistry and ELISA. Dendritic spine density in the frontal cortex and hippocampus was measured using Golgi staining, and western blot was conducted to detect the levels of synaptophysin. Cognitive ability was evaluated through the Morris water maze and inhibitory avoidant box. Results. Rats are characterized by insulin deficiency accompanied with polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, and weight loss after STZ injection. The number of FJC-positive cells significantly increased in discrete brain regions of the diabetic rats compared with the age-matched control rats. Hippocampal atrophy, Aβ aggregation, and synapse loss were observed in the diabetic rats compared with the control rats. The learning and memory of the diabetic rats decreased compared with those of the age-matched control rats. Conclusions. Our results suggested that aberrant metabolism induced brain aging as characterized by AD-like pathologies. PMID:25197672

Hybrid Modified K-Means with C4.5 for Intrusion Detection Systems in Multiagent Systems

PubMed Central

Laftah Al-Yaseen, Wathiq; Ali Othman, Zulaiha; Ahmad Nazri, Mohd Zakree

2015-01-01

Presently, the processing time and performance of intrusion detection systems are of great importance due to the increased speed of traffic data networks and a growing number of attacks on networks and computers. Several approaches have been proposed to address this issue, including hybridizing with several algorithms. However, this paper aims at proposing a hybrid of modified K-means with C4.5 intrusion detection system in a multiagent system (MAS-IDS). The MAS-IDS consists of three agents, namely, coordinator, analysis, and communication agent. The basic concept underpinning the utilized MAS is dividing the large captured network dataset into a number of subsets and distributing these to a number of agents depending on the data network size and core CPU availability. KDD Cup 1999 dataset is used for evaluation. The proposed hybrid modified K-means with C4.5 classification in MAS is developed in JADE platform. The results show that compared to the current methods, the MAS-IDS reduces the IDS processing time by up to 70%, while improving the detection accuracy. PMID:26161437

Hybrid Modified K-Means with C4.5 for Intrusion Detection Systems in Multiagent Systems.

PubMed

Laftah Al-Yaseen, Wathiq; Ali Othman, Zulaiha; Ahmad Nazri, Mohd Zakree

2015-01-01

Presently, the processing time and performance of intrusion detection systems are of great importance due to the increased speed of traffic data networks and a growing number of attacks on networks and computers. Several approaches have been proposed to address this issue, including hybridizing with several algorithms. However, this paper aims at proposing a hybrid of modified K-means with C4.5 intrusion detection system in a multiagent system (MAS-IDS). The MAS-IDS consists of three agents, namely, coordinator, analysis, and communication agent. The basic concept underpinning the utilized MAS is dividing the large captured network dataset into a number of subsets and distributing these to a number of agents depending on the data network size and core CPU availability. KDD Cup 1999 dataset is used for evaluation. The proposed hybrid modified K-means with C4.5 classification in MAS is developed in JADE platform. The results show that compared to the current methods, the MAS-IDS reduces the IDS processing time by up to 70%, while improving the detection accuracy.

Chamber and field evaluations of air pollution tolerances of urban trees

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

Karnosky, D.F.

1981-04-01

Results are presented for a study of the relative air pollution tolerances of 32 urban-tree cultivars as determined by both chamber fumigations and field exposures. Tolerances to ozone and sulfur dioxide, alone and in combination, were determined using short-term, acute doses administered while the plants were inside a plastic fumigation chamber located inside the Cary Arboretum greenhouses. In a follow-up study still underway, representatives of the same cultivars were outplanted at four locations in the greater New York City area. To date, only oxidant-type injury has been observed on trees in the field plots. Cultivars tolerant to all chamber andmore » field exposures were Acer platanoides Cleveland, Crimson King, Emerald Queen, Jade Glen, and Summershade; Acer rubrum Autumn Flame and Red Sunset; Acer saccharum Green Mountain and Temple's Upright; Fagus sylvatica Rotundifolia; Fraxinus pennsylvanica Summit; and Ginkgo biloba Fastigate and Sentry. Cultivars sensitive to ozone as determined by the chamber and field tests and that may serve as bioindicators of the presence of ozone were Gleditsia triacanthos inermis imperial and Platanus acerifolia Bloodgood.« less

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2007-01-01

Part of the 2006 industrial minerals review. During 2006, total U.S. gemstone trade with all countries and territories exceeded $28.3 billion. Estimates indicate that U.S. gemstone markets accounted for over 35 percent of world gemstone demand in 2006. Natural gemstone production from U.S. deposits during 2006 was worth an estimated $13.3 million, a slight decrease from 2005, and included agates, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise, and many other gem materials. Laboratory-created gemstone production in the U.S. was worth an estimated $47.4 million, a 7 percent drop compared to 2005 production.

Dietary flavonoid fisetin regulates aluminium chloride-induced neuronal apoptosis in cortex and hippocampus of mice brain.

PubMed

Prakash, Dharmalingam; Sudhandiran, Ganapasam

2015-12-01

Dietary flavonoids have been suggested to promote brain health by protecting brain parenchymal cells. Recently, understanding the possible mechanism underlying neuroprotective efficacy of flavonoids is of great interest. Given that fisetin exerts neuroprotection, we have examined the mechanisms underlying fisetin in regulating Aβ aggregation and neuronal apoptosis induced by aluminium chloride (AlCl3) administration in vivo. Male Swiss albino mice were induced orally with AlCl3 (200 mg/kg. b.wt./day/8 weeks). Fisetin (15 mg/Kg. b.wt. orally) was administered for 4 weeks before AlCl3-induction and administered simultaneously for 8 weeks during AlCl3-induction. We found aggregation of Amyloid beta (Aβ 40-42), elevated expressions of Apoptosis stimulating kinase (ASK-1), p-JNK (c-Jun N-terminal Kinase), p53, cytochrome c, caspases-9 and 3, with altered Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in favour of apoptosis in cortex and hippocampus of AlCl3-administered mice. Furthermore, TUNEL and fluoro-jade C staining demonstrate neurodegeneration in cortex and hippocampus. Notably, treatment with fisetin significantly (P<0.05) reduced Aβ aggregation, ASK-1, p-JNK, p53, cytochrome c, caspase-9 and 3 protein expressions and modulated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. TUNEL-positive and fluoro-jade C stained cells were also significantly reduced upon fisetin treatment. We have identified the involvement of fisetin in regulating ASK-1 and p-JNK as possible mediator of Aβ aggregation and subsequent neuronal apoptosis during AlCl3-induced neurodegeneration. These findings define the possibility that fisetin may slow or prevent neurodegneration and can be utilised as neuroprotective agent against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in biochemical processes in cerebellar granule cells of mice exposed to methylmercury.

PubMed

Bellum, Sairam; Bawa, Bhupinder; Thuett, Kerry A; Stoica, Gheorghe; Abbott, Louise C

2007-01-01

At postnatal day 34, male and female C57BL/6J mice were exposed orally once a day to a total of five doses totaling 1.0 or 5.0 mg/kg of methylmercuric chloride or sterile deionized water in moistened rodent chow. Eleven days after the last dose cerebellar granule cells were acutely isolated to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and mitochondrial membrane potential using CM-H(2)DCFDA and TMRM dyes, respectively. For visualizing intracellular calcium ion distribution using transmission electron microscopy, mice were perfused 11 days after the last dose of methylmercury (MeHg) using the oxalate-pyroantimonate method. Cytosolic and mitochondrial protein fractions from acutely isolated granule cells were analyzed for cytochrome c content using Western blot analysis. Histochemistry (Fluoro-Jade dye) and immunohistochemistry (activated caspase 3) was performed on frozen serial cerebellar sections to label granule cell death and activation of caspase 3, respectively. Granule cells isolated from MeHg-treated mice showed elevated ROS levels and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential when compared to granule cells from control mice. Electron photomicrographs of MeHg-treated granule cells showed altered intracellular calcium ion homeostasis ([Ca(2+)](i)) when compared to control granule cells. However, in spite of these subcellular changes and moderate relocalization of cytochrome c into the cytosol, the concentrations of MeHg used in this study did not produce significant neuronal cell death/apoptosis at the time point examined, as evidenced by Fluoro-Jade and activated caspase 3 immunostaining, respectively. These results demonstrate that short-term in vivo exposure to total doses of 1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg MeHg through the most common exposure route (oral) can result in significant subcellular changes that are not accompanied by overt neuronal cell death.

Celebrities and screening: a measurable impact on high-grade cervical neoplasia diagnosis from the ‘Jade Goody effect' in the UK

PubMed Central

Casey, G M; Morris, B; Burnell, M; Parberry, A; Singh, N; Rosenthal, A N

2013-01-01

Background: The celebrity Jade Goody's cervical cancer diagnosis was associated with increased UK cervical screening attendance. We wanted to establish if there was an increase in high-grade (HG) cervical neoplasia diagnoses, and if so, what the characteristics of the women with HG disease were. Methods: We analysed prospective data on 3233 consecutive colposcopy referrals in North East London, UK, from 01 April 2005 to 30 June 2010. Characteristics and outcomes of pre- and post-Goody cohorts were compared. Results: Goody's diagnosis was associated with an increased incidence of colposcopy referrals in all subsequent annual quarters (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.3–1.9, P<0.002–P<0.0005) and increased HG disease diagnoses in the fourth quarter 2008/2009 (IRR 1.3, P=0.05) and first quarter 2009/2010 (IRR 1.3, P=0.07). We observed 1.90-fold (CI: 1.06–3.39), 2.06 (CI: 1.13–3.76) and 2.13-fold (CI: 1.07–4.25) respective increases in the odds of HG disease women being screening-naive in the first and second quarter 2009/2010, and the first quarter 2010/2011 (P<0.04, P<0.02 and P<0.04, respectively). There was a 2.23-fold increase in the odds of screening-naive HG disease women being symptomatic post-Goody's diagnosis (P=0.023). The age distributions of the pre- and post-Goody cohorts did not differ in any study group. Conclusion: Continued publicity about celebrities' diagnoses might encourage screening in at-risk populations. PMID:23963142

Four steps to eliminate or reduce pain in children caused by needles (part 1).

PubMed

Friedrichsdorf, Stefan J

2017-03-01

Dr Stefan Friedrichsdorf speaks to Jade Parker, Commissioning Editor: Stefan J Friedrichsdorf, MD, is medical director of the Department of Pain Medicine, Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St Paul, MN, USA, home to one of the largest and most comprehensive programs of its kind in the country. The interdisciplinary pain team is devoted to prevent and treat acute, procedural, neuropathic, psycho-social-spiritual, visceral, and chronic/complex pain for all inpatients and outpatients in close collaboration with all pediatric subspecialties at Children's Minnesota. The palliative care team also provides holistic care for pediatric patients with life-threatening diseases and adds an extra layer of support to the care of children with serious illness and their families. Integrative medicine provides and teaches integrative ('non-pharmacological') therapies, such as massage, acupuncture/acupressure, biofeedback, aromatherapy and self-hypnosis, to provide care that promotes optimal health and supports the highest level of functioning in all individual children's activities. Children's Minnesota became the first children's hospital to system-wide implement a "Children's Comfort Promise: We promise to do everything to prevent and treat pain," resulting in decrease or elimination of needle pain caused by vaccinations, blood draws, intravenous access, and injections in more than 200,000 children annually.

Sand dollar sites orogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amos, Dee

2013-04-01

The determinology of the humble sand dollars habitat changing from inception to the drastic evolution of the zone to that of present day. Into the cauldron along the southern Californian 'ring of fire' lithosphere are evidence of geosynclinals areas, metasedimentary rock formations and hydrothermal activity. The explanation begins with 'Theia' and the Moon's formation, battles with cometary impacts, glacial ages, epochs with evolutionary bottlenecks and plate tectonics. Fully illustrated the lecture includes localised diagrams and figures with actual subject photographic examples of plutonic, granitic, jade and peridodite. Finally, the origins of the materials used in the lecture are revealed for prosecution by future students and the enjoyment of interested parties in general.

Performance and Calibration of H2RG Detectors and SIDECAR ASICs for the RATIR Camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, Ori D.; Kutyrev, Alexander S.; Rapchun, David A.; Klein, Christopher R.; Butler, Nathaniel R.; Bloom, Josh; de Diego, Jos A.; Simn Farah, Alejandro D.; Gehrels, Neil A.; Georgiev, Leonid;

Neuroprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine amide on experimental focal penetrating brain injury in rats.

PubMed

Günther, Mattias; Davidsson, Johan; Plantman, Stefan; Norgren, Svante; Mathiesen, Tiit; Risling, Mårten

2015-09-01

We examined the effects of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) in the secondary inflammatory response following a novel method of focal penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has limited but well-documented neuroprotective effects after experimental central nervous system ischemia and TBI, but its bioavailability is very low. We tested NACA, a modified form of NAC with higher membrane and blood-brain barrier permeability. Focal penetrating TBI was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly selected for NACA treatment (n=5) and no treatment (n=5). In addition, four animals were submitted to sham surgery. After 2 hours or 24 hours the brains were removed, fresh frozen, cut in 14 μm coronal sections and subjected to immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Fluoro-Jade and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analyses. All treated animals were given 300 mg/kg NACA intraperitoneally (IP) 2 minutes post trauma. The 24 hour survival group was given an additional bolus of 300 mg/kg IP after 4 hours. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration by Fluoro-Jade at 24 hours with a mean change of 35.0% (p<0.05) and decreased TUNEL staining indicative of apoptosis at 2 hours with a mean change of 38.7% (p<0.05). Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) increased in the NACA treatment group at 24 hours with a mean change of 35.9% (p<0.05). Levels of migrating macrophages and activated microglia (Ox-42/CD11b), nitric oxide-producing inflammatory enzyme iNOS, peroxynitrite marker 3-nitrotyrosine, NFκB translocated to the nuclei, cytochrome C and Bcl-2 were not affected. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration and apoptosis and increased levels of antioxidative enzyme MnSOD. The antiapoptotic effect was likely regulated by pathways other than cytochrome C. Therefore, NACA prevents brain tissue damage after focal penetrating TBI, warranting further studies towards a clinical application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[An epidemiological survey on saturnism among children due to lead pollution released from township enterprise].

PubMed

Li, Heng-xin; Song, Ya-li; Li, Hong-guang; Yuan, Yong-xin; Xu, Qing; Liu, En-xu; Li, Jin-song

2008-03-01

To understand the current situations of saturnism and blood lead levels of children resided in village and circumjacent areas, and to know its relations with sex, age and other factors on children' s health as to providing some evidences for prevention and control. An epidemiological survey was conducted for finding out the pollution sources and for a better understanding of the surrounding environment. All 221 children under 14 years old, from the lead pollution villages and surrounding establishments were enrolled, and their blood lead levels were detected by graphite atomizer absorption spectrophotometer method. Symptoms of the saturnism were investigated through a standardized questionnaire. SPSS13.0 software was administrated for data analysis. High blood lead level identification rate was 66.06% (146/221), and saturnism rate 32.13% (71/221). The children's blood lead levels among group 1, group 2, group 3 in this village and jade factory were (161.20 +/- 32.94), (176.60 +/- 43.62), (258.00 +/-106.08) and (238.01 +/- 55.20) microg/L respectively and the significant differences were observed through Kruskal-Wallis test (chi2 = 51.84, df= 3, P<0. 01). The blood lead levels of children from group 3 in this village and the jade factory were higher than those of other two groups. No correlation was found between children's age and blood lead level (r = 0.10, P = 0.13). There was a significant difference in blood lead levels between boys and girls (t' = 3.83, P<0.01). With the children's blood lead levels rising, the occurrence rate of main saturnism symptoms was significantly increased. This survey suggested that the pollution source was a coarse lead smelter. The blood lead level should ke overwhelmingly increased among children who live nearby the higher level of lead blood, that living nearby the lead smeltery,might result in stautnism and negative effect on children's healthy.

Optic tract injury after closed head traumatic brain injury in mice: A model of indirect traumatic optic neuropathy.

PubMed

Evanson, Nathan K; Guilhaume-Correa, Fernanda; Herman, James P; Goodman, Michael D

2018-01-01

Adult male C57BL/6J mice have previously been reported to have motor and memory deficits after experimental closed head traumatic brain injury (TBI), without associated gross pathologic damage or neuroimaging changes detectable by magnetic resonance imaging or diffusion tensor imaging protocols. The presence of neurologic deficits, however, suggests neural damage or dysfunction in these animals. Accordingly, we undertook a histologic analysis of mice after TBI. Gross pathology and histologic analysis using Nissl stain and NeuN immunohistochemistry demonstrated no obvious tissue damage or neuron loss. However, Luxol Fast Blue stain revealed myelin injury in the optic tract, while Fluoro Jade B and silver degeneration staining revealed evidence of axonal neurodegeneration in the optic tract as well as the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus and superior colliculus (detectable at 7 days, but not 24 hours, after injury). Fluoro Jade B staining was not detectable in other white matter tracts, brain regions or in cell somata. In addition, there was increased GFAP staining in these optic tract, lateral geniculate, and superior colliculus 7 days post-injury, and morphologic changes in optic tract microglia that were detectable 24 hours after injury but were more prominent 7 days post-injury. Interestingly, there were no findings of degeneration or gliosis in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is also heavily innervated by the optic tract. Using micro-computed tomography imaging, we also found that the optic canal appears to decrease in diameter with a dorsal-ventral load on the skull, which suggests that the optic canal may be the site of injury. These results suggest that there is axonal degeneration in the optic tract and a subset of directly innervated areas, with associated neuroinflammation and astrocytosis, which develop within 7 days of injury, and also suggest that this weight drop injury may be a model for studying indirect traumatic optic neuropathy.

Descriptive and hedonic analyses of low-Phe food formulations containing corn (Zea mays) seedling roots: toward development of a dietary supplement for individuals with phenylketonuria.

PubMed

Cliff, Margaret A; Law, Jessica R; Lücker, Joost; Scaman, Christine H; Kermode, Allison R

2016-01-15

Seedling roots of anthocyanin-rich corn (Zea mays) cultivars contain high levels of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity. The development of a natural dietary supplement containing corn roots could provide the means to improve the restrictive diet of phenylketonuria (PKU) patients by increasing their tolerance to dietary phenylalanine (Phe). Therefore this research was undertaken to explore the sensory characteristics of roots of four corn cultivars as well as to develop and evaluate food products (cereal bar, beverage, jam-like spread) to which roots had been added. Sensory profiles of corn roots were investigated using ten trained judges. Roots of Japanese Striped corn seedlings were more bitter, pungent and astringent than those of white and yellow cultivars, while roots from the Blue Jade cultivar had a more pronounced earthy/mushroom aroma. Consumer research using 24 untrained panelists provided hedonic (degree-of-liking) assessments for products with and without roots (controls). The former had lower mean scores than the controls; however, the cereal bar had scores above 5 on the nine-point scale for all hedonic assessments compared with the other treated products. By evaluating low-Phe food products containing corn roots, this research ascertained that the root-containing low-Phe cereal bar was an acceptable 'natural' dietary supplement for PKU-affected individuals. © 2015 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

OntoTrader: An Ontological Web Trading Agent Approach for Environmental Information Retrieval

PubMed Central

Iribarne, Luis; Padilla, Nicolás; Ayala, Rosa; Asensio, José A.; Criado, Javier

2014-01-01

Modern Web-based Information Systems (WIS) are becoming increasingly necessary to provide support for users who are in different places with different types of information, by facilitating their access to the information, decision making, workgroups, and so forth. Design of these systems requires the use of standardized methods and techniques that enable a common vocabulary to be defined to represent the underlying knowledge. Thus, mediation elements such as traders enrich the interoperability of web components in open distributed systems. These traders must operate with other third-party traders and/or agents in the system, which must also use a common vocabulary for communication between them. This paper presents the OntoTrader architecture, an Ontological Web Trading agent based on the OMG ODP trading standard. It also presents the ontology needed by some system agents to communicate with the trading agent and the behavioral framework for the SOLERES OntoTrader agent, an Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). This framework implements a “Query-Searching/Recovering-Response” information retrieval model using a trading service, SPARQL notation, and the JADE platform. The paper also presents reflection, delegation and, federation mediation models and describes formalization, an experimental testing environment in three scenarios, and a tool which allows our proposal to be evaluated and validated. PMID:24977211

OntoTrader: an ontological Web trading agent approach for environmental information retrieval.

PubMed

Iribarne, Luis; Padilla, Nicolás; Ayala, Rosa; Asensio, José A; Criado, Javier

2014-01-01

Modern Web-based Information Systems (WIS) are becoming increasingly necessary to provide support for users who are in different places with different types of information, by facilitating their access to the information, decision making, workgroups, and so forth. Design of these systems requires the use of standardized methods and techniques that enable a common vocabulary to be defined to represent the underlying knowledge. Thus, mediation elements such as traders enrich the interoperability of web components in open distributed systems. These traders must operate with other third-party traders and/or agents in the system, which must also use a common vocabulary for communication between them. This paper presents the OntoTrader architecture, an Ontological Web Trading agent based on the OMG ODP trading standard. It also presents the ontology needed by some system agents to communicate with the trading agent and the behavioral framework for the SOLERES OntoTrader agent, an Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). This framework implements a "Query-Searching/Recovering-Response" information retrieval model using a trading service, SPARQL notation, and the JADE platform. The paper also presents reflection, delegation and, federation mediation models and describes formalization, an experimental testing environment in three scenarios, and a tool which allows our proposal to be evaluated and validated.

Colchicine induced intraneuronal free zinc accumulation and dentate granule cell degeneration.

PubMed

Choi, Bo Young; Lee, Bo Eun; Kim, Jin Hee; Kim, Hyun Jung; Sohn, Min; Song, Hong Ki; Chung, Tae Nyoung; Suh, Sang Won

2014-08-01

Colchicine has been discovered to inhibit many inflammatory processes such as gout, familial Mediterranean fever, pericarditis and Behcet disease. Other than these beneficial anti-inflammatory effects, colchicine blocks microtubule-assisted axonal transport, which results in the selective loss of dentate granule cells of the hippocampus. The mechanism of the colchicine-induced dentate granule cell death and depletion of mossy fiber terminals still remains unclear. In the present study, we hypothesized that colchicine-induced dentate granule cell death may be caused by accumulation of labile intracellular zinc. 10 μg kg(-1) of colchicine was injected into the adult rat hippocampus and then brain sections were evaluated at 1 day or 1 week later. Neuronal cell death was evaluated by H&E staining or Fluoro-Jade B. Zinc accumulation and vesicular zinc were detected by N-(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-para-toluene sulfonamide (TSQ) staining. To test whether an extracellular zinc chelator can prevent this process, CaEDTA was injected into the hippocampus over a 5 min period with colchicine. To test whether other microtubule toxins also produce similar effects as colchicine, vincristine was injected into the hippocampus. The present study found that colchicine injection induced intracellular zinc accumulation in the dentate granule cells and depleted vesicular zinc from mossy fiber terminals. Injection of a zinc chelator, CaEDTA, did not block the zinc accumulation and neuronal death. Vincristine also produced intracellular zinc accumulation and neuronal death. These results suggest that colchicine-induced dentate granule cell death is caused by blocking axonal zinc flow and accumulation of intracellular labile zinc.

Test set up description and performances for HAWAII-2RG detector characterization at ESTEC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crouzet, P.-E.; ter Haar, J.; de Wit, F.; Beaufort, T.; Butler, B.; Smit, H.; van der Luijt, C.; Martin, D.

2012-07-01

In the frame work of the European Space Agency's Cosmic Vision program, the Euclid mission has the objective to map the geometry of the Dark Universe. Galaxies and clusters of galaxies will be observed in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths by an imaging and spectroscopic channel. For the Near Infrared Spectrometer instrument (NISP), the state-of-the-art HAWAII-2RG detectors will be used, associated with the SIDECAR ASIC readout electronic which will perform the image frame acquisitions. To characterize and validate the performance of these detectors, a test bench has been designed, tested and validated. This publication describes the pre-tests performed to build the set up dedicated to dark current measurements and tests requiring reasonably uniform light levels (such as for conversion gain measurements). Successful cryogenic and vacuum tests on commercial LEDs and photodiodes are shown. An optimized feed through in stainless steel with a V-groove to pot the flex cable connecting the SIDECAR ASIC to the room temperature board (JADE2) has been designed and tested. The test set up for quantum efficiency measurements consisting of a lamp, a monochromator, an integrating sphere and set of cold filters, and which is currently under construction will ensure a uniform illumination across the detector with variations lower than 2%. A dedicated spot projector for intra-pixel measurements has been designed and built to reach a spot diameter of 5 μm at 920nm with 2nm of bandwidth [1].

Using Wave and Energetic Particle Observation on Juno to Investigate Low Altitude Magnetospheric Process on Jupiter.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorne, R. M.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Zhang, X.

2017-12-01

The Juno spacecraft has now made several passes across the polar regions and low altitude equatorial region in the Jovian upper atmosphere. Here we report on a recent analysis of unique Landau resonant wave-particle interactions between low frequency waves and energetic particles which leads to characteristic butterfly distributions in the sub-auroral upper atmosphere of Jupiter. We also report on the characteristics of diffuse auroral precipitation observed by the JEDI and JADE energetic particle detectors equatorward of the main auroral oval, and relate this to remote sensing of the Jovian aurora by the UVS instrument on Juno. The loss cone distributions, measured by the JEDI particle detector, have also been used to investigate the spatial distribution of low altitude anomalies in the Jovian magnetic field.

A Report of Bethune-Cookman College NASA JOVE Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agba, Lawrence C.; David, Sunil K.; Rao, Narsing G.; Rahmani, Munir A.

1997-01-01

This document is the final report for the Joint Venture (JOVE) in Space Sciences, and describes the tasks, performed with the support of the contract. These tasks include work in: (1) interfacing microprocessor systems to high performance parallel interface chips, SCSI drive and memory, needed for the implementation of a Space Optical Data Recorder; (2) designing a digital interface architecture for a microprocessor controlled sensors monitoring unit for a NASA Jitter Attenuation and Dynamics Experiment (JADE) project; (3) developing an enhanced back-propagation training algorithm; (4) studying the effect of simulated spaceflight on Aortic Contractility; (5) developing a course in astronomy; and (6) improving internet access by running cables, and installing hubs in various places on the campus; and (7) researching the characteristics of Nd:YALO laser resonator.

Severe blood-brain barrier disruption and surrounding tissue injury.

PubMed

Chen, Bo; Friedman, Beth; Cheng, Qun; Tsai, Phil; Schim, Erica; Kleinfeld, David; Lyden, Patrick D

2009-12-01

Blood-brain barrier opening during ischemia follows a biphasic time course, may be partially reversible, and allows plasma constituents to enter brain and possibly damage cells. In contrast, severe vascular disruption after ischemia is unlikely to be reversible and allows even further extravasation of potentially harmful plasma constituents. We sought to use simple fluorescent tracers to allow wide-scale visualization of severely damaged vessels and determine whether such vascular disruption colocalized with regions of severe parenchymal injury. Severe vascular disruption and ischemic injury was produced in adult Sprague Dawley rats by transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 1, 2, 4, or 8 hours, followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (2 MDa) was injected intravenously before occlusion. After perfusion-fixation, brain sections were processed for ultrastructure or fluorescence imaging. We identified early evidence of tissue damage with Fluoro-Jade staining of dying cells. With increasing ischemia duration, greater quantities of high molecular weight dextran-fluorescein isothiocyanate invaded and marked ischemic regions in a characteristic pattern, appearing first in the medial striatum, spreading to the lateral striatum, and finally involving cortex; maximal injury was seen in the mid-parietal areas, consistent with the known ischemic zone in this model. The regional distribution of the severe vascular disruption correlated with the distribution of 24-hour 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride pallor (r=0.75; P<0.05) and the cell death marker Fluoro-Jade (r=0.86; P<0.05). Ultrastructural examination showed significantly increased areas of swollen astrocytic foot process and swollen mitochondria in regions of high compared to low leakage, and compared to contralateral homologous regions (ANOVA P<0.01). Dextran extravasation into the basement membrane and surrounding tissue increased significantly from 2 to 8 hours of occlusion duration (Independent samples t test, P<0.05). Severe vascular disruption, as labeled with high-molecular-weight dextran-fluorescein isothiocyanate leakage, is associated with severe tissue injury. This marker of severe vascular disruption may be useful in further studies of the pathoanatomic mechanisms of vascular disruption-mediated tissue injury.

Geochemical Evidence for Recent Hydrothermal Alteration of Marine Sediments in Mid-Okinawa Trough, Southwest Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, A.; Abe, G.; Yamaguchi, K. E.

2014-12-01

Recent studies have shown that submarine hydrothermal system supports diverse microbial life. Bio-essential metals supporting such microbial communities were released from basalts by high-temperature water-rock interaction in deeper part of the oceanic crust and carried by submarine fluid flow. Its total quantity in global hydrothermal settings has been estimated to be on the order of ~1019 g/yr, which is surprisingly on the same order of the total river flows (Urabe et al., 2011). Therefore, it is important to explore how submarine river system works, i.e., to understand mechanism and extent of elemental transport, which should lead to understanding of the roles of hydrothermal circulation in oceanic crust in controlling elemental budget in the global ocean and geochemical conditions to support deep hot biosphere. 　We performed REE analysis of marine sediments influenced by submarine hydrothermal activity in Mid-Okinawa Trough. The sediment samples used in this study are from IODP site at Iheya North region and JADE site at Izena region. The samples show alternation between volcanic and clastic sediments. Hydrothermal fluids of this area contain elevated concentrations of volatile components such as H2, CO2, CH4, NH4+, and H2S, supporting diverse chemoautotrophic microbial community (Nakagawa et al., 2005). The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of hydrothermal activity on the REE signature of the sediments. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the samples show relative enrichment of light over heavy REEs, weak positive Ce anomalies, and variable degrees of negative Eu anomalies. The REE patterns suggest the sediments source was mainly basalt, suggesting insignificant input of continental materials. Negative Eu anomalies found in the IODP site become more pronounced with increasing depth, suggesting progressive increase of hydrothermal alteration where Eu was reductively dissolved into fluids by decomposition of feldspars. Contrary, at the JADE site, magnitude of negative Eu anomalies was variable independent of the sediment depth. This suggests changes in the redox conditions, most likely due to occasional invasions of O2-bearing seawater into sediments. Different regimes of hydrothermal fluid flows govern the chemical environments of marine sediments in active hydrothermal areas.

Intranasal delivery of plasma and platelet growth factors using PRGF-Endoret system enhances neurogenesis in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Anitua, Eduardo; Pascual, Consuelo; Pérez-Gonzalez, Rocio; Antequera, Desiree; Padilla, Sabino; Orive, Gorka; Carro, Eva

2013-01-01

Neurodegeneration together with a reduction in neurogenesis are cardinal features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) induced by a combination of toxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and a loss of trophic factor support. Amelioration of these was assessed with diverse neurotrophins in experimental therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intranasal delivery of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF-Endoret), an autologous pool of morphogens and proteins, could enhance hippocampal neurogenesis and reduce neurodegeneration in an amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 (APP/PS1) mouse model. Neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions were firstly evident in primary neuronal cultures, where cell proliferation and survival were augmented by Endoret treatment. Translation of these effects in vivo was assessed in wild type and APP/PS1 mice, where neurogenesis was evaluated using 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BdrU), doublecortin (DCX), and NeuN immunostaining 5 weeks after Endoret administration. The number of BrdU, DCX, and NeuN positive cell was increased after chronic treatment. The number of degenerating neurons, detected with fluoro Jade-B staining was reduced in Endoret-treated APP/PS1 mice at 5 week after intranasal administration. In conclusion, Endoret was able to activate neuronal progenitor cells, enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis, and to reduce Aβ-induced neurodegeneration in a mouse model of AD.

Intranasal Delivery of Plasma and Platelet Growth Factors Using PRGF-Endoret System Enhances Neurogenesis in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Anitua, Eduardo; Pascual, Consuelo; Pérez-Gonzalez, Rocio; Antequera, Desiree; Padilla, Sabino; Orive, Gorka; Carro, Eva

2013-01-01

Neurodegeneration together with a reduction in neurogenesis are cardinal features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) induced by a combination of toxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and a loss of trophic factor support. Amelioration of these was assessed with diverse neurotrophins in experimental therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intranasal delivery of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF-Endoret), an autologous pool of morphogens and proteins, could enhance hippocampal neurogenesis and reduce neurodegeneration in an amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1 (APP/PS1) mouse model. Neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions were firstly evident in primary neuronal cultures, where cell proliferation and survival were augmented by Endoret treatment. Translation of these effects in vivo was assessed in wild type and APP/PS1 mice, where neurogenesis was evaluated using 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BdrU), doublecortin (DCX), and NeuN immunostaining 5 weeks after Endoret administration. The number of BrdU, DCX, and NeuN positive cell was increased after chronic treatment. The number of degenerating neurons, detected with fluoro Jade-B staining was reduced in Endoret-treated APP/PS1 mice at 5 week after intranasal administration. In conclusion, Endoret was able to activate neuronal progenitor cells, enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis, and to reduce Aβ-induced neurodegeneration in a mouse model of AD. PMID:24069173

An update on the development of IO:I: a NIR imager for the Liverpool Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnsley, R. M.; Steele, I. A.; Bates, S. D.; Mottram, C. J.

2014-07-01

IO:I is a new instrument in development for the Liverpool Telescope, extending current imaging capabilities beyond the optical and into the near infrared. Cost has been minimised by use of a previously decommissioned instrument's dewar as the base for a prototype, and retrofitting it with a 1.7μm cutoff Hawaii-2RG HgCdTe detector, SIDECAR ASIC controller and JADE2 interface card. Development of this prototype is nearing completion and will be operational mid 2014. In this paper, the mechanical, electronic and cryogenic facets of the dewar retrofitting process will be discussed together with a description of the instrument control system software/hardware setup. Finally, a brief overview of some initial testing undertaken on the engineering grade array will be given, along with future commissioning plans for the instrument.

Gender difference in the effect of progesterone on neonatal hypoxic/ischemic brain injury in mouse.

PubMed

Dong, Shuyu; Zhang, Qian; Kong, Delian; Zhou, Chao; Zhou, Jie; Han, Jingjing; Zhou, Yan; Jin, Guoliang; Hua, Xiaodong; Wang, Jun; Hua, Fang

2018-08-01

This study investigated the effects of progesterone (PROG) on neonatal hypoxic/ischemic (NHI) brain injury, the differences in effects between genders, and the underlying mechanisms. NHI brain injury was established in both male and female neonatal mice induced by occlusion of the left common carotid artery followed by hypoxia. The mice were treated with PROG or vehicle. Fluoro-Jade B staining (F-JB), long term behavior testing, and brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) were applied to evaluate neuronal death, neurological function, and brain damage. The underlying molecular mechanisms were also investigated by Western blots. The results showed that, in the male mice, administration of PROG significantly reduced neuronal death, improved the learning and memory function impaired by cerebral HI, decreased infarct size, and maintained the thickness of the cortex after cerebral HI. PROG treatment, however, did not show significant neuroprotective effects on female mice subjected to HI. In addition, the data demonstrated a gender difference in the expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6), Fas associated protein with death domain (FADD), and TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) between males and females. Our results indicated that treatment with PROG had beneficial effects on NHI injured brain in acute stage and improved the long term cognitive function impaired by cerebral HI in male mice. In addition, the activation of TNF and TRIF mediated signaling in response to cerebral HI and the treatment of PROG varied between genders, which highly suggested that gender differences should be emphasized in evaluating neonatal HI brain injury and PROG effects, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Auditory steady state responses and cochlear implants: Modeling the artifact-response mixture in the perspective of denoising

PubMed Central

Mina, Faten; Attina, Virginie; Duroc, Yvan; Veuillet, Evelyne; Truy, Eric; Thai-Van, Hung

2017-01-01

Auditory steady state responses (ASSRs) in cochlear implant (CI) patients are contaminated by the spread of a continuous CI electrical stimulation artifact. The aim of this work was to model the electrophysiological mixture of the CI artifact and the corresponding evoked potentials on scalp electrodes in order to evaluate the performance of denoising algorithms in eliminating the CI artifact in a controlled environment. The basis of the proposed computational framework is a neural mass model representing the nodes of the auditory pathways. Six main contributors to auditory evoked potentials from the cochlear level and up to the auditory cortex were taken into consideration. The simulated dynamics were then projected into a 3-layer realistic head model. 32-channel scalp recordings of the CI artifact-response were then generated by solving the electromagnetic forward problem. As an application, the framework’s simulated 32-channel datasets were used to compare the performance of 4 commonly used Independent Component Analysis (ICA) algorithms: infomax, extended infomax, jade and fastICA in eliminating the CI artifact. As expected, two major components were detectable in the simulated datasets, a low frequency component at the modulation frequency and a pulsatile high frequency component related to the stimulation frequency. The first can be attributed to the phase-locked ASSR and the second to the stimulation artifact. Among the ICA algorithms tested, simulations showed that infomax was the most efficient and reliable in denoising the CI artifact-response mixture. Denoising algorithms can induce undesirable deformation of the signal of interest in real CI patient recordings. The proposed framework is a valuable tool for evaluating these algorithms in a controllable environment ahead of experimental or clinical applications. PMID:28350887

Auditory steady state responses and cochlear implants: Modeling the artifact-response mixture in the perspective of denoising.

PubMed

Mina, Faten; Attina, Virginie; Duroc, Yvan; Veuillet, Evelyne; Truy, Eric; Thai-Van, Hung

2017-01-01

Auditory steady state responses (ASSRs) in cochlear implant (CI) patients are contaminated by the spread of a continuous CI electrical stimulation artifact. The aim of this work was to model the electrophysiological mixture of the CI artifact and the corresponding evoked potentials on scalp electrodes in order to evaluate the performance of denoising algorithms in eliminating the CI artifact in a controlled environment. The basis of the proposed computational framework is a neural mass model representing the nodes of the auditory pathways. Six main contributors to auditory evoked potentials from the cochlear level and up to the auditory cortex were taken into consideration. The simulated dynamics were then projected into a 3-layer realistic head model. 32-channel scalp recordings of the CI artifact-response were then generated by solving the electromagnetic forward problem. As an application, the framework's simulated 32-channel datasets were used to compare the performance of 4 commonly used Independent Component Analysis (ICA) algorithms: infomax, extended infomax, jade and fastICA in eliminating the CI artifact. As expected, two major components were detectable in the simulated datasets, a low frequency component at the modulation frequency and a pulsatile high frequency component related to the stimulation frequency. The first can be attributed to the phase-locked ASSR and the second to the stimulation artifact. Among the ICA algorithms tested, simulations showed that infomax was the most efficient and reliable in denoising the CI artifact-response mixture. Denoising algorithms can induce undesirable deformation of the signal of interest in real CI patient recordings. The proposed framework is a valuable tool for evaluating these algorithms in a controllable environment ahead of experimental or clinical applications.

Quality of care in patients with diabetic kidney disease in Asia: The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Registry.

PubMed

Luk, A O; Li, X; Zhang, Y; Guo, X; Jia, W; Li, W; Weng, J; Yang, W; Chan, W B; Ozaki, R; Tsang, C C; Mukhopadhyay, M; Ojha, A K; Hong, E G; Yoon, K H; Sobrepena, L; Toledo, R M; Duran, M; Sheu, W; Q Do, T; Nguyen, T K; Ma, R C; Kong, A P; Chow, C C; Tong, P C; So, W Y; Chan, J C

2016-09-01

Diabetic kidney disease independently predicts cardiovascular disease and premature death. We examined the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD, defined as an estimated GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) ) and quality of care in a cross-sectional survey of adults (age ≥ 18 years) with Type 2 diabetes across Asia. The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation programme is a disease-management programme implemented using an electronic portal that systematically captures clinical characteristics of all patients enrolled. Between July 2007 and December 2012, data on 28 110 consecutively enrolled patients (China: 3415, Hong Kong: 15 196, India: 3714, Korea: 1651, Philippines: 3364, Vietnam: 692, Taiwan: 78) were analysed. In this survey, 15.9% of patients had CKD, 25.0% had microalbuminuria and 12.5% had macroalbuminuria. Patients with CKD were less likely to achieve HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) (36.0% vs. 42.3%) and blood pressure < 130/80 mmHg (20.8% vs. 35.3%), and were more likely to have retinopathy (26.2% vs. 8.7%), sensory neuropathy (29.0% vs. 7.7%), cardiovascular disease (26.6% vs. 8.7%) and self-reported hypoglycaemia (18.9% vs. 8.2%). Despite high frequencies of albuminuria (74.8%) and dyslipidaemia (93.0%) among CKD patients, only 49.0% were using renin-angiotensin system inhibitors and 53.6% were on statins. On logistic regression, old age, male gender, tobacco use, long disease duration, high HbA1c , blood pressure and BMI, and low LDL cholesterol were independently associated with CKD (all P < 0.05). The poor control of risk factors, suboptimal use of organ-protective drugs and high frequencies of hypoglycaemia highlight major treatment gaps in patients with diabetic kidney disease in Asia. © 2015 Diabetes UK.

Seasonal water mass distribution in the Indonesian throughflow entering the Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coatanoan, C.; Metzl, N.; Fieux, M.; Coste, B.

1999-09-01

A multiparametric approach is used to analyze the seasonal properties of water masses in the eastern Indian Ocean. The data were measured during two cruises of the Java Australia Dynamic Experiment (JADE) program carried out during two opposite seasons: August 1989 (SE monsoon) and February-March 1992 (NW monsoon). These cruises took place at the end of a La Niña event and during an El Niño episode, respectively. Seven sources have been identified in the studied region for the 200-800 m layer: the Subtropical Indian Water, the Indian Central Water, the modified Antarctic Intermediate Water, the Indonesian Subsurface Water, the Indonesian Intermediate Water, the Arabian Sea-Persian Gulf Water (AS-PGW), and the Arabian Sea-Red Sea Water (AS-RSW). The selected tracers are potential temperature, salinity and oxygen with mass conservation and positive mixing coefficients as constraints. The analysis indicates the proportion of each water source along the Australia-Bali section and into the Indonesian channels. Although no large changes are observed for Indonesian waters, significant seasonal variations are found for the southern and northern Indian Ocean water. During the NW monsoon, the contribution of the AS-RSW increases at the entrance of the Indonesian archipelago whereas the contribution of the south Indian waters decreases in the northwest Australia basin. In a complementary study, nutrients are introduced into the multiparametric analysis in order to more clearly separate the signature of the north Indian waters (AS-PGW, AS-RSW) and to provide supplementary information on the biological history of the water masses, which is compared to large-scale primary production estimates.

Role of Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase Pathway in NMDA Preconditioning: Different Mechanisms for Seizures and Hippocampal Neuronal Degeneration Induced by Quinolinic Acid.

PubMed

Constantino, Leandra C; Binder, Luisa B; Vandresen-Filho, Samuel; Viola, Giordano G; Ludka, Fabiana K; Lopes, Mark W; Leal, Rodrigo B; Tasca, Carla I

2018-04-20

N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) preconditioning is evoked by the administration of a subtoxic dose of NMDA and is protective against neuronal excitotoxicity. This effect may involve a diversity of targets and cell signaling cascades associated to neuroprotection. Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38 MAPK pathways play a major role in neuroprotective mechanisms. However, their involvement in NMDA preconditioning was not yet fully investigated. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of NMDA preconditioning on PI3K/Akt, ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK pathways in the hippocampus of mice and characterize the involvement of PI3K on NMDA preconditioning-evoked prevention of seizures and hippocampal cell damage induced by quinolinic acid (QA). Thus, mice received wortmannin (a PI3K inhibitor) and 15 min later a subconvulsant dose of NMDA (preconditioning) or saline. After 24 h of this treatment, an intracerebroventricular QA infusion was administered. Phosphorylation levels and total content of Akt, glycogen synthase protein kinase-3β (GSK-3β), ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK were not altered after 24 h of NMDA preconditioning with or without wortmmanin pretreatment. Moreover, after QA administration, behavioral seizures, hippocampal neuronal degeneration, and Akt activation were evaluated. Inhibition of PI3K pathway was effective in abolishing the protective effect of NMDA preconditioning against QA-induced seizures, but did not modify neuronal protection promoted by preconditioning as evaluated by Fluoro-Jade B staining. The study confirms that PI3K participates in the mechanism of protection induced by NMDA preconditioning against QA-induced seizures. Conversely, NMDA preconditioning-evoked protection against neuronal degeneration is not altered by PI3K signaling pathway inhibition. These results point to differential mechanisms regarding protection against a behavioral and cellular manifestation of neural damage.

Neuroprotective effects of intrastriatal injection of rapamycin in a mouse model of excitotoxicity induced by quinolinic acid.

PubMed

Saliba, Soraya Wilke; Vieira, Erica Leandro Marciano; Santos, Rebeca Priscila de Melo; Candelario-Jalil, Eduardo; Fiebich, Bernd L; Vieira, Luciene Bruno; Teixeira, Antonio Lucio; de Oliveira, Antonio Carlos Pinheiro

2017-01-31

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a kinase involved in a variety of physiological and pathological functions. However, the exact role of mTOR in excitotoxicity is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of mTOR inhibition with rapamycin against neurodegeneration, and motor impairment, as well as inflammatory profile caused by an excitotoxic stimulus. A single and unilateral striatal injection of quinolinic acid (QA) was used to induce excitotoxicity in mice. Rapamycin (250 nL of 0.2, 2, or 20 μM; intrastriatal route) was administered 15 min before QA injection. Forty-eight hours after QA administration, rotarod test was performed to evaluate motor coordination and balance. Fluoro-Jade C, Iba-1, and GFAP staining were used to evaluate neuronal cell death, microglia morphology, and astrocytes density, respectively, at this time point. Levels of cytokines and neurotrophic factors were measured by ELISA and Cytometric Bead Array 8 h after QA injection. Striatal synaptosomes were used to evaluate the release of glutamate. We first demonstrated that rapamycin prevented the motor impairment induced by QA. Moreover, mTOR inhibition also reduced the neurodegeneration and the production of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α induced by excitotoxic stimulus. The lowest dose of rapamycin also increased the production of IL-10 and prevented the reduction of astrocyte density induced by QA. By using an in vitro approach, we demonstrated that rapamycin differently alters the release of glutamate from striatal synaptosomes induced by QA, reducing or enhancing the release of this neurotransmitter at low or high concentrations, respectively. Taken together, these data demonstrated a protective effect of rapamycin against an excitotoxic stimulus. Therefore, this study provides new evidence of the detrimental role of mTOR in neurodegeneration, which might represent an important target for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Forecasting SPEI and SPI Drought Indices Using the Integrated Artificial Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Maca, Petr; Pech, Pavel

2016-01-01

The presented paper compares forecast of drought indices based on two different models of artificial neural networks. The first model is based on feedforward multilayer perceptron, sANN, and the second one is the integrated neural network model, hANN. The analyzed drought indices are the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized precipitation evaporation index (SPEI) and were derived for the period of 1948–2002 on two US catchments. The meteorological and hydrological data were obtained from MOPEX experiment. The training of both neural network models was made by the adaptive version of differential evolution, JADE. The comparison of models was based on six model performance measures. The results of drought indices forecast, explained by the values of four model performance indices, show that the integrated neural network model was superior to the feedforward multilayer perceptron with one hidden layer of neurons. PMID:26880875

Smart grid as a service: a discussion on design issues.

PubMed

Chao, Hung-Lin; Tsai, Chen-Chou; Hsiung, Pao-Ann; Chou, I-Hsin

2014-01-01

Smart grid allows the integration of distributed renewable energy resources into the conventional electricity distribution power grid such that the goals of reduction in power cost and in environment pollution can be met through an intelligent and efficient matching between power generators and power loads. Currently, this rapidly developing infrastructure is not as "smart" as it should be because of the lack of a flexible, scalable, and adaptive structure. As a solution, this work proposes smart grid as a service (SGaaS), which not only allows a smart grid to be composed out of basic services, but also allows power users to choose between different services based on their own requirements. The two important issues of service-level agreements and composition of services are also addressed in this work. Finally, we give the details of how SGaaS can be implemented using a FIPA-compliant JADE multiagent system.

[Infrared spectroscopy and XRD studies of coral fossils].

PubMed

Chen, Quan-li; Zhou, Guan-min; Yin, Zuo-wei

2012-08-01

Coral fossil is an old remain of multicellular animal on the earth, and formed by various geological processes. The structural characteristics and compositions of the coral fossils with different color and radial texture on the surface were studied by infrared absorption spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction analyses. The results show that the studied coral fossils mainly are composed of SiO2, and the radial microstructure characterized by the calcareous coral cross-section is preserved. It is formed by metasomatism by SiO2. The infrared absorption spectra of the coral fossil with different color and texture are essentially the same, showing typical infrared absorption spectra of the quartz jade. XRD analysis shows that the main components of the coral fossils with different color and texture are consistent and mainly composed of SiO2 with a trace amount of other minerals and without CaCO3.

Neuroprotection of Chrysanthemum indicum Linne against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by anti-inflammatory effect in gerbils

PubMed Central

Yoo, Ki-Yeon; Kim, In Hye; Cho, Jeong-Hwi; Ahn, Ji Hyeon; Park, Joon Ha; Lee, Jae-Chul; Tae, Hyun-Jin; Kim, Dae Won; Kim, Jong-Dai; Hong, Seongkweon; Won, Moo-Ho; Kang, Il Jun

2016-01-01

In this study, we tried to verify the neuroprotective effect of Chrysanthemum indicum Linne (CIL) extract, which has been used as a botanical drug in East Asia, against ischemic damage and to explore the underlying mechanism involving the anti-inflammatory approach. A gerbil was given CIL extract for 7 consecutive days followed by bilateral carotid artery occlusion to make a cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model. Then, we found that CIL extracts protected pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region (CA1) from ischemic damage using neuronal nucleus immunohistochemistry and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence. Accordingly, interleukin-13 immunoreactivities in the CA1 pyramidal neurons of CIL-pretreated animals were maintained or increased after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. These findings indicate that the pre-treatment of CIL can attenuate neuronal damage/death in the brain after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion via an anti-inflammatory approach. PMID:27073380

Neuroprotective effects of tanshinone I from Danshen extract in a mouse model of hypoxia-ischemia

PubMed Central

Lee, Jae-Chul; Park, Joon Ha; Park, Ok Kyu; Kim, In Hye; Yan, Bing Chun; Ahn, Ji Hyeon; Kwon, Seung-Hae; Choi, Jung Hoon

2013-01-01

Hypoxia-ischemia leads to serious neuronal damage in some brain regions and is a strong risk factor for stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of tanshinone I (TsI) derived from Danshen (Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza root extract) against neuronal damage using a mouse model of cerebral hypoxia-ischemia. Brain infarction and neuronal damage were examined using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, hematoxylin and eosin histochemistry, and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence. Pre-treatment with TsI (10 mg/kg) was associated with a significant reduction in infarct volume 1 day after hypoxia-ischemia was induced. In addition, TsI protected against hypoxia-ischemia-induced neuronal death in the ipsilateral region. Our present findings suggest that TsI has strong potential for neuroprotection against hypoxic-ischemic damage. These results may be used in research into new anti-stroke medications. PMID:24179693

Measurement of αs from jet rates in deep inelastic scattering at HERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derrick, M.; Krakauer, D.; Magill, S.; Mikunas, D.; Musgrave, B.; Repond, J.; Stanek, R.; Talaga, R. L.; Zhang, H.; Ayad, R.; Bari, G.; Basile, M.; Bellagamba, L.; Boscherini, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, P.; Cara Romeo, G.; Castellini, G.; Chiarini, M.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Contin, A.; Corradi, M.; Gialas, I.; Giusti, P.; Iacobucci, G.; Laurenti, G.; Levi, G.; Margotti, A.; Massam, T.; Nania, R.; Nemoz, C.; Palmonari, F.; Polini, A.; Sartorelli, G.; Timellini, R.; Zamora Garcia, Y.; Zichichi, A.; Bargende, A.; Bornheim, A.; Crittenden, J.; Desch, K.; Diekmann, B.; Doeker, T.; Eckert, M.; Feld, L.; Frey, A.; Geerts, M.; Grothe, M.; Hartmann, H.; Heinloth, K.; Hilger, E.; Jakob, H.-P.; Katz, U. F.; Mengel, S.; Mollen, J.; Paul, E.; Pfeiffer, M.; Rembser, Ch.; Schramm, D.; Stamm, J.; Wedemeyer, R.; Campbell-Robson, S.; Cassidy, A.; Cottingham, W. N.; Dyce, N.; Foster, B.; George, S.; Hayes, M. E.; Heath, G. P.; Heath, H. F.; Morgado, C. J. S.; O'Mara, J. A.; Piccioni, D.; Roff, D. G.; Tapper, R. J.; Yoshida, R.; Rau, R. R.; Arneodo, M.; Capua, M.; Garfagnini, A.; Iannotti, L.; Schioppa, M.; Susinno, G.; Bernstein, A.; Caldwell, A.; Cartiglia, N.; Parsons, J. A.; Ritz, S.; Sciulli, F.; Straub, P. B.; Wai, L.; Yang, S.; Zhu, Q.; Borzemski, P.; Chwastowski, J.; Eskreys, A.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Zachara, M.; Zawiejski, L.; Adamczyk, L.; Bednarek, B.; Jeleń, K.; Kisielewska, D.; Kowalski, T.; Rulikowska-Zarȩbska, E.; Suszycki, L.; Zajaç, J.; Kotański, A.; Przybycień, M.; Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Behrens, U.; Beier, H.; Bienlein, J. K.; Coldewey, C.; Deppe, O.; Desler, K.; Drews, G.; Flasiński, M.; Gilkinson, D. J.; Glasman, C.; Göttlicher, P.; Große-Knetter, J.; Gutjahr, B.; Haas, T.; Hain, W.; Hasell, D.; Heßling, H.; Iga, Y.; Johnson, K. F.; Joos, P.; Kasemann, M.; Klanner, R.; Koch, W.; Köpke, L.; Kötz, U.; Kowalski, H.; Labs, J.; Ladage, A.; Löhr, B.; Löwe, M.; Lüke, D.; Mainusch, J.; Mańczak, O.; Monteiro, T.; Ng, J. S. T.; Nickel, S.; Notz, D.; Ohrenberg, K.; Roco, M.; Rohde, M.; Roldán, J.; Schneekloth, U.; Schulz, W.; Selonke, F.; Stiliaris, E.; Surrow, B.; Voß, T.; Westphal, D.; Wolf, G.; Youngman, C.; Zeuner, W.; Zhou, J. F.; Grabosch, H. J.; Kharchilava, A.; Leich, A.; Mattingly, M. C. K.; Mari, S. M.; Meyer, A.; Schlenstedt, S.; Wulff, N.; Barbagli, G.; Pelfer, P.; Anzivino, G.; Maccarrone, G.; De Pasquale, S.; Votano, L.; Bamberger, A.; Eisenhardt, S.; Freidhof, A.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Schroeder, J.; Trefzger, T.; Brook, N. H.; Bussey, P. J.; Doyle, A. T.; Saxon, D. H.; Utley, M. L.; Wilson, A. S.; Dannemann, A.; Holm, U.; Horstmann, D.; Neumann, T.; Sinkus, R.; Wick, K.; Badura, E.; Burow, B. D.; Hagge, L.; Lohrmann, E.; Milewski, J.; Nakahata, M.; Pavel, N.; Poelz, G.; Schott, W.; Zetsche, F.; Bacon, T. C.; Bruemmer, N.; Butterworth, I.; Gallo, E.; Harris, V. L.; Hung, B. Y. H.; Long, K. R.; Miller, D. B.; Morawitz, P. P. O.; Prinias, A.; Sedgbeer, J. K.; Whitfield, A. F.; Mallik, U.; McCliment, E.; Wang, M. Z.; Wang, S. M.; Wu, J. T.; Cloth, P.; Filges, D.; An, S. H.; Hong, S. M.; Nam, S. W.; Park, S. K.; Suh, M. H.; Yon, S. H.; Imlay, R.; Kartik, S.; Kim, H.-J.; McNeil, R. R.; Metcalf, W.; Nadendla, V. K.; Barreiro, F.; Cases, G.; Fernandez, J. P.; Graciani, R.; Hernández, J. M.; Hervás, L.; Labarga, L.; Martinez, M.; del Peso, J.; Puga, J.; Terron, J.; de Trocóniz, J. F.; Smith, G. R.; Corriveau, F.; Hanna, D. S.; Hartmann, J.; Hung, L. W.; Lim, J. N.; Matthews, C. G.; Patel, P. M.; Sinclair, L. E.; Stairs, D. G.; St. Laurent, M.; Ullmann, R.; Zacek, G.; Bashkirov, V.; Dolgoshein, B. A.; Stifutkin, A.; Bashindzhagyan, G. L.; Ermolov, P. F.; Gladilin, L. K.; Golubkov, Yu. A.; Kobrin, V. D.; Korzhavina, I. A.; Kuzmin, V. A.; Lukina, O. Yu.; Proskuryakov, A. S.; Savin, A. A.; Shcheglova, L. M.; Solomin, A. N.; Zotov, N. P.; Botje, M.; Chlebana, F.; Dake, A.; Engelen, J.; de Kamps, M.; Kooijman, P.; Kruse, A.; Tiecke, H.; Verkerke, W.; Vreeswijk, M.; Wiggers, L.; de Wolf, E.; van Woudenberg, R.; Acosta, D.; Bylsma, B.; Durkin, L. S.; Gilmore, J.; Honscheid, K.; Li, C.; Ling, T. Y.; McLean, K. W.; Murray, W. N.; Nylander, P.; Park, I. H.; Romanowski, T. A.; Seidlein, R.; Bailey, D. S.; Byrne, A.; Cashmore, R. J.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Devenish, R. C. E.; Harnew, N.; Lancaster, M.; Lindemann, L.; McFall, J. D.; Nath, C.; Noyes, V. A.; Quadt, A.; Tickner, J. R.; Uijterwaal, H.; Walczak, R.; Waters, D. S.; Wilson, F. F.; Yip, T.; Abbiendi, G.; Bertolin, A.; Brugnera, R.; Carlin, R.; Dal Corso, F.; De Giorgi, M.; Dosselli, U.; Limentani, S.; Morandin, M.; Posocco, M.; Stanco, L.; Stroili, R.; Voci, C.; Bulmahn, J.; Butterworth, J. M.; Feild, R. G.; Oh, B. Y.; Okrasinski, J. R.; Whitmore, J. J.; D'Agostini, G.; Marini, G.; Nigro, A.; Tassi, E.; Hart, J. C.; McCubbin, N. A.; Prytz, K.; Shah, T. P.; Short, T. L.; Barberis, E.; Dubbs, T.; Heusch, C.; Van Hook, M.; Lockman, W.; Rahn, J. T.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Seiden, A.; Williams, D. C.; Biltzinger, J.; Seifert, R. J.; Schwarzer, O.; Walenta, A. H.; Zech, G.; Abramowicz, H.; Briskin, G.; Dagan, S.; Händel-Pikielny, C.; Levy, A.; Fleck, J. I.; Hasegawa, T.; Hazumi, M.; Ishii, T.; Kuze, M.; Mine, S.; Nagasawa, Y.; Nakao, M.; Suzuki, I.; Tokushuku, K.; Yamada, S.; Yamazaki, Y.; Chiba, M.; Hamatsu, R.; Hirose, T.; Homma, K.; Kitamura, S.; Nakamitsu, Y.; Yamauchi, K.; Cirio, R.; Costa, M.; Ferrero, M. I.; Lamberti, L.; Maselli, S.; Peroni, C.; Sacchi, R.; Solano, A.; Staiano, A.; Dardo, M.; Bailey, D. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Benard, F.; Brkic, M.; Gingrich, D. M.; Hartner, G. F.; Joo, K. K.; Levman, G. M.; Martin, J. F.; Orr, R. S.; Polenz, S.; Sampson, C. R.; Teuscher, R. J.; Catterall, C. D.; Jones, T. W.; Kaziewicz, P. B.; Lane, J. B.; Saunders, R. L.; Shulman, J.; Blankenship, K.; Lu, B.; Mo, L. W.; Bogusz, W.; Charchuła, K.; Ciborowski, J.; Gajewski, J.; Grzelak, G.; Kasprzak, M.; Krzyżanowski, M.; Muchorowski, K.; Nowak, R. J.; Pawlak, J. M.; Tymieniecka, T.; Wróblewski, A. K.; Zakrzewski, J. A.; Żarnecki, A. F.; Adamus, M.; Eisenberg, Y.; Karshon, U.; Revel, D.; Zer-Zion, D.; Ali, I.; Badgett, W. F.; Behrens, B.; Dasu, S.; Fordham, C.; Foudas, C.; Goussiou, A.; Loveless, R. J.; Reeder, D. D.; Silverstein, S.; Smith, W. H.; Vaiciulis, A.; Wodarczyk, M.; Tsurugai, T.; Bhadra, S.; Cardy, M. L.; Fagerstroem, C.-P.; Frisken, W. R.; Furutani, K. M.; Khakzad, M.; Schmidke, W. B.; ZEUS Collaboration

1995-02-01

Jet production in deep inelastic scattering for 120 < Q2 < 3600 GeV 2 has been studied using data from an integrated luminosity of 3.2 pb -1 collected with the ZEUS detector at HERA. Jets are identified with the JADE algorithm. A cut on the angular distribution of parton emission in the γ ∗- parton centre-of-mass system minimises the experimental and theoretical uncertainties in the determination of the jet rates. The jet rates, when compared to O( αs2) perturbative QCD calculations, allow a precise determination of αs( Q) in three Q2-intervals. The values are consistent with a running of ifαs( Q), as expected from QCD. Extrapolating to Q = M Z 0αs( MZ0) = 0.117 ± 0.005 (stat) -0.005+0.004 (syst exp) ± 0.007 (syst theory).

IO:I, a near-infrared camera for the Liverpool Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnsley, Robert M.; Jermak, Helen E.; Steele, Iain A.; Smith, Robert J.; Bates, Stuart D.; Mottram, Chris J.

2016-01-01

IO:I is a new instrument that has recently been commissioned for the Liverpool Telescope, extending current imaging capabilities beyond the optical and into the near-infrared. Cost has been minimized by the use of a previously decommissioned instrument's cryostat as the base for a prototype and retrofitting it with Teledyne's 1.7-μm cutoff Hawaii-2RG HgCdTe detector, SIDECAR ASIC controller, and JADE2 interface card. The mechanical, electronic, and cryogenic aspects of the cryostat retrofitting process will be reviewed together with a description of the software/hardware setup. This is followed by a discussion of the results derived from characterization tests, including measurements of read noise, conversion gain, full well depth, and linearity. The paper closes with a brief overview of the autonomous data reduction process and the presentation of results from photometric testing conducted on on-sky, pipeline processed data.

Characterization and optimization for detector systems of IGRINS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Ueejeong; Chun, Moo-Young; Oh, Jae Sok; Park, Chan; Yuk, In-Soo; Oh, Heeyoung; Kim, Kang-Min; Ko, Kyeong Yeon; Pavel, Michael D.; Yu, Young Sam; Jaffe, Daniel T.

2014-07-01

IGRINS (Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer) is a high resolution wide-band infrared spectrograph developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and the University of Texas at Austin (UT). This spectrograph has H-band and K-band science cameras and a slit viewing camera, all three of which use Teledyne's λc~2.5μm 2k×2k HgCdTe HAWAII-2RG CMOS detectors. The two spectrograph cameras employ science grade detectors, while the slit viewing camera includes an engineering grade detector. Teledyne's cryogenic SIDECAR ASIC boards and JADE2 USB interface cards were installed to control those detectors. We performed experiments to characterize and optimize the detector systems in the IGRINS cryostat. We present measurements and optimization of noise, dark current, and referencelevel stability obtained under dark conditions. We also discuss well depth, linearity and conversion gain measurements obtained using an external light source.

Restoration Model Research of Heumgyeonggaknu in Sejong Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyuk, Kim Sang; Sam, Lee Yong; Soo, Lee Min

2012-09-01

Heumgyeonggaknu (an alternative, namely Ongnuî) is an astronomical clock was made by Jang Yeong-sil in 1438 and it was designed to run on water-hammering method. The structure of Heumgyeonggaknu is divided into three parts, mountain, flatland and support. The appearance of Heumgyeonggaknu is the figuration of Gasan (pasted-paper imitation mountain) and the Binpungdo (landscape of hard farming work scene) is painted on flatland which is located on the fringe of the Gasan. The sun-movement device, Ongnyeos (jade female immortals; I) and Four Gods (shaped of animal-like immortals) are equipped on near the top of the mountain and Musas (warriors) and Sasin (time manager) are equipped on the foot of the mountain. Twelve Gods (Ongnyeos) and Gwanin are equipped on flatland. We did an analysis of the Heumgyeonggaknu's appearance in advance and in this study, inner structure based on working mechanism, shape of connector and control device of water wheel.

Forecasting SPEI and SPI Drought Indices Using the Integrated Artificial Neural Networks.

PubMed

Maca, Petr; Pech, Pavel

2016-01-01

The presented paper compares forecast of drought indices based on two different models of artificial neural networks. The first model is based on feedforward multilayer perceptron, sANN, and the second one is the integrated neural network model, hANN. The analyzed drought indices are the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized precipitation evaporation index (SPEI) and were derived for the period of 1948-2002 on two US catchments. The meteorological and hydrological data were obtained from MOPEX experiment. The training of both neural network models was made by the adaptive version of differential evolution, JADE. The comparison of models was based on six model performance measures. The results of drought indices forecast, explained by the values of four model performance indices, show that the integrated neural network model was superior to the feedforward multilayer perceptron with one hidden layer of neurons.

Smart Grid as a Service: A Discussion on Design Issues

PubMed Central

Tsai, Chen-Chou; Chou, I-Hsin

2014-01-01

Smart grid allows the integration of distributed renewable energy resources into the conventional electricity distribution power grid such that the goals of reduction in power cost and in environment pollution can be met through an intelligent and efficient matching between power generators and power loads. Currently, this rapidly developing infrastructure is not as “smart” as it should be because of the lack of a flexible, scalable, and adaptive structure. As a solution, this work proposes smart grid as a service (SGaaS), which not only allows a smart grid to be composed out of basic services, but also allows power users to choose between different services based on their own requirements. The two important issues of service-level agreements and composition of services are also addressed in this work. Finally, we give the details of how SGaaS can be implemented using a FIPA-compliant JADE multiagent system. PMID:25243214

Dynamics and Chemistry of Planet Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G. J.

2010-03-01

Sophisticated calculations of how planetesimals assembled into the terrestrial planets can be tested by using models of the chemistry of the solar nebula. Jade Bond (previously at University of Arizona and now at the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ), Dante Lauretta (University of Arizona) and Dave O'Brien (Planetary Sciences Institute) combined planetary accretion simulations done by O'Brien, Alessandro Morbidelli (Observatoire de Nice, France), and Hal Levison (Southwest Research Institute, Boulder) with calculations of the solar nebula chemistry as a function of time and distance from the Sun to determine the overall chemical composition of the planets formed in the simulations. They then compared the simulated planets with the compositions of Earth and Mars. The simulated planets have chemical compositions similar to real planets, indicating that the accretion calculations are reasonable. Questions remain about the accretion of water and other highly volatile compounds, including C and N, which are essential for life.

Efficacy and Safety of Roflumilast in Korean Patients with COPD

PubMed Central

Lee, Jae Seung; Hong, Yoon Ki; Park, Tae Sun; Lee, Sei Won; Oh, Yeon-Mok

2016-01-01

Purpose Roflumilast is the only oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor approved to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients [post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) <50% predicted] with chronic bronchitis and a history of frequent exacerbations. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of roflumilast in Korean patients with COPD and compared the efficacy based on the severity of airflow limitation. Materials and Methods A post-hoc subgroup analysis was performed in Korean COPD patients participating in JADE, a 12-week, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase III trial in Asia. The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean [least-squares mean adjusted for covariates (LSMean)] change in post-bronchodilator FEV1 from baseline to each post-randomization visit. Safety endpoints included adverse events (AEs) and changes in laboratory values, vital signs, and electrocardiograms. Results A total of 260 Korean COPD patients were recruited, of which 207 were randomized to roflumilast (n=102) or placebo (n=105) treatment. After 12 weeks, LSMean post-bronchodilator FEV1 increased by 43 mL for patients receiving roflumilast and decreased by 60 mL for those taking placebo. Adverse events were more common in the roflumilast group than in the placebo group; however, the types and frequency of AEs were comparable to those reported in previous studies. Conclusion Roflumilast significantly improved lung function with a tolerable safety profile in Korean COPD patients irrespective of the severity of airflow limitation. PMID:27189287

Klotho upregulation contributes to the neuroprotection of ligustilide against cerebral ischemic injury in mice.

PubMed

Long, Fang-Yi; Shi, Meng-Qi; Zhou, Hong-Jing; Liu, Dong-Ling; Sang, Na; Du, Jun-Rong

2018-02-05

Klotho, an aging-suppressor gene, encodes a protein that potentially acts as a neuroprotective factor. Our previous studies showed that ligustilide minimizes the cognitive dysfunction and brain damage induced by cerebral ischemia; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate whether klotho is involved in the protective effects of ligustilide against cerebral ischemic injury in mice. Cerebral ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid arterial occlusion. Neurobehavioral tests as well as Nissl and Fluoro-Jade B staining were used to evaluate the protective effects of ligustilide in cerebral ischemia, and Western blotting and ELISA approaches were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Administration of ligustilide prevented the development of neurological deficits and reduced neuronal loss in the hippocampal CA1 region and the caudate putamen after cerebral ischemia. The protective effects were associated with inhibition of the RIG-I/NF-κB p65 and Akt/FoxO1 pathways and with prevention of inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. Further, downregulation of klotho could attenuate the neuroprotection of ligustilide against cerebral ischemic injury. Ligustilide exerted neuroprotective effects in mice after cerebral ischemia by regulating anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant signaling pathways. Furthermore, klotho upregulation contributes to the neuroprotection of LIG against cerebral ischemic injury. These results indicated that ligustilide may be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introductory Overview of Stone Heritages in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Hirokazu; Oikawa, Teruki; Fujita, Masayo; Yokoyama, Shunji

2013-04-01

As one contribution to 'Global Heritage Stone Resources' (GHSR), some stone heritages in Japan, which are nominated in the interim list, are briefly introduced. The geology of Japanese Islands where are the one of the most active areas in the history of the Earth, is very complicated. Therefore Japanese Islands consist of various kinds of minerals and rocks. Some of them were used to make stone implements and accessories. Japanese people also used to the best possible advantage to built tombstone, gate, pavement ,and the basement and wall of the large building such as temples, shrines, castles and modern buildings. 1. Stone Heritages of Pre-historical age: In the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, ancient Japanese used obsidian cooled rapidly from rhyolitic magma.to make small implements and accessories. For example, Shirataki, Hokkaido (north island) is the largest place producing obsidian in Japan where Paleolithic people made arrowhead, knives and so on. Another example, Jade yielded in Itoigawa City, Japan Sea coast of central Japan, was made in the metamorphic rock about five hundred million years ago. Itoigawa area is only one place where jade is abundantly produced in Japan. Ancient people had been already collected and processed to ornaments although it is very hard and traded in wide area more than several thousand years ago. 2. Stone Heritages of Historical age: 2.1 Archaeological remains: In the Kofun (old mound) period (250 to 538 AD), stone burial chambers were used for old mounds to preserve against the putrefaction and to protect from the theft. For example, Ishibutai Kofun ("ishi" means "stone" and "butai" means "stage") in Nara old capital city, southwest Japan, is the largest known megalithic structure made of granite in Japan. 2.2 Stone walls of some typical castles Stones used is because of not only the rich reserves of rocks but also restriction of transportation. Osaka (second biggest city) castle, are composed of Cretaceous granite exceeding over 500,000 in number and the largest block is 108 ton in weight. Stoens of Hikone Castle came from Paleogene Koto Rhyolite. Edo (old Tokyo, biggest city, central Japan) castle ,Imperial Palace at present, Stones are late Quaternary andesite of Hakone Volcanic Products whose quarrying places are more than 100km far from Edo.They were transported by ships and manpower on land .

Digital reconstruction on geographical environment of Neolithic human activities in the Lingjiatan site of Chaohu City, East China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xinyuan; Zhang, Jie; Wu, Li; Zhou, Kunshu; Mo, Duowen

2010-11-01

The Chaohu Lake Basin is an important area for ancient human activities in East China. The Lingjiatan site, which is located at the southeast of Chaohu City, Anhui Province, and 35 km north to the Yangtze River and 5 km south to the Taihu Mountain, is the most representative Neolithic Age site with advanced jade-carving techniques in this area. The 14C date of Lingjiatan Site is about 5600~5300aBP, the same time as the Hongshan culture and earlier than the Liangzhu culture, which falls into the Mid-Holocene epoch. Based on mid-high resolution remote sensing images and former archaeological materials, combined with field investigations and sampling analysis of the archaeological site profile of Lingjiatan Site as well as core drillings in the Chaohu Lake, the paper reconstructs the climate environment of the Lingjiatan site and the environmental background of ancient human activities during Mid-Holocene. The research results show that: (1) The ancients in Lingjiatan lived in the Holocene Optimum, its culture development was during the interim phase when the climate transformed from warm and wet to cool and dry. (2) The ground surface deposited in the last phase of late Pleistocene epoch (OSL dating is 11.6 +/-1.0 ka BP) was the living ground for Lingjiatan ancient humans. The sedimentary discontinuous surface may be caused by strong fluvial erosion under the warm and humid climatic conditions of the Mid-Holocene. (3) Originally, paleo-geomorphic surface was a level shallow mesa foreside southern part of Taihu Mountain, but was cut by fluvial waters and the geomorphologic configuration formed "finger-like" features alternately with strip hillocks and rivers. These features can be seen on the Landsat ETM+ remote sensing image, especially the depression area. This depression is now cropland, and was interpreted as the palaeochannels. (4) Based on the remote sensing image interpretation, the site was in a "peninsula shape" environment which had rivers flowing around the east, west and south sides of the Changgang terrain and that was good for rice planting, hunting, fishing and water transportation. (5) The most particular characteristic of the Lingjiatan site is the advanced jade production, those maybe have some relationship with the convenient shipping, trade exchanges and optimal environmental conditions, which was also conducive to rice cultivation.

The JUMP student project: two weeks of space simulation in a Mars-like environment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Crombrugghe, Guerric; de Lobkowicz, Ysaline; van Vynckt, Delphine; Reydams, Marc; Denies, Jonathan; Jago, Alban; Le Maire, Victor

JUMP is a student initiative which aim is to simulate during two weeks the life of astronauts in a Mars-like environment. The simulation will be held in the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) a habitat installed by the Mars Society (MS) in the Utah desert. The crew is composed of six students, helped by a remote support of four students, all from different background (engineering, physics, mathematics, biology, and architecture) and degree (bachelor, master, PhD), under the supervision of researchers from several institutes. Several researches will be conducted during the simulation. We shall report on the science and technical results, and implications for Earth-Mars comparative studies. JASE: The Jump Astronaut Safety Experiment (JASE) consists in a deployable Yagi antenna with basic elec-tronics, providing an extremely light and simple way to prevent the solar flares and observe Jupiter bursts. JADE: The Jump Angular Detection Experiment (JADE) is an innovative an-gular particle detector used to determine the irradiation of the surface and monitor the charged particle distribution in Mars' atmosphere. Even if its resolution is low, it is a very light solution compared to pixel detectors. JAPE: The Jump Astronaut Potatoes Experiment (JAPE) will try to grow and eat in a space-like environment high-performance potatoes developed by the Groupe de Recherche en Physiologie Végétale (GRPV) of the UCL in the frame of the Micro-e Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) project of the ESA. JABE: The Jump soil Analysis with a Backpack drill Experiment (JABE) aim to validate a sample procedure, generate vertical profiles of the humidity with a MEMS sensor, and analyze soil samples with a spectrometer. The crew will therefore use a backpack drill, which is portable, fast and easy to use. JARE: The goal of the Jump Astronaut-Rover interaction Experiment (JARE) is to determine how a rover can help an astronaut in his task, and how it is possible to improve this interaction. Remote studies: In addition to those researches, the crew will cooperate on several remote studies: the habitat seen by an architect; the reaction due to sensorial changes in the habitat; the sharing of emotion in a closed environment; a general food study.

Pd nanoparticles encapsulated in magnetic carbon nanocages: an efficient nanoenzyme for the selective detection and multicolor imaging of cancer cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Gaosong; Song, Jingjing; Zhang, Haoli; Jiang, Yuntian; Liu, Weisheng; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Baodui

2015-08-01

Rapid and simple molecular recognition based techniques for the identification of the subtypes of cancer cells are essential in molecular medicine. However, improving the sensitivity and accuracy of the early diagnosis of this disease remains a major challenge. Herein, we develop a novel approach for the in situ growth of palladium nanoparticles in magnetic carbon nanocages (PdNPs/MCNCs). The confined Pd NPs, which have excellent dispersion in magnetic carbon nanocages, show superior catalytic performance for the cleavage reaction of N-butyl-4-NHAlloc-1,8-naphthalimide (NNPH), thereby producing significant changes in both color (from colorless to jade-green) and fluorescence (from blue to green) through the ICT process. Based on the abovementioned results, a novel sensing platform utilizing the PdNPs/MCNC nanocatalyst as an artificial enzyme and NNPH as a fluorescent and color change reporter molecule for the multicolor imaging and colorimetric detection of cancer cells was developed. We envision that this nanomaterial can be used as a power tool for a wide range of potential applications in biotechnology and medicine.Rapid and simple molecular recognition based techniques for the identification of the subtypes of cancer cells are essential in molecular medicine. However, improving the sensitivity and accuracy of the early diagnosis of this disease remains a major challenge. Herein, we develop a novel approach for the in situ growth of palladium nanoparticles in magnetic carbon nanocages (PdNPs/MCNCs). The confined Pd NPs, which have excellent dispersion in magnetic carbon nanocages, show superior catalytic performance for the cleavage reaction of N-butyl-4-NHAlloc-1,8-naphthalimide (NNPH), thereby producing significant changes in both color (from colorless to jade-green) and fluorescence (from blue to green) through the ICT process. Based on the abovementioned results, a novel sensing platform utilizing the PdNPs/MCNC nanocatalyst as an artificial enzyme and NNPH as a fluorescent and color change reporter molecule for the multicolor imaging and colorimetric detection of cancer cells was developed. We envision that this nanomaterial can be used as a power tool for a wide range of potential applications in biotechnology and medicine. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: VSM, XRD, EDX, ESI-MS spectra, UV-vis and FT-IR spectra, 1H NMR spctra. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03421c

Estradiol prevents olfactory dysfunction induced by A-β 25–35 injection in hippocampus

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson, present an olfactory impairment in early stages, and sometimes even before the clinical symptoms begin. In this study, we assess the role of CA1 hippocampus (structure highly affected in Alzheimer disease) subfield in the rats’ olfactory behavior, and the neuroprotective effect of 17 beta estradiol (E2) against the oxidative stress produced by the injection of amyloid beta 25–35. Results 162 Wistar rats were ovariectomized and two weeks after injected with 2 μl of amyloid beta 25–35 (A-β25–35) in CA1 subfield. Olfactory behavior was evaluated with a social recognition test, odor discrimination, and search tests. Oxidative stress was evaluated with FOX assay and Western Blot against 4-HNE, Fluoro Jade staining was made to quantify degenerated neurons; all these evaluations were performed 24 h, 8 or 15 days after A-β25–35 injection. Three additional groups treated with 17 beta estradiol (E2) were also evaluated. The injection of A-β25–35 produced an olfactory impairment 24 h and 8 days after, whereas a partial recovery of the olfactory behavior was observed at 15 days. A complete prevention of the olfactory impairment was observed with the administration of E2 two weeks before the amyloid injection (A-β25–35 24 h + E2) and one or two weeks after (groups 8 A-β +E2 and 15 A-β +E2 days, respectively); a decrease of the oxidative stress and neurodegeneration were also observed. Conclusions Our finding shows that CA1 hippocampus subfield plays an important role in the olfactory behavior of the rat. The oxidative stress generated by the administration of A-β25–35 is enough to produce an olfactory impairment. This can be prevented with the administration of E2 before and after amyloid injection. This suggests a possible therapeutic use of estradiol in Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:24059981

Learning Photogrammetry with Interactive Software Tool PhoX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luhmann, T.

2016-06-01

Photogrammetry is a complex topic in high-level university teaching, especially in the fields of geodesy, geoinformatics and metrology where high quality results are demanded. In addition, more and more black-box solutions for 3D image processing and point cloud generation are available that generate nice results easily, e.g. by structure-from-motion approaches. Within this context, the classical approach of teaching photogrammetry (e.g. focusing on aerial stereophotogrammetry) has to be reformed in order to educate students and professionals with new topics and provide them with more information behind the scene. Since around 20 years photogrammetry courses at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Oldenburg, Germany, include the use of digital photogrammetry software that provide individual exercises, deep analysis of calculation results and a wide range of visualization tools for almost all standard tasks in photogrammetry. During the last years the software package PhoX has been developed that is part of a new didactic concept in photogrammetry and related subjects. It also serves as analysis tool in recent research projects. PhoX consists of a project-oriented data structure for images, image data, measured points and features and 3D objects. It allows for almost all basic photogrammetric measurement tools, image processing, calculation methods, graphical analysis functions, simulations and much more. Students use the program in order to conduct predefined exercises where they have the opportunity to analyse results in a high level of detail. This includes the analysis of statistical quality parameters but also the meaning of transformation parameters, rotation matrices, calibration and orientation data. As one specific advantage, PhoX allows for the interactive modification of single parameters and the direct view of the resulting effect in image or object space.

A new rabbit model for the study of early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PubMed

Marbacher, Serge; Andereggen, Lukas; Neuschmelting, Volker; Widmer, Hans Rudolf; von Gunten, Michael; Takala, Jukka; Jakob, Stephan M; Fandino, Javier

2012-07-15

Pathophysiological disturbances during subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and within the first few days thereafter are responsible for significant brain damage. Early brain injury (EBI) after SAH has become the focus of current research activities. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether a novel rabbit SAH model provokes EBI by means of neuronal degeneration, brain tissue death, and apoptosis in cerebral vascular endothelial cells. SAH was performed using an extra-intracranial blood shunt. Intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and bilateral regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were continuously measured. Apoptosis and neurodegeneration were detected 24h post-SAH in basilar artery endothelial cells, bilateral basal cortex, and hippocampus (CA1 and CA3) using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and Fluoro-jade B (FJB), respectively. ICP increase caused a CPP decrease to almost zero (8±5mmHg) and decreases in left and right rCBF to 23±8% and 19±9% of their baseline values. TUNEL- and FJB-stained sections revealed significant apoptosis and neurodegeneration in both basal cortex and hippocampal regions compared to sham-operated animals. The apoptotic index in basilar artery endothelial cells was 74%±11%. The blood shunt rabbit SAH model elicits acute physiological dearrangements and provokes marked and consistent early damage to the hippocampus, basal cortex, and cerebral vasculature 24h thereafter. These findings make the model a valid tool for investigation of pre-vasospasm pathophysiological mechanisms and novel treatment modalities. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lack of NF-kappaB p50 exacerbates degeneration of hippocampal neurons after chemical exposure and impairs learning.

PubMed

Kassed, C A; Willing, A E; Garbuzova-Davis, S; Sanberg, P R; Pennypacker, K R

2002-08-01

The roles of activated NF-kappaB subunits in the CNS remain to be discerned. Members of this family of transcription factors are essential to diverse physiological processes and can be activated by pathogens, stress, pharmacological agents, and trauma. We are particularly interested in long-term NF-kappaB activation and its involvement in neuroplastic changes in the brain resulting from acquisition of memory as well as injury. Here, we use lesioning by the limbic-specific neurotoxicant trimethyltin (TMT) as a model in which to examine activation of the NF-kappaB p50 subunit before, during, and after neuronal degeneration. Neurons in wild-type mice that survived TMT-induced injury contained activated p50 and did not label with Fluoro-Jade, a histochemical marker of degenerating neurons. Granule cells of the wild-type dentate gyrus subregion, an area particularly vulnerable to TMT-induced degeneration, contained less activated p50 protein than CA regions. We compared the extent of degeneration in wild-type and p50-null mice and found a fivefold increase in death of hippocampal neurons in mice lacking p50. The hippocampus is key to processes of learning and memory, and NF-kappaB has reported involvement in these processes. The enhanced hippocampal degeneration in p50-null mice prompted us to evaluate their basal learning abilities, and we discovered that difficulties in task acquisition were an additional consequence of p50 ablation. These results indicate that absence of p50 negatively modulates learning ability as well as hippocampal responsiveness to brain injury after a chemical-induced lesion.

Vinpocetine alleviate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by down-regulating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling

PubMed Central

Wu, Li-Rong; Liu, Liang; Xiong, Xiao-Yi; Zhang, Qin; Wang, Fa-Xiang; Gong, Chang-Xiong; Zhong, Qi; Yang, Yuan-Rui; Meng, Zhao-You; Yang, Qing-Wu

2017-01-01

Inflammatory responses play crucial roles in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an important mediator of the neuroinflammatory response to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Vinpocetine is a derivative of the alkaloid vincamine and exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting NF-κB activation. However, the effects of vinpocetine on pathways upstream of NF-κB signaling, such as TLR4, have not been fully elucidated. Here, we used mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and cell-based oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) models to evaluate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of vinpocetine treatment. The vinpocetine treatment significantly reduced mice cerebral infarct volumes and neurological scores. Moreover, the numbers of TUNEL+ and Fluoro-Jade B+ cells were significantly decreased in the ischemic brain tissues after vinpocetine treatment. In the OGD model, the vinpocetine treatment also increased the viability of cultured cortical neurons. Interestingly, vinpocetine exerted a neuroprotective effect on the mouse MCAO model and cell-based OGD model by inhibiting TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses and decreasing proinflammatory cytokine release through the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway, independent of TRIF signaling pathway. In conclusion, vinpocetine exerts anti-inflammatory effects to ameliorate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in vitro and in vivo. Vinpocetine may inhibit inflammatory responses through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, independent of TRIF-mediated inflammatory responses. Thus, vinpocetine may be an attractive therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ischemic cerebral injury or other inflammatory diseases. PMID:29113305

Vinpocetine alleviate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by down-regulating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling.

PubMed

Wu, Li-Rong; Liu, Liang; Xiong, Xiao-Yi; Zhang, Qin; Wang, Fa-Xiang; Gong, Chang-Xiong; Zhong, Qi; Yang, Yuan-Rui; Meng, Zhao-You; Yang, Qing-Wu

2017-10-06

Inflammatory responses play crucial roles in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an important mediator of the neuroinflammatory response to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Vinpocetine is a derivative of the alkaloid vincamine and exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting NF-κB activation. However, the effects of vinpocetine on pathways upstream of NF-κB signaling, such as TLR4, have not been fully elucidated. Here, we used mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and cell-based oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) models to evaluate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of vinpocetine treatment. The vinpocetine treatment significantly reduced mice cerebral infarct volumes and neurological scores. Moreover, the numbers of TUNEL+ and Fluoro-Jade B+ cells were significantly decreased in the ischemic brain tissues after vinpocetine treatment. In the OGD model, the vinpocetine treatment also increased the viability of cultured cortical neurons. Interestingly, vinpocetine exerted a neuroprotective effect on the mouse MCAO model and cell-based OGD model by inhibiting TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses and decreasing proinflammatory cytokine release through the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway, independent of TRIF signaling pathway. In conclusion, vinpocetine exerts anti-inflammatory effects to ameliorate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in vitro and in vivo. Vinpocetine may inhibit inflammatory responses through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, independent of TRIF-mediated inflammatory responses. Thus, vinpocetine may be an attractive therapeutic candidate for the treatment of ischemic cerebral injury or other inflammatory diseases.

Secondary brain injuries in thalamus and hippocampus after focal ischemia caused by mild, transient extradural compression of the somatosensori cortex in the rat.

PubMed

Holmberg, Per; Liljequist, Sture; Wägner, Anna

2009-02-01

The development and distribution of secondary brain lesions, subsequent to ischemic stroke, are of considerable clinical interest but so far only a limited number of studies have investigated the distribution and development of these secondary lesions in detail. In this study, we used an animal model of focal ischemia caused by extradural compression of the sensorimotor cortex. This paradigm of focal ischemia was shown to produce a consistent pattern of secondary lesions located distally from the primary lesion. Functionally the primary brain lesion produced a transient neurological deficit, which was evaluated by daily beam walking tests. Morphological changes were assessed in parallel after the ischemic event using Fluoro-Jade (FJ) staining as a marker of neuronal cell death. Secondary brain lesions were observed in the thalamus as well as in the hippocampus. The first sign of the slowly developing secondary brain lesions was present on day 3 with subsequent lesions being identified until day 16 after the primary ischemia. In addition to the identification of neuronal cell death by the FJ assays, immunostaining for parvalbumin (PA), a marker of GABAergic interneurons, revealed a loss of PA-staining in the pyramidal layer of CA1 on day 3, thus showing a similar time pattern for loss of PA-staining as for the loss of FJ stained cells. Based upon our present results, we suggest that the current animal model of focal ischemia represents a valuable tool for studies concerning the development of secondary remote brain lesions and their association to impaired motor and cognitive functions.

Minocycline reduces neuronal death and attenuates microglial response after pediatric asphyxial cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Tang, Minke; Alexander, Henry; Clark, Robert S B; Kochanek, Patrick M; Kagan, Valerian E; Bayir, Hülya

2010-01-01

The mechanisms leading to delayed neuronal death after asphyxial cardiac arrest (ACA) in the developing brain are unknown. This study aimed at investigating the possible role of microglial activation in neuronal death in developing brain after ACA. Postnatal day-17 rats were subjected to 9 mins of ACA followed by resuscitation. Rats were randomized to treatment with minocycline, (90 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)) or vehicle (saline, i.p.) at 1 h after return of spontaneous circulation. Thereafter, minocycline (22.5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administrated every 12 h until sacrifice. Microglial activation (evaluated by immunohistochemistry using ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 (Iba1) antibody) coincided with DNA fragmentation and neurodegeneration in CA1 hippocampus and cortex (assessed by deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL), Fluoro-Jade-B and Nissl stain). Minocycline significantly decreased both the microglial response and neuronal degeneration compared with the vehicle. Asphyxial CA significantly enhanced proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels in hippocampus versus control (assessed by multiplex bead array assay), specifically tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and growth-related oncogene (GRO-KC) (P<0.05). Minocycline attenuated ACA-induced increases in MIP-1alpha and RANTES (P<0.05). These data show that microglial activation and cytokine production are increased in immature brain after ACA. The beneficial effect of minocycline suggests an important role for microglia in selective neuronal death after pediatric ACA, and a possible therapeutic target.

Neurodegeneration, neuronal loss, and neurotransmitter changes in the adult guinea pig with perinatal asphyxia.

PubMed

Bernert, Guenther; Hoeger, Harald; Mosgoeller, Wilhelm; Stolzlechner, Doris; Lubec, Barbara

2003-10-01

There is only limited morphologic information on long-term alterations and neurotransmitter changes after perinatal asphyxia, and no long-term study showing neurodegeneration has been reported so far. We used an animal model for perinatal asphyxia well documented in the rat to investigate the guinea pig as a species highly mature at birth. Cesarean section was performed on full-term pregnant guinea pigs, and pups, still in membranes, were placed into a water bath at 37 degrees C for asphyxia periods from 2 to 4 min. Thereafter pups were given to surrogate mothers and examined at 3 mo of age. We studied brain areas reported to be hypoxia-sensitive. Neurodegeneration was evaluated by fluoro-jade, neuronal loss by Nissl, reactive gliosis by glial fibrillary acidic protein staining, and differentiation by neuroendocrine-specific protein C immunoreactivity. We tested tyrosine hydroxylase, the vesicular monoamine transporter, and dopamine beta-hydroxylase, representing the monoaminergic system; the vesicular acetylcholine transporter; and the excitatory amino acid carrier 1. Neurodegeneration was evident in cerebellum, hippocampal area CA1, and hypothalamus, and neuronal loss could be observed in cerebellum and hypothalamus; gliosis was observed in cerebellum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and parietal cortex; dedifferentiation was found in hypothalamus and striatum; and monoaminergic, cholinergic, and amino acidergic deficits were shown in several brain regions. The major finding of the present study was that neurodegeneration and dedifferentiation evolved in the guinea pig, a species highly mature at birth. The relevance of this contribution is that a simple animal model of perinatal asphyxia resembling the clinical situation of intrauterine hypoxia-ischemia and presenting with neurodegeneration was characterized.

Strain-related differences after experimental traumatic brain injury in rats.

PubMed

Reid, Wendy Murdock; Rolfe, Andrew; Register, David; Levasseur, Joseph E; Churn, Severn B; Sun, Dong

2010-07-01

The present study directly compares the effects of experimental brain injury in two commonly used rat strains: Fisher 344 and Sprague-Dawley. We previously found that Fisher rats have a higher mortality rate and more frequent seizure attacks at the same injury level than Sprague-Dawley rats. Although strain differences in rats are commonly accepted as contributing to variability among studies, there is a paucity of literature addressing strain influence in experimental neurotrauma. Therefore this study compares outcome measures in two rat strains following lateral fluid percussion injury. Fisher 344 and Sprague-Dawley rats were monitored for changes in physiological measurements, intracranial pressure, and electroencephalographic activity. We further analyzed neuronal degeneration and cell death in the injured brain using Fluoro-Jade-B (FJB) histochemistry and caspase-3 immunostaining. Behavioral studies using the beam walk and Morris water maze were conducted to characterize strain differences in both motor and cognitive functional recovery following injury. We found that Fisher rats had significantly higher intracranial pressure, prolonged seizure activity, increased FJB-positive staining in the injured cortex and thalamus, and increased caspase-3 expression than Sprague-Dawley rats. On average, Fisher rats displayed a greater amount of total recording time in seizure activity and had longer ictal durations. The Fisher rats also had increased motor deficits, correlating with the above results. In spite of these results, Fisher rats performed better on cognitive tests following injury. The results demonstrate that different rat strains respond to injury differently, and thus in preclinical neurotrauma studies strain influence is an important consideration when evaluating outcomes.

Strain-Related Differences after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

PubMed Central

Rolfe, Andrew; Register, David; Levasseur, Joseph E.; Churn, Severn B.; Sun, Dong

2010-01-01

Abstract The present study directly compares the effects of experimental brain injury in two commonly used rat strains: Fisher 344 and Sprague-Dawley. We previously found that Fisher rats have a higher mortality rate and more frequent seizure attacks at the same injury level than Sprague-Dawley rats. Although strain differences in rats are commonly accepted as contributing to variability among studies, there is a paucity of literature addressing strain influence in experimental neurotrauma. Therefore this study compares outcome measures in two rat strains following lateral fluid percussion injury. Fisher 344 and Sprague-Dawley rats were monitored for changes in physiological measurements, intracranial pressure, and electroencephalographic activity. We further analyzed neuronal degeneration and cell death in the injured brain using Fluoro-Jade-B (FJB) histochemistry and caspase-3 immunostaining. Behavioral studies using the beam walk and Morris water maze were conducted to characterize strain differences in both motor and cognitive functional recovery following injury. We found that Fisher rats had significantly higher intracranial pressure, prolonged seizure activity, increased FJB-positive staining in the injured cortex and thalamus, and increased caspase-3 expression than Sprague-Dawley rats. On average, Fisher rats displayed a greater amount of total recording time in seizure activity and had longer ictal durations. The Fisher rats also had increased motor deficits, correlating with the above results. In spite of these results, Fisher rats performed better on cognitive tests following injury. The results demonstrate that different rat strains respond to injury differently, and thus in preclinical neurotrauma studies strain influence is an important consideration when evaluating outcomes. PMID:20392137

Oxaloacetate restores the long-term potentiation impaired in rat hippocampus CA1 region by 2-vessel occlusion.

PubMed

Marosi, Máté; Fuzik, János; Nagy, Dávid; Rákos, Gabriella; Kis, Zsolt; Vécsei, László; Toldi, József; Ruban-Matuzani, Angela; Teichberg, Vivian I; Farkas, Tamás

2009-02-14

Various acute brain pathological conditions are characterized by the presence of elevated glutamate concentrations in the brain interstitial fluids. It has been established that a decrease in the blood glutamate level enhances the brain-to-blood efflux of glutamate, removal of which from the brain may prevent glutamate excitotoxicity and its contribution to the long-lasting neurological deficits seen in stroke. A decrease in blood glutamate level can be achieved by exploiting the glutamate-scavenging properties of the blood-resident enzyme glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, which transforms glutamate into 2-ketoglutarate in the presence of the glutamate co-substrate oxaloacetate. The present study had the aim of an evaluation of the effects of the blood glutamate scavenger oxaloacetate on the impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) induced in the 2-vessel occlusion ischaemic model in rat. Transient (30-min) incomplete forebrain ischaemia was produced 72 h before LTP induction. Although the short transient brain hypoperfusion did not induce histologically identifiable injuries in the CA1 region (Fluoro-Jade B, S-100 and cresyl violet), it resulted in an impaired LTP function in the hippocampal CA1 region without damaging the basal synaptic transmission between the Schaffer collaterals and the pyramidal neurons. This impairment could be fended off in a dose-dependent manner by the intravenous administration of oxaloacetate in saline (at doses between 1.5 mmol and 0.1 mumol) immediately after the transient hypoperfusion. Our results suggest that oxaloacetate-mediated blood and brain glutamate scavenging contributes to the restoration of the LTP after its impairment by brain ischaemia.

An evaluation of independent component analyses with an application to resting-state fMRI

PubMed Central

Matteson, David S.; Ruppert, David; Eloyan, Ani; Caffo, Brian S.

2013-01-01

Summary We examine differences between independent component analyses (ICAs) arising from different as-sumptions, measures of dependence, and starting points of the algorithms. ICA is a popular method with diverse applications including artifact removal in electrophysiology data, feature extraction in microarray data, and identifying brain networks in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). ICA can be viewed as a generalization of principal component analysis (PCA) that takes into account higher-order cross-correlations. Whereas the PCA solution is unique, there are many ICA methods–whose solutions may differ. Infomax, FastICA, and JADE are commonly applied to fMRI studies, with FastICA being arguably the most popular. Hastie and Tibshirani (2003) demonstrated that ProDenICA outperformed FastICA in simulations with two components. We introduce the application of ProDenICA to simulations with more components and to fMRI data. ProDenICA was more accurate in simulations, and we identified differences between biologically meaningful ICs from ProDenICA versus other methods in the fMRI analysis. ICA methods require nonconvex optimization, yet current practices do not recognize the importance of, nor adequately address sensitivity to, initial values. We found that local optima led to dramatically different estimates in both simulations and group ICA of fMRI, and we provide evidence that the global optimum from ProDenICA is the best estimate. We applied a modification of the Hungarian (Kuhn-Munkres) algorithm to match ICs from multiple estimates, thereby gaining novel insights into how brain networks vary in their sensitivity to initial values and ICA method. PMID:24350655

Non-contact cardiac pulse rate estimation based on web-camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yingzhi; Han, Tailin

2015-12-01

In this paper, we introduce a new methodology of non-contact cardiac pulse rate estimation based on the imaging Photoplethysmography (iPPG) and blind source separation. This novel's approach can be applied to color video recordings of the human face and is based on automatic face tracking along with blind source separation of the color channels into RGB three-channel component. First of all, we should do some pre-processings of the data which can be got from color video such as normalization and sphering. We can use spectrum analysis to estimate the cardiac pulse rate by Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and JADE algorithm. With Bland-Altman and correlation analysis, we compared the cardiac pulse rate extracted from videos recorded by a basic webcam to a Commercial pulse oximetry sensors and achieved high accuracy and correlation. Root mean square error for the estimated results is 2.06bpm, which indicates that the algorithm can realize the non-contact measurements of cardiac pulse rate.

Distributed Processing System for Restoration of Electric Power Distribution Network Using Two-Layered Contract Net Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodama, Yu; Hamagami, Tomoki

Distributed processing system for restoration of electric power distribution network using two-layered CNP is proposed. The goal of this study is to develop the restoration system which adjusts to the future power network with distributed generators. The state of the art of this study is that the two-layered CNP is applied for the distributed computing environment in practical use. The two-layered CNP has two classes of agents, named field agent and operating agent in the network. In order to avoid conflicts of tasks, operating agent controls privilege for managers to send the task announcement messages in CNP. This technique realizes the coordination between agents which work asynchronously in parallel with others. Moreover, this study implements the distributed processing system using a de-fact standard multi-agent framework, JADE(Java Agent DEvelopment framework). This study conducts the simulation experiments of power distribution network restoration and compares the proposed system with the previous system. We confirmed the results show effectiveness of the proposed system.

Jadeitites and Plate Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, George E.; Tsujimori, Tatsuki; Sorensen, Sorena S.

2015-05-01

Jadeitite is a relatively rare, very tough rock composed predominantly of jadeite and typically found associated with tectonic blocks of high-pressure/low-temperature metabasaltic rocks (e.g., eclogite, blueschist) in exhumed serpentinite-matrix mélanges. Studies over the past ˜20 years have interpreted jadeitite either as the direct hydrous fluid precipitate from subduction channel dewatering into the overlying mantle wedge or as the metasomatic replacement by such fluids of oceanic plagiogranite, graywacke, or metabasite along the channel margin. Thus, jadeitites directly sample and record fluid transport in the subduction factory and provide a window into this geochemical process that is critical to a major process in the Earth system. They record the remarkable transport of large ion lithophile elements, such as Li, Ba, Sr, and Pb, as well as elements generally considered more refractory, such as U, Th, Zr, and Hf. Jadeitite is also the precious form of jade, utilized since antiquity in the form of tools, adornments, and symbols of prestige.

Inferring Ancient Technology and Practices of the Elite Maya Kingship Through the Application of Materials Engineering Characterization Modalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, Kristina Alyssa

This project focuses on the characterization of materials from burial offerings and painted decoration in a royal Maya tomb at El Zotz, Guatemala, and their association with mortuary rituals. Archaeological findings included vessels, jade masks, organic materials (wood, cord, and textiles), specular hematite cubes, shells with powdered cinnabar, green (malachite) painted stucco assumed to have decorated the wooden bier where the king was resting, and caches of lip-to-lip Aguila Orange bowls containing human phalanges. This paper describes findings from non-invasive and non-destructive analytical techniques including XRF, VPSEM-EDS, and XRD, emphasizing the potential of these combined technologies in the identification of organic and inorganic markers to infer burial customs. The nature and location of the findings, the evidence of pigment coloration on the bones employing hematite and cinnabar, and the indication of exposure of the bones to high temperatures suggest highly complex, even protracted mortuary practices of Maya elite.

A Mobile Multi-Agent Information System for Ubiquitous Fetal Monitoring

PubMed Central

Su, Chuan-Jun; Chu, Ta-Wei

2014-01-01

Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) systems integrate many previously separate clinical activities related to fetal monitoring. Promoting the use of ubiquitous fetal monitoring services with real time status assessments requires a robust information platform equipped with an automatic diagnosis engine. This paper presents the design and development of a mobile multi-agent platform-based open information systems (IMAIS) with an automated diagnosis engine to support intensive and distributed ubiquitous fetal monitoring. The automatic diagnosis engine that we developed is capable of analyzing data in both traditional paper-based and digital formats. Issues related to interoperability, scalability, and openness in heterogeneous e-health environments are addressed through the adoption of a FIPA2000 standard compliant agent development platform—the Java Agent Development Environment (JADE). Integrating the IMAIS with light-weight, portable fetal monitor devices allows for continuous long-term monitoring without interfering with a patient’s everyday activities and without restricting her mobility. The system architecture can be also applied to vast monitoring scenarios such as elder care and vital sign monitoring. PMID:24452256

Portable X-ray powder diffractometer for the analysis of art and archaeological materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakai, Izumi; Abe, Yoshinari

2012-02-01

Phase identification based on nondestructive analytical techniques using portable equipment is ideal for the analysis of art and archaeological objects. Portable(p)-XRF and p-Raman are very widely used for this purpose, yet p-XRD is relatively rare despite its importance for the analysis of crystalline materials. This paper overviews 6 types of p-XRD systems developed for analysis of art and archaeological materials. The characteristics of each system are compared. One of the p-XRD systems developed by the authors was brought to many museums as well as many archeological sites in Egypt and Syria to characterize the cultural heritage artifacts, e.g., amulet made of Egyptian blue, blue painted pottery, and Islamic pottery from Egypt, jade from China, variscite from Syria, a Japanese classic painting drawn by Korin Ogata, and oil paintings drawn by Taro Okamoto. Practical application data are shown to demonstrate the potential ability of the method for analysis of various art and archaeological materials.

Stability and adaptability of popcorn genotypes in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PubMed

Pena, G F; do Amaral, A T; Gonçalves, L S A; Candido, L S; Vittorazzi, C; Ribeiro, R M; Freitas, S P

2012-08-31

This study aimed to obtain estimates of stability and adaptability of phase launched materials and materials recommended in the country, for the northern and northwestern regions of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and made a comparative analysis of different methods to evaluate stability and adaptability of grain yield and popping expansion. To this end, 10 genotypes were evaluated (UNB2U-C3, UNB2U-C4, BRS Angela, Viçosa, Beija-Flor, IAC 112, IAC 125, Zélia, Jade, and UFVM2 Barão de Viçosa) in five environments. The Yates and Cochran method revealed that genotypes UFV2M Barão de Viçosa, BRS Angela and UNB2U-C3 were the most stable for grain yield. This method also indicated superiority of genotypes UNB2U-C3, UNB2U-C4, BRS Angela, Viçosa, IAC 125, and Zélia for popping expansion. The Plaisted and Peterson and Wricke methods demonstrated that genotypes Zélia and UNB2U-C4 were the most productive and stable. These methods indicated genotypes UNB2U-C3 and BRS Angela as the most stable for popping expansion. The Kang and Phan ranking system uses methods based on analysis of variance and classified population UNB2U-C4 as the genotype with the highest stability of grain production and confirmed cultivar BRS Angela as the most stable for popping expansion. Genotypes IAC 112 and UNB2U-C4 were the most stable and adapted for grain yield, according to the Lin and Binns method. The P(i) statistics also ranked UNB2U-C3 and UNB2U-C4 as the genotypes with the best predictability and capacity for popping expansion.

Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans attenuates neuroinflammation in symptomatic hSOD1G93A mice

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective motor neuron death in the spinal cord, brainstem, and motor cortex. Neuroinflammation is one of several pathological causes of degenerating motor neurons and is induced by activated microglial cells and astrocytes in ALS. Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans (SSM) is utilized in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine for the treatment of a variety of diseases, such as cancer, apoplexy, and epilepsy. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of SSM are currently unclear, even though SSM increases immune and antibiotic activity. Methods To determine the effects of SSM on symptomatic hSOD1G93A transgenic mice, SSM (2.5 μℓ/g) was injected bilaterally at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint three times per week for two weeks. The effects of SSM treatment on anti-neuroinflammation in the brainstem and spinal cord of hSOD1G93A mice were assessed via Nissl and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB) staining, and immunohistochemistry using Iba-1, CD14, HO1, and NQO1 proteins was evaluated by Western blotting. Results In this study, we investigated whether SSM affects neuroinflammation in the spinal cord of symptomatic hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. We found that SSM treatment attenuated the loss of motor neurons and reduced the activation of microglial cells and astrocytes. Furthermore, we demonstrated that SSM administration in this animal model of ALS suppressed oxidative stress in the brainstem and spinal cord by 1.6- and 1.8-fold, respectively. Conclusions Our findings suggest that SSM, which has previously been used in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), might also be considered as an anti-neuroinflammatory therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. PMID:24168240

Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans attenuates neuroinflammation in symptomatic hSOD1(G93A) mice.

PubMed

Cai, MuDan; Choi, Sun-Mi; Song, Bong Keun; Son, Ilhong; Kim, Sungchul; Yang, Eun Jin

2013-10-29

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective motor neuron death in the spinal cord, brainstem, and motor cortex. Neuroinflammation is one of several pathological causes of degenerating motor neurons and is induced by activated microglial cells and astrocytes in ALS.Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans (SSM) is utilized in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine for the treatment of a variety of diseases, such as cancer, apoplexy, and epilepsy. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of SSM are currently unclear, even though SSM increases immune and antibiotic activity. To determine the effects of SSM on symptomatic hSOD1G93A transgenic mice, SSM (2.5 μℓ/g) was injected bilaterally at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint three times per week for two weeks. The effects of SSM treatment on anti-neuroinflammation in the brainstem and spinal cord of hSOD1G93A mice were assessed via Nissl and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB) staining, and immunohistochemistry using Iba-1, CD14, HO1, and NQO1 proteins was evaluated by Western blotting. In this study, we investigated whether SSM affects neuroinflammation in the spinal cord of symptomatic hSOD1G93A transgenic mice. We found that SSM treatment attenuated the loss of motor neurons and reduced the activation of microglial cells and astrocytes. Furthermore, we demonstrated that SSM administration in this animal model of ALS suppressed oxidative stress in the brainstem and spinal cord by 1.6- and 1.8-fold, respectively. Our findings suggest that SSM, which has previously been used in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), might also be considered as an anti-neuroinflammatory therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.

Experimental optimization of the number of blocks by means of algorithms parameterized by confidence interval in popcorn breeding.

PubMed

Paula, T O M; Marinho, C D; Amaral Júnior, A T; Peternelli, L A; Gonçalves, L S A

2013-06-27

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal number of repetitions to be used in competition trials of popcorn traits related to production and quality, including grain yield and expansion capacity. The experiments were conducted in 3 environments representative of the north and northwest regions of the State of Rio de Janeiro with 10 Brazilian genotypes of popcorn, consisting by 4 commercial hybrids (IAC 112, IAC 125, Zélia, and Jade), 4 improved varieties (BRS Ângela, UFVM-2 Barão de Viçosa, Beija-flor, and Viçosa) and 2 experimental populations (UNB2U-C3 and UNB2U-C4). The experimental design utilized was a randomized complete block design with 7 repetitions. The Bootstrap method was employed to obtain samples of all of the possible combinations within the 7 blocks. Subsequently, the confidence intervals of the parameters of interest were calculated for all simulated data sets. The optimal number of repetition for all of the traits was considered when all of the estimates of the parameters in question were encountered within the confidence interval. The estimates of the number of repetitions varied according to the parameter estimated, variable evaluated, and environment cultivated, ranging from 2 to 7. It is believed that only the expansion capacity traits in the Colégio Agrícola environment (for residual variance and coefficient of variation), and number of ears per plot, in the Itaocara environment (for coefficient of variation) needed 7 repetitions to fall within the confidence interval. Thus, for the 3 studies conducted, we can conclude that 6 repetitions are optimal for obtaining high experimental precision.

Neurohistochemical biomarkers of the marine neurotoxicant, domoic acid.

PubMed

Scallet, Andrew C; Schmued, Larry C; Johannessen, Jan N

2005-01-01

Domoic acid and its potent excitotoxic analogues glutamic acid and kainic acid, are synthesized by marine algae such as seaweed and phytoplankton. During an algal bloom, domoic acid may enter the food web through its consumption by a variety of marine organisms held in high regard as seafoods by both animals and humans. These seafoods include clams, mussels, oysters, anchovies, sardines, crabs, and scallops, among others. Animals, such as pelicans, cormorants, loons, grebes, sea otters, dolphins, and sea lions, which consume seafood contaminated with domoic acid, suffer disorientation and often death. Humans consuming contaminated seafood may suffer seizures, amnesia and also sometimes death. In addition to analytical measurement of domoic acid exposure levels in algae and/or seafood, it is useful to be able to identify the mode of toxicity through post-mortem evaluation of the intoxicated animal. In the present study, using the rat as an animal model of domoic acid intoxication, we compared histochemical staining of the limbic system and especially the hippocampus with degeneration-selective techniques (Fluoro-Jade and silver), a conventional Nissl stain for cytoplasm (Cresyl violet), a myelin-selective stain (Black-Gold), an astrocyte-specific stain (glial fibrillary acidic protein), early/immediate gene responses (c-Fos and c-Jun), as well as for heat shock protein (HSP-72) and blood-brain barrier integrity (rat IgG). The results demonstrate that the degeneration-selective stains are the biomarkers of domoic acid neurotoxicity that are the most useful and easy to discern when screening brain sections at low magnification. We also observed that an impairment of blood-brain barrier integrity within the piriform cortex accompanied the onset of domoic acid neurotoxicity.

Intranasal Administration of Interferon Beta Attenuates Neuronal Apoptosis via the JAK1/STAT3/BCL-2 Pathway in a Rat Model of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

PubMed Central

Dixon, Brandon J.; Chen, Di; Zhang, Yang; Flores, Jerry; Malaguit, Jay; Nowrangi, Derek; Zhang, John H.

2016-01-01

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is an injury that often leads to detrimental neurological deficits. Currently, there are no established therapies for HIE and it is critical to develop treatments that provide protection after HIE. The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of interferon beta (IFNβ) to provide neuroprotection and reduce apoptosis after HIE. Postnatal Day 10 rat pups were subjected to unilateral carotid artery ligation followed by 2.5 hr of exposure to hypoxia (8% O2). Intranasal administration of human recombinant IFNβ occurred 2 hr after HIE and infarct volume, body weight, neurobehavioral tests, histology, immunohistochemistry, brain water content, blood–brain barrier permeability, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blot were all used to evaluate various parameters. The results showed that both IFNβ and the Type 1 interferon receptor expression decreases after HIE. Intranasal administration of human recombinant IFNβ was able to be detected in the central nervous system and was able to reduce brain infarction volumes and improve neurological behavior tests 24 hr after HIE. Western blot analysis also revealed that human recombinant IFNβ treatment stimulated Stat3 and Bcl-2 expression leading to a decrease in cleaved caspase-3 expression after HIE. Positive Fluoro-Jade C staining also demonstrated that IFNβ treatment was able to decrease neuronal apoptosis. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of IFNβ treatment were reversed when a Stat3 inhibitor was applied. Also an intraperitoneal administration of human recombinant IFNβ into the systemic compartment was unable to confer the same protective effects as intranasal IFNβ treatment. PMID:27683877

Garcinol Upregulates GABAA and GAD65 Expression, Modulates BDNF-TrkB Pathway to Reduce Seizures in Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-Induced Epilepsy

PubMed Central

Hao, Fang; Jia, Li-Hua; Li, Xiao-Wan; Zhang, Ying-Rui; Liu, Xue-Wu

2016-01-01

Background Epilepsy is the most predominant neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Despite treatment with antiepileptic drugs, epilepsy still is a challenge to treat, due to the associated adverse effects of the drugs. Previous investigations have shown critical roles of BDNF-TrkB signalling and expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) and GABAA in the brain during epilepsy. Thus, drugs that could modulate BDNF-TrkB signal and expression of GAD65 and GABAA could aid in therapy. Recent experimental data have focussed on plant-derived compounds in treatments. Garcinol (camboginol), is a polyisoprenylated benzophenone derived from the fruit of Garcinia indica. We investigated the effects of garcinol in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced epileptic models. Material/Methods Seizure scores were measured in epilepsy kindled mice. Neuronal degeneration and apoptosis were assessed by Nissl staining, TUNEL assay, and Fluoro-Jade B staining. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate cleaved caspase-3 expressions. Expression of BDNF, TrkB, GABAA, GAD65, Bad, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Bax were determined by western blots. Results Significantly reduced seizure scores and mortality rates were observed with pretreatment with garcinol. Elevated expression of apoptotic proteins and caspase-3 in kindled mice were effectively downregulated by garcinol. Epileptogenic mice presented increased BDNF and TrkB with considerably decreased GABAA and GAD65 expression. Garcinol significantly enhanced GABAA and GAD65 while it suppressed BDNF and TrkB. Garcinol enhanced the performance of mice in Morris water maze tests. Conclusions Garcinol exerts neuroprotective effects via supressing apoptosis and modulating BDNF-TrkB signalling and GAD65/GABAA expressions and also enhanced cognition and memory of the mice. PMID:27855137

Mild fluid percussion injury in mice produces evolving selective axonal pathology and cognitive deficits relevant to human brain injury.

PubMed

Spain, Aisling; Daumas, Stephanie; Lifshitz, Jonathan; Rhodes, Jonathan; Andrews, Peter J D; Horsburgh, Karen; Fowler, Jill H

2010-08-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for up to 80% of clinical TBI and can result in cognitive impairment and white matter damage that may develop and persist over several years. Clinically relevant models of mild TBI for investigation of neurobiological changes and the development of therapeutic strategies are poorly developed. In this study we investigated the temporal profile of axonal and somal injury that may contribute to cognitive impairments in a mouse model of mild TBI. Neuronal perikaryal damage (hematoxylin and eosin and Fluoro-Jade C), myelin integrity (myelin basic protein and myelin-associated glycoprotein), and axonal damage (amyloid precursor protein), were evaluated by immunohistochemistry at 4 h, 24 h, 72 h, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after mild lateral fluid percussion brain injury (0.9 atm; righting time 167 +/- 15 sec). At 3 weeks post-injury spatial reference learning and memory were tested in the Morris water maze (MWM). Levels of damage to neuronal cell bodies were comparable in the brain-injured and sham groups. Myelin integrity was minimally altered following injury. Clear alterations in axonal damage were observed at various time points after injury. Axonal damage was localized to the cingulum at 4 h post-injury. At 4 and 6 weeks post-injury, axonal damage was evident in the external capsule, and was seen at 6 weeks in the dorsal thalamic nuclei. At 3 weeks post-injury, injured mice showed an impaired ability to learn the water maze task, suggesting injury-induced alterations in search strategy learning. The evolving localization of axonal damage points to ongoing degeneration after injury that is concomitant with a deficit in learning.

Concussive Brain Trauma in the Mouse Results in Acute Cognitive Deficits and Sustained Impairment of Axonal Function

PubMed Central

Creed, Jennifer A.; DiLeonardi, Ann Mae; Fox, Douglas P.; Tessler, Alan R.

2011-01-01

Abstract Concussive brain injury (CBI) accounts for approximately 75% of all brain-injured people in the United States each year and is particularly prevalent in contact sports. Concussion is the mildest form of diffuse traumatic brain injury (TBI) and results in transient cognitive dysfunction, the neuropathologic basis for which is traumatic axonal injury (TAI). To evaluate the structural and functional changes associated with concussion-induced cognitive deficits, adult mice were subjected to an impact on the intact skull over the midline suture that resulted in a brief apneic period and loss of the righting reflex. Closed head injury also resulted in an increase in the wet weight:dry weight ratio in the cortex suggestive of edema in the first 24 h, and the appearance of Fluoro-Jade-B-labeled degenerating neurons in the cortex and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus within the first 3 days post-injury. Compared to sham-injured mice, brain-injured mice exhibited significant deficits in spatial acquisition and working memory as measured using the Morris water maze over the first 3 days (p<0.001), but not after the fourth day post-injury. At 1 and 3 days post-injury, intra-axonal accumulation of amyloid precursor protein in the corpus callosum and cingulum was accompanied by neurofilament dephosphorylation, impaired transport of Fluoro-Gold and synaptophysin, and deficits in axonal conductance. Importantly, deficits in retrograde transport and in action potential of myelinated axons continued to be observed until 14 days post-injury, at which time axonal degeneration was apparent. These data suggest that despite recovery from acute cognitive deficits, concussive brain trauma leads to axonal degeneration and a sustained perturbation of axonal function. PMID:21299360

Recurrent/moderate hypoglycemia induces hippocampal dendritic injury, microglial activation, and cognitive impairment in diabetic rats

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Recurrent/moderate (R/M) hypoglycemia is common in type 1 diabetes. Although mild or moderate hypoglycemia is not life-threatening, if recurrent, it may cause cognitive impairment. In the present study, we sought to determine whether R/M hypoglycemia leads to neuronal death, dendritic injury, or cognitive impairment. Methods The experiments were conducted in normal and in diabetic rats. Rats were subjected to moderate hypoglycemia by insulin without anesthesia. Oxidative stress was evaluated by 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal immunostaining and neuronal death was determined by Fluoro-Jade B staining 7 days after R/M hypoglycemia. To test whether oxidative injury caused by NADPH oxidase activation, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin, was used. Cognitive function was assessed by Barnes maze and open field tests at 6 weeks after R/M hypoglycemia. Results The present study found that oxidative injury was detected in the dendritic area of the hippocampus after R/M hypoglycemia. Sparse neuronal death was found in the cortex, but no neuronal death was detected in the hippocampus. Significant cognitive impairment and thinning of the CA1 dendritic region was detected 6 weeks after hypoglycemia. Oxidative injury, cognitive impairment, and hippocampal thinning after R/M hypoglycemia were more severe in diabetic rats than in non-diabetic rats. Oxidative damage in the hippocampal CA1 dendritic area and microglial activation were reduced by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin. Conclusion The present study suggests that oxidative injury of the hippocampal CA1 dendritic region by R/M hypoglycemia is associated with chronic cognitive impairment in diabetic patients. The present study further suggests that NADPH oxidase inhibition may prevent R/M hypoglycemia-induced hippocampal dendritic injury. PMID:22830525

Targeted isolation and identification of bioactive compounds lowering cholesterol in the crude extracts of crabapples using UPLC-DAD-MS-SPE/NMR based on pharmacology-guided PLS-DA.

PubMed

Wen, Chao; Wang, Dongshan; Li, Xing; Huang, Tao; Huang, Cheng; Hu, Kaifeng

2018-02-20

The anti-hyperlipidemic effects of crude crabapple extracts derived from Malus 'Red jade', Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehd. and Malus prunifolia (Willd.) Borkh. were evaluated on high-fat diet induced obese (HF DIO) mice. The results revealed that some of these extracts could lower serum cholesterol levels in HF DIO mice. The same extracts were also parallelly analyzed by LC-MS in both positive and negative ionization modes. Based on the pharmacological results, 22 LC-MS variables were identified to be correlated with the anti-hyperlipidemic effects using partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and independent samples t-test. Further, under the guidance of the bioactivity-correlated LC-MS signals, 10 compounds were targetedly isolated and enriched using UPLC-DAD-MS-SPE and identified/elucidated by NMR together with MS/MS as citric acid(1), p-coumaric acid(2), hyperoside(3), myricetin(4), naringenin(5), quercetin(6), kaempferol(7), gentiopicroside(8), ursolic acid(9) and 8-epiloganic acid(10). Among these 10 compounds, 6 compounds, hyperoside(3), myricetin(4), naringenin(5), quercetin(6), kaempferol(7) and ursolic acid(9), were individually studied and reported to indeed have effects on lowering the serum lipid levels. These results demonstrated the efficiency of this strategy for drug discovery. In contrast to traditional routes to discover bioactive compounds in the plant extracts, targeted isolation and identification of bioactive compounds in the crude plant extracts using UPLC-DAD-MS-SPE/NMR based on pharmacology-guided PLS-DA of LC-MS data brings forward a new efficient dereplicated approach to natural products research for drug discovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance of Blind Source Separation Algorithms for FMRI Analysis using a Group ICA Method

PubMed Central

Correa, Nicolle; Adali, Tülay; Calhoun, Vince D.

2007-01-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a popular blind source separation (BSS) technique that has proven to be promising for the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. A number of ICA approaches have been used for fMRI data analysis, and even more ICA algorithms exist, however the impact of using different algorithms on the results is largely unexplored. In this paper, we study the performance of four major classes of algorithms for spatial ICA, namely information maximization, maximization of non-gaussianity, joint diagonalization of cross-cumulant matrices, and second-order correlation based methods when they are applied to fMRI data from subjects performing a visuo-motor task. We use a group ICA method to study the variability among different ICA algorithms and propose several analysis techniques to evaluate their performance. We compare how different ICA algorithms estimate activations in expected neuronal areas. The results demonstrate that the ICA algorithms using higher-order statistical information prove to be quite consistent for fMRI data analysis. Infomax, FastICA, and JADE all yield reliable results; each having their strengths in specific areas. EVD, an algorithm using second-order statistics, does not perform reliably for fMRI data. Additionally, for the iterative ICA algorithms, it is important to investigate the variability of the estimates from different runs. We test the consistency of the iterative algorithms, Infomax and FastICA, by running the algorithm a number of times with different initializations and note that they yield consistent results over these multiple runs. Our results greatly improve our confidence in the consistency of ICA for fMRI data analysis. PMID:17540281

Performance of blind source separation algorithms for fMRI analysis using a group ICA method.

PubMed

Correa, Nicolle; Adali, Tülay; Calhoun, Vince D

2007-06-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a popular blind source separation technique that has proven to be promising for the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. A number of ICA approaches have been used for fMRI data analysis, and even more ICA algorithms exist; however, the impact of using different algorithms on the results is largely unexplored. In this paper, we study the performance of four major classes of algorithms for spatial ICA, namely, information maximization, maximization of non-Gaussianity, joint diagonalization of cross-cumulant matrices and second-order correlation-based methods, when they are applied to fMRI data from subjects performing a visuo-motor task. We use a group ICA method to study variability among different ICA algorithms, and we propose several analysis techniques to evaluate their performance. We compare how different ICA algorithms estimate activations in expected neuronal areas. The results demonstrate that the ICA algorithms using higher-order statistical information prove to be quite consistent for fMRI data analysis. Infomax, FastICA and joint approximate diagonalization of eigenmatrices (JADE) all yield reliable results, with each having its strengths in specific areas. Eigenvalue decomposition (EVD), an algorithm using second-order statistics, does not perform reliably for fMRI data. Additionally, for iterative ICA algorithms, it is important to investigate the variability of estimates from different runs. We test the consistency of the iterative algorithms Infomax and FastICA by running the algorithm a number of times with different initializations, and we note that they yield consistent results over these multiple runs. Our results greatly improve our confidence in the consistency of ICA for fMRI data analysis.

Metyrapone prevents acute glucose hypermetabolism and short-term brain damage induced by intrahippocampal administration of 4-aminopyridine in rats.

PubMed

García-García, Luis; Fernández de la Rosa, Rubén; Delgado, Mercedes; Silván, Ágata; Bascuñana, Pablo; Bankstahl, Jens P; Gomez, Francisca; Pozo, Miguel A

2018-02-01

Intracerebral administration of the potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) triggers neuronal depolarization and intense acute seizure activity followed by neuronal damage. We have recently shown that, in the lithium-pilocarpine rat model of status epilepticus (SE), a single administration of metyrapone, an inhibitor of the 11β-hydroxylase enzyme, had protective properties of preventive nature against signs of brain damage and neuroinflammation. Herein, our aim was to investigate to which extent, pretreatment with metyrapone (150 mg/kg, i.p.) was also able to prevent eventual changes in the acute brain metabolism and short-term neuronal damage induced by intrahippocampal injection of 4-AP (7 μg/5 μl). To this end, regional brain metabolism was assessed by 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-d-glucose ([ 18 F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) during the ictal period. Three days later, markers of neuronal death and hippocampal integrity and apoptosis (Nissl staining, NeuN and active caspase-3 immunohistochemistry), neurodegeneration (Fluoro-Jade C labeling), astrogliosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry) and microglia-mediated neuroinflammation (in vitro [ 18 F]GE180 autoradiography) were evaluated. 4-AP administration acutely triggered marked brain hypermetabolism within and around the site of injection as well as short-term signs of brain damage and inflammation. Most important, metyrapone pretreatment was able to reduce ictal hypermetabolism as well as all the markers of brain damage except microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. Overall, our study corroborates the neuroprotective effects of metyrapone against multiple signs of brain damage caused by seizures triggered by 4-AP. Ultimately, our data add up to the consistent protective effect of metyrapone pretreatment reported in other models of neurological disorders of different etiology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chelation of neurotoxic zinc levels does not improve neurobehavioral outcome after traumatic brain injury

PubMed Central

Hellmich, Helen L.; Eidson, Kristine; Cowart, Jeremy; Crookshanks, Jeanna; Boone, Deborah K.; Shah, Syed; Uchida, Tatsuo; DeWitt, Douglas S.; Prough, Donald S.

2008-01-01

Increases of synaptically released zinc and intracellular accumulation of zinc in hippocampal neurons after traumatic or ischemic brain injury is neurotoxic and chelation of zinc has been shown to reduce neurodegeneration. Although our previous studies showed that zinc chelation in traumatically brain-injured rats correlated with an increase in whole-brain expression of several neuroprotective genes and reduced numbers of apoptotic neurons, the effect on functional outcome has not been determined, and the question of whether this treatment may actually be clinically relevant has not been answered. In the present study, we show that treatment of TBI rats with the zinc chelator calcium EDTA reduces the numbers of injured, Fluoro-Jade- positive neurons in the rat hippocampus 24 hours after injury but does not improve neurobehavioral outcome (spatial memory deficits) two weeks post-injury. Our data suggest that zinc chelation, despite providing short-term histological neuroprotection, fails to improve long-term functional outcome, perhaps because long-term disruptions in homeostatic levels of zinc adversely influence hippocampus-dependent spatial memory. PMID:18556117

Optimal control in microgrid using multi-agent reinforcement learning.

PubMed

Li, Fu-Dong; Wu, Min; He, Yong; Chen, Xin

2012-11-01

This paper presents an improved reinforcement learning method to minimize electricity costs on the premise of satisfying the power balance and generation limit of units in a microgrid with grid-connected mode. Firstly, the microgrid control requirements are analyzed and the objective function of optimal control for microgrid is proposed. Then, a state variable "Average Electricity Price Trend" which is used to express the most possible transitions of the system is developed so as to reduce the complexity and randomicity of the microgrid, and a multi-agent architecture including agents, state variables, action variables and reward function is formulated. Furthermore, dynamic hierarchical reinforcement learning, based on change rate of key state variable, is established to carry out optimal policy exploration. The analysis shows that the proposed method is beneficial to handle the problem of "curse of dimensionality" and speed up learning in the unknown large-scale world. Finally, the simulation results under JADE (Java Agent Development Framework) demonstrate the validity of the presented method in optimal control for a microgrid with grid-connected mode. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enriched environment protects the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system and induces astroglial reaction in the 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Anastasía, Agustín; Torre, Luciana; de Erausquin, Gabriel A; Mascó, Daniel H

2009-05-01

Enriched environment (EE) is neuroprotective in several animal models of neurodegeneration. It stimulates the expression of trophic factors and modifies the astrocyte cell population which has been said to exert neuroprotective effects. We have investigated the effects of EE on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced neuronal death after unilateral administration to the medial forebrain bundle, which reaches 85-95% of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra after 3 weeks. Continuous exposure to EE 3 weeks before and after 6-OHDA injection prevents neuronal death (assessed by tyrosine hydroxylase staining), protects the nigrostriatal pathway (assessed by Fluorogold retrograde labeling) and reduces motor impairment. Four days after 6-OHDA injection, EE was associated with a marked increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein staining and prevented neuronal death (assessed by Fluoro Jade-B) but not partial loss of tyrosine hydroxylase staining in the anterior substantia nigra. These results robustly demonstrate that EE preserves the entire nigrostriatal system against 6-OHDA-induced toxicity, and suggests that an early post-lesion astrocytic reaction may participate in the neuroprotective mechanism.

Structural characterization of a novel glucan from Achatina fulica and its antioxidant activity.

PubMed

Liao, Ningbo; Chen, Shiguo; Ye, Xingqian; Zhong, Jianjun; Ye, Xuan; Yin, Xinzi; Tian, Jenny; Liu, Donghong

2014-03-19

A novel glucan designated AFPS-IB was purified from Achatina fulica (China white jade snail) by anion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatography. Chemical composition analysis indicated AFPS-IB was composed of glucose, fucose, rhamnose, mannose, and galactose in a molar ratio of 189:2:1:1:2 and with an average molecular weight of 128 kDa. Its structural characteristics were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), methylation analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy ((1)H,( 13)C, H-H COSY, HSQC, TOCSY, and NOESY), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The glucan mainly consisted of a backbone of repeating (1→4)-α-d-glucose residues with (1→6)-β-d glucosyl branches at random points on the backbone glucose. Antioxidant studies revealed AFPS-IB showed significant DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical, superoxide anion (O2(-)) scavenging activities and high reduction potential. This study suggested that AFPS-IB could be a new source of dietary antioxidants.

The geometry of proliferating dicot cells.

PubMed

Korn, R W

2001-02-01

The distributions of cell size and cell cycle duration were studied in two-dimensional expanding plant tissues. Plastic imprints of the leaf epidermis of three dicot plants, jade (Crassula argentae), impatiens (Impatiens wallerana), and the common begonia (Begonia semperflorens) were made and cell outlines analysed. The average, standard deviation and coefficient of variance (CV = 100 x standard deviation/average) of cell size were determined with the CV of mother cells less than the CV for daughter cells and both are less than that for all cells. An equation was devised as a simple description of the probability distribution of sizes for all cells of a tissue. Cell cycle durations as measured in arbitrary time units were determined by reconstructing the initial and final sizes of cells and they collectively give the expected asymmetric bell-shaped probability distribution. Given the features of unequal cell division (an average of 11.6% difference in size of daughter cells) and the size variation of dividing cells, it appears that the range of cell size is more critically regulated than the size of a cell at any particular time.

NIR camera and spectrograph SWIMS for TAO 6.5m telescope: array control system and its performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terao, Yasunori; Motohara, Kentaro; Konishi, Masahiro; Takahashi, Hidenori; Kato, Natsuko M.; Kitagawa, Yutaro; Kobayakawa, Yutaka; Ohashi, Hirofumi; Tateuchi, Ken; Todo, Soya

2016-08-01

SWIMS (Simultaneous-color Wide-field Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph) is a near-infrared imager and multi-object spectrograph as one of the first generation instruments for the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) 6.5m telescope. In this paper, we describe an array control system of SWIMS and results of detector noise performance evaluation. SWIMS incorporates four (and eight in future) HAWAII-2RG focal plane arrays for detectors, each driven by readout electronics components: a SIDECAR ASIC and a JADE2 Card. The readout components are controlled by a HAWAII-2RG Testing Software running on a virtual Windows machine on a Linux PC called array control PC. All of those array control PCs are then supervised by a SWIMS control PC. We have developed an "array control software system", which runs on the array control PC to control the HAWAII-2RG Testing Software, and consists of a socket client and a dedicated server called device manager. The client runs on the SWIMS control PC, and the device manager runs on the array control PC. An exposure command, issued by the client on the SWIMS control PC, is sent to the multiple device managers on the array control PCs, and then multiple HAWAII-2RGs are driven simultaneously. Using this system, we evaluate readout noise performances of the detectors, both in a test dewar and in a SWIMS main dewar. In the test dewar, we confirm the readout noise to be 4.3 e- r.m.s. by 32 times multiple sampling when we operate only a single HAWAII-2RG, whereas in the case of simultaneous driving of two HAWAII-2RGs, we still obtain sufficiently low readout noise of 10 e- r.m.s. In the SWIMS main dewar, although there are some differences between the detectors, the readout noise is measured to be 4:1-4:6 e- r.m.s. with simultaneous driving by 64 times multiple sampling, which meets the requirement for background-limited observations in J band of 14 e- r.m.s..

Exchanging large data object in multi-agent systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Yaseen, Wathiq Laftah; Othman, Zulaiha Ali; Nazri, Mohd Zakree Ahmad

2016-08-01

One of the Business Intelligent solutions that is currently in use is the Multi-Agent System (MAS). Communication is one of the most important elements in MAS, especially for exchanging large low level data between distributed agents (physically). The Agent Communication Language in JADE has been offered as a secure method for sending data, whereby the data is defined as an object. However, the object cannot be used to send data to another agent in a different location. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to propose a method for the exchange of large low level data as an object by creating a proxy agent known as a Delivery Agent, which temporarily imitates the Receiver Agent. The results showed that the proposed method is able to send large-sized data. The experiments were conducted using 16 datasets ranging from 100,000 to 7 million instances. However, for the proposed method, the RAM and the CPU machine had to be slightly increased for the Receiver Agent, but the latency time was not significantly different compared to the use of the Java Socket method (non-agent and less secure). With such results, it was concluded that the proposed method can be used to securely send large data between agents.

A new HLA-based distributed control architecture for agricultural teams of robots in hybrid applications with real and simulated devices or environments.

PubMed

Nebot, Patricio; Torres-Sospedra, Joaquín; Martínez, Rafael J

2011-01-01

The control architecture is one of the most important part of agricultural robotics and other robotic systems. Furthermore its importance increases when the system involves a group of heterogeneous robots that should cooperate to achieve a global goal. A new control architecture is introduced in this paper for groups of robots in charge of doing maintenance tasks in agricultural environments. Some important features such as scalability, code reuse, hardware abstraction and data distribution have been considered in the design of the new architecture. Furthermore, coordination and cooperation among the different elements in the system is allowed in the proposed control system. By integrating a network oriented device server Player, Java Agent Development Framework (JADE) and High Level Architecture (HLA), the previous concepts have been considered in the new architecture presented in this paper. HLA can be considered the most important part because it not only allows the data distribution and implicit communication among the parts of the system but also allows to simultaneously operate with simulated and real entities, thus allowing the use of hybrid systems in the development of applications.

Independent component analysis separates spikes of different origin in the EEG.

PubMed

Urrestarazu, Elena; Iriarte, Jorge; Artieda, Julio; Alegre, Manuel; Valencia, Miguel; Viteri, César

2006-02-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a novel system that finds independent sources in recorded signals. Its usefulness in separating epileptiform activity of different origin has not been determined. The goal of this study was to demonstrate that ICA is useful for separating different spikes using samples of EEG of patients with focal epilepsy. Digital EEG samples from four patients with focal epilepsy were included. The patients had temporal (n = 2), centrotemporal (n = 1) or frontal spikes (n = 1). Twenty-six samples with two (or more) spikes from two different patients were created. The selection of the two spikes for each mixed EEG was performed randomly, trying to have all the different combinations and rejecting the mixture of two spikes from the same patient. Two different examiners studied the EEGs using ICA with JADE paradigm in Matlab platform, trying to separate and to identify the spikes. They agreed in the correct separation of the spikes in 24 of the 26 samples, classifying the spikes as frontal, temporal or centrotemporal, left or right sided. The demonstration of the possibility of detecting different artificially mixed spikes confirms that ICA may be useful in separating spikes or other elements in real EEGs.

A Space-Time Signal Decomposition Algorithm for Downlink MIMO DS-CDMA Receivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yung-Yi; Fang, Wen-Hsien; Chen, Jiunn-Tsair

We propose a dimension reduction algorithm for the receiver of the downlink of direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems in which both the transmitters and the receivers employ antenna arrays of multiple elements. To estimate the high order channel parameters, we develop a layered architecture using dimension-reduced parameter estimation algorithms to estimate the frequency-selective multipath channels. In the proposed architecture, to exploit the space-time geometric characteristics of multipath channels, spatial beamformers and constrained (or unconstrained) temporal filters are adopted for clustered-multipath grouping and path isolation. In conjunction with the multiple access interference (MAI) suppression techniques, the proposed architecture jointly estimates the direction of arrivals, propagation delays, and fading amplitudes of the downlink fading multipaths. With the outputs of the proposed architecture, the signals of interest can then be naturally detected by using path-wise maximum ratio combining. Compared to the traditional techniques, such as the Joint-Angle-and-Delay-Estimation (JADE) algorithm for DOA-delay joint estimation and the space-time minimum mean square error (ST-MMSE) algorithm for signal detection, computer simulations show that the proposed algorithm substantially mitigate the computational complexity at the expense of only slight performance degradation.

Performance comparison of six independent components analysis algorithms for fetal signal extraction from real fMCG data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hild, Kenneth E.; Alleva, Giovanna; Nagarajan, Srikantan; Comani, Silvia

2007-01-01

In this study we compare the performance of six independent components analysis (ICA) algorithms on 16 real fetal magnetocardiographic (fMCG) datasets for the application of extracting the fetal cardiac signal. We also compare the extraction results for real data with the results previously obtained for synthetic data. The six ICA algorithms are FastICA, CubICA, JADE, Infomax, MRMI-SIG and TDSEP. The results obtained using real fMCG data indicate that the FastICA method consistently outperforms the others in regard to separation quality and that the performance of an ICA method that uses temporal information suffers in the presence of noise. These two results confirm the previous results obtained using synthetic fMCG data. There were also two notable differences between the studies based on real and synthetic data. The differences are that all six ICA algorithms are independent of gestational age and sensor dimensionality for synthetic data, but depend on gestational age and sensor dimensionality for real data. It is possible to explain these differences by assuming that the number of point sources needed to completely explain the data is larger than the dimensionality used in the ICA extraction.

Molecular alterations in the hippocampus after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage

PubMed Central

Han, Sang Myung; Wan, Hoyee; Kudo, Gen; Foltz, Warren D; Vines, Douglass C; Green, David E; Zoerle, Tommaso; Tariq, Asma; Brathwaite, Shakira; D'Abbondanza, Josephine; Ai, Jinglu; Macdonald, R Loch

2014-01-01

Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) frequently have deficits in learning and memory that may or may not be associated with detectable brain lesions. We examined mediators of long-term potentiation after SAH in rats to determine what processes might be involved. There was a reduction in synapses in the dendritic layer of the CA1 region on transmission electron microscopy as well as reduced colocalization of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and synaptophysin. Immunohistochemistry showed reduced staining for GluR1 and calmodulin kinase 2 and increased staining for GluR2. Myelin basic protein staining was decreased as well. There was no detectable neuronal injury by Fluoro-Jade B, TUNEL, or activated caspase-3 staining. Vasospasm of the large arteries of the circle of Willis was mild to moderate in severity. Nitric oxide was increased and superoxide anion radical was decreased in hippocampal tissue. Cerebral blood flow, measured by magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebral glucose metabolism, measured by positron emission tomography, were no different in SAH compared with control groups. The results suggest that the etiology of loss of LTP after SAH is not cerebral ischemia but may be mediated by effects of subarachnoid blood such as oxidative stress and inflammation. PMID:24064494

Agent-oriented privacy-based information brokering architecture for healthcare environments.

PubMed

Masaud-Wahaishi, Abdulmutalib; Ghenniwa, Hamada

2009-01-01

Healthcare industry is facing a major reform at all levels-locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Healthcare services and systems become very complex and comprise of a vast number of components (software systems, doctors, patients, etc.) that are characterized by shared, distributed and heterogeneous information sources with varieties of clinical and other settings. The challenge now faced with decision making, and management of care is to operate effectively in order to meet the information needs of healthcare personnel. Currently, researchers, developers, and systems engineers are working toward achieving better efficiency and quality of service in various sectors of healthcare, such as hospital management, patient care, and treatment. This paper presents a novel information brokering architecture that supports privacy-based information gathering in healthcare. Architecturally, the brokering is viewed as a layer of services where a brokering service is modeled as an agent with a specific architecture and interaction protocol that are appropriate to serve various requests. Within the context of brokering, we model privacy in terms of the entities ability to hide or reveal information related to its identities, requests, and/or capabilities. A prototype of the proposed architecture has been implemented to support information-gathering capabilities in healthcare environments using FIPA-complaint platform JADE.

Multi-agent integrated password management (MIPM) application secured with encryption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awang, Norkhushaini; Zukri, Nurul Hidayah Ahmad; Rashid, Nor Aimuni Md; Zulkifli, Zuhri Arafah; Nazri, Nor Afifah Mohd

2017-10-01

Users use weak passwords and reuse them on different websites and applications. Password managers are a solution to store login information for websites and help users log in automatically. This project developed a system that acts as an agent managing passwords. Multi-Agent Integrated Password Management (MIPM) is an application using encryption that provides users with secure storage of their login account information such as their username, emails and passwords. This project was developed on an Android platform with an encryption agent using Java Agent Development Environment (JADE). The purpose of the embedded agents is to act as a third-party software to ease the encryption process, and in the future, the developed encryption agents can form part of the security system. This application can be used by the computer and mobile users. Currently, users log into many applications causing them to use unique passwords to prevent password leaking. The crypto agent handles the encryption process using an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128-bit encryption algorithm. As a whole, MIPM is developed on the Android application to provide a secure platform to store passwords and has high potential to be commercialised for public use.

The spreading of misinformation online.

PubMed

Del Vicario, Michela; Bessi, Alessandro; Zollo, Fabiana; Petroni, Fabio; Scala, Antonio; Caldarelli, Guido; Stanley, H Eugene; Quattrociocchi, Walter

2016-01-19

The wide availability of user-provided content in online social media facilitates the aggregation of people around common interests, worldviews, and narratives. However, the World Wide Web (WWW) also allows for the rapid dissemination of unsubstantiated rumors and conspiracy theories that often elicit rapid, large, but naive social responses such as the recent case of Jade Helm 15--where a simple military exercise turned out to be perceived as the beginning of a new civil war in the United States. In this work, we address the determinants governing misinformation spreading through a thorough quantitative analysis. In particular, we focus on how Facebook users consume information related to two distinct narratives: scientific and conspiracy news. We find that, although consumers of scientific and conspiracy stories present similar consumption patterns with respect to content, cascade dynamics differ. Selective exposure to content is the primary driver of content diffusion and generates the formation of homogeneous clusters, i.e., "echo chambers." Indeed, homogeneity appears to be the primary driver for the diffusion of contents and each echo chamber has its own cascade dynamics. Finally, we introduce a data-driven percolation model mimicking rumor spreading and we show that homogeneity and polarization are the main determinants for predicting cascades' size.

Effective Practices for Evaluating Education and Public Outreach Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkerson, S.

2013-12-01

Stephanie Baird Wilkerson, PhD Carol Haden EdD Magnolia Consulting,LLC Education and public outreach (EPO) program developers and providers seeking insights regarding effective practices for evaluating EPO activities programs benefit from understanding why evaluation is critical to the success of EPO activities and programs, what data collection methods are appropriate, and how to effectively communicate and report findings. Based on our extensive experience evaluating EPO programs, we will share lessons learned and examples of how these practices play out in actual evaluation studies. EPO program developers, providers, and evaluators must consider several factors that influence which evaluation designs and data collection methods will be most appropriate, given the nature of EPO programs. Effective evaluation practices of EPO programs take into account a program's phase of development, duration, and budget as well as a program's intended outcomes. EPO programs that are just beginning development will have different evaluation needs and priorities than will well-established programs. Effective evaluation practices consider the 'life' of a program with an evaluation design that supports a program's growth through various phases including development, revision and refinement, and completion. It would be premature and inappropriate to expect the attainment of longer-term outcomes of activities during program development phases or early stages of implementation. During program development, EPO providers should clearly define program outcomes that are feasible and appropriate given a program's scope and expected reach. In many respects, this directly relates to the amount of time, or duration, intended audiences participate in EPO programs. As program duration increases so does the likelihood that the program can achieve longer-term outcomes. When choosing which outcomes are reasonable to impact and measure, program duration should be considered. Effective evaluation practices include selecting appropriate data collection methods given a program's duration and corresponding intended outcomes. Data collection methods for programs of short duration might involve simple evaluation activities, whereas programs of longer duration might involve ongoing data collection measures including longitudinal student surveys, implementation logs, student journals, and student achievement measures. During our presentation, we will share examples from our own experience to illustrate how effective evaluation practices can be applied to various EPO programs based on program duration. Irrespective of duration, we find that EPO program developers and providers want both formative feedback to guide improvements and summative feedback on outcomes. More often than not, evaluation budgets for EPO programs are meager at best, yet come with the same information needs and priorities as programs with larger evaluation budgets. So how do program providers get the information they need given their limited funds for evaluation? We will offer several recommendations for helping EPO program providers work with evaluators to become better-informed consumers of evaluation by maximizing evaluation offerings and minimizing costs. During our presentation we also will share examples of communicating and reporting results for EPO program developers, EPO facilitators and practitioners, and funders.

Non-formal educator use of evaluation results.

PubMed

Baughman, Sarah; Boyd, Heather H; Franz, Nancy K

2012-08-01

Increasing demands for accountability in educational programming have resulted in increasing calls for program evaluation in educational organizations. Many organizations include conducting program evaluations as part of the job responsibilities of program staff. Cooperative Extension is a complex organization offering non-formal educational programs through land grant universities. Many Extension services require non-formal educational program evaluations be conducted by field-based Extension educators. Evaluation research has focused primarily on the efforts of professional, external evaluators. The work of program staff with many responsibilities including program evaluation has received little attention. This study examined how field based Extension educators (i.e. program staff) in four Extension services use the results of evaluations of programs that they have conducted themselves. Four types of evaluation use are measured and explored; instrumental use, conceptual use, persuasive use and process use. Results indicate that there are few programmatic changes as a result of evaluation findings among the non-formal educators surveyed in this study. Extension educators tend to use evaluation results to persuade others about the value of their programs and learn from the evaluation process. Evaluation use is driven by accountability measures with very little program improvement use as measured in this study. Practical implications include delineating accountability and program improvement tasks within complex organizations in order to align evaluation efforts and to improve the results of both. There is some evidence that evaluation capacity building efforts may be increasing instrumental use by educators evaluating their own programs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for the Evaluation of Bilingual Education Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardoza, Desdemona

Principles of program evaluation research are outlined so that bilingual education program coordinators can conduct methodologically acceptable program evaluations. The three basic principles of evaluation research are: identification of the program participants, definition of the program intervention, and assessment of program effectiveness.…

Steps to a HealthierUS Cooperative Agreement Program: foundational elements for program evaluation planning, implementation, and use of findings.

PubMed

MacDonald, Goldie; Garcia, Danyael; Zaza, Stephanie; Schooley, Michael; Compton, Don; Bryant, Terry; Bagnol, Lulu; Edgerly, Cathy; Haverkate, Rick

2006-01-01

The Steps to a HealthierUS Cooperative Agreement Program (Steps Program) enables funded communities to implement chronic disease prevention and health promotion efforts to reduce the burden of diabetes, obesity, asthma, and related risk factors. At both the national and community levels, investment in surveillance and program evaluation is substantial. Public health practitioners engaged in program evaluation planning often identify desired outcomes, related indicators, and data collection methods but may pay only limited attention to an overarching vision for program evaluation among participating sites. We developed a set of foundational elements to provide a vision of program evaluation that informs the technical decisions made throughout the evaluation process. Given the diversity of activities across the Steps Program and the need for coordination between national- and community-level evaluation efforts, our recommendations to guide program evaluation practice are explicit yet leave room for site-specific context and needs. Staff across the Steps Program must consider these foundational elements to prepare a formal plan for program evaluation. Attention to each element moves the Steps Program closer to well-designed and complementary plans for program evaluation at the national, state, and community levels.

Potential Adverse Effects of Prolonged Sevoflurane Exposure on Developing Monkey Brain: From Abnormal Lipid Metabolism to Neuronal Damage.

PubMed

Liu, Fang; Rainosek, Shuo W; Frisch-Daiello, Jessica L; Patterson, Tucker A; Paule, Merle G; Slikker, William; Wang, Cheng; Han, Xianlin

2015-10-01

Sevoflurane is a volatile anesthetic that has been widely used in general anesthesia, yet its safety in pediatric use is a public concern. This study sought to evaluate whether prolonged exposure of infant monkeys to a clinically relevant concentration of sevoflurane is associated with any adverse effects on the developing brain. Infant monkeys were exposed to 2.5% sevoflurane for 9 h, and frontal cortical tissues were harvested for DNA microarray, lipidomics, Luminex protein, and histological assays. DNA microarray analysis showed that sevoflurane exposure resulted in a broad identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the monkey brain. In general, these genes were associated with nervous system development, function, and neural cell viability. Notably, a number of DEGs were closely related to lipid metabolism. Lipidomic analysis demonstrated that critical lipid components, (eg, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylglycerol) were significantly downregulated by prolonged exposure of sevoflurane. Luminex protein analysis indicated abnormal levels of cytokines in sevoflurane-exposed brains. Consistently, Fluoro-Jade C staining revealed more degenerating neurons after sevoflurane exposure. These data demonstrate that a clinically relevant concentration of sevoflurane (2.5%) is capable of inducing and maintaining an effective surgical plane of anesthesia in the developing nonhuman primate and that a prolonged exposure of 9 h resulted in profound changes in gene expression, cytokine levels, lipid metabolism, and subsequently, neuronal damage. Generally, sevoflurane-induced neuronal damage was also associated with changes in lipid content, composition, or both; and specific lipid changes could provide insights into the molecular mechanism(s) underlying anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity and may be sensitive biomarkers for the early detection of anesthetic-induced neuronal damage. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology 2015. This work is written by a US Government employee and is in the public domain in the US.

The effects of neonatal isoflurane exposure in mice on brain cell viability, adult behavior, learning, and memory.

PubMed

Loepke, Andreas W; Istaphanous, George K; McAuliffe, John J; Miles, Lili; Hughes, Elizabeth A; McCann, John C; Harlow, Kathryn E; Kurth, C Dean; Williams, Michael T; Vorhees, Charles V; Danzer, Steve C

2009-01-01

Volatile anesthetics, such as isoflurane, are widely used in infants and neonates. Neurodegeneration and neurocognitive impairment after exposure to isoflurane, midazolam, and nitrous oxide in neonatal rats have raised concerns regarding the safety of pediatric anesthesia. In neonatal mice, prolonged isoflurane exposure triggers hypoglycemia, which could be responsible for the neurocognitive impairment. We examined the effects of neonatal isoflurane exposure and blood glucose on brain cell viability, spontaneous locomotor activity, as well as spatial learning and memory in mice. Seven-day-old mice were randomly assigned to 6 h of 1.5% isoflurane with or without injections of dextrose or normal saline, or to 6 h of room air without injections (no anesthesia). Arterial blood gases and glucose were measured. After 2 h, 18 h, or 11 wk postexposure, cellular viability was assessed in brain sections stained with Fluoro-Jade B, caspase 3, or NeuN. Nine weeks postexposure, spontaneous locomotor activity was assessed, and spatial learning and memory were evaluated in the Morris water maze using hidden and reduced platform trials. Apoptotic cellular degeneration increased in several brain regions early after isoflurane exposure, compared with no anesthesia. Despite neonatal cell loss, however, adult neuronal density was unaltered in two brain regions significantly affected by the neonatal degeneration. In adulthood, spontaneous locomotor activity and spatial learning and memory performance were similar in all groups, regardless of neonatal isoflurane exposure. Neonatal isoflurane exposure led to an 18% mortality, and transiently increased Paco(2), lactate, and base deficit, and decreased blood glucose levels. However, hypoglycemia did not seem responsible for the neurodegeneration, as dextrose supplementation failed to prevent neuronal loss. Prolonged isoflurane exposure in neonatal mice led to increased immediate brain cell degeneration, however, no significant reductions in adult neuronal density or deficits in spontaneous locomotion, spatial learning, or memory function were observed.

Application and Evaluation of Independent Component Analysis Methods to Generalized Seizure Disorder Activities Exhibited in the Brain.

PubMed

George, S Thomas; Balakrishnan, R; Johnson, J Stanly; Jayakumar, J

2017-07-01

EEG records the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain using multiple electrodes placed on the scalp, and it provides a wealth of information related to the functions of brain. Nevertheless, the signals from the electrodes cannot be directly applied to a diagnostic tool like brain mapping as they undergo a "mixing" process because of the volume conduction effect in the scalp. A pervasive problem in neuroscience is determining which regions of the brain are active, given voltage measurements at the scalp. Because of which, there has been a surge of interest among the biosignal processing community to investigate the process of mixing and unmixing to identify the underlying active sources. According to the assumptions of independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms, the resultant mixture obtained from the scalp can be closely approximated by a linear combination of the "actual" EEG signals emanating from the underlying sources of electrical activity in the brain. As a consequence, using these well-known ICA techniques in preprocessing of the EEG signals prior to clinical applications could result in development of diagnostic tool like quantitative EEG which in turn can assist the neurologists to gain noninvasive access to patient-specific cortical activity, which helps in treating neuropathologies like seizure disorders. The popular and proven ICA schemes mentioned in various literature and applications were selected (which includes Infomax, JADE, and SOBI) and applied on generalized seizure disorder samples using EEGLAB toolbox in MATLAB environment to see their usefulness in source separations; and they were validated by the expert neurologist for clinical relevance in terms of pathologies on brain functionalities. The performance of Infomax method was found to be superior when compared with other ICA schemes applied on EEG and it has been established based on the validations carried by expert neurologist for generalized seizure and its clinical correlation. The results are encouraging for furthering the studies in the direction of developing useful brain mapping tools using ICA methods.

Seizures induced in immature rats by homocysteic acid and the associated brain damage are prevented by group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist (2R,4R)-4-aminopyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate.

PubMed

Folbergrová, Jaroslava; Druga, Rastislav; Otáhal, Jakub; Haugvicová, Renata; Mares, Pavel; Kubová, Hana

2005-04-01

The present study has examined the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effect of group II metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonist (2R,4R)-4-aminopyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate (2R,4R-APDC) in the model of seizures induced in immature 12-day-old rats by bilateral intracerebroventricular infusion of dl-homocysteic acid (DL-HCA, 600 nmol/side). For biochemical analyses, rat pups were sacrificed during generalized clonic-tonic seizures, approximately 45-50 min after infusion. Comparable time intervals were used for sacrificing the pups which had received 2R,4R-APDC. Low doses of 2R,4R-APDC (0.05 nmol/side) provided a pronounced anticonvulsant effect which was abolished by pretreatment with a selective group II mGluR antagonist LY341495. Generalized clonic-tonic seizures were completely suppressed and cortical energy metabolite changes which normally accompany these seizures were either normalized (decrease of glucose and glycogen) or markedly reduced (an accumulation of lactate). EEG recordings support the marked anticonvulsant effect of 2R,4R-APDC, nevertheless, this was only partial. In spite of the absence of obvious motor phenomena, isolated spikes or even short periods of partial ictal activity could be observed. Isolated spikes could also be seen in some animals after application of 2R,4R-APDC alone, reflecting most likely subclinical proconvulsant activity of this agonist. The neuroprotective effect of 2R,4R-APDC was evaluated after 24 h and 6 days of survival following DL-HCA-induced seizures. Massive neuronal degeneration, as revealed by Fluoro-Jade B staining, was observed in a number of brain regions following infusion of DL-HCA alone (seizure group), whereas 2R,4R-APDC pretreatment provided substantial neuroprotection. The present findings support the possibility that group II mGluRs are a promising target for a novel approach to treating epilepsy.

A Historical Evaluation of the U12n Tunnel, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada Part 1

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

Drollinger, Harold; Jones, Robert C; Bullard, Thomas F

2011-06-01

This report presents a historical evaluation of the U12n Tunnel on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in southern Nevada. The work was conducted by the Desert Research Institute at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office and the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The U12n Tunnel was one of a series of tunnels used for underground nuclear weapons effects tests in Rainier and Aqueduct Mesas. A total of 22 nuclear tests were conducted in the U12n Tunnel from 1967 to 1992. These tests include Midi Mist, Hudsonmore » Seal, Diana Mist, Misty North, Husky Ace, Ming Blade, Hybla Fair, Mighty Epic, Diablo Hawk, Miners Iron, Huron Landing, Diamond Ace, Mini Jade, Tomme/Midnight Zephyr, Misty Rain, Mill Yard, Diamond Beech, Middle Note, Misty Echo, Mineral Quarry, Randsburg, and Hunters Trophy. DTRA sponsored all tests except Tomme and Randsburg which were sponsored by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Midnight Zephyr, sponsored by DTRA, was an add on experiment to the Tomme test. Eleven high explosive tests were also conducted in the tunnel and included a Stemming Plan Test, the Pre-Mill Yard test, the two seismic Non-Proliferation Experiment tests, and seven Dipole Hail tests. The U12n Tunnel complex is composed of the portal and mesa areas, encompassing a total area of approximately 600 acres (240 hectares). Major modifications to the landscape have resulted from four principal activities. These are road construction and maintenance, mining activities related to development of the tunnel complex, site preparation for activities related to testing, and construction of retention ponds. A total of 202 cultural features were recorded for the portal and mesa areas. At the portal area, features relate to the mining, construction, testing, and general everyday operational support activities within the tunnel. These include concrete foundations for buildings, ventilation equipment, air compressors, communications equipment, mining equipment, rail lines, retention ponds to impound tunnel effluent, and storage containers. Features on the mesa above the tunnel generally relate to tunnel ventilation and cooling, borehole drilling, and data recording facilities. Feature types include concrete foundations, instrument cable holes, drill holes, equipment pads, ventilation shafts, and ventilation equipment. The U12n Tunnel complex is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under criteria a and c, consideration g of 36 CFR Part 60.4 as a historic landscape. Scientific research conducted at the tunnel has made significant contributions to the broad patterns of our history, particularly in regard to the Cold War era that was characterized by competing social, economic, and political ideologies between the former Soviet Union and the United States. The tunnel also possesses distinctive construction and engineering methods for conducting underground nuclear tests. The Desert Research Institute recommends that the U12n Tunnel area be left in place in its current condition and that the U12n Tunnel historic landscape be included in the NNSS monitoring program and monitored for disturbances or alterations on a regular basis.« less

A Historical Evaluation of the U12n Tunnel, Nevada national Security Site, Nye County, Nevada Part 2 of 2

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

Drollinger, Harold; Jones, Robert C; Bullard, Thomas F

2011-06-01

This report presents a historical evaluation of the U12n Tunnel on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in southern Nevada. The work was conducted by the Desert Research Institute at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office and the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The U12n Tunnel was one of a series of tunnels used for underground nuclear weapons effects tests in Rainier and Aqueduct Mesas. A total of 22 nuclear tests were conducted in the U12n Tunnel from 1967 to 1992. These tests include Midi Mist, Hudsonmore » Seal, Diana Mist, Misty North, Husky Ace, Ming Blade, Hybla Fair, Mighty Epic, Diablo Hawk, Miners Iron, Huron Landing, Diamond Ace, Mini Jade, Tomme/Midnight Zephyr, Misty Rain, Mill Yard, Diamond Beech, Middle Note, Misty Echo, Mineral Quarry, Randsburg, and Hunters Trophy. DTRA sponsored all tests except Tomme and Randsburg which were sponsored by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Midnight Zephyr, sponsored by DTRA, was an add on experiment to the Tomme test. Eleven high explosive tests were also conducted in the tunnel and included a Stemming Plan Test, the Pre-Mill Yard test, the two seismic Non-Proliferation Experiment tests, and seven Dipole Hail tests. The U12n Tunnel complex is composed of the portal and mesa areas, encompassing a total area of approximately 600 acres (240 hectares). Major modifications to the landscape have resulted from four principal activities. These are road construction and maintenance, mining activities related to development of the tunnel complex, site preparation for activities related to testing, and construction of retention ponds. A total of 202 cultural features were recorded for the portal and mesa areas. At the portal area, features relate to the mining, construction, testing, and general everyday operational support activities within the tunnel. These include concrete foundations for buildings, ventilation equipment, air compressors, communications equipment, mining equipment, rail lines, retention ponds to impound tunnel effluent, and storage containers. Features on the mesa above the tunnel generally relate to tunnel ventilation and cooling, borehole drilling, and data recording facilities. Feature types include concrete foundations, instrument cable holes, drill holes, equipment pads, ventilation shafts, and ventilation equipment. The U12n Tunnel complex is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under criteria a and c, consideration g of 36 CFR Part 60.4 as a historic landscape. Scientific research conducted at the tunnel has made significant contributions to the broad patterns of our history, particularly in regard to the Cold War era that was characterized by competing social, economic, and political ideologies between the former Soviet Union and the United States. The tunnel also possesses distinctive construction and engineering methods for conducting underground nuclear tests. The Desert Research Institute recommends that the U12n Tunnel area be left in place in its current condition and that the U12n Tunnel historic landscape be included in the NNSS monitoring program and monitored for disturbances or alterations on a regular basis.« less

Maximizing the Impact of Program Evaluation: A Discrepancy-Based Process for Educational Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cantor, Jeffrey A.

This paper describes a formative/summative process for educational program evaluation, which is appropriate for higher education programs and is based on M. Provus' Discrepancy Evaluation Model and the principles of instructional design. The Discrepancy Based Methodology for Educational Program Evaluation facilitates systematic and detailed…

The Evaluation Handbook: Guidelines for Evaluating Dropout Prevention Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smink, Jay; Stank, Peg

This manual, developed in an effort to take the mysticism out of program evaluation, discusses six phases of the program evaluation process. The introduction discusses reasons for evaluation, process and outcome evaluation, the purpose of the handbook, the evaluation process, and the Sequoia United School District Dropout Prevention Program. Phase…

Curated Collections for Educators: Five Key Papers about Program Evaluation.

PubMed

Thoma, Brent; Gottlieb, Michael; Boysen-Osborn, Megan; King, Andrew; Quinn, Antonia; Krzyzaniak, Sara; Pineda, Nicolas; Yarris, Lalena M; Chan, Teresa

2017-05-04

The evaluation of educational programs has become an expected part of medical education. At some point, all medical educators will need to critically evaluate the programs that they deliver. However, the evaluation of educational programs requires a very different skillset than teaching. In this article, we aim to identify and summarize key papers that would be helpful for faculty members interested in exploring program evaluation. In November of 2016, the 2015-2016 Academic life in emergency medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator program highlighted key papers in a discussion of program evaluation. This list of papers was augmented with suggestions by guest experts and by an open call on Twitter. This resulted in a list of 30 papers on program evaluation. Our authorship group then engaged in a process akin to a Delphi study to build consensus on the most important papers about program evaluation for medical education faculty. We present our group's top five most highly rated papers on program evaluation. We also summarize these papers with respect to their relevance to junior medical education faculty members and faculty developers. Program evaluation is challenging. The described papers will be informative for junior faculty members as they aim to design literature-informed evaluations for their educational programs.

Curated Collections for Educators: Five Key Papers about Program Evaluation

PubMed Central

Gottlieb, Michael; Boysen-Osborn, Megan; King, Andrew; Quinn, Antonia; Krzyzaniak, Sara; Pineda, Nicolas; Yarris, Lalena M; Chan, Teresa

2017-01-01

The evaluation of educational programs has become an expected part of medical education. At some point, all medical educators will need to critically evaluate the programs that they deliver. However, the evaluation of educational programs requires a very different skillset than teaching. In this article, we aim to identify and summarize key papers that would be helpful for faculty members interested in exploring program evaluation. In November of 2016, the 2015-2016 Academic life in emergency medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator program highlighted key papers in a discussion of program evaluation. This list of papers was augmented with suggestions by guest experts and by an open call on Twitter. This resulted in a list of 30 papers on program evaluation. Our authorship group then engaged in a process akin to a Delphi study to build consensus on the most important papers about program evaluation for medical education faculty. We present our group’s top five most highly rated papers on program evaluation. We also summarize these papers with respect to their relevance to junior medical education faculty members and faculty developers. Program evaluation is challenging. The described papers will be informative for junior faculty members as they aim to design literature-informed evaluations for their educational programs. PMID:28589073

The Spiral-Interactive Program Evaluation Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khaleel, Ibrahim Adamu

1988-01-01

Describes the spiral interactive program evaluation model, which is designed to evaluate vocational-technical education programs in secondary schools in Nigeria. Program evaluation is defined; utility oriented and process oriented models for evaluation are described; and internal and external evaluative factors and variables that define each…

A Qualitative Program Evaluation of a Structured Leadership Mentoring Program at a Large Aerospace Corporation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teller, Romney P.

2011-01-01

The researcher utilized a qualitative approach to conduct a program evaluation of the organization where he is employed. The study intended to serve as a program evaluation for the structured in-house mentoring program at a large aerospace corporation (A-Corp). This program evaluation clarified areas in which the current mentoring program is…

Interfacing theories of program with theories of evaluation for advancing evaluation practice: Reductionism, systems thinking, and pragmatic synthesis.

PubMed

Chen, Huey T

2016-12-01

Theories of program and theories of evaluation form the foundation of program evaluation theories. Theories of program reflect assumptions on how to conceptualize an intervention program for evaluation purposes, while theories of evaluation reflect assumptions on how to design useful evaluation. These two types of theories are related, but often discussed separately. This paper attempts to use three theoretical perspectives (reductionism, systems thinking, and pragmatic synthesis) to interface them and discuss the implications for evaluation practice. Reductionism proposes that an intervention program can be broken into crucial components for rigorous analyses; systems thinking view an intervention program as dynamic and complex, requiring a holistic examination. In spite of their contributions, reductionism and systems thinking represent the extreme ends of a theoretical spectrum; many real-world programs, however, may fall in the middle. Pragmatic synthesis is being developed to serve these moderate- complexity programs. These three theoretical perspectives have their own strengths and challenges. Knowledge on these three perspectives and their evaluation implications can provide a better guide for designing fruitful evaluations, improving the quality of evaluation practice, informing potential areas for developing cutting-edge evaluation approaches, and contributing to advancing program evaluation toward a mature applied science. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Culturally Responsive Evaluation Approach Applied to the Talent Development School-to-Career Intervention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manswell-Butty, Jo-Anne L.; Reid, Malva Daniel; LaPoint, Velma

2004-01-01

Program evaluation has long been used to reveal program characteristics, merits, and challenges. While providing information about program effectiveness, evaluations can also ensure understanding of program outcomes, efficiency, and quality. Furthermore, evaluations can analyze and examine a program's political and social environment as well as…

The State of Evaluation in Internal Medicine Residency

PubMed Central

Holmboe, Eric; Beasley, Brent W.

2008-01-01

Background There are no nationwide data on the methods residency programs are using to assess trainee competence. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has recommended tools that programs can use to evaluate their trainees. It is unknown if programs are adhering to these recommendations. Objective To describe evaluation methods used by our nation’s internal medicine residency programs and assess adherence to ACGME methodological recommendations for evaluation. Design Nationwide survey. Participants All internal medicine programs registered with the Association of Program Directors of Internal Medicine (APDIM). Measurements Descriptive statistics of programs and tools used to evaluate competence; compliance with ACGME recommended evaluative methods. Results The response rate was 70%. Programs were using an average of 4.2–6.0 tools to evaluate their trainees with heavy reliance on rating forms. Direct observation and practice and data-based tools were used much less frequently. Most programs were using at least 1 of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)’s “most desirable” methods of evaluation for all 6 measures of trainee competence. These programs had higher support staff to resident ratios than programs using less desirable evaluative methods. Conclusions Residency programs are using a large number and variety of tools for evaluating the competence of their trainees. Most are complying with ACGME recommended methods of evaluation especially if the support staff to resident ratio is high. PMID:18612734

Lessons from the trenches: meeting evaluation challenges in school health education.

PubMed

Young, Michael; Denny, George; Donnelly, Joseph

2012-11-01

Those involved in school health education programs generally believe that health-education programs can play an important role in helping young people make positive health decisions. Thus, it is to document the effects of such programs through rigorous evaluations published in peer-reviewed journals. This paper helps the reader understand the context of school health program evaluation, examines several problems and challenges, shows how problems can often be fixed, or prevented, and demonstrates ways in which challenges can be met. A number of topics are addressed, including distinguishing between curricula evaluation and evaluation of outcomes, types of evaluation, identifying stakeholders in school health evaluation, selection of a program evaluator, recruiting participants, design issues, staff training, parental consent, instrumentation, program implementation and treatment fidelity, participant retention, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, presentation of results, and manuscript preparation and submission. Although there is a lack of health-education program evaluation, rigorous evaluations that have been conducted have, at least in some cases, led to wider dissemination of effective programs. These suggestions will help those interested in school health education understand the importance of evaluation and will provide important guidelines for those conducting evaluations of school health-education programs. © 2012, American School Health Association.

Feedback Improvement in Automatic Program Evaluation Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skupas, Bronius

2010-01-01

Automatic program evaluation is a way to assess source program files. These techniques are used in learning management environments, programming exams and contest systems. However, use of automated program evaluation encounters problems: some evaluations are not clear for the students and the system messages do not show reasons for lost points.…

Use of program logic models in the Southern Rural Access Program evaluation.

PubMed

Pathman, Donald; Thaker, Samruddhi; Ricketts, Thomas C; Albright, Jennifer B

2003-01-01

The Southern Rural Access Program (SRAP) evaluation team used program logic models to clarify grantees' activities, objectives, and timelines. This information was used to benchmark data from grantees' progress reports to assess the program's successes. This article presents a brief background on the use of program logic models--essentially charts or diagrams specifying a program's planned activities, objectives, and goals--for evaluating and managing a program. It discusses the structure of the logic models chosen for the SRAP and how the model concept was introduced to the grantees to promote acceptance and use of the models. The article describes how the models helped clarify the program's objectives and helped lead agencies plan and manage the many program initiatives and subcontractors in their states. Models also provided a framework for grantees to report their progress to the National Program Office and evaluators and promoted the evaluators' visibility and acceptance by the grantees. Program logics, however, increased grantees' reporting requirements and demanded substantial time of the evaluators. Program logic models, on balance, proved their merit in the SRAP through their contributions to its management and evaluation and by providing a better understanding of the program's initiatives, successes, and potential impact.

A novel resident-as-teacher training program to improve and evaluate obstetrics and gynecology resident teaching skills.

PubMed

Ricciotti, Hope A; Dodge, Laura E; Head, Julia; Atkins, K Meredith; Hacker, Michele R

2012-01-01

Residents play a significant role in teaching, but formal training, feedback, and evaluation are needed. Our aims were to assess resident teaching skills in the resident-as-teacher program, quantify correlations of faculty evaluations with resident self-evaluations, compare resident-as-teacher evaluations with clinical evaluations, and evaluate the resident-as-teacher program. The resident-as-teacher training program is a simulated, videotaped teaching encounter with a trained medical student and standardized teaching evaluation tool. Evaluations from the resident-as-teacher training program were compared to evaluations of resident teaching done by faculty, residents, and medical students from the clinical setting. Faculty evaluation of resident teaching skills in the resident-as-teacher program showed a mean total score of 4.5 ± 0.5 with statistically significant correlations between faculty assessment and resident self-evaluations (r = 0.47; p < 0.001). However, resident self-evaluation of teaching skill was lower than faculty evaluation (mean difference: 0.4; 95% CI 0.3-0.6). When compared to the clinical setting, resident-as-teacher evaluations were significantly correlated with faculty and resident evaluations, but not medical student evaluations. Evaluations from both the resident-as-teacher program and the clinical setting improved with duration of residency. The resident-as-teacher program provides a method to train, give feedback, and evaluate resident teaching.

Program Evaluation of a Special Education Day School for Conduct Problem Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, Charles A.

1981-01-01

Describes a procedure for program evaluation of a special education day school. The procedure enables a program evaluator to: (1) identify priority evaluation information needs of a school staff, (2) involve those persons in evaluation design and implementation, and (3) determine the utility of the evaluation for program decision-making purposes.…

Evaluating programs that address ideological issues: ethical and practical considerations for practitioners and evaluators.

PubMed

Lieberman, Lisa D; Fagen, Michael C; Neiger, Brad L

2014-03-01

There are important practical and ethical considerations for organizations in conducting their own, or commissioning external, evaluations and for both practitioners and evaluators, when assessing programs built on strongly held ideological or philosophical approaches. Assessing whether programs "work" has strong political, financial, and/or moral implications, particularly when expending public dollars, and may challenge objectivity about a particular program or approach. Using a case study of the evaluation of a school-based abstinence-until-marriage program, this article discusses the challenges, lessons learned, and ethical responsibilities regarding decisions about evaluation, specifically associated with ideologically driven programs. Organizations should consider various stakeholders and views associated with their program to help identify potential pitfalls in evaluation. Once identified, the program or agency needs to carefully consider its answers to two key questions: Do they want the answer and are they willing to modify the program? Having decided to evaluate, the choice of evaluator is critical to assuring that ethical principles are maintained and potential skepticism or criticism of findings can be addressed appropriately. The relationship between program and evaluator, including agreements about ownership and eventual publication and/or promotion of data, should be addressed at the outset. Programs and organizations should consider, at the outset, their ethical responsibility when findings are not expected or desired. Ultimately, agencies, organizations, and programs have an ethical responsibility to use their data to provide health promotion programs, whether ideologically founded or not, that appropriately and effectively address the problems they seek to solve.

Educational Evaluation: Key Characteristics. ACER Research Series No. 102.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maling-Keepes, Jillian

A set of 13 key characteristics is presented as a framework for educational evaluation studies: (1) program's stage of development when evaluator is appointed; (2) program's openness to revision; (3) program uniformity from site to site; (4) specificity of program objectives; (5) evaluator's independence; (6) evaluator's orientation to value…

42 CFR 491.11 - Program evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Program evaluation. 491.11 Section 491.11 Public... Certification; and FQHCs Conditions for Coverage § 491.11 Program evaluation. (a) The clinic or center carries out, or arranges for, an annual evaluation of its total program. (b) The evaluation includes review of...

Evaluating Educational Programs. ERIC Digest Series Number EA 54.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beswick, Richard

In this digest, readers are introduced to the scope of instructional program evaluation and evaluators' changing roles in school districts. A program evaluation measures outcomes based on student-attainment goals, implementation levels, and external factors such as budgetary restraints and community support. Instructional program evaluation may be…

Developing Your Evaluation Plans: A Critical Component of Public Health Program Infrastructure.

PubMed

Lavinghouze, S Rene; Snyder, Kimberly

A program's infrastructure is often cited as critical to public health success. The Component Model of Infrastructure (CMI) identifies evaluation as essential under the core component of engaged data. An evaluation plan is a written document that describes how to monitor and evaluate a program, as well as how to use evaluation results for program improvement and decision making. The evaluation plan clarifies how to describe what the program did, how it worked, and why outcomes matter. We use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) "Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health" as a guide for developing an evaluation plan. Just as using a roadmap facilitates progress on a long journey, a well-written evaluation plan can clarify the direction your evaluation takes and facilitate achievement of the evaluation's objectives.

Evaluation of Career Guidance Programs: Models, Methods, and Microcomputers. Information Series No. 317.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crites, John O.

Evaluating the effectiveness of career guidance programs is a complex process, and few comprehensive models for evaluating such programs exist. Evaluation of career guidance programs has been hampered by the myth that program outcomes are uniform and monolithic. Findings from studies of attribute treatment interactions have revealed only a few…

Challenges to Evaluating Physical Activity Programs in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Erica Blue; Butler, James; Green, Kerry M.

2018-01-01

Despite the importance of evaluation to successful programming, a lack of physical activity program (PAP) evaluation for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) programs exists, which is significant given the high rates of obesity and diabetes in this population. While evaluation barriers have been identified broadly among AI/AN programs, challenges…

Evaluating Evaluations: The Case of Parent Involvement Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattingly, Doreen J.; Prislin, Radmila; McKenzie, Thomas L.; Rodriguez, James L.; Kayzar, Brenda

2002-01-01

This article analyzes 41 studies that evaluated K-12 parent involvement programs in order to assess claims that such programs are an effective means of improving student learning. It examines the characteristics of the parent involvement programs, as well as the research design, data, and analytical techniques used in program evaluation. Our…

Designing Global Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, P. C.; ORyan, C.

2012-12-01

In a time when sensationalism rules the online world, it is best to keep things short. The people of the online world are not passing back and forth lengthy articles, but rather brief glimpses of complex information. This is the target audience we attempt to educate. Our challenge is then to attack not only ignorance, but also apathy toward global climate change, while conforming to popular modes of learning. When communicating our scientific material, it was difficult to determine what level of information was appropriate for our audience, especially with complex subject matter. Our unconventional approach for communicating the carbon crisis as it applies to global climate change caters to these 'recreational learners'. Using story-telling devices acquired from Carolyne's biomedical art background coupled with Peter's extensive knowledge of carbon cycle and ecosystems science, we developed a dynamic series of illustrations that capture the attention of a callous audience. Adapting complex carbon cycle and climate science into comic-book-style animations creates a channel between artist, scientist, and the general public. Brief scenes of information accompanied by text provide a perfect platform for visual learners, as well as fresh portrayals of stale material for the jaded. In this way art transcends the barriers of the cerebral and the abstract, paving the road to understanding.;

Leptin induces proliferation of neuronal progenitors and neuroprotection in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Pérez-González, Rocío; Antequera, Desiree; Vargas, Teo; Spuch, Carlos; Bolós, Marta; Carro, Eva

2011-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with senile amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, neuronal death, and cognitive decline. Neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus, which is notably affected by progressive neurodegeneration and Aβ pathology, is implicated in learning and memory regulation. Human postmortem brains of AD patients and AβPP/PS1 double transgenic mice show increased neurodegeneration. Leptin, an adipose-derived hormone, promotes neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus, but the way in which this process occurs in the AD brain is still unknown. Thus, we sought to determine if leptin stimulated the proliferation of neuronal precursors in AβPP/PS1 mice. We estimated the number proliferating hippocampal cells after intracerebroventricular administration of a lentiviral vector encoding leptin. After 3 months of treatment with leptin we observed an increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus, as shown by morphometric analysis. This increase resulted mainly from an increased proliferation of neuronal precursors. Additionally, leptin led to an attenuation of Aβ-induced neurodegeneration, as revealed by Fluoro-Jade staining. Our results suggest that in AβPP/PS1 mice, leptin exerts changes resembling acute neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects. These effects could serve as the basis for the design of future treatment strategies in AD.

Iron and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: What is the empirical evidence so far? A systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Cortese, Samuele; Angriman, Marco; Lecendreux, Michel; Konofal, Eric

2012-10-01

The authors systematically reviewed evidence on iron status, as well as studies of iron supplementation, in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE and Web of Knowledge were searched on 4 July 2012. Quantitative appraisal of trials was performed using Jadad's score. Most (n = 20) of the retrieved studies assessed an index of peripheral iron status (i.e., serum ferritin), with overall mixed results - that is, both significant and nonsignificant association between ADHD symptoms and serum ferritin levels. One MRI study reported significantly lower indices of thalamic iron in ADHD versus comparison subjects. Two trials, an open-label and a pilot randomized placebo-controlled study with high Jaded score (4), showed improvement in some but not all measures of ADHD symptoms. Three studies showed that children with ADHD plus sleep disorders, in particular restless legs syndrome, are at risk of iron deficiency. Finally, two studies suggested that iron deficiency might decrease the effectiveness of psychostimulant treatment. The authors discussed how the field could move from initial research mainly focused on serum ferritin towards a more comprehensive and translational investigation of iron in ADHD, with the potential to inform clinical practice in terms of screening and treating iron deficiency in individuals with ADHD.

The spreading of misinformation online

PubMed Central

Del Vicario, Michela; Bessi, Alessandro; Zollo, Fabiana; Petroni, Fabio; Caldarelli, Guido; Stanley, H. Eugene; Quattrociocchi, Walter

2016-01-01

The wide availability of user-provided content in online social media facilitates the aggregation of people around common interests, worldviews, and narratives. However, the World Wide Web (WWW) also allows for the rapid dissemination of unsubstantiated rumors and conspiracy theories that often elicit rapid, large, but naive social responses such as the recent case of Jade Helm 15––where a simple military exercise turned out to be perceived as the beginning of a new civil war in the United States. In this work, we address the determinants governing misinformation spreading through a thorough quantitative analysis. In particular, we focus on how Facebook users consume information related to two distinct narratives: scientific and conspiracy news. We find that, although consumers of scientific and conspiracy stories present similar consumption patterns with respect to content, cascade dynamics differ. Selective exposure to content is the primary driver of content diffusion and generates the formation of homogeneous clusters, i.e., “echo chambers.” Indeed, homogeneity appears to be the primary driver for the diffusion of contents and each echo chamber has its own cascade dynamics. Finally, we introduce a data-driven percolation model mimicking rumor spreading and we show that homogeneity and polarization are the main determinants for predicting cascades’ size. PMID:26729863

Neuroprotective Effects of Sevoflurane against Electromagnetic Pulse-Induced Brain Injury through Inhibition of Neuronal Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis

PubMed Central

Wang, Jin; Han, Li-Chun; Li, Li-Ya; Wu, Guang-Li; Hou, Yan-Ning; Guo, Guo-Zhen; Wang, Qiang; Sang, Han-Fei; Xu, Li-Xian

2014-01-01

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) causes central nervous system damage and neurobehavioral disorders, and sevoflurane protects the brain from ischemic injury. We investigated the effects of sevoflurane on EMP-induced brain injury. Rats were exposed to EMP and immediately treated with sevoflurane. The protective effects of sevoflurane were assessed by Nissl staining, Fluoro-Jade C staining and electron microscopy. The neurobehavioral effects were assessed using the open-field test and the Morris water maze. Finally, primary cerebral cortical neurons were exposed to EMP and incubated with different concentration of sevoflurane. The cellular viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were assayed. TUNEL staining was performed, and the expression of apoptotic markers was determined. The cerebral cortexes of EMP-exposed rats presented neuronal abnormalities. Sevoflurane alleviated these effects, as well as the learning and memory deficits caused by EMP exposure. In vitro, cell viability was reduced and LDH release was increased after EMP exposure; treatment with sevoflurane ameliorated these effects. Additionally, sevoflurane increased SOD activity, decreased MDA levels and alleviated neuronal apoptosis by regulating the expression of cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2. These findings demonstrate that Sevoflurane conferred neuroprotective effects against EMP radiation-induced brain damage by inhibiting neuronal oxidative stress and apoptosis. PMID:24614080

A comparison of independent component analysis algorithms and measures to discriminate between EEG and artifact components.

PubMed

Dharmaprani, Dhani; Nguyen, Hoang K; Lewis, Trent W; DeLosAngeles, Dylan; Willoughby, John O; Pope, Kenneth J

2016-08-01

Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a powerful statistical tool capable of separating multivariate scalp electrical signals into their additive independent or source components, specifically EEG or electroencephalogram and artifacts. Although ICA is a widely accepted EEG signal processing technique, classification of the recovered independent components (ICs) is still flawed, as current practice still requires subjective human decisions. Here we build on the results from Fitzgibbon et al. [1] to compare three measures and three ICA algorithms. Using EEG data acquired during neuromuscular paralysis, we tested the ability of the measures (spectral slope, peripherality and spatial smoothness) and algorithms (FastICA, Infomax and JADE) to identify components containing EMG. Spatial smoothness showed differentiation between paralysis and pre-paralysis ICs comparable to spectral slope, whereas peripherality showed less differentiation. A combination of the measures showed better differentiation than any measure alone. Furthermore, FastICA provided the best discrimination between muscle-free and muscle-contaminated recordings in the shortest time, suggesting it may be the most suited to EEG applications of the considered algorithms. Spatial smoothness results suggest that a significant number of ICs are mixed, i.e. contain signals from more than one biological source, and so the development of an ICA algorithm that is optimised to produce ICs that are easily classifiable is warranted.

The pro-resolving lipid mediator Maresin 1 protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by attenuating the pro-inflammatory response

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

Xian, Wenjing; Wu, Yan; Xiong, Wei

Inflammation plays a crucial role in acute ischemic stroke pathogenesis. Macrophage-derived Maresin 1 (MaR1) is a newly uncovered mediator with potent anti-inflammatory abilities. Here, we investigated the effect of MaR1 on acute inflammation and neuroprotection in a mouse brain ischemia reperfusion (I/R) model. Male C57 mice were subjected to 1-h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. By the methods of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, haematoxylin and eosin or Fluoro-Jade B staining, neurological deficits scoring, ELISA detection, immunofluorescence assay and western blot analysis, we found that intracerebroventricular injection of MaR1 significantly reduced the infarct volume and neurological defects, essentially protected the brainmore » tissue and neurons from injury, alleviated pro-inflammatory reactions and NF-κB p65 activation and nuclear translocation. Taken together, our results suggest that MaR1 significantly protects against I/R injury probably by inhibiting pro-inflammatory reactions. - Highlights: • MaR1 significantly protects against ischemia reperfusion injury. • MaR1 inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and reducing glial activation and neutrophil infiltration. • These effects at least partially occurred via suppression of the NF-κB p65 signalling pathway.« less

Juno-UVS observation of the Io footprint: Influence of Io's local environment and passage into eclipse on the strength of the interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hue, V.; Gladstone, R.; Greathouse, T. K.; Versteeg, M.; Bonfond, B.; Saur, J.; Davis, M. W.; Roth, L.; Grodent, D. C.; Gerard, J. C. M. C.; Kammer, J.; Bolton, S. J.; Levin, S.; Connerney, J. E. P.

2017-12-01

The Juno mission offers an unprecedented opportunity to study Jupiter, from its internal structure to its magnetospheric environment. Juno-UVS is a UV spectrograph with a bandpass of 70<λ<205 nm, built to characterize Jupiter's UV emissions and provide remote sensing capacities for the onboard fields and particle instruments (MAG, Waves, JADE and JEDI). Juno's orbit allows observing Jupiter from a unique vantage point above the poles. In particular, UVS has observed the instantaneous Io footprint and extended tail as Io enters into eclipse. This observation may better constrain whether the atmosphere of Io is sustained via volcanic activity or sublimation. Among other processes, the modulation of Io's footprint brightness correlates to the strength of the interaction between the Io plasma torus and its ionosphere, which, in turn, is likely to be affected by the atmospheric collapse. UVS observed the Io footprint during two eclipses that occurred on PJ1 and PJ3, and one additional eclipse observation is planned during PJ9 (24 Oct. 2017). We present how the electrodynamic coupling between Io and Jupiter is influenced by changes in Io's local environment, e.g. Io's passage in and out of eclipse and Io's traverse of the magnetodisc plasma sheet.

Effect of hyperthermia on calbindin-D 28k immunoreactivity in the hippocampal formation following transient global cerebral ischemia in gerbils

PubMed Central

Lee, Jae-Chul; Cho, Jeong-Hwi; Lee, Tae-Kyeong; Kim, In Hye; Won, Moo-Ho; Cho, Geum-Sil; Shin, Bich-Na; Hwang, In Koo; Park, Joon Ha; Ahn, Ji Hyeon; Kang, Il Jun; Lee, Young Joo; Kim, Yang Hee

2017-01-01

Calbindin D-28K (CB), a Ca2+-binding protein, maintains Ca2+ homeostasis and protects neurons against various insults. Hyperthermia can exacerbate brain damage produced by ischemic insults. However, little is reported about the role of CB in the brain under hyperthermic condition during ischemic insults. We investigated the effects of transient global cerebral ischemia on CB immunoreactivity as well as neuronal damage in the hippocampal formation under hyperthermic condition using immunohistochemistry for neuronal nuclei (NeuN) and CB, and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence staining in gerbils. Hyperthermia (39.5 ± 0.2°C) was induced for 30 minutes before and during transient ischemia. Hyperthermic ischemia resulted in neuronal damage/death in the pyramidal layer of CA1–3 area and in the polymorphic layer of the dentate gyrus at 1, 2, 5 days after ischemia. In addition, hyperthermic ischemia significantly decreaced CB immunoreactivity in damaged or dying neurons at 1, 2, 5 days after ischemia. In brief, hyperthermic condition produced more extensive and severer neuronal damage/death, and reduced CB immunoreactivity in the hippocampus following transient global cerebral ischemia. Present findings indicate that the degree of reduced CB immunoreactivity might be related with various neuronal damage/death overtime and corresponding areas after ischemic insults. PMID:29089991

Neuroprotective effects of sevoflurane against electromagnetic pulse-induced brain injury through inhibition of neuronal oxidative stress and apoptosis.

PubMed

Deng, Bin; Xu, Hao; Zhang, Jin; Wang, Jin; Han, Li-Chun; Li, Li-Ya; Wu, Guang-Li; Hou, Yan-Ning; Guo, Guo-Zhen; Wang, Qiang; Sang, Han-Fei; Xu, Li-Xian

2014-01-01

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) causes central nervous system damage and neurobehavioral disorders, and sevoflurane protects the brain from ischemic injury. We investigated the effects of sevoflurane on EMP-induced brain injury. Rats were exposed to EMP and immediately treated with sevoflurane. The protective effects of sevoflurane were assessed by Nissl staining, Fluoro-Jade C staining and electron microscopy. The neurobehavioral effects were assessed using the open-field test and the Morris water maze. Finally, primary cerebral cortical neurons were exposed to EMP and incubated with different concentration of sevoflurane. The cellular viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were assayed. TUNEL staining was performed, and the expression of apoptotic markers was determined. The cerebral cortexes of EMP-exposed rats presented neuronal abnormalities. Sevoflurane alleviated these effects, as well as the learning and memory deficits caused by EMP exposure. In vitro, cell viability was reduced and LDH release was increased after EMP exposure; treatment with sevoflurane ameliorated these effects. Additionally, sevoflurane increased SOD activity, decreased MDA levels and alleviated neuronal apoptosis by regulating the expression of cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2. These findings demonstrate that Sevoflurane conferred neuroprotective effects against EMP radiation-induced brain damage by inhibiting neuronal oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Public figure announcements about cancer and opportunities for cancer communication: a review and research agenda.

PubMed

Noar, Seth M; Willoughby, Jessica Fitts; Myrick, Jessica Gall; Brown, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Announcements by public figures and celebrities about cancer diagnosis or death represent significant events in public life. But what are the substantive effects of such events, if any? The purpose of this article is to systematically review studies that examined the impact of public figure cancer announcements on cancer-oriented outcomes. Using comprehensive search procedures, we identified k = 19 studies that examined 11 distinct public figures. The most commonly studied public figures were Jade Goody, Kylie Minogue, Nancy Reagan, and Steve Jobs, with the most common cancers studied being breast (53%), cervical (21%), and pancreatic (21%) cancer. Most studies assessed multiple outcome variables, including behavioral outcomes (k = 15), media coverage (k = 10), information seeking (k = 8), cancer incidence (k = 3), and interpersonal communication (k = 2). Results fairly consistently indicated that cancer announcements from public figures had meaningful effects on many, if not most, of these outcome variables. While such events essentially act as naturally occurring interventions, the effects tend to be relatively short term. Gaps in this literature include few contemporary studies of high-profile public figures in the United States and a general lack of theory-based research. Directions for future research as well as implications for cancer communication and prevention are discussed.

Common plant toxicology: A comparison of national and Southwest Ohio data trends on plant poisonings in the 21st century

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

Petersen, Dan D., E-mail: petersen.dan@epa.gov

Data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) and the Cincinnati-based Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC) were analyzed to determine the incidence and trends of human plant poisonings since the year 2000. Approximately 3.4% of the approximately 4.3 million annual calls to the AAPCC centers involved plants, with a higher fraction (4.5%) for pediatric exposures. Nearly 70% of plant exposures occurred in children under six. Only 8% of cases required treatment in a health-care facility, and only 0.1% (in 2008) were considered severe outcomes. The most prominent groups of plants involved in exposures are those containing oxalates,more » and the most common symptom is gastroenteritis. The top 12 identified plants (in descending order) nationally were Spathiphyllum species (peace lilly), Philodendron species (philodendron), Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinssettia), Ilex species (holly), Phytolacca americana (pokeweed), Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy), Capsicum (pepper), Ficus (rubber tree, weeping fig), Crassula argentea (jade plant), Diffenbachia (dumb cane), Epipremnum areum (pothos) and Schlumbergera bridesii (Christmas cactus). Broad overlaps between the DPIC and the AAPCC incidence data were noted, with essentially the same plant species in each dataset. The nature of the various toxins, the symptomatology and potential treatments are discussed for the highest ranking plant species.« less

HPHT reservoir evolution: a case study from Jade and Judy fields, Central Graben, UK North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

di Primio, Rolando; Neumann, Volkmar

2008-09-01

3D basin modelling of a study area in Quadrant 30, UK North Sea was performed in order to elucidate the burial, thermal, pressure and hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation history in the Jurassic and Triassic high pressure high temperature sequences. Calibration data, including reservoir temperatures, pressures, petroleum compositional data, vitrinite reflectance profiles and published fluid inclusion data were used to constrain model predictions. The comparison of different pressure generating processes indicated that only when gas generation is taken into account as a pressure generating mechanism, both the predicted present day as well as palaeo-pressure evolution matches the available calibration data. Compositional modelling of hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation also reproduced present and palaeo bulk fluid properties such as the reservoir fluid gas to oil ratios. The reconstruction of the filling histories of both reservoirs indicates that both were first charged around 100 Ma ago and contained initially a two-phase system in which gas dominated volumetrically. Upon burial reservoir fluid composition evolved to higher GORs and became undersaturated as a function of increasing pore pressure up to the present day situation. Our results indicate that gas compositions must be taken into account when calculating the volumetric effect of gas generation on overpressure.

Neuroprotective pentapeptide CN-105 is associated with reduced sterile inflammation and improved functional outcomes in a traumatic brain injury murine model

PubMed Central

Laskowitz, Daniel T.; Wang, Haichen; Chen, Tony; Lubkin, David T.; Cantillana, Viviana; Tu, Tian Ming; Kernagis, Dawn; Zhou, Guanen; Macy, Gary; Kolls, Bradley J.; Dawson, Hana N.

2017-01-01

At present, there are no proven pharmacological treatments demonstrated to improve long term functional outcomes following traumatic brain injury(TBI). In the setting of non-penetrating TBI, sterile brain inflammatory responses are associated with the development of cerebral edema, intracranial hypertension, and secondary neuronal injury. There is increasing evidence that endogenous apolipoprotein E(apoE) modifies the neuroinflammatory response through its role in downregulating glial activation, however, the intact apoE holoprotein does not cross the blood-brain barrier due to its size. To address this limitation, we developed a small 5 amino acid apoE mimetic peptide(CN-105) that mimics the polar face of the apoE helical domain involved in receptor interactions. The goal of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of CN-105 in a murine model of closed head injury. Treatment with CN-105 was associated with a durable improvement in functional outcomes as assessed by Rotarod and Morris Water Maze and a reduction in positive Fluoro-Jade B stained injured neurons and microglial activation. Administration of CN-105 was also associated with reduction in mRNA expression of a subset of inflammatory and immune-related genes. PMID:28429734

Neuroprotective effect of oxaloacetate in a focal brain ischemic model in the rat.

PubMed

Knapp, L; Gellért, L; Kocsis, K; Kis, Z; Farkas, T; Vécsei, L; Toldi, J

2015-01-01

During an ischemic event, the well-regulated glutamate (Glu) homeostasis is disturbed, which gives rise to extremely high levels of this excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain tissues. It was earlier reported that the administration of oxaloacetate (OxAc) as a Glu scavenger reduces the Glu level in the brain by enhancing the brain-to-blood Glu efflux. Here, we studied the neuroprotective effect of OxAc administration in a new focal ischemic model in rats. Occlusion of the middle cerebral artery resulted in immediate reduction of the somatosensory-evoked responses (SERs), and the amplitudes remained at the reduced level throughout the whole ischemic period. On reperfusion, the SERs started to increase, but never reached the control level. OxAc proved to be protective, since the amplitudes started to recover even during the ischemia, and finally fully regained the control level. The findings of the histological measurements were in accordance with the electrophysiological data. After Fluoro Jade C staining, significantly fewer labeled cells were detected in the OxAc-treated group relative to the control. These results provide new evidence of the neuroprotective effect of OxAc against ischemic injury, which strengthens the likelihood of its future applicability as a novel neuroprotective agent for the treatment of ischemic stroke patients.

Development of a program logic model and evaluation plan for a participatory ergonomics intervention in construction.

PubMed

Jaegers, Lisa; Dale, Ann Marie; Weaver, Nancy; Buchholz, Bryan; Welch, Laura; Evanoff, Bradley

2014-03-01

Intervention studies in participatory ergonomics (PE) are often difficult to interpret due to limited descriptions of program planning and evaluation. In an ongoing PE program with floor layers, we developed a logic model to describe our program plan, and process and summative evaluations designed to describe the efficacy of the program. The logic model was a useful tool for describing the program elements and subsequent modifications. The process evaluation measured how well the program was delivered as intended, and revealed the need for program modifications. The summative evaluation provided early measures of the efficacy of the program as delivered. Inadequate information on program delivery may lead to erroneous conclusions about intervention efficacy due to Type III error. A logic model guided the delivery and evaluation of our intervention and provides useful information to aid interpretation of results. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of a Program Logic Model and Evaluation Plan for a Participatory Ergonomics Intervention in Construction

PubMed Central

Jaegers, Lisa; Dale, Ann Marie; Weaver, Nancy; Buchholz, Bryan; Welch, Laura; Evanoff, Bradley

2013-01-01

Background Intervention studies in participatory ergonomics (PE) are often difficult to interpret due to limited descriptions of program planning and evaluation. Methods In an ongoing PE program with floor layers, we developed a logic model to describe our program plan, and process and summative evaluations designed to describe the efficacy of the program. Results The logic model was a useful tool for describing the program elements and subsequent modifications. The process evaluation measured how well the program was delivered as intended, and revealed the need for program modifications. The summative evaluation provided early measures of the efficacy of the program as delivered. Conclusions Inadequate information on program delivery may lead to erroneous conclusions about intervention efficacy due to Type III error. A logic model guided the delivery and evaluation of our intervention and provides useful information to aid interpretation of results. PMID:24006097

An Evaluation Program for the Eckerd Foundation Therapeutic Wilderness Camping Program: An Evaluation of an Atypical Alternative Education Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, William H.; Carter, James D.

The strategy used in evaluating an out-of-doors resident camping program for emotionally disturbed children is outlined. This strategy calls for examining the following elements in the program: (1) program goals and objectives; (2) collection and processing program data; (3) camper progress assessment; (4) program audit; (5) assessment of past…

Evaluation Planning, Evaluation Management, and Utilization of Evaluation Results within Adult Literacy Campaigns, Programs and Projects (with Implications for Adult Basic Education and Nonformal Education Programs in General). A Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhola, H. S.

Addressed to professionals involved in program evaluation, this working paper covers various aspects of evaluation planning, including the following: planning as a sociotechnical process, steps in evaluation planning, program planning and implementation versus evaluation planning and implementation, the literacy system and its subsystems, and some…

Planning Evaluation through the Program Life Cycle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheirer, Mary Ann; Mark, Melvin M.; Brooks, Ariana; Grob, George F.; Chapel, Thomas J.; Geisz, Mary; McKaughan, Molly; Leviton, Laura

2012-01-01

Linking evaluation methods to the several phases of a program's life cycle can provide evaluation planners and funders with guidance about what types of evaluation are most appropriate over the trajectory of social and educational programs and other interventions. If methods are matched to the needs of program phases, evaluation can and should…

The Evaluator's Role in Recommending Program Closure: A Model for Decision Making and Professional Responsibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eddy, Rebecca M.; Berry, Tiffany

2009-01-01

Evaluators face challenges when programs consistently fail to meet expectations for performance or improvement and consequently, evaluators may recommend that closing a program is the most prudent course of action. However, the evaluation literature provides little guidance regarding when an evaluator might recommend program closure. Given…

Evaluation of programs to improve complementary feeding in infants and young children.

PubMed

Frongillo, Edward A

2017-10-01

Evaluation of complementary feeding programs is needed to enhance knowledge on what works, to document responsible use of resources, and for advocacy. Evaluation is done during program conceptualization and design, implementation, and determination of effectiveness. This paper explains the role of evaluation in the advancement of complementary feeding programs, presenting concepts and methods and illustrating them through examples. Planning and investments for evaluations should occur from the beginning of the project life cycle. Essential to evaluation is articulation of a program theory on how change would occur and what program actions are required for change. Analysis of program impact pathways makes explicit the dynamic connections in the program theory and accounts for contextual factors that could influence program effectiveness. Evaluating implementation functioning is done through addressing questions about needs, coverage, provision, and utilization using information obtained from process evaluation, operations research, and monitoring. Evaluating effectiveness is done through assessing impact, efficiency, coverage, process, and causality. Plausibility designs ask whether the program seemed to have an effect above and beyond external influences, often using a nonrandomized control group and baseline and end line measures. Probability designs ask whether there was an effect using a randomized control group. Evaluations may not be able to use randomization, particularly for programs implemented at a large scale. Plausibility designs, innovative designs, or innovative combinations of designs sometimes are best able to provide useful information. Further work is needed to develop practical designs for evaluation of large-scale country programs on complementary feeding. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Evaluation to Guide and Validate Improvements to the Utah Master Naturalist Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larese-Casanova, Mark

2015-01-01

Integrating evaluation into an Extension program offers multiple opportunities to understand program success through achieving program goals and objectives, delivering programming using the most effective techniques, and refining program audiences. It is less common that evaluation is used to guide and validate the effectiveness of program…

Program Fair Evaluation--Summative Appraisal of Instructional Sequences with Dissimilar Objectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popham, W. James

A comparative evaluation involving two instructional programs is given, although the approach can easily serve to compare more than two programs. The steps involved in conducting a program fair evaluation of two instructional programs are: (1) Identify objectives (a) common to both programs, (b) unique to one program, and (c) unique to the other…

Critical evaluation of international health programs: Reframing global health and evaluation.

PubMed

Chi, Chunhuei; Tuepker, Anaïs; Schoon, Rebecca; Núñez Mondaca, Alicia

2018-04-01

Striking changes in the funding and implementation of international health programs in recent decades have stimulated debate about the role of communities in deciding which health programs to implement. An important yet neglected piece of that discussion is the need to change norms in program evaluation so that analysis of community ownership, beyond various degrees of "participation," is seen as central to strong evaluation practices. This article challenges mainstream evaluation practices and proposes a framework of Critical Evaluation with 3 levels: upstream evaluation assessing the "who" and "how" of programming decisions; midstream evaluation focusing on the "who" and "how" of selecting program objectives; and downstream evaluation, the focus of current mainstream evaluation, which assesses whether the program achieved its stated objectives. A vital tenet of our framework is that a community possesses the right to determine the path of its health development. A prerequisite of success, regardless of technical outcomes, is that programs must address communities' high priority concerns. Current participatory methods still seldom practice community ownership of program selection because they are vulnerable to funding agencies' predetermined priorities. In addition to critiquing evaluation practices and proposing an alternative framework, we acknowledge likely challenges and propose directions for future research. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A systematic review of evaluated suicide prevention programs targeting indigenous youth.

PubMed

Harlow, Alyssa F; Bohanna, India; Clough, Alan

2014-01-01

Indigenous young people have significantly higher suicide rates than their non-indigenous counterparts. There is a need for culturally appropriate and effective suicide prevention programs for this demographic. This review assesses suicide prevention programs that have been evaluated for indigenous youth in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The databases MEDLINE and PsycINFO were searched for publications on suicide prevention programs targeting indigenous youth that include reports on evaluations and outcomes. Program content, indigenous involvement, evaluation design, program implementation, and outcomes were assessed for each article. The search yielded 229 articles; 90 abstracts were assessed, and 11 articles describing nine programs were reviewed. Two Australian programs and seven American programs were included. Programs were culturally tailored, flexible, and incorporated multiple-levels of prevention. No randomized controlled trials were found, and many programs employed ad hoc evaluations, poor program description, and no process evaluation. Despite culturally appropriate content, the results of the review indicate that more controlled study designs using planned evaluations and valid outcome measures are needed in research on indigenous youth suicide prevention. Such changes may positively influence the future of research on indigenous youth suicide prevention as the outcomes and efficacy will be more reliable.

Let's get technical: Enhancing program evaluation through the use and integration of internet and mobile technologies.

PubMed

Materia, Frank T; Miller, Elizabeth A; Runion, Megan C; Chesnut, Ryan P; Irvin, Jamie B; Richardson, Cameron B; Perkins, Daniel F

2016-06-01

Program evaluation has become increasingly important, and information on program performance often drives funding decisions. Technology use and integration can help ease the burdens associated with program evaluation by reducing the resources needed (e.g., time, money, staff) and increasing evaluation efficiency. This paper reviews how program evaluators, across disciplines, can apply internet and mobile technologies to key aspects of program evaluation, which consist of participant registration, participant tracking and retention, process evaluation (e.g., fidelity, assignment completion), and outcome evaluation (e.g., behavior change, knowledge gain). In addition, the paper focuses on the ease of use, relative cost, and fit with populations. An examination on how these tools can be integrated to enhance data collection and program evaluation is discussed. Important limitations of and considerations for technology integration, including the level of technical skill, cost needed to integrate various technologies, data management strategies, and ethical considerations, are highlighted. Lastly, a case study of technology use in an evaluation conducted by the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State is presented and illustrates how technology integration can enhance program evaluation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Environmental Education in Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connect, 1984

1984-01-01

This newsletter discusses the evaluation of environmental education (EE) in schools, highlighting an introductory chapter of a proposed Unesco-United Nations environmental program guide on evaluating such programs. The benefits of evaluating an EE program (including program improvement, growth in student learning, better environment, and program…

Development, implementation, and evaluation of a multi-addiction prevention program for primary school students in Hong Kong: the B.E.S.T. Teen Program.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Yu, Lu; Leung, Hildie; Wu, Florence K Y; Law, Moon Y M

Based on the evaluation findings of the B.E.S.T. Teen Program which aimed at promoting behavioral, emotional, social, and thinking competencies in primary school students, it is argued in this paper that promotion of psychosocial competence to prevent addiction in primary school students is a promising strategy. A total of 382 Primary 5 (Grade 5) and 297 Primary 6 (Grade 6) students from five primary schools in Hong Kong participated in the program. Different evaluation strategies were adopted to evaluate the program. First, objective outcome evaluation adopting a non-equivalent group pretest-posttest experimental-control group design was conducted to examine change in the students. Second, to gauge students' perceptions of the program, subjective outcome evaluation was conducted. The evaluation findings basically converged to tentatively suggest that young adolescents benefited from participating in the program. Implications on the development, implementation, and evaluation of addiction prevention programs for teenagers are discussed.

Evaluating Faculty Development and Clinical Training Programs in Substance Abuse: A Guide Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klitzner, Michael; Stewart, Kathryn

Intended to provide an overview of program evaluation as it applies to the evaluation of faculty development and clinical training programs in substance abuse for health and mental health professional schools, this guide enables program developers and other faculty to work as partners with evaluators in the development of evaluation designs that…

The Discrepancy Evaluation Model: A Systematic Approach for the Evaluation of Career Planning and Placement Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buttram, Joan L.; Covert, Robert W.

The Discrepancy Evaluation Model (DEM), developed in 1966 by Malcolm Provus, provides information for program assessment and program improvement. Under the DEM, evaluation is defined as the comparison of an actual performance to a desired standard. The DEM embodies five stages of evaluation based upon a program's natural development: program…

Learning From Small-Scale Experimental Evaluations of After School Programs. Snapshot Number 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard University, 2006

2006-01-01

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database contains profiles of out-of-school time (OST) program evaluations. Its purpose is to provide accessible information about previous and current evaluations to support the development of high quality evaluations and programs in the OST field. Types of Programs…

Evaluation of NASA space grant consortia programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisenberg, Martin A.

1990-01-01

The meaningful evaluation of the NASA Space Grant Consortium and Fellowship Programs must overcome unusual difficulties: (1) the program, in its infancy, is undergoing dynamic change; (2) the several state consortia and universities have widely divergent parochial goals that defy a uniform evaluative process; and (3) the pilot-sized consortium programs require that the evaluative process be economical in human costs less the process of evaluation comprise the effectiveness of the programs they are meant to assess. This paper represents an attempt to assess the context in which evaluation is to be conducted, the goals and limitations inherent to the evaluation, and to recommend appropriate guidelines for evaluation.

Right timing in formative program evaluation.

PubMed

Hall, Jori; Freeman, Melissa; Roulston, Kathy

2014-08-01

Since many educational researchers and program developers have limited knowledge of formative evaluation, formative data may be underutilized during the development and implementation of an educational program. The purpose of this article is to explain how participatory, responsive, educative, and qualitative approaches to formative evaluation can facilitate a partnership between evaluators and educational researchers and program managers to generate data useful to inform program implementation and improvement. This partnership is critical, we argue, because it enables an awareness of when to take appropriate action to ensure successful educational programs or "kairos". To illustrate, we use examples from our own evaluation work to highlight how formative evaluation may facilitate opportune moments to (1) define the substance and purpose of a program, (2) develop understanding and awareness of the cultural interpretations of program participants, and (3) show the relevance of stakeholder experiences to program goals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moving the Needle on Program Quality: An Examination of the Organizational Characteristics That Drive Improvement in Expanded Learning Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormick, Silvana

2017-01-01

Program evaluation can play a critical role in supporting high quality implementation of social programs to help them achieve their goal of social impact. Evaluation scholars have developed a wide range of strategies to help build programs' internal evaluation capacity in an effort to support meaningful use of evaluation. However, the evaluation…

FHWA Research and Technology Evaluation: Public-Private Partnership Capacity Building Program

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-01

This report details the evaluation of the Federal Highway Administrations Office of Innovative Program Delivery Public-Private Partnership (P3) Capacity Building Program (P3 Program). The evaluators focused on the P3 Programs P3 Toolkit as an e...

The Value in Evaluating and Communicating Program Impact: The Ohio BR&E Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daivs, Gregory

2012-01-01

Assessing program impact can provide useful program evaluation data. It also provides a basis for program development, marketing, and justification. This article discusses recent impact evaluation efforts and findings of a long-time Extension program; referred to as Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E). How such information can be…

76 FR 62813 - Pilot Program To Evaluate Proposed Proprietary Name Submissions; Public Meeting on Pilot Program...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-11

...] Pilot Program To Evaluate Proposed Proprietary Name Submissions; Public Meeting on Pilot Program Results... voluntary pilot program that enabled participating pharmaceutical firms to evaluate proposed proprietary... public meeting at the end of fiscal year 2011 to discuss the results of the pilot program, but the Agency...

General Criteria for Evaluating Social Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipman, Stephanie

1989-01-01

A framework of general evaluation criteria for ensuring the comprehensiveness of program reviews and appropriate and fair comparison of children's programs is outlined. It has two components: (1) descriptive; and (2) evaluative. The framework was developed by researchers at the General Accounting Office for evaluation of federal programs. (TJH)

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

Program Evaluation Interest and Skills of School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Astramovich, Randall L.

2017-01-01

School counselors participated in a study examining their program evaluation interest and skills. Findings suggest that school counselors understand the importance of program evaluation, yet they may lack the skills and confidence to successfully engage in program evaluation activities. Professional development training may be an important method…

29 CFR 1960.80 - Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs § 1960.80 Secretary's evaluations of agency occupational safety and health... evaluating an agency's occupational safety and health program. To accomplish this, the Secretary shall...

Evaluating adolescent pregnancy programs: rethinking our priorities.

PubMed

Stahler, G J; DuCette, J P

1991-01-01

Noting that impact evaluations of adolescent pregnancy programs are characterized by poor quality, the authors recommend using a different standard in assessing the value of programs. While the number of adolescent pregnancy programs has multiplied during the last 3 decades, little is known about their impact in ameliorating the negative consequences of too-early childbearing. An ideal evaluation of these programs would randomly select and randomly assign subjects to experimental and control groups. But evaluations conducted by individual program generally face obstacles that limit the randomness of the study. most individual programs lack the financial resources and do not employ the full-time professional evaluators needed to carry out a valid evaluation. These factors result in too short an evaluation period, incomplete and inaccurate data, and lack of randomness in the assignment of control groups. To more accurately assess the impact of the programs, the authors recommend that individual programs focus on process evaluation and collection of complete and reliable data on their clients. From the onset, a program should have a clear description of its content, logic of intervention, and method of implementation. It should maintain thorough records on client characteristics, service utilization, and should conduct long-term follow-ups. For rigorous impact evaluations, programs should rely on 3rd party entities. These independent organizations -- universities or research institutes -- do not have a stake in the outcome of the evaluation, making the study all the more objective. Furthermore, they provide experienced researchers.

A multivariate analytical method to characterize sediment attributes from high-frequency acoustic backscatter and ground-truthing data (Jade Bay, German North Sea coast)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biondo, Manuela; Bartholomä, Alexander

2017-04-01

One of the burning issues on the topic of acoustic seabed classification is the lack of solid, repeatable, statistical procedures that can support the verification of acoustic variability in relation to seabed properties. Acoustic sediment classification schemes often lead to biased and subjective interpretation, as they ultimately aim at an oversimplified categorization of the seabed based on conventionally defined sediment types. However, grain size variability alone cannot be accounted for acoustic diversity, which will be ultimately affected by multiple physical processes, scale of heterogeneity, instrument settings, data quality, image processing and segmentation performances. Understanding and assessing the weight of all of these factors on backscatter is a difficult task, due to the spatially limited and fragmentary knowledge of the seabed from of direct observations (e.g. grab samples, cores, videos). In particular, large-scale mapping requires an enormous availability of ground-truthing data that is often obtained from heterogeneous and multidisciplinary sources, resulting into a further chance of misclassification. Independently from all of these limitations, acoustic segments still contain signals for seabed changes that, if appropriate procedures are established, can be translated into meaningful knowledge. In this study we design a simple, repeatable method, based on multivariate procedures, with the scope to classify a 100 km2, high-frequency (450 kHz) sidescan sonar mosaic acquired in the year 2012 in the shallow upper-mesotidal inlet of the Jade Bay (German North Sea coast). The tool used for the automated classification of the backscatter mosaic is the QTC SWATHVIEWTMsoftware. The ground-truthing database included grab sample data from multiple sources (2009-2011). The method was designed to extrapolate quantitative descriptors for acoustic backscatter and model their spatial changes in relation to grain size distribution and morphology. The modelled relationships were used to: 1) asses the automated segmentation performance, 2) obtain a ranking of most discriminant seabed attributes responsible for acoustic diversity, 3) select the best-fit ground-truthing information to characterize each acoustic class. Using a supervised Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), relationships between seabed parameters and acoustic classes discrimination were modelled, and acoustic classes for each data point were predicted. The model predicted a success rate of 63.5%. An unsupervised LDA was used to model relationships between acoustic variables and clustered seabed categories with the scope of identifying misrepresentative ground-truthing data points. The model prediction scored a success rate of 50.8%. Misclassified data points were disregarded for final classification. Analyses led to clearer, more accurate appreciation of relationship patterns and improved understanding of site-specific processes affecting the acoustic signal. Value to the qualitative classification output was added by comparing the latter with a more recent set of acoustic and ground-truthing information (2014). Classification resulted in the first acoustic sediment map ever produced in the area and offered valuable knowledge for detailed sediment variability. The method proved to be a simple, repeatable strategy that may be applied to similar work and environments.

Evaluation readiness: improved evaluation planning using a data inventory framework.

PubMed

Cohen, A B; Hall, K C; Cohodes, D R

1985-01-01

Factors intrinsic to many programs, such as ambiguously stated objectives, inadequately defined performance measures, and incomplete or unreliable databases, often conspire to limit the evaluability of these programs. Current evaluation planning approaches are somewhat constrained in their ability to overcome these obstacles and to achieve full preparedness for evaluation. In this paper, the concept of evaluation readiness is introduced as a complement to other evaluation planning approaches, most notably that of evaluability assessment. The basic products of evaluation readiness--the formal program definition and the data inventory framework--are described, along with a guide for assuring more timely and appropriate evaluation response capability to support the decision making needs of program managers. The utility of evaluation readiness for program planning, as well as for effective management, is also discussed.

Measuring Success: Evaluating Educational Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Yael

2010-01-01

This paper reveals a new evaluation model, which enables educational program and project managers to evaluate their programs with a simple and easy to understand approach. The "index of success model" is comprised of five parameters that enable to focus on and evaluate both the implementation and results of an educational program. The…

The Role of Evaluation and Plans for Evaluating the Current Testing Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winters, Lynn

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Office of Program Evaluation and Research is responsible for providing information for program development and improvement; providing test information to special programs coordinators; and acting as a clearinghouse for all information concerning tests, evaluation methodology, and educational…

Tools for Formative Evaluation: Gathering the Information Necessary for Program Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayaratne, K. S. U.

2016-01-01

New Extension educators experience a steep learning curve when attempting to develop effective Extension programs. Formative evaluation is helpful to new, and experienced, Extension educators in determining the changes necessary for making programs more effective. Formative evaluation is an essential part of program evaluation. However, its use…

Dissemination and implementation science in program evaluation: A telemental health clinical consultation case example.

PubMed

Arora, Prerna G; Connors, Elizabeth H; Blizzard, Angela; Coble, Kelly; Gloff, Nicole; Pruitt, David

2017-02-01

Increased attention has been placed on evaluating the extent to which clinical programs that support the behavioral health needs of youth have effective processes and result in improved patient outcomes. Several theoretical frameworks from dissemination and implementation (D&I) science have been put forth to guide the evaluation of behavioral health program implemented in the context of real-world settings. Although a strong rationale for the integration of D&I science in program evaluation exists, few examples exist available to guide the evaluator in integrating D&I science in the planning and execution of evaluation activities. This paper seeks to inform program evaluation efforts by outlining two D&I frameworks and describing their integration in program evaluation design. Specifically, this paper seeks to support evaluation efforts by illustrating the use of these frameworks via a case example of a telemental health consultation program in pediatric primary care designed to improve access to behavioral health care for children and adolescents in rural settings. Lessons learned from this effort, as well as recommendations regarding the future evaluation of programs using D&I science to support behavioral health care in community-based settings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From Implementation to Outcomes to Impacts: Designing a Comprehensive Program Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shebby, S.

2015-12-01

Funders are often interested in learning about the impact of program activities, yet before the impacts are determined, educational evaluations should first examine program implementation and outcomes. Implementation evaluation examines how and the extent to which program activities are delivered as intended, including the extent to which activities reached the targeted participants. Outcome evaluation is comprised of a systematic examination of the effects that a program has on program participants, such as changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors. In this presentation, presenters will share insights on evaluating the implementation, outcomes, and impacts associated with an online science curriculum for K-2 students. The science curriculum was designed to provide students with access to science concepts and skills in an interactive and innovative environment, and teachers with embedded, aligned, and on-demand professional development. One of the most important—and challenging—steps in this evaluation was to select outcomes that were well-defined, measurable, and aligned to program activities, as well as relevant to program stakeholders. An additional challenge was to measure implementation given limited access to the classroom environment. This presentation will include a discussion of the process evaluators used to select appropriate implementation indicators and outcomes (teacher and student), design an evaluation approach, and craft data collection instruments. Although examples provided are specific to the K-2 science intervention, the best practices discussed are pertinent to all program and event evaluations. Impact evaluation goes beyond implementation and outcome evaluation to inform whether a program is working or not. It requires a comparison group to inform what outcomes would have been in the absence of the intervention. As such, this presentation will also include a discussion of impacts, including how impacts are defined and measured, and some common challenges in evaluating program impact.

Lazy evaluation of FP programs: A data-flow approach

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

Wei, Y.H.; Gaudiot, J.L.

1988-12-31

This paper presents a lazy evaluation system for the list-based functional language, Backus` FP in data-driven environment. A superset language of FP, called DFP (Demand-driven FP), is introduced. FP eager programs are transformed into DFP lazy programs which contain the notions of demands. The data-driven execution of DFP programs has the same effects of lazy evaluation. DFP lazy programs have the property of always evaluating a sufficient and necessary result. The infinite sequence generator is used to demonstrate the eager-lazy program transformation and the execution of the lazy programs.

Summary of Program Evaluation Results: 1985-1986 School Year Pre-Kindergarten Educational Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heath, Robert W.; And Others

Reported are findings of the 1985-86 program evaluation of the prenatal-to-preschool and preschool programs operating under the auspices of the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate. Evaluation of the prenatal-to-preschool program (the Kupulani Program) included item analysis of the Questions about Pregnancy Test, development of a revised data…

Integrating Program Theory and Systems-Based Procedures in Program Evaluation: A Dynamic Approach to Evaluate Educational Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grammatikopoulos, Vasilis

2012-01-01

The current study attempts to integrate parts of program theory and systems-based procedures in educational program evaluation. The educational program that was implemented, called the "Early Steps" project, proposed that physical education can contribute to various educational goals apart from the usual motor skills improvement. Basic…

Leisure Today. Leisure Programming: The State of the Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busser, James A.; And Others

1993-01-01

Nine articles examine current topics in leisure programing, including program design and evaluation, program design through imagery, keys to quality leisure programing, programing with style, total quality program planning, evaluation of leisure programs, programing for older adults, and the intergenerational entrepreneurship demonstration…

Evaluating Educational Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Samuel

The activities of Educational Testing Service (ETS) in evaluating educational programs are described. Program evaluations are categorized as needs assessment, formative evaluation, or summative evaluation. Three classic efforts which illustrate the range of ETS' participation are the Pennsylvania Goals Study (1965), the Coleman Report--Equality of…

The opportunities and challenges of multi-site evaluations: lessons from the jail diversion and trauma recovery national cross-site evaluation.

PubMed

Stainbrook, Kristin; Penney, Darby; Elwyn, Laura

2015-06-01

Multi-site evaluations, particularly of federally funded service programs, pose a special set of challenges for program evaluation. Not only are there contextual differences related to project location, there are often relatively few programmatic requirements, which results in variations in program models, target populations and services. The Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery-Priority to Veterans (JDTR) National Cross-Site Evaluation was tasked with conducting a multi-site evaluation of thirteen grantee programs that varied along multiple domains. This article describes the use of a mixed methods evaluation design to understand the jail diversion programs and client outcomes for veterans with trauma, mental health and/or substance use problems. We discuss the challenges encountered in evaluating diverse programs, the benefits of the evaluation in the face of these challenges, and offer lessons learned for other evaluators undertaking this type of evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Bereavement Support Program for Survivors of Cancer Deaths: A Description and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Souter, Susan J.; Moore, Timothy E.

1990-01-01

Describes bereavement support program for survivors of cancer deaths developed by Riverdale Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Presents detailed program evaluation which asked bereaved survivors who were program participants for one year to evaluate program aspects and facilitation of their grief by volunteers. Recommendations for expansion and…

Title V Delinquency Prevention Program. Community Self-Evaluation Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caliber Associates, Fairfax, VA.

This workbook is designed to help communities and program administrators assess the success of their Title V delinquency prevention programs, but it may serve as an evaluation tool for other prevention efforts as well. It provides information and resource aids on program planning, conducting evaluations, tracking programs, describing activities,…

The Evaluation and Research of Multi-Project Programs: Program Component Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Eva L.

1977-01-01

It is difficult to base evaluations on concepts irrelevant to state policy making. Evaluation of a multiproject program requires both time and differentiation of method. Data from the California Early Childhood Program illustrate process variables for program component analysis, and research questions for intraprogram comparison. (CP)

LEA Title VII Program Evaluations. Panel Presentations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balu, Raj

These panel presentations focus on LEA Title VII Program Evaluations. Raj Balu, an administrator of bilingual programs in Chicago presents information regarding the bilingual education program in the Chicago public schools, as well as information on Title VII programs and what kind of evaluation is being done. Jesus Salazar, who is currently…

Evaluating Social Programs at the State and Local Level. The JTPA Evaluation Design Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blalock, Ann Bonar, Ed.; And Others

This book on evaluating social programs is an outcome of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Evaluation Design Project, which produced a set of 10 guides for the evaluation of state and local JTPA programs. This book distills ideas from these guides and applies them to a larger context. Part 1 presents a general approach to program evaluation…

Program Theory and Quality Matter: Changing the Course of Extension Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Mary E.; Cater, Melissa

2016-01-01

As internal evaluators for the 4-H program in two states, we simultaneously yet independently began to change the way we approached our evaluation practices, turning from evaluation capacity building (ECB) efforts that prepared educators to define and measure program outcomes to strategies that engage educators in defining and measuring program…

Program Evaluation of Community College Learning Assistance Centers: What Do LAC Directors Think?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franklin, Doug; Blankenberger, Bob

2016-01-01

Objective: This study seeks to determine the nature of current program evaluation practices for learning assistance centers (LACs), the practices being used for program evaluation, and whether LAC directors believe their practices are appropriate for evaluating program effectiveness. Method: We conducted a survey (n = 61) of community college LAC…

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation: Early Findings on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. A Report to Congress. OPRE Report 2015-11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michalopoulos, Charles; Lee, Helen; Duggan, Anne; Lundquist, Erika; Tso, Ada; Crowne, Sarah Shea; Burrell, Lori; Somers, Jennifer; Filene, Jill H.; Knox, Virginia

2015-01-01

"The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation: Early Findings on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program--A Report to Congress" presents the first findings from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE), the legislatively mandated national evaluation of the Maternal, Infant, and…

EVALUE : a computer program for evaluating investments in forest products industries

Treesearch

Peter J. Ince; Philip H. Steele

1980-01-01

EVALUE, a FORTRAN program, was developed to provide a framework for cash flow analysis of investment opportunities. EVALUE was designed to assist researchers in evaluating investment feasibility of new technology or new manufacturing processes. This report serves as user documentation for the EVALUE program. EVALUE is briefly described and notes on preparation of a...

Using Evaluability Assessment to Improve Program Evaluation for the Blue-Throated Macaw Environmental Education Project in Bolivia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salvatierra da Silva, Daniela; Jacobson, Susan K.; Monroe, Martha C.; Israel, Glenn D.

2016-01-01

An evaluability assessment of a program to save a critically endangered bird helped prepare the Blue-throated Macaw Environmental Education Project for evaluation and program improvement. The evaluability assessment facilitated agreement among key stakeholders on evaluation criteria and intended uses of evaluation information in order to maximize…

An evaluation capacity building toolkit for principal investigators of undergraduate research experiences: A demonstration of transforming theory into practice.

PubMed

Rorrer, Audrey S

2016-04-01

This paper describes the approach and process undertaken to develop evaluation capacity among the leaders of a federally funded undergraduate research program. An evaluation toolkit was developed for Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering(1) Research Experiences for Undergraduates(2) (CISE REU) programs to address the ongoing need for evaluation capacity among principal investigators who manage program evaluation. The toolkit was the result of collaboration within the CISE REU community with the purpose being to provide targeted instructional resources and tools for quality program evaluation. Challenges were to balance the desire for standardized assessment with the responsibility to account for individual program contexts. Toolkit contents included instructional materials about evaluation practice, a standardized applicant management tool, and a modulated outcomes measure. Resulting benefits from toolkit deployment were having cost effective, sustainable evaluation tools, a community evaluation forum, and aggregate measurement of key program outcomes for the national program. Lessons learned included the imperative of understanding the evaluation context, engaging stakeholders, and building stakeholder trust. Results from project measures are presented along with a discussion of guidelines for facilitating evaluation capacity building that will serve a variety of contexts. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Software Line-up: What Reviewers Look for When Evaluating Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ELECTRONIC Learning, 1982

1982-01-01

Contains a check list to aid teachers in evaluating software used in computer-assisted instruction on microcomputers. The evaluation form contains three sections: program description, program evaluation, and overall evaluation. A brief description of a software evaluation program in use at the Granite School District in Utah is included. (JJD)

Using Program Theory-Driven Evaluation Science to Crack the Da Vinci Code

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donaldson, Stewart I.

2005-01-01

Program theory-driven evaluation science uses substantive knowledge, as opposed to method proclivities, to guide program evaluations. It aspires to update, clarify, simplify, and make more accessible the evolving theory of evaluation practice commonly referred to as theory-driven or theory-based evaluation. The evaluator in this chapter provides a…

The Cost-Income Compenent of Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miner, Norris

Cost-income studies are designed to serve two functions in instructional program evaluation. First, they act as the indicator of the economic value of a program. This economic value in conjunction with the other educational values needed in program evaluation allow for the most realistic appraisal of program worth. Second, if the studies show a…

Program Theory Evaluation: Logic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brousselle, Astrid; Champagne, Francois

2011-01-01

Program theory evaluation, which has grown in use over the past 10 years, assesses whether a program is designed in such a way that it can achieve its intended outcomes. This article describes a particular type of program theory evaluation--logic analysis--that allows us to test the plausibility of a program's theory using scientific knowledge.…

Better Crunching: Recommendations for Multivariate Data Analysis Approaches for Program Impact Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braverman, Marc T.

2016-01-01

Extension program evaluations often present opportunities to analyze data in multiple ways. This article suggests that program evaluations can involve more sophisticated data analysis approaches than are often used. On the basis of a hypothetical program scenario and corresponding data set, two approaches to testing for evidence of program impact…

Testing of a Program Evaluation Model: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagler, Phyllis J.; Marson, Arthur A.

A program evaluation model developed by Moraine Park Technical Institute (MPTI) is described in this report. Following background material, the four main evaluation criteria employed in the model are identified as program quality, program relevance to community needs, program impact on MPTI, and the transition and growth of MPTI graduates in the…

The Houston Community College Eligible Legalized Alien Program. Evaluation Program. Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seaman, Don F.; Cuellar, Sylvia

The Houston Community College (Texas) program (TOTAL ACCESS) designed in response to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, is described and evaluated. The program offers classes to eligible aliens (97% Hispanic Americans from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala) wishing to pursue the educational program required for legalization. Program…

Redesigning and aligning assessment and evaluation for a federally funded math and science teacher educational program.

PubMed

Hardré, Patricia L; Slater, Janis; Nanny, Mark

2010-11-01

This paper examines the redesign of evaluation components for a teacher professional development project funded by the National Science Foundation. It focuses on aligning evaluation instrumentation and strategies with program goals, research goals and program evaluation best practices. The study identifies weaknesses in the original (year 1) program evaluation design and implementation, develops strategies and tracks changes for year 2 implementation, and then reports enhancement of findings and recommendations for year 3. It includes lessons learned about assessment and evaluation over the project lifespan, with implications for research and evaluation of a range of related programs. This study functions as a classic illustration of how critical it is to observe first principles of assessment and evaluation for funded programs, the risks that arise when they are ignored, and the benefits that accrue when they are systematically observed. Copyright (c) 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Solar energy program evaluation: an introduction

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

deLeon, P.

The Program Evaluation Methodology provides an overview of the practice and methodology of program evaluation and defines more precisely the evaluation techniques and methodologies that would be most appropriate to government organizations which are actively involved in the research, development, and commercialization of solar energy systems. Formal evaluation cannot be treated as a single methodological approach for assessing a program. There are four basic types of evaluation designs - the pre-experimental design; the quasi-experimental design based on time series; the quasi-experimental design based on comparison groups; and the true experimental design. This report is organized to first introduce the rolemore » and issues of evaluation. This is to provide a set of issues to organize the subsequent sections detailing the national solar energy programs. Then, these two themes are integrated by examining the evaluation strategies and methodologies tailored to fit the particular needs of the various individual solar energy programs. (MCW)« less

Iterative Evaluation in a Mobile Counseling and Testing Program to Reach People of Color at Risk for HIV--New Strategies Improve Program Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Evaluation Capabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spielberg, Freya; Kurth, Ann; Reidy, William; McKnight, Teka; Dikobe, Wame; Wilson, Charles

2011-01-01

This article highlights findings from an evaluation that explored the impact of mobile versus clinic-based testing, rapid versus central-lab based testing, incentives for testing, and the use of a computer counseling program to guide counseling and automate evaluation in a mobile program reaching people of color at risk for HIV. The program's…

State Education Department: Security over Pupil Evaluation Program and Program Evaluation Test Materials Needs Improvement. Report 91-S-2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Office of the Comptroller, Albany.

Findings of an audit of the New York State Education Department's procedures to maintain security over Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) and Program Evaluation Test (PET) examination materials are presented in this report. The audit sought to determine whether the department's security procedures adequately prevented unauthorized access to exam…

Austin Independent School District Office of Program Evaluation Agenda 1998-99. Publication Number 98.01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin Independent School District, TX. Office of Program Evaluation.

The Office of Program Evaluation (OPE) of the Austin Independent School District (Texas) (AISD) is charged with evaluating federally, locally, and state funded programs in the AISD. OPE staff carry out mandated reporting for federal and state grants and are increasingly involved in formative evaluations designed for program improvement and…

How To Design a Program Evaluation. CSE Program Evaluation Kit, Volume 3. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitz-Gibbon, Carol Taylor; Morris, Lynn Lyons

The "CSE Program Evaluation Kit" is a series of nine books intended to assist people conducting program evaluations. This volume, the third in the kit, discusses the logic underlying the use of quantitative research designs, including the pretest-posttest design, and supplies step-by-step procedures for setting up and interpreting the…

Integrating Data Mining in Program Evaluation of K-12 Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Jui-Long; Hsu, Yu-Chang; Rice, Kerry

2012-01-01

This study investigated an innovative approach of program evaluation through analyses of student learning logs, demographic data, and end-of-course evaluation surveys in an online K-12 supplemental program. The results support the development of a program evaluation model for decision making on teaching and learning at the K-12 level. A case study…

45 CFR 2516.850 - What will the Corporation do to evaluate the overall success of the service-learning program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... overall success of the service-learning program? 2516.850 Section 2516.850 Public Welfare Regulations...-LEARNING PROGRAMS Evaluation Requirements § 2516.850 What will the Corporation do to evaluate the overall success of the service-learning program? (a) The Corporation will conduct independent evaluations. These...

45 CFR 2516.850 - What will the Corporation do to evaluate the overall success of the service-learning program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... overall success of the service-learning program? 2516.850 Section 2516.850 Public Welfare Regulations...-LEARNING PROGRAMS Evaluation Requirements § 2516.850 What will the Corporation do to evaluate the overall success of the service-learning program? (a) The Corporation will conduct independent evaluations. These...

Non-Formal Educator Use of Evaluation Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baughman, Sarah; Boyd, Heather H.; Franz, Nancy K.

2012-01-01

Increasing demands for accountability in educational programming have resulted in increasing calls for program evaluation in educational organizations. Many organizations include conducting program evaluations as part of the job responsibilities of program staff. Cooperative Extension is a complex organization offering non-formal educational…

SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION PROGRAM: PROGRESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS - FISCAL YEAR 1991

EPA Science Inventory

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program was the first major program for demonstrating and evaluating full-scale innovative treatment technologies at hazardous waste sites. Having concluded its fifth year, the SITE program is recognized as a leading advocate ...

Using Curriculum-Based Measurements for Program Evaluation: Expanding Roles for School Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tusing, Mary E.; Breikjern, Nicholle A.

2017-01-01

Educators increasingly need to evaluate schoolwide reform efforts; however, complex program evaluations often are not feasible in schools. Through a case example, we provide a heuristic for program evaluation that is easily replicated in schools. Criterion-referenced interpretations of schoolwide screening data were used to evaluate outcomes…

Using Evaluation and Research Theory to Improve Programs in Applied Settings: An Interview with Thomas D. Cook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buescher, Thomas M.

1986-01-01

An interview with T. Cook, author of works on the use of research and evaluation theory and design, touches on such topics as practical evaluation, planning programs with evaluation or research design, and evaluation of programs for gifted students. (CL)

Modification and Adaptation of the Program Evaluation Standards in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alyami, Mohammed

2013-01-01

The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation's Program Evaluation Standards is probably the most recognized and applied set of evaluation standards globally. The most recent edition of The Program Evaluation Standards includes five categories and 30 standards. The five categories are Utility, Feasibility, Propriety, Accuracy, and…

Evaluation Strategies in Financial Education: Evaluation with Imperfect Instruments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Lauren; Dudensing, Rebekka; Granovsky, Nancy L.

2016-01-01

Program evaluation often suffers due to time constraints, imperfect instruments, incomplete data, and the need to report standardized metrics. This article about the evaluation process for the Wi$eUp financial education program showcases the difficulties inherent in evaluation and suggests best practices for assessing program effectiveness. We…

Library Programs. Evaluating Federally Funded Public Library Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.

Following an introduction by Betty J. Turock, nine reports examine key issues in library evaluation: (1) "Output Measures and the Evaluation Process" (Nancy A. Van House) describes measurement as a concept to be understood in the larger context of planning and evaluation; (2) "Adapting Output Measures to Program Evaluation"…

Responsive Meta-Evaluation: A Participatory Approach to Enhancing Evaluation Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sturges, Keith M.; Howley, Caitlin

2017-01-01

In an era of ever-deepening budget cuts and a concomitant demand for substantiated programs, many organizations have elected to conduct internal program evaluations. Internal evaluations offer advantages (e.g., enhanced evaluator program knowledge and ease of data collection) but may confront important challenges, including credibility threats,…

When Unintended Consequences Become the Main Effect: Evaluating the Development of a Foster Parent Training Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loesch-Griffin, Deborah A.; Ringstaff, Cathy

A program of education, training, and support provided to foster parents in a California county through a nonprofit agency is evaluated. The evaluators' experience indicates that: (1) evaluations are gaining in popularity; (2) role shifts by evaluators are sometimes difficult to perceive; (3) program staff are unlikely to use evaluative feedback…

INSREC: Computational System for Quantitative Analysis of Radiation Effects Covering All Radiation Field

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

Dong Hoon Shin; Young Wook Lee; Young Ho Cho

2006-07-01

In the nuclear energy field, there are so many difficult things that even people who are working in this field are not much familiar with, such as, Dose evaluation, Dose management, etc. Thus, so many efforts have been done to achieve the knowledge and data for understanding. Although some data had been achieved, the applications of these data to necessary cases were more difficult job. Moreover, the type of Dose evaluation program until now was 'Console type' which is not easy enough to use for the beginners. To overcome the above causes of difficulties, the window-based integrated program and databasemore » management were developed in our research lab. The program, called as INSREC, consists of four sub-programs as follow; INSREC-NOM, INSREC-ACT, INSREC-MED, and INSREC-EXI. In ICONE 11 conference, INSREC-program(ICONE-36203) which can evaluates on/off-site dose of nuclear power plant in normal operation was introduced. Upgraded INSREC-program which will be presented in ICONE 14 conference has three additional codes comparing with pre-presented INSREC-program. Those subprograms can evaluate on/off-site Dose of nuclear power plant in accident cases. And they also have the functions of 'Dose evaluation and management' in the hospital and provide the 'Expert system' based on knowledge related to nuclear energy/radiation field. The INSREC-NOM, one of subprograms, is composed of 'Source term evaluation program', 'Atmospheric diffusion factor evaluation program', 'Off-site dose evaluation program', and 'On-site database program'. The INSREC-ACT is composed of 'On/Off-site dose evaluation program' and 'Result analysis program' and the INSREC-MED is composed of 'Workers/patients dose database program' and 'Dose evaluation program for treatment room'. The final one, INSREC-EXI, is composed of 'Database searching program based on artificial intelligence', 'Instruction program,' and 'FAQ/Q and A boards'. Each program was developed by using of Visual C++, Microsoft Access mainly. To verify the reliability, some suitable programs were selected such as AZAP and Stardose programs for the comparison. The AZAP program was selected for the on/off-site dose evaluation during the normal operation of nuclear reactor and Stardose program was used for the on/off-site dose evaluation in accident. The MCNP code was used for the dose evaluation and management in the hospital. Each comparison result was acceptable in errors analysis. According to the reliable verification results, it was concluded that INSREC program had an acceptable reliability for dose calculation and could give many proper dada for the sites. To serve the INSREC to people, the proper server system was constructed. We gave chances for the people (user) to utilize the INSREC through network connected to server system. The reactions were pretty much good enough to be satisfied. For the future work, many efforts will be given to improve the better user-interface and more necessary data will be provided to more people through database supplement and management. (authors)« less

Evaluation of the Radiography Program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute--Summer, 1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pipes, V. David

As part of a periodic evaluation of the occupational programs at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI), a study of the radiography program was conducted to collect information to facilitate planning, aid in program improvement, and meet accountability demands. The specific objectives of the program evaluation were to…

Is Evaluative Research on Youth Suicide Programs Theory-Driven? The Canadian Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breton, Jean-Jacques; Boyer, Richard; Bilodeau, Henriette; Raymond, Sylvaine; Joubert, Natacha; Nantel, Marie-Andree

2002-01-01

A review found that only 15 Canadian youth suicide programs were evaluated over the last decade. Descriptions of the programs were incomplete and theoretical bases for programs were not presented. Only two programs led to a reduction in suicidal behavior. Suggests that future evaluative research needs to place greater emphasis on content and…

Guidelines "PEP," Peer Evaluation Program. A Systematic Approach for Evaluating Educational Programs, 1973-1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grotsky, Jeffery N.; And Others

The Peer Evaluation Program (PEP) has been instituted by the Division of Special Education, Pennsylvania State Department of Education, to allow intermediate units an opportunity to continuously improve their programs. The advantages of the PEP system are: (1) it is a self-improvememt system of program development; (2) PEP allows local autonomy as…

Handbook for Evaluating Drug and Alcohol Prevention Programs: Staff/Team Evaluation of Prevention Programs (STEPP).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, J. David; Nederhood, Britt

This handbook was developed for the purpose of providing drug and alcohol prevention program managers with a comprehensive yet easy-to-use tool to help their evaluation efforts. The handbook emphasizes program staff members working together as a team. It provides instruments and activities for determining program effectiveness, as well as…

Design and Operation of the Transformed National Healthy Start Evaluation.

PubMed

Banks, Jamelle E; Dwyer, Maura; Hirai, Ashley; Ghandour, Reem M; Atrash, Hani K

2017-12-01

Purpose Improving pregnancy outcomes for women and children is one of the nation's top priorities. The Healthy Start (HS) program was created to address factors that contribute to high infant mortality rates (IMRs) and persistent disparities in IMRs. The program began in 1991 and was transformed in 2014 to apply lessons from emerging research, past evaluation findings, and expert recommendations. To understand the implementation and impact of the transformed program, there is a need for a robust and comprehensive evaluation. Description The national HS evaluation will include an implementation evaluation, which will describe program components that affect outcomes; a utilization evaluation, which will examine the characteristics of women and infants who did and did not utilize the program; and an outcome evaluation, which will assess the program's effectiveness with regard to producing expected outcomes among the target population. Data sources include the National HS Program Survey, a HS participant survey, and individual-level program data linked to vital records and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey. Assessment Descriptive analyses will be used to examine differences in risk profiles between participants and non-participants, as well as to calculate penetration rates for high-risk women in respective service areas. Multivariable analyses will be used to determine the impact of the program on key outcomes and will explore variation by dose, type of services received, and grantee characteristics. Conclusion Evaluation findings are expected to inform program decisions and direction, including identification of effective program components that can be spread and scaled.

Evaluation of the Academic Occupational Program of the County of Leduc, From September, 1981 to June, 1984. Executive Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nyberg, V. R.

The paper reports results of an academic occupational program intended for educable mentally handicapped and learning disabled secondary students in Leduc, Alberta. An introduction reviews history of the program and the evaluation process. The evaluation plan, based on R. Stake's model for program evaluation, is described, and sources of data…

Human Services Program Evaluation: "How to Improve Your Accountability and Program Effectiveness"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Thomas; Sorensen, James

2015-01-01

The term "outcome evaluation" has become one of the most popular terms among human service providers and those whose job it is to evaluate the impact of human service programs. In the public sector alone, there are over a hundred instruments in use to evaluate the impact of state human service programs. Most states, many providers, and…

A multidimensional evaluation of a nursing information-literacy program.

PubMed Central

Fox, L M; Richter, J M; White, N E

1996-01-01

The goal of an information-literacy program is to develop student skills in locating, evaluating, and applying information for use in critical thinking and problem solving. This paper describes a multidimensional evaluation process for determining nursing students' growth in cognitive and affective domains. Results indicate improvement in student skills as a result of a nursing information-literacy program. Multidimensional evaluation produces a well-rounded picture of student progress based on formal measurement as well as informal feedback. Developing new educational programs can be a time-consuming challenge. It is important, when expending so much effort, to ensure that the goals of the new program are achieved and benefits to students demonstrated. A multidimensional approach to evaluation can help to accomplish those ends. In 1988, The University of Northern Colorado School of Nursing began working with a librarian to integrate an information-literacy component, entitled Pathways to Information Literacy, into the curriculum. This article describes the program and discusses how a multidimensional evaluation process was used to assess program effectiveness. The evaluation process not only helped to measure the effectiveness of the program but also allowed the instructors to use several different approaches to evaluation. PMID:8826621

Resident Evaluation and Remediation: A Comprehensive Approach

PubMed Central

Wu, Jim S.; Siewert, Bettina; Boiselle, Phillip M.

2010-01-01

Background A comprehensive evaluation and remediation program is an essential component of any residency program. The evaluation system should identify problems accurately and early and allow residents with problems to be assigned to a remediation program that effectively deals with them. Elements of a proactive remediation program include a process for outlining deficiencies, providing resources for improvement, communicating clear goals for acceptable performance, and reevaluating performance against these goals. Intervention In recognition of the importance of early detection and prompt remediation of the struggling resident, we sought to develop a multifaceted approach to resident evaluation with the aim of early identification and prompt remediation of difficulties. This article describes our comprehensive evaluation program and remediation program, which uses resources within our radiology department and institutional graduate medical education office. Discussion An effective evaluation system should identify problems accurately and early, whereas a proactive remediation program should effectively deal with issues once they are identified. PMID:21975628

Language Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norris, John M.

2016-01-01

Language program evaluation is a pragmatic mode of inquiry that illuminates the complex nature of language-related interventions of various kinds, the factors that foster or constrain them, and the consequences that ensue. Program evaluation enables a variety of evidence-based decisions and actions, from designing programs and implementing…

Putting program evaluation into practice: enhancing the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun program.

PubMed

Bean, Corliss N; Kendellen, Kelsey; Halsall, Tanya; Forneris, Tanya

2015-04-01

In recent years there has been a call for increased community physical activity and sport programs for female youth that are deliberately structured to foster positive developmental outcomes. In addition, researchers have recognized the need to empirically evaluate such programs to ensure that youth are provided with optimal opportunities to thrive. This study represents a utilization-focused evaluation of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, a female-only physical activity-based life skills community program. A utilization-focused evaluation is particularly important when the evaluation is to help stakeholders utilize the findings in practice. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to gain an understanding of the ongoing successes and challenges after year two of program implementation and (b) to examine how the adaptations made based on feedback from the first year evaluation were perceived as impacting the program. From interviews with youth participants and program leaders, three main themes with eight sub-themes emerged. The main themes were: (a) applying lessons learned can make a significant difference, (b) continually implementing successful strategies, and (c) ongoing challenges. Overall, this evaluation represents an important step in understanding how to improve program delivery to better meet the needs of the participants in community-based programming. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of doctoral nursing programs in Japan by faculty members and their educational and research activities.

PubMed

Arimoto, Azusa; Gregg, Misuzu F; Nagata, Satoko; Miki, Yuko; Murashima, Sachiyo

2012-07-01

Evaluation of doctoral programs in nursing is becoming more important with the rapid increase in the programs in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate doctoral nursing programs by faculty members and to analyze the relationship of the evaluation with educational and research activities of faculty members in Japan. Target settings were all 46 doctoral nursing programs. Eighty-five faculty members from 28 programs answered the questionnaire, which included 17 items for program evaluation, 12 items for faculty evaluation, 9 items for resource evaluation, 3 items for overall evaluations, and educational and research activities. A majority gave low evaluations for sources of funding, the number of faculty members and support staff, and administrative systems. Faculty members who financially supported a greater number of students gave a higher evaluation for extramural funding support, publication, provision of diverse learning experiences, time of supervision, and research infrastructure. The more time a faculty member spent on advising doctoral students, the higher were their evaluations on the supportive learning environment, administrative systems, time of supervision, and timely feedback on students' research. The findings of this study indicate a need for improvement in research infrastructure, funding sources, and human resources to achieve quality nursing doctoral education in Japan. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flight program language requirements. Volume 2: Requirements and evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The efforts and results are summarized for a study to establish requirements for a flight programming language for future onboard computer applications. Several different languages were available as potential candidates for future NASA flight programming efforts. The study centered around an evaluation of the four most pertinent existing aerospace languages. Evaluation criteria were established, and selected kernels from the current Saturn 5 and Skylab flight programs were used as benchmark problems for sample coding. An independent review of the language specifications incorporated anticipated future programming requirements into the evaluation. A set of detailed language requirements was synthesized from these activities. The details of program language requirements and of the language evaluations are described.

Practical strategies for nursing education program evaluation.

PubMed

Lewallen, Lynne Porter

2015-01-01

Self-evaluation is required for institutions of higher learning and the nursing programs within them. The literature provides information on evaluation models and instruments, and descriptions of how specific nursing education programs are evaluated. However, there are few discussions in the nursing education literature of the practical aspects of nursing education program evaluation: how to get started, how to keep track of data, who to involve in data collection, and how to manage challenging criteria. This article discusses the importance of program evaluation in the academic setting and provides information on practical ways to organize the evaluation process and aggregate data, and strategies for gathering data from students, graduates, alumni, and employers of graduates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation and capacity building to improve precollege science and mathematics achievement in the US: 10 CFR, Part 605. Technical progress report, June--December 1992

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

Not Available

1992-12-31

The National Center for Improving Science Education has undertaken activities to achieve evaluation goals for DOE`s Precollege programs: develop means to determine program quality; develop means for determining the contribution of DOE precollege programs to both teacher enhancement and student achievement; provide evaluation designs and instruments and reports of program quality and impact; and strengthen both DOE`s and the Labs` capacity to do both short- and long-term planning as well as deliver effective programs and evaluation. Appendices include evaluation/technical assistance report, profiling teacher research participation and teacher development programs, teacher surveys, impact assessment design, and teacher research participation programs anecdotesmore » for 8 labs.« less

The NLM evaluation lecture series: introduction to the special section on evaluating health communication programs.

PubMed

Logan, Robert A; Kreps, Gary L

2014-12-01

This article introduces the Journal of Health Communication's special section, Evaluating Health Communication Programs. This special section is based on a public lecture series supported by the National Library of Medicine titled "Better Health: Evaluating Health Communication Programs" designed to share best practices for using evaluation research to develop, implement, refine, and institutionalize the best health communication programs for promoting public health. This introduction provides an overview to the series, summarizes the major presentations in the series, and describe implications from the series for translational health communication research, interventions, and programs that can enhance health outcomes.

Tailored program evaluation: Past, present, future.

PubMed

Suggs, L Suzanne; Cowdery, Joan E; Carroll, Jennifer B

2006-11-01

This paper discusses measurement issues related to the evaluation of computer-tailored health behavior change programs. As the first generation of commercially available tailored products is utilized in health promotion programming, programmers and researchers are becoming aware of the unique challenges that the evaluation of these programs presents. A project is presented that used an online tailored health behavior assessment (HBA) in a worksite setting. Process and outcome evaluation methods are described and include the challenges faced, and strategies proposed and implemented, for meeting them. Implications for future research in tailored program development, implementation, and evaluation are also discussed.

Evaluation of the impact of the drug evaluation and classification program on enforcement and adjudication

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-12-01

This study examined the effect of the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program on impaired driving (DWI) enforcement and adjudication. Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) in DEC programs evaluate suspects when drugs other than alcohol are suspect...

Program Evaluation: The Board Game--An Interactive Learning Tool for Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Febey, Karen; Coyne, Molly

2007-01-01

The field of program evaluation lacks interactive teaching tools. To address this pedagogical issue, the authors developed a collaborative learning technique called Program Evaluation: The Board Game. The authors present the game and its development in this practitioner-oriented article. The evaluation board game is an adaptable teaching tool…

The Nursing Leadership Institute program evaluation: a critique

PubMed Central

Havaei, Farinaz; MacPhee, Maura

2015-01-01

A theory-driven program evaluation was conducted for a nursing leadership program, as a collaborative project between university faculty, the nurses’ union, the provincial Ministry of Health, and its chief nursing officers. A collaborative logic model process was used to engage stakeholders, and mixed methods approaches were used to answer evaluation questions. Despite demonstrated, successful outcomes, the leadership program was not supported with continued funding. This paper examines what happened during the evaluation process: What factors failed to sustain this program? PMID:29355180

A responsive evaluation of an Aboriginal nursing education access program.

PubMed

Curran, Vernon; Solberg, Shirley; LeFort, Sandra; Fleet, Lisa; Hollett, Ann

2008-01-01

Nursing education access programs have been introduced in a number of countries to address the shortage of healthcare providers of Aboriginal descent. An evaluation study of a nursing education access program in Labrador, Canada, was undertaken using a Responsive Evaluation approach. Interviews and focus groups with program stakeholders were conducted. Program effectiveness was influenced by culturally relevant curriculum, experiential and authentic learning opportunities, academic and social support, and the need for partnership building between stakeholders. The authors report key findings resulting from the Responsive Evaluation.

Program Implementers' Evaluation of the Project P.A.T.H.S.: Findings Based on Different Datasets over Time

PubMed Central

Shek, Daniel T. L.; Ma, Cecilia M. S.

2012-01-01

This paper integrates the evaluation findings based on program implementers in nine datasets collected from 2005 to 2009 (244 schools and 7,926 implementers). Using consolidated data with schools as the unit of analysis, results showed that program implementers generally had positive perceptions of the program, themselves, and benefits of the program, with more than four-fifths of the implementers regarding the program as beneficial to the program participants. The subjective outcome evaluation instrument was found to be internally consistent. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived qualities of the program and program implementers predicted perceived effectiveness of the program. In conjunction with evaluation findings based on other sources, the present study provides support for the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) in Hong Kong. PMID:22629224

Adult Literacy Education: Program Evaluation and Learner Assessment. Information Series No. 338.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lytle, Susan L.; Wolfe, Marcie

Adult literacy programs need reliable information about program quality and effectiveness for accountability, improvement of practice, and expansion of knowledge. Evaluation and assessment reflect fundamental beliefs about adult learners, concepts of literacy, and educational settings. Resources for planning program evaluations include surveys,…

Evaluating a Small-Group Counseling Program--A Model for Program Planning and Improvement in the Elementary Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bostick, Dee; Anderson, Ron

2009-01-01

School counselors are under increasing pressure to evaluate their programs in a manner consistent with teachers and other educators. A small-group counseling intervention was used by a school counselor as part of a three-level program planning initiative that illustrated best research practices to evaluate program outcomes. Forty-nine third-grade…

Using a Non-Equivalent Groups Quasi Experimental Design to Reduce Internal Validity Threats to Claims Made by Math and Science K-12 Teacher Recruitment Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moin, Laura

2009-10-01

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act national policy established in 2009 calls for ``meaningful data'' that demonstrate educational improvements, including the recruitment of high-quality teachers. The scant data available and the low credibility of many K-12 math/science teacher recruitment program evaluations remain the major barriers for the identification of effective recruitment strategies. Our study presents a methodology to better evaluate the impact of recruitment programs on increasing participants' interest in teaching careers. The research capitalizes on the use of several control groups and presents a non-equivalent groups quasi-experimental evaluation design that produces program effect claims with higher internal validity than claims generated by current program evaluations. With this method that compares responses to a teaching career interest question from undergraduates all along a continuum from just attending an information session to participating (or not) in the recruitment program, we were able to compare the effect of the program in increasing participants' interest in teaching careers versus the evolution of the same interest but in the absence of the program. We were also able to make suggestions for program improvement and further research. While our findings may not apply to other K-12 math/science teacher recruitment programs, we believe that our evaluation methodology does and will contribute to conduct stronger program evaluations. In so doing, our evaluation procedure may inform recruitment program designers and policy makers.

Evaluation of a peer assessment approach for enhancing the organizational capacity of state injury prevention programs.

PubMed

Hunter, Wanda M; Schmidt, Ellen R; Zakocs, Ronda

2005-01-01

To conduct a formative and pilot impact evaluation of the State Technical Assessment Team (STAT) program, a visitation-based (visitatie) peer assessment program designed to enhance the organizational capacity of state health department injury prevention programs. The formative evaluation was based on observational, record review, and key informant interview data collected during the implementation of the first 7 STAT visits. Pilot impact data were derived from semi-structured interviews with state injury prevention personnel one year after the visit. Formative evaluation identified 6 significant implementation problems in the first visits that were addressed by the program planners, resulting in improvements to the STAT assessment protocol. Impact evaluation revealed that after one year, the 7 state injury prevention programs had acted on 81% of the recommendations received during their STAT visits. All programs reported gains in visibility and credibility within the state health department and increased collaboration and cooperation with other units and agencies. Other significant program advancements were also reported. Specific program standards and review procedures are important to the success of peer assessment programs such as STAT. Early impact evaluation suggests that peer assessment protocols using the visitatie model can lead to gains in organizational capacity.

Housing First and Photovoice: Transforming Lives, Communities, and Systems

PubMed Central

Barile, John P.; Ogawa, Terry Yasuko; Peralta, Nelson; Bugg, Reumell; Lau, John; Lamberton, Thomas; Hall, Corazon; Mori, Victor

2018-01-01

This article presents findings from a community-based participatory evaluation of a Housing First program on the Island of O’ahu. In this study, clients in a Housing First program used Photovoice to evaluate the program and to advocate for progressive housing policies. Written together by members of the Housing First Photovoice group, this collaborative article describes the outcomes from both the Housing First program and the Photovoice project and demonstrates the ways in which participatory program evaluations can interact with client-driven programs like Housing First to produce a cumulative, transformative impact. Findings suggest that community psychologists hoping to re-engage with community mental health systems through enacting transformative change should consider taking a community-based participatory approach to program evaluation because increased client voice in community mental health programs and their evaluations can have far-reaching, transformative impacts for research, practice, and policy. PMID:29323410

An Interprofessional Program Evaluation Case Study: Utilizing Multiple Measures To Assess What Matters. AIR 1997 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Anne Marie

This paper reviews the first two years of a model program-evaluation case study which is intended to show: (1) how program evaluation can contribute to academic and professional degree programs; (2) how qualitative and quantitative techniques can be used to produce reliable measures for evaluation studies; and (3) how the role of the institutional…

Exploring the Suitability of an English for Health Sciences Program: Model and Report of a Self-Evaluation Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrer, Erica; Pérez, Yuddy

2017-01-01

Program evaluation is a process of carefully collecting information in order to make informed decisions to strengthen specific components of a given program. The type of evaluation an institution decides to undertake depends on the purpose as well as on the information the institution wants to find out about its program. Self-evaluation represents…

Motivation for Evaluation: A roadmap for Improving Program Efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taber, J. J.; Bohon, W.; Bravo, T. K.; Dorr, P. M.; Hubenthal, M.; Johnson, J. A.; Sumy, D. F.; Welti, R.; Davis, H. B.

2016-12-01

Over the past year, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Education and Public Outreach (EPO) program has undertaken a new effort to increase the rigor with which it evaluates its programs and products. More specifically we sought to make evaluation an integral part of our EPO staff's work, enable staff to demonstrate why we do the activities we do, enhance the impact or our products and programs, and empower staff to be able to make evidence-based claims. The challenges we faced included a modest budget, finding an applicable approach to both new and legacy programs ranging from formal and informal education to public outreach, and implementing the process without overwhelming staff. The Collaborative Impact Analysis Method (IAM; Davis and Scalice, 2015) was selected as it allowed us to combine the EPO staff's knowledge of programs, audiences and content with the expertise of an outside evaluation expert, through consultations and a qualitative rubric assessing the initial state of each product/program's evaluation. Staff then developed action plans to make incremental improvements to the evaluation of programs over time. We have found that this approach promotes the development of staff knowledge and skills regarding evaluation, provides a common language among staff, increases enthusiasm to collect and share data, encourages discussions of evaluative approaches when planning new activities, and improves each program's ability to capture the intended and unintended effects on the behaviors, attitudes, skills, interests, and/or knowledge of users/participants. We will share the initial IAM Scores for products and programs in the EPO portfolio, along with examples of the action plans for several key products and programs, and the impact that implementing those actions plans has had on our evaluations. Davis, H. & Scalice, D. (2015). Evaluate the Impact of your Education and Outreach Program Using the Quantitative Collaborative Impact Analysis Method (Invited). Abstract ED53D-0871 presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 14 - 18 Dec.

Conceptual framework for development of comprehensive e-health evaluation tool.

PubMed

Khoja, Shariq; Durrani, Hammad; Scott, Richard E; Sajwani, Afroz; Piryani, Usha

2013-01-01

The main objective of this study was to develop an e-health evaluation tool based on a conceptual framework including relevant theories for evaluating use of technology in health programs. This article presents the development of an evaluation framework for e-health programs. The study was divided into three stages: Stage 1 involved a detailed literature search of different theories and concepts on evaluation of e-health, Stage 2 plotted e-health theories to identify relevant themes, and Stage 3 developed a matrix of evaluation themes and stages of e-health programs. The framework identifies and defines different stages of e-health programs and then applies evaluation theories to each of these stages for development of the evaluation tool. This framework builds on existing theories of health and technology evaluation and presents a conceptual framework for developing an e-health evaluation tool to examine and measure different factors that play a definite role in the success of e-health programs. The framework on the horizontal axis divides e-health into different stages of program implementation, while the vertical axis identifies different themes and areas of consideration for e-health evaluation. The framework helps understand various aspects of e-health programs and their impact that require evaluation at different stages of the life cycle. The study led to the development of a new and comprehensive e-health evaluation tool, named the Khoja-Durrani-Scott Framework for e-Health Evaluation.

An Overview of the National Nutrition Education and Training Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Pierre, Robert G.; Rezmovic, Victor

1982-01-01

Presents the organizing framework used in evaluating the National Nutrition Education and Training Program (NET) and summarizes the descriptive, evaluative, and meta-evaluative findings. Concludes that positive effects on children's nutrition-related knowledge have resulted from different nutrition education programs. (DC)

Documenting Progress and Demonstrating Results: Evaluating Local Out-of-School Time Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Priscilla; DuPree, Sharon; Deich, Sharon

A collaborative publication between Harvard Family Research Project and The Finance Project, this brief offers guidance in documenting progress and demonstrating results in local out-of-school-time programs. Following introductory remarks providing a rationale for program evaluation, discussing principles of program evaluation, and clarifying key…

What Do We Know about School-Based Management?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrinos, Harry Anthony; Fasih, Tazeen; Barrera, Felipe; Garcia-Moreno, Vicente A.; Bentaouet-Kattan, Raja; Baksh, Shaista; Wickramasekera, Inosha

2007-01-01

Impact evaluations of school-based management (SBM) programs, or any other kind of program, are important because they can demonstrate whether or not the program has accomplished its objectives. Furthermore, these evaluations can identify ways to improve the design of the program. These evaluations can also make successful interventions…

40 CFR 51.353 - Network type and program evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Network type and program evaluation. 51... Requirements § 51.353 Network type and program evaluation. Basic and enhanced I/M programs can be centralized.... (a) Presumptive equivalency. A decentralized network consisting of stations that only perform...

Creating an Information Literacy Badges Program in Blackboard: A Formative Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tunon, Johanna; Ramirez, Laura Lucio; Ryckman, Brian; Campbell, Loy; Mlinar, Courtney

2015-01-01

A formative program evaluation using Stufflebeam's (2010) Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model was conducted to assess the use of digital badges for tracking basic library instructional skills across academic programs at Nova Southeastern University. Based on the evaluation of pilot library modules and Blackboard Learn's badges…

29 CFR 1960.79 - Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs. 1960.79 Section 1960.79 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH... AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs...

29 CFR 1960.79 - Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs. 1960.79 Section 1960.79 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH... AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs...

29 CFR 1960.79 - Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs. 1960.79 Section 1960.79 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH... AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs...

29 CFR 1960.79 - Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs. 1960.79 Section 1960.79 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH... AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs...

Home-Start between Childhood and Maturity: A Programme Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terpstra, Linda; van Dijke, Anke

A crucial question for evaluating nationally or internationally implemented programs is whether local adaptations detract from program quality and effectiveness. An evaluation examined the program successes and challenges encountered in the first 5 years of Home-Start in the Netherlands, a home-based family support program for families with young…

Maryland Community Colleges 1980 Program Evaluations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maryland State Board for Community Colleges, Annapolis.

This report contains qualitative evaluations of 48 programs throughout the Maryland community college system, as well as a statewide evaluation of Teacher Education transfer programs. A summary of the Teacher Education programs is presented first, in which the purpose and role of teacher education in the community college, enrollment trends,…

29 CFR 1960.79 - Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs. 1960.79 Section 1960.79 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH... AND HEALTH PROGRAMS AND RELATED MATTERS Evaluation of Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programs...

Evaluating a physician leadership development program - a mixed methods approach.

PubMed

Throgmorton, Cheryl; Mitchell, Trey; Morley, Tom; Snyder, Marijo

2016-05-16

Purpose - With the extent of change in healthcare today, organizations need strong physician leaders. To compensate for the lack of physician leadership education, many organizations are sending physicians to external leadership programs or developing in-house leadership programs targeted specifically to physicians. The purpose of this paper is to outline the evaluation strategy and outcomes of the inaugural year of a Physician Leadership Academy (PLA) developed and implemented at a Michigan-based regional healthcare system. Design/methodology/approach - The authors applied the theoretical framework of Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation and used surveys, observations, activity tracking, and interviews to evaluate the program outcomes. The authors applied grounded theory techniques to the interview data. Findings - The program met targeted outcomes across all four levels of evaluation. Interview themes focused on the significance of increasing self-awareness, building relationships, applying new skills, and building confidence. Research limitations/implications - While only one example, this study illustrates the importance of developing the evaluation strategy as part of the program design. Qualitative research methods, often lacking from learning evaluation design, uncover rich themes of impact. The study supports how a PLA program can enhance physician learning, engagement, and relationship building throughout and after the program. Physician leaders' partnership with organization development and learning professionals yield results with impact to individuals, groups, and the organization. Originality/value - Few studies provide an in-depth review of evaluation methods and outcomes of physician leadership development programs. Healthcare organizations seeking to develop similar in-house programs may benefit applying the evaluation strategy outlined in this study.

Collaborative evaluation of a high school prevention curriculum: How methods of collaborative evaluation enhanced a randomized control trial to inform program improvement.

PubMed

Orsini, Muhsin Michael; Wyrick, David L; Milroy, Jeffrey J

2012-11-01

Blending high-quality and rigorous research with pure evaluation practice can often be best accomplished through thoughtful collaboration. The evaluation of a high school drug prevention program (All Stars Senior) is an example of how perceived competing purposes and methodologies can coexist to investigate formative and summative outcome variables that can be used for program improvement. Throughout this project there were many examples of client learning from evaluator and evaluator learning from client. This article presents convincing evidence that collaborative evaluation can improve the design, implementation, and findings of the randomized control trial. Throughout this paper, we discuss many examples of good science, good evaluation, and other practical benefits of practicing collaborative evaluation. Ultimately, the authors created the term pre-formative evaluation to describe the period prior to data collection and before program implementation, when collaborative evaluation can inform program improvement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

National Weatherization Assistance Program Characterization - Describing the Pre-ARRA Progam

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

Bensch, Ingo; Keene, Ashleigh; Cowan, Claire

2014-09-01

This report characterizes the Department of Energy s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) as it was administered in Program Year 2008. WAP has supported energy efficiency improvements to the homes of low-income households in the United States since 1976. The program provides grants, guidance, and other support to grantees: weatherization programs administered by each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and some Native American tribes. Although there have been studies of some grantee-administered weatherization programs, the overall effectiveness of the national weatherization program has not been formally evaluated since Program Year 1989. Since that time, the program has evolvedmore » significantly, with an increased focus on baseload electric usage, continued evolution of diagnostic tools, new guidelines and best practices for heating-related measures, and adjustments in program rules. More recently, the program has also adjusted to large, temporary funding increases and changes in federal rules spurred by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Because the Weatherization Assistance Program of today is dramatically different from the one evaluated in 1989, DOE determined to undertake a new comprehensive evaluation of the national program. This new national evaluation is managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Under a competitive solicitation process, ORNL selected APPRISE, Inc., Blasnik & Associates, Dalhoff Associates and the Energy Center of Wisconsin to conduct the evaluation. The national evaluation comprises two independent evaluations. The first evaluation of which this report is a part focuses on Program Year 2008 (PY08). The second evaluation focuses on the ARRA-funded years of 2009 through 2011. This report, together with its companion the Eligible Population Study addresses specific program characterization goals established for the greater evaluation. The Energy Center led grantee and subgrantee data collection efforts, administering surveys to 51 grantees and 851 of the approximately 900 subgrantees that were slated to receive DOE weatherization funds in PY08. In all, seven different data collection instruments were used to gather the needed data two instruments for grantees and five for subgrantees. See Table 1 for a list of these survey instruments. These surveys were used to determine, among other things: Structure and funding of weatherization programs Training and staff development of service providers How weatherization services are delivered Clients served« less

Intern evaluation strategies in family medicine residency education: what is-and is not-being done.

PubMed

Yates, Jennifer E

2013-06-01

Family medicine interns often have deficiencies that are not initially appreciated. By recognizing those growth opportunities early, programs may be able to better meet their interns' training needs. This study provides a needs assessment to ascertain what evaluation tools are being utilized by residency programs to assess their incoming interns. A questionnaire was sent to all US family medicine residency program coordinators (439 programs) via Survey Monkey© inquiring about whether intern evaluation is performed and, if so, what strategies are used. A mixed mode methodology was used: mailing with incentive, email prompts, and telephone calls. Of 439 programs, 220 (50%) responded to the survey. Most respondents (145, 66%) think intern evaluation is needed. However, only 79 (36%) programs are actually doing intern evaluations-only 14 (6.4%) extensively. Most programs are performing simulations (81, 45%) and assessing knowledge/comfort levels (79, 36%); less than one third are considering personality/learning styles, and almost no programs are evaluating skills such as typing (three, 1.4%) and math (one, 0.5%). Many programs use evaluations to guide future planning, help with early identification of challenging learners, and to match training to the residents' needs. Several programs expressed concern about how they would use the information once obtained. The majority of respondents agreed that a baseline intern evaluation is useful; few are actually doing it. This area is not well-described in the literature; residency programs could benefit from information sharing. The next step is to encourage interest in and implementation of such strategies.

Process Evaluation for Improving K12 Program Effectiveness: Case Study of a National Institutes of Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health Research Career Development Program.

PubMed

Raymond, Nancy C; Wyman, Jean F; Dighe, Satlaj; Harwood, Eileen M; Hang, Mikow

2018-06-01

Process evaluation is an important tool in quality improvement efforts. This article illustrates how a systematic and continuous evaluation process can be used to improve the quality of faculty career development programs by using the University of Minnesota's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) K12 program as an exemplar. Data from a rigorous process evaluation incorporating quantitative and qualitative measurements were analyzed and reviewed by the BIRCWH program leadership on a regular basis. Examples are provided of how this evaluation model and processes were used to improve many aspects of the program, thereby improving scholar, mentor, and advisory committee members' satisfaction and scholar outcomes. A rigorous evaluation plan can increase the effectiveness and impact of a research career development plan.

Using an Evaluability Assessment To Select Methods for Evaluating State Technology Development Programs: The Case of the Georgia Research Alliance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youtie, Jan; Bozeman, Barry; Shapira, Philip

1999-01-01

Describes an evaluability assessment of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), a technology development program. Presents the steps involved in conducting an evaluability assessment, including development of an understanding of the program and its stakeholders. Analyzes and compares different methods by which the GRA could be evaluated. (SLD)

Indian Economic Development: An Evaluation of EDA's Selected Indian Reservation Program. Volume II: Individual Reservation Reports, Appendices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boise Cascade Center for Community Development, ID.

As the appendices to an evaluation of the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Selected Indian Reservation Program, this portion of the evaluation report presents individualized evaluations of each of the 16 reservations originally selected for the program in 1967. Each reservation evaluation is presented in terms of the following format:…

Data Collection Methods for Evaluating Museum Programs and Exhibitions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Amy Crack; Cohn, Sarah

2015-01-01

Museums often evaluate various aspects of their audiences' experiences, be it what they learn from a program or how they react to an exhibition. Each museum program or exhibition has its own set of goals, which can drive what an evaluator studies and how an evaluation evolves. When designing an evaluation, data collection methods are purposefully…

Continuous Evaluation in Ethics Education: A Case Study.

PubMed

McIntosh, Tristan; Higgs, Cory; Mumford, Michael; Connelly, Shane; DuBois, James

2018-04-01

A great need for systematic evaluation of ethics training programs exists. Those tasked with developing an ethics training program may be quick to dismiss the value of training evaluation in continuous process improvement. In the present effort, we use a case study approach to delineate how to leverage formative and summative evaluation measures to create a high-quality ethics education program. With regard to formative evaluation, information bearing on trainee reactions, qualitative data from the comments of trainees, in addition to empirical findings, can ensure that the training program operates smoothly. Regarding summative evaluation, measures examining trainee cognition, behavior, and organization-level results provide information about how much trainees have changed as a result of taking the ethics training. The implications of effective training program evaluation are discussed.

An evaluation toolkit for Florida's Commuter Assistance Programs (CAP) : a companion to the 1999 CAP evaluation manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

This manual is a companion piece to the Commuter Assistance Program Evaluation Manual that was developed to assist Florida's Commuter Assistance Programs (CAP) in their efforts to measure and evaluate their performance. This manual is intended to pro...

Alternative Designs for Evaluating Workplace Literacy Programs. Conference Proceedings and Commissioned Papers at the "Design Guidance for Evaluating Workplace Literacy Programs" Work Group Conference (Washington, D.C. April 13, 1993).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Triangle Inst., Research Triangle Park, NC.

This document contains the five papers presented at a meeting at which key issues in evaluating workplace literacy programs were discussed. In "Key Components of Workplace Liteacy Projects and Definitions of Project 'Modules,'" Judith A. Alamprese describes the context for evaluating the National Extension Program, components of workplace literacy…

Multimethod Strategy for Assessing Program Fidelity: The National Evaluation of the Revised G.R.E.A.T. Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esbensen, Finn-Aage; Matsuda, Kristy N.; Taylor, Terrance J.; Peterson, Dana

2011-01-01

This study reports the results of the process evaluation component of the Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program. The process evaluation consisted of multiple methods to assess program fidelity: (a) observations of G.R.E.A.T. Officer Trainings (G.O.T); (b) surveys and interviews of…

Phoenix Rising: use of a participatory approach to evaluate a federally funded HIV, hepatitis and substance abuse prevention program.

PubMed

Dryden, Eileen; Hyde, Justeen; Livny, Ayala; Tula, Monique

2010-11-01

This paper highlights the value of utilizing a participatory evaluation approach when working with community agencies receiving federal funding for prevention and intervention services. Drawing from our experience as evaluators of a SAMHSA-funded substance abuse, HIV and Hepatitis prevention program targeting homeless young adults, we describe the importance of and strategies for creating a participatory evaluation partnership with program implementers. By participatory evaluation we mean the active involvement of program implementers in defining the evaluation, developing instruments, collecting data, discussing findings, and disseminating results. There are a number of challenges faced when using this approach with federally funded programs that require the use of standardized measurement tools and data collection procedures. Strategies we used to strike a balance between federal requirements and local needs are presented. By increasing the understanding of and participation in the evaluation process, program implementers have greater support for data collection requirements and are appreciably more interested in learning from the evaluation data. This approach has helped to build the capacity of a program and stimulated new possibilities for learning, growing, and ultimately improving the services offered to those the program strives to reach. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential pros and cons of external healthcare performance evaluation systems: real-life perspectives on Iranian hospital evaluation and accreditation program.

PubMed

Jaafaripooyan, Ebrahim

2014-09-01

Performance evaluation is essential to quality improvement in healthcare. The current study has identified the potential pros and cons of external healthcare evaluation programs, utilizing them subsequently to look into the merits of a similar case in a developing country. A mixed method study employing both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques was adopted to achieve the study end. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and professionals were approached for two-stage process of data collection. Potential advantages included greater attractiveness of high accreditation rank healthcare organizations to their customers/purchasers and boosted morale of their personnel. Downsides, as such, comprised the programs' over-reliance on value judgment of surveyors, routinization and incurring undue cost on the organizations. In addition, the improved, standardized care processes as well as the judgmental nature of program survey were associated, as pros and cons, to the program investigated by the professionals. Besides rendering a tentative assessment of Iranian hospital evaluation program, the study provides those running external performance evaluations with a lens to scrutinize the virtues of their own evaluation systems through identifying the potential advantages and drawbacks of such programs. Moreover, the approach followed could be utilized for performance assessment of similar evaluation programs.

An Evaluation of the Right Choices Program to Determine Effectiveness in Delivering Constructive Interventions and Providing an Early Support Program in Order to Modify Behavior of First-Time Student Offenders Who Commit Drug and Violent Acts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Lisa B.

2010-01-01

The purpose of the study was to perform a program evaluation of the Right Choices Program to determine the program's effectiveness in delivering constructive interventions that modify student behavior once students have left the program and have returned to their regular learning environment. This mixed-method evaluation consisted of an…

Experiments in evaluation capacity building: Enhancing brain disorders research impact in Ontario.

PubMed

Nylen, Kirk; Sridharan, Sanjeev

2017-05-08

This paper is the introductory paper on a forum on evaluation capacity building for enhancing impacts of research on brain disorders. It describes challenges and opportunities of building evaluation capacity among community-based organizations in Ontario involved in enhancing brain health and supporting people living with a brain disorder. Using an example of a capacity building program called the "Evaluation Support Program", which is run by the Ontario Brain Institute, this forum discusses multiple themes including evaluation capacity building, evaluation culture and evaluation methodologies appropriate for evaluating complex community interventions. The goal of the Evaluation Support Program is to help community-based organizations build the capacity to demonstrate the value that they offer in order to improve, sustain, and spread their programs and activities. One of the features of this forum is that perspectives on the Evaluation Support Program are provided by multiple stakeholders, including the community-based organizations, evaluation team members involved in capacity building, thought leaders in the fields of evaluation capacity building and evaluation culture, and the funders. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A review of elementary school-based substance use prevention programs: identifying program attributes.

PubMed

Hopfer, S; Davis, D; Kam, J A; Shin, Y; Elek, E; Hecht, M L

2010-01-01

This article takes a systematic approach to reviewing substance use prevention programs introduced in elementary school (K-6th grade). Previous studies evaluating such programs among elementary school students showed mixed effects on subsequent substance use and related psychosocial factors. Thirty published evaluation studies of 24 elementary school-based substance use prevention programs were reviewed. The study selection criteria included searching for program evaluations from 1980 to 2008. Among 27 evaluation studies that examined program effects on substance use, 56% (n = 15) found significant decreases. In addition, programs most often demonstrated effects on increasing negative substance use attitudes, increasing knowledge, decreasing perceptions of prevalence rates (i.e., descriptive norms), and improving resistance skills. These results have implications for the appropriateness and value of introducing substance use prevention programs to youth in elementary school.

Reaching Your Program Goals: The Secret to a Successful Relationship with Your Evaluator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warburton, J.; Crowley, S.; Larson, A.

2012-12-01

PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded program in which K-12 teachers participate in hands-on field research experiences in the Polar Regions. PolarTREC has become a leader in the evaluation of teacher research experiences (TREs) and offers a model for outside evaluation for education and public outreach. Programs such as TRE's offer a direct package of outreach opportunities for effective broader impacts. This presentation offers a model for the evaluative process beginning with project design and goals, which involve an outside evaluator, and that provide funders with an outlined scope of projects as well as outcomes and products for use by the public to advance scientific understanding. Outcomes are determined before the program is developed to ensure that all components are striving for program efficacy. Formative and summative evaluations for all audiences ensure robust program reports via survey's, knowledge assessments, conference calls, outreach implementation plans for multiple diverse audiences and in-depth case studies with teachers back in their classrooms. PolarTREC has become part of a larger, international working group of evaluators and program managers on program assessment. As part of this working group, sharing best practices for effective evaluation to better support science efforts, inform funders, and communicate with the public, has been integral to the evolution and advancement of our successful evaluation model.

Evaluation of ridesharing programs in Michigan

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

Kulp, G.; Tsao, H.J.; Webber, R.E.

1982-10-01

The design, implementation, and results of a carpool and vanpool evaluation are described. Objectives of the evaluation were: to develop credible estimates of the energy savings attributable to the ridesharing program, to provide information for improving the performance of the ridesharing program, and to add to a general understanding of the ridesharing process. Previous evaluation work is critiqued and the research methodology adopted for this study is discussed. The ridesharing program in Michigan is described and the basis for selecting Michigan as the evaluation site is discussed. The evaluation methodology is presented, including research design, sampling procedure, data collection, andmore » data validation. Evaluation results are analyzed. (LEW)« less

Strategies for Evaluating a Freshman Studies Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ketkar, Kusum; Bennett, Shelby D.

1989-01-01

The study developed an economic model for the evaluation of Seaton Hall University's freshman studies program. Two techniques used to evaluate the economic success of the program are break-even analysis and elasticity coefficient. (Author/MLW)

1999 commuter assistance program evaluation manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

This manual was developed to assist Florida's Commuter Assistance Programs (CAP) to measure and evaluate their performance. It provides information necessary for a CAP to create and implement its own evaluation program. It discusses performance measu...

Purposive Facebook Recruitment Endows Cost-Effective Nutrition Education Program Evaluation

PubMed Central

Wamboldt, Patricia

2013-01-01

Background Recent legislation established a requirement for nutrition education in federal assistance programs to be evidence-based. Recruitment of low-income persons to participate and evaluate nutrition education activities can be challenging and costly. Facebook has been shown to be a cost-effective strategy to recruit this target audience to a nutrition program. Objective The purpose of our study was to examine Facebook as a strategy to recruit participants, especially Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) eligible persons, to view and evaluate an online nutrition education program intended to be offered as having some evidence base for SNAP-Ed programming. Methods English-speaking, low-income Pennsylvania residents, 18-55 years with key profile words (eg, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Food bank), responded to a Facebook ad inviting participation in either Eating Together as a Family is Worth It (WI) or Everyone Needs Folic Acid (FA). Participants completed an online survey on food-related behaviors, viewed a nutrition education program, and completed a program evaluation. Facebook set-up functions considered were costing action, daily spending cap, and population reach. Results Respondents for both WI and FA evaluations were similar; the majority were white, <40 years, overweight or obese body mass index, and not eating competent. A total of 807 Facebook users clicked on the WI ad with 73 unique site visitors and 47 of them completing the program evaluation (ie, 47/807, 5.8% of clickers and 47/73, 64% of site visitors completed the evaluation). Cost per completed evaluation was US $25.48; cost per low-income completer was US $39.92. Results were similar for the FA evaluation; 795 Facebook users clicked on the ad with 110 unique site visitors, and 73 completing the evaluation (ie, 73/795, 9.2% of ad clickers and 73/110, 66% of site visitors completed the evaluation). Cost per valid completed survey with program evaluation was US $18.88; cost per low-income completer was US $27.53. Conclusions With Facebook we successfully recruited low-income Pennsylvanians to online nutrition program evaluations. Benefits using Facebook as a recruitment strategy included real-time recruitment management with lower costs and more efficiency compared to previous data from traditional research recruitment strategies reported in the literature. Limitations prompted by repeated survey attempts need to be addressed to optimize this recruitment strategy. PMID:23948573

Purposive facebook recruitment endows cost-effective nutrition education program evaluation.

PubMed

Lohse, Barbara; Wamboldt, Patricia

2013-08-15

Recent legislation established a requirement for nutrition education in federal assistance programs to be evidence-based. Recruitment of low-income persons to participate and evaluate nutrition education activities can be challenging and costly. Facebook has been shown to be a cost-effective strategy to recruit this target audience to a nutrition program. The purpose of our study was to examine Facebook as a strategy to recruit participants, especially Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) eligible persons, to view and evaluate an online nutrition education program intended to be offered as having some evidence base for SNAP-Ed programming. English-speaking, low-income Pennsylvania residents, 18-55 years with key profile words (eg, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Food bank), responded to a Facebook ad inviting participation in either Eating Together as a Family is Worth It (WI) or Everyone Needs Folic Acid (FA). Participants completed an online survey on food-related behaviors, viewed a nutrition education program, and completed a program evaluation. Facebook set-up functions considered were costing action, daily spending cap, and population reach. Respondents for both WI and FA evaluations were similar; the majority were white, <40 years, overweight or obese body mass index, and not eating competent. A total of 807 Facebook users clicked on the WI ad with 73 unique site visitors and 47 of them completing the program evaluation (ie, 47/807, 5.8% of clickers and 47/73, 64% of site visitors completed the evaluation). Cost per completed evaluation was US $25.48; cost per low-income completer was US $39.92. Results were similar for the FA evaluation; 795 Facebook users clicked on the ad with 110 unique site visitors, and 73 completing the evaluation (ie, 73/795, 9.2% of ad clickers and 73/110, 66% of site visitors completed the evaluation). Cost per valid completed survey with program evaluation was US $18.88; cost per low-income completer was US $27.53. With Facebook we successfully recruited low-income Pennsylvanians to online nutrition program evaluations. Benefits using Facebook as a recruitment strategy included real-time recruitment management with lower costs and more efficiency compared to previous data from traditional research recruitment strategies reported in the literature. Limitations prompted by repeated survey attempts need to be addressed to optimize this recruitment strategy.

Achievement Testing of Disadvantaged and Minority Students for Educational Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wargo, Michael J., Ed.; Green, Donald Ross, Ed.

The following papers were delivered: Introductory Remarks, John W. Evans; An Evaluator's Perspective, Michael J. Wargo; Problems of Achievement Tests in Program Evaluation, Donald Ross Green; Diverse Human Populations and Problems in Educational Program Evaluation via Achievement Testing, Edmund W. Gordon; Critical Issues in Achievement Testing of…

Evaluating Federal Social Programs: An Uncertain Act.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levitan, Sar A.; Wurzburg, Gregory K.

This study of the federal government's evaluation of social programs indicates that it is virtually impossible to establish a bias-free, valid, and reliable system of inquiry to determine the effects of social programs. Divided into five chapters, the document examines the aspirations and limitations of evaluations, methodology, evaluation in the…

Issues Involved in the Evaluation of Gifted Programmes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, A. Sidiq

2001-01-01

This article discusses the purpose of gifted program evaluation and identifies some of the pertinent issues involved in evaluating gifted programs. The gifted program delivered by the Peel District Board of Education in Ontario, Canada, is used to illustrate key evaluation considerations, including gifted identification procedures and gifted…

Improve the Quality of Teaching in Your Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Brenda Z.

1985-01-01

Teacher quality can be improved through teacher evaluation, intervention programs, incentives or rewards, and counseling. In the Toledo, Ohio, peer evaluation program, evaluation and staff development go hand in hand. The program was developed through a collaborative and cooperative process and uses teacher consultants to evaluate and supervise…

Program Evaluation: Two Management-Oriented Samples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alford, Kenneth Ray

2010-01-01

Two Management-Oriented Samples details two examples of the management-oriented approach to program evaluation. Kenneth Alford, a doctorate candidate at the University of the Cumberlands, details two separate program evaluations conducted in his school district and seeks to compare and contrast the two evaluations based upon the characteristics of…

Evaluation Processes Used to Assess the Effectiveness of Vocational-Technical Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruhns, Arthur E.

Evaluation is quantitative or qualitative, the criteria determined by or given to the student. The criteria show how close he has come to the program's objectives and the ranking of individual performance. Vocational education programs susceptible to evaluation are listed and relevant evaluative techniques discussed. Graduate interviews concerning…

The Implementation of Program Evaluation Recommendations in Wisconsin Technical Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruhland, Sheila K.

Implementation of program evaluation recommendations should persuade people that the rewards of an evaluation outweigh the reasons for resistance. A study was undertaken with the following purposes: identify facilitators and barriers to the implementation of program evaluation; determine the proportion of recommendations made in each of the nine…

Practical Considerations in Evaluating Patient/Consumer Health Education Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Nancy H.

This report contains brief descriptions of seven evaluative efforts and outcomes of health education programs, some considerations of problems encountered in evaluating the programs, and detailed descriptions of two case studies: (1) a process evaluation of preoperative teaching and (2) a retrospective study of visiting nurse association use by…

Experiential Education and Empowerment Evaluation: Mars Rover Educational Program Case Example.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fetterman, David; Bowman, Cassie

2002-01-01

Empowerment evaluation helps people improve their programs using self-evaluation. Empowerment evaluation has three steps: establishing a mission; taking stock of the most significant activities; and planning for the future by establishing goals, strategies, and criteria for evidence. A NASA experiential program for small, distributed groups of…

Program Evaluation in Gifted Education. Essential Readings in Gifted Education Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callahan, Carolyn M., Ed.; Reis, Sally M., Ed.

2004-01-01

The readings in this ready-reference report on specific program evaluations, offer critical guidance in the development and utilization of instruments for assessing gifted and talented programs, and are designed to stimulate the discussion of issues surrounding the evaluation of gifted programs. Key features include: (1) Carolyn M. Callahan's…

A Program Evaluation Tool for Dual Enrollment Transition Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grigal, Meg; Dwyre, Amy; Emmett, Joyce; Emmett, Richard

2012-01-01

This article describes the development and use of a program evaluation tool designed to support self-assessment of college-based dual enrollment transition programs serving students with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 18-21 in college settings. The authors describe the need for such an evaluation tool, outline the areas addressed by…

EVALUATION OF THE WEIGHT-BASED COLLECTION PROJECT IN FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA: A MITE PROGRAM EVALUATION

EPA Science Inventory

This project evaluates a test program of a totally automated weight-based refuse disposal rate system. his test program was conducted by the City of Farmington, Minnesota between 1991 and 1993. he intent of the program was to test a mechanism which would automatically assess a fe...

Applying the Concept of Trustworthiness to the Evaluation of a Clinical Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barzansky, Barbara; And Others

An attending tutor program designed to increase faculty-student contact within an Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship was evaluated. Sessions were observed, written documents were reviewed, and faculty and students were interviewed in order to determine if the program was meeting its goals. Based on the evaluation data, the program was…

Evaluation of a Community-Based Aging Intervention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Hui-Chuan; Wang, Chun-Hou; Chen, Yi-Chun; Chang, Ming-Chen; Wang, Jean

2010-01-01

This study evaluated the outcome and process of a community-based aging intervention program for the elderly in Taiwan. The program included education on nutrition and dietary behavior and on physical activities. Outcome and process evaluations were conducted. The program may have had some effects on decreasing some dietary behavioral problems and…

Assessment and Evaluation of the Utah Master Naturalist Program: Implications for Targeting Audiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larese-Casanova, Mark

2011-01-01

The Utah Master Naturalist Program trains citizens who provide education, outreach, and service to promote citizen stewardship of natural resources within their communities. In 2007-2008, the Watersheds module of the program was evaluated for program success, and participant knowledge was assessed. Assessment and evaluation results indicated that…

Some Measures of Evaluation and Effectiveness in Social Work Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapoor, J. M.

Measures of accountability and evaluation of social work program efforts are examined. Evaluation of program effort refers to an assessment of the amount and kinds of program activities considered necessary for the accomplishment of program goals within a particular stage of development. It refers not only to staff time, activity, and commitment,…

Formative Evaluation of the Canada Student Loans Program. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2004

2004-01-01

The "Formative Evaluation of the Canada Student Loans Program" was undertaken to assess issues of program relevance, design and delivery and for the purposes of examining the early impacts of changes made to the program since 1998. The evaluation also reviewed the Performance Measurement Strategy contained in the July 2002 Results-Based…

Evaluation of a Research Mentorship Program in Community Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ploeg, Jenny; de Witt, Lorna; Hutchison, Brian; Hayward, Lynda; Grayson, Kim

2008-01-01

This article describes the results of a qualitative case study evaluating a research mentorship program in community care settings in Ontario, Canada. The purpose of the program was to build evaluation and research capacity among staff of community care agencies through a mentorship program. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured…

Emotional Dynamics in the Age of Misinformation

PubMed Central

Zollo, Fabiana; Novak, Petra Kralj; Del Vicario, Michela; Bessi, Alessandro; Mozetič, Igor; Scala, Antonio; Caldarelli, Guido; Quattrociocchi, Walter

2015-01-01

According to the World Economic Forum, the diffusion of unsubstantiated rumors on online social media is one of the main threats for our society. The disintermediated paradigm of content production and consumption on online social media might foster the formation of homogeneous communities (echo-chambers) around specific worldviews. Such a scenario has been shown to be a vivid environment for the diffusion of false claim. Not rarely, viral phenomena trigger naive (and funny) social responses—e.g., the recent case of Jade Helm 15 where a simple military exercise turned out to be perceived as the beginning of the civil war in the US. In this work, we address the emotional dynamics of collective debates around distinct kinds of information—i.e., science and conspiracy news—and inside and across their respective polarized communities. We find that for both kinds of content the longer the discussion the more the negativity of the sentiment. We show that comments on conspiracy posts tend to be more negative than on science posts. However, the more the engagement of users, the more they tend to negative commenting (both on science and conspiracy). Finally, zooming in at the interaction among polarized communities, we find a general negative pattern. As the number of comments increases—i.e., the discussion becomes longer—the sentiment of the post is more and more negative. PMID:26422473

Common plant toxicology: a comparison of national and southwest Ohio data trends on plant poisonings in the 21st century.

PubMed

Petersen, Dan D

2011-07-15

Data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) and the Cincinnati-based Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC) were analyzed to determine the incidence and trends of human plant poisonings since the year 2000. Approximately 3.4% of the approximately 4.3 million annual calls to the AAPCC centers involved plants, with a higher fraction (4.5%) for pediatric exposures. Nearly 70% of plant exposures occurred in children under six. Only 8% of cases required treatment in a health-care facility, and only 0.1% (in 2008) were considered severe outcomes. The most prominent groups of plants involved in exposures are those containing oxalates, and the most common symptom is gastroenteritis. The top 12 identified plants (in descending order) nationally were Spathiphyllum species (peace lilly), Philodendron species (philodendron), Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinssettia), Ilex species (holly), Phytolacca americana (pokeweed), Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy), Capsicum (pepper), Ficus (rubber tree, weeping fig), Crassula argentea (jade plant), Diffenbachia (dumb cane), Epipremnum areum (pothos) and Schlumbergera bridesii (Christmas cactus). Broad overlaps between the DPIC and the AAPCC incidence data were noted, with essentially the same plant species in each dataset. The nature of the various toxins, the symptomatology and potential treatments are discussed for the highest ranking plant species. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neuroprotective effect of lithium after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in mice.

PubMed

Hong, Namgue; Choi, Yun-Sik; Kim, Seong Yun; Kim, Hee Jung

2017-01-01

Status epilepticus is the most common serious neurological condition triggered by abnormal electrical activity, leading to severe and widespread cell loss in the brain. Lithium has been one of the main drugs used for the treatment of bipolar disorder for decades, and its anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties have been described in several neurological disease models. However, the therapeutic mechanisms underlying lithium's actions remain poorly understood. The muscarinic receptor agonist pilocarpine is used to induce status epilepticus, which is followed by hippocampal damage. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of lithium post-treatment on seizure susceptibility and hippocampal neuropathological changes following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. Status epilepticus was induced by administration of pilocarpine hydrochloride (320 mg/kg, i.p.) in C57BL/6 mice at 8 weeks of age. Lithium (80 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 15 minutes after the pilocarpine injection. After the lithium injection, status epilepticus onset time and mortality were recorded. Lithium significantly delayed the onset time of status epilepticus and reduced mortality compared to the vehicle-treated group. Moreover, lithium effectively blocked pilocarpine-induced neuronal death in the hippocampus as estimated by cresyl violet and Fluoro-Jade B staining. However, lithium did not reduce glial activation following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. These results suggest that lithium has a neuroprotective effect and would be useful in the treatment of neurological disorders, in particular status epilepticus.

Elevated immunoglobulin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid from lupus-prone mice

PubMed Central

Sidor, Michelle M.; Sakic, Boris; Malinowski, Paul M.; Ballok, David A.; Oleschuk, Curtis J.; Macri, Joseph

2006-01-01

The systemic autoimmune disease lupus erythematosus (SLE) is frequently accompanied by neuropsychiatric manifestations and brain lesions of unknown etiology. The MRL-lpr mice show behavioral dysfunction concurrent with progression of a lupus-like disease, thus providing a valuable model in understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmunity-induced CNS damage. Profound neurodegeneration in the limbic system of MRL-lpr mice is associated with cytotoxicity of their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to mature and immature neurons. We have recently shown that IgG-rich CSF fraction largely accounts for this effect. The present study examines IgG levels in serum and CSF, as well as the permeability of the blood–brain barrier in mice that differ in immune status, age, and brain morphology. In comparison to young MRL-lpr mice and age-matched congenic controls, a significant elevation of IgG and albumin levels were detected in the CSF of aged autoimmune MRL-lpr mice. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF MS confirmed elevation in IgG heavy and Ig light chain isoforms in the CSF. Increased permeability of the blood–brain barrier correlated with neurodegeneration (as revealed by Fluoro Jade B staining) in periventricular areas. Although the source and specificity of neuropathogenic antibodies remain to be determined, these results support the hypothesis that a breached blood–brain barrier and IgG molecules are involved in the etiology of CNS damage during SLE-like disease. PMID:15972238

Neuronal gap junctions play a role in the secondary neuronal death following controlled cortical impact.

PubMed

Belousov, Andrei B; Wang, Yongfu; Song, Ji-Hoon; Denisova, Janna V; Berman, Nancy E; Fontes, Joseph D

2012-08-22

In the mammalian CNS, excessive release of glutamate and overactivation of glutamate receptors are responsible for the secondary (delayed) neuronal death following neuronal injury, including ischemia, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and epilepsy. Recent studies in mice showed a critical role for neuronal gap junctions in NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity and ischemia-mediated neuronal death. Here, using controlled cortical impact (CCI) in adult mice, as a model of TBI, and Fluoro-Jade B staining for analysis of neuronal death, we set to determine whether neuronal gap junctions play a role in the CCI-mediated secondary neuronal death. We report that 24h post-CCI, substantial neuronal death is detected in a number of brain regions outside the injury core, including the striatum. The striatal neuronal death is reduced both in wild-type mice by systemic administration of mefloquine (a relatively selective blocker of neuronal gap junctions) and in knockout mice lacking connexin 36 (neuronal gap junction protein). It is also reduced by inactivation of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (with LY341495) which, as reported previously, control the rapid increase in neuronal gap junction coupling following different types of neuronal injury. The results suggest that neuronal gap junctions play a critical role in the CCI-induced secondary neuronal death. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early life status epilepticus and stress have distinct and sex-specific effects on learning, subsequent seizure outcomes, including anticonvulsant response to phenobarbital.

PubMed

Akman, Ozlem; Moshé, Solomon L; Galanopoulou, Aristea S

2015-02-01

Neonatal status epilepticus (SE) is often associated with adverse cognitive and epilepsy outcomes. We investigate the effects of three episodes of kainic acid-induced SE (3KA-SE) and maternal separation in immature rats on subsequent learning, seizure susceptibility, and consequences, and the anticonvulsant effects of phenobarbital, according to sex, type, and age at early life (EL) event. 3KA-SE or maternal separation was induced on postnatal days (PN) 4-6 or 14-16. Rats were tested on Barnes maze (PN16-19), or lithium-pilocarpine SE (PN19) or flurothyl seizures (PN32). The anticonvulsant effects of phenobarbital (20 or 40 mg/kg/rat, intraperitoneally) pretreatment were tested on flurothyl seizures. FluoroJadeB staining assessed hippocampal injury. 3KA-SE or separation on PN4-6 caused more transient learning delays in males and did not alter lithium-pilocarpine SE latencies, but aggravated its outcomes in females. Anticonvulsant effects of phenobarbital were preserved and potentiated in specific groups depending on sex, type, and age at EL event. Early life 3KA-SE and maternal separation cause more but transient cognitive deficits in males but aggravate the consequences of subsequent lithium-pilocarpine SE in females. In contrast, on flurothyl seizures, EL events showed either beneficial or no effect, depending on gender, type, and age at EL events. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Transcranial low-level laser therapy enhances learning, memory, and neuroprogenitor cells after traumatic brain injury in mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xuan, Weijun; Vatansever, Fatma; Huang, Liyi; Hamblin, Michael R.

2014-10-01

The use of transcranial low-level laser (light) therapy (tLLLT) to treat stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is attracting increasing attention. We previously showed that LLLT using an 810-nm laser 4 h after controlled cortical impact (CCI)-TBI in mice could significantly improve the neurological severity score, decrease lesion volume, and reduce Fluoro-Jade staining for degenerating neurons. We obtained some evidence for neurogenesis in the region of the lesion. We now tested the hypothesis that tLLLT can improve performance on the Morris water maze (MWM, learning, and memory) and increase neurogenesis in the hippocampus and subventricular zone (SVZ) after CCI-TBI in mice. One and (to a greater extent) three daily laser treatments commencing 4-h post-TBI improved neurological performance as measured by wire grip and motion test especially at 3 and 4 weeks post-TBI. Improvements in visible and hidden platform latency and probe tests in MWM were seen at 4 weeks. Caspase-3 expression was lower in the lesion region at 4 days post-TBI. Double-stained BrdU-NeuN (neuroprogenitor cells) was increased in the dentate gyrus and SVZ. Increases in double-cortin (DCX) and TUJ-1 were also seen. Our study results suggest that tLLLT may improve TBI both by reducing cell death in the lesion and by stimulating neurogenesis.

ISDEC-2 and ISDEC-3 controllers for HAWAII detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burse, Mahesh; Ramaprakash, A. N.; Chordia, Pravinkumar; Punnadi, Sujit; Chillal, Kalpesh; Mestri, Vilas; Bharti, Rupali; Sinha, Sakya; Kohok, Abhay

2016-07-01

ISDEC-2 - IUCAA1 SIDECAR Drive Electronics Controller is an alternative for Teledyne make JADE2 based controller for HAWAII detectors. It is a ready to use complete package and has been developed keeping in mind general astronomical requirements and widely used observatory set-ups like preferred OS-Linux , multi-extension fits output with fully populated headers (with detector as well as telescope and observation specific information), etc. Actual exposure time is measured for each frame to a few tens of microsecond accuracy and put in the fits header. It also caters to several application specific requirements like fast resets, strip mode, multiple region readout with on board co-adding, etc. ISDEC-2 is designed to work at -40 deg. and is already in use at observatories worldwide. ISDEC-3 is an Artix-7 FPGA based SIDECAR Drive Electronics Controller currently being developed at IUCAA. It will retain all the functionality supported by ISDEC-2 and will also support the operation of H2RG in continuos, fast (32 output, 5 MSPS, 12 bit) mode. It will have a 5 Gbps USB 3.0 PC interface and 1 Gbps Ethernet interface for image data transfer from SIDECAR to host PC. Additionally, the board will have DDR-3 memory for on-board storage and processing. ISDEC-3 will be capable of handling two SIDECARs simultaneously (in sync) for H2RG slow modes.

Evaluation of a federally funded workforce development program: The Centers for Public Health Preparedness☆

PubMed Central

Sobelson, Robyn K.; Young, Andrea C.

2017-01-01

The Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) program was a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program was initiated in 2004 to strengthen terrorism and emergency preparedness by linking academic expertise to state and local health agency needs. The purposes of the evaluation study were to identify the results achieved by the Centers and inform program planning for future programs. The evaluation was summative and retrospective in its design and focused on the aggregate outcomes of the CPHP program. The evaluation results indicated progress was achieved on program goals related to development of new training products, training members of the public health workforce, and expansion of partnerships between accredited schools of public health and state and local public health departments. Evaluation results, as well as methodological insights gleaned during the planning and conduct of the CPHP evaluation, were used to inform the design of the next iteration of the CPHP Program, the Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC). PMID:23380597

Collaborative Evaluation within a Framework of Stakeholder-Oriented Evaluation Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Sullivan, Rita G.

2012-01-01

Collaborative Evaluation systematically invites and engages stakeholders in program evaluation planning and implementation. Unlike "distanced" evaluation approaches, which reject stakeholder participation as evaluation team members, Collaborative Evaluation assumes that active, on-going engagement between evaluators and program staff,…

Assessing the effects of employee assistance programs: a review of employee assistance program evaluations.

PubMed

Colantonio, A

1989-01-01

Employee assistance programs have grown at a dramatic rate, yet the effectiveness of these programs has been called into question. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of employee assistance programs (EAPs) by reviewing recently published EAP evaluations. All studies evaluating EAPs published since 1975 from peer-reviewed journals in the English language were included in this analysis. Each of the articles was assessed in the following areas: (a) program description (subjects, setting, type of intervention, format), (b) evaluation design (research design, variables measured, operational methods), and (c) program outcomes. Results indicate numerous methodological and conceptual weaknesses and issues. These weaknesses included lack of controlled research designs and short time lags between pre- and post-test measures. Other problems identified are missing information regarding subjects, type of intervention, how variables are measured (operational methods), and reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. Due to the aforementioned weaknesses, positive outcomes could not be supported. Recommendations are made for future EAP evaluations.

Assessing the effects of employee assistance programs: a review of employee assistance program evaluations.

PubMed Central

Colantonio, A.

1989-01-01

Employee assistance programs have grown at a dramatic rate, yet the effectiveness of these programs has been called into question. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of employee assistance programs (EAPs) by reviewing recently published EAP evaluations. All studies evaluating EAPs published since 1975 from peer-reviewed journals in the English language were included in this analysis. Each of the articles was assessed in the following areas: (a) program description (subjects, setting, type of intervention, format), (b) evaluation design (research design, variables measured, operational methods), and (c) program outcomes. Results indicate numerous methodological and conceptual weaknesses and issues. These weaknesses included lack of controlled research designs and short time lags between pre- and post-test measures. Other problems identified are missing information regarding subjects, type of intervention, how variables are measured (operational methods), and reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. Due to the aforementioned weaknesses, positive outcomes could not be supported. Recommendations are made for future EAP evaluations. PMID:2728498

Evaluative Thinking in Practice: The National Asthma Control Program.

PubMed

Fierro, Leslie A; Codd, Heather; Gill, Sarah; Pham, Phung K; Grandjean Targos, Piper T; Wilce, Maureen

2018-01-01

Although evaluative thinking lies at the heart of what we do as evaluators and what we hope to promote in others through our efforts to build evaluation capacity, researchers have given limited attention to measuring this concept. We undertook a research study to better understand how instances of evaluative thinking may present in practice-based settings-specifically within four state asthma control programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Asthma Control Program. Through content analyses of documents as well as interviews and a subsequent focus group with four state asthma control programs' evaluators and program managers we identified and defined twenty-two indicators of evaluative thinking. Findings provide insights about what practitioners may wish to look for when they intend to build evaluative thinking and the types of data sources that may be more or less helpful in such efforts.

Do State Pre-K Programs Improve Children's Pre-Literacy and Math Learning? Evaluation Science Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation, 2008

2008-01-01

"Evaluation Science Briefs" summarize the findings and implications of a recent study evaluating the effects of an early childhood program or environment. This Brief evaluates the study "An Effectiveness-Based Evaluation of Five State Pre-Kindergarten Programs" (V. C. Wong, T. D. Cook, W. S. Barnett, and K. Jung.) States have high aspirations for…

Toward building a typology for the evaluation of services in family support programs.

PubMed

Manalo, V; Meezan, W

2000-01-01

This article briefly reviews the history, philosophy, practice principles, and foci of family support programs, examines the typologies currently in use to classify these programs, and discusses the difficulties these classifications pose for program evaluators. The authors introduce a new typology that deconstructs family support programs into their component services and discuss the potential of this typology for evaluation of family support services.

Program evaluation of FHWA pedestrian and bicycle safety activities.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-01

"Introduction : FHWAs Office of Highway Safety (HSA) initiated a program evaluation by Booz Allen Hamilton to assess the overall effectiveness of the Agencys Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program. The evaluation covers pedestrian and bicycle sa...

Second NBL measurement evaluation program meeting: A summary

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

Spaletto, M.I.; Clapper, M.; Tolbert, M.E.M.

New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL), the US government`s nuclear materials measurements and reference materials laboratory, administers interlaboratory measurement evaluation programs to evaluate the quality and adequacy of safeguards measurements. The NBL Measurement Evaluation Program covers several types of safeguards analytical measurements. The Safeguards Measurement Evaluation (SME) program distributes test materials destructive measurements of uranium for both elemental concentration and isotopic abundances, and of plutonium for isotopic abundances. The Calorimetry Exchange (CalEx) Program tests the quality of nondestructive measurements of plutonium isotopic abundances by gamma spectroscopy and plutonium concentration by calorimetry. In May 1997, more than 30 representatives from the Department ofmore » Energy (DOE), its contractor laboratories, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensees met at NBL in Argonne, Illinois, for the annual meeting of the Measurement Evaluation Program. The summary which follows details key points that were discussed or presented at the meeting.« less

Using program evaluation to support knowledge translation in an interprofessional primary care team: a case study.

PubMed

Donnelly, Catherine; Shulha, Lyn; Klinger, Don; Letts, Lori

2016-10-06

Evaluation is a fundamental component in building quality primary care and is ideally situated to support individual, team and organizational learning by offering an accessible form of participatory inquiry. The evaluation literature has begun to recognize the unique features of KT evaluations and has described attributes to consider when evaluating KT activities. While both disciplines have focused on the evaluation of KT activities neither has explored the role of evaluation in KT. The purpose of the paper is to examine how participation in program evaluation can support KT in a primary care setting. A mixed methods case study design was used, where evaluation was conceptualized as a change process and intervention. A Memory Clinic at an interprofessional primary care clinic was the setting in which the study was conducted. An evaluation framework, Pathways of Influence provided the theoretical foundation to understand how program evaluation can facilitate the translation of knowledge at the level of the individual, inter-personal (Memory Clinic team) and the organization. Data collection included questionnaires, interviews, evaluation log and document analysis. Questionnaires and interviews were administered both before and after the evaluation: Pattern matching was used to analyze the data based on predetermined propositions. Individuals gained program knowledge that resulted in changes to both individual and program practices. One of the key themes was the importance clinicians placed on local, program based knowledge. The evaluation had less influence on the broader health organization. Program evaluation facilitated individual, team and organizational learning. The use of evaluation to support KT is ideally suited to a primary care setting by offering relevant and applicable knowledge to primary care team members while being sensitive to local context.

Nanomaterials and nanofabrication for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Chao-Min; Chia-Wen Wu, Kevin

2013-08-01

Traditional boundaries between materials science and engineering and life sciences are rapidly disintegrating as interdisciplinary research teams develop new materials-science-based tools for exploring fundamental issues in both medicine and biology. With recent technological advances in multiple research fields such as materials science, cell and molecular biology and micro-/nano-technology, much attention is shifting toward evaluating the functional advantages of nanomaterials and nanofabrication, at the cellular and molecular levels, for specific, biomedically relevant applications. The pursuit of this direction enhances the understanding of the mechanisms of, and therapeutic potentials for, some of the most lethal diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, organ fibrosis and cancers. This interdisciplinary approach has generated great interest among researchers working in a wide variety of communities including industry, universities and research laboratories. The purpose of this focus issue in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials is to bridge nanotechnology and biology with medicine, focusing more on the applications of nanomaterials and nanofabrication in biomedically relevant issues. This focus issue, we believe, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of (i) the preparation of nanomaterials and the underlying mechanisms of nanofabrication, and (ii) the linkage of nanomaterials and nanofabrication with biomedical applications. The multidisciplinary focus issue that we have attempted to organize is of interest to various research fields including biomaterials and tissue engineering, bioengineering, nanotechnology and nanomaterials, i.e. chemistry, physics and engineering. Nanomaterials and nanofabrication topics addressed in this focus issue include sensing and diagnosis (e.g. immunosensing and diagnostic devices for diseases), cellular and molecular biology (e.g. probing cellular behaviors and stem cell differentiation) and drug delivery carriers (e.g. polymers, gold nanoparticles, Prussian blue nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles and carbon-based nanomaterials). Here, we would like to show our deep appreciation to all authors and reviewers. Without their great help and contributions, this focus issue, including the review and original papers, would not have been published on schedule. This focus issue may not cover all issues in this emerging scientific field; however, we believe that our efforts have great potential 'to hurl a boulder to draw a jade' and ignite innovation and challenging discussion in the relevant scientific communities.

Methods for evaluating a mature substance abuse prevention/early intervention program.

PubMed

Becker, L R; Hall, M; Fisher, D A; Miller, T R

2000-05-01

The authors describe methods for work in progress to evaluate four workplace prevention and/or early intervention programs designed to change occupational norms and reduce substance abuse at a major U.S. transportation company. The four programs are an employee assistance program, random drug testing, managed behavioral health care, and a peer-led intervention program. An elaborate mixed-methods evaluation combines data collection and analysis techniques from several traditions. A process-improvement evaluation focuses on the peer-led component to describe its evolution, document the implementation process for those interested in replicating it, and provide information for program improvement. An outcome-assessment evaluation examines impacts of the four programs on job performance measures (e.g., absenteeism, turnover, injury, and disability rates) and includes a cost-offset and employer cost-savings analysis. Issues related to using archival data, combining qualitative and quantitative designs, and working in a corporate environment are discussed.

Using Art For Health Promotion: Evaluating an In-School Program Through Student Perspectives.

PubMed

McKay, Fiona H; McKenzie, Hayley

2017-09-01

The value of incorporating arts-based approaches into health promotion programs has long been recognized as useful in affecting change. Such approaches have been used in many schools across Australia and have been found to promote general well-being and mental health. Despite these positive findings, few programs have used or evaluated an integrated arts-based approach to achieve health and well-being goals. This article presents the findings of an evaluation of an integrated arts-based program focused on creativity and improving well-being in students. The findings of this evaluation suggest that students who took part in the program were more interested in art and music at the end of the program and had gained an overall increase in awareness and mindfulness and a positivity toward leisure activities. This evaluation provides some evidence to suggest that this type of program is a promising way to promote well-being in schools.

Evaluation of a Demonstration Program for Postsecondary Hospitality Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weis, Susan F.

A three-phase program evaluation effort employing comparison groups and a pre-post test design indicate formative guidelines for programs revision and summative results indicative of the effectiveness of a demonstration associate degree program for hospitality education. Program effectiveness is defined in terms of the program's enrollment of…

Process Evaluation for a Prison-based Substance Abuse Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staton, Michele; Leukefeld, Carl; Logan, T. K.; Purvis, Rick

2000-01-01

Presents findings from a process evaluation conducted in a prison-based substance abuse program in Kentucky. Discusses key components in the program, including a detailed program description, modifications in planned treatment strategies, program documentation, and perspectives of staff and clients. Findings suggest that prison-based programs have…

Evaluation of a Postdischarge Call System Using the Logic Model.

PubMed

Frye, Timothy C; Poe, Terri L; Wilson, Marisa L; Milligan, Gary

2018-02-01

This mixed-method study was conducted to evaluate a postdischarge call program for congestive heart failure patients at a major teaching hospital in the southeastern United States. The program was implemented based on the premise that it would improve patient outcomes and overall quality of life, but it had never been evaluated for effectiveness. The Logic Model was used to evaluate the input of key staff members to determine whether the outputs and results of the program matched the expectations of the organization. Interviews, online surveys, reviews of existing patient outcome data, and reviews of publicly available program marketing materials were used to ascertain current program output. After analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data from the evaluation, recommendations were made to the organization to improve the effectiveness of the program.

An Evaluation System for the Online Training Programs in Meteorology and Hydrology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yong; Zhi, Xiefei

2009-01-01

This paper studies the current evaluation system for the online training program in meteorology and hydrology. CIPP model that includes context evaluation, input evaluation, process evaluation and product evaluation differs from Kirkpatrick model including reactions evaluation, learning evaluation, transfer evaluation and results evaluation in…

Iterative evaluation in a mobile counseling and testing program to reach people of color at risk for HIV--new strategies improve program acceptability, effectiveness, and evaluation capabilities.

PubMed

Spielberg, Freya; Kurth, Ann; Reidy, William; McKnight, Teka; Dikobe, Wame; Wilson, Charles

2011-06-01

This article highlights findings from an evaluation that explored the impact of mobile versus clinic-based testing, rapid versus central-lab based testing, incentives for testing, and the use of a computer counseling program to guide counseling and automate evaluation in a mobile program reaching people of color at risk for HIV. The program's results show that an increased focus on mobile outreach using rapid testing, incentives and health information technology tools may improve program acceptability, quality, productivity and timeliness of reports. This article describes program design decisions based on continuous quality assessment efforts. It also examines the impact of the Computer Assessment and Risk Reduction Education computer tool on HIV testing rates, staff perception of counseling quality, program productivity, and on the timeliness of evaluation reports. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for programmatic responses to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV testing recommendations.

Evaluating Continuing Education Needs and Program Effectiveness Using a Survey of Virginia's SHARP Logger Program Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Scott M.; Bolding, M. Chad; Munsell, John F.

2012-01-01

Virginia's SHARP logger program is a Cooperative Extension program currently providing training to over 1,500 loggers, foresters, and others. We conducted a mail survey of SHARP loggers to characterize program participants, assess programming needs, and evaluate program effectiveness. Results indicate a diverse group of participants in terms of…

Evaluating an English Language Teacher Education Program through Peacock's Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coskun, Abdullah; Daloglu, Aysegul

2010-01-01

The main aim of this study is to draw attention to the importance of program evaluation for teacher education programs and to reveal the pre-service English teacher education program components that are in need of improvement or maintenance both from teachers' and students' perspectives by using Peacock's (2009) recent evaluation model in a…

Using a Crystal Ball Instead of a Rear-View Mirror: Helping State Legislators Assess the Future Impacts of Major Federal Legislation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alter, Joel; Patterson, John

2006-01-01

Typically, program evaluation agencies in the legislative branch of state government examine programs that have already been implemented. These evaluations often consider whether a program achieved the legislature's original goals or complied with statutory requirements. Program evaluations frequently determine whether executive branch agencies…

Participants' perceptions of the 1997-1998 Missouri State Parks Passport Program

Treesearch

Yi-Jin Ye; Jaclyn Card

2002-01-01

Service quality is increasingly important to park managers. Recreation and park evaluation measures the implementation and outcome of programs for decision-making. Decisions based on evaluations are often concerned with improving the quality of the program for participants. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Missouri State Parks Passport Program (MSPPP) by...

Evaluation of Turkish Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durmuscelebi, Mustafa

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the new Turkish education program that has been being implemented since 2005 gradually in light of teacher suggestions. The study has been done in scanning model. In this study which has been conducted with the purpose of evaluating the newly prepared Turkish education programs, the program has been tried to be…

An Evaluation of On-Line, Interactive Tutorials Designed to Teach Practice Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seabury, Brett A.

2005-01-01

This paper presents an evaluation of two on-line-based programs designed to teach practice skills. One program teaches crisis intervention and the other teaches suicide assessment. The evaluation of the use of these programs compares outcomes for two groups of students, one using the interactive program outside a class context and the other using…

Evaluation of Selected New York City Umbrella Programs, 1974-1975 School Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fordham Univ., Bronx, NY. Inst. for Research and Evaluation.

An evaluation of twelve different New York City Umbrella Programs coordinated in New York City public schools during the 1974-1975 school year is contained in this document. This report presents a description and evaluation of these programs, together with the major findings. The programs were implemented in the following areas: (1) tutoring in…

Implementing and Evaluating a Rural Community-Based Sexual Abstinence Program: Challenges and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stauss, Kimberly; Boyas, Javier; Murphy-Erby, Yvette

2012-01-01

Informing both program evaluation and practice research, this paper describes lessons learned during the planning, implementation, and pilot phases of an abstinence education program based in a rural community in a southern state in the USA. Although a number of challenges can emerge in successfully implementing and evaluating such a program in a…

45 CFR 2516.840 - By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs? 2516.840 Section 2516.840 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... Learn and Serve America programs? The Corporation will evaluate programs based on the following: (a) The...

45 CFR 2516.840 - By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs? 2516.840 Section 2516.840 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... Learn and Serve America programs? The Corporation will evaluate programs based on the following: (a) The...

45 CFR 2516.840 - By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs? 2516.840 Section 2516.840 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... Learn and Serve America programs? The Corporation will evaluate programs based on the following: (a) The...

45 CFR 2516.840 - By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false By what standards will the Corporation evaluate individual Learn and Serve America programs? 2516.840 Section 2516.840 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to... Learn and Serve America programs? The Corporation will evaluate programs based on the following: (a) The...

From Schools to Community Learning Centers: A Program Evaluation of a School Reform Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magolda, Peter; Ebben, Kelsey

2007-01-01

This manuscript reports on a program evaluation of a school reform initiative conducted in an Ohio city. The paper describes, interprets, and evaluates this reform process aimed at transforming schools into community learning centers. The manuscript also describes and analyzes the initiative's program evaluation process. Elliot Eisner's [(1998).…

Evaluating public participation in environmental decision-making: EPA's superfund community involvement program.

Treesearch

Susan Charnley; Bruce Engelbert

2005-01-01

This article discusses an 8-year, ongoing project that evaluates the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund community involvement program. The project originated as a response to the Government Performance and Results Act, which requires federal agencies to articulate program goals, and evaluate and report their progress in meeting those goals. The evaluation...

Formative Evaluation in a Cognitive Developmental Program for Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Sherry L.; And Others

The Cognitive Developmental Early Childhood program at Pennsylvania State University has formulated a program, curriculum, and evaluation system guided by Piagetian theory. The evaluation system described in this paper is a result of an intensive examination of the purposes and types of evaluation systems for their compatibility with the Piagetian…

The Do's and Don'ts in Regard to the Evaluation of Bilingual Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriquez-Brown, Flora V.

The difficulties in evaluating bilingual education appear to have prevented success in all but a few evaluation attempts, but better and more meaningful evaluation is neccessary in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of bilingual programs. Many bilingual programs are undergoing constant modification, adequate assessment instruments have…

Evaluating Federal Social Programs: Finding out What Works and What Does Not

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muhlhausen, David B.

2012-01-01

Federal social programs are rarely evaluated to determine whether they are actually accomplishing their intended purposes. As part of its obligation to spend taxpayers' dollars wisely, Congress should mandate that experimental evaluations of every federal social program be conducted. The evaluations should be large-scale, multisite studies to…

What Have We Learned about the Politics of Program Evaluation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chelimsky, Eleanor

The politics of program evaluation are discussed from the personal perspective of the Director of the General Accounting Office's Program Evaluation and Methodology Division, which has produced reports for committees of the United States Congress. It is concluded that successful evaluations must be useful to others and must understand the…

Adapting the Empowerment Evaluation Model: A Mental Health Drop-In Center Case Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullins, Carolyn D.

2003-01-01

Empowerment evaluation involves a program's stakeholders in designing and implementing an evaluation of their own program, thus contributing to the program's improvement and self-determination (Fetterman, 1994, 1996). It appeared to be an appropriate approach for evaluating a mental health drop-in center, which had congruent goals of collaboration…

Formative Evaluation of the Adult Learning, Literacy and Essential Skills Program. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, 2010

2010-01-01

This report presents the results of the formative evaluation of the Adult Learning, Literacy and Essential Skills Program (ALLESP). Data collection related to this evaluation took place between November 2008 and May 2009. The evaluation resulted in the following four recommendations: (1) It is recommended that Program objectives and activities…

Development and application of course-embedded assessment system for program outcome evaluation in the Korean nursing education: A pilot study.

PubMed

Park, Jee Won; Seo, Eun Ji; You, Mi-Ae; Song, Ju-Eun

2016-03-01

Program outcome evaluation is important because it is an indicator for good quality of education. Course-embedded assessment is one of the program outcome evaluation methods. However, it is rarely used in Korean nursing education. The study purpose was to develop and apply preliminarily a course-embedded assessment system to evaluate one program outcome and to share our experiences. This was a methodological study to develop and apply the course-embedded assessment system based on the theoretical framework in one nursing program in South Korea. Scores for 77 students generated from the three practicum courses were used. The course-embedded assessment system was developed following the six steps suggested by Han's model as follows. 1) One program outcome in the undergraduate program, "nursing process application ability", was selected and 2) the three clinical practicum courses related to the selected program outcome were identified. 3) Evaluation tools including rubric and items were selected for outcome measurement and 4) performance criterion, the educational goal level for the program, was established. 5) Program outcome was actually evaluated using the rubric and evaluation items in the three practicum courses and 6) the obtained scores were analyzed to identify the achievement rate, which was compared with the performance criterion. Achievement rates for the selected program outcome in adult, maternity, and pediatric nursing practicum were 98.7%, 100%, and 66.2% in the case report and 100% for all three in the clinical practice, and 100%, 100%, and 87% respectively for the conference. These are considered as satisfactory levels when compared with the performance criterion of "at least 60% or more". Course-embedded assessment can be used as an effective and economic method to evaluate the program outcome without running an integrative course additionally. Further studies to develop course-embedded assessment systems for other program outcomes in nursing education are needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION PROGRAM TECHNOLOGY PROFILES: SIXTH EDITION

EPA Science Inventory

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program evaluates new and promising treatment and monitoring and measurement technologies for cleanup of hazardous waste sites. The program was created to encourage the development and routine use of innovative treatment techn...

SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION PROGRAM - TECHNOLOGY PROFILES - SEVENTH EDITION

EPA Science Inventory

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program evaluates new and promising treatment and monitoring and measurement technologies for cleanup of hazardous waste sites. The program was created to encourage the development and routine use of innovative treatment techn...

A qualitative case study of evaluation use in the context of a collaborative program evaluation strategy in Burkina Faso.

PubMed

D'Ostie-Racine, Léna; Dagenais, Christian; Ridde, Valéry

2016-05-26

Program evaluation is widely recognized in the international humanitarian sector as a means to make interventions and policies more evidence based, equitable, and accountable. Yet, little is known about the way humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) actually use evaluations. The current qualitative evaluation employed an instrumental case study design to examine evaluation use (EU) by a humanitarian NGO based in Burkina Faso. This organization developed an evaluation strategy in 2008 to document the implementation and effects of its maternal and child healthcare user fee exemption program. Program evaluations have been undertaken ever since, and the present study examined the discourses of evaluation partners in 2009 (n = 15) and 2011 (n = 17). Semi-structured individual interviews and one group interview were conducted to identify instances of EU over time. Alkin and Taut's (Stud Educ Eval 29:1-12, 2003) conceptualization of EU was used as the basis for thematic qualitative analyses of the different forms of EU identified by stakeholders of the exemption program in the two data collection periods. Results demonstrated that stakeholders began to understand and value the utility of program evaluations once they were exposed to evaluation findings and then progressively used evaluations over time. EU was manifested in a variety of ways, including instrumental and conceptual use of evaluation processes and findings, as well as the persuasive use of findings. Such EU supported planning, decision-making, program practices, evaluation capacity, and advocacy. The study sheds light on the many ways evaluations can be used by different actors in the humanitarian sector. Conceptualizations of EU are also critically discussed.

Masonry Program Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia Univ., Athens. Dept. of Vocational Education.

This publication contains statewide standards for the masonry program in Georgia. The standards are divided into 12 categories: foundations (philosophy, purpose, goals, program objectives, availability, evaluation); admissions (admission requirements, provisional admission requirements, recruitment, evaluation and planning); program structure…

Evaluating an employee wellness program.

PubMed

Mukhopadhyay, Sankar; Wendel, Jeanne

2013-12-01

What criteria should be used to evaluate the impact of a new employee wellness program when the initial vendor contract expires? Published academic literature focuses on return-on-investment as the gold standard for wellness program evaluation, and a recent meta-analysis concludes that wellness programs can generate net savings after one or two years. In contrast, surveys indicate that fewer than half of these programs report net savings, and actuarial analysts argue that return-on-investment is an unrealistic metric for evaluating new programs. These analysts argue that evaluation of new programs should focus on contract management issues, such as the vendor's ability to: (i) recruit employees to participate and (ii) induce behavior change. We compute difference-in-difference propensity score matching estimates of the impact of a wellness program implemented by a mid-sized employer. The analysis includes one year of pre-implementation data and three years of post-implementation data. We find that the program successfully recruited a broad spectrum of employees to participate, and it successfully induced short-term behavior change, as manifested by increased preventive screening. However, the effects on health care expenditures are positive (but insignificant). If it is unrealistic to expect new programs to significantly reduce healthcare costs in a few years, then focusing on return-on-investment as the gold standard metric may lead to early termination of potentially useful wellness programs. Focusing short-term analysis of new programs on short-term measures may provide a more realistic evaluation strategy.

Evaluacion de que consister y por que se lleva acabo? (Evaluation: What Does it Consist of, and for What Purpose?).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin Independent School District, TX. Office of Research and Evaluation.

A guide is presented for the evaluation of the bilingual programs in the Austin, Texas, Independent School District. The reasons for an evaluation and a definition of program objectives and evaluation instruments are given. The program components, objectives and evaluation instruments for each grade level (K-4) are listed. The components involved…

Compulsory Project-Level Involvement and the Use of Program-Level Evaluations: Evaluating the Local Systemic Change for Teacher Enhancement Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Kelli; Weiss, Iris R.

2011-01-01

In 1995, the National Science Foundation (NSF) contracted with principal investigator Iris Weiss and an evaluation team at Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) to conduct a national evaluation of the Local Systemic Change for Teacher Enhancement program (LSC). HRI conducted the core evaluation under a $6.25 million contract with NSF. This program…

Report of the Evaluation of the Race/Human Relations Program. Student and Staff Program and Long Range Goals. Baseline Year 1982-83. Evaluation Services Department Report No. 348.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomblin, Elizabeth A.; And Others

In response to a 1982 Superior Court order, a centrally developed, sequential program for improving race/human relations in the San Diego City Schools was developed and field tested or implemented during the 1982-83 school year. This systematic evaluation reports on the student program, "Conflict"; the staff program; and baseline data…

Improving the Impact and Implementation of Disaster Education: Programs for Children Through Theory-Based Evaluation.

PubMed

Johnson, Victoria A; Ronan, Kevin R; Johnston, David M; Peace, Robin

2016-11-01

A main weakness in the evaluation of disaster education programs for children is evaluators' propensity to judge program effectiveness based on changes in children's knowledge. Few studies have articulated an explicit program theory of how children's education would achieve desired outcomes and impacts related to disaster risk reduction in households and communities. This article describes the advantages of constructing program theory models for the purpose of evaluating disaster education programs for children. Following a review of some potential frameworks for program theory development, including the logic model, the program theory matrix, and the stage step model, the article provides working examples of these frameworks. The first example is the development of a program theory matrix used in an evaluation of ShakeOut, an earthquake drill practiced in two Washington State school districts. The model illustrates a theory of action; specifically, the effectiveness of school earthquake drills in preventing injuries and deaths during disasters. The second example is the development of a stage step model used for a process evaluation of What's the Plan Stan?, a voluntary teaching resource distributed to all New Zealand primary schools for curricular integration of disaster education. The model illustrates a theory of use; specifically, expanding the reach of disaster education for children through increased promotion of the resource. The process of developing the program theory models for the purpose of evaluation planning is discussed, as well as the advantages and shortcomings of the theory-based approaches. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Using a systems orientation and foundational theory to enhance theory-driven human service program evaluations.

PubMed

Wasserman, Deborah L

2010-05-01

This paper offers a framework for using a systems orientation and "foundational theory" to enhance theory-driven evaluations and logic models. The framework guides the process of identifying and explaining operative relationships and perspectives within human service program systems. Self-Determination Theory exemplifies how a foundational theory can be used to support the framework in a wide range of program evaluations. Two examples illustrate how applications of the framework have improved the evaluators' abilities to observe and explain program effect. In both exemplars improvements involved addressing and organizing into a single logic model heretofore seemingly disparate evaluation issues regarding valuing (by whose values); the role of organizational and program context; and evaluation anxiety and utilization. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and implementation of an integrated, continuous evaluation, and quality improvement system for a state-based home-visiting program.

PubMed

McCabe, Bridget K; Potash, Dru; Omohundro, Ellen; Taylor, Cathy R

2012-10-01

To describe the design and implementation of an evaluation system to facilitate continuous quality improvement (CQI) and scientific evaluation in a statewide home visiting program, and to provide a summary of the system's progress in meeting intended outputs and short-term outcomes. Help Us Grow Successfully (HUGS) is a statewide home visiting program that provides services to at-risk pregnant/post-partum women, children (0-5 years), and their families. The program goals are to improve parenting skills and connect families to needed services and thus improve the health of the service population. The evaluation system is designed to: (1) integrate evaluation into daily workflow; (2) utilize standardized screening and evaluation tools; (3) facilitate a culture of CQI in program management; and, (4) facilitate scientifically rigorous evaluations. The review of the system's design and implementation occurred through a formative evaluation process (reach, dose, and fidelity). Data was collected through electronic and paper surveys, administrative data, and notes from management meetings, and medical chart review. In the design phase, four process and forty outcome measures were selected and are tracked using standardized screening and monitoring tools. During implementation, the reach and dose of training were adequate to successfully launch the evaluation/CQI system. All staff (n = 165) use the system for management of families; the supervisors (n = 18) use the system to track routine program activities. Data quality and availability is sufficient to support periodic program reviews at the region and state level. In the first 7 months, the HUGS evaluation system tracked 3,794 families (7,937 individuals). System use and acceptance is high. A successful implementation of a structured evaluation system with a strong CQI component is feasible in an existing, large statewide program. The evaluation/CQI system is an effective mechanism to drive modest change in management of the program.

Guidelines for Creating, Implementing, and Evaluating Mind-Body Programs in a Military Healthcare Setting.

PubMed

Smith, Katherine; Firth, Kimberly; Smeeding, Sandra; Wolever, Ruth; Kaufman, Joanna; Delgado, Roxana; Bellanti, Dawn; Xenakis, Lea

2016-01-01

Research suggests that the development of mind-body skills can improve individual and family resilience, particularly related to the stresses of illness, trauma, and caregiving. To operationalize the research evidence that mind-body skills help with health and recovery, Samueli Institute, in partnership with experts in mind-body programming, created a set of guidelines for developing and evaluating mind-body programs for service members, veterans, and their families. The Guidelines for Creating, Implementing, and Evaluating Mind-Body Programs in a Military Healthcare Setting outline key strategies and issues to consider when developing, implementing, and evaluating a mind-body focused family empowerment approach in a military healthcare setting. Although these guidelines were developed specifically for a military setting, most of the same principles can be applied to the development of programs in the civilian setting as well. The guidelines particularly address issues unique to mind-body programs, such as choosing evidence-based modalities, licensure and credentialing, safety and contraindications, and choosing evaluation measures that capture the holistic nature of these types of programs. The guidelines are practical, practice-based guidelines, developed by experts in the fields of program development and evaluation, mind-body therapies, patient- and family-centered care, as well as, experts in military and veteran's health systems. They provide a flexible framework to create mind-body family empowerment programs and describe important issues that program developers and evaluators are encouraged to address to ensure the development of the most impactful, successful, evidence-supported programs possible. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Positive youth development programs for adolescents with greater psychosocial needs: evaluation based on program implementers.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Ng, Catalina S M; Law, Moon Y M

2017-02-01

As program implementers' views are seldom included in program evaluation and there are few related studies in different Chinese communities, this study examined the perceptions of the program implementers who implemented the Tier 2 Program of the P.A.T.H.S. Program in Hong Kong. The Tier 2 Program was designed to promote the development of adolescents with greater psychosocial needs. In the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project, 400 program implementers completed a subjective outcome evaluation form (Form D) for program implementers. Consistent with the previous findings, program implementers generally held positive views towards the program, implementers, and program effectiveness and their views towards these three domains did not differ across grades. In line with the hypotheses, perceived program quality and perceived implementer quality predicted program effectiveness. The present findings provided an alternative perspective showing that the Tier 2 Program was well received by the program implementers and they regarded the program to be beneficial to the program participants.

Care management program evaluation: constituents, conflicts, and moves toward standardization.

PubMed

Long, D Adam; Perry, Theodore L; Pelletier, Kenneth R; Lehman, Gregg O

2006-06-01

Care management program evaluations bring together constituents from finance, medicine, and social sciences. The differing assumptions and scientific philosophies that these constituents bring to the task often lead to frustrations and even contentions. Given the forms and variations of care management programs, the difficulty associated with program outcomes measurement should not be surprising. It is no wonder then that methods for clinical and economic evaluations of program efficacy continue to be debated and have yet to be standardized. We describe these somewhat hidden processes, examine where the industry stands, and provide recommendations for steps to standardize evaluation methodology.