Lateral view dissection of the prostato-urethral junction to reduce positive apical margin in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

PubMed

Sasaki, Hiroshi; Miki, Jun; Kimura, Takahiro; Sanuki, Kunitaro; Miki, Kenta; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Egawa, Shin

2009-08-01

To assess the impact of lateral view apical dissection in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) on the reduction of positive surgical margin rates and recovery of postoperative continence. One hundred and forty-four consecutive patients underwent LRP from October 2004 to March 2008. Lateral view dissection of the prostato-urethral junction was conducted in 76 of them (Group 2). Standard dissection was used in the remaining patients (Group 1). The effect of this technical modification on the reduction of positive surgical margin rates and postoperative recovery of urinary continence was assessed in the two groups. Overall, the incidence of positive margins decreased from 23 (35.9%) in Group 1 to 16 cases (21.9%) in Group 2 (P = 0.07). Positive margin rates in pT2 decreased from 30.6% to 6.5% (P = 0.006). Apical and dorso-apical margins were reduced from 26.5% to 4.3% (P = 0.009) and from 10.2% to 0% (P < 0.001), respectively. Postoperative recovery of urinary continence improved significantly, with a pad-free rate over the first 3 months of 55.9% in Group 1 vs 71.7% in Group 2 (P = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed this modified surgical technique to predict a lower rate of positive margins. Lateral view dissection of the prostato-urethral junction is an easily applicable technical modification. It provides better visualization of apical anatomy substantially contributing to the reduction of positive surgical margin rates, especially at the level of prostatic apex.

77 FR 50730 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Order...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-22

... (``CFTC''), and currently operates a substantial business clearing both IRS and interest rate futures... Proposed Rule Change To Amend Rules To Facilitate Customer Portfolio Margining of Interest Rate Futures and...'') and interest rate futures clearing offerings by establishing a portfolio margining program for...

Markets to Facilitate Wind and Solar Energy Integration in the Bulk Power Supply: An IEA Task 25 Collaboration; Preprint

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

Milligan, M.; Holttinen, H.; Soder, L.

2012-09-01

Wind and solar power will give rise to challenges in electricity markets regarding flexibility, capacity adequacy, and the participation of wind and solar generators to markets. Large amounts of wind power will have impacts on bulk power system markets and electricity prices. If the markets respond to increased wind power by increasing investments in low-capital, high-cost or marginal-cost power, the average price may remain in the same range. However, experiences so far from Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Ireland are such that the average market prices have decreased because of wind power. This reduction may result in additional revenue insufficiency, whichmore » may be corrected with a capacity market, yet capacity markets are difficult to design. However, the flexibility attributes of the capacity also need to be considered. Markets facilitating wind and solar integration will include possibilities for trading close to delivery (either by shorter gate closure times or intraday markets). Time steps chosen for markets can enable more flexibility to be assessed. Experience from 5- and 10-minute markets has been encouraging.« less

The effects of the Er:YAG laser on trabecular bone micro-architecture: Comparison with conventional dental drilling by micro-computed tomographic and histological techniques

PubMed Central

Zeitouni, Jihad; Clough, Bret; Zeitouni, Suzanne; Saleem, Mohammed; Al Aisami, Kenan; Gregory, Carl

2017-01-01

Background: The use of lasers has become increasingly common in the field of medicine and dentistry, and there is a growing need for a deeper understanding of the procedure and its effects on tissue. The aim of this study was to compare the erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Er:YAG) laser and conventional drilling techniques, by observing the effects on trabecular bone microarchitecture and the extent of thermal and mechanical damage. Methods: Ovine femoral heads were employed to mimic maxillofacial trabecular bone, and cylindrical osteotomies were generated to mimic implant bed preparation. Various laser parameters were tested, as well as a conventional dental drilling technique. The specimens were then subjected to micro-computed tomographic (μCT) histomorphometic analysis and histology. Results: Herein, we demonstrate that mCT measurements of trabecular porosity provide quantitative evidence that laser-mediated cutting preserves the trabecular architecture and reduces thermal and mechanical damage at the margins of the cut. We confirmed these observations with histological studies. In contrast with laser-mediated cutting, conventional drilling resulted in trabecular collapse, reduction of porosity at the margin of the cut and histological signs of thermal damage. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated, for the first time, that mCT and quantification of porosity at the margin of the cut provides a quantitative insight into damage caused by bone cutting techniques. We further show that with laser-mediated cutting, the marrow remains exposed to the margins of the cut, facilitating cellular infiltration and likely accelerating healing. However, with drilling, trabecular collapse and thermal damage is likely to delay healing by restricting the passage of cells to the site of injury and causing localized cell death. PMID:29416849

WE-G-BRD-08: Motion Analysis for Rectal Cancer: Implications for Adaptive Radiotherapy On the MR-Linac

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

Kleijnen, J; Asselen, B van; Burbach, M

2015-06-15

Purpose: Purpose of this study is to find the optimal trade-off between adaptation interval and margin reduction and to define the implications of motion for rectal cancer boost radiotherapy on a MR-linac. Methods: Daily MRI scans were acquired of 16 patients, diagnosed with rectal cancer, prior to each radiotherapy fraction in one week (N=76). Each scan session consisted of T2-weighted and three 2D sagittal cine-MRI, at begin (t=0 min), middle (t=9:30 min) and end (t=18:00 min) of scan session, for 1 minute at 2 Hz temporal resolution. Tumor and clinical target volume (CTV) were delineated on each T2-weighted scan andmore » transferred to each cine-MRI. The start frame of the begin scan was used as reference and registered to frames at time-points 15, 30 and 60 seconds, 9:30 and 18:00 minutes and 1, 2, 3 and 4 days later. Per time-point, motion of delineated voxels was evaluated using the deformation vector fields of the registrations and the 95th percentile distance (dist95%) was calculated as measure of motion. Per time-point, the distance that includes 90% of all cases was taken as estimate of required planning target volume (PTV)-margin. Results: Highest motion reduction is observed going from 9:30 minutes to 60 seconds. We observe a reduction in margin estimates from 10.6 to 2.7 mm and 16.1 to 4.6 mm for tumor and CTV, respectively, when adapting every 60 seconds compared to not adapting treatment. A 75% and 71% reduction, respectively. Further reduction in adaptation time-interval yields only marginal motion reduction. For adaptation intervals longer than 18:00 minutes only small motion reductions are observed. Conclusion: The optimal adaptation interval for adaptive rectal cancer (boost) treatments on a MR-linac is 60 seconds. This results in substantial smaller PTV-margin estimates. Adaptation intervals of 18:00 minutes and higher, show little improvement in motion reduction.« less

Influence of coping design on the cervical color of ceramic crowns.

PubMed

Paniz, Gianluca; Kang, Ki-Ho; Kim, Yongjeong; Kumagai, Naota; Hirayama, Hiroshi

2013-12-01

The replication of natural teeth, especially with single-tooth restorations, represents a challenge. Similar to metal ceramic crowns, different designs of zirconia substructures have been suggested to improve the esthetic results of zirconia ceramic crowns. The purpose of the study was to analyze the color of the cervical portion of single zirconia ceramic crowns fabricated with different zirconia coping designs. The color, measured on the CIELAB color scale, of 3 different groups of restorations (n=10) fabricated with zirconia coping (Lava) and feldspathic porcelain (Noritake Super Porcelain) was analyzed with a spectrophotometer. Conventional zirconia crowns with zirconia facial margins were compared with ceramic crowns with porcelain facial margins and either a horizontal reduction of the zirconia coping (1.0 mm reduction) or an additional vertical reduction (1.0 mm additional reduction). The 3 groups, each with a different coping extension, were examined with a 1-way ANOVA and the Fisher exact test, and the differences of the groups were evaluated by applying ΔE thresholds (α=.05). The mean color difference among all the groups was not clinically significant (ΔE<3.7). Reduced color differences were present between the 2 porcelain butt margin groups of crowns (ΔE=1.06, between group H and V). Increased differences were present between the zirconia margin group and the porcelain butt margin group (ΔE=2.54 between group C and H; ΔE=2.41 between group C and V). Lab* values were examined in all the groups of crowns to determine the clinical implications. Within the limitation of the study, no significant differences were present among the tested groups of crowns. Nevertheless, although some differences were present between the zirconia margin group and the porcelain butt margin group, reduced differences were present between the 2 different cutback designs. Copyright © 2013 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Delta Chromium-53/52 isotopic composition of native and contaminated groundwater, Mojave Desert, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Izbicki, John A.; Bullen, Thomas D.; Martin, Peter; Schroth, Brian

2012-01-01

Chromium(VI) concentrations in groundwater sampled from three contaminant plumes in aquifers in the Mojave Desert near Hinkley, Topock and El Mirage, California, USA, were as high as 2600, 5800 and 330 μg/L, respectively. δ53/52Cr compositions from more than 50 samples collected within these plumes ranged from near 0‰ to almost 4‰ near the plume margins. Assuming only reductive fractionation of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) within the plume, apparent fractionation factors for δ53/52Cr isotopes ranged from εapp = 0.3 to 0.4 within the Hinkley and Topock plumes, respectively, and only the El Mirage plume had a fractionation factor similar to the laboratory derived value of ε = 3.5. One possible explanation for the difference between field and laboratory fractionation factors at the Hinkley and Topock sites is localized reductive fractionation of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), with subsequent advective mixing of native and contaminated water near the plume margin. Chromium(VI) concentrations and δ53/52Cr isotopic compositions did not uniquely define the source of Cr near the plume margin, or the extent of reductive fractionation within the plume. However, Cr(VI) and δ53/52Cr data contribute to understanding of the interaction between reductive and mixing processes that occur within and near the margins of Cr contamination plumes. Reductive fractionation of Cr(VI) predominates in plumes having higher εapp, these plumes may be suitable for monitored natural attenuation. In contrast, advective mixing predominates in plumes having lower εapp, the highly dispersed margins of these plumes may be difficult to define and manage.

Distinct iron isotopic signatures and supply from marine sediment dissolution

PubMed Central

Homoky, William B.; John, Seth G.; Conway, Tim M.; Mills, Rachel A.

2013-01-01

Oceanic iron inputs must be traced and quantified to learn how they affect primary productivity and climate. Chemical reduction of iron in continental margin sediments provides a substantial dissolved flux to the oceans, which is isotopically lighter than the crust, and so may be distinguished in seawater from other sources, such as wind-blown dust. However, heavy iron isotopes measured in seawater have recently led to the proposition of another source of dissolved iron from ‘non-reductive’ dissolution of continental margins. Here we present the first pore water iron isotope data from a passive-tectonic and semi-arid ocean margin (South Africa), which reveals a smaller and isotopically heavier flux of dissolved iron to seawater than active-tectonic and dysoxic continental margins. These data provide in situ evidence of non-reductive iron dissolution from a continental margin, and further show that geological and hydro-climatic factors may affect the amount and isotopic composition of iron entering the ocean. PMID:23868399

Improving Quality and Efficiency for Intussusception Management After Successful Enema Reduction.

PubMed

Raval, Mehul V; Minneci, Peter C; Deans, Katherine J; Kurtovic, Kelli J; Dietrich, Ann; Bates, D Gregory; Rangel, Shawn J; Moss, R Lawrence; Kenney, Brian D

2015-11-01

The purpose of this project was to implement a protocol facilitating discharge from the emergency department (ED) after successful radiologic ileocolic intussusception reduction in a pediatric referral center. A multidisciplinary team identified drivers for successful quality improvement including educational brochures, a standardized radiologic report, an observation period in the ER with oral hydration challenges, and follow-up phone calls the day after discharge. Patient outcomes were tracked, and quarterly feedback was provided. Of 80 patients identified over a 24-month period, 34 (42.5%) did not qualify for discharge home due to need for surgical intervention (n = 9), specific radiologic findings (n = 11), need for additional intravenous hydration (n = 4), or other reasons (n = 7). Of 46 patients who qualified for discharge, 30 (65.2%) were successfully sent home from the ED. One patient returned with recurrent symptoms that required repeat enema reduction. Sixteen patients were observed and discharged within 23 hours. Adherence with discharge from the ED improved over time. Discharge from the ED was associated with cost savings and improved net margins at the hospital level for each encounter. A sustainable multidisciplinary quality improvement project to discharge intussusception patients from the ED after air-contrast enema reduction was successfully integrated in a high-volume referral center through education, standardized radiologic reporting, and protocoled follow-up. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Marginal adaptation of CAD-CAM onlays: Influence of preparation design and impression technique.

PubMed

Lima, Fernanda Ferruzzi; Neto, Constantino Fernandes; Rubo, José H; Santos, Gildo Coelho; Moraes Coelho Santos, Maria Jacinta

2018-03-15

Factors that may affect the marginal adaptation of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) restorations include preparation design, impression technique, and CAD-CAM system. The influence of impression technique and preparation design on CAD-CAM partial coverage restorations has not been fully addressed. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the influence of direct and indirect digital impression techniques and 2 preparation designs on the marginal adaptation of CAD-CAM onlays. Two mesio-occlusal buccal onlay preparations with reduction of the mesiobuccal cusp were made: conventional preparation (CP) with a 1.2-mm modified shoulder margin and modified preparation (MP) flat cuspal reduction without shoulder. Virtual models were generated from each preparation by using a digital scanner (BlueCam; Dentsply Sirona) from the plastic teeth (direct digital impression) or from the stone dies (indirect digital impression). Onlays were designed using a CAD-CAM system (CEREC 4.0; Dentsply Sirona), and nanoceramic resin blocks (Lava Ultimate Restorative; 3M ESPE) were milled using the CEREC MCX milling machine. Marginal discrepancy was evaluated using an optical stereomicroscope at ×25 magnification in 18 locations distributed along the margins of the preparation. The data were analyzed by using 3-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey HSD test (α=.05). CP presented a statistically significant reduced average marginal adaptation (59 ±50 μm) than did MP (69 ±58 μm) (P<.001). The Tukey HSD test showed the presence of a significantly larger marginal discrepancy in the mesial and buccal locations of MP when compared with CP. Regarding impression techniques, the buccal location presented the smallest average marginal discrepancy in restorations fabricated with indirect impression when compared with direct impression (42 ±33 μm and 60 ±39 μm) (P<.001). The results showed that conventional preparation with a modified shoulder margin presented improved marginal adaptation compared with modified preparation with flat cuspal reduction. Direct and indirect digital impression techniques produced restorations within a clinically acceptable range; however, the indirect impression technique resulted in the fabrication of restorations with superior marginal adaptation on the buccal location. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

First record of the larvae of tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi in the Chukchi Sea: A future northward expansion in the Arctic?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landeira, Jose M.; Matsuno, Kohei; Tanaka, Yuji; Yamaguchi, Atsushi

2018-06-01

In the Bering Sea, warming and reduction of summer sea-ice cover are driving species ranges towards the Arctic. Tanner crab, Chionoecetes bairdi, is a commercially important species in the SE Bering Sea with a northerly range margin in 62ºN. In this paper, using plankton samples collected in the Pacific sub-Arctic/Arctic sector during summer, we report for the first time the presence of larval stages (zoea II) of C. bairdi far from its northern limit of the distribution, in the south of St. Lawrence Island during 1991, and even crossing the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea during 1992. We suggest that the long planktonic phase (3-5 months), in combination with the oceanographic circulation, may facilitate eventual long-distance transport.

Supervised linear dimensionality reduction with robust margins for object recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dornaika, F.; Assoum, A.

2013-01-01

Linear Dimensionality Reduction (LDR) techniques have been increasingly important in computer vision and pattern recognition since they permit a relatively simple mapping of data onto a lower dimensional subspace, leading to simple and computationally efficient classification strategies. Recently, many linear discriminant methods have been developed in order to reduce the dimensionality of visual data and to enhance the discrimination between different groups or classes. Many existing linear embedding techniques relied on the use of local margins in order to get a good discrimination performance. However, dealing with outliers and within-class diversity has not been addressed by margin-based embedding method. In this paper, we explored the use of different margin-based linear embedding methods. More precisely, we propose to use the concepts of Median miss and Median hit for building robust margin-based criteria. Based on such margins, we seek the projection directions (linear embedding) such that the sum of local margins is maximized. Our proposed approach has been applied to the problem of appearance-based face recognition. Experiments performed on four public face databases show that the proposed approach can give better generalization performance than the classic Average Neighborhood Margin Maximization (ANMM). Moreover, thanks to the use of robust margins, the proposed method down-grades gracefully when label outliers contaminate the training data set. In particular, we show that the concept of Median hit was crucial in order to get robust performance in the presence of outliers.

Laparoscopic enucleation of liver tumors. Corkscrew technique revisited.

PubMed

Makdissi, Fabio F; Surjan, Rodrigo C T; Machado, Marcel Autran C

2009-03-01

Enucleation of small lesions located near the hepatic surface can be achieved with low morbidity and mortality. This article describes a simple laparoscopic technique for enucleation of liver tumors. After inspection and intraoperative ultrasonography, Glisson's capsule is marked with eletrocautery 2 cm away from the tumor margin. Ultrasonography is used to ascertain surgical margin right before liver transection. Hemihepatic ischemia is applied and marked area is anchored by stitches. The suture is held together by metallic clips and upward traction is performed, facilitating the transection of the parenchyma and correct identification of vascular and biliary structures. This technique has been successfully employed in six consecutive patients. There were four men and two women, mean age 50.3 years. Four patients underwent liver resection for malignant disease and two for benign liver neoplasm. Pathologic surgical margins were free in all cases and mean hospital stay was 2 days. No postoperative mortality was observed. This technique may facilitate laparoscopic nonanatomical liver resection and reduce risk of positive surgical margins. It is also useful in combination with anatomical laparoscopic liver resections such as right or left hemihepatectomies in patients with bilateral liver tumors as occurred in one of our patients.

Empowering marginalized communities in water resources management: addressing inequitable practices in Participatory Model Building.

PubMed

Butler, Cameron; Adamowski, Jan

2015-04-15

Within the field of water resource management, Group Model Building (GMB) is a growing method used to engage stakeholders in the development of models that describe environmental and socioeconomic systems to create and test policy alternatives. While there is significant focus on improving stakeholder engagement, there is a lack of studies specifically looking at the experiences of marginalized communities and the barriers that prevent their fuller participation in the decision-making process. This paper explores the common issues and presents recommended improved practices, based on anti-oppression, related to the stages of problem framing, stakeholder identification and selection, workshop preparation, and workshop facilitation. For problem defining and stakeholder selection, the major recommendations are to engage diverse stakeholder communities from the earliest stages and give them control over framing the project scope. With regards to planning the model building workshops, it is recommended that the facilitation team work closely with marginalized stakeholders to highlight and address barriers that would prevent their inclusion. With the actual facilitation of the workshops, it is best to employ activities that allow stakeholders to provide knowledge and input in mediums that are most comfortable to them; additionally, the facilitation team needs to be able to challenge problematic interpersonal interactions as they manifest within conversations. This article focuses on building comfortability with political language so that the systemic oppression in which existing participatory processes occur can be understood, thus allowing GMB practitioners to engage in social justice efforts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptive marginal median filter for colour images.

PubMed

Morillas, Samuel; Gregori, Valentín; Sapena, Almanzor

2011-01-01

This paper describes a new filter for impulse noise reduction in colour images which is aimed at improving the noise reduction capability of the classical vector median filter. The filter is inspired by the application of a vector marginal median filtering process over a selected group of pixels in each filtering window. This selection, which is based on the vector median, along with the application of the marginal median operation constitutes an adaptive process that leads to a more robust filter design. Also, the proposed method is able to process colour images without introducing colour artifacts. Experimental results show that the images filtered with the proposed method contain less noisy pixels than those obtained through the vector median filter.

Comparison of Marginal Circumference of Two Different Pre-Crimped Stainless Steel Crowns for Primary Molars After Re-Crimping.

PubMed

Afshar, Hossein; Ghandehari, Mehdi; Soleimani, Banafsheh

2015-12-01

It is not clear what type of pre-crimped crown is more successful in achieving greater marginal adaptation following re-crimping. This study aimed to assess the changes in the circumference of 3M ESPE and MIB pre-crimped stainless steel crowns (SSCs) for the primary maxillary and mandibular first and second molars following re-crimping. This was an in-vitro, experimental study. Initial photographs were obtained from the margins of 3M and MIB SSCs for the upper and lower primary molars using a digital camera. Crown margins were crimped by applying 0.2N force using 114 and 137 pliers. Post-crimping photographs were also obtained and the changes in crown circumference after crimping were calculated using AutoCad software. The percentage of reduction in the circumference of crowns for each tooth was statistically analyzed based on the type of crown using student t-test. The effect of crown design and the associated teeth on the decreased circumference percentage was statistically analyzed by two-sided ANOVA. The percentage of reduction in lower E SSC circumference was 3.71±0.39% in MIB and 6.29±0.62% in 3M crowns. These values were 3.55±0.55% and 7.15±1.13% for the lower Ds, and 3.95±0.43 and 6.24±0.85% for the upper Ds, respectively. For the upper Es, these values were found to be 3.12±0.65% and 5.14±0.94%, respectively. For each tooth, a significant difference was found between MIB and 3M SSCs in terms of the percentage of reduction in crown circumference following crimping. The magnitude of this reduction was smaller in MIB compared to 3M SSCs (P<0.001). Considering the significant reduction in the marginal circumference of precrimped SSCs following re-crimping, it appears that this manipulation must be necessarily performed for MIB and 3M pre-crimped SSCs. By using 3M SSCs, higher marginal adaptation can be achieved following crimping.

Comparison of Marginal Circumference of Two Different Pre-Crimped Stainless Steel Crowns for Primary Molars After Re-Crimping

PubMed Central

Afshar, Hossein; Ghandehari, Mehdi; Soleimani, Banafsheh

2015-01-01

Objectives: It is not clear what type of pre-crimped crown is more successful in achieving greater marginal adaptation following re-crimping. This study aimed to assess the changes in the circumference of 3M ESPE and MIB pre-crimped stainless steel crowns (SSCs) for the primary maxillary and mandibular first and second molars following re-crimping. Materials and Methods: This was an in-vitro, experimental study. Initial photographs were obtained from the margins of 3M and MIB SSCs for the upper and lower primary molars using a digital camera. Crown margins were crimped by applying 0.2N force using 114 and 137 pliers. Post-crimping photographs were also obtained and the changes in crown circumference after crimping were calculated using AutoCad software. The percentage of reduction in the circumference of crowns for each tooth was statistically analyzed based on the type of crown using student t-test. The effect of crown design and the associated teeth on the decreased circumference percentage was statistically analyzed by two-sided ANOVA. Results: The percentage of reduction in lower E SSC circumference was 3.71±0.39% in MIB and 6.29±0.62% in 3M crowns. These values were 3.55±0.55% and 7.15±1.13% for the lower Ds, and 3.95±0.43 and 6.24±0.85% for the upper Ds, respectively. For the upper Es, these values were found to be 3.12±0.65% and 5.14±0.94%, respectively. For each tooth, a significant difference was found between MIB and 3M SSCs in terms of the percentage of reduction in crown circumference following crimping. The magnitude of this reduction was smaller in MIB compared to 3M SSCs (P<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the significant reduction in the marginal circumference of precrimped SSCs following re-crimping, it appears that this manipulation must be necessarily performed for MIB and 3M pre-crimped SSCs. By using 3M SSCs, higher marginal adaptation can be achieved following crimping. PMID:27559353

Safety margins in older adults increase with improved control of a dynamic object

PubMed Central

Hasson, Christopher J.; Sternad, Dagmar

2014-01-01

Older adults face decreasing motor capabilities due to pervasive neuromuscular degradations. As a consequence, errors in movement control increase. Thus, older individuals should maintain larger safety margins than younger adults. While this has been shown for object manipulation tasks, several reports on whole-body activities, such as posture and locomotion, demonstrate age-related reductions in safety margins. This is despite increased costs for control errors, such as a fall. We posit that this paradox could be explained by the dynamic challenge presented by the body or also an external object, and that age-related reductions in safety margins are in part due to a decreased ability to control dynamics. To test this conjecture we used a virtual ball-in-cup task that had challenging dynamics, yet afforded an explicit rendering of the physics and safety margin. The hypotheses were: (1) When manipulating an object with challenging dynamics, older adults have smaller safety margins than younger adults. (2) Older adults increase their safety margins with practice. Nine young and 10 healthy older adults practiced moving the virtual ball-in-cup to a target location in exactly 2 s. The accuracy and precision of the timing error quantified skill, and the ball energy relative to an escape threshold quantified the safety margin. Compared to the young adults, older adults had increased timing errors, greater variability, and decreased safety margins. With practice, both young and older adults improved their ability to control the object with decreased timing errors and variability, and increased their safety margins. These results suggest that safety margins are related to the ability to control dynamics, and may explain why in tasks with simple dynamics older adults use adequate safety margins, but in more complex tasks, safety margins may be inadequate. Further, the results indicate that task-specific training may improve safety margins in older adults. PMID:25071566

ACTS propagation concerns, issues, and plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davarian, Faramaz

1989-01-01

ACTS counters fading by resource sharing between the users. It provides a large margin only for those terminals which are at risk by unfavorable atmospheric conditions. ACTS, as an experimental satellite, provides a 5 dB clear weather margin and 10 dB additional margin via rate reduction and encoding. For the uplink, this margin may be increased by exercising uplink power control. Some of the challenges faced by the radiowave propagation community are listed. The issue of needs for the satellite are listed, both general and specific.

A home for body and soul: Substance using women in recovery

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background We report on an in-depth qualitative study of 28 active and former substance addicted women of low or marginal income on the core components of a harm reduction-based addiction recovery program. These women volunteered to be interviewed about their perceptions of their therapeutic needs in their transition from substance addiction to recovery. Method Data were gathered about women’s experiences and essential needs in addiction recovery, what helped and what hindered their past efforts in recovery, and their views of what would constitute an effective woman-centred recovery program. The research was based upon the experience and knowledge of the women in interaction with their communities and with recovery programs. The study was informed by harm reduction practice principles that emphasize the importance of individual experience in knowledge construction, reduction of harm, low threshold access, and the development of a hierarchy of needs in regard to addiction recovery. Results Three core needs were identified by study participants: normalization and structure, biopsychosocial-spiritual safety, and social connection. What hindered recovery efforts as identified by participants was an inner urban location, prescriptive recovery, invidious treatment, lack of safety, distress-derived distraction, problem-focused treatment, coercive elements of mutual support groups, and social marginalization. What helped included connection in counselling and therapy, multidisciplinary service provision, spirituality focus, opportunities for learning and work, and a safe and flexible structure. Core components of an effective recovery program identified by women themselves stand in contrast to the views of service providers and policymakers, particularly in regard to the need for a rural location for residential programs, low threshold access, multidisciplinary service provision of conventional and complementary modalities and therapies for integrated healing, long-term multi-phase recovery, and variety and choice of programming. Conclusion A key barrier to the addiction recovery of women is the present framework of addiction treatment, as well as current drug laws, policies and service delivery systems. The expectation of women is that harm reduction-based recovery services will facilitate safe, supportive transitioning from the point of the decision to access services, through independent living with community integration. PMID:24359089

A home for body and soul: substance using women in recovery.

PubMed

Kruk, Edward; Sandberg, Kathryn

2013-12-20

We report on an in-depth qualitative study of 28 active and former substance addicted women of low or marginal income on the core components of a harm reduction-based addiction recovery program. These women volunteered to be interviewed about their perceptions of their therapeutic needs in their transition from substance addiction to recovery. Data were gathered about women's experiences and essential needs in addiction recovery, what helped and what hindered their past efforts in recovery, and their views of what would constitute an effective woman-centred recovery program. The research was based upon the experience and knowledge of the women in interaction with their communities and with recovery programs. The study was informed by harm reduction practice principles that emphasize the importance of individual experience in knowledge construction, reduction of harm, low threshold access, and the development of a hierarchy of needs in regard to addiction recovery. Three core needs were identified by study participants: normalization and structure, biopsychosocial-spiritual safety, and social connection. What hindered recovery efforts as identified by participants was an inner urban location, prescriptive recovery, invidious treatment, lack of safety, distress-derived distraction, problem-focused treatment, coercive elements of mutual support groups, and social marginalization. What helped included connection in counselling and therapy, multidisciplinary service provision, spirituality focus, opportunities for learning and work, and a safe and flexible structure. Core components of an effective recovery program identified by women themselves stand in contrast to the views of service providers and policymakers, particularly in regard to the need for a rural location for residential programs, low threshold access, multidisciplinary service provision of conventional and complementary modalities and therapies for integrated healing, long-term multi-phase recovery, and variety and choice of programming. A key barrier to the addiction recovery of women is the present framework of addiction treatment, as well as current drug laws, policies and service delivery systems. The expectation of women is that harm reduction-based recovery services will facilitate safe, supportive transitioning from the point of the decision to access services, through independent living with community integration.

Crustal-Scale Fault Interaction at Rifted Margins and the Formation of Domain-Bounding Breakaway Complexes: Insights From Offshore Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmundsen, P. T.; Péron-Pinvidic, G.

2018-03-01

The large-magnitude faults that control crustal thinning and excision at rifted margins combine into laterally persistent structural boundaries that separate margin domains of contrasting morphology and structure. We term them breakaway complexes. At the Mid-Norwegian margin, we identify five principal breakaway complexes that separate the proximal, necking, distal, and outer margin domains. Downdip and lateral interactions between the faults that constitute breakaway complexes became fundamental to the evolution of the 3-D margin architecture. Different types of fault interaction are observed along and between these faults, but simple models for fault growth will not fully describe their evolution. These structures operate on the crustal scale, cut large thicknesses of heterogeneously layered lithosphere, and facilitate fundamental margin processes such as deformation coupling and exhumation. Variations in large-magnitude fault geometry, erosional footwall incision, and subsequent differential subsidence along the main breakaway complexes likely record the variable efficiency of these processes.

Using normalisation process theory to understand barriers and facilitators to implementing mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Simpson, Robert; Simpson, Sharon; Wood, Karen; Mercer, Stewart W; Mair, Frances S

2018-01-01

Objectives To study barriers and facilitators to implementation of mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis. Methods Qualitative interviews were used to explore barriers and facilitators to implementation of mindfulness-based stress reduction, including 33 people with multiple sclerosis, 6 multiple sclerosis clinicians and 2 course instructors. Normalisation process theory provided the underpinning conceptual framework. Data were analysed deductively using normalisation process theory constructs (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring). Results Key barriers included mismatched stakeholder expectations, lack of knowledge about mindfulness-based stress reduction, high levels of comorbidity and disability and skepticism about embedding mindfulness-based stress reduction in routine multiple sclerosis care. Facilitators to implementation included introducing a pre-course orientation session; adaptations to mindfulness-based stress reduction to accommodate comorbidity and disability and participants suggested smaller, shorter classes, shortened practices, exclusion of mindful-walking and more time with peers. Post-mindfulness-based stress reduction booster sessions may be required, and objective and subjective reports of benefit would increase clinician confidence in mindfulness-based stress reduction. Discussion Multiple sclerosis patients and clinicians know little about mindfulness-based stress reduction. Mismatched expectations are a barrier to participation, as is rigid application of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the context of disability. Course adaptations in response to patient needs would facilitate uptake and utilisation. Rendering access to mindfulness-based stress reduction rapid and flexible could facilitate implementation. Embedded outcome assessment is desirable.

Imagining and Moving beyond the ESL Bubble: Facilitating Communities of Practice through the ELL Ambassadors Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Przymus, Steve Daniel

2016-01-01

When educators do not facilitate English language learners' (ELLs) social integration in schools, this can perpetuate ELLs' marginalized status and the plateauing of ELLs' English language development. This study highlights a program for secondary ELLs called the ELL Ambassadors program, which partnered ELLs with non-ELLs based on shared…

Complying with the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy to Facilitate Science Availability for All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eack, Shaun M.

2015-01-01

Social work researchers are making significant advances in science funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve the health of underserved and marginalized populations throughout the world. Unfortunately, research results are often only available to other scientists at academic institutions, limiting their impact. To facilitate the…

Influence of different cusp coverage methods for the extension of ceramic inlays on marginal integrity and enamel crack formation in vitro.

PubMed

Krifka, Stephanie; Stangl, Martin; Wiesbauer, Sarah; Hiller, Karl-Anton; Schmalz, Gottfried; Federlin, Marianne

2009-09-01

No information is available to date about cusp design of thin (1.0 mm) non-functional cusps and its influence upon (1) marginal integrity of ceramic inlays (CI) and partial ceramic crowns (PCC) and (2) crack formation of dental tissues. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of cusp coverage of thin non-functional cusps on marginal integrity and enamel crack formation. CI and PCC preparations were performed on extracted human molars. Non-functional cusps were adjusted to 1.0-mm wall thickness and 1.0-mm wall thickness with horizontal reduction of about 2.0 mm. Ceramic restorations (Vita Mark II, Cerec3 System) were adhesively luted with Excite/Variolink II. The specimens were exposed to thermocycling and central mechanical loading. Marginal integrity was assessed by evaluating dye penetration after thermal cycling and mechanical loading. Enamel cracks were documented under a reflective-light microscope. The data were statistically analysed with the Mann-Whitney U test, the Fishers exact test (alpha = 0.05) and the error rates method. PCC with horizontal reduction of non-functional cusps showed statistically significant less microleakage than PCC without such a cusp coverage. Preparation designs with horizontal reduction of non-functional cusps showed a tendency to less enamel crack formation than preparation designs without cusp coverage. Thin non-functional cusp walls of adhesively bonded restorations should be completely covered or reduced to avoid enamel cracks and marginal deficiency.

An integrated landscape designed for commodity and bioenergy crops for a tile-drained agricultural watershed

DOE PAGES

Ssegane, Herbert; Negri, M. Cristina

2016-09-16

Here, locating bioenergy crops on strategically selected subfield areas of marginal interest for commodity agriculture can increase environmental sustainability. Location and choice of bioenergy crops should improve environmental benefits with minimal disruption of current food production systems. We identified subfield soils of a tile-drained agricultural watershed as marginal if they had areas of low crop productivity index (CPI), were susceptible to nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3–N) leaching, or were susceptible to at least two other forms of environmental degradation (marginal areas). In the test watershed (Indian Creek watershed, IL) with annual precipitation of 852 mm, 3% of soils were CPI areas andmore » 22% were marginal areas. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to forecast the impact of growing switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.), willow ( Salix spp.), and big bluestem ( Andropogon gerardi Vitman) in these subfield areas on annual grain yields, NO 3–N and sediment exports, and water yield. Simulated conversion of CPI areas from current land use to bioenergy crops had no significant (p ≤ 0.05) impact on grain production and reduced NO 3–N and sediment exports by 5.0 to 6.0% and 3.0%, respectively. Conversion of marginal areas from current land use to switchgrass forecasted the production of 34,000 t of biomass and reductions in NO 3–N (26.0%) and sediment (33.0%) exports. Alternatively, conversion of marginal areas from current land use to willow forecasted similar reductions as switchgrass for sediment but significantly (p ≤ 0.01) lower reductions in annual NO 3–N export (18.0 vs. 26.0%).« less

An integrated landscape designed for commodity and bioenergy crops for a tile-drained agricultural watershed

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

Ssegane, Herbert; Negri, M. Cristina

Here, locating bioenergy crops on strategically selected subfield areas of marginal interest for commodity agriculture can increase environmental sustainability. Location and choice of bioenergy crops should improve environmental benefits with minimal disruption of current food production systems. We identified subfield soils of a tile-drained agricultural watershed as marginal if they had areas of low crop productivity index (CPI), were susceptible to nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3–N) leaching, or were susceptible to at least two other forms of environmental degradation (marginal areas). In the test watershed (Indian Creek watershed, IL) with annual precipitation of 852 mm, 3% of soils were CPI areas andmore » 22% were marginal areas. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to forecast the impact of growing switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.), willow ( Salix spp.), and big bluestem ( Andropogon gerardi Vitman) in these subfield areas on annual grain yields, NO 3–N and sediment exports, and water yield. Simulated conversion of CPI areas from current land use to bioenergy crops had no significant (p ≤ 0.05) impact on grain production and reduced NO 3–N and sediment exports by 5.0 to 6.0% and 3.0%, respectively. Conversion of marginal areas from current land use to switchgrass forecasted the production of 34,000 t of biomass and reductions in NO 3–N (26.0%) and sediment (33.0%) exports. Alternatively, conversion of marginal areas from current land use to willow forecasted similar reductions as switchgrass for sediment but significantly (p ≤ 0.01) lower reductions in annual NO 3–N export (18.0 vs. 26.0%).« less

Contingencies of the will: Uses of harm reduction and the disease model of addiction among health care practitioners

PubMed Central

Szott, Kelly

2015-01-01

The concept of addiction as a disease is becoming firmly established in medical knowledge and practice at the same time as the logics of the harm reduction approach are gaining broader acceptance. How health care practitioners understand and intervene upon drug use among their patients is complicated by these two models. While harm reduction can be understood as a form of governmentality wherein drug-taking individuals express their regulated autonomy through self-governance, the notion of addiction as a disease removes the option of self-governance through negating the will of the individual. Through analysis of qualitative interviews conducted with 13 health care practitioners who provide care for economically marginalized people who use drugs in New York City, it was found that the absence of will articulated in constructions of addiction as disease offered a gateway through which health care practitioners could bring in ideological commitments associated with harm reduction, such as the de-stigmatization of drug use. Despite differences in the attribution of agency, sewing together these two approaches allowed health care practitioners to work with drug-using patients in practical and compassionate ways. This resembles the strategic deployment of diverse subjectivities found in feminist, post-structural liberatory projects wherein differential subjectification proves tactical and productive. Although drug-using patients may enjoy the benefits of practical and compassionate health care, the conjoint facilitation and denouncement of their will occasioned by the use of both harm reduction and the disease model of addiction imply their management by both pastoral and disciplinary technologies of power. PMID:25394654

Relapse Prevention in Major Depressive Disorder: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Versus an Active Control Condition

PubMed Central

Shallcross, Amanda J.; Gross, James J.; Visvanathan, Pallavi D.; Kumar, Niketa; Palfrey, Amy; Ford, Brett Q.; Dimidjian, Sona; Shirk, Stephen; Holm-Denoma, Jill; Goode, Kari M.; Cox, Erica; Chaplin, William; Mauss, Iris B.

2015-01-01

Objective We evaluated the comparative effectiveness of Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) versus an active control condition (ACC) for depression relapse prevention, depressive symptom reduction, and improvement in life satisfaction. Method Ninety-two participants in remission from Major Depressive Disorder with residual depressive symptoms were randomized to either an 8-week MBCT or a validated ACC that is structurally equivalent to MBCT and controls for non-specific effects (e.g., interaction with a facilitator, perceived social support, treatment outcome expectations). Both interventions were delivered according to their published manuals. Results Intention-to-treat analyses indicated no differences between MBCT and ACC in depression relapse rates or time to relapse over a 60-week follow-up. Both groups experienced significant and equal reductions in depressive symptoms and improvements in life satisfaction. A significant quadratic interaction (group x time) indicated that the pattern of depressive symptom reduction differed between groups. The ACC experienced immediate symptom reduction post-intervention and then a gradual increase over the 60-week follow-up. The MBCT group experienced a gradual linear symptom reduction. The pattern for life satisfaction was identical but only marginally significant. Conclusions MBCT did not differ from an ACC on rates of depression relapse, symptom reduction, or life satisfaction, suggesting that MBCT is no more effective for preventing depression relapse and reducing depressive symptoms than the active components of the ACC. Differences in trajectory of depressive symptom improvement suggest that the intervention-specific skills acquired may be associated with differential rates of therapeutic benefit. This study demonstrates the importance of comparing psychotherapeutic interventions to active control conditions. PMID:26371618

The effect of fault-bend folding on seismic velocity in the marginal ridge of accretionary prisms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cai, Y.; Wang, Chun-Yong; Hwang, W.-t.; Cochrane, G.R.

1995-01-01

Fluid venting in accretionary prisms, which feeds chemosynthetic biological communities, occurs mostly on the marginal thrust ridge. New seismic data for the marginal ridge of the Cascadia prism show significantly lower velocity than that in the adjacent oceanic basin and place important constraints on the interpretations of why fluid venting occurs mostly on the marginal ridge. We employed a finite-element method to analyze a typical fault-bend folding model to explain the phenomenon. The fault in the model is simulated by contact elements. The elements are characterized not only by finite sliding along a slide line, but also by elastoplastic deformation. We present the results of a stress analysis which show that the marginal ridge is under subhorizontal extension and the frontal thrust is under compression. This state of stress favors the growth of tensile cracks in the marginal ridge, facilitates fluid flow and reduces seismic velocities therein; on the other hand, it may close fluid pathways along the frontal thrust and divert fluid flow to the marginal ridge. ?? 1995 Birkha??user Verlag.

Tumor control probability reduction in gated radiotherapy of non-small cell lung cancers: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Siochi, R Alfredo; Kim, Yusung; Bhatia, Sudershan

2014-10-16

We studied the feasibility of evaluating tumor control probability (TCP) reductions for tumor motion beyond planned gated radiotherapy margins. Tumor motion was determined from cone-beam CT projections acquired for patient setup, intrafraction respiratory traces, and 4D CTs for five non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with gated radiotherapy. Tumors were subdivided into 1 mm sections whose positions and doses were determined for each beam-on time point. (The dose calculation model was verified with motion phantom measurements.) The calculated dose distributions were used to generate the treatment TCPs for each patient. The plan TCPs were calculated from the treatment planning dose distributions. The treatment TCPs were compared to the plan TCPs for various models and parameters. Calculated doses matched phantom measurements within 0.3% for up to 3 cm of motion. TCP reductions for excess motion greater than 5mm ranged from 1.7% to 11.9%, depending on model parameters, and were as high as 48.6% for model parameters that simulated an individual patient. Repeating the worst case motion for all fractions increased TCP reductions by a factor of 2 to 3, while hypofractionation decreased these reductions by as much as a factor of 3. Treatment motion exceeding gating margins by more than 5 mm can lead to considerable TCP reductions. Appropriate margins for excess motion are recommended, unless applying daily tumor motion verification and adjusting thegating window.

Fast online replanning for interfraction rotation correction in prostate radiotherapy.

PubMed

Kontaxis, Charis; Bol, Gijsbert H; Kerkmeijer, Linda G W; Lagendijk, Jan J W; Raaymakers, Bas W

2017-10-01

To enable fast online replanning for prostate radiotherapy with the inclusion of interfraction rotations and translations and investigate the possibility for margin reduction via this regime. Online daily replanning for a 35-fraction treatment for five prostate cases is simulated while accounting for anatomical transformations derived from fiducial marker data available in our clinic. Two online replanning strategies were simulated, compensating for: (a) rotation-only in combination with a couch shift and (b) both translation and rotation without a couch shift. They were compared against our current clinical protocol consisting of a single offline plan used over all fractions with daily couch repositioning (translations only). For every patient, the above methods were generated for several planning margins (0-8 mm with 2 mm increments) in order to assess the performance of online replanning in terms of target coverage and investigate the possible dosimetric benefit for the organs at risk. The daily DVHs for each treatment strategy were used for evaluation and the non tumor integral dose (NTID) for the different margins was calculated in order to quantify the overall reduction of the delivered energy to the patient. Our system is able to generate a daily automated prostate plan in less than 2 min. For every patient, the daily treatment plans produce similar dose distributions to the original approved plan (average CTV D99 relative difference: 0.2%). The inclusion of both shifts and rotations can be effectively compensated via replanning among all planning margins (average CTV D99 difference: 0.01 Gy between the two replanning regimes). Online replanning is able to maintain target coverage among all margins, while - as expected - the conventional treatment plan is increasingly affected by the interfraction rotations as the margins shrink (average CTV D99 decrease: 0.2 Gy at 8 mm to 2.9 Gy at 0 mm margin). The possible gain in total delivered energy to the patient was quantified by the decreased NTID ranging from 12.6% at 6 mm to 32.9% at 0 mm. We demonstrate that fast daily replanning can be utilized to account for daily rotations and translations based on the daily positioning protocol. A daily plan can be generated from scratch in less than 2 min making it suitable for online application. Given the large magnitude of prostate rotation around the LR axis, online correction for daily rotations can be beneficial even for the clinical 8 mm margin and could be utilized for treatments with small margin reduction mainly limited then by anatomical deformations and intrafraction motion. Our online replanning pipeline can be used in future treatments with online MR guidance that can lead to further safe reduction of the planning margins. © 2017 The Authors. Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Semisupervised kernel marginal Fisher analysis for face recognition.

PubMed

Wang, Ziqiang; Sun, Xia; Sun, Lijun; Huang, Yuchun

2013-01-01

Dimensionality reduction is a key problem in face recognition due to the high-dimensionality of face image. To effectively cope with this problem, a novel dimensionality reduction algorithm called semisupervised kernel marginal Fisher analysis (SKMFA) for face recognition is proposed in this paper. SKMFA can make use of both labelled and unlabeled samples to learn the projection matrix for nonlinear dimensionality reduction. Meanwhile, it can successfully avoid the singularity problem by not calculating the matrix inverse. In addition, in order to make the nonlinear structure captured by the data-dependent kernel consistent with the intrinsic manifold structure, a manifold adaptive nonparameter kernel is incorporated into the learning process of SKMFA. Experimental results on three face image databases demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.

Planning Target Margin Calculations for Prostate Radiotherapy Based on Intrafraction and Interfraction Motion Using Four Localization Methods

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

Beltran, Chris; Herman, Michael G.; Davis, Brian J.

2008-01-01

Purpose: To determine planning target volume (PTV) margins for prostate radiotherapy based on the internal margin (IM) (intrafractional motion) and the setup margin (SM) (interfractional motion) for four daily localization methods: skin marks (tattoo), pelvic bony anatomy (bone), intraprostatic gold seeds using a 5-mm action threshold, and using no threshold. Methods and Materials: Forty prostate cancer patients were treated with external radiotherapy according to an online localization protocol using four intraprostatic gold seeds and electronic portal images (EPIs). Daily localization and treatment EPIs were obtained. These data allowed inter- and intrafractional analysis of prostate motion. The SM for the fourmore » daily localization methods and the IM were determined. Results: A total of 1532 fractions were analyzed. Tattoo localization requires a SM of 6.8 mm left-right (LR), 7.2 mm inferior-superior (IS), and 9.8 mm anterior-posterior (AP). Bone localization requires 3.1, 8.9, and 10.7 mm, respectively. The 5-mm threshold localization requires 4.0, 3.9, and 3.7 mm. No threshold localization requires 3.4, 3.2, and 3.2 mm. The intrafractional prostate motion requires an IM of 2.4 mm LR, 3.4 mm IS and AP. The PTV margin using the 5-mm threshold, including interobserver uncertainty, IM, and SM, is 4.8 mm LR, 5.4 mm IS, and 5.2 mm AP. Conclusions: Localization based on EPI with implanted gold seeds allows a large PTV margin reduction when compared with tattoo localization. Except for the LR direction, bony anatomy localization does not decrease the margins compared with tattoo localization. Intrafractional prostate motion is a limiting factor on margin reduction.« less

Marginal abatement cost curves for NOx that account for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their respective cost effectiveness. Alternative measures, such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS), are not considered as it is difficult to quantify their abatement potential. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of an energy system model to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NOx) that incorporates both end-of-pipe controls and these alternative measures. We decompose the MACC by sector, and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS relative to end-of-pipe controls. RE/EE/FS are shown to produce considerable emission reductions after end-of-pipe controls have been exhausted. Furthermore, some RE/EE/FS are shown to be cost-competitive with end-of-pipe controls. Demonstrate how the MARKAL energy system model can be used to evaluate the potential role of renewable electricity, energy efficiency and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) in achieving NOx reductions. For this particular analysis, we show that RE/EE/FSs are able to increase the quantity of NOx reductions available for a particular marginal cost (ranging from $5k per ton to $40k per ton) by approximately 50%.

Voices of the “99 Percent”: The Role of Online Narrative to Improve Health Care

PubMed Central

Sundstrom, Beth; Meier, Stephanie J; Anderson, Michael; Booth, Kathleen E; Cooper, Lacey; Flock, Ellie; Payne, Jackelyn B; Hirway, Priya

2016-01-01

Context Communal blogs facilitate online narratives by providing opportunities for individuals to co-construct meaning and to engage in discussion about lived health experiences. Objective To examine the role of health as a connective narrative among individuals organizing collectively in an online community. The “We are the 99 percent” Tumblr blog emerged as a spontaneous community platform of the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US. Design Researchers conducted a qualitative content analysis of a total of 2003 blog posts. Main Outcome Measures Data analysis included a process of data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing and verification. Results Bloggers discussed medical crises and the role of injury and illness in maintaining financial solvency. The difficulty of obtaining health care and the lack of accessible quality care emerged as themes. In particular, unemployment and underemployment limited access to health insurance coverage. The bloggers expressed dissatisfaction with the health care system and the impact of financial status on health. These challenges were exacerbated for marginalized populations, such as women and veterans. Conclusion Findings offer implications for the value of online narrative to improve health care initiatives and to provide insight to integrated health care systems, including health care practitioners, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, and policy makers. Results suggest opportunities to address the health care gaps of marginalized populations and to develop public health policy. PMID:27455070

Stigma, marginalization and psychosocial well-being of orphans in Rwanda: exploring the mediation role of social support.

PubMed

Caserta, Tehetna Alemu; Pirttilä-Backman, Anna-Maija; Punamäki, Raija-Leena

2016-01-01

Stigma and marginalization are one of the major challenges orphans face in their daily lives, particularly in developing countries, but little is known about their impacts on mental health. This study examines how orphan-related characteristics, stigma and marginalization are associated with psychosocial well-being. It further analyses the role of social support in mediating between stigma and marginalization and mental health, indicated by emotional well-being and mental distress. The participants in this study were 430 Rwandan orphans who were 10-25 years of age, and of whom 179 were females and 251 were males. Results showed that high levels of stigma and marginalization were associated with a lower level of emotional well-being and higher levels of mental distress. A mediation analysis indicated that low level of social support due to stigma and marginalization contributed significantly to low level of emotional well-being. Once stigma, marginalization and social support were fully accounted for, AIDS orphans exhibited higher levels of mental distress than those who were orphaned by genocide or other causes. Future interventions designed to reduce stigma and marginalization for orphans and actions that facilitate social support can significantly improve emotional well-being and reduce mental distress among orphans.

Illness related wage and productivity losses: Valuing 'presenteeism'.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Sun, Huiying; Woodcock, Simon; Anis, Aslam

2015-12-01

One source of productivity loss due to illness is the reduced "quantity" or "quality" of labor input while working, often referred to as presenteeism. Illness-related presenteeism has been found to be potentially more costly than absenteeism. To value presenteeism, existing methods use wages as a proxy for marginal productivity at the firm level. However, wage may not equal marginal productivity in some scenarios. One instance is when a job involves team production and perfect substitutes for workers are not readily available. Using a Canadian linked employer-employee survey (2001-2005), we test whether relative wage equals relative marginal productivity among team workers and non-team workers with different frequencies of presenteeism (reduction at work due to illness). For the pooled cross-sectional estimates (2001, 2003, 2005) we obtain 13,755 observations with 6842 unique workplaces. There are 6490 observations for the first differences estimates from the odd years and 5263 observations for the first differences estimates from 2001 to 2002 and 2003 to 2004. We find that in both small and large firms, team workers with frequent reductions at work are less productive but earn similarly compared with non-team workers without reductions. We also find that in small firms, workers with occasional work reductions are more productive than workers without reductions, but the reverse is true in large firms. The study findings partially support the literature stating that productivity loss resulting from employee presenteeism could exceed wages if team work is involved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SU-F-J-17: Patient Localization Using MRI-Guided Soft Tissue for Head-And-Neck Radiotherapy: Indication for Margin Reduction and Its Feasibility

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

Qi, X; Yang, Y; Jack, N

Purpose: On-board MRI provides superior soft-tissue contrast, allowing patient alignment using tumor or nearby critical structures. This study aims to study H&N MRI-guided IGRT to analyze inter-fraction patient setup variations using soft-tissue targets and design appropriate CTV-to-PTV margin and clinical implication. Methods: 282 MR images for 10 H&N IMRT patients treated on a ViewRay system were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were immobilized using a thermoplastic mask on a customized headrest fitted in a radiofrequency coil and positioned to soft-tissue targets. The inter-fraction patient displacements were recorded to compute the PTV margins using the recipe: 2.5∑+0.7σ. New IMRT plans optimized on themore » revised PTVs were generated to evaluate the delivered dose distributions. An in-house dose deformation registration tool was used to assess the resulting dosimetric consequences when margin adaption is performed based on weekly MR images. The cumulative doses were compared to the reduced margin plans for targets and critical structures. Results: The inter-fraction displacements (and standard deviations), ∑ and σ were tabulated for MRI and compared to kVCBCT. The computed CTV-to-PTV margin was 3.5mm for soft-tissue based registration. There were minimal differences between the planned and delivered doses when comparing clinical and the PTV reduced margin plans: the paired t-tests yielded p=0.38 and 0.66 between the planned and delivered doses for the adapted margin plans for the maximum cord and mean parotid dose, respectively. Target V95 received comparable doses as planned for the reduced margin plans. Conclusion: The 0.35T MRI offers acceptable soft-tissue contrast and good spatial resolution for patient alignment and target visualization. Better tumor conspicuity from MRI allows soft-tissue based alignments with potentially improved accuracy, suggesting a benefit of margin reduction for H&N radiotherapy. The reduced margin plans (i.e., 2 mm) resulted in improved normal structure sparing and accurate dose delivery to achieve intended treatment goal under MR guidance.« less

Potential for Woody Bioenergy Crops Grown on Marginal Lands in the US Midwest to Reduce Carbon Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahajpal, R.; Hurtt, G. C.; Fisk, J. P.; Izaurralde, R. C.; Zhang, X.

2012-12-01

While cellulosic biofuels are widely considered to be a low carbon energy source for the future, a comprehensive assessment of the environmental sustainability of existing and future biofuel systems is needed to assess their utility in meeting US energy and food needs without exacerbating environmental harm. To assess the carbon emission reduction potential of cellulosic biofuels, we need to identify lands that are initially not storing large quantities of carbon in soil and vegetation but are capable of producing abundant biomass with limited management inputs, and accurately model forest production rates and associated input requirements. Here we present modeled results for carbon emission reduction potential and cellulosic ethanol production of woody bioenergy crops replacing existing native prairie vegetation grown on marginal lands in the US Midwest. Marginal lands are selected based on soil properties describing use limitation, and are extracted from the SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic) database. Yield estimates for existing native prairie vegetation on marginal lands modeled using the process-based field-scale model EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) amount to ~ 6.7±2.0 Mg ha-1. To model woody bioenergy crops, the individual-based terrestrial ecosystem model ED (Ecosystem Demography) is initialized with the soil organic carbon stocks estimated at the end of the EPIC simulation. Four woody bioenergy crops: willow, southern pine, eucalyptus and poplar are parameterized in ED. Sensitivity analysis of model parameters and drivers is conducted to explore the range of carbon emission reduction possible with variation in woody bioenergy crop types, spatial and temporal resolution. We hypothesize that growing cellulosic crops on these marginal lands can provide significant water quality, biodiversity and GHG emissions mitigation benefits, without accruing additional carbon costs from the displacement of food and feed production.

QTL Mapping of Endocochlear Potential Differences between C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice.

PubMed

Ohlemiller, Kevin K; Kiener, Anna L; Gagnon, Patricia M

2016-06-01

We reported earlier that the endocochlear potential (EP) differs between C57BL/6J (B6) and BALB/cJ (BALB) mice, being lower in BALBs by about 10 mV (Ohlemiller et al. Hear Res 220: 10-26, 2006). This difference corresponds to strain differences with respect to the density of marginal cells in cochlear stria vascularis. After about 1 year of age, BALB mice also tend toward EP reduction that correlates with further marginal cell loss. We therefore suggested that early sub-clinical features of the BALB stria vascularis may predispose these mice to a condition modeling Schuknecht's strial presbycusis. We further reported (Ohlemiller et al. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 12: 45-58, 2011) that the acute effects of a 2-h 110 dB SPL noise exposure differ between B6 and BALB mice, such that the EP remains unchanged in B6 mice, but is reduced by 40-50 mV in BALBs. In about 25 % of BALBs, the EP does not completely recover, so that permanent EP reduction may contribute to noise-induced permanent threshold shifts in BALBs. To identify genes and alleles that may promote natural EP variation as well as noise-related EP reduction in BALB mice, we have mapped related quantitative trait loci (QTLs) using 12 recombinant inbred (RI) strains formed from B6 and BALB (CxB1-CxB12). EP and strial marginal cell density were measured in B6 mice, BALB mice, their F1 hybrids, and RI mice without noise exposure, and 1-3 h after broadband noise (4-45 kHz, 110 dB SPL, 2 h). For unexposed mice, the strain distribution patterns for EP and marginal cell density were used to generate preliminary QTL maps for both EP and marginal cell density. Six QTL regions were at least statistically suggestive, including a significant QTL for marginal cell density on chromosome 12 that overlapped a weak QTL for EP variation. This region, termed Maced (Marginal cell density QTL) supports the notion of marginal cell density as a genetically influenced contributor to natural EP variation. Candidate genes for Maced notably include Foxg1, Foxa1, Akap6, Nkx2-1, and Pax9. Noise exposure produced significant EP reductions in two RI strains as well as significant EP increases in two RI strains. QTL mapping of the EP in noise-exposed RI mice yielded four suggestive regions. Two of these overlapped with QTL regions we previously identified for noise-related EP reduction in CBA/J mice (Ohlemiller et al. Hear Res 260: 47-53, 2010) on chromosomes 5 and 18 (Nirep). The present map may narrow the Nirep interval to a ~10-Mb region of proximal Chr. 18 that includes Zeb1, Arhgap12, Mpp7, and Gjd4. This study marks the first exploration of natural gene variants that modulate the EP. Their orthologs may underlie some human hearing loss that originates in the lateral wall.

Periodontal margin in the older adult: considerations for position, placement, and support.

PubMed

McVaney, T P; Ettinger, R L

1991-01-01

Some of the oral health problems of older adults arise from loss of function, which is catalyzed by changes in oral health induced by systemic disease and its treatment. The successful maintenance of a healthy gingival to root surface interface depends on the development of appropriate dental and gingival contours to facilitate self-cleansing and proper hygiene procedures by the patient. This article, with the use of case histories, discusses only one of the complications to restorative care in older adults, that is, loss of function and its relationship to marginal placement. Prevention of oral disease in the older adult may require modification of the long-held periodontal/restorative philosophy of placing margins above the tissue wherever possible. In addition, the professional prophylaxis of restorations adjacent to the gingival margin must address the problems of the creation of a roughened surface by abrasion to composites from pastes and polishing.

Examining the Efficacy of a Computer Facilitated HIV Prevention Tool in Drug Court

PubMed Central

Festinger, David S.; Dugosh, Karen L.; Kurth, Ann E.; Metzger, David S.

2017-01-01

Background Although they have demonstrated efficacy in reducing substance use and criminal recidivism, competing priorities and limited resources may preclude drug court programs from formally addressing HIV risk. This study examined the efficacy of a brief, three-session, computer-facilitated HIV prevention intervention in reducing HIV risk among adult felony drug court participants. Methods Two hundred participants were randomly assigned to an HIV intervention (n = 101) or attention control (n = 99) group. All clients attended judicial status hearings approximately every six weeks. At the first three status hearings following study entry, clients in the intervention group completed the computerized, interactive HIV risk reduction sessions while those in the control group viewed a series of educational life-skill videos of matched length. Outcomes included the rate of independently obtained HIV testing, engagement in high risk HIV-related behaviors, and rate of condom procurement from the research site at each session. Results Results indicated that participants who received the HIV intervention were significantly more likely to report having obtained HIV testing at some point during the study period than those in the control condition, although the effect was marginally significant when examined in a longitudinal model. In addition, they had higher rates of condom procurement. No group differences were found on rates of high-risk sexual behavior, and the low rate of injection drug reported precluded examination of high-risk drug-related behavior. Conclusions The study provides support for the feasibility and utility of delivering HIV prevention services to drug court clients using an efficient computer-facilitated program. PMID:26971228

Effect of a gravity-compensating orthosis on reaching after stroke: evaluation of the Therapy Assistant WREX.

PubMed

Iwamuro, Bridget T; Cruz, Erik G; Connelly, Lauri L; Fischer, Heidi C; Kamper, Derek G

2008-11-01

Within-subjects repeated-measures design evaluating reaching with and without the Therapy Assistant Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton (WREX). Laboratory. Stroke survivors (N=10) with chronic upper-extremity hemiparesis. Not applicable. Arm movement kinematics (Optotrak Certus motion detection system), muscle activity for biceps, triceps, anterior deltoid, and brachioradialis muscles (bipolar surface electromyography). Significant improvements of reaching distance occurred for all subjects across all targets (P<.001) when using the Therapy Assistant WREX. While the self-selected peak speed of hand movement during the reach decreased significantly with the Therapy Assistant WREX (P<.001), use of the Therapy Assistant WREX led to improved quality of movement as signified by a decrease in jerk (P<.001) and a shift in the timing of the peak speed to an earlier point in the movement (P<.001). Electromyographic muscle activity analysis showed that use of the Therapy Assistant WREX led to a reduction in biceps activity across all targets during the reach (P<.05), in conjunction with a marginally significant reduction in activity of the anterior deltoid (P<.055). No changes were observed in triceps (P=.47) or brachioradialis activity (P=.28). By reducing requirements for shoulder activation, the Therapy Assistant WREX improved reaching performance among stroke survivors compared with free reaching, thereby potentially facilitating practice of functional tasks.

The use of lectins as markers for differentiated secretory cells in planarians.

PubMed

Zayas, Ricardo M; Cebrià, Francesc; Guo, Tingxia; Feng, Junjie; Newmark, Phillip A

2010-11-01

Freshwater planarians have reemerged as excellent models to investigate mechanisms underlying regeneration. The introduction of molecular tools has facilitated the study of planarians, but cell- and tissue-specific markers are still needed to examine differentiation of most cell types. Here we report the utility of fluorescent lectin-conjugates to label tissues in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. We show that 16 lectin-conjugates stain planarian cells or tissues; 13 primarily label the secretory cells, their cytoplasmic projections, and terminal pores. Thus, we examined regeneration of the secretory system using lectin markers and functionally characterized two genes expressed in the secretory cells: marginal adhesive gland-1 (mag-1) and Smed-reticulocalbin1 (Smed-rcn1). RNAi knockdown of these genes caused a dramatic reduction of secretory cell lectin staining, suggesting a role for mag-1 and Smed-rcn1 in secretory cell differentiation. Our results provide new insights into planarian secretory system regeneration and add new markers for labeling several planarian tissues. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Functional Gustatory Role of Chemoreceptors in Drosophila Wings.

PubMed

Raad, Hussein; Ferveur, Jean-François; Ledger, Neil; Capovilla, Maria; Robichon, Alain

2016-05-17

Neuroanatomical evidence argues for the presence of taste sensilla in Drosophila wings; however, the taste physiology of insect wings remains hypothetical, and a comprehensive link to mechanical functions, such as flight, wing flapping, and grooming, is lacking. Our data show that the sensilla of the Drosophila anterior wing margin respond to both sweet and bitter molecules through an increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels. Conversely, genetically modified flies presenting a wing-specific reduction in chemosensory cells show severe defects in both wing taste signaling and the exploratory guidance associated with chemodetection. In Drosophila, the chemodetection machinery includes mechanical grooming, which facilitates the contact between tastants and wing chemoreceptors, and the vibrations of flapping wings that nebulize volatile molecules as carboxylic acids. Together, these data demonstrate that the Drosophila wing chemosensory sensilla are a functional taste organ and that they may have a role in the exploration of ecological niches. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Corrosion behavior and microhardness of three amalgams.

PubMed

Patsurakos, A; Moberg, L E

1988-08-01

The marginal microhardness of three different types of amalgam was tested after 2 months' immersion in an aqueous solution of NaCl (85 mM) and phosphates (Na2HPO4 100 mM and NaH2PO4 100 mM). Amalgams immersed in distilled water were used as controls. The microhardness tests were conducted at a distance of 50 micron from the margins and at the bulk of each specimen. The solutions were analyzed for Sn, Cu, Zn, Ag, and Hg by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). A statistically significant reduction in the marginal microhardness after immersion in the test solution was found for the conventional and the high-Cu single composition amalgam but not for the high-Cu blended amalgam. SEM-examination of cross-sections of the amalgams revealed small areas of subsurface grain boundary corrosion, no deeper than 10 micron for all the amalgams. The SEM-examination of the specimens and AAS analysis of the solutions indicated that the reduction in marginal microhardness was attributed mainly to corrosion of the Cu-rich phases for the high-Cu single composition amalgam and to corrosion of the gamma 2 phase for the conventional amalgam. The phosphates reduced the corrosion of the amalgams in the presence of NaCl. It is concluded that the marginal strength of dental amalgams in a corrosive environment is largely dependent upon their corrosion resistance.

Estimation of Model's Marginal likelihood Using Adaptive Sparse Grid Surrogates in Bayesian Model Averaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, X.

2015-12-01

A large number of model executions are required to obtain alternative conceptual models' predictions and their posterior probabilities in Bayesian model averaging (BMA). The posterior model probability is estimated through models' marginal likelihood and prior probability. The heavy computation burden hinders the implementation of BMA prediction, especially for the elaborated marginal likelihood estimator. For overcoming the computation burden of BMA, an adaptive sparse grid (SG) stochastic collocation method is used to build surrogates for alternative conceptual models through the numerical experiment of a synthetical groundwater model. BMA predictions depend on model posterior weights (or marginal likelihoods), and this study also evaluated four marginal likelihood estimators, including arithmetic mean estimator (AME), harmonic mean estimator (HME), stabilized harmonic mean estimator (SHME), and thermodynamic integration estimator (TIE). The results demonstrate that TIE is accurate in estimating conceptual models' marginal likelihoods. The BMA-TIE has better predictive performance than other BMA predictions. TIE has high stability for estimating conceptual model's marginal likelihood. The repeated estimated conceptual model's marginal likelihoods by TIE have significant less variability than that estimated by other estimators. In addition, the SG surrogates are efficient to facilitate BMA predictions, especially for BMA-TIE. The number of model executions needed for building surrogates is 4.13%, 6.89%, 3.44%, and 0.43% of the required model executions of BMA-AME, BMA-HME, BMA-SHME, and BMA-TIE, respectively.

Marginal revenue and length of stay in inpatient psychiatry.

PubMed

Pletscher, Mark

2016-09-01

This study examines the changes in marginal revenue during psychiatric inpatient stays in a large Swiss psychiatric hospital after the introduction of a mixed reimbursement system with tariff rates that vary over length of stay. A discrete time duration model with a difference-in-difference specification and time-varying coefficients is estimated to assess variations in policy effects over length of stay. Among patients whose costs are fully reimbursed by the mixed scheme, the model demonstrates a significant effect of marginal revenue on length of stay. No significant policy effects are found among patients for whom only health insurance rates are delivered as mixed tariffs and government contributions are made retrospectively. The results indicate that marginal revenue can affect length of stay in inpatient psychiatry facilities, but that the reduction in marginal revenue must be sufficiently large.

Understanding the heterogeneity in volume overload and fluid distribution in decompensated heart failure is key to optimal volume management: role for blood volume quantitation.

PubMed

Miller, Wayne L; Mullan, Brian P

2014-06-01

This study sought to quantitate total blood volume (TBV) in patients hospitalized for decompensated chronic heart failure (DCHF) and to determine the extent of volume overload, and the magnitude and distribution of blood volume and body water changes following diuretic therapy. The accurate assessment and management of volume overload in patients with DCHF remains problematic. TBV was measured by a radiolabeled-albumin dilution technique with intravascular volume, pre-to-post-diuretic therapy, evaluated at hospital admission and at discharge. Change in body weight in relation to quantitated TBV was used to determine interstitial volume contribution to total fluid loss. Twenty-six patients were prospectively evaluated. Two patients had normal TBV at admission. Twenty-four patients were hypervolemic with TBV (7.4 ± 1.6 liters) increased by +39 ± 22% (range, +9.5% to +107%) above the expected normal volume. With diuresis, TBV decreased marginally (+30 ± 16%). Body weight declined by 6.9 ± 5.2 kg, and fluid intake/fluid output was a net negative 8.4 ± 5.2 liters. Interstitial compartment fluid loss was calculated at 6.2 ± 4.0 liters, accounting for 85 ± 15% of the total fluid reduction. TBV analysis demonstrated a wide range in the extent of intravascular overload. Dismissal measurements revealed marginally reduced intravascular volume post-diuretic therapy despite large reductions in body weight. Mobilization of interstitial fluid to the intravascular compartment with diuresis accounted for this disparity. Intravascular volume, however, remained increased at dismissal. The extent, composition, and distribution of volume overload are highly variable in DCHF, and this variability needs to be taken into account in the approach to individualized therapy. TBV quantitation, particularly serial measurements, can facilitate informed volume management with respect to a goal of treating to euvolemia. Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Control of hyper-extended passive margin architecture on subduction initiation with application to the Alps and present-day North Atlantic ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candioti, Lorenzo; Bauville, Arthur; Picazo, Suzanne; Mohn, Geoffroy; Kaus, Boris

2016-04-01

Hyper-extended magma-poor margins are characterized by extremely thinned crust and partially serpentinized mantle exhumation. As this can act as a zone of weakness during a subsequent compression event, a hyper-extended margin can thus potentially facilitate subduction initiation. Hyper-extended margins are also found today as passive margins fringing the Atlantic and North Atlantic ocean, e.g. Iberia and New Foundland margins [1] and Porcupine, Rockwall and Hatton basins. It has been proposed in the literature that hyper-extension in the Alpine Tethys does not exceed ~600 km in width [2]. The geodynamical evolution of the Alpine and Atlantic passive margins are distinct: no subduction is yet initiated in the North Atlantic, whereas the Alpine Tethys basin has undergone subduction. Here, we investigate the control of the presence of a hyper-extended margin on subduction initiation. We perform high resolution 2D simulations considering realistic rheologies and temperature profiles for these locations. We systematically vary the length and thickness of the hyper-extended crust and serpentinized mantle, to better understand the conditions for subduction initiation. References: [1] G. Manatschal. New models for evolution of magma-poor rifted margins based on a review of data and concepts from West Iberia and the Alps. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) (2004); 432-466. [2] G. Mohn, G. Manatschal, M. Beltrando, I. Haupert. The role of rift-inherited hyper-extension in alpine-type orogens. Terra Nova (2014); 347-353.

Use of nonlinear design optimization techniques in the comparison of battery discharger topologies for the space platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sable, Dan M.; Cho, Bo H.; Lee, Fred C.

1990-01-01

A detailed comparison of a boost converter, a voltage-fed, autotransformer converter, and a multimodule boost converter, designed specifically for the space platform battery discharger, is performed. Computer-based nonlinear optimization techniques are used to facilitate an objective comparison. The multimodule boost converter is shown to be the optimum topology at all efficiencies. The margin is greatest at 97 percent efficiency. The multimodule, multiphase boost converter combines the advantages of high efficiency, light weight, and ample margin on the component stresses, thus ensuring high reliability.

Cyclic Symmetry Finite Element Forced Response Analysis of a Distortion-Tolerant Fan with Boundary Layer Ingestion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Min, J. B.; Reddy, T. S. R.; Bakhle, M. A.; Coroneos, R. M.; Stefko, G. L.; Provenza, A. J.; Duffy, K. P.

2018-01-01

Accurate prediction of the blade vibration stress is required to determine overall durability of fan blade design under Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) distorted flow environments. Traditional single blade modeling technique is incapable of representing accurate modeling for the entire rotor blade system subject to complex dynamic loading behaviors and vibrations in distorted flow conditions. A particular objective of our work was to develop a high-fidelity full-rotor aeromechanics analysis capability for a system subjected to a distorted inlet flow by applying cyclic symmetry finite element modeling methodology. This reduction modeling method allows computationally very efficient analysis using a small periodic section of the full rotor blade system. Experimental testing by the use of the 8-foot by 6-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel Test facility at NASA Glenn Research Center was also carried out for the system designated as the Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlet/Distortion-Tolerant Fan (BLI2DTF) technology development. The results obtained from the present numerical modeling technique were evaluated with those of the wind tunnel experimental test, toward establishing a computationally efficient aeromechanics analysis modeling tool facilitating for analyses of the full rotor blade systems subjected to a distorted inlet flow conditions. Fairly good correlations were achieved hence our computational modeling techniques were fully demonstrated. The analysis result showed that the safety margin requirement set in the BLI2DTF fan blade design provided a sufficient margin with respect to the operating speed range.

The Inequities of Salary Reduction as National Child Care Policy: Where Do We Go from Here.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soloway, Ronald

The salary reduction plan for financing child care is of little benefit to taxpayers earning below 16,000 dollars because these working parents would receive equal or better value by using the child care tax credit. For income levels between 16,000 and 20,000 dollars, the salary reduction plan may have some marginal utility to working parents…

Transformations and Fates of Terrigenous Dissolved Organic Matter in River-influenced Ocean Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fichot, Cedric G.

Rivers contribute about 0.25 Pg of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) to the ocean each year. The fate and transformations of this material have important ramifications for the metabolic state of the ocean, air-sea CO2 exchange, and the global carbon cycle. Stable isotopic compositions and terrestrial biomarkers suggest tDOC must be efficiently mineralized in ocean margins. Nonetheless, the extent of tDOC mineralization in these environments remains unknown, as no quantitative estimate is available. The complex interplay of biogeochemical and physical processes in these systems compounded by the limited practicality of chemical proxies (organic biomarkers, isotopic compositions) make the quantification of tDOC mineralization in these dynamic systems particularly challenging. In this dissertation, new optical proxies were developed (Chapters 1 and 2) and facilitated the first quantitative assessment of tDOC mineralization in a dynamic river-influenced ocean margin (Chapter 3) and the monitoring of continental runoff distributions in the coastal ocean using remote sensing (Chapter 4). The optical properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were used as optical proxies for dissolved organic carbon concentration ([DOC]) and %tDOC. In both proxies, the CDOM spectral slope coefficient ( S275-295) was exploited for its informative properties on the chemical nature and composition of dissolved organic matter. In the first proxy, a strong relationship between S275-295 and the ratio of CDOM absorption to [DOC] facilitated accurate retrieval (+/- 4%) of [DOC] from CDOM. In the second proxy, the existence of a strong relationship between S275-295 and the DOC-normalized lignin yield facilitated the estimation of the %tDOC from S 275-295. Using the proxies, the tDOC concentration can be retrieved solely from CDOM absorption coefficients (lambda = 275-295 nm) in river-influenced ocean margins. The practicality of optical proxies facilitated the calculation of tDOC mineralization rates on the Louisiana shelf. Seasonal tDOC mass balances for the shelf revealed that between 26% (winter) and 71% (summer) of the mixed layer tDOC is mineralized during its residence on the shelf. Independent approaches further indicated biomineralization accounts for 60% of the tDOC mineralization whereas photomineralization contributes only 8%. The remaining 32% was attributed to the coupled photo-biomineralization. On an annual basis, our results indicated ˜40% of the tDOC discharged by the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers to the Louisiana shelf (˜1 Tg tDOC) is mineralized within 2 to 3 months. This extensive mineralization on the shelf is direct evidence ocean margins act as efficient filters of tDOC between the land and ocean. Finally, the amenability of S275-295 to ocean color remote sensing was demonstrated, and facilitates the real-time, synoptic monitoring of tDOC and freshwater runoff in coastal waters. Implementation of this approach provided the first pan-Arctic distributions of tDOC and continental runoff in surface polar waters, and will help understand the manifestations of climate change in this remote region.

Multiscale nonlinear microscopy and widefield white light imaging enables rapid histological imaging of surgical specimen margins

PubMed Central

Giacomelli, Michael G.; Yoshitake, Tadayuki; Cahill, Lucas C.; Vardeh, Hilde; Quintana, Liza M.; Faulkner-Jones, Beverly E.; Brooker, Jeff; Connolly, James L.; Fujimoto, James G.

2018-01-01

The ability to histologically assess surgical specimens in real-time is a long-standing challenge in cancer surgery, including applications such as breast conserving therapy (BCT). Up to 40% of women treated with BCT for breast cancer require a repeat surgery due to postoperative histological findings of close or positive surgical margins using conventional formalin fixed paraffin embedded histology. Imaging technologies such as nonlinear microscopy (NLM), combined with exogenous fluorophores can rapidly provide virtual H&E imaging of surgical specimens without requiring microtome sectioning, facilitating intraoperative assessment of margin status. However, the large volume of typical surgical excisions combined with the need for rapid assessment, make comprehensive cellular resolution margin assessment during surgery challenging. To address this limitation, we developed a multiscale, real-time microscope with variable magnification NLM and real-time, co-registered position display using a widefield white light imaging system. Margin assessment can be performed rapidly under operator guidance to image specific regions of interest located using widefield imaging. Using simulated surgical margins dissected from human breast excisions, we demonstrate that multi-centimeter margins can be comprehensively imaged at cellular resolution, enabling intraoperative margin assessment. These methods are consistent with pathology assessment performed using frozen section analysis (FSA), however NLM enables faster and more comprehensive assessment of surgical specimens because imaging can be performed without freezing and cryo-sectioning. Therefore, NLM methods have the potential to be applied to a wide range of intra-operative applications. PMID:29761001

Optic nerve gliomas: role of Ki-67 staining of tumour and margins in predicting long-term outcome.

PubMed

Yeung, Sonia N; White, Valerie A; Nimmo, Michael; Rootman, Jack

2011-08-01

Although optic nerve gliomas (ONGs) are generally slow-growing with a good prognosis, factors for identifying cases that may pursue a more aggressive course are not well established. The authors investigated cell proliferation markers for prognostic significance in a series of resected ONGs. Twelve cases of resected ONG were identified out of a total of 38 examined at the authors' institution between 1981 and 2008. Clinical data were reviewed. Ki-67 and p53 immunohistochemical staining was performed on the tumour mass and the proximal resection margin. All of the tumours were low-grade pilocytic astrocytomas. Six patients were suspected to have histologically positive proximal resection margins. Ki-67 labelling indices (LI) ranged from 0.3% to 5.9% (mean 2.4%) for the tumour mass and from 0 to 2.1% (mean 0.9%) for the proximal resection margins. One patient had evidence of progression 25 months after subtotal surgical resection. The Ki-67 LI of the proximal resection margin in this case was similar to the main tumour value. The other six patients with histologically negative proximal resection margins all had lower relative proliferation indices at the resection margin when compared with the tumour mass and are currently stable with no evidence of progression. Routine histological examination of resection margins may be difficult to interpret in the setting of reactive gliosis. A resection margin with a Ki-67 LI similar to the tumour bulk value may have an adjunctive role in identifying cases with the potential for growth thereby facilitating the decision-making process for future management and surveillance.

Mortality reductions from marginal increases in public spending on health.

PubMed

Edney, L C; Haji Ali Afzali, H; Cheng, T C; Karnon, J

2018-04-27

There is limited empirical evidence of the nature of any relationship between health spending and health outcomes in Australia. We address this by estimating the elasticity of health outcomes with respect to public healthcare spending using an instrumental variable (IV) approach to account for endogeneity of healthcare spending to health outcomes. Results suggest that, based on the conditional mean, a 1% increase in public health spending was associated with a 2.2% (p < 0.05) reduction in the number of standardised Years of Life Lost (YLL). Sensitivity analyses and robustness checks supported this conclusion. Further exploration using IV quantile regression indicated that marginal returns on public health spending were significantly greater for areas with poorer health outcomes compared to areas with better health outcomes. On average, marginal increases in public health spending reduce YLL, but areas with poorer health outcomes have the greatest potential to benefit from the same marginal increase in public health spending compared to areas with better health outcomes. Understanding the relationship between health spending and outcomes and how this differs according to baseline health outcomes can help meet dual policy objectives to improve the productivity of the healthcare system and reduce inequity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Links between clay transformation and earthquakes along the Costa Rican subduction margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, Rachel M.; Saffer, Demian M.; Harris, Robert N.

2017-08-01

We investigate the depth distribution of smectite clay transformation and its along-strike variability at the Middle America Trench offshore Costa Rica. We take advantage of recent well-constrained thermal models that refine our understanding of the margin's thermal structure and which capture significant along-strike variability. Using these thermal models, together with sediment compositions defined by drilling, we compute the distribution of smectite transformation and associated fluid production. We show that the hypocenters of large (M > 6.9) well-located megathrust earthquakes lie consistently downdip of peak fluid production. We suggest that silica cementation associated with smectite transformation promotes lithification and slip-weakening behavior that, in combination with declining fluid pressures, facilitate the initiation of unstable slip. The earthquake ruptures extend updip into the region of peak reaction, possibly due to excess pore pressures that facilitate their propagation. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that smectite transformation contributes to the onset of stick-slip behavior and acts as an important control on earthquake nucleation and propagation.

Aeroacoustic Improvements to Fluidic Chevron Nozzles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, Brenda; Kinzie, Kevin; Whitmire, Julia; Abeysinghe, Amal

2006-01-01

Fluidic chevrons use injected air near the trailing edge of a nozzle to emulate mixing and jet noise reduction characteristics of mechanical chevrons. While previous investigations of "first generation" fluidic chevron nozzles showed only marginal improvements in effective perceived noise levels when compared to nozzles without injection, significant improvements in noise reduction characteristics were achieved through redesigned "second generation" nozzles on a bypass ratio 5 model system. The second-generation core nozzles had improved injection passage contours, external nozzle contour lines, and nozzle trailing edges. The new fluidic chevrons resulted in reduced overall sound pressure levels over that of the baseline nozzle for all observation angles. Injection ports with steep injection angles produced lower overall sound pressure levels than those produced by shallow injection angles. The reductions in overall sound pressure levels were the result of noise reductions at low frequencies. In contrast to the first-generation nozzles, only marginal increases in high frequency noise over that of the baseline nozzle were observed for the second-generation nozzles. The effective perceived noise levels of the new fluidic chevrons are shown to approach those of the core mechanical chevrons.

Power, discourse, and resistance: Poststructuralist influences in nursing.

PubMed

Holmes, Dave; Gagnon, Marilou

2018-01-01

Based on our respective research programs (psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, public health, HIV/AIDS, harm reduction) this article aims to use purposely non-conventional means to present the substantial contribution of poststructuralist perspectives to knowledge development in nursing science in general and in our current research in particular. More specifically, we call on the work of Michel Foucault and Deleuze & Guattari to politicize nursing science using examples from our empirical research programs with marginal and often highly marginalized populations. We discuss the concepts of power, discourse, and resistance to illustrate the essential contribution of poststructuralism to marginal, even "nomadic", nursing research. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The consequences of the economic crisis in radiology.

PubMed

2015-12-01

The effects of the economic crisis have led to complex problems in radiology. The crisis has led to a reduction in the turnover of imaging equipment. This reflects on the quantity and quality of output, an aspect which is worsened by the contraction of the radiology market, late payments on supplies, and competitive procurement of medical goods centralized on a regional or national level. Many local and national institutions have operated with significant reductions of reimbursement for procedures, forcing a reorganization of facilities, manpower, and equipment. The reduction in operating margins of the industry has resulted in a reduction of invested capital for projects of industrial R&D and direct or indirect sponsorship. The quality of care will be affected with less comfortable conditions, reduction of local availability of radiologists, and failure to invest in lower dose equipment to control population medical radiation exposure. The crisis resulted in a reduction in the number of graduates in medicine and scholarships for specialization induced by linear cuts will result in a drastic reduction of radiological specialists. This will favour the development of teleradiology services, with the risk of accelerating the demedicalisation of radiology departments, and isolation of the professionals. • The economic crisis has led to reduction in the turnover of imaging equipment. • The economic crisis has led to reductions of reimbursement for procedures. • The economic crisis has led to reductions in operating margins of the industry. • The economic crisis has led to contraction of quantity and quality of output. • The economic crisis resulted in demedicalisation of radiology departments and isolation of professionals.

Modeling sulfate reduction in methane hydrate-bearing continental margin sediments: Does a sulfate-methane transition require anaerobic oxidation of methane?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Malinverno, A.; Pohlman, J.W.

2011-01-01

The sulfate-methane transition (SMT), a biogeochemical zone where sulfate and methane are metabolized, is commonly observed at shallow depths (1-30 mbsf) in methane-bearing marine sediments. Two processes consume sulfate at and above the SMT, anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and organoclastic sulfate reduction (OSR). Differentiating the relative contribution of each process is critical to estimate methane flux into the SMT, which, in turn, is necessary to predict deeper occurrences of gas hydrates in continental margin sediments. To evaluate the relative importance of these two sulfate reduction pathways, we developed a diagenetic model to compute the pore water concentrations of sulfate, methane, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). By separately tracking DIC containing 12C and 13C, the model also computes ??13C-DIC values. The model reproduces common observations from methane-rich sediments: a well-defined SMT with no methane above and no sulfate below and a ??13C-DIC minimum at the SMT. The model also highlights the role of upward diffusing 13C-enriched DIC in contributing to the carbon isotope mass balance of DIC. A combination of OSR and AOM, each consuming similar amounts of sulfate, matches observations from Site U1325 (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311, northern Cascadia margin). Without AOM, methane diffuses above the SMT, which contradicts existing field data. The modeling results are generalized with a dimensional analysis to the range of SMT depths and sedimentation rates typical of continental margins. The modeling shows that AOM must be active to establish an SMT wherein methane is quantitatively consumed and the ??13C-DIC minimum occurs. The presence of an SMT generally requires active AOM. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Thermo-mechanical models of obduction applied to the Oman ophiolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibault, Duretz; Philippe, Agard; Philippe, Yamato; Céline, Ducassou; Taras, Gerya; Evguenii, Burov

2015-04-01

During obduction regional-scale fragments of oceanic lithosphere (ophiolites) are emplaced somewhat enigmatically on top of lighter continental lithosphere. We herein use two-dimensional thermo-mechanical models to investigate the feasibility and controlling parameters of obduction. The models are designed using available geological data from the Oman (Semail) ophiolite. Initial and boundary conditions are constrained by plate kinematic and geochronological data and modeling results are validated against petrological and structural observations. The reference model consists of three distinct stages: (1) initiation of oceanic subduction initiation away from Arabian margin, (2) emplacement of the Oman Ophiolite atop the Arabian margin, (2) dome-like exhumation of the subducted Arabian margin beneath the overlying ophiolite. A parametric study suggests that 350-400 km of shortening allows to best fit both the peak P-T conditions of the subducted margin (1.5-2.5 GPa / 450-600°C) and the dimensions of the ophiolite (~170 km width), in agreement with previous estimations. Our results further confirm that the locus of obduction initiation is close to the eastern edge of the Arabian margin (~100 km) and indicate that obduction is facilitated by a strong continental basement rheology.

Inductionless or limited shock testing is possible in most patients with implantable cardioverter- defibrillators/cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators: results of the multicenter ASSURE Study (Arrhythmia Single Shock Defibrillation Threshold Testing Versus Upper Limit of Vulnerability: Risk Reduction Evaluation With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantations).

PubMed

Day, John D; Doshi, Rahul N; Belott, Peter; Birgersdotter-Green, Ulrika; Behboodikhah, Mahnaz; Ott, Peter; Glatter, Kathryn A; Tobias, Serge; Frumin, Howard; Lee, Byron K; Merillat, John; Wiener, Isaac; Wang, Samuel; Grogin, Harlan; Chun, Sung; Patrawalla, Rob; Crandall, Brian; Osborn, Jeffrey S; Weiss, J Peter; Lappe, Donald L; Neuman, Stacey

2007-05-08

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators have relied on multiple ventricular fibrillation (VF) induction/defibrillation tests at implantation to ensure that the device can reliably sense, detect, and convert VF. The ASSURE Study (Arrhythmia Single Shock Defibrillation Threshold Testing Versus Upper Limit of Vulnerability: Risk Reduction Evaluation With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantations) is the first large, multicenter, prospective trial comparing vulnerability safety margin testing versus defibrillation safety margin testing with a single VF induction/defibrillation. A total of 426 patients receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator underwent vulnerability safety margin or defibrillation safety margin screening at 14 J in a randomized order. After this, patients underwent confirmatory testing, which required 2 VF conversions without failure at < or = 21 J. Patients who passed their first 14-J and confirmatory tests, irrespective of the results of their second 14-J test, had their devices programmed to a 21-J shock for ventricular tachycardia (VT) or VF > or = 200 bpm and were followed up for 1 year. Of 420 patients who underwent 14-J vulnerability safety margin screening, 322 (76.7%) passed. Of these, 317 (98.4%) also passed 21-J confirmatory tests. Of 416 patients who underwent 14-J defibrillation safety margin screening, 343 (82.5%) passed, and 338 (98.5%) also passed 21-J confirmatory tests. Most clinical VT/VF episodes (32 of 37, or 86%) were terminated by the first shock, with no difference in first shock success. In all observed cases in which the first shock was unsuccessful, subsequent shocks terminated VT/VF without complication. Although spontaneous episodes of fast VT/VF were limited, there was no difference in the odds of first shock efficacy between groups. Screening with vulnerability safety margin or defibrillation safety margin may allow for inductionless or limited shock testing in most patients.

Learning to re-appraise the self during video feedback for social anxiety: Does depth of processing matter?

PubMed

Orr, Elizabeth M J; Moscovitch, David A

2010-08-01

Video feedback (VF) with cognitive preparation (CP) has been widely integrated into cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) protocols for social anxiety disorder (SAD) due to its presumed efficacy in improving negative self-perception. However, previous experimental studies have demonstrated that improvements in negative self-perception via VF+CP do not typically facilitate anxiety reduction during subsequent social interactions - a troubling finding for proponents of cognitive models of social anxiety. We examined whether VF+CP could be optimized to enhance participants' processing of corrective self-related information through the addition of a post-VF cognitive review (CR). Sixty-eight socially anxious individuals were randomly assigned to perform two public speeches in one of the following conditions: a) exposure alone (EXP); b) CP+VF; and c) CP+VF+CR. Those in the CP+VF+CR condition demonstrated marginally significant reductions in anxiety from speech 1 to speech 2 relative to those who received EXP - an improvement not shown for those in the CP+VF condition. Furthermore, only those who received CP+VF+CR demonstrated significant improvements in self-perception and performance expectations relative to EXP. Decreases in anxiety among participants who received CP+VF+CR relative to EXP were fully mediated by improvements in self-perception. Implications are discussed in the context of cognitive models of social anxiety and mechanisms of exposure-based learning. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Willingness-to-pay function for two fuel treatments to reduce wildfire acreage burned: A scope test and comparison of white and hispanic households

Treesearch

John B. Loomis; Hung Le Trong; Armando González-Cabán

2009-01-01

We estimate a marginal benefit function for using prescribed burning and mechanical fuel reduction programs to reduce acres burned by wildfire in three states. Since each state had different acre reductions, a statistically significant coefficient on the reduction in acres burned is also a split sample scope test frequently used as an indicator of the internal validity...

Excision margins and sentinel lymph node status as prognostic factors in thick melanoma of the head and neck: A retrospective analysis.

PubMed

Ruskin, Olivia; Sanelli, Alexandra; Herschtal, Alan; Webb, Angela; Dixon, Ben; Pohl, Miklos; Donahoe, Simon; Spillane, John; Henderson, Michael A; Gyorki, David E

2016-09-01

Recommended margins for thick cutaneous melanoma (Breslow thickness >4 mm; T4) have decreased over recent decades. Optimal margins and the role of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in thick head and neck melanoma remain controversial. A single-center review was conducted of patients treated between 2002 and 2012 assessing the impact of excision margins and sentinel lymph node status on locoregional recurrence and melanoma-specific survival (MSS). One hundred eight patients were identified. Median age was 71.1 years and median Breslow thickness was 6.0 mm. Median follow-up was 40 months. Locoregional recurrence occurred in 27% and there was no significant reduction in recurrence with margins ≥2 cm (p = .17). Increasing margins did not improve survival (p = .58). Fifty-nine patients (55%) underwent SNB, of which 27% were positive. There was a trend toward longer survival for patients who were sentinel lymph node-negative (p = .097). Wider margins do not significantly improve locoregional recurrence or MSS. Sentinel lymph node involvement reflects a poor prognosis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1373-1379, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Head and Neck Margin Reduction With Adaptive Radiation Therapy: Robustness of Treatment Plans Against Anatomy Changes

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

Kranen, Simon van; Hamming-Vrieze, Olga; Wolf, Annelisa

Purpose: We set out to investigate loss of target coverage from anatomy changes in head and neck cancer patients as a function of applied safety margins and to verify a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)–based adaptive strategy with an average patient anatomy to overcome possible target underdosage. Methods and Materials: For 19 oropharyngeal cancer patients, volumetric modulated arc therapy treatment plans (2 arcs; simultaneous integrated boost, 70 and 54.25 Gy; 35 fractions) were automatically optimized with uniform clinical target volume (CTV)–to–planning target volume margins of 5, 3, and 0 mm. We applied b-spline CBCT–to–computed tomography (CT) deformable registration to allow recalculation ofmore » the dose on modified CT scans (planning CT deformed to daily CBCT following online positioning) and dose accumulation in the planning CT scan. Patients with deviations in primary or elective CTV coverage >2 Gy were identified as candidates for adaptive replanning. For these patients, a single adaptive intervention was simulated with an average anatomy from the first 10 fractions. Results: Margin reduction from 5 mm to 3 mm to 0 mm generally led to an organ-at-risk (OAR) mean dose (D{sub mean}) sparing of approximately 1 Gy/mm. CTV shrinkage was mainly seen in the elective volumes (up to 10%), likely related to weight loss. Despite online repositioning, substantial systematic errors were present (>3 mm) in lymph node CTV, the parotid glands, and the larynx. Nevertheless, the average increase in OAR dose was small: maximum of 1.2 Gy (parotid glands, D{sub mean}) for all applied margins. Loss of CTV coverage >2 Gy was found in 1, 3, and 7 of 73 CTVs, respectively. Adaptive intervention in 0-mm plans substantially improved coverage: in 5 of 7 CTVs (in 6 patients) to <2 Gy of initially planned. Conclusions: Volumetric modulated arc therapy head and neck cancer treatment plans with 5-mm margins are robust for anatomy changes and show a modest increase in OAR dose. Margin reduction improves OAR sparing with approximately 1 Gy/mm at the expense of target coverage in a subgroup of patients. Patients at risk of CTV underdosage >2 Gy in 0-mm plans may be identified early in treatment using dose accumulation. A single intervention with an average anatomy derived from CBCT effectively mitigates discrepancies.« less

Critical evaluation of post-consumption food waste composting employing thermophilic bacterial consortium.

PubMed

Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar; Selvam, Ammaiyappan; Lai, Ka Man; Wong, Jonathan W C

2017-12-01

Effect of single-function (oil degrading) and multi-functional bacterial consortium with zeolite as additive for post-consumption food waste (PCFW) composting was investigated through assessing the oil content reduction in a computer controlled 20-L composter. Three treatments of PCFWs combined with 10% zeolite were developed: Treatment-2 and Treatment-3 were inoculated with multi-functional (BC-1) and oil degrading bacterial consortium (BC-2), respectively, while T-1 was without bacterial inoculation and served as control. Results revealed that BC-2 inoculated treatment (T-3) was superior to control treatment and marginally better than T-2 in terms of oil degradation. The reduction of oil content was >97.8% in T-3 and 92.27% in T-2, while total organic matter degradation was marginally higher in T-2 (42.95%) than T-3 (41.67%). Other parameters of compost maturity including germination test indicated that T-2 was marginally better than T-3 and significantly enhanced the oily PCFW decomposition and shortened the composting period by 20days. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method for the simulation of blood platelet shape and its evolution during activation

PubMed Central

Muliukov, Artem R.; Litvinenko, Alena L.; Nekrasov, Vyacheslav M.; Chernyshev, Andrei V.; Maltsev, Valeri P.

2018-01-01

We present a simple physically based quantitative model of blood platelet shape and its evolution during agonist-induced activation. The model is based on the consideration of two major cytoskeletal elements: the marginal band of microtubules and the submembrane cortex. Mathematically, we consider the problem of minimization of surface area constrained to confine the marginal band and a certain cellular volume. For resting platelets, the marginal band appears as a peripheral ring, allowing for the analytical solution of the minimization problem. Upon activation, the marginal band coils out of plane and forms 3D convoluted structure. We show that its shape is well approximated by an overcurved circle, a mathematical concept of closed curve with constant excessive curvature. Possible mechanisms leading to such marginal band coiling are discussed, resulting in simple parametric expression for the marginal band shape during platelet activation. The excessive curvature of marginal band is a convenient state variable which tracks the progress of activation. The cell surface is determined using numerical optimization. The shapes are strictly mathematically defined by only three parameters and show good agreement with literature data. They can be utilized in simulation of platelets interaction with different physical fields, e.g. for the description of hydrodynamic and mechanical properties of platelets, leading to better understanding of platelets margination and adhesion and thrombus formation in blood flow. It would also facilitate precise characterization of platelets in clinical diagnosis, where a novel optical model is needed for the correct solution of inverse light-scattering problem. PMID:29518073

A primer on marginal effects-part II: health services research applications.

PubMed

Onukwugha, E; Bergtold, J; Jain, R

2015-02-01

Marginal analysis evaluates changes in a regression function associated with a unit change in a relevant variable. The primary statistic of marginal analysis is the marginal effect (ME). The ME facilitates the examination of outcomes for defined patient profiles or individuals while measuring the change in original units (e.g., costs, probabilities). The ME has a long history in economics; however, it is not widely used in health services research despite its flexibility and ability to provide unique insights. This article, the second in a two-part series, discusses practical issues that arise in the estimation and interpretation of the ME for a variety of regression models often used in health services research. Part one provided an overview of prior studies discussing ME followed by derivation of ME formulas for various regression models relevant for health services research studies examining costs and utilization. The current article illustrates the calculation and interpretation of ME in practice and discusses practical issues that arise during the implementation, including: understanding differences between software packages in terms of functionality available for calculating the ME and its confidence interval, interpretation of average marginal effect versus marginal effect at the mean, and the difference between ME and relative effects (e.g., odds ratio). Programming code to calculate ME using SAS, STATA, LIMDEP, and MATLAB are also provided. The illustration, discussion, and application of ME in this two-part series support the conduct of future studies applying the concept of marginal analysis.

A hybrid strategy of offline adaptive planning and online image guidance for prostate cancer radiotherapy.

PubMed

Lei, Yu; Wu, Qiuwen

2010-04-21

Offline adaptive radiotherapy (ART) has been used to effectively correct and compensate for prostate motion and reduce the required margin. The efficacy depends on the characteristics of the patient setup error and interfraction motion through the whole treatment; specifically, systematic errors are corrected and random errors are compensated for through the margins. In online image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) of prostate cancer, the translational setup error and inter-fractional prostate motion are corrected through pre-treatment imaging and couch correction at each fraction. However, the rotation and deformation of the target are not corrected and only accounted for with margins in treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the offline ART strategy is necessary for an online IGRT protocol and to evaluate the benefit of the hybrid strategy. First, to investigate the rationale of the hybrid strategy, 592 cone-beam-computed tomography (CBCT) images taken before and after each fraction for an online IGRT protocol from 16 patients were analyzed. Specifically, the characteristics of prostate rotation were analyzed. It was found that there exist systematic inter-fractional prostate rotations, and they are patient specific. These rotations, if not corrected, are persistent through the treatment fraction, and rotations detected in early fractions are representative of those in later fractions. These findings suggest that the offline adaptive replanning strategy is beneficial to the online IGRT protocol with further margin reductions. Second, to quantitatively evaluate the benefit of the hybrid strategy, 412 repeated helical CT scans from 25 patients during the course of treatment were included in the replanning study. Both low-risk patients (LRP, clinical target volume, CTV = prostate) and intermediate-risk patients (IRP, CTV = prostate + seminal vesicles) were included in the simulation. The contours of prostate and seminal vesicles were delineated on each CT. The benefit of margin reduction to compensate for both rotation and deformation in the hybrid strategy was evaluated geometrically. With the hybrid strategy, the planning margins can be reduced by 1.4 mm for LRP, and 2.0 mm for IRP, compared with the standard online IGRT only, to maintain the same 99% target volume coverage. The average relative reduction in planning target volume (PTV) based on the internal target volume (ITV) from PTV based on CTV is 19% for LRP, and 27% for IRP.

Advancing Alternate Tools: Why Science Education Needs CRP and CRT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodo Seriki, Vanessa

2018-01-01

Ridgeway and Yerrick's paper, "Whose banner are we waving?: exploring STEM partnerships for marginalized urban youth," unearthed the tensions that existed between a local community "expert" and a group of students and their facilitator in an afterschool program. Those of us who work with youth who are traditionally…

[Experimental analysis of finishing lines in ceramometal restorations].

PubMed

Gascón, F; Gil, J A; Fons, A; Badal, R

1990-11-01

The preparation is the first step of any tooth reconstruction. The biological integration of the protesis is depending on the marginal adaptation (finish line of the preparation), occlusal adaptation (occlusal reduction), longevity of the restoration (retention and luting) and esthetics. The effect the two finish line of the preparation is studied using experimental design. In porcelain-fused-to-metal the finish line of the preparation in chanfer is superior at the beveled shoulder, because proportioning better marginal adaptation.

An integrated policy framework for the sustainable exploitation of biomass for bioenergy from marginal lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panoutsou, Calliope

2017-04-01

Currently, there are not sufficiently tailored policies focusing on biomass and bioenergy from marginal lands. This paper will provide an integrated policy framework and recommendations to facilitate understanding for the market sectors involved and the key principles which can be used to form future sustainable policies for this issue. The work will focus at EU level policy recommendations and discuss how these can interrelate with national and regional level policies to promote the usage of marginal lands for biomass and bioenergy. Recommended policy measures will be based on the findings of the Biomass Policies (www.biomasspolicies.eu) and S2Biom (www.s2biom.eu) projects and will be prepared taking into account the key influencing factors (technical, environmental, social and economic) on biomass and bioenergy from marginal lands: • across different types of marginality (biophysical such as: low temperature, dryness, excess soil moisture, poor chemical properties, steep slope, etc., and socio-economic resulting from lack of economic competitiveness in certain regions and crops, abandonment or rural areas, etc.) • across the different stages of the biomass value chain (supply, logistics, conversion, distribution and end-use). The aim of recommendations will be to inform policy makers on how to distinguish key policy related attributes across biomass and bioenergy from marginal lands, measure them and prioritise actions with a 'system' based approach.

Silica-gold nanoshells as potential intraoperative molecular probes for HER2-overexpression in ex vivo breast tissue using near-infrared reflectance confocal microscopy.

PubMed

Bickford, Lissett R; Agollah, Germaine; Drezek, Rebekah; Yu, Tse-Kuan

2010-04-01

Obtaining negative margins is critical for breast cancer patients undergoing conservation therapy in order to reduce the reemergence of the original cancer. Currently, breast cancer tumor margins are examined in a pathology lab either while the patient is anesthetized or after the surgical procedure has been terminated. These current methods often result in cancer cells present at the surgical resection margin due to inadequate margin assessment at the point of care. Due to such limitations evident in current diagnoses, tools for increasing the accuracy and speed of tumor margin detection directly in the operating room are still needed. We are exploring the potential of using a nano-biophotonics system to facilitate intraoperative tumor margin assessment ex vivo at the cellular level. By combining bioconjugated silica-based gold nanoshells, which scatter light in the near-infrared, with a portable FDA-approved reflectance confocal microscope, we first validate the use of gold nanoshells as effective reflectance-based imaging probes by evaluating the contrast enhancement of three different HER2-overexpressing cell lines. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to detect HER2-overexpressing cells in human tissue sections within 5 min of incubation time. This work supports the use of targeted silica-based gold nanoshells as potential real-time molecular probes for HER2-overexpression in human tissue.

Proton therapy of prostate cancer by anterior-oblique beams: implications of setup and anatomy variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moteabbed, M.; Trofimov, A.; Sharp, G. C.; Wang, Y.; Zietman, A. L.; Efstathiou, J. A.; Lu, H.-M.

2017-03-01

Proton therapy of prostate by anterior beams could offer an attractive option for treating patients with hip prosthesis and limiting the high-dose exposure to the rectum. We investigated the impact of setup and anatomy variations on the anterior-oblique (AO) proton plan dose, and strategies to manage these effects via range verification and adaptive delivery. Ten patients treated by bilateral (BL) passive-scattering proton therapy (79.2 Gy in 44 fractions) who underwent weekly verification CT scans were selected. Plans with AO beams were additionally created. To isolate the effect of daily variations, initial AO plans did not include range uncertainty margins. The use of fixed planning margins and adaptive range adjustments to manage these effects was investigated. For each case, the planned dose was recalculated on weekly CTs, and accumulated on the simulation CT using deformable registration to approximate the delivered dose. Planned and accumulated doses were compared for each scenario to quantify dose deviations induced by variations. The possibility of estimating the necessary range adjustments before each treatment was explored by simulating the procedure of a diode-based in vivo range verification technique, which would potentially be used clinically. The average planned rectum, penile bulb and femoral heads mean doses were smaller for initial AO compared to BL plans (by 8.3, 16.1 and 25.9 Gy, respectively). After considering interfractional variations in AO plans, the target coverage was substantially reduced. The maximum reduction of V 79.2/D 95/D mean/EUD for AO (without distal margins) (25.3%/10.7/1.6/4.9 Gy, respectively) was considerably larger than BL plans. The loss of coverage was mainly related to changes in water equivalent path length of the prostate after fiducial-based setup, caused by discrepancies in patient anterior surface and bony-anatomy alignment. Target coverage was recovered partially when using fixed planning margins, and fully when applying adaptive range adjustments. The accumulated organs-at-risk dose for AO beams after range adjustment demonstrated full sparing of femoral heads and superior sparing of penile bulb and rectum compared to the conventional BL cases. Our study indicates that using AO beams makes prostate treatment more susceptible to target underdose induced by interfractional variations. Adaptive range verification/adjustment may facilitate the use of anterior beam approaches, and ensure adequate target coverage in every fraction of the treatment.

Contrast of lithospheric dynamics across the southern and eastern margins of the Tibetan Plateau: a numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yujun; Fan, Taoyuan; Wu, Zhonghai

2018-05-01

Both of the southern and eastern margins of the Tibetan Plateau are bounded by the cratonic blocks (Indian plate and Sichuan basin). However, there are many differences in tectonic deformation, lithospheric structure and surface heat flow between these two margins. What dynamics cause these differences? With the constraints of the lithospheric structure and surface heat flow across the southern and eastern margins of Tibetan Plateau, we constructed 2-D thermal-mechanical finite-element models to investigate the dynamics across these two margins. The results show that the delamination of mantle lithosphere beneath the Lhasa terrane in Oligocene and the rheological contrast between the Indian and Tibetan crust are the two main factors that control the subduction of the Indian plate. The dynamics across the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau are different from the southern margin. During the lateral expansion of the Tibetan Plateau, pure shear thickening is the main deformation characteristic for the Songpan-Ganzi lithosphere. This thickening results in the reduction of geothermal gradient and surface heat flow. From this study, it can be seen that the delamination of the mantle lithosphere and the rheological contrast between the Tibetan Plateau and its bounding blocks are the two main factors that control the lithospheric deformation and surface heat flow.

Airborne emission measurements of SO2 , NOx and particles from individual ships using a sniffer technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beecken, J.; Mellqvist, J.; Salo, K.; Ekholm, J.; Jalkanen, J.-P.

2014-07-01

A dedicated system for airborne ship emission measurements of SO2, NOx and particles has been developed and used from several small aircraft. The system has been adapted for fast response measurements at 1 Hz, and the use of several of the instruments is unique. The uncertainty of the given data is about 20% for SO2 and 24% for NOx emission factors. The mean values with one standard deviation for multiple measurements of 158 ships measured from the air on the Baltic and North Sea during 2011 and 2012 show emission factors of 18.8 ± 6.5 g kg-1 fuel , 66.6 ± 23.4 g kg-1 fuel and 1.8 ± 1.3 1016 particles kg-1 fuel for SO2, NOx and particle number, respectively. The particle size distributions were measured for particle diameters between 15 and 560 nm. The mean sizes of the particles are between 45 and 54 nm dependent on the distance to the source, and the number size distribution is monomodal. Concerning the sulfur fuel content, around 85% of the monitored ships comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) limits. The reduction of the sulfur emission control area (SECA) limit from 1.5 to 1% in 2010 appears to have contributed to reduction of sulfur emissions that were measured in earlier studies from 2007 to 2009. The presented method can be implemented for regular ship compliance monitoring.

Schools of Promise: A School District-University Partnership Centered on Inclusive School Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Causton-Theoharis, Julie; Theoharis, George; Bull, Thomas; Cosier, Meghan; Dempf-Aldrich, Kathy

2011-01-01

A university-school district partnership, Schools of Promise (SOP), was formed to improve elementary schools for all children through whole-school reform. This effort focused on the concepts of belonging and inclusion, positioning the needs of marginalized students at the center of the reform through a university-facilitated restructuring of…

The School Social Worker: A Marginalized Commodity within the School Ecosystem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Megan Callahan

2016-01-01

For more than a century, social workers have been a life force within the education system. Throughout recent history school social workers have had an array of responsibilities within the school community. They have served as counselors, mediators, and advocates. Traditionally, school social workers have been primary facilitators of communication…

Policies and Programming for Safer Schools: Are "Anti-Bullying" Approaches Impeding Education for Peacebuilding?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickmore, Kathy

2011-01-01

Prevailing anti-violence practices in public schools, especially in the context of recently increased emphasis on bullying, often allocate more resources to surveillance and control than to facilitation of healthy relationships or conflict/ peace learning. This policy emphasis increases the risks of marginalization and reduces opportunities for…

Geochemical evidence of mantle reservoir evolution during progressive rifting along the western Afar margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rooney, Tyrone O.; Mohr, Paul; Dosso, Laure; Hall, Chris

2013-02-01

The Afar triple junction, where the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and African Rift System extension zones converge, is a pivotal domain for the study of continental-to-oceanic rift evolution. The western margin of Afar forms the southernmost sector of the western margin of the Red Sea rift where that margin enters the Ethiopian flood basalt province. Tectonism and volcanism at the triple junction had commenced by ˜31 Ma with crustal fissuring, diking and voluminous eruption of the Ethiopian-Yemen flood basalt pile. The dikes which fed the Oligocene-Quaternary lava sequence covering the western Afar rift margin provide an opportunity to probe the geochemical reservoirs associated with the evolution of a still active continental margin. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology reveals that the western Afar margin dikes span the entire history of rift evolution from the initial Oligocene flood basalt event to the development of focused zones of intrusion in rift marginal basins. Major element, trace element and isotopic (Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf) data demonstrate temporal geochemical heterogeneities resulting from variable contributions from the Afar plume, depleted asthenospheric mantle, and African lithosphere. The various dikes erupted between 31 Ma and 22 Ma all share isotopic signatures attesting to a contribution from the Afar plume, indicating this initial period in the evolution of the Afar margin was one of magma-assisted weakening of the lithosphere. From 22 Ma to 12 Ma, however, diffuse diking during continued evolution of the rift margin facilitated ascent of magmas in which depleted mantle and lithospheric sources predominated, though contributions from the Afar plume persisted. After 10 Ma, magmatic intrusion migrated eastwards towards the Afar rift floor, with an increasing fraction of the magmas derived from depleted mantle with less of a lithospheric signature. The dikes of the western Afar margin reveal that magma generation processes during the evolution of this continental rift margin are increasingly dominated by shallow decompressional melting of the ambient asthenosphere, the composition of which may in part be controlled by preferential channeling of plume material along the developing neo-oceanic axes of extension.

Incidence of positive surgical margins after robotic assisted radical prostatectomy: Does the surgeon's experience have an influence on all pathological stages?

PubMed

Villamil, A W; Costabel, J I; Billordo Peres, N; Martínez, P F; Giudice, C R; Damia, O H

2014-03-01

The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical and surgical features of patients who underwent robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) at our institution, and the impact of the surgeon's experience in the oncological results related to pathological stage. An analysis of 300 RARP consecutively performed by the same urologist was conducted. Patients were divided into 3 groups of 100 patients in chronological order, according to surgery date. All patients had organ-confined clinical stage. Variables which could impact in positive margins rates were analyzed. Finally, positive surgical margins (PSM) in regard to pathological stage and surgeon's experience were compared and analyzed. No significant differences were found in variables which could impact in PSM rates. The overall PSM rate was 21%, with 28% in the first group, 20% in the second, and 16% in the third (P = .108). Significant lineal decreasing tendency was observed (P = .024). In pT2 patients, the overall PSM rate was 16.6%, with 27%, 13.8%, and 7.3% in each group respectively (P = .009). A significant difference was found between group 1 and group 3 (P = .004). In pT3 patients, the surgeon's experience was not significantly associated with margin reductions with an overall PSM rate of 27.7% (28.2%, 28.6%, and 26.7% in each group respectively). Clinical and surgical features in our patients did not vary over time. We found a significant reduction of PSM related to surgeon's experience in pT2 patients. Contrariwise, the margin status remained stable despite increasing experience in pT3 patients. Copyright © 2013 AEU. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A general method for the definition of margin recipes depending on the treatment technique applied in helical tomotherapy prostate plans.

PubMed

Sevillano, David; Mínguez, Cristina; Sánchez, Alicia; Sánchez-Reyes, Alberto

2016-01-01

To obtain specific margin recipes that take into account the dosimetric characteristics of the treatment plans used in a single institution. We obtained dose-population histograms (DPHs) of 20 helical tomotherapy treatment plans for prostate cancer by simulating the effects of different systematic errors (Σ) and random errors (σ) on these plans. We obtained dosimetric margins and margin reductions due to random errors (random margins) by fitting the theoretical results of coverages for Gaussian distributions with coverages of the planned D99% obtained from the DPHs. The dosimetric margins obtained for helical tomotherapy prostate treatments were 3.3 mm, 3 mm, and 1 mm in the lateral (Lat), anterior-posterior (AP), and superior-inferior (SI) directions. Random margins showed parabolic dependencies, yielding expressions of 0.16σ(2), 0.13σ(2), and 0.15σ(2) for the Lat, AP, and SI directions, respectively. When focusing on values up to σ = 5 mm, random margins could be fitted considering Gaussian penumbras with standard deviations (σp) equal to 4.5 mm Lat, 6 mm AP, and 5.5 mm SI. Despite complex dose distributions in helical tomotherapy treatment plans, we were able to simplify the behaviour of our plans against treatment errors to single values of dosimetric and random margins for each direction. These margins allowed us to develop specific margin recipes for the respective treatment technique. The method is general and could be used for any treatment technique provided that DPHs can be obtained. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aggressive resection at the infiltrative margins of glioblastoma facilitated by intraoperative fluorescein guidance.

PubMed

Neira, Justin A; Ung, Timothy H; Sims, Jennifer S; Malone, Hani R; Chow, Daniel S; Samanamud, Jorge L; Zanazzi, George J; Guo, Xiaotao; Bowden, Stephen G; Zhao, Binsheng; Sheth, Sameer A; McKhann, Guy M; Sisti, Michael B; Canoll, Peter; D'Amico, Randy S; Bruce, Jeffrey N

2017-07-01

OBJECTIVE Extent of resection is an important prognostic factor in patients undergoing surgery for glioblastoma (GBM). Recent evidence suggests that intravenously administered fluorescein sodium associates with tumor tissue, facilitating safe maximal resection of GBM. In this study, the authors evaluate the safety and utility of intraoperative fluorescein guidance for the prediction of histopathological alteration both in the contrast-enhancing (CE) regions, where this relationship has been established, and into the non-CE (NCE), diffusely infiltrated margins. METHODS Thirty-two patients received fluorescein sodium (3 mg/kg) intravenously prior to resection. Fluorescence was intraoperatively visualized using a Zeiss Pentero surgical microscope equipped with a YELLOW 560 filter. Stereotactically localized biopsy specimens were acquired from CE and NCE regions based on preoperative MRI in conjunction with neuronavigation. The fluorescence intensity of these specimens was subjectively classified in real time with subsequent quantitative image analysis, histopathological evaluation of localized biopsy specimens, and radiological volumetric assessment of the extent of resection. RESULTS Bright fluorescence was observed in all GBMs and localized to the CE regions and portions of the NCE margins of the tumors, thus serving as a visual guide during resection. Gross-total resection (GTR) was achieved in 84% of the patients with an average resected volume of 95%, and this rate was higher among patients for whom GTR was the surgical goal (GTR achieved in 93.1% of patients, average resected volume of 99.7%). Intraoperative fluorescein staining correlated with histopathological alteration in both CE and NCE regions, with positive predictive values by subjective fluorescence evaluation greater than 96% in NCE regions. CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative administration of fluorescein provides an easily visualized marker for glioma pathology in both CE and NCE regions of GBM. These findings support the use of fluorescein as a microsurgical adjunct for guiding GBM resection to facilitate safe maximal removal.

Marginal Fisher analysis and its variants for human gait recognition and content- based image retrieval.

PubMed

Xu, Dong; Yan, Shuicheng; Tao, Dacheng; Lin, Stephen; Zhang, Hong-Jiang

2007-11-01

Dimensionality reduction algorithms, which aim to select a small set of efficient and discriminant features, have attracted great attention for human gait recognition and content-based image retrieval (CBIR). In this paper, we present extensions of our recently proposed marginal Fisher analysis (MFA) to address these problems. For human gait recognition, we first present a direct application of MFA, then inspired by recent advances in matrix and tensor-based dimensionality reduction algorithms, we present matrix-based MFA for directly handling 2-D input in the form of gray-level averaged images. For CBIR, we deal with the relevance feedback problem by extending MFA to marginal biased analysis, in which within-class compactness is characterized only by the distances between each positive sample and its neighboring positive samples. In addition, we present a new technique to acquire a direct optimal solution for MFA without resorting to objective function modification as done in many previous algorithms. We conduct comprehensive experiments on the USF HumanID gait database and the Corel image retrieval database. Experimental results demonstrate that MFA and its extensions outperform related algorithms in both applications.

M-Isomap: Orthogonal Constrained Marginal Isomap for Nonlinear Dimensionality Reduction.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhao; Chow, Tommy W S; Zhao, Mingbo

2013-02-01

Isomap is a well-known nonlinear dimensionality reduction (DR) method, aiming at preserving geodesic distances of all similarity pairs for delivering highly nonlinear manifolds. Isomap is efficient in visualizing synthetic data sets, but it usually delivers unsatisfactory results in benchmark cases. This paper incorporates the pairwise constraints into Isomap and proposes a marginal Isomap (M-Isomap) for manifold learning. The pairwise Cannot-Link and Must-Link constraints are used to specify the types of neighborhoods. M-Isomap computes the shortest path distances over constrained neighborhood graphs and guides the nonlinear DR through separating the interclass neighbors. As a result, large margins between both interand intraclass clusters are delivered and enhanced compactness of intracluster points is achieved at the same time. The validity of M-Isomap is examined by extensive simulations over synthetic, University of California, Irvine, and benchmark real Olivetti Research Library, YALE, and CMU Pose, Illumination, and Expression databases. The data visualization and clustering power of M-Isomap are compared with those of six related DR methods. The visualization results show that M-Isomap is able to deliver more separate clusters. Clustering evaluations also demonstrate that M-Isomap delivers comparable or even better results than some state-of-the-art DR algorithms.

Local feedback control of light honeycomb panels.

PubMed

Hong, Chinsuk; Elliott, Stephen J

2007-01-01

This paper summarizes theoretical and experimental work on the feedback control of sound radiation from honeycomb panels using piezoceramic actuators. It is motivated by the problem of sound transmission in aircraft, specifically the active control of trim panels. Trim panels are generally honeycomb structures designed to meet the design requirement of low weight and high stiffness. They are resiliently mounted to the fuselage for the passive reduction of noise transmission. Local coupling of the closely spaced sensor and actuator was observed experimentally and modeled using a single degree of freedom system. The effect of the local coupling was to roll off the response between the actuator and sensor at high frequencies, so that a feedback control system can have high gain margins. Unfortunately, only relatively poor global performance is then achieved because of localization of reduction around the actuator. This localization prompts the investigation of a multichannel active control system. Globalized reduction was predicted using a model of 12-channel direct velocity feedback control. The multichannel system, however, does not appear to yield a significant improvement in the performance because of decreased gain margin.

12 CFR 220.5 - Special memorandum account.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... may be effected by an increase or reduction in the entry. When computing the equity in a margin...) Proceeds of a sale of securities or cash no longer required on any expired or liquidated security position...

Technology-Enhanced Stepped Collaborative Care Targeting Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Comorbidity After Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Zatzick, Douglas; O'Connor, Stephen S; Russo, Joan; Wang, Jin; Bush, Nigel; Love, Jeff; Peterson, Roselyn; Ingraham, Leah; Darnell, Doyanne; Whiteside, Lauren; Van Eaton, Erik

2015-10-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its comorbidities are endemic among injured trauma survivors. Previous collaborative care trials targeting PTSD after injury have been effective, but they have required intensive clinical resources. The present pragmatic clinical trial randomized acutely injured trauma survivors who screened positive on an automated electronic medical record PTSD assessment to collaborative care intervention (n = 60) and usual care control (n = 61) conditions. The stepped measurement-based intervention included care management, psychopharmacology, and psychotherapy elements. Embedded within the intervention were a series of information technology (IT) components. PTSD symptoms were assessed with the PTSD Checklist at baseline prerandomization and again, 1-, 3-, and 6-months postinjury. IT utilization was also assessed. The technology-assisted intervention required a median of 2.25 hours (interquartile range = 1.57 hours) per patient. The intervention was associated with modest symptom reductions, but beyond the margin of statistical significance in the unadjusted model: F(2, 204) = 2.95, p = .055. The covariate adjusted regression was significant: F(2, 204) = 3.06, p = .049. The PTSD intervention effect was greatest at the 3-month (Cohen's effect size d = 0.35, F(1, 204) = 4.11, p = .044) and 6-month (d = 0.38, F(1, 204) = 4.10, p = .044) time points. IT-enhanced collaborative care was associated with modest PTSD symptom reductions and reduced delivery times; the intervention model could potentially facilitate efficient PTSD treatment after injury. Copyright © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

The use of Web-based GIS data technologies in the construction of geoscience instructional materials: examples from the MARGINS Data in the Classroom project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, J. G.; McIlrath, J. A.

2008-12-01

Web-accessible geospatial information system (GIS) technologies have advanced in concert with an expansion of data resources that can be accessed and used by researchers, educators and students. These resources facilitate the development of data-rich instructional resources and activities that can be used to transition seamlessly into undergraduate research projects. MARGINS Data in the Classroom (http://serc.carleton.edu/ margins/index.html) seeks to engage MARGINS researchers and educators in using the images, datasets, and visualizations produced by NSF-MARGINS Program-funded research and related efforts to create Web-deliverable instructional materials for use in undergraduate-level geoscience courses (MARGINS Mini-Lessons). MARGINS science data is managed by the Marine Geosciences Data System (MGDS), and these and all other MGDS-hosted data can be accessed, manipulated and visualized using GeoMapApp (www.geomapapp.org; Carbotte et al, 2004), a freely available geographic information system focused on the marine environment. Both "packaged" MGDS datasets (i.e., global earthquake foci, volcanoes, bathymetry) and "raw" data (seismic surveys, magnetics, gravity) are accessible via GeoMapApp, with WFS linkages to other resources (geodesy from UNAVCO; seismic profiles from IRIS; geochemical and drillsite data from EarthChem, IODP, and others), permitting the comprehensive characterization of many regions of the ocean basins. Geospatially controlled datasets can be imported into GeoMapApp visualizations, and these visualizations can be exported into Google Earth as .kmz image files. Many of the MARGINS Mini-Lessons thus far produced use (or have studentss use the varied capabilities of GeoMapApp (i.e., constructing topographic profiles, overlaying varied geophysical and bathymetric datasets, characterizing geochemical data). These materials are available for use and testing from the project webpage (http://serc.carleton.edu/margins/). Classroom testing and assessment of the Mini- Lessons begins this Fall.

Microbial communities in methane seep sediments along US Atlantic Margin are structured by organic matter and seepage dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graw, M. F.; Pohlman, J.; Treude, T.; Ruppel, C. D.; Colwell, F. S.

2016-12-01

Methane seeps are dynamic environments on continental margins where subsurface methane reaches the ocean. Microbial communities play a critical role in carbon cycling within seep sediments via organic carbon degradation, methane production, and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), which consumes 20-80% of methane in seep sediments. However, biogeochemical controls on microbial community structure at seeps on a margin-wide scale remain unclear. The passive US Atlantic Margin (USAM) has been identified as a region of active methane seepage. Passive margin seeps have traditionally been understudied relative to seeps on active margins. Passive margins exhibit large cross-margin variability in organic carbon deposition and are anticipated to have divergent seep dynamics from active margins. Thus, the USAM offers a unique opportunity to investigate controls on microbial communities in seep sediments. We undertook analysis of microbial communities inhabiting seep sediments at 6 biogeochemically distinct sites along the USAM. Microbiological samples were co-located with measurements of sediment geochemistry and AOM and sulfate reduction rates. Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, using both universal (83 samples) and archaeal-specific (64 samples) primers, and the mcrA gene (18 samples) identified 44 bacterial phyla and 7 archaeal phyla. Seeps in canyons and on open slope, likely representing high and low organic content sediments, hosted distinct communities; the former was dominated by ammonia-oxidizing Marine Group I Thaumarchaeota and the latter by mixotrophic Hadesarchaeota. Seep stability also impacted microbial community structure, and in particular the establishment of an AOM community rather than a Bathyarchaeota-dominated community. These findings contribute to understanding how microbial communities are structured within methane seep sediments and pave the way for investigating broad differences in carbon cycling between seeps on passive and active margins.

Facilitating the Involvement of People with Aphasia in Stroke Research by Developing Communicatively Accessible Research Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearl, Gill; Cruice, Madeline

2017-01-01

People with aphasia can be marginalized by a communicatively inaccessible society. Compounding this problem, routinized exclusion from stroke research leads to bias in the evidence base and subsequent inequalities in service provision. Within the United Kingdom, the Clinical Research Network of the National Institute of Health identified this…

Sociopolitical Oppression, Trauma, and Healing: Moving toward a Social Justice Art Therapy Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karcher, Owen Paul

2017-01-01

Art therapists hold a unique position to facilitate healing during a time of intense sociopolitical trauma. The current U.S. political climate is causing harm to marginalized groups, which necessitates an intentional exploration of how art therapists hold and wield power and privilege and how this can affect client outcomes. In this article, I…

Endoscope-Assisted Transoral Fixation of Mandibular Condyle Fractures: Submandibular Versus Transoral Endoscopic Approach.

PubMed

Hwang, Na-Hyun; Lee, Yoon-Hwan; You, Hi-Jin; Yoon, Eul-Sik; Kim, Deok-Woo

2016-07-01

In recent years, endoscope-assisted transoral approach for condylar fracture treatment has attracted much attention. However, the surgical approach is technically challenging: the procedure requires specialized instruments and the surgeons experience a steep learning curve. During the transoral endoscopic (TE) approach several instruments are positioned through a narrow oral incision making endoscope maneuvering very difficult. For this reason, the authors changed the entry port of the endoscope from transoral to submandibular area through a small stab incision. The aim of this study is to assess the advantage of using the submandibular endoscopic intraoral approach (SEI).The SEI approach requires intraoral incision for fracture reduction and fixation, and 4 mm size submandibular stab incision for endoscope and traction wires. Fifteen patients with condyle neck and subcondyle fractures were operated under the submandibular approach and 15 patients with the same diagnosis were operated under the standard TE approach.The SEI approach allowed clear visualization of the posterior margin of the ramus and condyle, and the visual axis was parallel to the condyle ramus unit. The TE approach clearly shows the anterior margin of the condyle and the sigmoid notch. The surgical time of the SEI group was 128 minutes and the TE group was 120 minutes (P >0.05). All patients in the TE endoscope group were fixated with the trocar system, but only 2 lower neck fracture patients in the SEI group required a trocar. The other 13 subcondyle fractures were fixated with an angulated screw driver (P <0.05). There were no differences in complication and surgical outcomes.The submandibular endoscopic approach has an advantage of having more space with good visualization, and facilitated the use of an angulated screw driver.

The Role of Pretest and Proxy-Pretest Measures of the Outcome for Removing Selection Bias in Observational Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallberg, Kelly; Steiner, Peter M.; Cook, Thomas D.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is threefold. The first is to test whether the pretest plays a greater role in bias reduction than any other single covariate, which the authors predict it will. The second is to examine the marginal improvement in bias reduction offered by having two pretest measurement waves. The authors predict that there will be some…

Improvement in toxicity in high risk prostate cancer patients treated with image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy compared to 3D conformal radiotherapy without daily image guidance.

PubMed

Sveistrup, Joen; af Rosenschöld, Per Munck; Deasy, Joseph O; Oh, Jung Hun; Pommer, Tobias; Petersen, Peter Meidahl; Engelholm, Svend Aage

2014-02-04

Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) facilitates the delivery of a very precise radiation dose. In this study we compare the toxicity and biochemical progression-free survival between patients treated with daily image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) and 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) without daily image guidance for high risk prostate cancer (PCa). A total of 503 high risk PCa patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) and endocrine treatment between 2000 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. 115 patients were treated with 3DCRT, and 388 patients were treated with IG-IMRT. 3DCRT patients were treated to 76 Gy and without daily image guidance and with 1-2 cm PTV margins. IG-IMRT patients were treated to 78 Gy based on daily image guidance of fiducial markers, and the PTV margins were 5-7 mm. Furthermore, the dose-volume constraints to both the rectum and bladder were changed with the introduction of IG-IMRT. The 2-year actuarial likelihood of developing grade > = 2 GI toxicity following RT was 57.3% in 3DCRT patients and 5.8% in IG-IMRT patients (p < 0.001). For GU toxicity the numbers were 41.8% and 29.7%, respectively (p = 0.011). On multivariate analysis, 3DCRT was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing grade > = 2 GI toxicity compared to IG-IMRT (p < 0.001, HR = 11.59 [CI: 6.67-20.14]). 3DCRT was also associated with an increased risk of developing GU toxicity compared to IG-IMRT.The 3-year actuarial biochemical progression-free survival probability was 86.0% for 3DCRT and 90.3% for IG-IMRT (p = 0.386). On multivariate analysis there was no difference in biochemical progression-free survival between 3DCRT and IG-IMRT. The difference in toxicity can be attributed to the combination of the IMRT technique with reduced dose to organs-at-risk, daily image guidance and margin reduction.

Rheology and strength of the Eurasian continental lithosphere in the foreland of the Taiwan collision belt: Constraints from seismicity, flexure, and structural styles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouthereau, FréDéRic; Petit, Carole

2003-11-01

Deformation in western Taiwan is characterized by variable depth-frequency distribution of crustal earthquakes which are closely connected with along-strike variations of tectonic styles (thin or thick skinned) around the Peikang High, a major inherited feature of the Chinese margin. To fit the calculated high crustal geotherm and the observed distribution of the crustal seismic activity, a Qz-diorite and granulite composition for the upper and the lower crust is proposed. We then model the plate flexure, through Te estimates, using brittle-elastic-ductile plate rheology. Flexure modeling shows that the best fit combination of Te-boundary condition is for thrust loads acting at the belt front. The calculated Te vary in the range of ˜15-20 km. These values are primarily a reflection of the thermal state of the rifted Chinese margin inherited from the Oligocene spreading in the South China Sea. However, other mechanical properties such as the degree of crust/mantle coupling and the thickness of the mechanically competent crust and mantle are considered. South of the Peikang High, flexure modeling reveals lower Te associated with thinner mechanically strong layers. Variable stress/strain distribution associated with a higher degree of crust/mantle decoupling is examined to explain plate weakening. We first show that plate curvature cannot easily explain strength reduction and observed seismic activity. Additional plate-boundary forces arising from the strong coupling induced by more frontal subduction of a buoyant crustal asperity, i.e., the Peikang High, with the overriding plate are required. Favorably oriented inherited features in the adjacent Tainan basin produce acceleration of strain rates in the upper crust and hence facilitate the crust/mantle decoupling as attested by high seismic activity and thick-skinned deformation. The relative weakening of the lower crust and mantle then leads to weaken the lithosphere. By contrast, to the north, more oblique collision and the lack of inherited features keep the lithosphere stronger. This study suggests that when the Eurasian plate enters the Taiwan collision, tectonic inheritance of the continental margin exerts a strong control on the plate deformation by modifying its strength.

Playing Hardball with Facilities Expenses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fickes, Michael

1997-01-01

Describes one school district manager's tactics for successfully controlling district costs and increasing capital improvements while only marginally increasing the facilities maintenance budget. Highlights guidelines for controlling personnel requirements and cost-reduction methods. Discusses specific cost-control measures involving telephone…

Metabolic and reproductive plasticity of core and marginal populations of the eurythermic saline water bug Sigara selecta (Hemiptera: Corixidae) in a climate change context.

PubMed

Carbonell, J A; Bilton, D T; Calosi, P; Millán, A; Stewart, A; Velasco, J

2017-04-01

Ongoing climate change is driving dramatic range shifts in diverse taxa worldwide, and species responses to global change are likely to be determined largely by population responses at geographical range margins. Here we investigate the metabolic and reproductive plasticity in response to water temperature and salinity variation of two populations of the eurythermic saline water bug Sigara selecta: one population located close to the northern edge of its distribution, in a relatively cold, thermally stable region (SE England - 'marginal'), and one close to the range centre, in a warmer and more thermally variable Mediterranean climate (SE Spain - 'core'). We compared metabolic and oviposition rates and egg size, following exposure to one of four different combinations of temperature (15 and 25°C) and salinity (10 and 35gL -1 ). Oviposition rate was significantly higher in the marginal population, although eggs laid were smaller overall. No significant differences in oxygen consumption rates were found between core and marginal populations, although the marginal population showed higher levels of plasticity in both metabolic and reproductive traits. Our results suggest that population-specific responses to environmental change are complex and may be mediated by differences in phenotypic plasticity. In S. selecta, the higher plasticity of the marginal population may facilitate both its persistence in current habitats and northward expansion with future climatic warming. The less plastic core population may be able to buffer current environmental variability with minor changes in metabolism and fecundity, but could be prone to extinction if temperature and salinity changes exceed physiological tolerance limits in the future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stigma Experiences in Marginalized People Living With HIV Seeking Health Services and Resources in Canada.

PubMed

Donnelly, Leeann R; Bailey, Lauren; Jessani, Abbas; Postnikoff, Jonathan; Kerston, Paul; Brondani, Mario

HIV stigma may prevent people from obtaining a timely diagnosis and engaging in life-saving care. It may also prevent those who are HIV infected from seeking health and education resources, particularly if they are from marginalized communities. We inductively explored the roots of stigma and its impact on health services and resource seeking as experienced by HIV-infected members of marginalized communities in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, using a community-based participatory research framework. Five peer-facilitated focus groups were conducted with 33 Aboriginal, Latino, Asian, and African participants. Thematic analysis of the experiences revealed four dominant themes: beginnings of stigma, tensions related to disclosure, experiences of service seeking, and beyond HIV stigma and discrimination. Persons living with HIV from Aboriginal and refugee communities continue to experience disproportionate rates of stigma and discrimination. Fear remains a prime obstacle influencing these groups' abilities and willingness to access care in various settings. Copyright © 2016 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photometric studies of two solar type marginal contact binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shanti Priya, Devarapalli; Rukmini, Jagirdar

2018-04-01

Using the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment catalogue, two contact binaries were studied using data in the V and I bands. The photometric solutions for the V and I bands are presented for two contact binaries OGLE 003835.24-735413.2 (V1) and OGLE 004619.65-725056.2 (V2) in Small Maglellanic Cloud. The presented light curves are analyzed using the Wilson-Devinney code. The results show that the variables are in good thermal and marginal geometrical contact with features like the O’Connell effect in V1. The absolute dimensions are estimated and its dynamical evolution is inferred. They tend to be solar type marginal contact binaries. The 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope and the 4.0-m International Liquid Mirror Telescope of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES, Nainithal) can facilitate the continuous monitoring of such kind of objects which will help in finding the reasons behind their period changes and their impact on the evolution of the clusters.

Anthropogenic impacts on continental margins: New frontiers and engagement arena for global sustainability research and action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, K. K.; Glavovic, B.; Limburg, K.; Emeis, K. C.; Thomas, H.; Kremer, H.; Avril, B.; Zhang, J.; Mulholland, M. R.; Glaser, M.; Swaney, D. P.

2014-12-01

There is an urgent need to design and implement transformative governance strategies that safeguard Earth's life-support systems essential for long-term human well-being. From a series of meetings of the Continental Margins Working Group co-sponsored by IMBER and LOICZ of IGBP, we conclude that the greatest urgency exists at the ocean-land interface - the continental margins or the Margin - which extends from coastlands over continental shelves and slopes bordering the deep ocean. The Margin is enduring quadruple squeeze from (i) Population growth and rising demands for resources; (ii) Ecosystem degradation and loss; (iii) Rising CO2, climate change and alteration of marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems; and (iv) Rapid and irreversible changes in social-ecological systems. Some areas of the Margin that are subject to the greatest pressures (e.g. the Arctic) are also those for which knowledge of fundamental processes remains most limited. Aside from improving our basic understanding of the nature and variability of the Margin, priority issues include: (i) investment reform to prevent lethal but profitable activities; (ii) risk reduction; and (iii) jurisdiction, equity and fiscal responsibility. However, governance deficits or mismatches are particularly pronounced at the ocean-edge of the Margin and the prevailing Law of the Sea is incapable of resolving these challenges. The "gold rush" of accelerating demands for space and resources, and variability in how this domain is regulated, move the Margin to the forefront of global sustainability research and action. We outline a research strategy in 3 engagement arenas: (a) knowledge and understanding of dynamic Margin processes; (b) development, innovation and risk at the Margin; and (c) governance for sustainability on the Margin. The goals are (1) to better understand Margin social-ecological systems, including their physical and biogeochemical components; (2) to develop practical guidance for sustainable development and use of resources; (3) to design governance regimes to stem unsustainable practices; (4) to investigate how to enable equitable sharing of costs and benefits from sustainable use of resources; and (5) to evaluate alternative research approaches and partnerships that address the challenges faced on the Margin.

Incidence and location of positive surgical margin among open, laparoscopic and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy in prostate cancer patients: a single institutional analysis.

PubMed

Koizumi, Atsushi; Narita, Shintaro; Nara, Taketoshi; Takayama, Koichiro; Kanda, Sohei; Numakura, Kazuyuki; Tsuruta, Hiroshi; Maeno, Atsushi; Huang, Mingguo; Saito, Mitsuru; Inoue, Takamitsu; Tsuchiya, Norihiko; Satoh, Shigeru; Nanjo, Hiroshi; Habuchi, Tomonori

2018-06-19

To evaluate the positive surgical margin rates and locations in radical prostatectomy among three surgical approaches, including open radical prostatectomy, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. We retrospectively reviewed clinical outcomes at our institution of 450 patients who received radical prostatectomy. Multiple surgeons were involved in the three approaches, and a single pathologist conducted the histopathological diagnoses. Positive surgical margin rates and locations among the three approaches were statistically assessed, and the risk factors of positive surgical margin were analyzed. This study included 127, 136 and 187 patients in the open radical prostatectomy, laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy groups, respectively. The positive surgical margin rates were 27.6% (open radical prostatectomy), 18.4% (laparoscopic radical prostatectomy) and 13.4% (robot-assisted radical prostatectomy). In propensity score-matched analyses, the positive surgical margin rate in the robot-assisted radical prostatectomy was significantly lower than that in the open radical prostatectomy, whereas there was no significant difference in the positive surgical margin rates between robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. In the multivariable analysis, PSA level at diagnosis and surgical approach (open radical prostatectomy vs robot-assisted radical prostatectomy) were independent risk factors for positive surgical margin. The apex was the most common location of positive surgical margin in the open radical prostatectomy and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy groups, whereas the bladder neck was the most common location in the robot-assisted radical prostatectomy group. The significant difference of positive surgical margin locations continued after the propensity score adjustment. Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy may potentially achieve the lowest positive surgical margin rate among three surgical approaches. The bladder neck was the most common location of positive surgical margin in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and apex in open radical prostatectomy and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Although robot-assisted radical prostatectomy may contribute to the reduction of positive surgical margin, dissection of the bladder neck requires careful attention to avoid positive surgical margins.

Anterior screw fixation of a dislocated type II odontoid fracture facilitated by transoral and posterior cervical manual reduction.

PubMed

Piedra, Mark P; Hunt, Matthew A; Nemecek, Andrew N

2009-10-01

Early fixation of type II odontoid fractures has been shown to provide high rates of long-term stabilization and osteosynthesis. In this report, the authors present the case of a patient with a locked type II odontoid fracture treated by anterior screw fixation facilitated by closed transoral and posterior cervical manual reduction. While transoral intraoperative reduction of a partially displaced odontoid fracture has previously been described, the authors present the first case utilizing this technique in the treatment of a completely dislocated type II odontoid fracture.

Functional network architecture predicts psychologically mediated analgesia related to treatment in chronic knee pain patients.

PubMed

Hashmi, Javeria Ali; Kong, Jian; Spaeth, Rosa; Khan, Sheraz; Kaptchuk, Ted J; Gollub, Randy L

2014-03-12

Placebo analgesia is an indicator of how efficiently the brain translates psychological signals conveyed by a treatment procedure into pain relief. It has been demonstrated that functional connectivity between distributed brain regions predicts placebo analgesia in chronic back pain patients. Greater network efficiency in baseline brain networks may allow better information transfer and facilitate adaptive physiological responses to psychological aspects of treatment. Here, we theorized that topological network alignments in resting state scans predict psychologically conditioned analgesic responses to acupuncture treatment in chronic knee osteoarthritis pain patients (n = 45). Analgesia was induced by building positive expectations toward acupuncture treatment with verbal suggestion and heat pain conditioning on a test site of the arm. This procedure induced significantly more analgesia after sham or real acupuncture on the test site than in a control site. The psychologically conditioned analgesia was invariant to sham versus real treatment. Efficiency of information transfer within local networks calculated with graph-theoretic measures (local efficiency and clustering coefficients) significantly predicted conditioned analgesia. Clustering coefficients in regions associated with memory, motivation, and pain modulation were closely involved in predicting analgesia. Moreover, women showed higher clustering coefficients and marginally greater pain reduction than men. Overall, analgesic response to placebo cues can be predicted from a priori resting state data by observing local network topology. Such low-cost synchronizations may represent preparatory resources that facilitate subsequent performance of brain circuits in responding to adaptive environmental cues. This suggests a potential utility of network measures in predicting placebo response for clinical use.

Comparison of ADM and Connective Tissue Graft as the Membrane in Class II Furcation Defect Regeneration: A Randomized Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Esfahanian, Vahid; Farhad, Shirin; Sadighi Shamami, Mehrnaz

2014-01-01

Background and aims. Furcally-involved teeth present unique challenges to the success of periodontal therapy and influence treatment outcomes. This study aimed to assess to compare use of ADM and connective tissue membrane in class II furcation defect regeneration. Materials and methods. 10 patient with 2 bilaterally class II furcation defects in first and/or second maxilla or man-dibular molar without interproximal furcation involvement, were selected. Four weeks after initial phase of treatment, before and thorough the surgery pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level to stent (CAL-S), free gingival margin to stent(FGM-S) , crestal bone to stent (Crest-S), horizontal defect depth to stent (HDD-S) and vertical defect depth to stent (VDD-S) and crestal bone to defect depth measured from stent margin. Thereafter, one side randomly treated using connective tissue and DFDBA (study group) and opposite side received ADM and DFDBA (control group). After 6 months, soft and hard tissue parameters measured again in re-entry. Results. Both groups presented improvements after therapies (P & 0.05). No inter-group differences were seen in PD re-duction (P = 0.275), CAL gain (P = 0.156), free gingival margin (P = 0.146), crest of the bone (P = 0.248), reduction in horizontal defects depth (P = 0.139) and reduction in vertical defects depth (P = 0.149). Conclusion. Both treatments modalities have potential of regeneration without any adverse effect on healing process. Connective tissue grafts did not have significant higher bone fill compared to that of ADM. PMID:25093054

Comparative evaluation of fracture resistance of Ceramic Veneer with three different incisal design preparations - An In-vitro Study.

PubMed

Jankar, Ajit S; Kale, Yogesh; Kangane, Suresh; Ambekar, Anand; Sinha, Manish; Chaware, Sachin

2014-02-01

Ceramic veneer fracture has occurred mainly at the incisal edge of the veneer because of greater stress. This study compares and evaluates the fracture resistance ceramic veneers with three different incisal preparations. 15 human permanent maxillary central incisor extracted were selected which were divided into three groups of 5 each having a different Incial design Preparation. Group 1: No Incisal reduction with facio- incisal bevel, Group 2 : 1 mm incisal reduction with butt joint, Group 3 : 1 mm incisal reduction with 1 mm height of Palatal chamfer. It was found that Group III had greater fracture resistance as compared to Group I and Group II. Group I had least fracture resistance as compared to Group II and III. Group II had greater fracture resistance as compared to Group I but less than Group III. Ceramic veneer with 1mm incisal reduction with 1mm height of palatal chamfer showed highest fracture resistance as compared to 1mm incisal reduction with butt joint and no incisal reduction with facial-incisal bevel, in order to achieve better esthetic and functional results. The palatal chamfer margin results in preservation of some peripheral enamel layer, which eliminates the micro leakage at the palatal margin-restoration interface and also effectively counteracting shear stress. This design provides a definite seat for cementation. How to cite the article: Jankar AS, Kale Y, Kangane S, Ambekar A, Sinha M, Chaware S. Comparative evaluation of fracture resistance of Ceramic Veneer with three different incisal design preparations - An In-vitro Study. J Int Oral Health 2014;6(1):48-54.

L1 Glosses: Effects on EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Ying-Hsueh; Good, Robert L.

2009-01-01

The present study examines the effects of 3 kinds of glosses--first-language (L1) Chinese glosses plus second-language (L2) English example sentences, L1 in-text glosses, and L1 marginal glosses--in comparison with a no-gloss condition in reading an English passage, to explore whether providing glosses can facilitate reading comprehension and…

The Growth of Qur'anic Schooling and the Marginalization of Islamic Pedagogy: The Case of Morocco.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Helen N.

For centuries, Morocco has had a dynamic network of Qur'anic schools, serving children from elementary age through adulthood. Qur'anic schools are religious schools that facilitate memorization of the Qur'an through teaching children to pronounce and recite the Qur'an according to an accepted recitational style. Despite 44 years of French…

Standardized reporting of resection technique during nephron-sparing surgery: the surface-intermediate-base margin score.

PubMed

Minervini, Andrea; Carini, Marco; Uzzo, Robert G; Campi, Riccardo; Smaldone, Marc C; Kutikov, Alexander

2014-11-01

A standardized reporting system of nephron-sparing surgery resection techniques is lacking. The surface-intermediate-base scoring system represents a formal reporting instrument to assist in interpretation of reported data and to facilitate comparisons in the urologic literature. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-time transrectal ultrasound guidance during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: impact on surgical margins.

PubMed

Ukimura, Osamu; Magi-Galluzzi, Cristina; Gill, Inderbir S

2006-04-01

We evaluated whether intraoperative real-time TRUS navigation during LRP can decrease the incidence of positive surgical margins. Since March 2001, 294 patients with clinically organ confined prostate cancer undergoing LRP have been retrospectively divided into 2 groups, including group 1-217 who underwent LRP without TRUS from March 2001 to February 2003 and group 2-77 who have undergone LRP with TRUS since March 2003. Various baseline parameters were similar between the groups. Before March 2001 the senior surgeon had already performed more than 50 cases of LRP, thus, gaining reasonable familiarity with the technique. Compared to group 1, group 2 had a significantly decreased rate of positive surgical margins in patients with pT3 disease (57% vs 18%, p = 0.002). Positive margin rates also decreased in our overall experience (29% vs 9%, p = 0.0002). Intraoperative TRUS correctly predicted pT2 and pT3 disease in 85% and 86% of patients, respectively. Of the 54 TRUS visualized hypoechoic lesions at sites corresponding to biopsy proven cancer extracapsular extension was suspected in 31, leading to a real-time recommendation of calibrated wider, site specific dissection to achieve negative surgical margins. Intraoperative TRUS monitoring during LRP allows individualized, precise dissection tailored to the specific prostate contour anatomy, thus, compensating for the muted tactile feedback of laparoscopy. In what is to our knowledge the initial experience real-time TRUS guidance significantly decreased the incidence of positive surgical margins during LRP. In the future this concept of rectum based, intraoperative real-time navigation may facilitate a more sophisticated performance of radical prostatectomy.

Marginal instability threshold condition of the aperiodic ordinary mode in equal-mass plasmas

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

Vafin, S.; Schlickeiser, R.; Yoon, P. H.

The purely growing ordinary (O) mode instability for counter-streaming bi-Maxwellian plasma particle distribution functions has recently received renewed attention due to its importance for the solar wind plasma. Here, the analytical marginal instability condition is derived for magnetized plasmas consisting of equal-mass charged particles, distributed in counter-streams with equal temperatures. The equal-mass composition assumption enormously facilitates the theoretical analysis due to the equality of the values of the electron and positron (positive and negative ion) plasma and gyrofrequencies. The existence of a new instability domain of the O-mode at small plasma beta values is confirmed, when the parallel counter-stream freemore » energy exceeds the perpendicular bi-Maxwellian free energy.« less

Research Participation as Work: Comparing the Perspectives of Researchers and Economically Marginalized Populations

PubMed Central

Page, Kimberly

2012-01-01

We examined the historical and regulatory framework of research with human participants in the United States, and described some possible unintended consequences of this framework in the context of paying young injection drug users for their time participating in behavioral and medical research. We drew upon our own experiences while conducting a long-running epidemiological study of hepatitis C virus infection. We found that existing ethical and regulatory framings of research participation may lead to injustices from the perspectives of research participants. We propose considering research participation as a specialized form of work and the use of community advisory boards to facilitate discussion about appropriate compensation for research participation among economically marginalized populations. PMID:22594754

Reduction of aircraft gas turbine engine pollutant emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diehl, L. A.

1978-01-01

To accomplish simultaneous reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen, required major modifications to the combustor. The modification most commonly used was a staged combustion technique. While these designs are more complicated than production combustors, no insurmountable operational difficulties were encountered in either high pressure rig or engine tests which could not be resolved with additional normal development. The emission reduction results indicate that reductions in unburned hydrocarbons were sufficient to satisfy both near and far-termed EPA requirements. Although substantial reductions were observed, the success in achieving the CO and NOx standards was mixed and depended heavily on the engine/engine cycle on which it was employed. Technology for near term CO reduction was satisfactory or marginally satisfactory. Considerable doubt exists if this technology will satisfy all far-term requirements.

Development of continental margins of the Atlantic Ocean and successive breakup of the Pangaea-3 supercontinent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melankholina, E. N.; Sushchevskaya, N. M.

2017-01-01

Comparative tectonic analysis of passive margins of the Atlantic Ocean has been performed. Tectonotypes of both volcanic and nonvolcanic margins are described, and their comparison with other passive Atlantic margins is given. The structural features of margins, peculiarities of magmatism, its sources and reasons for geochemical enrichment of melts are discussed. The important role of melting of the continental lithosphere in the development of magmatism is demonstrated. Enriched EM I and EM II sources are determined for the lower parts of the volcanic section, and a depleted or poorly enriched source is determined for the upper parts of the volcanic section based on isotope data. The conclusions of the paper relate to tectonic settings of the initial occurrence of magmatism and rifting and breakup during the period of opening of the Mesozoic Ocean. It was found out that breakup and magmatism at proximal margins led only to insignificant structural transformations and reduction of the thickness of the ancient continental crust, while very important magmatic events happened later in the distal zone. New growth of magmatic crust at the stage of continental breakup is determined as a typical feature of distal zones of the margins under study. The relationship of development of margins with the impact of deep plumes as the source of magmatic material or a heat source only is discussed. Progradation of the zone of extension and breakup into the areas of cold lithosphere of the Atlantic and the formation of a single tectonomagmatic system of the ocean are under consideration.

Perceived Noise Analysis for Offset Jets Applied to Commercial Supersonic Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huff, Dennis L.; Henderson, Brenda S.; Berton, Jeffrey J.; Seidel, Jonathan A.

2016-01-01

A systems analysis was performed with experimental jet noise data, engine/aircraft performance codes and aircraft noise prediction codes to assess takeoff noise levels and mission range for conceptual supersonic commercial aircraft. A parametric study was done to identify viable engine cycles that meet NASAs N+2 goals for noise and performance. Model scale data from offset jets was used as input to the aircraft noise prediction code to determine the expected sound levels for the lateral certification point where jet noise dominates over all other noise sources. The noise predictions were used to determine the optimal orientation of the offset nozzles to minimize the noise at the lateral microphone location. An alternative takeoff procedure called programmed lapse rate was evaluated for noise reduction benefits. Results show there are two types of engines that provide acceptable range performance; one is a standard mixed-flow turbofan with a single-stage fan, and the other is a three-stream variable-cycle engine with a multi-stage fan. The engine with a single-stage fan has a lower specific thrust and is 8 to 10 EPNdB quieter for takeoff. Offset nozzles reduce the noise directed toward the thicker side of the outer flow stream, but have less benefit as the core nozzle pressure ratio is reduced and the bypass-to-core area ratio increases. At the systems level for a three-engine N+2 aircraft with full throttle takeoff, there is a 1.4 EPNdB margin to Chapter 3 noise regulations predicted for the lateral certification point (assuming jet noise dominates). With a 10 reduction in thrust just after takeoff rotation, the margin increases to 5.5 EPNdB. Margins to Chapter 4 and Chapter 14 levels will depend on the cumulative split between the three certification points, but it appears that low specific thrust engines with a 10 reduction in thrust (programmed lapse rate) can come close to meeting Chapter 14 noise levels. Further noise reduction is possible with additional reduction in takeoff thrust using programmed lapse rate, but studies are needed to investigate the practical limits for safety and takeoff regulations.

Final Project Report, DE-SC0001280, Characterizing the Combined Roles of Iron and Transverse Mixing on Uranium Bioremediation in Groundwater using Microfluidic Devices

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

Finneran, Kevin; Werth, Charles; Strathmann, Timothy

2015-01-10

In situ bioremediation of U(VI) involves amending groundwater with an appropriate electron donor and limiting nutrients to promote biological reduction to the less soluble and mobile U(IV) oxidation state. Groundwater flow is laminar; mixing is controlled by hydrodynamic dispersion. Recent studies indicate that transverse dispersion along plume margins can limit mixing of the amended electron donor and accepter (such as U(VI) in remediation applications). As a result, microbial growth, and subsequently contaminant reaction, may be limited to these transverse mixing zones during bioremediation. The primary objective of this work was to characterize the combined effects of hydrology, geochemistry, and biologymore » on the (bio)remediation of U(VI). Our underlying hypothesis was that U(VI) reaction in groundwater is controlled by transverse mixing with an electron donor along plume margins, and that iron bioavailability in these zones affects U(VI) reduction kinetics and U(IV) re-oxidation. Our specific objectives were to a) quantify reaction kinetics mediated by biological versus geochemical reactions leading to U(VI) reduction and U(IV) re-oxidation, b) understand the influence of bioavailable iron on U(VI) reduction and U(IV) re-oxidation along the transverse mixing zones, c) determine how transverse mixing limitations and the presence of biomass in pores affects these reactions, and d) identify how microbial populations that develop along transverse mixing zones are influenced by the presence of iron and the concentration of electron donor. In the completed work, transverse mixing zones along plume margins were re-created in microfluidic pore networks, referred to as micromodels. We conducted a series of experiments that allowed us to distinguish among the hydraulic, biological, and geochemical mechanisms that contribute to U(VI) reduction, U(IV) re-oxidation, and U(VI) abiotic reaction with the limiting biological nutrient HP042-. This systematic approach may lead to a better understanding of U(VI) remediation, and better strategies for groundwater amendments to maximize remediation efficiency.« less

On Noise Assessment for Blended Wing Body Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Yueping; Burley, Casey L; Thomas, Russell H.

2014-01-01

A system noise study is presented for the blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft configured with advanced technologies that are projected to be available in the 2025 timeframe of the NASA N+2 definition. This system noise assessment shows that the noise levels of the baseline configuration, measured by the cumulative Effective Perceived Noise Level (EPNL), have a large margin of 34 dB to the aircraft noise regulation of Stage 4. This confirms the acoustic benefits of the BWB shielding of engine noise, as well as other projected noise reduction technologies, but the noise margins are less than previously published assessments and are short of meeting the NASA N+2 noise goal. In establishing the relevance of the acoustic assessment framework, the design of the BWB configuration, the technical approach of the noise analysis, the databases and prediction tools used in the assessment are first described and discussed. The predicted noise levels and the component decomposition are then analyzed to identify the ranking order of importance of various noise components, revealing the prominence of airframe noise, which holds up the levels at all three noise certification locations and renders engine noise reduction technologies less effective. When projected airframe component noise reduction is added to the HWB configuration, it is shown that the cumulative noise margin to Stage 4 can reach 41.6 dB, nearly at the NASA goal. These results are compared with a previous NASA assessment with a different study framework. The approaches that yield projections of such low noise levels are discussed including aggressive assumptions on future technologies, assumptions on flight profile management, engine installation, and component noise reduction technologies. It is shown that reliable predictions of component noise also play an important role in the system noise assessment. The comparisons and discussions illustrate the importance of practical feasibilities and constraints in aircraft system noise studies, which include aerodynamic performance, propulsion efficiency, flight profile limitation and many other factors. For a future aircraft concept to achieve the NASA N+2 noise goal it will require a range of fully successful noise reduction technology developments.

Perceived Noise Analysis for Offset Jets Applied to Commercial Supersonic Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huff, Dennis L.; Henderson, Brenda S.; Berton, Jeffrey J.; Seidel, Jonathan A.

2016-01-01

A systems analysis was performed with experimental jet noise data, engine/aircraft performance codes and aircraft noise prediction codes to assess takeoff noise levels and mission range for conceptual supersonic commercial aircraft. A parametric study was done to identify viable engine cycles that meet NASA's N+2 goals for noise and performance. Model scale data from offset jets were used as input to the aircraft noise prediction code to determine the expected sound levels for the lateral certification point where jet noise dominates over all other noise sources. The noise predictions were used to determine the optimal orientation of the offset nozzles to minimize the noise at the lateral microphone location. An alternative takeoff procedure called "programmed lapse rate" was evaluated for noise reduction benefits. Results show there are two types of engines that provide acceptable mission range performance; one is a conventional mixed-flow turbofan and the other is a three-stream variable-cycle engine. Separate flow offset nozzles reduce the noise directed toward the thicker side of the outer flow stream, but have less benefit as the core nozzle pressure ratio is reduced. At the systems level for a three-engine N+2 aircraft with full throttle takeoff, there is a 1.4 EPNdB margin to Chapter 3 noise regulations predicted for the lateral certification point (assuming jet noise dominates). With a 10% reduction in thrust just after clearing the runway, the margin increases to 5.5 EPNdB. Margins to Chapter 4 and Chapter 14 levels will depend on the cumulative split between the three certification points, but it appears that low specific thrust engines with a 10% reduction in thrust (programmed lapse rate) can come close to meeting Chapter 14 noise levels. Further noise reduction is possible with engine oversizing and derated takeoff, but more detailed mission studies are needed to investigate the range impacts as well as the practical limits for safety and takeoff regulations.

Developmental Thyroid Hormone Disruption: Prevalence, Environmental Contaminants and Neurodevelopmental Consequences

EPA Science Inventory

Thyroid hormones (TH) are critical for growth and development and particularly brain development. There are numerous environmental agents that lead to marginal reductions of circulating TH. Although it is clear that severe developmental hypothyroidism is profoundly detrimental to...

Assessment of asphalt interlayer designed on jointed concrete : [tech transfer summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-11-01

Based on the substantial reduction in reflective cracking and only marginal : cost increases from using the interlayer on this research project, it is : recommended that future hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay projects in Iowa : consider using the crack...

Health and indigenous people: intercultural health as a new paradigm toward the reduction of cultural and social marginalization?

PubMed

Torri, Maria Costanza

2010-01-01

The precarious socio-economic and health conditions of indigenous populations legitimize claims of marginalization and attest to the inherent inequality that indigenous groups suffer. In the last few years, advocates have urged the use of traditional indigenous health practices as more culturally fitting for most indigenous populations. An intercultural health program can reduce the conditions of social and cultural marginalization in an indigenous population. However, accepting and integrating indigenous medicine into a westernized health system presents a major challenge to intercultural healthcare in Latin America. The objective of this paper is to analyze the case of Makewe hospital, one of the first and few examples of intercultural health initiatives in Chile. The paper will examine the implementation of this initiative and the main challenges in creating an effective intercultural health program.

Complexation facilitated reduction of aromatic N-oxides by aqueous Fe(II)-tiron complex: reaction kinetics and mechanisms.

PubMed

Chen, Yiling; Zhang, Huichun

2013-10-01

Rapid reduction of carbadox (CDX), olaquindox and several other aromatic N-oxides were investigated in aqueous solution containing Fe(II) and tiron. Consistent with previous work, the 1:2 Fe(II)-tiron complex, FeL2(6-), is the dominant reactive species as its concentration linearly correlates with the observed rate constant kobs under various conditions. The N-oxides without any side chains were much less reactive, suggesting direct reduction of the N-oxides is slow. UV-vis spectra suggest FeL2(6-) likely forms 5- or 7-membered rings with CDX and olaquindox through the N and O atoms on the side chain. The formed inner-sphere complexes significantly facilitated electron transfer from FeL2(6-) to the N-oxides. Reduction products of the N-oxides were identified by HPLC/QToF-MS to be the deoxygenated analogs. QSAR analysis indicated neither the first electron transfer nor N-O bond cleavage is the rate-limiting step. Calculations of the atomic spin densities of the anionic N-oxides confirmed the extensive delocalization between the aromatic ring and the side chain, suggesting complex formation can significantly affect the reduction kinetics. Our results suggest the complexation facilitated N-oxide reduction by Fe(II)-tiron involves a free radical mechanism, and the subsequent deoxygenation might also benefit from the weak complexation of Fe(II) with the N-oxide O atom.

Graph embedding and extensions: a general framework for dimensionality reduction.

PubMed

Yan, Shuicheng; Xu, Dong; Zhang, Benyu; Zhang, Hong-Jiang; Yang, Qiang; Lin, Stephen

2007-01-01

Over the past few decades, a large family of algorithms - supervised or unsupervised; stemming from statistics or geometry theory - has been designed to provide different solutions to the problem of dimensionality reduction. Despite the different motivations of these algorithms, we present in this paper a general formulation known as graph embedding to unify them within a common framework. In graph embedding, each algorithm can be considered as the direct graph embedding or its linear/kernel/tensor extension of a specific intrinsic graph that describes certain desired statistical or geometric properties of a data set, with constraints from scale normalization or a penalty graph that characterizes a statistical or geometric property that should be avoided. Furthermore, the graph embedding framework can be used as a general platform for developing new dimensionality reduction algorithms. By utilizing this framework as a tool, we propose a new supervised dimensionality reduction algorithm called Marginal Fisher Analysis in which the intrinsic graph characterizes the intraclass compactness and connects each data point with its neighboring points of the same class, while the penalty graph connects the marginal points and characterizes the interclass separability. We show that MFA effectively overcomes the limitations of the traditional Linear Discriminant Analysis algorithm due to data distribution assumptions and available projection directions. Real face recognition experiments show the superiority of our proposed MFA in comparison to LDA, also for corresponding kernel and tensor extensions.

Healing response of apicomarginal defects to two guided tissue regeneration techniques in periradicular surgery: a double-blind, randomized-clinical trial.

PubMed

Marín-Botero, M L; Domínguez-Mejía, J S; Arismendi-Echavarría, J A; Mesa-Jaramillo, A L; Flórez-Moreno, G A; Tobón-Arroyave, S I

2006-05-01

To compare healing responses to periosteal sliding grafts and polyglactin 910 periodontal mesh used as guided tissue regeneration (GTR) materials/techniques when both periapical and periradicular bone loss are present. Thirty patients with suppurative chronic apical periodontitis with apicomarginal communication were selected and allocated randomly into two groups according to the barrier technique to be used during periradicular surgery: periosteal graft group (n = 15) and bioabsorbable membrane group (n = 15). Clinical and radiological evaluations were completed prior to surgery, a week later and every 3 months after surgery up to 12 months to measure the periodontal pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival margin position (GMP), size of periapical lesion, percentage reduction of the periapical rarefaction, and periapical healing. Both groups showed highly significant (P < 0.001) reductions in periodontal PD, CAL and size of periapical lesion at 12 months whilst GMP was unaltered. No significant difference between the experimental groups was evident for these parameters, or for the percentage reduction of size of the periapical lesion and clinical-radiographic healing. Guided tissue regeneration applied to apicomarginal defects using sliding periosteal grafts and use of bioabsorbable membranes led to similar enhancements of the clinical outcome of periradicular surgery in terms of periapical healing, gain of periodontal support, PD reduction and minimal recession of the gingival margin.

The impact of use of an intraoperative margin assessment device on re-excision rates.

PubMed

Sebastian, Molly; Akbari, Stephanie; Anglin, Beth; Lin, Erin H; Police, Alice M

2015-01-01

Historically there has been a high rate of surgical interventions to obtain clear margins for breast cancer patients undergoing breast conserving local therapy. An intraoperative margin assessment tool (MarginProbe) has been approved for use in the US since 2013. This study is the first compilation of data from routine use of the device, to assess the impact of device utilization on re-excision rates. We present a retrospective, observational, review from groups of consecutive patients, before and after the implementation of intraoperative use of the device during lumpectomy procedures. Lesions were localized by standard methods. The intraoperative margin assessment device was used on all circumferential margins of the main specimen, but not on any additional shavings. A positive reading by the device led to an additional shaving of the corresponding cavity location. Specimens were also, when feasible, imaged intra-operatively by X-ray, and additional shavings were taken if needed based on clinical assessment. For each surgeon, historical re-excision rates were established based on a consecutive set of patients from a time period proximal to initiation of use of the device. From March 2013 to April 2014 the device was routinely used by 4 surgeons in 3 centers. In total, 165 cases lumpectomy cases were performed. Positive margins resulted in additional re-excision procedures in 9.7% (16/165) of the cases. The corresponding historical set from 2012 and 2013 consisted of 186 Lumpectomy cases, in which additional re-excision procedures were performed in 25.8% (48/186) of the cases. The reduction in the rate of re-excision procedures was significant 62% (P < 0.0001). Use of an intraoperative margin assessment device contributes to achieving clear margins and reducing re-excision procedures. As in some cases positive margins were found on shavings, future studies of interest may include an analysis of the effect of using the device on the shavings intra-operatively.

A new mild hyperthermia device to treat vascular involvement in cancer surgery.

PubMed

Ware, Matthew J; Nguyen, Lam P; Law, Justin J; Krzykawska-Serda, Martyna; Taylor, Kimberly M; Cao, Hop S Tran; Anderson, Andrew O; Pulikkathara, Merlyn; Newton, Jared M; Ho, Jason C; Hwang, Rosa; Rajapakshe, Kimal; Coarfa, Cristian; Huang, Shixia; Edwards, Dean; Curley, Steven A; Corr, Stuart J

2017-09-12

Surgical margin status in cancer surgery represents an important oncologic parameter affecting overall prognosis. The risk of disease recurrence is minimized and survival often prolonged if margin-negative resection can be accomplished during cancer surgery. Unfortunately, negative margins are not always surgically achievable due to tumor invasion into adjacent tissues or involvement of critical vasculature. Herein, we present a novel intra-operative device created to facilitate a uniform and mild heating profile to cause hyperthermic destruction of vessel-encasing tumors while safeguarding the encased vessel. We use pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma as an in vitro and an in vivo cancer model for these studies as it is a representative model of a tumor that commonly involves major mesenteric vessels. In vitro data suggests that mild hyperthermia (41-46 °C for ten minutes) is an optimal thermal dose to induce high levels of cancer cell death, alter cancer cell's proteomic profiles and eliminate cancer stem cells while preserving non-malignant cells. In vivo and in silico data supports the well-known phenomena of a vascular heat sink effect that causes high temperature differentials through tissues undergoing hyperthermia, however temperatures can be predicted and used as a tool for the surgeon to adjust thermal doses delivered for various tumor margins.

Large-scale fault interactions at the termination of a subduction margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouslopoulou, V.; Nicol, A., , Prof; Moreno, M.; Oncken, O.; Begg, J.; Kufner, S. K.

2017-12-01

Active subduction margins terminate against, and transfer their slip onto, plate-boundary transform faults. The manner in which plate motion is accommodated and partitioned across such kinematic transitions from thrust to strike-slip faulting over earthquake timescales, is poorly documented. The 2016 November 14th, Mw 7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake provides a rare snapshot of how seismic-slip may be accommodated at the tip of an active subduction margin. Analysis of uplift data collected using a range of techniques (field measurements, GPS, LiDAR) and published mapping coupled with 3D dislocation modelling indicates that earthquake-slip ruptured multiple faults with various orientations and slip mechanisms. Modelled and measured uplift patterns indicate that slip on the plate-interface was minor. Instead, a large offshore thrust fault, modelled to splay-off the plate-interface and to extend to the seafloor up to 15 km east of the South Island, appears to have released subduction-related strain and to have facilitated slip on numerous, strike-slip and oblique-slip faults on its hanging-wall. The Kaikoura earthquake suggests that these large splay-thrust faults provide a key mechanism in the transfer of plate motion at the termination of a subduction margin and represent an important seismic hazard.

Target margins in radiotherapy of prostate cancer

PubMed Central

Bauman, Glenn

2016-01-01

We reviewed the literature on the use of margins in radiotherapy of patients with prostate cancer, focusing on different options for image guidance (IG) and technical issues. The search in PubMed database was limited to include studies that involved external beam radiotherapy of the intact prostate. Post-prostatectomy studies, brachytherapy and particle therapy were excluded. Each article was characterized according to the IG strategy used: positioning on external marks using room lasers, bone anatomy and soft tissue match, usage of fiducial markers, electromagnetic tracking and adapted delivery. A lack of uniformity in margin selection among institutions was evident from the review. In general, introduction of pre- and in-treatment IG was associated with smaller planning target volume (PTV) margins, but there was a lack of definitive experimental/clinical studies providing robust information on selection of exact PTV values. In addition, there is a lack of comparative research regarding the cost–benefit ratio of the different strategies: insertion of fiducial markers or electromagnetic transponders facilitates prostate gland localization but at a price of invasive procedure; frequent pre-treatment imaging increases patient in-room time, dose and labour; online plan adaptation should improve radiation delivery accuracy but requires fast and precise computation. Finally, optimal protocols for quality assurance procedures need to be established. PMID:27377353

The Use of a Structured Literacy Program To Facilitate the Inclusion of Marginal and Special Education Students into Regular Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center, Yola; Freeman, Louella

This research review examined the use of a whole class early literacy program in classes which included disadvantaged and at-risk children in Australia. The program, Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL), is based on an interactive compensatory theory of literacy acquisition adapted from Success for All, a U.S. early literacy program. The…

Marginal and internal fits of fixed dental prostheses zirconia retainers.

PubMed

Beuer, Florian; Aggstaller, Hans; Edelhoff, Daniel; Gernet, Wolfgang; Sorensen, John

2009-01-01

CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) and CAD (computer-aided design)/CAM systems facilitate the use of zirconia substructure materials for all-ceramic fixed partial dentures. This in vitro study compared the precision of fit of frameworks milled from semi-sintered zirconia blocks that were designed and machined with two CAD/CAM and one CAM system. Three-unit posterior fixed dental prostheses (FDP) (n=10) were fabricated for standardized dies by: a milling center CAD/CAM system (Etkon), a laboratory CAD/CAM system (Cerec InLab), and a laboratory CAM system (Cercon). After adaptation by a dental technician, the FDP were cemented on definitive dies, embedded and sectioned. The marginal and internal fits were measured under an optical microscope at 50x magnification. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare data (alpha=0.05). The mean (S.D.) for the marginal fit and internal fit adaptation were: 29.1 microm (14.0) and 62.7 microm (18.9) for the milling center system, 56.6 microm (19.6) and 73.5 microm (20.6) for the laboratory CAD/CAM system, and 81.4 microm (20.3) and 119.2 microm (37.5) for the laboratory CAM system. One-way ANOVA showed significant differences between systems for marginal fit (P<0.001) and internal fit (P<0.001). All systems showed marginal gaps below 120 microm and were therefore considered clinically acceptable. The CAD/CAM systems were more precise than the CAM system.

Reducing Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) of Perception Systems in Small Autonomous Aerial Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Kennie H.; Gross, Jason

2014-01-01

The objectives are to examine recent trends in the reduction of size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements of sensor systems for environmental perception and to explore new technology that may overcome limitations in current systems. Improving perception systems to facilitate situation awareness is critical in the move to introduce increasing autonomy in aerial systems. Whether the autonomy is in the current state-of-the-art of increasing automation or is enabling cognitive decisions that facilitate adaptive behavior, collection of environmental information and fusion of that information into knowledge that can direct actuation is imperative to decisions resulting in appropriate behavior. Artificial sensory systems such as cameras, radar, LIDAR, and acoustic sensors have been in use on aircraft for many years but, due to the large size and weight of the airplane and electrical power made available through powerful engines, the SWaP requirements of these sensors was inconsequential. With the proliferation of Remote Piloted Vehicles (RPV), the trend is in significant reduction in SWaP of the vehicles. This requires at least an equivalent reduction in SWaP for the sensory systems. A survey of some currently available sensor systems and changing technology will reveal the trend toward reduction of SWaP of these systems and will predict future reductions. A new technology will be introduced that provides an example of a desirable new trend. A new device replaces multiple conventional sensory devices facilitating synchronization, localization, altimetry, collision avoidance, terrain mapping, and data communication in a single integrated, small form-factor, extremely lightweight, and low power device that it is practical for integration into small autonomous vehicles and can facilitate cooperative behavior. The technology is based on Ultra WideBand (UWB) radio using short pulses of energy rather than continuous sine waves. The characteristics of UWB yield several desirable characteristics to facilitate integration of perception for autonomous activities. The capabilities of this device and its limitations will be assessed.

Relationships between water and gas chemistry in mature coalbed methane reservoirs of the Black Warrior Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pashin, Jack C.; McIntyre-Redden, Marcella R.; Mann, Steven D.; Kopaska-Merkel, David C.; Varonka, Matthew S.; Orem, William H.

2014-01-01

Water and gas chemistry in coalbed methane reservoirs of the Black Warrior Basin reflects a complex interplay among burial processes, basin hydrodynamics, thermogenesis, and late-stage microbial methanogenesis. These factors are all important considerations for developing production and water management strategies. Produced water ranges from nearly potable sodium-bicarbonate water to hypersaline sodium-chloride brine. The hydrodynamic framework of the basin is dominated by structurally controlled fresh-water plumes that formed by meteoric recharge along the southeastern margin of the basin. The produced water contains significant quantities of hydrocarbons and nitrogen compounds, and the produced gas appears to be of mixed thermogenic-biogenic origin.Late-stage microbial methanogenesis began following unroofing of the basin, and stable isotopes in the produced gas and in mineral cements indicate that late-stage methanogenesis occurred along a CO2-reduction metabolic pathway. Hydrocarbons, as well as small amounts of nitrate in the formation water, probably helped nourish the microbial consortia, which were apparently active in fresh to hypersaline water. The produced water contains NH4+ and NH3, which correlate strongly with brine concentration and are interpreted to be derived from silicate minerals. Denitrification reactions may have generated some N2, which is the only major impurity in the coalbed gas. Carbon dioxide is a minor component of the produced gas, but significant quantities are dissolved in the formation water. Degradation of organic compounds, augmented by deionization of NH4+, may have been the principal sources of hydrogen facilitating late-stage CO2 reduction.

What Goes Around: the process of building a community-based harm reduction research project.

PubMed

Jalloh, Chelsea; Illsley, Shohan; Wylie, John; Migliardi, Paula; West, Ethan; Stewart, Debbie; Mignone, Javier

2017-11-16

Often, research takes place on underserved populations rather than with underserved populations. This approach can further isolate and stigmatize groups that are already made marginalized. What Goes Around is a community-based research project that was led by community members themselves (Peers). This research aimed to implement a community-based research methodology grounded in the leadership and growing research capacity of community researchers and to investigate a topic which community members identified as important and meaningful. Chosen by community members, this project explored how safer sex and safer drug use information is shared informally among Peers. Seventeen community members actively engaged as both community researchers and research participants throughout all facets of the project: inception, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of results. Effective collaboration between community researchers, a community organization, and academics facilitated a research process in which community members actively guided the project from beginning to end. The methods used in What Goes Around demonstrated that it is not only possible, but advantageous, to draw from community members' involvement and direction in all stages of a community-based research project. This is particularly important when working with a historically underserved population. Purposeful and regular communication among collaborators, ongoing capacity building, and a commitment to respect the experience and expertise of community members were essential to the project's success. This project demonstrated that community members are highly invested in both informally sharing information about safer sex and safer drug use and taking leadership roles in directing research that prioritizes harm reduction in their communities.

Towards Biogeochemical Modeling of Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane: Characterization of Microbial Communities in Methane-bearing North American Continental Margin Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graw, M. F.; Solomon, E. A.; Chrisler, W.; Krause, S.; Treude, T.; Ruppel, C. D.; Pohlman, J.; Colwell, F. S.

2015-12-01

Methane advecting through continental margin sediments may enter the water column and potentially contribute to ocean acidification and increase atmospheric methane concentrations. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), mediated by syntrophic consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria (ANME-SRB), consumes nearly all dissolved methane in methane-bearing sediments before it reaches the sediment-water interface. Despite the significant role ANME-SRB play in carbon cycling, our knowledge of these organisms and their surrounding microbial communities is limited. Our objective is to develop a metabolic model of ANME-SRB within methane-bearing sediments and to couple this to a geochemical reaction-transport model for these margins. As a first step towards this goal, we undertook fluorescent microscopic imaging, 16S rRNA gene deep-sequencing, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing of sediments from the US Pacific (Washington) and northern Atlantic margins where ANME-SRB are present. A successful Illumina MiSeq sequencing run yielded 106,257 bacterial and 857,834 archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences from 12 communities from the Washington Margin using both universal prokaryotic and archaeal-specific primer sets. Fluorescent microscopy confirmed the presence of cells of the ANME-2c lineage in the sequenced communities. Microbial community characterization was coupled with measurements of sediment physical and geochemical properties and, for samples from the US Atlantic margin, 14C-based measurements of AOM rates and 35S-based measurements of sulfate reduction rates. These findings have the potential to increase understanding of ANME-SRB, their surrounding microbial communities, and their role in carbon cycling within continental margins. In addition, they pave the way for future efforts at developing a metabolic model of ANME-SRB and coupling it to geochemical models of the US Washington and Atlantic margins.

The influence of different screw tightening forces on the vertical misfit of implant-supported frameworks.

PubMed

Vasconcellos, Diego Klee de; Bottino, Marco Antonio; Nishioka, Renato Sussumu; Valandro, Luiz Felipe; Costa, Elza Maria Valadares da

2005-06-01

The present in vitro study was designed to compare the differences in the vertical misfit of implant-supported frameworks using three different forces for tightening the bridge locking screws: fastening by hand until first resistance, and using torque drivers with 10 and 20Ncm. The investigation was conducted based on the results given by 9 six-unit nickel-chromium (2 abutments/ 4 pontics) screw-retained implant-supported frameworks. The structures were exposed to simulated porcelain firings. The marginal misfit measurements were made using a traveling measuring microscope at selected screw tightening forces: fastening by hand until first resistance, and using torque drivers with 10 and 20Ncm. The results were submitted to one-way ANOVA with repeated measures on one factor, and post hoc pairwise comparisons using Tukey test (5%). The mean marginal misfit of the frameworks, fastening the screws by hand until first resistance, was 41.56µm (SD±12.45µm). The use of torque driver devices caused a significant reduction in marginal opening (p<0.05). With the lowest torque available (10Ncm), the mean marginal discrepancy at the abutment-framework interface was reduced an average of 52% to a mean marginal opening of 19.71µm (SD±2.97µm). After the use of the 20Ncm torque driver, the mean marginal discrepancy of the frameworks was reduced an average of 69% to a mean marginal opening of 12.82µm (SD±4.0µm). Comparing the use of torque drivers with 10 and 20 Ncm torque, the means are not significantly different from one another. The seating force has an important effect on the vertical misfit measurements, once it may considerably narrow the vertical misfit gaps at the abutment-framework interface, thus leading to a misjudgment of the real marginal situation.

Post-fire ecohydrological conditions at peatland margins in different hydrogeological settings of the Boreal Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukenbach, M. C.; Hokanson, K. J.; Devito, K. J.; Kettridge, N.; Petrone, R. M.; Mendoza, C. A.; Granath, G.; Waddington, J. M.

2017-05-01

In the Boreal Plain of Canada, the margins of peatland ecosystems that regulate solute and nutrient fluxes between peatlands and adjacent mineral uplands are prone to deep peat burning. Whether post-fire carbon accumulation is able to offset large carbon losses associated with the deep burning at peatland margins is unknown. For this reason, we examined how post-fire hydrological conditions (i.e. water table depth and periodicity, soil tension, and surface moisture content) and depth of burn were associated with moss recolonization at the peatland margins of three sites. We then interpreted these findings using a hydrogeological systems approach, given the importance of groundwater in determining conditions in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in peatlands. Peatland margins dominated by local groundwater flow from adjacent peatland middles were characterized by dynamic hydrological conditions that, when coupled with lowered peatland margin surface elevations due to deep burning, produced two common hydrological states: 1) flooding during wet periods and 2) rapid water table declines during dry periods. These dynamic hydrological states were unfavorable to peatland moss recolonization and bryophytes typical of post-fire recovery in mineral uplands became established. In contrast, at a peatland margin where post-fire hydrological conditions were moderated by larger-scale groundwater flow, flooding and rapid water table declines were infrequent and, subsequently, greater peatland-dwelling moss recolonization was observed. We argue that peatland margins poorly connected to larger-scale groundwater flow are not only prone to deep burning but also lags in post-fire moss recovery. Consequently, an associated reduction in post-fire peat accumulation may occur and negatively affect the net carbon sink status and ecohydrological and biogeochemical function of these peatlands.

Detection and characterization of lesions on low-radiation-dose abdominal CT images postprocessed with noise reduction filters.

PubMed

Kalra, Mannudeep K; Maher, Michael M; Blake, Michael A; Lucey, Brian C; Karau, Kelly; Toth, Thomas L; Avinash, Gopal; Halpern, Elkan F; Saini, Sanjay

2004-09-01

To assess the effect of noise reduction filters on detection and characterization of lesions on low-radiation-dose abdominal computed tomographic (CT) images. Low-dose CT images of abdominal lesions in 19 consecutive patients (11 women, eight men; age range, 32-78 years) were obtained at reduced tube currents (120-144 mAs). These baseline low-dose CT images were postprocessed with six noise reduction filters; the resulting postprocessed images were then randomly assorted with baseline images. Three radiologists performed independent evaluation of randomized images for presence, number, margins, attenuation, conspicuity, calcification, and enhancement of lesions, as well as image noise. Side-by-side comparison of baseline images with postprocessed images was performed by using a five-point scale for assessing lesion conspicuity and margins, image noise, beam hardening, and diagnostic acceptability. Quantitative noise and contrast-to-noise ratio were obtained for all liver lesions. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, Student t test, and kappa test of agreement. Significant reduction of noise was observed in images postprocessed with filter F compared with the noise in baseline nonfiltered images (P =.004). Although the number of lesions seen on baseline images and that seen on postprocessed images were identical, lesions were less conspicuous on postprocessed images than on baseline images. A decrease in quantitative image noise and contrast-to-noise ratio for liver lesions was noted with all noise reduction filters. There was good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.7). Although the use of currently available noise reduction filters improves image noise and ameliorates beam-hardening artifacts at low-dose CT, such filters are limited by a compromise in lesion conspicuity and appearance in comparison with lesion conspicuity and appearance on baseline low-dose CT images. Copyright RSNA, 2004

A comparison of the efficacy of three intervention trial types: postal, group, and one-to-one facilitation, prior management and the impact of message framing and repeat messages on the flock prevalence of lameness in sheep.

PubMed

Grant, Claire; Kaler, Jasmeet; Ferguson, Eamonn; O'Kane, Holly; Green, Laura Elizabeth

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three knowledge-transfer intervention trial types (postal, group, one-to-one) to promote best practice to treat sheep with footrot. Further aims were to investigate whether farmer behaviour (i.e. management of lameness) before the trial was associated with uptake of best practice and whether the benefits of best practice framed positively or negatively influenced change in behaviour. The intervention was a message developed from evidence and expert opinion. It was entitled "Six steps to sound sheep" and promoted (1) catch sheep within three days of becoming lame, (2) inspect feet without foot trimming, (3) correctly diagnose the cause, (4) treat sheep lame with footrot or interdigital dermatitis with antibiotic injection and spray without foot trimming, (5) record the identity of treated sheep, (6) cull repeatedly lame sheep. In 2013, 4000 randomly-selected English sheep farmers were sent a questionnaire, those who responded were recruited to the postal (1081 farmers) or one-to-one intervention (32 farmers) trials. A random sample of 400 farmers were invited to join the group trial; 78 farmers participated. A follow-up questionnaire was sent to all participants in summer 2014. There were 72%, 65% and 91% useable responses for the postal, group and one-to-one trials respectively. In both 2013 and 2014, the prevalence of lameness was lower in flocks managed by LC1 farmers than LC2 and LC3 farmers. Between 2013 and 2014, the reduction in geometric mean (95% CI) period prevalence of lameness, proportional between flock reduction in lameness and within flock reduction in lameness was greatest in the one-to-one (7.6% (7.1-8.2%) to 4.3% (3.6-5.0%), 35%, 72%) followed by the group (4.5% (3.9-5.0%) to 3.1% (2.4-3.7%), 27%, 55%) and then the postal trial (from 3.5% (3.3-3.7%) to 3.2% (3.1-3.4%), 21%, 43%). There was a marginally greater reduction in lameness in farmers using most of Six steps but slow to treat lame sheep pre-trial than those not using Six steps at all. There was no significant effect of message framing. The greatest behavioural change was a reduction in therapeutic and routine foot trimming and the greatest attitude change was an increase in negative attitudes towards foot trimming. We conclude that all three intervention trial approaches were effective to promote best practice to treat sheep with footrot with one-to-one facilitation more effective than group and postal intervention trials. Results suggest that farmers' behaviour change was greater among those practising aspects of the intervention message before the trial began than those not practising any aspect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of microleakage of Scotchbond™ Universal Adhesive with methacrylate resin in Class V restorations by two methods: Swept source optical coherence tomography and dye penetration

PubMed Central

Kermanshah, Hamid; Khorsandian, Hossein

2017-01-01

Background: One of the most important factors in restoration failure is microleakage at the restoration interface. Furthermore, a new generation of bonding, Scotchbond Universal (multi-mode adhesive), has been introduced to facilitate the bonding steps. The aim of this study was to compare the microleakage of Class V cavities restored using Scotchbond™ Universal with Scotchbond Multi-Purpose in two procedures. Materials and Methods: Eighteen freshly extracted human molars were used in this study. Thirty-six standardized Class V cavities were prepared on the buccal and lingual surfaces. The teeth were divided into three groups: (1) Group A: Scotchbond Universal with “self-etching” procedure and nanohybrid composite Filtek Z350. (2) Group B: Scotchbond Universal with “total etching” procedure and Filtek Z350. (3) Group C: Scotchbond Multi-Purpose and Filtek Z350. Microleakage at enamel and dentinal margins was evaluated after thermocycling under 5000 cycles by two methods of microleakage assay: swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) and dye penetration. Wilcoxon's signed-rank test and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to analyze microleakage. Results: In silver nitrate dye penetration method, group A exhibited the minimum microleakage at dentin margins and group C exhibited the minimum microleakage at enamel margins (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in OCT method, group C demonstrated the minimum microleakage at enamel margins (P = 0.047), with no difference in the microleakage rate at dentin margins. Conclusion: Scotchbond Universal with “self-etching” procedure at dentin margin exhibited more acceptable performance compared to the Scotchbond Multi-Purpose with the two methods. PMID:28928782

The role of deep-water sedimentary processes in shaping a continental margin: The Northwest Atlantic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mosher, David C.; Campbell, D.C.; Gardner, J.V.; Piper, D.J.W.; Chaytor, Jason; Rebesco, M.

2017-01-01

The tectonic history of a margin dictates its general shape; however, its geomorphology is generally transformed by deep-sea sedimentary processes. The objective of this study is to show the influences of turbidity currents, contour currents and sediment mass failures on the geomorphology of the deep-water northwestern Atlantic margin (NWAM) between Blake Ridge and Hudson Trough, spanning about 32° of latitude and the shelf edge to the abyssal plain. This assessment is based on new multibeam echosounder data, global bathymetric models and sub-surface geophysical information.The deep-water NWAM is divided into four broad geomorphologic classifications based on their bathymetric shape: graded, above-grade, stepped and out-of-grade. These shapes were created as a function of the balance between sediment accumulation and removal that in turn were related to sedimentary processes and slope-accommodation. This descriptive method of classifying continental margins, while being non-interpretative, is more informative than the conventional continental shelf, slope and rise classification, and better facilitates interpretation concerning dominant sedimentary processes.Areas of the margin dominated by turbidity currents and slope by-pass developed graded slopes. If sediments did not by-pass the slope due to accommodation then an above grade or stepped slope resulted. Geostrophic currents created sedimentary bodies of a variety of forms and positions along the NWAM. Detached drifts form linear, above-grade slopes along their crests from the shelf edge to the deep basin. Plastered drifts formed stepped slope profiles. Sediment mass failure has had a variety of consequences on the margin morphology; large mass-failures created out-of-grade profiles, whereas smaller mass failures tended to remain on the slope and formed above-grade profiles at trough-mouth fans, or nearly graded profiles, such as offshore Cape Fear.

How Marginalized Young People Access, Engage With, and Navigate Health-Care Systems in the Digital Age: Systematic Review.

PubMed

Robards, Fiona; Kang, Melissa; Usherwood, Tim; Sanci, Lena

2018-04-01

This systematic review examines how marginalized young people access and engage with health services and navigate health-care systems in high-income countries. Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo, The University of Sydney Library database, and Google Scholar were searched to identify qualitative and quantitative original research, published from 2006 to 2017, that focused on selected definitions of marginalized young people (12 to 24 years), their parents/carers, and/or health professionals working with these populations. A thematic synthesis was undertaken identifying themes across and between groups on barriers and/or facilitators to access, engagement, and/or navigation of health-care systems. Of 1,796 articles identified, 68 studies in the final selection focused on marginalized young people who were homeless (n = 20), living in rural areas (n = 14), of refugee background (n = 11), gender and/or sexuality diverse (n = 11), indigenous (n = 4), low income (n = 4), young offenders (n = 2), or living with a disability (n = 2). Studies were from the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Portugal, including 44 qualitative, 16 quantitative, and 8 mixed-method study types. Sample sizes ranged from 3 to 1,388. Eight themes were identified relating to ability to recognize and understand health issues; service knowledge and attitudes toward help seeking; structural barriers; professionals' knowledge, skills, attitudes; service environments and structures; ability to navigate the health system; youth participation; and technology opportunities. Marginalized young people experience barriers in addition to those common to all young people. Future studies should consider the role of technology in access, engagement, and health system navigation, and the impact of intersectionality between marginalized groups. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laurentide glacial landscapes: the role of ice streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patterson, C.J.

1998-01-01

Glacial landforms of the North American prairie can be divided into two suites that result from different styles of ice flow: 1) a lowland suite of level-to-streamlined till consistent with formation beneath ice streams, and 2) an upland and lobe-margin suite of thick, hummocky till and glacial thrust blocks consistent with formation at ice-stream and ice-lobe margins. Southern Laurentide ice lobes hypothetically functioned as outlets of ice streams. Broad branching lowlands bounded by escarpments mark the stable positions of the ice streams that fed the lobes. If the lobes and ice streams were similar to modern ice streams, their fast flow was facilitated by high subglacial water pressure. Favorable geology and topography in the midcontinent encouraged nonuniform ice flow and controlled the location of ice streams and outlet lobes.

Hydrologic cost-effectiveness ratio favors switchgrass production on marginal croplands over existing grasslands

PubMed Central

Yimam, Yohannes Tadesse; Ochsner, Tyson E.; Fox, Garey A.

2017-01-01

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has attracted attention as a promising second generation biofuel feedstock. Both existing grasslands and marginal croplands have been suggested as targets for conversion to switchgrass, but the resulting production potentials and hydrologic impacts are not clear. The objectives of this study were to model switchgrass production on existing grasslands (scenario-I) and on marginal croplands that have severe to very severe limitations for crop production (scenario-II) and to evaluate the effects on evapotranspiration (ET) and streamflow. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to the 1063 km2 Skeleton Creek watershed in north-central Oklahoma, a watershed dominated by grasslands (35%) and winter wheat cropland (47%). The simulated average annual yield (2002–2011) for rainfed Alamo switchgrass for both scenarios was 12 Mg ha-1. Yield varied spatially under scenario-I from 6.1 to 15.3 Mg ha-1, while under scenario-II the range was from 8.2 to 13.8 Mg ha-1. Comparison of average annual ET and streamflow between the baseline simulation (existing land use) and scenario-I showed that scenario-I had 5.6% (37 mm) higher average annual ET and 27.7% lower streamflow, representing a 40.7 million m3 yr-1 streamflow reduction. Compared to the baseline, scenario-II had only 0.5% higher ET and 3.2% lower streamflow, but some monthly impacts were larger. In this watershed, the water yield reduction per ton of biomass production (i.e. hydrologic cost-effectiveness ratio) was more than 5X greater under scenario-I than under scenario-II. These results suggest that, from a hydrologic perspective, it may be preferable to convert marginal cropland to switchgrass production rather than converting existing grasslands. PMID:28792541

Hydrologic cost-effectiveness ratio favors switchgrass production on marginal croplands over existing grasslands.

PubMed

Yimam, Yohannes Tadesse; Ochsner, Tyson E; Fox, Garey A

2017-01-01

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has attracted attention as a promising second generation biofuel feedstock. Both existing grasslands and marginal croplands have been suggested as targets for conversion to switchgrass, but the resulting production potentials and hydrologic impacts are not clear. The objectives of this study were to model switchgrass production on existing grasslands (scenario-I) and on marginal croplands that have severe to very severe limitations for crop production (scenario-II) and to evaluate the effects on evapotranspiration (ET) and streamflow. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to the 1063 km2 Skeleton Creek watershed in north-central Oklahoma, a watershed dominated by grasslands (35%) and winter wheat cropland (47%). The simulated average annual yield (2002-2011) for rainfed Alamo switchgrass for both scenarios was 12 Mg ha-1. Yield varied spatially under scenario-I from 6.1 to 15.3 Mg ha-1, while under scenario-II the range was from 8.2 to 13.8 Mg ha-1. Comparison of average annual ET and streamflow between the baseline simulation (existing land use) and scenario-I showed that scenario-I had 5.6% (37 mm) higher average annual ET and 27.7% lower streamflow, representing a 40.7 million m3 yr-1 streamflow reduction. Compared to the baseline, scenario-II had only 0.5% higher ET and 3.2% lower streamflow, but some monthly impacts were larger. In this watershed, the water yield reduction per ton of biomass production (i.e. hydrologic cost-effectiveness ratio) was more than 5X greater under scenario-I than under scenario-II. These results suggest that, from a hydrologic perspective, it may be preferable to convert marginal cropland to switchgrass production rather than converting existing grasslands.

Study on casing treatment and stator matching on multistage fan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chuangliang; Yuan, Wei; Deng, Zhe

2017-10-01

Casing treatments are required for expanding the stall margin of multi-stage high-load turbofans designed with high blade-tip Mach numbers and high leakage flow. In the case of a low mass flow, the casing treatment effectively reduces the blockages caused by the leakage flow and enlarges the stall margin. However, in the case of a high mass flow, the casing treatment affects the overall flow capacity of the fan, the thrust when operating at the high speeds usually required by design-point specifications. Herein, we study a two-stage high-load fan with three-dimensional numerical simulations. We use the simulation results to propose a scheme that enlarges the stall margin of multistage high-load fans without sacrificing the flow capacity when operating with a large mass flow. Furthermore, a circumferential groove casing treatment is used and adjustments are made to the upstream stator angle to match the casing treatment. The stall margin is thus increased to 16.3%, with no reduction in the maximum mass flow rate or the design thrust performance.

Poverty, economic growth, deprivation, and water: the cases of Cambodia and Vietnam.

PubMed

Varis, Olli

2008-05-01

Poverty reduction decorates all development agendas, but the complexity of the poverty issue is too often hidden behind simplistic indicators and development goals. Here, a closer look is taken at the concepts of "deprivation" and "vulnerability" as outcomes of poverty. Deprivation leads typically to social exclusion and marginalization; such groups are particularly weak in getting themselves out of poverty by "self-help," and economic growth does not trickle down to these people. When looking at the connections between poverty reduction and economic growth, special emphasis should be put on the differences between modern and more traditional sectors: development of the modern sector should not marginalize and exclude those dependent on more traditional livelihoods. Two case studies--The Tonle Sap area, Cambodia, and the Mekong Delta, Vietnam--reveal that investment in education, empowerment of small-scale entrepreneurship and other means of microeconomic environment, along with good governance, infrastructure, and income distribution can ensure that economic growth includes the poorer echelons of society.

The Effect of Various Finish Line Configurations on the Marginal Seal and Occlusal Discrepancy of Cast Full Crowns After Cementation - An In-vitro Study.

PubMed

Nemane, Vaishali; Akulwar, Ravikumar Suryakanth; Meshram, Suresh

2015-08-01

The marginal fit of crowns is of clinical importance. It is found that marginal and occlusal discrepancies are commonly increased following cementation. The resistance of cementing materials is a factor that prevents cast restorations from being correctly seated. Different finish lines behave differently in facilitating the escape of the cement. When the escape path of the cement decreases, the crown fails to seat further. This study was planned with an aim to evaluate the effect of various finish lines on the marginal seal and occlusal seat of full crown preparations. Six stainless steel metal dies were machined to simulate molar crown preparations. The diameter was 10 mm and height was 6mm. The occlusal surface was kept flat and a small circular dimple was machined for reorientation of the wax pattern and metal copings, margins of various designs were machined accurately. The margins prepared were Group A- 90(0)C shoulder, Group B- Rounded shoulder, Group C- 45 degree sloped shoulder, Group D- Chamfer, Group E- Long chamfer, Group F- Feather edge. Full cast metal crowns of base metal alloy were fabricated over the metal dies. Zinc phosphate luting cement was used for the cementation. After twenty four hours, the cemented crown and die assembly were embedded in clear acrylic resin so as to hold the assembly together while sectioning. Twenty four hours later, all the samples were sectioned sagitally. The sectioned halves were focused under a stereomicroscope and the cement spaces were measured to the nearest micron. The cement thickness was measured at two points on the occlusal surface and one at each margin. Significant differences were observed in the occlusal seat and marginal seal of all the finish line configurations. The rounded shoulder had the best occlusal seat, followed by 90(0)C shoulder. The occlusal seat and marginal seal afforded by the shoulder finish lines were similar whereas there was a vast difference in the seating and sealing of long chamfer and feather edged preparations. They showed the worst occlusal seat. It was found that the finish lines like shoulder preparations which exhibit poor sealing prior to complete cementation allow good seating whereas margins which seal earlier do not allow escape of cement and hence do not seat completely.

The Effect of Various Finish Line Configurations on the Marginal Seal and Occlusal Discrepancy of Cast Full Crowns After Cementation - An In-vitro Study

PubMed Central

Nemane, Vaishali; Meshram, Suresh

2015-01-01

Background The marginal fit of crowns is of clinical importance. It is found that marginal and occlusal discrepancies are commonly increased following cementation. The resistance of cementing materials is a factor that prevents cast restorations from being correctly seated. Different finish lines behave differently in facilitating the escape of the cement. When the escape path of the cement decreases, the crown fails to seat further. Materials and Methods This study was planned with an aim to evaluate the effect of various finish lines on the marginal seal and occlusal seat of full crown preparations. Six stainless steel metal dies were machined to simulate molar crown preparations. The diameter was 10 mm and height was 6mm. The occlusal surface was kept flat and a small circular dimple was machined for reorientation of the wax pattern and metal copings, margins of various designs were machined accurately. The margins prepared were Group A- 900C shoulder, Group B- Rounded shoulder, Group C- 45 degree sloped shoulder, Group D- Chamfer, Group E- Long chamfer, Group F- Feather edge. Full cast metal crowns of base metal alloy were fabricated over the metal dies. Zinc phosphate luting cement was used for the cementation. After twenty four hours, the cemented crown and die assembly were embedded in clear acrylic resin so as to hold the assembly together while sectioning. Twenty four hours later, all the samples were sectioned sagitally. The sectioned halves were focused under a stereomicroscope and the cement spaces were measured to the nearest micron. The cement thickness was measured at two points on the occlusal surface and one at each margin. Results Significant differences were observed in the occlusal seat and marginal seal of all the finish line configurations. The rounded shoulder had the best occlusal seat, followed by 900C shoulder. The occlusal seat and marginal seal afforded by the shoulder finish lines were similar whereas there was a vast difference in the seating and sealing of long chamfer and feather edged preparations. They showed the worst occlusal seat. Conclusion It was found that the finish lines like shoulder preparations which exhibit poor sealing prior to complete cementation allow good seating whereas margins which seal earlier do not allow escape of cement and hence do not seat completely. PMID:26436039

Kinematic evolution of the southwestern Arabian continental margin: implications for the origin of the Red Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voggenreiter, W.; Hötzl, H.

The tectonic and magnetic evolution of the Jizan coastal plain (Tihama Asir) in southwest Arabia was dominated by SW-NE lithospheric extension related to the development of the Red Sea Rift. A well-exposed, isotopically-dated succession of magmatic rocks (Jizan Group volcanics, Tihama Asir Magmatic Complex) allows a kinematic analysis for this part of the Arabian Red Sea margin. A mafic dyke swarm and several generations of roughly NW-trending normal faults characterized the continental rift stage from Oligocene to early Miocene time. Major uplift of the Arabian graben shoulder probably began about 14 Ma ago. By this time, extension and magmatism ceased in the Jizan area and were followed by an approximately 10 Ma interval of tectonic and magmatic quiescence. A second phase of extension began in the Pliocene and facilitated a vast outpouring of alkaliolivine basalts on the coastal plain. The geometry of faulting in the Jizan area supports a Wernicke-type simple-shear mechanism of continental rifting for the southern Arabian continental margin of the Red Sea.

The impact of managed care and current governmental policies on an urban academic health care center.

PubMed

Rodriguez, J L; Peterson, D J; Muehlstedt, S G; Zera, R T; West, M A; Bubrick, M P

2001-10-01

Managed care and governmental policies have restructured hospital reimbursement. We examined reimbursement trends in trauma care to assess the impact of this market driven change on an urban academic health center. Patients injured between January 1997 and December 1999 were analyzed for Injury Severity Score (ISS), length of hospital stay, hospital cost, payer, and reimbursement. Between 1997 and 1999, the volume of patients with an ISS less than 9 increased and length of stay decreased. In addition, overall cost, payment, and profit margin increased. Commercially insured patients accounted for this margin increase, because the margins of managed care and government insured patients experienced double-digit decreases. Patients with ISS of 9 or greater also experienced a volume increase and a reduction in length of stay; however, costs within this group increased greater than payments, thereby reducing profit margin. Whereas commercially insured patients maintained their margin, managed care and government insured patients did not (double- and triple-digit decreases). Managed care and current governmental policies have a negative impact on urban academic health center reimbursement. Commercial insurers subsidize not only the uninsured but also the government insured and managed care patients as well. National awareness of this issue and policy action are paramount to urban academic health centers and may also benefit commercial insurers.

Marginal abatement cost curve for nitrogen oxides incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching.

PubMed

Loughlin, Daniel H; Macpherson, Alexander J; Kaufman, Katherine R; Keaveny, Brian N

2017-10-01

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs are typically developed by sorting control technologies by their relative cost-effectiveness. Other potentially important abatement measures such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) are often not incorporated into MACCs, as it is difficult to quantify their costs and abatement potential. In this paper, a U.S. energy system model is used to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NO x ) that incorporates both traditional controls and these additional measures. The MACC is decomposed by sector, and the relative cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS and traditional controls are compared. RE/EE/FS are shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone. Furthermore, a portion of RE/EE/FS appear to be cost-competitive with traditional controls. Renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching can be cost-competitive with traditional air pollutant controls for abating air pollutant emissions. The application of renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching is also shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone.

Automatic control of electric thermal storage (heat) under real-time pricing. Final report

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

Daryanian, B.; Tabors, R.D.; Bohn, R.E.

1995-01-01

Real-time pricing (RTP) can be used by electric utilities as a control signal for responsive demand-side management (DSM) programs. Electric thermal storage (ETS) systems in buildings provide the inherent flexibility needed to take advantage of variations in prices. Under RTP, optimal performance for ETS operations is achieved under market conditions where reductions in customers` costs coincide with the lowering of the cost of service for electric utilities. The RTP signal conveys the time-varying actual marginal cost of the electric service to customers. The RTP rate is a combination of various cost components, including marginal generation fuel and maintenance costs, marginalmore » costs of transmission and distribution losses, and marginal quality of supply and transmission costs. This report describes the results of an experiment in automatic control of heat storage systems under RTP during the winter seasons of 1989--90 and 1990--91.« less

Impact of climate change on irrigation management for olive orchards at southern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorite, Ignacio; Gabaldón-Leal, Clara; Santos, Cristina; Belaj, Angjelina; de la Rosa, Raul; Leon, Lorenzo; Ruiz-Ramos, Margarita

2017-04-01

The irrigation management for olive orchards under future weather conditions requires the development of advanced tools for considering specific physiological and phenological components affected by the foreseen changes in climate and atmospheric [CO2]. In this study a new simulation model named AdaptaOlive has been considered to develop controlled deficit irrigation and full irrigation scheduling for the traditional olive orchards located in Andalusia region (southern Spain) under the projected climate generated by an ensemble of 11 climate models from the ENSEMBLES European project corresponding to the SRES A1B scenario. Irrigation requirements, irrigation water productivity (IWP) and net margin (NM) were evaluated for three periods (baseline, near future and far future) and three irrigation strategies (rainfed, RF, controlled deficit irrigation, CDI, and full irrigation, FI). For irrigation requirements, a very limited average increase for far future compared with baseline period was found (2.6 and 1.3%, for CDI and FI, respectively). Equally, when IWP was analyzed, significant increases were identified for both irrigation strategies (77.4 and 72.2%, for CDI and FI, respectively) due to the high simulated increase in yield. Finally, when net margin was analyzed, the irrigation water cost had a key significance. For low water costs FI provided higher net margin values than for CDI. However, for high water costs (expected in the future due to the foreseen reduction in rainfall and the increase of the competence for the available water resources), net margin is reduced significantly, generating a very elevated number of years with negative net margin. All the described results are affected by a high level of uncertainty as the projections from the ensemble of 11 climate models show large spread. Thus, for a representative location within Andalusia region as Baeza, a reduction of irrigation requirements under full irrigation strategy was found for the ensemble mean (equal to 0.5%). However, when the individual projections from the 11 climate models were considered the variation of irrigation requirements for far future compared with baseline period ranged from increases of 8.5% to reductions of 10.7%. This fact demonstrates the necessity to consider ensembles of climate models for identifying averaged impacts and the range of variability of these impacts, quantifying the uncertainty in the estimates related with water management in the future. The study concludes that the promotion of controlled deficit irrigation strategies is an excellent adaptation strategy. However, this strategy must be supported with the enhance of farmers' training by the implementation of local or regional irrigation advisory services.

Stimulus Equalization: Temporary Reduction of Stimulus Complexity to Facilitate Discrimination Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoko, J. Aaron; LeBlanc, Judith M.

1988-01-01

Because disabled learners may profit from procedures using gradual stimulus change, this study utilized a microcomputer to investigate the effectiveness of stimulus equalization, an error reduction procedure involving an abrupt but temporary reduction of dimensional complexity. The procedure was found to be generally effective and implications for…

Factors controlling late Cenozoic continental margin growth from the Ebro Delta to the western Mediterranean deep sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, C.H.; Maldonado, A.

1990-01-01

The Ebro continental margin sedimentation system originated with a Messinian fluvial system. This system eroded both a major subaerial canyon cutting the margin southeastward from the present Ebro Delta and an axial valley that drained northeastward down Valencia Trough. Post-Messinian submergence of this topography and the Pliocene regime of high sea levels resulted in a marine hemipelagic drape over the margin. Late Pliocene to Pleistocene glacial climatic cycles, drainagebasin deforestation, and sea-level lowstands combined to increase sediment supply, cause the margin to prograde, and create a regime of lowstand sediment-gravity flows in the deeper margin. The depositional patterns of regressive, transgressive and highstand sea-level regimes suggest that location of the sediment source near the present Ebro Delta throughout the late Cenozoic, southward current advection of sediment, and greater subsidence in the southern margin combined to cause generally asymmetric progradation of the margin to the southeast. Thicker, less stable deposits filling the Messinian subaerial canyon underwent multiple retrograde failures, eroded wide gullied canyons and formed unchanneled base-of-slope sediment aprons in the central margin area; other margin areas to the north and south developed a series of channel-levee complexes. On the basin floor, the formation of Valencia Valley over the Messinian subaerial valley and earlier faults led to draining of about 20% of the Ebro Pleistocene sediment from channel-levee complexes through the valley to prograde Valencia Fan as much as 500 km northeast of the margin. Thus, the Ebro margin has two growth directions, mainly southeastward during higher sea levels, and eastward to northeastward during lower sea levels. The northeastward draining of turbidity currents has produced unusually thin and widely dispersed turbidite systems compared to those on ponded basin floors. During the past few centuries, man's impact has exceeded natural controls on Ebro margin growth. Deforestation of the drainage basin more than doubled the normal Holocene sediment supply, and construction of dams then reduced the supply by 95%. This reduction of the past 50 years has caused erosion of the delta and contamination of bottom sediment because normal Holocene sediment discharge is not available to prograde the delta or help dilute pollutants. ?? 1990.

Adequate margins for random setup uncertainties in head-and-neck IMRT

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

Astreinidou, Eleftheria; Bel, Arjan; Raaijmakers, Cornelis P.J.

2005-03-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of random setup uncertainties on the highly conformal dose distributions produced by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for clinical head-and-neck cancer patients and to determine adequate margins to account for those uncertainties. Methods and materials: We have implemented in our clinical treatment planning system the possibility of simulating normally distributed patient setup displacements, translations, and rotations. The planning CT data of 8 patients with Stage T1-T3N0M0 oropharyngeal cancer were used. The clinical target volumes of the primary tumor (CTV{sub primary}) and of the lymph nodes (CTV{sub elective}) were expanded by 0.0, 1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mm inmore » all directions, creating the planning target volumes (PTVs). We performed IMRT dose calculation using our class solution for each PTV margin, resulting in the conventional static plans. Then, the system recalculated the plan for each positioning displacement derived from a normal distribution with {sigma} = 2 mm and {sigma} = 4 mm (standard deviation) for translational deviations and {sigma} = 1 deg for rotational deviations. The dose distributions of the 30 fractions were summed, resulting in the actual plan. The CTV dose coverage of the actual plans was compared with that of the static plans. Results: Random translational deviations of {sigma} = 2 mm and rotational deviations of {sigma} = 1 deg did not affect the CTV{sub primary} volume receiving 95% of the prescribed dose (V{sub 95}) regardless of the PTV margin used. A V{sub 95} reduction of 3% and 1% for a 0.0-mm and 1.5-mm PTV margin, respectively, was observed for {sigma} = 4 mm. The V{sub 95} of the CTV{sub elective} contralateral was approximately 1% and 5% lower than that of the static plan for {sigma} = 2 mm and {sigma} = 4 mm, respectively, and for PTV margins < 5.0 mm. An additional reduction of 1% was observed when rotational deviations were included. The same effect was observed for the CTV{sub elective} ipsilateral but with smaller dose differences than those for the contralateral side. The effect of the random uncertainties on the mean dose to the parotid glands was not significant. The maximal dose to the spinal cord increased by a maximum of 3 Gy. Conclusions: The margins to account for random setup uncertainties, in our clinical IMRT solution, should be 1.5 mm and 3.0 mm in the case of {sigma} = 2 mm and {sigma} = 4 mm, respectively, for the CTV{sub primary}. Larger margins (5.0 mm), however, should be applied to the CTV{sub elective}, if the goal of treatment is a V{sub 95} value of at least 99%.« less

Effect of exogenous reductant on growth and iron mobilization from ferrihydrite by the Pseudomonas mendocina ymp strain.

PubMed

Dhungana, Suraj; Anthony, Charles R; Hersman, Larry E

2007-05-01

Growth of the Pseudomonas mendocina ymp strain on insoluble ferrihydrite is enhanced by exogenous reductants with concurrent increase in soluble iron concentrations. This shows that exogenous reductants play a substantial role in the overall microbial iron bioavailability. The exogenous reductants may work together with the siderophores, Fe-scavenging agents, to facilitate ferrihydrite dissolution.

Flow of material under compression in weak lower continental crust can cause post-rift uplift of passive continental margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chalmers, James

2014-05-01

There are mountain ranges up to more than 2 km high along many passive continental margins (e.g. Norway, eastern Australia, eastern Brazil, SE and SW Africa, east and west Greenland etc.), dubbed Elevated Passive Continental Margins (EPCMs). EPCMs contain several features in common and observations indicate that uplift of these margins took place after continental break-up. There are many explanations for their formation but none that satisfy all the observations. Lack of a geodynamical mechanism has meant that there has been difficulty in getting the community to accept the observational evidence. Formation of a passive continental margin must take place under conditions of tension. After rifting ceases, however, the margin can come under compression from forces originating elsewhere on or below its plate, e.g. orogeny elsewhere in the plate or sub-lithospheric drag. The World Stress Map (www.world-stress-mp.org) shows that, where data exists, all EPCMs are currently under compression. Under sufficient compression, crust and/or lithosphere can fold, and Cloetingh & Burov (2010) showed that many continental areas may have folded in this way. The wavelengths of folding observed by Cloetingh & Burov (2010) imply that the lower crust is likely to be of intermediate composition; granitic lower crust would fold with a shorter wavelength and basic lower crust would mean that the whole lithosphere would have to fold as a unit resulting in a much longer wavelength. Continental crust more than 20 km thick would be separated from the mantle by a weak layer. However, crust less thick than that would contain no weak layers would become effectively annealed to the underlying strong mantle. Under sufficient horizontal compression stress, material can flow in the lower weak layer towards a continental margin from the continental side. The annealed extended crust and mantle under the rift means, however, that flow cannot continue towards the ocean. Mid- and lower crustal material therefore accumulates in the proximal rift and rift margin, thickening them and lifting them by isostatic response to the thickening. Flow into the rift margin is opposed by uplift and folding of the upper, strong crust, which imposes an additional normal stress, until crust thickens no more. However, flow continues through this thickened crust, thickening and uplifting the area "downstream", so widening the thickened area. Flow and uplift can continue until a reduction in imposed far-field compressive stress causes a consequent large reduction in inflow, thereby 'freezing' the thickened crust in place. Erosion of the uplifted area will lead to further uplift of the uneroded material because of the isostatic response to the erosion. Reference Cloetingh, S. & Burov, E. 2010: Lithospheric folding and sedimentary basin evolution: a review and analysis of formation mechanisms. Basin Research 22, 1365-2117. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2117.2010.00490.x.

"A Few of the Brightest, Cleanest Mexican Children": School Segregation as a Form of Mundane Racism in Oxnard, California, 1900-1940

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, David G.; Yosso, Tara J.; Barajas, Frank P.

2012-01-01

In this article, David G. Garcia, Tara J. Yosso, and Frank P. Barajas examine the early twentieth-century origins of a dual schooling system that facilitated the reproduction of a cheap labor force and the marginalization of Mexicans in Oxnard, California. In their analysis of the 1930s Oxnard Elementary School District board minutes, alongside…

Methanogenic pathways of coal-bed gas in the Powder River Basin, United States: The geologic factor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flores, R.M.; Rice, C.A.; Stricker, G.D.; Warden, A.; Ellis, M.S.

2008-01-01

Coal-bed gas of the Tertiary Fort Union and Wasatch Formations in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, U.S. was interpreted as microbial in origin by previous studies based on limited data on the gas and water composition and isotopes associated with the coal beds. To fully evaluate the microbial origin of the gas and mechanisms of methane generation, additional data for 165 gas and water samples from 7 different coal-bed methane-bearing coal-bed reservoirs were collected basinwide and correlated to the coal geology and stratigraphy. The C1/(C2 + C3) ratio and vitrinite reflectance of coal and organic shale permitted differentiation between microbial gas and transitional thermogenic gas in the central part of the basin. Analyses of methane ??13C and ??D, carbon dioxide ??13C, and water ??D values indicate gas was generated primarily from microbial CO2 reduction, but with significant gas generated by microbial methyl-type fermentation (aceticlastic) in some areas of the basin. Microbial CO2 reduction occurs basinwide, but is generally dominant in Paleocene Fort Union Formation coals in the central part of the basin, whereas microbial methyl-type fermentation is common along the northwest and east margins. Isotopically light methane ??13C is distributed along the basin margins where ??D is also depleted, indicating that both CO2-reduction and methyl-type fermentation pathways played major roles in gas generation, but gas from the latter pathway overprinted gas from the former pathway. More specifically, along the northwest basin margin gas generation by methyl-type fermentation may have been stimulated by late-stage infiltration of groundwater recharge from clinker areas, which flowed through highly fractured and faulted coal aquifers. Also, groundwater recharge controlled a change in gas composition in the shallow Eocene Wasatch Formation with the increase of nitrogen and decrease of methane composition of the coal-bed gas. Other geologic factors, such as burial, thermal and maturation history, lateral and vertical continuity, and coalification of the coal beds, also played a significant role in controlling methanogenic pathways and provided new perspectives on gas evolution and emplacement. The early-stage gas produced by CO2 reduction has mixed with transitional thermogenic gas in the deeper, central parts of the Powder River Basin to form 'old' gas, whereas along the basin margins the overprint of gas from methyl-type fermentation represents 'new' gas. Thus, a clear understanding of these geologic factors is necessary to relate the microbiological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes involved in the generation of coal-bed gas.

Cervical and Incisal Marginal Discrepancy in Ceramic Laminate Veneering Materials: A SEM Analysis

PubMed Central

Ranganathan, Hemalatha; Ganapathy, Dhanraj M.; Jain, Ashish R.

2017-01-01

Context: Marginal discrepancy influenced by the choice of processing material used for the ceramic laminate veneers needs to be explored further for better clinical application. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the amount of cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy associated with different ceramic laminate veneering materials. Settings and Design: This was an experimental, single-blinded, in vitro trial. Subjects and Methods: Ten central incisors were prepared for laminate veneers with 2 mm uniform reduction and heavy chamfer finish line. Ceramic laminate veneers fabricated over the prepared teeth using four different processing materials were categorized into four groups as Group I - aluminous porcelain veneers, Group II - lithium disilicate ceramic veneers, Group III - lithium disilicate-leucite-based veneers, Group IV - zirconia-based ceramic veneers. The cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy was measured using a scanning electron microscope. Statistical Analysis Used: ANOVA and post hoc Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy for four groups was Group I - 114.6 ± 4.3 μm, 132.5 ± 6.5 μm, Group II - 86.1 ± 6.3 μm, 105.4 ± 5.3 μm, Group III - 71.4 ± 4.4 μm, 91.3 ± 4.7 μm, and Group IV - 123.1 ± 4.1 μm, 142.0 ± 5.4 μm. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey HSD tests observed a statistically significant difference between the four test specimens with regard to cervical marginal discrepancy. The cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy scored F = 243.408, P < 0.001 and F = 180.844, P < 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: This study concluded veneers fabricated using leucite reinforced lithium disilicate exhibited the least marginal discrepancy followed by lithium disilicate ceramic, aluminous porcelain, and zirconia-based ceramics. The marginal discrepancy was more in the incisal region than in the cervical region in all the groups. PMID:28839415

Cervical and Incisal Marginal Discrepancy in Ceramic Laminate Veneering Materials: A SEM Analysis.

PubMed

Ranganathan, Hemalatha; Ganapathy, Dhanraj M; Jain, Ashish R

2017-01-01

Marginal discrepancy influenced by the choice of processing material used for the ceramic laminate veneers needs to be explored further for better clinical application. This study aimed to evaluate the amount of cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy associated with different ceramic laminate veneering materials. This was an experimental, single-blinded, in vitro trial. Ten central incisors were prepared for laminate veneers with 2 mm uniform reduction and heavy chamfer finish line. Ceramic laminate veneers fabricated over the prepared teeth using four different processing materials were categorized into four groups as Group I - aluminous porcelain veneers, Group II - lithium disilicate ceramic veneers, Group III - lithium disilicate-leucite-based veneers, Group IV - zirconia-based ceramic veneers. The cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy was measured using a scanning electron microscope. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) tests were used for statistical analysis. The cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy for four groups was Group I - 114.6 ± 4.3 μm, 132.5 ± 6.5 μm, Group II - 86.1 ± 6.3 μm, 105.4 ± 5.3 μm, Group III - 71.4 ± 4.4 μm, 91.3 ± 4.7 μm, and Group IV - 123.1 ± 4.1 μm, 142.0 ± 5.4 μm. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey HSD tests observed a statistically significant difference between the four test specimens with regard to cervical marginal discrepancy. The cervical and incisal marginal discrepancy scored F = 243.408, P < 0.001 and F = 180.844, P < 0.001, respectively. This study concluded veneers fabricated using leucite reinforced lithium disilicate exhibited the least marginal discrepancy followed by lithium disilicate ceramic, aluminous porcelain, and zirconia-based ceramics. The marginal discrepancy was more in the incisal region than in the cervical region in all the groups.

Combining the Cutting and Mulliken methods for primary repair of the bilateral cleft lip nose.

PubMed

Morovic, Carmen Gloria; Cutting, Court

2005-11-01

Since 1990, primary bilateral cleft nasal reconstruction has been focused on placing the lower lateral cartilages into normal anatomical position. Of the four major techniques in this class, the Cutting (i.e., retrograde) method and the Mulliken method have been most successful. The retrograde method makes no external nasal incisions, but requires either preoperative or postoperative nasal molding to achieve maximum benefit. Mulliken's technique does not require molding, but leaves the footplates of the medial crura in the depression above the projecting premaxilla associated with the diminutive anterior nasal spine. Leaving the footplates in place also prevents adequate approximation of the alar bases. In this article, the two methods are combined to achieve the benefits of both. We report our experience with the retrograde nasal approach associated with marginal rim incisions (Mulliken method) in a series of 25 consecutive bilateral cleft lip cases simultaneous with lip repair. We performed a retrograde approach through membranous septum incisions elevating a prolabial-columellar flap. To facilitate alar cartilage manipulation we added bilateral marginal rim incisions. Nasal width, columella length and width, tip projection, and nasolabial angle were analyzed after a minimum of 2 years after surgery. These were compared with a normal, age-matched, control group. We also examined nostril symmetry and marginal nostril scars. Columellar length was not statistically significantly different from that of the control group (p = 0.122442). Nasal width, columellar width, tip projection, and nasolabial angle were all significantly greater in the cleft group than normal (p < 0.001). No hypertrophied scars were found associated with the marginal rim scar. Adding the Mulliken approach allows alar cartilage manipulation to be performed more easily than when using the retrograde approach alone. Tip projection and alar base narrowing are facilitated using the combined technique rather than the Mulliken approach alone. Prolabial flap manipulation is safe using this combined approach, even in cases with a severely projected premaxilla. We believe that the combined approach is safe and yields better long-term results than either technique alone.

Report of a rare case and review of adult intestinal duplication at the opposite side of mesenteric margin.

PubMed

Huang, Zhi-Hao; Wan, Zi-Hao; Vikash, Vikash; Vikash, Sindhu; Jiang, Cong-Qing

2018-01-01

To study the previously discovered clinical entity of adult intestinal duplication and its treatment, and propose an extension to its existing classification. We report the case of an adult male with abdominal pain, constipation and vomiting. This patient underwent surgical separation of adhesions, reduction of torsion and intestinal decompression. Postoperative pathological findings confirmed the rare diagnosis of intestinal duplication. Adult intestinal duplication is quite rare. Its clinical manifestations are nonspecific. From this finding of intestinal duplication originating at the opposite side of the mesenteric margin, a further extension of the existing anatomical classification is proposed.

Effect of inlet ingestion of a wing tip vortex on compressor face flow and turbojet stall margin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, G. A.

1975-01-01

A two-dimensional inlet was alternately mated to a coldpipe plug assembly and a J85-GE-13 turbojet engine, and placed in a Mach 0.4 stream so as to ingest the tip vortex of a forward mounted wing. Vortex properties were measured just forward of the inlet and at the compressor face. Results show that ingestion of a wing tip vortex by a turbojet engine can cause a large reduction in engine stall margin. The loss in stall compressor pressure ratio was primarily dependent on vortex location and rotational direction and not on total-pressure distortion.

Iso-risk air no decompression limits after scoring marginal decompression sickness cases as non-events.

PubMed

Murphy, F Gregory; Swingler, Ashleigh J; Gerth, Wayne A; Howle, Laurens E

2018-01-01

Decompression sickness (DCS) in humans is associated with reductions in ambient pressure that occur during diving, aviation, or certain manned spaceflight operations. Its signs and symptoms can include, but are not limited to, joint pain, radiating abdominal pain, paresthesia, dyspnea, general malaise, cognitive dysfunction, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, and death. Probabilistic models of DCS allow the probability of DCS incidence and time of occurrence during or after a given hyperbaric or hypobaric exposure to be predicted based on how the gas contents or gas bubble volumes vary in hypothetical tissue compartments during the exposure. These models are calibrated using data containing the pressure and respired gas histories of actual exposures, some of which resulted in DCS, some of which did not, and others in which the diagnosis of DCS was not clear. The latter are referred to as marginal DCS cases. In earlier works, a marginal DCS event was typically weighted as 0.1, with a full DCS event being weighted as 1.0, and a non-event being weighted as 0.0. Recent work has shown that marginal DCS events should be weighted as 0.0 when calibrating gas content models. We confirm this indication in the present work by showing that such models have improved performance when calibrated to data with marginal DCS events coded as non-events. Further, we investigate the ramifications of derating marginal events on model-prescribed air diving no-stop limits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Platelet-rich Fibrin on Healing of Apicomarginal Defects: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Dhiman, Meenu; Kumar, Suresh; Duhan, Jigyasa; Sangwan, Pankaj; Tewari, Sanjay

2015-07-01

The purpose of this prospective, randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the healing outcomes of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in periapical surgeries involving apicomarginal defects and to compare these results with surgeries not using any guided tissue regeneration techniques. Thirty patients with suppurative chronic apical periodontitis and apicomarginal communication were randomly assigned to either the PRF or the control group. Clinical and radiographic parameters including pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level, gingival marginal position, size of periapical lesion, and percentage reduction of the periapical radiolucency were recorded at baseline and at an interval of 3 months for a period of 12 months. The overall success rate was 83.33%, with a success rate of 86.66% (13 of 15 teeth) for PRF group and 80% (12 of 15 teeth) for control group. Both the groups exhibited a significant reduction in PD, clinical attachment level, gingival marginal position, and size of periapical lesion at 12-month period. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups for these parameters except PD, which showed a statistically significant reduction in the PRF group (P < .05). The adjunctive use of regenerative techniques may not promote healing of apicomarginal defects of endodontic origin. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Convergent adaptive evolution in marginal environments: unloading transposable elements as a common strategy among mangrove genomes.

PubMed

Lyu, Haomin; He, Ziwen; Wu, Chung-I; Shi, Suhua

2018-01-01

Several clades of mangrove trees independently invade the interface between land and sea at the margin of woody plant distribution. As phenotypic convergence among mangroves is common, the possibility of convergent adaptation in their genomes is quite intriguing. To study this molecular convergence, we sequenced multiple mangrove genomes. In this study, we focused on the evolution of transposable elements (TEs) in relation to the genome size evolution. TEs, generally considered genomic parasites, are the most common components of woody plant genomes. Analyzing the long terminal repeat-retrotransposon (LTR-RT) type of TE, we estimated their death rates by counting solo-LTRs and truncated elements. We found that all lineages of mangroves massively and convergently reduce TE loads in comparison to their nonmangrove relatives; as a consequence, genome size reduction happens independently in all six mangrove lineages; TE load reduction in mangroves can be attributed to the paucity of young elements; the rarity of young LTR-RTs is a consequence of fewer births rather than access death. In conclusion, mangrove genomes employ a convergent strategy of TE load reduction by suppressing element origination in their independent adaptation to a new environment. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

The cocaine and heroin markets in the era of globalisation and drug reduction policies.

PubMed

Costa Storti, Cláudia; De Grauwe, Paul

2009-11-01

Despite the large volume of public effort devoted to restrain drug supply and the growing attention given to drug demand reduction policies, the use of cocaine and heroin remains steady. Furthermore, retail drug prices have fallen significantly in Europe and the US. This puzzling evidence leads us to develop a model aiming at systematically analysing illicit drug markets. We model the markets of cocaine and heroin from production to the final retail markets. One novelty of the analysis consists in characterising the retail market as a monopolistic competitive one. Then, upper level dealers have some market power in the retail market. This allows them to charge a markup and to earn extra profits. These extra profits attract newcomers so that profits tend to fall over time. Theoretical model was used to analyse the effect of supply containment policies on the retail market, the producer market and the export-import business. This introduces the discussion of the impact of demand reduction policies on the high level traffickers' profit. Finally, globalisation enters in the model. Law enforcement measures increase the risk premia received by the lower and higher level traffickers. Consequently, trafficking intermediation margins tend to increase. However, globalisation has the opposite effect. It lowers intermediation margins and, then, pushes retail prices down, thereby stimulating consumption. In doing so, globalisation offsets the effects of supply containment policies. Finally, we discuss how the effectiveness of supply containment policies can be enhanced by combining them with demand reduction policies.

Detecting epistasis with the marginal epistasis test in genetic mapping studies of quantitative traits

PubMed Central

Zeng, Ping; Mukherjee, Sayan; Zhou, Xiang

2017-01-01

Epistasis, commonly defined as the interaction between multiple genes, is an important genetic component underlying phenotypic variation. Many statistical methods have been developed to model and identify epistatic interactions between genetic variants. However, because of the large combinatorial search space of interactions, most epistasis mapping methods face enormous computational challenges and often suffer from low statistical power due to multiple test correction. Here, we present a novel, alternative strategy for mapping epistasis: instead of directly identifying individual pairwise or higher-order interactions, we focus on mapping variants that have non-zero marginal epistatic effects—the combined pairwise interaction effects between a given variant and all other variants. By testing marginal epistatic effects, we can identify candidate variants that are involved in epistasis without the need to identify the exact partners with which the variants interact, thus potentially alleviating much of the statistical and computational burden associated with standard epistatic mapping procedures. Our method is based on a variance component model, and relies on a recently developed variance component estimation method for efficient parameter inference and p-value computation. We refer to our method as the “MArginal ePIstasis Test”, or MAPIT. With simulations, we show how MAPIT can be used to estimate and test marginal epistatic effects, produce calibrated test statistics under the null, and facilitate the detection of pairwise epistatic interactions. We further illustrate the benefits of MAPIT in a QTL mapping study by analyzing the gene expression data of over 400 individuals from the GEUVADIS consortium. PMID:28746338

An animal model of marginal iodine deficiency during development: The thyroid axis and neurodevelopmental outcome

EPA Science Inventory

Thyroid hormones (TH) are essential for brain development and iodine is required for TH synthesis. Environmental chemicals that perturb the thyroid axis result in modest reductions in TH, yet there is a paucity of data on the neurological impairments associated with low level TH ...

An animal model of marginal iodine deficiency during development: The thyroid axis and neurodevelopmental outcome. ##

EPA Science Inventory

Thyroid hormones (TH) are essential for brain development and iodine is required for TH synthesis. Environmental chemicals that perturb the thyroid axis result in modest reductions in TH, yet there is a paucity of data on the extent of neurological impairments associated with low...

MARGINAL PM2.5: NONLINEAR AEROSOL MASS RESPONSE TO SULFATE REDUCTIONS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. (R824793)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

The Oedipus Films: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Howard

1965-01-01

A critical review of Bernard Knox's literary analysis of Sophocles'"Oedipus the King" in a four-lesson film series is offered largely as a "warning" to high school teachers. Central to the criticism is the author's belief that Professor Knox has imposed a reductive and marginal interpretation on the play which tends to obscure…

Maternal androgens increase sibling aggression, dominance, and competitive ability in the siblicidal black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla).

PubMed

Müller, Martina S; Roelofs, Yvonne; Erikstad, Kjell Einar; Groothuis, Ton G G

2012-01-01

Animals and plants routinely produce more offspring than they can afford to rear. Mothers can favour certain young by conferring on them competitive advantages such as a leading position in the birth sequence, more resources or hormones. Avian mothers create hatching asynchrony within a clutch and at the same time bestow the eggs with different concentrations of androgens that may enhance or counteract the competitive advantage experienced by early-hatching "core" young. In siblicidal birds, core young assume a dominant social position in the nest due to their size advantage and when threatened with starvation fatally attack subdominant later-hatching "marginal" young. A role for maternal androgens in siblicidal aggression has frequently been suggested but never tested. We studied this in the facultatively siblicidal black-headed kittiwake. We found that marginal eggs contain higher instead of lower concentrations of androgens than core eggs. Surprisingly, exposure to experimentally elevated yolk androgens increased sibling aggression and dominance, even though in nature marginal eggs never produce dominant chicks. We propose the "adoption facilitation hypothesis" to explain this paradox. This cliff-nesting colonial species has a high adoption rate: ejected marginal kittiwake chicks frequently fall into other nests containing chicks of similar or smaller size and exposure to yolk androgens might help them integrate themselves into a foster nest.

Can image enhancement allow radiation dose to be reduced whilst maintaining the perceived diagnostic image quality required for coronary angiography?

PubMed Central

Joshi, Anuja; Gislason-Lee, Amber J; Keeble, Claire; Sivananthan, Uduvil M

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this research was to quantify the reduction in radiation dose facilitated by image processing alone for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patient angiograms, without reducing the perceived image quality required to confidently make a diagnosis. Methods: Incremental amounts of image noise were added to five PCI angiograms, simulating the angiogram as having been acquired at corresponding lower dose levels (10–89% dose reduction). 16 observers with relevant experience scored the image quality of these angiograms in 3 states—with no image processing and with 2 different modern image processing algorithms applied. These algorithms are used on state-of-the-art and previous generation cardiac interventional X-ray systems. Ordinal regression allowing for random effects and the delta method were used to quantify the dose reduction possible by the processing algorithms, for equivalent image quality scores. Results: Observers rated the quality of the images processed with the state-of-the-art and previous generation image processing with a 24.9% and 15.6% dose reduction, respectively, as equivalent in quality to the unenhanced images. The dose reduction facilitated by the state-of-the-art image processing relative to previous generation processing was 10.3%. Conclusion: Results demonstrate that statistically significant dose reduction can be facilitated with no loss in perceived image quality using modern image enhancement; the most recent processing algorithm was more effective in preserving image quality at lower doses. Advances in knowledge: Image enhancement was shown to maintain perceived image quality in coronary angiography at a reduced level of radiation dose using computer software to produce synthetic images from real angiograms simulating a reduction in dose. PMID:28124572

Geohistory analysis of the Santa Maria basin, California, and its relationship to tectonic evolution of the continental margin

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

McCrory, P.A.; Arends, R.G.; Ingle, J.C. Jr.

1991-02-01

The Santa Maria basin of central California is a geologically complex area located along the tectonically active California continental margin. The record of Cenozoic tectonism preserved in Santa Maria strata provides an opportunity to compare the evolution of the region with plate tectonic models for Cenozoic interactions along the margin. Geohistory analysis of Neogene Santa Maria basin strata provides important constraints for hypotheses of the tectonic evolution of the central California margin during its transition from a convergent to a transform plate boundary. Preliminary analyses suggest that the tectonic evolution of the Santa Maria area was dominated by coupling betweenmore » adjacent oceanic plates and the continental margin. This coupling is reflected in the timing of major hiatuses within the basin sedimentary sequence and margin subsidence and uplift which occurred during periods of tectonic plate adjustment. Stratigraphic evidence indicates that the Santa Maria basin originated on the continental shelf in early Miocene time. A component of margin subsidence is postulated to have been caused by cessation of spreading on adjacent offshore microplates approximately 19-18 ma. A sharp reduction in rate of tectonic subsidence in middle Miocene time, observed in the Santa Maria basin both onshore and offshore, was coeval with rotation of crustal blocks as major shearing shifts shoreward. Tectonic uplift of two eastern sites, offshore Point Arguello and near Point Sal, in the late Miocene may have been related to a change to transpressional motion between the Pacific and North American plates, as well as to rotation of the western Transverse Ranges in a restraining geometry.« less

Influence of surgical and prosthetic techniques on marginal bone loss around titanium implants. Part I: immediate loading in fresh extraction sockets.

PubMed

Berberi, Antoine N; Tehini, Georges E; Noujeim, Ziad F; Khairallah, Alexandre A; Abousehlib, Moustafa N; Salameh, Ziad A

2014-10-01

Delayed placement of implant abutments has been associated with peri-implant marginal bone loss; however, long-term results obtained by modifying surgical and prosthetic techniques after implant placement are still lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the marginal bone loss around titanium implants placed in fresh extraction sockets using two loading protocols after a 5-year follow-up period. A total of 36 patients received 40 titanium implants (Astra Tech) intended for single-tooth replacement. Implants were immediately placed into fresh extraction sockets using either a one-stage (immediate loading by placing an interim prosthesis into functional occlusion) or a two-stage prosthetic loading protocol (insertion of abutments after 8 weeks of healing time). Marginal bone levels relative to the implant reference point were evaluated at four time intervals using intraoral radiographs: at time of implant placement, and 1, 3, and 5 years after implant placement. Measurements were obtained from mesial and distal surfaces of each implant (α = 0.05). One-stage immediate implant placement into fresh extraction sockets resulted in a significant reduction in marginal bone loss (p < 0.002) compared to the traditional two-stage technique. Whereas mesial surfaces remained stable for the 5-year observation period, significant marginal bone loss was observed on distal surfaces of implants after cementation of interim prostheses (p < 0.007) and after 12 months (p < 0.034). Within the limitations of this study, immediate loading of implants placed into fresh extraction sockets reduced marginal bone loss and did not compromise the success rate of the restorations. © 2014 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Egg size and asymmetric sibling rivalry in red-winged blackbirds.

PubMed

Forbes, Scott; Wiebe, Mark

2010-06-01

How big to make an egg is a life history decision that in birds is made coincident with a series of other similar decisions (how many eggs to have, whether to fortify them with maternally derived hormones or immune system boosters, whether to hatch the eggs synchronously or asynchronously). Though within-population variation in egg size in birds has been well studied, its adaptive significance, if any, is unclear. Here we examine within-population variation in egg size in relation to asymmetric sibling rivalry in a 17-year study of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), an altricial songbird. Egg mass showed a twofold range of variation, with roughly 80% of the variation occurring across clutches. By commencing incubation before the clutch is complete, mothers create advantaged core and disadvantaged marginal elements within their brood. Previous work on this system has shown that sibling competition is asymmetric, and that core offspring enjoy priority access to food, and as a consequence show higher growth and lower mortality than marginal offspring. Here we examine the effect of initial egg size on nestling growth and survival in relation to these competitive asymmetries. Egg mass was strongly linked to hatchling mass, and remained significantly related to the mass of both core and marginal nestlings; the effect of egg size was stronger for core offspring early in the nestling period, but the disparity between core and marginal nestlings narrowed as they approached fledging age, and slower growing marginals fell victim to brood reduction. The effect of egg mass on survival differed dramatically between core and marginal nestlings. Egg mass was significantly related to the survival of marginal but not core nestlings: below average egg mass was associated primarily with very early mortality. Asymmetric sibling competition is clearly a strong determinant of the consequences of egg size variation.

Disease Control After Reduced Volume Conformal and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Childhood Craniopharyngioma

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

Merchant, Thomas E., E-mail: thomas.merchant@stjude.org; Kun, Larry E.; Hua, Chia-Ho

2013-03-15

Purpose: To estimate the rate of disease control after conformal radiation therapy using reduced clinical target volume (CTV) margins and to determine factors that predict for tumor progression. Methods and Materials: Eighty-eight children (median age, 8.5 years; range, 3.2-17.6 years) received conformal or intensity modulated radiation therapy between 1998 and 2009. The study group included those prospectively treated from 1998 to 2003, using a 10-mm CTV, defined as the margin surrounding the solid and cystic tumor targeted to receive the prescription dose of 54 Gy. The CTV margin was subsequently reduced after 2003, yielding 2 groups of patients: those treatedmore » with a CTV margin greater than 5 mm (n=26) and those treated with a CTV margin less than or equal to 5 mm (n=62). Disease progression was estimated on the basis of additional variables including sex, race, extent of resection, tumor interventions, target volume margins, and frequency of weekly surveillance magnetic resonance (MR) imaging during radiation therapy. Median follow-up was 5 years. Results: There was no difference between progression-free survival rates based on CTV margins (>5 mm vs ≤5 mm) at 5 years (88.1% ± 6.3% vs 96.2% ± 4.4% [P=.6386]). There were no differences based on planning target volume (PTV) margins (or combined CTV plus PTV margins). The PTV was systematically reduced from 5 to 3 mm during the time period of the study. Factors predictive of superior progression-free survival included Caucasian race (P=.0175), no requirement for cerebrospinal fluid shunting (P=.0066), and number of surveillance imaging studies during treatment (P=.0216). Patients whose treatment protocol included a higher number of weekly surveillance MR imaging evaluations had a lower rate of tumor progression. Conclusions: These results suggest that targeted volume reductions for radiation therapy using smaller margins are feasible and safe but require careful monitoring. We are currently investigating the differences in outcome based on host factors to explain the results.« less

Efficacy of two different toothbrush heads on a sonic power toothbrush compared to a manual toothbrush on established gingivitis and plaque.

PubMed

Nathoo, Salim; Mateo, Luis R; Chaknis, Patricia; Kemp, James H; Gatzemeyer, John; Morrison, Boyce M; Panagakos, Fotinos

2014-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy of a power toothbrush with distinct multi-directional cleaning action using two different heads (Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush with either a triple clean head or a sensitive head) as compared to a manual flat-trim toothbrush (Oral B Indicator toothbrush) on supragingival plaque and established gingivitis. This examiner-blind, randomized, controlled, three-treatment, parallel-group clinical research study assessed plaque removal via the comparison of pre- to post-brushing after a single use and again after four weeks of use, using the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index. This study also assessed gingivitis at four weeks using the Löe-Silness Gingival Index. Qualifying adult male and female subjects from the central New Jersey, USA area reported to the study site after refraining from any oral hygiene procedures for 24 hours, and from eating, drinking, and smoking for four hours. Following an examination for plaque and gingivitis, they were randomized into three balanced groups. Subjects were instructed to brush their teeth for two minutes under supervision with their assigned toothbrush and a commercially available toothpaste (Colgate Cavity Protection toothpaste), after which they were again evaluated for plaque. Subjects were dismissed from the study site with the toothpaste and their assigned toothbrush to use at home twice daily for the next four weeks. They reported to the study site after four weeks of product use, at which time they were evaluated for plaque and gingivitis. One hundred twenty (120) enrolled subjects complied with the protocol and completed the clinical study. The results of the study indicated that all three test products provided statistically significant reductions in pre-brushing to post-brushing plaque scores for whole mouth and interproximal sites after a single use. For gingival margin plaque sites, only the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush, with either the triple clean head or the sensitive head, provided statistically significant reductions in pre- to post-brushing plaque scores. After four weeks of product use, all three test products provided statistically significant reductions in baseline to four-week whole mouth and interproximal site plaque scores, but only the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush, with either the triple clean head or the sensitive head, provided a statistically significant reduction in plaque scores at gingival margin sites. All three test products provided statistically significant reductions in gingival and gingivitis severity index scores after four weeks of product use. Relative to the manual toothbrush group, after a single tooth brushing the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush, with either the triple clean head or sensitive head, provided statistically significantly greater reductions in whole mouth plaque index scores (51.9% and 59.3%, respectively), in gingival margin plaque index scores (700% and 650%, respectively), and interproximal plaque index scores (64.2% and 60.4%, respectively). Relative to the manual toothbrush group, after four weeks of use the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush, with either the triple clean head or sensitive head, provided statistically significantly greater reductions in whole mouth plaque index scores (78.6%, and 82.1%, respectively), in gingival margin plaque index scores (3700% and 3400%, respectively), and interproximal plaque index scores (50.8% and 52.5%, respectively). Relative to the manual toothbrush group, after four weeks of use the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush, with either the triple clean head or sensitive head, provided statistically significantly greater reductions in gingival index scores of 900% and 833%, respectively, and in gingivitis severity index scores of 466.7% and 600%, respectively. All statistically significant reductions were at the p ≤ 0.05 level. There were no statistically significant differences between the scores of the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush with triple clean head and the scores of the Colgate ProClinical C200 toothbrush with sensitive head at any comparison time point. The Colgate ProClinicaI C200 toothbrush, with either a triple clean head or a sensitive head, provides statistically significant and clinically relevant levels of efficacy in the removal of supragingival dental plaque in the whole mouth, at the gingival margin, and interproximally after a single tooth brushing and after four weeks of use, as well as a statistically significantly greater level of efficacy in the reduction of gingivitis and gingival bleeding when compared to a manual flat-trim toothbrush.

Negotiating safety and sexual risk reduction with clients in unsanctioned safer indoor sex work environments: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Krüsi, Andrea; Chettiar, Jill; Ridgway, Amelia; Abbott, Janice; Strathdee, Steffanie A; Shannon, Kate

2012-06-01

We examined how unique, low-barrier, supportive housing programs for women who are functioning as unsanctioned indoor sex work environments in a Canadian urban setting influence risk negotiation with clients in sex work transactions. We conducted 39 semistructured qualitative interviews and 6 focus groups with women who live in low-barrier, supportive housing for marginalized sex workers with substance use issues. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Women's accounts indicated that unsanctioned indoor sex work environments promoted increased control over negotiating sex work transactions, including the capacity to refuse unwanted services, negotiate condom use, and avoid violent perpetrators. Despite the lack of formal legal and policy support for indoor sex work venues in Canada, the environmental-structural supports afforded by these unsanctioned indoor sex work environments, including surveillance cameras and support from staff or police in removing violent clients, were linked to improved police relationships and facilitated the institution of informal peer-safety mechanisms. This study has drawn attention to the potential role of safer indoor sex work environments as venues for public health and violence prevention interventions and has indicated the critical importance of removing the sociolegal barriers preventing the formal implementation of such programs.

Negotiating Safety and Sexual Risk Reduction With Clients in Unsanctioned Safer Indoor Sex Work Environments: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Krüsi, Andrea; Chettiar, Jill; Ridgway, Amelia; Abbott, Janice; Strathdee, Steffanie A.

2012-01-01

Objectives. We examined how unique, low-barrier, supportive housing programs for women who are functioning as unsanctioned indoor sex work environments in a Canadian urban setting influence risk negotiation with clients in sex work transactions. Methods. We conducted 39 semistructured qualitative interviews and 6 focus groups with women who live in low-barrier, supportive housing for marginalized sex workers with substance use issues. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Results. Women’s accounts indicated that unsanctioned indoor sex work environments promoted increased control over negotiating sex work transactions, including the capacity to refuse unwanted services, negotiate condom use, and avoid violent perpetrators. Despite the lack of formal legal and policy support for indoor sex work venues in Canada, the environmental-structural supports afforded by these unsanctioned indoor sex work environments, including surveillance cameras and support from staff or police in removing violent clients, were linked to improved police relationships and facilitated the institution of informal peer-safety mechanisms. Conclusions. This study has drawn attention to the potential role of safer indoor sex work environments as venues for public health and violence prevention interventions and has indicated the critical importance of removing the sociolegal barriers preventing the formal implementation of such programs. PMID:22571708

Encouraging Responsible Fatherhood. Hearing on Examining Initiatives To Encourage Responsible Fatherhood before the Subcommittee on Children and Families of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

This hearing transcript presents statements regarding programs that facilitate involvement of marginal or absentee fathers in the upbringing of their children. Opening or prepared statements, reiterating the increase in paternal abandonment and its attendant social costs, are presented for Indiana Senator Dan Coats, Chair of the Subcommittee on…

Surgical planning and manual image fusion based on 3D model facilitate laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for intrarenal tumors.

PubMed

Chen, Yuanbo; Li, Hulin; Wu, Dingtao; Bi, Keming; Liu, Chunxiao

2014-12-01

Construction of three-dimensional (3D) model of renal tumor facilitated surgical planning and imaging guidance of manual image fusion in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) for intrarenal tumors. Fifteen patients with intrarenal tumors underwent LPN between January and December 2012. Computed tomography-based reconstruction of the 3D models of renal tumors was performed using Mimics 12.1 software. Surgical planning was performed through morphometry and multi-angle visual views of the tumor model. Two-step manual image fusion superimposed 3D model images onto 2D laparoscopic images. The image fusion was verified by intraoperative ultrasound. Imaging-guided laparoscopic hilar clamping and tumor excision was performed. Manual fusion time, patient demographics, surgical details, and postoperative treatment parameters were analyzed. The reconstructed 3D tumor models accurately represented the patient's physiological anatomical landmarks. The surgical planning markers were marked successfully. Manual image fusion was flexible and feasible with fusion time of 6 min (5-7 min). All surgeries were completed laparoscopically. The median tumor excision time was 5.4 min (3.5-10 min), whereas the median warm ischemia time was 25.5 min (16-32 min). Twelve patients (80 %) demonstrated renal cell carcinoma on final pathology, and all surgical margins were negative. No tumor recurrence was detected after a media follow-up of 1 year (3-15 months). The surgical planning and two-step manual image fusion based on 3D model of renal tumor facilitated visible-imaging-guided tumor resection with negative margin in LPN for intrarenal tumor. It is promising and moves us one step closer to imaging-guided surgery.

Ebselen is a dehydroascorbate reductase mimic, facilitating the recycling of ascorbate via mammalian thioredoxin systems.

PubMed

Zhao, Rong; Holmgren, Arne

2004-02-01

Ebselen is a selanazal drug recently revealed as a highly efficient peroxiredoxin mimic catalyzing the hydroperoxide reduction by the mammalian thioredoxin system [thioredoxin (Trx), thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), and NADPH]. The mammalian Trx system is a dehydroascorbic acid reductase recycling ascorbic acid essential for cell functions. Here we report that ebselen strongly facilitated the recycling of ascorbic acid by the TrxR both with and without Trx present. Reduction of dehydroascorbic acid by TrxR has a pH optimum of 6.4, and only approximately 55% of this activity at a physiological pH of 7.4. Ebselen at 6 microM enhances this reaction three-fold and with the same pH optimum of 6.4. The mechanism of the ebselen effect is suggested to involve reduction of dehydroascorbic acid by the ebselen selenol, a highly efficient two-electron reductant. Thus, ebselen acts as an antioxidant to lower the peroxide tone inside cells and to facilitate the recycling of dehydroascorbic acid to ascorbic acid, so as to increase the radical scavenging capacity of ascorbic acid directly or indirectly via vitamin E. The high ascorbic acid recycling efficiency of ebselen at pH 6.4 may play a major role in oxidatively stressed cells, where cytosol acidosis may trigger various responses, including apoptosis.

Regulatory Approval of Cancer Risk-reducing (Chemopreventive) Drugs: Moving What We Have Learned into the Clinic

PubMed Central

Meyskens, Frank L.; Curt, Gregory A.; Brenner, Dean E.; Gordon, Gary; Herberman, Ronald B.; Finn, Olivera; Kelloff, Gary J.; Khleif, Samir N.; Sigman, Caroline C.; Szabo, Eva

2010-01-01

This paper endeavors to clarify the current requirements and status of regulatory approval for chemoprevention (risk reduction) drugs and discusses possible improvements to the regulatory pathway for chemoprevention. Covering a wide range of topics in as much depth as space allows, this report is written in a style to facilitate the understanding of non-scientists and to serve as a framework for informing the directions of experts engaged more deeply with this issue. Key topics we cover here are as follows: a history of definitive cancer chemoprevention trials and their influence on the evolution of regulatory assessments; a brief review of the long-standing success of pharmacologic risk reduction of cardiovascular diseases and its relevance to approval for cancer risk reduction drugs; the use and limitations of biomarkers for developing and the approval of cancer risk reduction drugs; the identification of individuals at a high(er) risk for cancer and who are appropriate candidates for risk reduction drugs; business models that should incentivize pharmaceutical-industry investment in cancer risk reduction; a summary of scientific and institutional barriers to development of cancer risk reduction drugs; and a summary of major recommendations that should help facilitate the pathway to regulatory approval for pharmacologic cancer risk reduction drugs. PMID:21372031

Reducing Risky Sexual Behavior and Substance Use Among Currently and Formerly Homeless Adults Living With HIV

PubMed Central

Desmond, Katherine; Comulada, W. Scott; Arnold, Elizabeth Mayfield; Johnson, Mallory

2009-01-01

Objectives. We examined the efficacy of the Healthy Living Program in reducing risky sexual behavior and substance use among adults with HIV infection who were marginally housed (i.e., homeless at some point over a 37-month period). Methods. We had previously conducted a randomized controlled trial with 936 adults living with HIV infection. In that study, 3 intervention modules of 5 sessions each addressed different goals: reducing risky sexual acts and drug use, improving the quality of life, and adhering to healthful behaviors. Participants were interviewed at baseline and at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 months; 746 completed 4 or more assessments. In this study, we analyzed sexual behavior and drug use outcomes for the 35% (n = 270 of 767) of participants who were considered marginally housed. Results. Among the marginally housed participants, there were significantly greater reductions in unprotected risky sexual acts, the number of sexual partners of HIV negative or unknown serostatus, alcohol or marijuana use, and hard drug use among the intervention group than among the control group. Conclusions. Intensive, skill-focused intervention programs may improve the lives of marginally housed adults living with HIV infection. PMID:18799777

Flood Disaster Risk Reduction in municipality-scale in Rio de Janeiro State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Japiassú Viana, Viviane; Formiga Johnsson, Rosa Maria; De Gouvello, Bernard

2015-04-01

In Brazil, flood disasters causing human damage, pecuniary loss and environmental damage, are mainly due to greater exposure of the population; urban densification on the riverbanks and margins, incurring vulnerability due to changes in river level and climate changes. This article presents the data and studies required in the Brazilian legal basis and analyzes the scales adopted by planners in contrast to the scales demands by the executing agencies in the context of prevention and adaptation to climate change, particularly to flood disaster reduction in municipality-scale.

Evaluating Oilseed Biofuel Production Feasibility in California’s San Joaquin Valley Using Geophysical and Remote Sensing Techniques

PubMed Central

Corwin, Dennis L.; Yemoto, Kevin; Clary, Wes; Banuelos, Gary; Skaggs, Todd H.; Lesch, Scott M.

2017-01-01

Though more costly than petroleum-based fuels and a minor component of overall military fuel sources, biofuels are nonetheless strategically valuable to the military because of intentional reliance on multiple, reliable, secure fuel sources. Significant reduction in oilseed biofuel cost occurs when grown on marginally productive saline-sodic soils plentiful in California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV). The objective is to evaluate the feasibility of oilseed production on marginal soils in the SJV to support a 115 ML yr−1 biofuel conversion facility. The feasibility evaluation involves: (1) development of an Ida Gold mustard oilseed yield model for marginal soils; (2) identification of marginally productive soils; (3) development of a spatial database of edaphic factors influencing oilseed yield and (4) performance of Monte Carlo simulations showing potential biofuel production on marginally productive SJV soils. The model indicates oilseed yield is related to boron, salinity, leaching fraction, and water content at field capacity. Monte Carlo simulations for the entire SJV fit a shifted gamma probability density function: Q = 68.986 + gamma (6.134,5.285), where Q is biofuel production in ML yr−1. The shifted gamma cumulative density function indicates a 0.15–0.17 probability of meeting the target biofuel-production level of 115 ML yr−1, making adequate biofuel production unlikely. PMID:29036925

Potential Cost-Effective Opportunities for Methane Emission Abatement

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

Warner, Ethan; Steinberg, Daniel; Hodson, Elke

2015-08-01

The energy sector was responsible for approximately 84% of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2e) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. in 2012 (EPA 2014a). Methane is the second most important GHG, contributing 9% of total U.S. CO 2e emissions. A large portion of those methane emissions result from energy production and use; the natural gas, coal, and oil industries produce approximately 39% of anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S. As a result, fossil-fuel systems have been consistently identified as high priority sectors to contribute to U.S. GHG reduction goals (White House 2015). Only two studies have recently attempted tomore » quantify the abatement potential and cost associated with the breadth of opportunities to reduce GHG emissions within natural gas, oil, and coal supply chains in the United States, namely the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2013a) and ICF (2014). EPA, in its 2013 analysis, estimated the marginal cost of abatement for non-CO 2 GHG emissions from the natural gas, oil, and coal supply chains for multiple regions globally, including the United States. Building on this work, ICF International (ICF) (2014) provided an update and re-analysis of the potential opportunities in U.S. natural gas and oil systems. In this report we synthesize these previously published estimates as well as incorporate additional data provided by ICF to provide a comprehensive national analysis of methane abatement opportunities and their associated costs across the natural gas, oil, and coal supply chains. Results are presented as a suite of marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs), which depict the total potential and cost of reducing emissions through different abatement measures. We report results by sector (natural gas, oil, and coal) and by supply chain segment - production, gathering and boosting, processing, transmission and storage, or distribution - to facilitate identification of which sectors and supply chain segments provide the greatest opportunities for low cost abatement.« less

Identification of blood culture isolates directly from positive blood cultures by use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and a commercial extraction system: analysis of performance, cost, and turnaround time.

PubMed

Lagacé-Wiens, Philippe R S; Adam, Heather J; Karlowsky, James A; Nichol, Kimberly A; Pang, Paulette F; Guenther, Jodi; Webb, Amanda A; Miller, Crystal; Alfa, Michelle J

2012-10-01

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry represents a revolution in the rapid identification of bacterial and fungal pathogens in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Recently, MALDI-TOF has been applied directly to positive blood culture bottles for the rapid identification of pathogens, leading to reductions in turnaround time and potentially beneficial patient impacts. The development of a commercially available extraction kit (Bruker Sepsityper) for use with the Bruker MALDI BioTyper has facilitated the processing required for identification of pathogens directly from positive from blood cultures. We report the results of an evaluation of the accuracy, cost, and turnaround time of this method for 61 positive monomicrobial and 2 polymicrobial cultures representing 26 species. The Bruker MALDI BioTyper with the Sepsityper gave a valid (score, >1.7) identification for 85.2% of positive blood cultures with no misidentifications. The mean reduction in turnaround time to identification was 34.3 h (P < 0.0001) in the ideal situation where MALDI-TOF was used for all blood cultures and 26.5 h in a more practical setting where conventional identification or identification from subcultures was required for isolates that could not be directly identified by MALDI-TOF. Implementation of a MALDI-TOF-based identification system for direct identification of pathogens from blood cultures is expected to be associated with a marginal increase in operating costs for most laboratories. However, the use of MALDI-TOF for direct identification is accurate and should result in reduced turnaround time to identification.

Selective dissolution followed by EDDS washing of an e-waste contaminated soil: Extraction efficiency, fate of residual metals, and impact on soil environment.

PubMed

Beiyuan, Jingzi; Tsang, Daniel C W; Valix, Marjorie; Zhang, Weihua; Yang, Xin; Ok, Yong Sik; Li, Xiang-Dong

2017-01-01

To enhance extraction of strongly bound metals from oxide minerals and organic matter, this study examined the sequential use of reductants, oxidants, alkaline solvents and organic acids followed by a biodegradable chelating agent (EDDS, [S,S]-ethylene-diamine-disuccinic-acid) in a two-stage soil washing. The soil was contaminated by Cu, Zn, and Pb at an e-waste recycling site in Qingyuan city, China. In addition to extraction efficiency, this study also examined the fate of residual metals (e.g., leachability, bioaccessibility, and distribution) and the soil quality parameters (i.e., cytotoxicity, enzyme activities, and available nutrients). The reductants (dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate and hydroxylamine hydrochloride) effectively extracted metals by mineral dissolution, but elevated the leachability and bioaccessibility of metals due to the transformation from Fe/Mn oxides to labile fractions. Subsequent EDDS washing was found necessary to mitigate the residual risks. In comparison, prior washing by oxidants (persulphate, hypochlorite, and hydrogen peroxide) was marginally useful because of limited amount of soil organic matter. Prior washing by alkaline solvents (sodium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate) was also ineffective due to metal precipitation. In contrast, prior washing by low-molecular-weight organic acids (citrate and oxalate) improved the extraction efficiency. Compared to hydroxylamine hydrochloride, citrate and oxalate induced lower cytotoxicity (Microtox) and allowed higher enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, and urease) and soil nutrients (available nitrogen and phosphorus), which would facilitate reuse of the treated soil. Therefore, while sequential washing proved to enhance extraction efficacy, the selection of chemical agents besides EDDS should also include the consideration of effects on metal leachability/bioaccessibility and soil quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marginal Accuracy and Internal Fit of Dental Copings Fabricated by Modern Additive and Subtractive Digital Technologies.

PubMed

Nelson, Neha; K S, Jyothi; Sunny, Kiran

2017-03-01

The margins of copings for crowns and retainers of fixed partial dentures affect the progress of microleakage and dental caries. Failures occur due to altered fit which is also influenced by the method of fabrication. An in-vitro study was conducted to determine among the cast base metal, copy milled zirconia, computer aided designing computer aided machining/manufacturing zirconia and direct metal laser sintered copings which showed best marginal accuracy and internal fit. Forty extracted maxillary premolars were mounted on an acrylic model and reduced occlusally using a milling machine up to a final tooth height of 4 mm from the cementoenamel junction. Axial reduction was accomplished on a surveyor and a chamfer finish line was given. The impressions and dies were made for fabrication of copings which were luted on the prepared teeth under standardized loading, embedded in self-cure acrylic resin, sectioned and observed using scanning electron microscope for internal gap and marginal accuracy. The copings fabricated using direct metal laser sintering technique exhibited best marginal accuracy and internal fit. Comparison of mean between the four groups by ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey HSD tests showed a statistically significant difference between all the groups (p⟨0.05). It was concluded that the copings fabricated using direct metal laser sintering technique exhibited best marginal accuracy and internal fit. Additive digital technologies such as direct metal laser sintering could be cost-effective for the clinician, minimize failures related to fit and increase longevity of teeth and prostheses. Copyright© 2017 Dennis Barber Ltd.

75 FR 30440 - Biweekly Notice: Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-01

... consequences of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of... alleged facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on which the requestor/ petitioner...

Single cell genomic study of Dehalococcoidites in deep sea sediments of Peru Margin 1230

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaster, A.; Meyer-Blackwell, K.; Spormann, A. M.

2013-12-01

Dehalogenating Chloroflexi, such as Dehalococcoidites Dhc were originally discovered as the key microorganisms mediating reductive dehalogenation of the prevalent groundwater contaminants tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene. Molecular and genomic studies on their key enzymes for energy conservation, reductive dehalogenases rdh, have provided evidence for ubiquitous horizontal gene transfer. A pioneering study by Futagami et al. discovered novel putative rdh phylotypes in sediments from the Pacific, revealing an unknown and surprising abundance of rdh genes in pristine habitats. The frequent detection of Dhc-related 16S rRNA genes from these environments implied the occurrence of dissimilatory dehalorespiration in marine subsurface sediments, however, pristine Dhc could never be linked to this activity. Despite being ubiquitous in those environments, metabolic life style or ecological function of Dhc in the absence of anthropogenic contaminants is still completely unknown. We therefore analyzed a non-contaminated deep sea sediment sample of the Peru Margin 1230 site by a single cell genomic (SGC) approach. We present for the first time data on three single Dhc cells, helping to elucidate their role in the poorly understood oligotrophic marine sub-surface environment.

A review and assessment of non-governmental organization-based STD/AIDS education and prevention projects for marginalized groups.

PubMed

Crane, S F; Carswell, J W

1992-06-01

A review of projects run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in primarily developing countries, which have aimed to provide STD/AIDS education and prevention skills to various marginalized groups, reveals that past quantitative and formative research has failed to identify key programmatic factors which lead to more successful project implementation and sustainability. In observations, interviews with field staff, visits to program sites and information drawn from the literature, a variety of methods to reach a wide range of groups such as men who have sex with men, prostitutes, clients of prostitutes, prisoners, street children, migrant workers and refugees are explored. Factors found to facilitate project success include the following: at least one full-time committed staff member; respectful treatment and appropriate motivation of the target group; suitable and sufficient equipment and supplies (particularly condoms); planning ahead for the participation of HIV-positive individuals and ways to meet their needs; focusing on qualitative rather than quantitative evaluation; planning in advance beyond a 9 or 12 month 'model'. Despite some evidence that marginalized groups can be successfully motivated to practise safer sex through prevention education, long-term behaviour change still presents major challenges--even when specific conditions are met.

Radiographic Features of Acute Patellar Tendon Rupture.

PubMed

Fazal, Muhammad Ali; Moonot, Pradeep; Haddad, Fares

2015-11-01

The purpose of our study was to assess soft tissue features of acute patellar tendon rupture on lateral knee radiograph that would facilitate early diagnosis. The participants were divided into two groups of 35 patients each. There were 28 men and seven women with a mean age of 46 years in the control group and 26 men and nine women with a mean age of 47 years in the rupture group. The lateral knee radiograph of each patient was evaluated for Insall-Salvati ratio for patella alta, increased density of the infrapatellar fat pad, appearance of the soft tissue margin of the patellar tendon and bony avulsions. In the rupture group there were three consistent soft tissue radiographic features in addition to patellar alta. These were increased density of infrapatellar fat pad; loss of sharp, well-defined linear margins of the patellar tendon and angulated wavy margin of the patellar tendon while in the control group these features were not observed. The soft tissue radiographic features described in the rupture group are consistent and reliable. When coupled with careful clinical assessment, these will aid in early diagnosis and further imaging will be seldom required. © 2015 Chinese Orthopaedic Association and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Facilitating Wellness in Urban-Dwelling, Low-Income Older Adults Through Community Mobility: A Mixed-Methods Study.

PubMed

Mulry, Claire M; Papetti, Christina; De Martinis, Julian; Ravinsky, Mark

Community participation is integral to wellness. This study examined the outcomes of Let's Go, a program designed to facilitate community participation of urban-dwelling, low-income older adults. Fifty-two older adults participated in a mixed-methods, single-group pretest-posttest study. The Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire, participant surveys, and semistructured interviews were used to evaluate self-reported participation in community-based occupations, confidence, isolation, frequency of community trips, autonomy outdoors, and satisfaction with social life and relationships. Significant improvement was found in participation, confidence, frequency of community trips, autonomy outdoors, and satisfaction with social life and relationships at 4 wk and 6 mo. Qualitative themes were decreased isolation, importance of peer and community support, increased knowledge of mobility options, and a shift from fear to confidence. Community mobility programming can facilitate the participation of marginalized older adults in community-based occupations. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Co-benefits of mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions for future air quality and human health

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

West, Jason; Smith, Steven J.; Silva, Raquel

2013-10-01

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions also influences air quality. We simulate the co-benefits of global GHG reductions on air quality and human health via two mechanisms: a) reducing co-emitted air pollutants, and b) slowing climate change and its effect on air quality. Relative to a reference scenario, global GHG mitigation in the RCP4.5 scenario avoids 0.5±0.2, 1.3±0.6, and 2.2±1.6 million premature deaths in 2030, 2050, and 2100, from changes in fine particulate matter and ozone. Global average marginal co-benefits of avoided mortality are $40-400 (ton CO2)-1, exceeding marginal abatement costs in 2030 and 2050, and within the low range ofmore » costs in 2100. East Asian co-benefits are 10-80 times the marginal cost in 2030. These results indicate that transitioning to a low-carbon future might be justified by air quality and health co-benefits.« less

A Reliability Comparison of Classical and Stochastic Thickness Margin Approaches to Address Material Property Uncertainties for the Orion Heat Shield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sepka, Steve; Vander Kam, Jeremy; McGuire, Kathy

2018-01-01

The Orion Thermal Protection System (TPS) margin process uses a root-sum-square approach with branches addressing trajectory, aerothermodynamics, and material response uncertainties in ablator thickness design. The material response branch applies a bond line temperature reduction between the Avcoat ablator and EA9394 adhesive by 60 C (108 F) from its peak allowed value of 260 C (500 F). This process is known as the Bond Line Temperature Material Margin (BTMM) and is intended to cover material property and performance uncertainties. The value of 60 C (108 F) is a constant, applied at any spacecraft body location and for any trajectory. By varying only material properties in a random (monte carlo) manner, the perl-based script mcCHAR is used to investigate the confidence interval provided by the BTMM. In particular, this study will look at various locations on the Orion heat shield forebody for a guided and an abort (ballistic) trajectory.

The intensive margin of technology adoption--Experimental evidence on improved cooking stoves in rural Senegal.

PubMed

Bensch, Gunther; Peters, Jörg

2015-07-01

Today, almost 3 billion people in developing countries rely on biomass as primary cooking fuel, with profound negative implications for their well-being. Improved biomass cooking stoves are alleged to counteract these adverse effects. This paper evaluates take-up and impacts of low-cost improved stoves through a randomized controlled trial. The randomized stove is primarily designed to curb firewood consumption, but not smoke emissions. Nonetheless, we find considerable effects not only on firewood consumption, but also on smoke exposure and, consequently, smoke-related disease symptoms. The reduced smoke exposure results from behavioural changes in terms of increased outside cooking and a reduction in cooking time. We conclude that in order to assess the effectiveness of a technology-oriented intervention, it is critical to not only account for the incidence of technology adoption - the extensive margin - but also for the way the new technology is used - the intensive margin. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Reliability Comparison of Classical and Stochastic Thickness Margin Approaches to Address Material Property Uncertainties for the Orion Heat Shield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sepka, Steven A.; McGuire, Mary Kathleen; Vander Kam, Jeremy C.

2018-01-01

The Orion Thermal Protection System (TPS) margin process uses a root-sum-square approach with branches addressing trajectory, aerothermodynamics, and material response uncertainties in ablator thickness design. The material response branch applies a bondline temperature reduction between the Avcoat ablator and EA9394 adhesive by 60 C (108 F) from its peak allowed value of 260 C (500 F). This process is known as the Bond Line Temperature Material Margin (BTMM) and is intended to cover material property and performance uncertainties. The value of 60 C (108 F) is a constant, applied at any spacecraft body location and for any trajectory. By varying only material properties in a random (monte carlo) manner, the perl-based script mcCHAR is used to investigate the confidence interval provided by the BTMM. In particular, this study will look at various locations on the Orion heat shield forebody for a guided and an abort (ballistic) trajectory.

Dosimetric Implications of Residual Tracking Errors During Robotic SBRT of Liver Metastases

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

Chan, Mark; Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong; Grehn, Melanie

Purpose: Although the metric precision of robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy in the presence of breathing motion is widely known, we investigated the dosimetric implications of breathing phase–related residual tracking errors. Methods and Materials: In 24 patients (28 liver metastases) treated with the CyberKnife, we recorded the residual correlation, prediction, and rotational tracking errors from 90 fractions and binned them into 10 breathing phases. The average breathing phase errors were used to shift and rotate the clinical tumor volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) for each phase to calculate a pseudo 4-dimensional error dose distribution for comparison with themore » original planned dose distribution. Results: The median systematic directional correlation, prediction, and absolute aggregate rotation errors were 0.3 mm (range, 0.1-1.3 mm), 0.01 mm (range, 0.00-0.05 mm), and 1.5° (range, 0.4°-2.7°), respectively. Dosimetrically, 44%, 81%, and 92% of all voxels differed by less than 1%, 3%, and 5% of the planned local dose, respectively. The median coverage reduction for the PTV was 1.1% (range in coverage difference, −7.8% to +0.8%), significantly depending on correlation (P=.026) and rotational (P=.005) error. With a 3-mm PTV margin, the median coverage change for the CTV was 0.0% (range, −1.0% to +5.4%), not significantly depending on any investigated parameter. In 42% of patients, the 3-mm margin did not fully compensate for the residual tracking errors, resulting in a CTV coverage reduction of 0.1% to 1.0%. Conclusions: For liver tumors treated with robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy, a safety margin of 3 mm is not always sufficient to cover all residual tracking errors. Dosimetrically, this translates into only small CTV coverage reductions.« less

NanTroSEIZE in 3-D: Creating a Virtual Research Experience in Undergraduate Geoscience Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, D. L.; Bangs, N. L.; Moore, G. F.; Tobin, H.

2009-12-01

Marine research programs, both large and small, have increasingly added a web-based component to facilitate outreach to K-12 and the public, in general. These efforts have included, among other activities, information-rich websites, ship-to-shore communication with scientists during expeditions, blogs at sea, clips on YouTube, and information about daily shipboard activities. Our objective was to leverage a portion of the vast collection of data acquired through the NSF-MARGINS program to create a learning tool with a long lifespan for use in undergraduate geoscience courses. We have developed a web-based virtual expedition, NanTroSEIZE in 3-D, based on a seismic survey associated with the NanTroSEIZE program of NSF-MARGINS and IODP to study the properties of the plate boundary fault system in the upper limit of the seismogenic zone off Japan. The virtual voyage can be used in undergraduate classes at anytime, since it is not directly tied to the finite duration of a specific seagoing project. The website combines text, graphics, audio and video to place learning in an experiential framework as students participate on the expedition and carry out research. Students learn about the scientific background of the program, especially the critical role of international collaboration, and meet the chief scientists before joining the sea-going expedition. Students are presented with the principles of 3-D seismic imaging, data processing and interpretation while mapping and identifying the active faults that were the likely sources of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan in 1944 and 1948. They also learn about IODP drilling that began in 2007 and will extend through much of the next decade. The website is being tested in undergraduate classes in fall 2009 and will be distributed through the NSF-MARGINS website (http://www.nsf-margins.org/) and the MARGINS Mini-lesson section of the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) (http://serc.carleton.edu/margins/collection.html) in early 2010.

Heard and valued: the development of a model to meaningfully engage marginalized populations in health services planning.

PubMed

Snow, M Elizabeth; Tweedie, Katherine; Pederson, Ann

2018-03-15

Recently, patient engagement has been identified as a promising strategy for supporting healthcare planning. However, the context and structure of universalistic, "one-size-fits-all" approaches often used for patient engagement may not enable diverse patients to participate in decision-making about programs intended to meet their needs. Specifically, standard patient engagement approaches are gender-blind and might not facilitate the engagement of those marginalized by, for example, substance use, low income, experiences of violence, homelessness, and/or mental health challenges-highly gendered health and social experiences. The project's purpose was to develop a heuristic model to assist planners to engage patients who are not traditionally included in healthcare planning. Using a qualitative research approach, we reviewed literature and conducted interviews with patients and healthcare planners regarding engaging marginalized populations in health services planning. From these inputs, we created a model and planning manual to assist healthcare planners to engage marginalized patients in health services planning, which we piloted in two clinical programs undergoing health services design. The findings from the pilots were used to refine the model. The analysis of the interviews and literature identified power and gender as barriers to participation, and generated suggestions to support diverse populations both to attend patient engagement events and to participate meaningfully. Engaging marginalized populations cannot be reduced to a single defined process, but instead needs to be understood as an iterative process of fitting engagement methods to a particular situation. Underlying this process are principles for meaningfully engaging marginalized people in healthcare planning. A one-size-fits-all approach to patient engagement is not appropriate given patients' diverse barriers to meaningful participation in healthcare planning. Instead, planners need a repertoire of skills and strategies to align the purpose of engagement with the capacities and needs of patient participants. Just as services need to meet diverse patients' needs, so too must patient engagement experiences.

Prediction of margin involvement and local recurrence after skin-sparing and simple mastectomy.

PubMed

Al-Himdani, S; Timbrell, S; Tan, K T; Morris, J; Bundred, N J

2016-07-01

Skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) facilitates immediate breast reconstruction. We investigated locoregional recurrence rates after SSM compared with simple mastectomy and the factors predicting oncological failure. Patients with early breast cancer that underwent mastectomy between 2000 and 2005 at a single institution were studied to ascertain local and systemic recurrence rates between groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test were used to evaluate disease-free survival. Patients (n = 577) underwent simple mastectomy (80%) or SSM (20%). Median follow up was 80 months. Patients undergoing SSM were of younger average age, less often had involved lymph nodes (22% vs 44%, p < 0.001), more often had DCIS present (79% vs 53%, p < 0.001) and involved margins (29% vs 15%, p = 0.001). Involved surgical margins were associated with large size (p = 0.001). The 8-year local recurrence (LR) rates were 7.9% for SSM and 5% for simple mastectomy respectively (p = 0.35). Predictors of locoregional recurrence were lymph node involvement (HR 8.0, for >4 nodes, p < 0.001) and involved surgical margins (HR 3.3, p = 0.002). In node negative patients, SSM was a predictor of locoregional recurrence (HR 4.8 [1.1, 19.9], p = 0.033). Delayed reconstruction is more appropriate for node positive early breast cancer after post-mastectomy radiotherapy. Re-excision of involved margins is essential to prevent local recurrence after mastectomy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ the Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Biomechanical comparison of suture anchor versus margin convergence plus suture anchor for rotator cuff repair.

PubMed

Chen, Shi-yi; Malcarney, Hilary L; Murrell, George A C

2009-02-01

To evaluate results of margin convergence versus suture anchors in rotator cuff repair, and to determine which method is mechanically superior. Eighteen kangaroo shoulders were randomly divided into three groups (n = 6). A full thickness tendon defect 1.0 cm × 1.5 cm in size was created in the supraspinatus tendon at humeral insertion, simulating a massive rotator cuff tear. Three different techniques were employed for rotator cuff repair: (i) Mitek GII suture anchor alone (Group 1); (ii) margin convergence alone (Group 2); and (iii) margin convergence plus Mitek GII suture anchor (Group 3). Combined loads were applied to each specimen. After completion of cyclic loading, the construct was loaded to failure. ANOVA and LSD (Least Significant Difference) multiple comparisons of the means were applied to results. Cyclic load testing showed progressive gap formation in each repaired specimen with increasing cycles. Group 1 reached 50% failure at an average of 34 cycles, Group 2 at 75 cycles and Group 3 at 73 cycles. There were significant difference between Groups 1 and 2, and Groups 1 and 3 (P ≤ 0.001). After 100 loading cycles, the average gap size was 6.8 mm, 6.1 mm and 4.7 mm in Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. There was a significant difference between Groups 1 and 3 (P ≤ 0.015). All specimens eventually reached failure. Rotator cuff repairs with margin convergence +/- suture anchor were far stronger than suture anchor alone, both in gap formation and ultimate failure load. However, progressive gap formation with cyclic loading seems inevitable after cuff repair, which may facilitate clinical understanding of the phenomena of re-tear or residual defect. © 2009 Tianjin Hospital and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Laser processing of solar cells with anti-reflective coating

DOEpatents

Harley, Gabriel; Smith, David D.; Dennis, Tim; Waldhauer, Ann; Kim, Taeseok; Cousins, Peter John

2016-02-16

Contact holes of solar cells are formed by laser ablation to accommodate various solar cell designs. Use of a laser to form the contact holes is facilitated by replacing films formed on the diffusion regions with a film that has substantially uniform thickness. Contact holes may be formed to deep diffusion regions to increase the laser ablation process margins. The laser configuration may be tailored to form contact holes through dielectric films of varying thicknesses.

78 FR 17470 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Regulation Project

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-21

... Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning guidance necessary to facilitate business electronic filing (TD 9300(final)). DATES: Written....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Guidance Necessary to Facilitate Business Electronic Filing...

Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other Environmental Impacts

EPA Science Inventory

TRACI, the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts, has been developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory to facilitate the characterization of stressors that have potential effects, ...

Economic Analysis of Nitrate Source Reductions in California Agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medellin-Azuara, J.; Howitt, R.; Rosenstock, T.; Harter, T.; Pettygrove, S. G.; Dzurella, K.; Lund, J. R.

2011-12-01

We present an analytical approach to assess the economic impact of improving nitrogen management practices in California agriculture. We employ positive mathematical programming to calibrate crop production to base input information. The production function representation is a nested constant elasticity of substitution with two nests: one for applied water and one for applied nitrogen. The first nest accounts for the tradeoffs between irrigation efficiency and capital investments in irrigation technology. The second nest represents the tradeoffs between nitrogen application efficiency and the marginal costs of improving nitrogen efficiency. In the production function nest, low elasticities of substitution and water and nitrogen stress constraints keep agricultural crop yields constant despite changes in nitrogen management practices. We use the Tulare Basin, and the Salinas Valley in California's Central Valley and Central Coast respectively as our case studies. Preliminary results show that initial reductions of 25% in nitrogen loads to groundwater may not impose large costs to agricultural crop production as substitution of management inputs results in only small declines in net revenue from farming and total land use. Larger reductions in the nitrogen load to groundwater of 50% imposes larger marginal costs for better nitrogen management inputs and reductions in the area of lower valued crops grown in the study areas. Despite the shortage of data on quantitative effects of improved nitrogen efficiency; our results demonstrate the potential of combining economic and agronomic data into a model that can reflect differences in cost and substitutabilty in nitrogen application methods, that can be used to reduce the quantity of nitrogen leaching into groundwater.

Comparative evaluation of marginal leakage of provisional crowns cemented with different temporary luting cements: In vitro study.

PubMed

Arora, Sheen Juneja; Arora, Aman; Upadhyaya, Viram; Jain, Shilpi

2016-01-01

As, the longevity of provisional restorations is related to, a perfect adaptation and a strong, long-term union between restoration and teeth structures, therefore, evaluation of marginal leakage of provisional restorative materials luted with cements using the standardized procedures is essential. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from Autopolymerizing acrylic resin crowns and bisphenol A-glycidyl dimethacrylate (BIS-GMA) resin crowns. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from autopolymerizing acrylic resin crowns and BIS-GMA resin crowns cemented with different temporary luting cements. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from autopolymerizing acrylic resin (SC-10) crowns cemented with different temporary luting cements. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from BIS-GMA resin crowns (Protemp 4) cemented with different temporary luting cements. Freshly extracted 60 maxillary premolars of approximately similar dimensions were mounted in dental plaster. Tooth reduction with shoulder margin was planned to use a customized handpiece-holding jig. Provisional crowns were prepared using the wax pattern fabricated from computer aided designing/computer aided manufacturing milling machine following the tooth preparation. Sixty provisional crowns were made, thirty each of SC-10 and Protemp 4 and were then cemented with three different luting cements. Specimens were thermocycled, submerged in a 2% methylene blue solution, then sectioned and observed under a stereomicroscope for the evaluation of marginal microleakage. A five-level scale was used to score dye penetration in the tooth/cement interface and the results of this study was analyzed using the Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis H-test and the results were statistically significant P < 0.05 the power of study - 80%. Marginal leakage was significant in both provisional crowns cemented with three different luting cements along the axial walls of teeth (P < 0.05) confidence interval - 95%. The temporary cements with eugenol showed more microleakage than those without eugenol. SC-10 crowns showed more microleakage compared to Protemp 4 crowns. SC-10 crowns cemented with Kalzinol showed maximum microleakage and Protemp 4 crowns cemented with HY bond showed least microleakage.

Maximum Marginal Likelihood Estimation of a Monotonic Polynomial Generalized Partial Credit Model with Applications to Multiple Group Analysis.

PubMed

Falk, Carl F; Cai, Li

2016-06-01

We present a semi-parametric approach to estimating item response functions (IRF) useful when the true IRF does not strictly follow commonly used functions. Our approach replaces the linear predictor of the generalized partial credit model with a monotonic polynomial. The model includes the regular generalized partial credit model at the lowest order polynomial. Our approach extends Liang's (A semi-parametric approach to estimate IRFs, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, 2007) method for dichotomous item responses to the case of polytomous data. Furthermore, item parameter estimation is implemented with maximum marginal likelihood using the Bock-Aitkin EM algorithm, thereby facilitating multiple group analyses useful in operational settings. Our approach is demonstrated on both educational and psychological data. We present simulation results comparing our approach to more standard IRF estimation approaches and other non-parametric and semi-parametric alternatives.

CONORBIT: constrained optimization by radial basis function interpolation in trust regions

DOE PAGES

Regis, Rommel G.; Wild, Stefan M.

2016-09-26

Here, this paper presents CONORBIT (CONstrained Optimization by Radial Basis function Interpolation in Trust regions), a derivative-free algorithm for constrained black-box optimization where the objective and constraint functions are computationally expensive. CONORBIT employs a trust-region framework that uses interpolating radial basis function (RBF) models for the objective and constraint functions, and is an extension of the ORBIT algorithm. It uses a small margin for the RBF constraint models to facilitate the generation of feasible iterates, and extensive numerical tests confirm that such a margin is helpful in improving performance. CONORBIT is compared with other algorithms on 27 test problems, amore » chemical process optimization problem, and an automotive application. Numerical results show that CONORBIT performs better than COBYLA, a sequential penalty derivative-free method, an augmented Lagrangian method, a direct search method, and another RBF-based algorithm on the test problems and on the automotive application.« less

Ensuring the validity of calculated subcritical limits

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

Clark, H.K.

1977-01-01

The care taken at the Savannah River Laboratory and Plant to ensure the validity of calculated subcritical limits is described. Close attention is given to ANSI N16.1-1975, ''Validation of Calculational Methods for Nuclear Criticality Safety.'' The computer codes used for criticality safety computations, which are listed and are briefly described, have been placed in the SRL JOSHUA system to facilitate calculation and to reduce input errors. A driver module, KOKO, simplifies and standardizes input and links the codes together in various ways. For any criticality safety evaluation, correlations of the calculational methods are made with experiment to establish bias. Occasionallymore » subcritical experiments are performed expressly to provide benchmarks. Calculated subcritical limits contain an adequate but not excessive margin to allow for uncertainty in the bias. The final step in any criticality safety evaluation is the writing of a report describing the calculations and justifying the margin.« less

Costs of mitigating CO2 emissions from passenger aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, Andreas W.; Evans, Antony D.; Reynolds, Tom G.; Dray, Lynnette

2016-04-01

In response to strong growth in air transportation CO2 emissions, governments and industry began to explore and implement mitigation measures and targets in the early 2000s. However, in the absence of rigorous analyses assessing the costs for mitigating CO2 emissions, these policies could be economically wasteful. Here we identify the cost-effectiveness of CO2 emission reductions from narrow-body aircraft, the workhorse of passenger air transportation. We find that in the US, a combination of fuel burn reduction strategies could reduce the 2012 level of life cycle CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by around 2% per year to mid-century. These intensity reductions would occur at zero marginal costs for oil prices between US$50-100 per barrel. Even larger reductions are possible, but could impose extra costs and require the adoption of biomass-based synthetic fuels. The extent to which these intensity reductions will translate into absolute emissions reductions will depend on fleet growth.

Overview of the randomized trials of radiotherapy in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

PubMed

Correa, C; McGale, P; Taylor, C; Wang, Y; Clarke, M; Davies, C; Peto, R; Bijker, N; Solin, L; Darby, S

2010-01-01

Individual patient data were available for all four of the randomized trials that began before 1995, and that compared adjuvant radiotherapy vs no radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). A total of 3729 women were eligible for analysis. Radiotherapy reduced the absolute 10-year risk of any ipsilateral breast event (ie, either recurrent DCIS or invasive cancer) by 15.2% (SE 1.6%, 12.9% vs 28.1% 2 P <.00001), and it was effective regardless of the age at diagnosis, extent of breast-conserving surgery, use of tamoxifen, method of DCIS detection, margin status, focality, grade, comedonecrosis, architecture, or tumor size. The proportional reduction in ipsilateral breast events was greater in older than in younger women (2P < .0004 for difference between proportional reductions; 10-year absolute risks: 18.5% vs 29.1% at ages <50 years, 10.8% vs 27.8% at ages ≥ 50 years) but did not differ significantly according to any other available factor. Even for women with negative margins and small low-grade tumors, the absolute reduction in the 10-year risk of ipsilateral breast events was 18.0% (SE 5.5, 12.1% vs 30.1%, 2P = .002). After 10 years of follow-up, there was, however, no significant effect on breast cancer mortality, mortality from causes other than breast cancer, or all-cause mortality.

Analysing reduced tillage practices within a bio-economic modelling framework.

PubMed

Townsend, Toby J; Ramsden, Stephen J; Wilson, Paul

2016-07-01

Sustainable intensification of agricultural production systems will require changes in farm practice. Within arable cropping systems, reducing the intensity of tillage practices (e.g. reduced tillage) potentially offers one such sustainable intensification approach. Previous researchers have tended to examine the impact of reduced tillage on specific factors such as yield or weed burden, whilst, by definition, sustainable intensification necessitates a system-based analysis approach. Drawing upon a bio-economic optimisation model, 'MEETA', we quantify trade-off implications between potential yield reductions, reduced cultivation costs and increased crop protection costs. We extend the MEETA model to quantify farm-level net margin, in addition to quantifying farm-level gross margin, net energy, and greenhouse gas emissions. For the lowest intensity tillage system, zero tillage, results demonstrate financial benefits over a conventional tillage system even when the zero tillage system includes yield penalties of 0-14.2% (across all crops). Average yield reductions from zero tillage literature range from 0 to 8.5%, demonstrating that reduced tillage offers a realistic and attainable sustainable intensification intervention, given the financial and environmental benefits, albeit that yield reductions will require more land to compensate for loss of calories produced, negating environmental benefits observed at farm-level. However, increasing uptake of reduced tillage from current levels will probably require policy intervention; an extension of the recent changes to the CAP ('Greening') provides an opportunity to do this.

TRACI - THE TOOL FOR THE REDUCTION AND ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

EPA Science Inventory

TRACI, The Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts, is described along with its history, the underlying research, methodologies, and insights within individual impact categories. TRACI facilitates the characterization of stressors that ma...

A comparison of the marginal vertical discrepancies of zirconium and metal ceramic posterior fixed dental prostheses before and after cementation.

PubMed

Gonzalo, Esther; Suárez, Maria J; Serrano, Benjamin; Lozano, Jose F L

2009-12-01

Marginal discrepancies of zirconia posterior fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) fabricated using various systems have been assessed to determine the quality of the restorations and facilitate clinical use; however, studies are limited and results are ambiguous because of the sample sizes and measurement methods. The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare changes in marginal fit of posterior fixed dental prostheses of 3 zirconia systems manufactured using CAD/CAM technology and metal ceramic posterior fixed dental protheses fabricated with the conventional lost-wax technique, before and after cementation. Forty standardized master steel dies with 2 abutments simulating first mandibular premolars were fabricated to receive a posterior 3-unit FDP (from first molar to first premolar) and divided into 4 groups (n=10): Lava All-Ceramic System, Procera Bridge Zirconia, VITA In-Ceram 2000 YZ, and metal ceramic (control group). All FDPs were prepared for an internal space of 50 microm. The external marginal gap of the restorations was investigated by measuring 30 points in the middle of the buccal and lingual surfaces; therefore, 60 measurements per abutment were recorded. Measurements were made with an image analysis program on the master steel model before and after conventional cementation with a glass ionomer agent (Ketac Cem Easymix). The data obtained were statistically analyzed using 1-way ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range post hoc test, and Student's paired t test (alpha=.05). No significant differences in the vertical marginal fit before and after cementation were recorded for the analyzed groups. The marginal discrepancy of Procera abutments before and after cementation (9 +/-10 microm and 12 +/-9 microm, respectively) was less than that of the other groups. Significant differences (P=.001) were observed in marginal adaptation between Procera Bridge Zirconia and the other groups. The results of this study showed that cementation did not cause a significant increase in the vertical marginal discrepancies of the FDPs and that an internal space of 50 mum provided a high precision of fit of the restorations. The accuracy of fit achieved for the 3 zirconium oxide groups analyzed was within the range of clinical acceptance, and the discrepancies were lower than in the metal ceramic group. Procera Bridge Zirconia showed the lowest vertical discrepancies.

Evidence and mechanism of Hurricane Fran-Induced ocean cooling in the Charleston Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Lian; Pietrafesa, L. J.; Bohm, E.; Zhang, C.; Li, X.

Evidence of enhanced sea surface cooling during and following the passage of Hurricane Fran in September 1996 over an oceanic depression located on the ocean margin offshore of Charleston, South Carolina (referred to as the Charleston Trough), [Pietrafesa, 1983] is documented. Approximately 4C° of sea surface temperature (SST) reduction within the Charleston Trough following the passage of Hurricane Fran was estimated based on SST imagery from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on the NOAA-14 polar orbiting satellite. Simulations using a three-dimensional coastal ocean model indicate that the largest SST reduction occurred within the Charleston Trough. This SST reduction can be explained by oceanic mixing due to storm-induced internal inertia-gravity waves.

IDENTIFYING SUITABLE INDICATORS FOR MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY OF BIOENERGY PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM PINE FORESTS IN THE U.S. SOUTH (PHASE-1)

EPA Science Inventory

Total and Marginal Cost Analysis for a High School Based Bystander Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Joshua L.; Bush, Heather M.; Coker, Ann L.; Brancato, Candace J.; Clear, Emily R.; Recktenwald, Eileen A.

2018-01-01

Costs of providing the Green Dot bystander-based intervention, shown to be effective in the reduction of sexual violence among Kentucky high school students, were estimated based on data from a large cluster-randomized clinical trial. Rape Crisis Center Educators were trained to provide Green Dot curriculum to students. Implementing Green Dot in…

14 CFR 23.629 - Flutter.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... range up to VD/MD, or VDF/MDF for jets; (2) The vibratory response of the structure during the test indicates freedom from flutter; (3) A proper margin of damping exists at VD/MD, or VDF/MDF for jets; and (4) As VD/MD (or VDF/MDF for jets) is approached, there is no large or rapid reduction in damping. (c...

14 CFR 23.629 - Flutter.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... range up to VD/MD, or VDF/MDF for jets; (2) The vibratory response of the structure during the test indicates freedom from flutter; (3) A proper margin of damping exists at VD/MD, or VDF/MDF for jets; and (4) As VD/MD (or VDF/MDF for jets) is approached, there is no large or rapid reduction in damping. (c...

78 FR 7259 - Airworthiness Directives; BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-01

... wing leading edge. This AD requires a detailed inspection of the end caps on the anti-icing piccolo... on the wing leading edge or run-back ice, which could lead to a reduction in the stall margin on... the loss of the wing leading edge anti- icing piccolo tube end caps on two aircraft. This was...

78 FR 15747 - Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses and Combined Licenses Involving...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-12

... consequences of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of... contention and a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert opinion which support the contention and on...

The availability and economic analyses of using marginal land for bioenergy production in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuqi, Chen; Xudong, Guo; Chunyan, Lv

2017-04-01

In recent years, China has witnessed rapid increase in the dependence of foreign oil import. In 2015, the primary energy consumption of China is 543 million tons, of which 328 million tons was imported. The total amount of imported foreign oil increased from 49.8% in 2008 to 60.41% in 2016. To address the national energy security and GHG emission reduction, China has made considerable progress in expanding renewable energy portfolio, especially liquid biofuels. However, under the pressure of high population and vulnerable food security, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) ruled that bioenergy is only allowed to be produced using non-cereal feedstock. In addition, the energy crops can only be planted on marginal land, which is the land not suitable for growing field crops due to edaphic and/or climatic limitations, and other environmental risks. Although there have been a number of studies about estimating the marginal land for energy plants' cultivation in China, as to the different definition of marginal land and land use data, the results are quite different. Furthermore, even if there is enough marginal land suitable for energy plants' cultivation, economic viability of cultivating energy plants on marginal land is critical. In order to analyze the availability and economic analyses of the marginal land for bioenergy production strategy, firstly, by using of the latest and most authoritative land use data, this study focused on the assessment of marginal land resources and bioenergy potential by planting five species of energy plants including Cassava, Jatropha curcas, Helianthus tuberous L, Pistacia chinensis, Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge. The results indicate that there are 289.71 million ha marginal land can be used for these five energy plants' cultivation, which can produce 24.45 million tons bioethanol and 8.77 million tons of biodiesel. Secondly, based on field survey data and literature reviews, we found that, from the farmers' perspective, low income led to none incentive of energy plants' cultivation. From the bioenergy plants' perspective, unstable supply and high cost of feedstock constrained the normal operation. In China, both energy crop' s cultivation and bioenergy production depend too much on government subsidies. It was impossible to develop bioenergy based on marginal land if only rely on the market at present.

Transition from magma dominant to magma poor rifting along the Nova Scotia Continental Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, K. H.; Louden, K. E.; Nedimović, M. R.; Whitehead, M.; Farkas, A.; Watremez, L.; Dehler, S. A.

2011-12-01

Passive margins have been characterized as magma-dominant (volcanic) or magma-poor (non-volcanic). However, the conditions under which margins might switch states are not well understood as they typically have been studied as end member examples in isolation to each other. The Nova Scotia (NS) continental margin, however, offers an opportunity to study the nature of such a transition between the magma-dominant US East Coast margin to the south and the magma-poor Newfoundland margin to the north within a single rift segment. This transition is evidenced by a clear along-strike reduction in features characteristic of syn-rift volcanism from south-to-north along the NS margin, such as the weakening of the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) and the coincident disappearance of seaward dipping reflector sequences (SDRS) on multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiles. Results from recent industry MCS profiles along and across the margin suggest a potentially narrow magma-dominant to magma-poor along-strike transition between the southern and the central NS margin. Such a transition is broadly consistent with results of several widely-spaced, across-strike ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) wide-angle profiles. In the southern region, the crustal structure exhibits a narrow (~120-km wide) ocean-continent transition (OCT) with a high velocity (7.2 km/s) lower crust, interpreted as a gabbro-rich underplated melt, beneath the SDRS and the ECMA, similar to crustal models across the US East Coast. In contrast, profiles across the central and northern margin contain a much wider OCT (150-200-km wide) underlain by a low velocity mantle layer (7.3-7.9 km/s), interpreted as partially serpentinized olivine, which is similar to the magma-poor Newfoundland margin to the north. However, the central-to-northern OBS profiles also exhibit significant variations within the OCT and the along-strike continuity of these OCT structures is not yet clear. In November 2010, we acquired, in the OCTOPUS survey, wide-angle seismic data along a 240-km-long margin parallel profile extending from the central to the northern margin segments along an existing industry MCS profile (Ion/GX Technology NovaSPAN 5100). Twenty OBSs at 10-km spacing were analysed. A preliminary p-wave velocity model along the profile indicates that the cross-strike structures are continuous within the OCT. However, a substantial anisotropy in velocity (~8% lower parallel to the margin) is observed within the OCT. This result is consistent with an interpretation of partially serpentinized mantle that flowed perpendicular to the margin during its extension. In addition, along strike variations are also observed along the profile, which suggest a higher degree of volcanism and a thinner layer of serpentinized mantle to the southwest. These results provide a framework for future studies to the southwest to further investigate the transition to a magma-dominant regime towards the US East Coast.

Utilization of cone-beam CT for offline evaluation of target volume coverage during prostate image-guided radiotherapy based on bony anatomy alignment.

PubMed

Paluska, Petr; Hanus, Josef; Sefrova, Jana; Rouskova, Lucie; Grepl, Jakub; Jansa, Jan; Kasaova, Linda; Hodek, Miroslav; Zouhar, Milan; Vosmik, Milan; Petera, Jiri

2012-01-01

To assess target volume coverage during prostate image-guided radiotherapy based on bony anatomy alignment and to assess possibility of safety margin reduction. Implementation of IGRT should influence safety margins. Utilization of cone-beam CT provides current 3D anatomic information directly in irradiation position. Such information enables reconstruction of the actual dose distribution. Seventeen prostate patients were treated with daily bony anatomy image-guidance. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans were acquired once a week immediately after bony anatomy alignment. After the prostate, seminal vesicles, rectum and bladder were contoured, the delivered dose distribution was reconstructed. Target dose coverage was evaluated by the proportion of the CTV encompassed by the 95% isodose. Original plans employed a 1 cm safety margin. Alternative plans assuming a smaller 7 mm margin between CTV and PTV were evaluated in the same way. Rectal and bladder volumes were compared with the initial ones. Rectal and bladder volumes irradiated with doses higher than 75 Gy, 70 Gy, 60 Gy, 50 Gy and 40 Gy were analyzed. In 12% of reconstructed plans the prostate coverage was not sufficient. The prostate underdosage was observed in 5 patients. Coverage of seminal vesicles was not satisfactory in 3% of plans. Most of the target underdosage corresponded to excessive rectal or bladder filling. Evaluation of alternative plans assuming a smaller 7 mm margin revealed 22% and 11% of plans where prostate and seminal vesicles coverage, respectively, was compromised. These were distributed over 8 and 7 patients, respectively. Sufficient dose coverage of target volumes was not achieved for all patients. Reducing of safety margin is not acceptable. Initial rectal and bladder volumes cannot be considered representative for subsequent treatment.

Facility cost analysis in outpatient plastic surgery: implications for the academic health center.

PubMed

Pacella, Salvatore J; Comstock, Matthew C; Kuzon, William M

2008-04-01

The authors examined the economic patterns of outpatient aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgical procedures performed within an academic health center. For fiscal years 2003 and 2004, the University of Michigan Health System's accounting database was queried to identify all outpatient plastic surgery cases (aesthetic and reconstructive) from four surgical facilities. Total facility charges, cost, revenue, and margin were calculated for each case. Contribution margin (total revenue minus variable direct cost) was compared with total case time to determine average contribution margin per operating suite case minute for subsets of aesthetic and reconstructive procedures. A total of 3603 cases (3457 reconstructive and 146 aesthetic) were identified. Payer mix included Blue Cross (36.7 percent), health maintenance organization (28.7 percent), other commercial payers (17.4 percent), Medicare/Medicaid (13.5 percent), and self-pay (3.7 percent). The most profitable cases were reconstructive laser procedures ($66.20; n = 361), scar revision ($36.01; n = 25), and facial trauma ($32.17; n = 64). The least profitable were hand arthroplasty ($13.93; n = 35), arthroscopy ($17.25; n = 15), and breast reduction ($17.46; n = 210). Aesthetic procedures (n = 144) yielded a significantly higher contribution margin per case minute ($24.21) compared with reconstructive procedures ($22.28; n = 3093) (p = 0.01). Plastic surgical cases performed at dedicated ambulatory surgery centers ($28.60; n = 1477) yielded significantly higher contribution margin per case minute compared with those performed at hospital-based facilities ($25.58; n = 2123) (p < 0.01). Use of standardized accounting (contribution margin per case minute) can be a strategically effective method for determining the most profitable and appropriate case mix. Within academic health centers, aesthetic surgery can be a profitable enterprise; dedicated ambulatory surgery centers yield higher profitability.

American Naval Thinking in the Post-Cold War Era: The U.S. Navy and the Emergence of a Maritime Strategy, 1989-2007

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

and adopts a laissez - faire approach to advancing free-market and democratic ideals, which globalization seems to facilitate by itself. According to...uniquely preeminent role in protecting the system and sustaining the United States’ leadership position within it. By helping to prevent large-scale war...the means thereby marginalizing the Navy’s ability to influence U.S. strategy. In short, the style of U.S. defense leadership was industrial-managerial

Laser process and corresponding structures for fabrication of solar cells with shunt prevention dielectric

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

Harley, Gabriel; Smith, David D.; Dennis, Tim

Contact holes of solar cells are formed by laser ablation to accommodate various solar cell designs. Use of a laser to form the contact holes is facilitated by replacing films formed on the diffusion regions with a film that has substantially uniform thickness. Contact holes may be formed to deep diffusion regions to increase the laser ablation process margins. The laser configuration may be tailored to form contact holes through dielectric films of varying thicknesses.

Process and structures for fabrication of solar cells with laser ablation steps to form contact holes

DOEpatents

Harley, Gabriel; Smith, David D; Dennis, Tim; Waldhauer, Ann; Kim, Taeseok; Cousins, Peter John

2013-11-19

Contact holes of solar cells are formed by laser ablation to accomodate various solar cell designs. Use of a laser to form the contact holes is facilitated by replacing films formed on the diffusion regions with a film that has substantially uniform thickness. Contact holes may be formed to deep diffusion regions to increase the laser ablation process margins. The laser configuration may be tailored to form contact holes through dielectric films of varying thickness.

Megadroughts and late Holocene dune activation at the eastern margin of the Great Plains, north-central Kansas, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, P. R.; Arbogast, A. F.; Johnson, W. C.; Joeckel, R. M.; Young, A. R.

2010-01-01

Optical and radiocarbon dating indicates that alluvium underlying dunes near Abilene was deposited at or before ˜45 ka, and that the overlying dunes were active at ˜1.1-0.5 ka. Geochemical data indicate that the Abilene dune sand is immature and was derived from the underlying Pleistocene alluvium, and not from Holocene age Smoky Hill River deposits. These findings suggest that dune activation was a response to increased aridity and local reduction in vegetation cover as opposed to changes in sediment availability from nearby rivers. The time interval of dune activation at Abilene overlaps Medieval Warm Period megadroughts, similar to the larger and more westerly dune fields on the Great Plains, including the Nebraska Sand Hills and the Great Bend Sand Prairie. The activation of smaller dune fields such as the Abilene dunes near the more humid eastern margin of the Great Plains shows the geographic extent and severity of paleodrought events. Unlike the Duncan dunes, another plains-marginal dune field, however, the Abilene dunes show no evidence for multiple drought events during the Holocene. This difference in dune activity, if it is not a result of sampling or preservation bias, indicates variations in the extent and severity of older drought events at the eastern margin of the Great Plains.

SU-F-J-45: Sparing Normal Tissue with Ultra-High Dose Rate in Radiation Therapy

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

Feng, Y

Purpose: To spare normal tissue by reducing the location uncertainty of a moving target, we proposed an ultra-high dose rate system and evaluated. Methods: High energy electrons generated with a linear accelerator were injected into a storage ring to be accumulated. The number of the electrons in the ring was determined based on the prescribed radiation dose. The dose was delivered within a millisecond, when an online imaging system found that the target was in the position that was consistent with that in a treatment plan. In such a short time period, the displacement of the target was negligible. Themore » margin added to the clinical target volume (CTV) could be reduced that was evaluated by comparing of volumes between CTV and ITV in 14 cases of lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments. A design of the ultra-high dose rate system was evaluated based clinical needs and the recent developments of low energy (a few MeV) electron storage ring. Results: This design of ultra-high dose rate system was feasible based on the techniques currently available. The reduction of a target volume was significant by reducing the margin that accounted the motion of the target. ∼50% volume reduction of the internal target volume (ITV) could be achieved in lung SBRT treatments. Conclusion: With this innovation of ultra-high dose rate system, the margin of target is able to be significantly reduced. It will reduce treatment time of gating and allow precisely specified gating window to improve the accuracy of dose delivering.« less

Functionalization of Organotrifluoroborates: Reductive Amination

PubMed Central

Cooper, David J.

2010-01-01

Herein we report the conversion of aldehyde-containing potassium and tetrabutylammonium organotrifluoroborates to the corresponding amines through reductive amination protocols. Potassium formate facilitated by catalytic palladium acetate, sodium triacetoxyborohydride, and pyridine borane have all served as effective hydride donors, reducing the initially formed imines or iminium ions to provide the corresponding amines. PMID:18412389

Dechlorination of PCBs in the rhizosphere of Switchgrass and Poplar

PubMed Central

Meggo, Richard E.; Schnoor, Jerald L.; Hu, Dingfei

2014-01-01

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners (PCB 52, 77, and 153) singly and in mixture were spiked and aged in soil microcosms and subsequently planted with switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) or poplar (Populus deltoids x nigra DN34). The planted reactors showed significantly greater reductions in PCB parent compounds when compared to unplanted systems after 32 weeks. There was evidence of reductive dechlorination in both planted and unplanted systems, but the planted microcosms with fully developed roots and rhizospheres showed greater biotransformation than the unplanted reactors. These dechlorination products accounted for approximately all of the molar mass of parent compound lost. Based on the transformation products, reductive dechlorination pathways are proposed for rhizospheric biotransformation of PCB 52, 77, and 153. This is the first report of rhizosphere biotransformation pathways for reductive dechlorination in marginally aerobic, intermittently flooded soil as evidenced by a mass balance on transformation products. PMID:23603468

Electrode Reaction Mechanism of Ag 2VO 2PO 4 Cathode

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Ruibo; Abtew, Tesfaye A.; Quackenbush, Nicholas F.; ...

2016-05-09

In this study, the high capacity of primary lithium-ion cathode Ag 2VO 2PO 4 is facilitated by both displacement and insertion reaction mechanisms. Whether the Ag extrusion (specifically, Ag reduction with Ag metal displaced from the host crystal) and V reduction are sequential or concurrent remains unclear. A microscopic description of the reaction mechanism is required for developing design rules for new multimechanism cathodes, combining both displacement and insertion reactions. However, the amorphization of Ag 2VO 2PO 4 during lithiation makes the investigation of the electrode reaction mechanism difficult with conventional characterization tools. For addressing this issue, a combination ofmore » local probes of pair-distribution function and X-ray spectroscopy were used to obtain a description of the discharge reaction. We determine that the initial reaction is dominated by silver extrusion with vanadium playing a supporting role. In addition, once sufficient Ag has been displaced, the residual Ag + in the host can no longer stabilize the host structure and V–O environment (i.e., onset of amorphization). After amorphization, silver extrusion continues but the vanadium reduction dominates the reaction. As a result, the crossover from primarily silver reduction displacement to vanadium reduction is facilitated by the amorphization that makes vanadium reduction increasingly more favorable.« less

Electrode Reaction Mechanism of Ag 2VO 2PO 4 Cathode

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

Zhang, Ruibo; Abtew, Tesfaye A.; Quackenbush, Nicholas F.

In this study, the high capacity of primary lithium-ion cathode Ag 2VO 2PO 4 is facilitated by both displacement and insertion reaction mechanisms. Whether the Ag extrusion (specifically, Ag reduction with Ag metal displaced from the host crystal) and V reduction are sequential or concurrent remains unclear. A microscopic description of the reaction mechanism is required for developing design rules for new multimechanism cathodes, combining both displacement and insertion reactions. However, the amorphization of Ag 2VO 2PO 4 during lithiation makes the investigation of the electrode reaction mechanism difficult with conventional characterization tools. For addressing this issue, a combination ofmore » local probes of pair-distribution function and X-ray spectroscopy were used to obtain a description of the discharge reaction. We determine that the initial reaction is dominated by silver extrusion with vanadium playing a supporting role. In addition, once sufficient Ag has been displaced, the residual Ag + in the host can no longer stabilize the host structure and V–O environment (i.e., onset of amorphization). After amorphization, silver extrusion continues but the vanadium reduction dominates the reaction. As a result, the crossover from primarily silver reduction displacement to vanadium reduction is facilitated by the amorphization that makes vanadium reduction increasingly more favorable.« less

Marginal and internal fit of heat pressed versus CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic onlays after exposure to thermo-mechanical fatigue.

PubMed

Guess, Petra C; Vagkopoulou, Thaleia; Zhang, Yu; Wolkewitz, Martin; Strub, Joerg R

2014-02-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the marginal and internal fit of heat-pressed and CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic onlays before and after luting as well as after thermo-mechanical fatigue. Seventy-two caries-free, extracted human mandibular molars were randomly divided into three groups (n=24/group). All teeth received an onlay preparation with a mesio-occlusal-distal inlay cavity and an occlusal reduction of all cusps. Teeth were restored with heat-pressed IPS-e.max-Press* (IP, *Ivoclar-Vivadent) and Vita-PM9 (VP, Vita-Zahnfabrik) as well as CAD/CAM fabricated IPS-e.max-CAD* (IC, Cerec 3D/InLab/Sirona) all-ceramic materials. After cementation with a dual-polymerising resin cement (VariolinkII*), all restorations were subjected to mouth-motion fatigue (98 N, 1.2 million cycles; 5°C/55°C). Marginal fit discrepancies were examined on epoxy replicas before and after luting as well as after fatigue at 200× magnification. Internal fit was evaluated by multiple sectioning technique. For the statistical analysis, a linear model was fitted with accounting for repeated measurements. Adhesive cementation of onlays resulted in significantly increased marginal gap values in all groups, whereas thermo-mechanical fatigue had no effect. Marginal gap values of all test groups were equal after fatigue exposure. Internal discrepancies of CAD/CAM fabricated restorations were significantly higher than both press manufactured onlays. Mean marginal gap values of the investigated onlays before and after luting as well as after fatigue were within the clinically acceptable range. Marginal fit was not affected by the investigated heat-press versus CAD/CAM fabrication technique. Press fabrication resulted in a superior internal fit of onlays as compared to the CAD/CAM technique. Clinical requirements of 100 μm for marginal fit were fulfilled by the heat-press as well as by the CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic onlays. Superior internal fit was observed with the heat-press manufacturing method. The impact of present findings on the clinical long-term behaviour of differently fabricated all-ceramic onlays warrants further investigation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marginal and internal fit of heat pressed versus CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic onlays after exposure to thermo-mechanical fatigue

PubMed Central

Guess, Petra C.; Vagopoulou, Thaleia; Zhang, Yu; Wolkewitz, Martin; Strub, Joerg R.

2015-01-01

Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the marginal and internal fit of heat-pressed and CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic onlays before and after luting as well as after thermo-mechanical fatigue. Materials and Methods Seventy-two caries-free, extracted human mandibular molars were randomly divided into three groups (n=24/group). All teeth received an onlay preparation with a mesio-occlusal-distal inlay cavity and an occlusal reduction of all cusps. Teeth were restored with heat-pressed IPS-e.max-Press* (IP, *Ivoclar-Vivadent) and Vita-PM9 (VP, Vita-Zahnfabrik) as well as CAD/CAM fabricated IPS-e.max-CAD* (IC, Cerec 3D/InLab/Sirona) all-ceramic materials. After cementation with a dual-polymerizing resin cement (VariolinkII*), all restorations were subjected to mouth-motion fatigue (98N, 1.2 million cycles; 5°C/55°C). Marginal fit discrepancies were examined on epoxy replicas before and after luting as well as after fatigue at 200x magnification. Internal fit was evaluated by multiple sectioning technique. For the statistical analysis, a linear model was fitted with accounting for repeated measurements. Results Adhesive cementation of onlays resulted in significantly increased marginal gap values in all groups, whereas thermo-mechanical fatigue had no effect. Marginal gap values of all test groups were equal after fatigue exposure. Internal discrepancies of CAD/CAM fabricated restorations were significantly higher than both press manufactured onlays. Conclusions Mean marginal gap values of the investigated onlays before and after luting as well as after fatigue were within the clinically acceptable range. Marginal fit was not affected by the investigated heat-press versus CAD/CAM fabrication technique. Press fabrication resulted in a superior internal fit of onlays as compared to the CAD/CAM technique. Clinical Relevance Clinical requirements of 100 μm for marginal fit were fulfilled by the heat-press as well as by the CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic onlays. Superior internal fit was observed with the heat-press manufacturing method. The impact of present findings on the clinical long-term behaviour of differently fabricated all-ceramic onlays warrants further investigation. PMID:24161516

Media, cultural diversity and globalization: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Zayani, Mohamed

2011-01-01

This paper explores the role media play in safeguarding cultural diversity, promoting cultural dialogue, facilitating the exercise of cultural rights,fostering cultural understanding and cultivating intercultural citizenship in the age of globalization. The paper highlights several interconnected leverage points: media content, practices, processes, ownership, education, structures, and policies. It argues that fostering cultural diversity in and through the media can go a long way toward bringing a civic discourse which favors tolerance and facilitates co-existence. It can contribute to the breaking down of cultural barriers, the initiation of cultural dialogues, the empowerment of marginalized groups, and the practice of good governance. At the same time, this paper argues, the celebration of difference does not preclude the valuation of a common cultural core or a common humanity which brings people together in spite of their differences.

Reduction of radial-head subluxation in children by triage nurses in the emergency department: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Dixon, Andrew; Clarkin, Chantalle; Barrowman, Nick; Correll, Rhonda; Osmond, Martin H.; Plint, Amy C.

2014-01-01

Background: Radial-head subluxation is an easily identified and treated injury. We investigated whether triage nurses in the emergency department can safely reduce radial-head subluxation at rates that are not substantially lower than those of emergency department physicians. Methods: We performed an open, noninferiority, cluster-randomized control trial. Children aged 6 years and younger who presented to the emergency department with a presentation consistent with radial-head subluxation and who had sustained a known injury in the previous 12 hours were assigned to either nurse-initiated or physician-initiated treatment, depending on the day. The primary outcome was the proportion of children who had a successful reduction (return to normal arm usage). We used a noninferiority margin of 10%. Results: In total, 268 children were eligible for inclusion and 245 were included in the final analysis. Of the children assigned to receive physician-initiated care, 96.7% (117/121) had a successful reduction performed by a physician. Of the children assigned to receive nurse-treatment care, 84.7% (105/124) had a successful reduction performed by a nurse. The difference in the proportion of successful radial head subluxations between the groups was 12.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.8% to 19.7%). Noninferiority of nurse-initiated radial head subluxation was not shown. Interpretation: In this trial, the rate of successful radial-head subluxation performed by nurses was inferior to the physician success rate. Although the success rate in the nurse-initiated care group did not meet the non-inferiority margin, nurses were able to reduce radial head subluxation for almost 85% of children who presented with probable radial-head subluxation. Trial registration: Clinical Trials.gov, no. NCT00993954. PMID:24664649

Global health benefits of mitigating ozone pollution with methane emission controls.

PubMed

West, J Jason; Fiore, Arlene M; Horowitz, Larry W; Mauzerall, Denise L

2006-03-14

Methane (CH(4)) contributes to the growing global background concentration of tropospheric ozone (O(3)), an air pollutant associated with premature mortality. Methane and ozone are also important greenhouse gases. Reducing methane emissions therefore decreases surface ozone everywhere while slowing climate warming, but although methane mitigation has been considered to address climate change, it has not for air quality. Here we show that global decreases in surface ozone concentrations, due to methane mitigation, result in substantial and widespread decreases in premature human mortality. Reducing global anthropogenic methane emissions by 20% beginning in 2010 would decrease the average daily maximum 8-h surface ozone by approximately 1 part per billion by volume globally. By using epidemiologic ozone-mortality relationships, this ozone reduction is estimated to prevent approximately 30,000 premature all-cause mortalities globally in 2030, and approximately 370,000 between 2010 and 2030. If only cardiovascular and respiratory mortalities are considered, approximately 17,000 global mortalities can be avoided in 2030. The marginal cost-effectiveness of this 20% methane reduction is estimated to be approximately 420,000 US dollars per avoided mortality. If avoided mortalities are valued at 1 US dollars million each, the benefit is approximately 240 US dollars per tone of CH(4) ( approximately 12 US dollars per tone of CO(2) equivalent), which exceeds the marginal cost of the methane reduction. These estimated air pollution ancillary benefits of climate-motivated methane emission reductions are comparable with those estimated previously for CO(2). Methane mitigation offers a unique opportunity to improve air quality globally and can be a cost-effective component of international ozone management, bringing multiple benefits for air quality, public health, agriculture, climate, and energy.

Fast and fully-scalable synthesis of reduced graphene oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdolhosseinzadeh, Sina; Asgharzadeh, Hamed; Seop Kim, Hyoung

2015-05-01

Exfoliation of graphite is a promising approach for large-scale production of graphene. Oxidation of graphite effectively facilitates the exfoliation process, yet necessitates several lengthy washing and reduction processes to convert the exfoliated graphite oxide (graphene oxide, GO) to reduced graphene oxide (RGO). Although filtration, centrifugation and dialysis have been frequently used in the washing stage, none of them is favorable for large-scale production. Here, we report the synthesis of RGO by sonication-assisted oxidation of graphite in a solution of potassium permanganate and concentrated sulfuric acid followed by reduction with ascorbic acid prior to any washing processes. GO loses its hydrophilicity during the reduction stage which facilitates the washing step and reduces the time required for production of RGO. Furthermore, simultaneous oxidation and exfoliation significantly enhance the yield of few-layer GO. We hope this one-pot and fully-scalable protocol paves the road toward out of lab applications of graphene.

14 CFR 23.629 - Flutter.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... concentrations (such as engines, floats, or fuel tanks in outer wing panels) along the wing span, and (3) The... range up to VD/MD, or VDF/MDF for jets; (3) A proper margin of damping exists at VD/MD, or VDF/MDF for jets; and (4) As VD/MD (or VDF/MDF for jets) is approached, there is no large or rapid reduction in...

Optimizing Estimated Loss Reduction for Active Sampling in Rank Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

active learning framework for SVM-based and boosting-based rank learning. Our approach suggests sampling based on maximizing the estimated loss differential over unlabeled data. Experimental results on two benchmark corpora show that the proposed model substantially reduces the labeling effort, and achieves superior performance rapidly with as much as 30% relative improvement over the margin-based sampling

Educate All Girls and Boys in South Asia: The Global Out-of-School Children Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

UNICEF, 2015

2015-01-01

Business as usual has not provided educational opportunities to world's most marginalized children. The South Asia Out-of-School Children Initiative (OOSCI) is part of the global initiative launched by UNICEF and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in 2010. The goal of the initiative is to make significant and sustained reduction in the…

Single cell genomic study of dehalogenating Chloroflexi from deep sea sediments of Peruvian Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spormann, A.; Kaster, A.; Meyer-Blackwell, K.; Biddle, J.

2012-12-01

Dehalogenating Chloroflexi, such as Dehalococcoidites (Dhc), are members of the rare biosphere of deep sea sediments but were originally discovered as the key microbes mediating reductive dehalogenation of the prevalent groundwater contaminants tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene to ethene. Dhc are slow growing, highly niche adapted microbes that are specialized to organohalide respiration as the sole mode of energy conservation. These strictly anaerobic microbes depend on a supporting microbial community to mitigate electron donor and cofactor requirements among other factors. Molecular and genomic studies on the key enzymes for energy conservation, reductive dehalogenases, have provided evidence for rapid adaptive evolution in terrestrial environments. However, the metabolic life style of Dhc in the absence of anthropogenic contaminants, such as in pristine deep sea sediments, is still unknown. In order to provide fundamental insights into life style, genomic population structure and evolution of Dhc, we analyzed a non-contaminated deep sea sediment sample of the Peru Margin 1230 site collected 6 mbf by a metagenomic and single cell genomic. We present for the first time single cell genomic data on dehalogenating Chloroflexi, a significant microbial population in the poorly understood oligotrophic marine sub-surface environments.

Single cell genomic study of dehalogenating Chloroflexi in deep sea sediments of Peru Margin 1230

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaster, A.; Meyer-Blackwell, K.; Biddle, J.; Spormann, A.

2012-12-01

Dehalogenating Chloroflexi, such as Dehalococcoidites (Dhc), are members of the rare biosphere of deep sea sediments but were originally discovered as the key microbes mediating reductive dehalogenation of the prevalent groundwater contaminants tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene to ethene. Dhc are slow growing, highly niche adapted microbes that are specialized to organohalide respiration as the sole mode of energy conservation. They are strictly anaerobic microbes that depend on a supporting microbial community for electron donor and cofactor requirements among other factors. Molecular and genomic studies on the key enzymes for energy conservation, reductive dehalogenases, have provided evidence for rapid adaptive evolution in terrestrial environments. However, the metabolic life style of Dhc in the absence of anthropogenic contaminants, such as in pristine deep sea sediments, is still unknown. In order to provide fundamental insights into life style, genomic population structure and evolution of Dhc, we analyzed a non-contaminated deep sea sediment sample of the Peru Margin 1230 site collected 6 mbsf by a metagenomic and single cell genomic approach. We present for the first time single cell genomic data on dehalogenating Chloroflexi, a significant microbial population in the poorly understood oligotrophic marine sub-surface environment.

The Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: potential unintended consequences for hospitals serving vulnerable populations.

PubMed

Gu, Qian; Koenig, Lane; Faerberg, Jennifer; Steinberg, Caroline Rossi; Vaz, Christopher; Wheatley, Mary P

2014-06-01

To explore the impact of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) on hospitals serving vulnerable populations. Medicare inpatient claims to calculate condition-specific readmission rates. Medicare cost reports and other sources to determine a hospital's share of duals, profit margin, and characteristics. Regression analyses and projections were used to estimate risk-adjusted readmission rates and financial penalties under the HRRP. Findings were compared across groups of hospitals, determined based on their share of duals, to assess differential impacts of the HRRP. Both patient dual-eligible status and a hospital's dual-eligible share of Medicare discharges have a positive impact on risk-adjusted hospital readmission rates. Under current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service methodology, which does not adjust for socioeconomic status, high-dual hospitals are more likely to have excess readmissions than low-dual hospitals. As a result, HRRP penalties will disproportionately fall on high-dual hospitals, which are more likely to have negative all-payer margins, raising concerns of unintended consequences of the program for vulnerable populations. Policies to reduce hospital readmissions must balance the need to ensure continued access to quality care for vulnerable populations. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

The Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: Potential Unintended Consequences for Hospitals Serving Vulnerable Populations

PubMed Central

Gu, Qian; Koenig, Lane; Faerberg, Jennifer; Steinberg, Caroline Rossi; Vaz, Christopher; Wheatley, Mary P

2014-01-01

Objective To explore the impact of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) on hospitals serving vulnerable populations. Data Sources/Study Setting Medicare inpatient claims to calculate condition-specific readmission rates. Medicare cost reports and other sources to determine a hospital's share of duals, profit margin, and characteristics. Study Design Regression analyses and projections were used to estimate risk-adjusted readmission rates and financial penalties under the HRRP. Findings were compared across groups of hospitals, determined based on their share of duals, to assess differential impacts of the HRRP. Principal Findings Both patient dual-eligible status and a hospital's dual-eligible share of Medicare discharges have a positive impact on risk-adjusted hospital readmission rates. Under current Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service methodology, which does not adjust for socioeconomic status, high-dual hospitals are more likely to have excess readmissions than low-dual hospitals. As a result, HRRP penalties will disproportionately fall on high-dual hospitals, which are more likely to have negative all-payer margins, raising concerns of unintended consequences of the program for vulnerable populations. Conclusions Policies to reduce hospital readmissions must balance the need to ensure continued access to quality care for vulnerable populations. PMID:24417309

Pathways of organic carbon oxidation in three continental margin sediments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, D. E.; Jorgensen, B. B.; Fossing, H.; Glud, R.; Gundersen, J.; Ramsing, N. B.; Thamdrup, B.; Hansen, J. W.; Nielsen, L. P.; Hall, P. O.

1993-01-01

We have combined several different methodologies to quantify rates of organic carbon mineralization by the various electron acceptors in sediments from the coast of Denmark and Norway. Rates of NH4+ and Sigma CO2 liberation sediment incubations were used with O2 penetration depths to conclude that O2 respiration accounted for only between 3.6-17.4% of the total organic carbon oxidation. Dentrification was limited to a narrow zone just below the depth of O2 penetration, and was not a major carbon oxidation pathway. The processes of Fe reduction, Mn reduction and sulfate reduction dominated organic carbon mineralization, but their relative significance varied depending on the sediment. Where high concentrations of Mn-oxide were found (3-4 wt% Mn), only Mn reduction occurred. With lower Mn oxide concentrations more typical of coastal sediments, Fe reduction and sulfate reduction were most important and of a similar magnitude. Overall, most of the measured O2 flux into the sediment was used to oxidized reduced inorganic species and not organic carbon. We suspect that the importance of O2 respiration in many coastal sediments has been overestimated, whereas metal oxide reduction (both Fe and Mn reduction) has probably been well underestimated.

Use of programme budgeting and marginal analysis as a framework for resource reallocation in respiratory care in North Wales, UK

PubMed Central

Charles, J.M.; Brown, G.; Thomas, K.; Johnstone, F.; Vandenblink, V.; Pethers, B.; Jones, A.; Edwards, R.T.

2016-01-01

Background Since the global financial crisis, UK NHS spending has reduced considerably. Respiratory care is a large cost driver for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the largest health board in Wales. Under the remit of ‘prudent healthcare’ championed by the Welsh Health Minister, a Programme Budgeting Marginal Analysis (PBMA) of the North Wales respiratory care pathway was conducted. Methods A PBMA panel of directors of medicines management, therapies finance, planning, public health and healthcare professionals used electronic voting to establish criteria for decision-making and vote on candidate interventions in which to disinvest and invest. Results A sum of £86.9 million was spent on respiratory care in 2012–13. Following extensive discussion of 13 proposed candidate interventions facilitated by a chairperson, 4 candidates received recommendations to disinvest, 7 to invest and 2 to maintain current activity. Marginal analysis prioritized mucolytics and high antibiotic prescribing as areas for disinvestment, and medicines waste management and pulmonary rehabilitation for investment. Conclusions This exercise demonstrates the potential for health boards to use evidence-based approaches to reach potentially controversial disinvestment and investment decisions. Initial progress has begun with communication from the Medical Director in relation to the disinvestment in mucolytics prescribing and possible redirection of funding options being explored. PMID:26377991

Use of programme budgeting and marginal analysis to set priorities for local NHS dental services: learning from the north east of England.

PubMed

Holmes, R D; Steele, J G; Exley, C; Vernazza, C R; Donaldson, C

2018-05-03

Priority setting is necessary where competing demands exceed the finite resources available. The aim of the study was to develop and test a prioritization framework based upon programme budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) as a tool to assist National Health Service (NHS) commissioners in their management of resources for local NHS dental services. Twenty-seven stakeholders (5 dentists, 8 commissioners and 14 patients) participated in a case-study based in a former NHS commissioning organization in the north of England. Stakeholders modified local decision-making criteria and applied them to a number of different scenarios. The majority of financial resources for NHS dental services in the commissioning organization studied were allocated to primary care dental practitioners' contracts in perpetuity, potentially constraining commissioners' abilities to shift resources. Compiling the programme budget was successful, but organizational flux and difficulties engaging local NHS commissioners significantly impacted upon the marginal analysis phase. NHS dental practitioners' contracts resemble budget-silos which do not facilitate local resource reallocation. 'Context-specific' factors significantly challenged the successful implementation and impact of PBMA. A local PBMA champion embedded within commissioning organizations should be considered. Participants found visual depiction of the cost-value ratio helpful during their initial priority setting deliberations.

Two-Stage Mucogingival Surgery with Free Gingival Autograft and Biomend Membrane and Coronally Advanced Flap in Treatment of Class III Millers Recession

PubMed Central

Paul, Renny

2016-01-01

Introduction. Gingival recession is an apical shift of the gingival margin with exposure of the root surface. This migration of the marginal tissue leads to esthetic concerns, dentin hypersensitivity, root caries, and cervical wear. It is, paradoxically, a common finding in patients with a high standard of oral hygiene, as well as in periodontally untreated populations with poor oral hygiene. Changing the topography of the marginal soft tissue in order to facilitate plaque control is a common indication for root coverage procedures and forms a major aspect of periodontal plastic surgeries. The regeneration of a new connective tissue attachment to denuded root surface is by allowing the selective coronal regrowth of periodontal ligament cells while excluding the gingival tissues from the root during wound healing by means of a barrier membrane. Case Presentation. This case reports a two-stage surgical technique for treatment of Miller's class III defect using free gingival autograft and type I absorbable collagen membrane (BioMend®, Zimmer Dental, USA)§. Conclusions. The 6-month follow-up of the case showed a significant increase in attached gingiva suggesting it as a predictable alternative in the treatment of Millers class III defects. PMID:27525131

Research on U.S. Military Women: Recruitment and Retention Challenges and Strategies.

PubMed

Braun, Lisa A; Kennedy, Holly P; Sadler, Lois S; Dixon, Jane

2015-12-01

To examine literature on recruitment and retention of military women in research studies as an underrepresented, and potentially marginalized, population. A literature search was conducted to examine challenges, identify potential barriers and facilitators, and to inform strategies for recruitment and retention of military women in research studies. This search was supplemented by findings in military-specific databases and discussions with Military Women's Health Research Interest Group subject matter experts. Ten articles addressed research recruitment and retention challenges and strategies in marginalized/underrepresented populations, providing an effective context to inform research recruitment and retention in military settings. Research with military women is often challenged by logistical, cultural, social, ethical, and methodological issues, which may hinder exploration of potentially sensitive issues. Researchers must consider military-specific challenges to conducting research that include lengthy deployments, unpredictable military exercises, and foreign assignments, in accessing research participants. A case example shows strategies used in a military cervical cancer screening study. There are few published articles specific to research recruitment and retention in female military populations. Available resources broadly address recruitment challenges for Veterans, marginalized, hard-to-access, and transient research participants, which may provide guidance and strategies for success when applied to military populations. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Vulvar trichoblastoma: case report and literature review.

PubMed

Pina, Annick; Sauthier, Philippe; Rahimi, Kurosh

2015-01-01

Trichoblastomas are rare and benign tumors that arise from rudimentary hair follicles. Presentation varies from superficial plaques to papular or nodular lesions. Trichoblastomas usually arise on the head or neck. A few cases of other vulvar trichoblastic tumors such as trichofibromas and trichoepitheliomas have been reported to this day, but no such report of vulvar trichoblastoma exists. We report the case of a 61-year-old woman who presented with a vulvar trichoblastoma. The woman presented with a lump of the labium majus. She was managed surgically, first by wide excision of the mass followed by a second surgery consisting of a partial vulvectomy. Because surgical margins were positive and there is a potential for malignant transformation, a third surgery was performed. The margins came back negative. A literature review on trichoblastomas was performed, including its potential for malignant transformation, management, and immunohistochemistry to differentiate it from basal cell carcinoma. Trichoblastomas are benign tumors that have a potential for malignant transformation. These tumors can present aggressive characteristics. Differential diagnosis from basal cell carcinoma can be difficult but is facilitated using immunohistochemistry. This is the first case of vulvar trichoblastoma reported in the literature. Although it is a benign tumor, excision with negative margins is recommended because it can be difficult to distinguish from basal cell carcinoma and it has a potential for malignant transformation.

Assessing global resource utilization efficiency in the industrial sector.

PubMed

Rosen, Marc A

2013-09-01

Designing efficient energy systems, which also meet economic, environmental and other objectives and constraints, is a significant challenge. In a world with finite natural resources and large energy demands, it is important to understand not just actual efficiencies, but also limits to efficiency, as the latter identify margins for efficiency improvement. Energy analysis alone is inadequate, e.g., it yields energy efficiencies that do not provide limits to efficiency. To obtain meaningful and useful efficiencies for energy systems, and to clarify losses, exergy analysis is a beneficial and useful tool. Here, the global industrial sector and industries within it are assessed by using energy and exergy methods. The objective is to improve the understanding of the efficiency of global resource use in the industrial sector and, with this information, to facilitate the development, prioritization and ultimate implementation of rational improvement options. Global energy and exergy flow diagrams for the industrial sector are developed and overall efficiencies for the global industrial sector evaluated as 51% based on energy and 30% based on exergy. Consequently, exergy analysis indicates a less efficient picture of energy use in the global industrial sector than does energy analysis. A larger margin for improvement exists from an exergy perspective, compared to the overly optimistic margin indicated by energy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Extreme rainfalls in Eastern Himalaya and southern slope of Meghalaya Plateau and their geomorphologic impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soja, Roman; Starkel, Leszek

2007-02-01

This paper presents the detailed rainfall characteristics of 3 key areas located in the eastern monsoon India: the margin of Darjeeling Himalaya, the margin of Bhutanese Himalaya and the Cherrapunji region at the southern slope of Meghalaya Upland. All these areas are sensitive to changes but differ in annual rainfall totals (2000-4000 mm, 4000-6000 m and 6000-23,000 mm respectively) and in the frequency of extreme rainfalls. Therefore the response of geomorphic processes is different, also due to various human impact. In the Darjeeling Himalaya the thresholds may be passed 2-3 times in one century and the system may return to the former equilibrium. At the margin of western Bhutanese Himalaya in 1990s, the clustering of three events caused an acceleration in the transformation and formation of a new trend of evolution, especially in the piedmont zone. In the Cherrapunji of Meghalaya region in the natural conditions the effects of dozens of extreme rainfalls every year were checked by the dense vegetation cover. After deforestation and extensive land use the fertile soil was removed and either the exposed bedrock or armoured debris top layer protect the surface against degradation and facilitate only rapid overland flow. A new "sterile" system has been formed.

The use of evidence-based guidance to enable reliable and accurate measurements of the home environment

PubMed Central

Atwal, Anita; McIntyre, Anne

2017-01-01

Introduction High quality guidance in home strategies is needed to enable older people to measure their home environment and become involved in the provision of assistive devices and to promote consistency among professionals. This study aims to investigate the reliability of such guidance and its ability to promote accuracy of results when measurements are taken by both older people and professionals. Method Twenty-five health professionals and 26 older people participated in a within-group design to test the accuracy of measurements taken (that is, person’s popliteal height, baths, toilets, beds, stairs and chairs). Data were analysed with descriptive analysis and the Wilcoxon test. The intra-rater reliability was assessed by correlating measurements taken at two different times with guidance use. Results The intra-rater reliability analysis revealed statistical significance (P < 0.05) for all measurements except for the bath internal width. The guidance enabled participants to take 90% of measurements that they were not able to complete otherwise, 80.55% of which lay within the acceptable suggested margin of variation. Accuracy was supported by the significant reduction in the standard deviation of the actual measurements and accuracy scores. Conclusion This evidence-based guidance can be used in its current format by older people and professionals to facilitate appropriate measurements. Yet, some users might need help from carers or specialists depending on their impairments. PMID:29386701

The use of evidence-based guidance to enable reliable and accurate measurements of the home environment.

PubMed

Spiliotopoulou, Georgia; Atwal, Anita; McIntyre, Anne

2018-01-01

High quality guidance in home strategies is needed to enable older people to measure their home environment and become involved in the provision of assistive devices and to promote consistency among professionals. This study aims to investigate the reliability of such guidance and its ability to promote accuracy of results when measurements are taken by both older people and professionals. Twenty-five health professionals and 26 older people participated in a within-group design to test the accuracy of measurements taken (that is, person's popliteal height, baths, toilets, beds, stairs and chairs). Data were analysed with descriptive analysis and the Wilcoxon test. The intra-rater reliability was assessed by correlating measurements taken at two different times with guidance use. The intra-rater reliability analysis revealed statistical significance ( P  < 0.05) for all measurements except for the bath internal width. The guidance enabled participants to take 90% of measurements that they were not able to complete otherwise, 80.55% of which lay within the acceptable suggested margin of variation. Accuracy was supported by the significant reduction in the standard deviation of the actual measurements and accuracy scores. This evidence-based guidance can be used in its current format by older people and professionals to facilitate appropriate measurements. Yet, some users might need help from carers or specialists depending on their impairments.

Exceeding the Asymptotic Limit of Polymer Drag Reduction.

PubMed

Choueiri, George H; Lopez, Jose M; Hof, Björn

2018-03-23

The drag of turbulent flows can be drastically decreased by adding small amounts of high molecular weight polymers. While drag reduction initially increases with polymer concentration, it eventually saturates to what is known as the maximum drag reduction (MDR) asymptote; this asymptote is generally attributed to the dynamics being reduced to a marginal yet persistent state of subdued turbulent motion. Contrary to this accepted view, we show that, for an appropriate choice of parameters, polymers can reduce the drag beyond the suggested asymptotic limit, eliminating turbulence and giving way to laminar flow. At higher polymer concentrations, however, the laminar state becomes unstable, resulting in a fluctuating flow with the characteristic drag of the MDR asymptote. Our findings indicate that the asymptotic state is hence dynamically disconnected from ordinary turbulence.

Exceeding the Asymptotic Limit of Polymer Drag Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choueiri, George H.; Lopez, Jose M.; Hof, Björn

2018-03-01

The drag of turbulent flows can be drastically decreased by adding small amounts of high molecular weight polymers. While drag reduction initially increases with polymer concentration, it eventually saturates to what is known as the maximum drag reduction (MDR) asymptote; this asymptote is generally attributed to the dynamics being reduced to a marginal yet persistent state of subdued turbulent motion. Contrary to this accepted view, we show that, for an appropriate choice of parameters, polymers can reduce the drag beyond the suggested asymptotic limit, eliminating turbulence and giving way to laminar flow. At higher polymer concentrations, however, the laminar state becomes unstable, resulting in a fluctuating flow with the characteristic drag of the MDR asymptote. Our findings indicate that the asymptotic state is hence dynamically disconnected from ordinary turbulence.

Global rates of marine sulfate reduction and implications for sub-sea-floor metabolic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowles, Marshall W.; Mogollón, José M.; Kasten, Sabine; Zabel, Matthias; Hinrichs, Kai-Uwe

2014-05-01

Sulfate reduction is a globally important redox process in marine sediments, yet global rates are poorly quantified. We developed an artificial neural network trained with 199 sulfate profiles, constrained with geomorphological and geochemical maps to estimate global sulfate-reduction rate distributions. Globally, 11.3 teramoles of sulfate are reduced yearly (~15% of previous estimates), accounting for the oxidation of 12 to 29% of the organic carbon flux to the sea floor. Combined with global cell distributions in marine sediments, these results indicate a strong contrast in sub-sea-floor prokaryote habitats: In continental margins, global cell numbers in sulfate-depleted sediment exceed those in the overlying sulfate-bearing sediment by one order of magnitude, whereas in the abyss, most life occurs in oxic and/or sulfate-reducing sediments.

The impact of texting bans on motor vehicle crash-related hospitalizations.

PubMed

Ferdinand, Alva O; Menachemi, Nir; Blackburn, Justin L; Sen, Bisakha; Nelson, Leonard; Morrisey, Michael

2015-05-01

We used a panel design and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 19 states between 2003 and 2010 to examine the impact of texting bans on crash-related hospitalizations. We conducted conditional negative binomial regressions with state, year, and month fixed effects to examine changes in crash-related hospitalizations in states after the enactment of a texting ban relative to those in states without such bans. Results indicate that texting bans were associated with a 7% reduction in crash-related hospitalizations among all age groups. Texting bans were significantly associated with reductions in hospitalizations among those aged 22 to 64 years and those aged 65 years or older. Marginal reductions were seen among adolescents. States that have not passed strict texting bans should consider doing so.

The Impact of Texting Bans on Motor Vehicle Crash–Related Hospitalizations

PubMed Central

Menachemi, Nir; Blackburn, Justin L.; Sen, Bisakha; Nelson, Leonard; Morrisey, Michael

2015-01-01

We used a panel design and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 19 states between 2003 and 2010 to examine the impact of texting bans on crash-related hospitalizations. We conducted conditional negative binomial regressions with state, year, and month fixed effects to examine changes in crash-related hospitalizations in states after the enactment of a texting ban relative to those in states without such bans. Results indicate that texting bans were associated with a 7% reduction in crash-related hospitalizations among all age groups. Texting bans were significantly associated with reductions in hospitalizations among those aged 22 to 64 years and those aged 65 years or older. Marginal reductions were seen among adolescents. States that have not passed strict texting bans should consider doing so. PMID:25790409

Micro-evolution in grasshoppers mediated by polymorphic Robertsonian translocations.

PubMed

Colombo, Pablo C

2013-01-01

This review focuses on grasshoppers that are polymorphic for Robertsonian translocations because in these organisms the clarity of meiotic figures allows the study of both chiasma distribution and the orientation of trivalents and multivalents in metaphase I. Only five species of such grasshoppers were found in the literature, and all of them were from the New World: Oedaleonotus enigma (Scudder) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), Leptysma argentina Bruner, Dichroplus pratensis Bruner, Sinipta dalmani Stål, and Cornops aquaticum Bruner. A general feature of these species (except O. enigma) is that fusion carriers suffer a marked reduction of proximal and interstitial (with respect to the centromere) chiasma frequency; this fact, along with the reduction in the number of linkage groups with the consequent loss of independent segregation, produces a marked decrease of recombination in fusion carriers. This reduction in recombination has led to the conclusion that Robertsonian polymorphic grasshopper species share some properties with inversion polymorphic species of Drosophila, such as the central-marginal pattern (marginal populations are monomorphic, central populations are highly polymorphic). This pattern might be present in D. pratensis, which is certainly the most complex Robertsonian polymorphism system in the present study. However, L. argentina and C. aquaticum do not display this pattern. This issue is open to further research. Since C. aquaticum is soon to be released in South Africa as a biological control, the latitudinal pattern found in South America may repeat there. This experiment's outcome is open and deserves to be followed.

A New Feature-Enhanced Speckle Reduction Method Based on Multiscale Analysis for Ultrasound B-Mode Imaging.

PubMed

Kang, Jinbum; Lee, Jae Young; Yoo, Yangmo

2016-06-01

Effective speckle reduction in ultrasound B-mode imaging is important for enhancing the image quality and improving the accuracy in image analysis and interpretation. In this paper, a new feature-enhanced speckle reduction (FESR) method based on multiscale analysis and feature enhancement filtering is proposed for ultrasound B-mode imaging. In FESR, clinical features (e.g., boundaries and borders of lesions) are selectively emphasized by edge, coherence, and contrast enhancement filtering from fine to coarse scales while simultaneously suppressing speckle development via robust diffusion filtering. In the simulation study, the proposed FESR method showed statistically significant improvements in edge preservation, mean structure similarity, speckle signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) compared with other speckle reduction methods, e.g., oriented speckle reducing anisotropic diffusion (OSRAD), nonlinear multiscale wavelet diffusion (NMWD), the Laplacian pyramid-based nonlinear diffusion and shock filter (LPNDSF), and the Bayesian nonlocal means filter (OBNLM). Similarly, the FESR method outperformed the OSRAD, NMWD, LPNDSF, and OBNLM methods in terms of CNR, i.e., 10.70 ± 0.06 versus 9.00 ± 0.06, 9.78 ± 0.06, 8.67 ± 0.04, and 9.22 ± 0.06 in the phantom study, respectively. Reconstructed B-mode images that were developed using the five speckle reduction methods were reviewed by three radiologists for evaluation based on each radiologist's diagnostic preferences. All three radiologists showed a significant preference for the abdominal liver images obtained using the FESR methods in terms of conspicuity, margin sharpness, artificiality, and contrast, p<0.0001. For the kidney and thyroid images, the FESR method showed similar improvement over other methods. However, the FESR method did not show statistically significant improvement compared with the OBNLM method in margin sharpness for the kidney and thyroid images. These results demonstrate that the proposed FESR method can improve the image quality of ultrasound B-mode imaging by enhancing the visualization of lesion features while effectively suppressing speckle noise.

Regional Attribution of Ozone Production and Associated Radiative Forcing: a Step to Crediting NOx Emission Reductions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naik, V.; Mauzerall, D. L.; Horowitz, L.; Schwarzkopf, D.; Ramaswamy, V.; Oppenheimer, M.

2004-12-01

The global distribution of tropospheric ozone (O3) depends on the location of emissions of its precursors in addition to chemical and dynamical factors. The global picture of O3 forcing is, therefore, a sum of regional forcings arising from emissions of precursors from different sources. The Kyoto Protocol does not include ozone as a greenhouse gas, and emission reductions of ozone precursors made under Kyoto or any similar agreement would presently receive no credit. In this study, we quantitatively estimate the contribution of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), the primary limiting O3 precursor in the non-urban atmosphere, from specific countries and regions of the world to global O3 concentration distributions. We then estimate radiative forcing resulting from the regional perturbations of NOx emissions. This analysis is intended as an early step towards incorporating O3 into the Kyoto Protocol or any successor agreement. Under such a system countries could obtain credit for improvements in local air quality that result in reductions of O3 concentrations because of the associated reductions in radiative forcing. We use the global chemistry transport model, MOZART-2, to simulate the global O3 distribution for base year 1990 and perturbations to this distribution caused by a 10% percent reduction in the base emissions of NOx from the United States, Europe, East Asia, India, South America, and Africa. We calculate the radiative forcing for the simulated base and perturbed O3 distributions using the GFDL radiative transfer model. The difference between the radiative forcing from O3 for the base and perturbed distributions provides an estimate of the marginal radiative forcing from a region's emissions of NOx. We will present a quantitative analysis of the magnitude, spatial, and temporal distribution of radiative forcing resulting from marginal changes in the NOx emissions from each region.

Informal mobile learning in nurse education and practice in remote areas--a case study from rural South Africa.

PubMed

Pimmer, Christoph; Brysiewicz, Petra; Linxen, Sebastian; Walters, Fiona; Chipps, Jennifer; Gröhbiel, Urs

2014-11-01

With the proliferation of portable digital technology, mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular in nursing education and practice. Most of the research in this field has been concentrated on small-scale projects in high income countries. Very little is known about the ways in which nurses and midwives use mobile technology in remote and resource poor areas in informal learning contexts in low and middle income countries. To address this gap, this study investigates whether nurses use mobile phones as effective educational tools in marginalized and remote areas, and if so, how and why. In rural South Africa, 16 nurses who attended an advanced midwifery education program, facilitators and clinical managers were interviewed about their use of digital mobile technology for learning. Techniques of qualitative content analysis were used to examine the data. Several rich "organically-grown", learning practices were identified: mobile phone usage facilitated (1) authentic problem solving; (2) reflective practice; (3) emotional support and belongingness; (4) the realization of unpredictable teaching situations; and (5) life-long learning. It is concluded that mobile phones, and the convergence of mobile phones and social media, in particular, change learning environments. In addition, these tools are suitable to connect learners and learning distributed in marginalized areas. Finally, a few suggestions are made about how these insights from informal settings can inform the development of more systematic mobile learning formats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robotic assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using contrast‐enhanced ultrasound scan to map renal blood flow

PubMed Central

Motiwala, Aamir; Eves, Susannah; Gray, Rob; Thomas, Asha; Meiers, Isabelle; Sharif, Haytham; Motiwala, Hanif; Laniado, Marc; Karim, Omer

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective The paper describes novel real‐time ‘in situ mapping’ and ‘sequential occlusion angiography’ to facilitate selective ischaemia robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) using intraoperative contrast enhanced ultrasound scan (CEUS). Materials and methods Data were collected and assessed for 60 patients (61 tumours) between 2009 and 2013. 31 (50.8%) tumours underwent ‘Global Ischaemia’, 27 (44.3%) underwent ‘Selective Ischaemia’ and 3 (4.9%) were removed ‘Off Clamp Zero Ischaemia’. Demographics, operative variables, complications, renal pathology and outcomes were assessed. Results Median PADUA score was 9 (range 7–10). The mean warm ischaemia time in selective ischaemia was less and statistically significant than in global ischaemia (17.1 and 21.4, respectively). Mean operative time was 163 min. Postoperative complications (n = 10) included three (5%) Clavien grade 3 or above. Malignancy was demonstrated in 47 (77%) with negative margin in 43 (91.5%) and positive margin in four (8.5%). Long‐term decrease in eGFR post selective ischaemia robotic partial nephrectomy was less compared with global ischaemia (four and eight, respectively) but not statistically significant. Conclusions This technique is safe, feasible and cost‐effective with comparable perioperative outcomes. The technical aspects elucidate the role of intraoperative CEUS to facilitate and ascertain selective ischaemia. Further work is required to demonstrate long‐term oncological outcomes. © 2016 The Authors. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:26948671

Evaluation of the effects of nursery depopulation of the profitability of 34 pig farms.

PubMed

Dee, S A; Joo, H S; Polson, D D; Marsh, W E

1997-05-10

The financial impact of nursery depopulation was assessed on 34 pig farms by constructing a partial budget model to measure the profitability of the nursery production. The model measured margin over variable cost and used production data generated from a previous study; it assumed that fixed costs remained constant throughout the study and that feed cost, weaned pig cost and market price per nursery pig also remained fixed. The mean margin over variable cost per sow on the 34 farm after nursery depopulation was Pounds 116. Thirty-two of the farms showed reductions in this cost, ranging from Pounds 20 to Pounds 408 per sow, in the 12 months after nursery depopulation compared with the previous 12 months. Of the two farms which did not show an increase in profitability, one showed no change and the other showed a net loss of Pounds 8 per sow. The sows' serostatus for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection was monitored but there was no significant difference between the margin over variable cost per sow of the seropositive (Pounds 130) and seronegative (Pounds 170) herds.

Comparative evaluation of marginal leakage of provisional crowns cemented with different temporary luting cements: In vitro study

PubMed Central

Arora, Sheen Juneja; Arora, Aman; Upadhyaya, Viram; Jain, Shilpi

2016-01-01

Background or Statement of Problem: As, the longevity of provisional restorations is related to, a perfect adaptation and a strong, long-term union between restoration and teeth structures, therefore, evaluation of marginal leakage of provisional restorative materials luted with cements using the standardized procedures is essential. Aims and Objectives: To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from Autopolymerizing acrylic resin crowns and bisphenol A-glycidyl dimethacrylate (BIS-GMA) resin crowns. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from autopolymerizing acrylic resin crowns and BIS-GMA resin crowns cemented with different temporary luting cements. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from autopolymerizing acrylic resin (SC-10) crowns cemented with different temporary luting cements. To compare the marginal leakage of the provisional crowns fabricated from BIS-GMA resin crowns (Protemp 4) cemented with different temporary luting cements. Methodology: Freshly extracted 60 maxillary premolars of approximately similar dimensions were mounted in dental plaster. Tooth reduction with shoulder margin was planned to use a customized handpiece-holding jig. Provisional crowns were prepared using the wax pattern fabricated from computer aided designing/computer aided manufacturing milling machine following the tooth preparation. Sixty provisional crowns were made, thirty each of SC-10 and Protemp 4 and were then cemented with three different luting cements. Specimens were thermocycled, submerged in a 2% methylene blue solution, then sectioned and observed under a stereomicroscope for the evaluation of marginal microleakage. A five-level scale was used to score dye penetration in the tooth/cement interface and the results of this study was analyzed using the Chi-square test, Mann–Whitney U-test, Kruskal–Wallis H-test and the results were statistically significant P < 0.05 the power of study - 80%. Results: Marginal leakage was significant in both provisional crowns cemented with three different luting cements along the axial walls of teeth (P < 0.05) confidence interval - 95%. Conclusion: The temporary cements with eugenol showed more microleakage than those without eugenol. SC-10 crowns showed more microleakage compared to Protemp 4 crowns. SC-10 crowns cemented with Kalzinol showed maximum microleakage and Protemp 4 crowns cemented with HY bond showed least microleakage. PMID:27134427

Wet air oxidation induced enhanced biodegradability of distillery effluent.

PubMed

Malik, S N; Saratchandra, T; Tembhekar, P D; Padoley, K V; Mudliar, S L; Mudliar, S N

2014-04-01

The present study reports the feasibility of Wet Air Oxidation (WAO) as a pretreatment option for enhanced biodegradation of complex distillery effluent. Initially, the distillery effluent was pretreated by WAO at different process conditions (pressure, temperature and time) to facilitate enhancement in the biodegradability index (BI = BOD5: COD ratio). The biodegradability of WAO pretreated effluent was evaluated by subjecting it to aerobic biodegradation and anaerobic followed by aerobic biodegradation. Aerobic biodegradation of pretreated effluent with enhanced biodegradability index (BI = 0.4-0.8) showed enhanced COD reduction of up to 67.7%, whereas the untreated effluent (BI = 0.17) indicated poor COD reduction of only 22.5%. Anaerobic followed by aerobic biodegradation of pretreated effluent has shown up to 87.9% COD reduction, while the untreated effluent has shown only 43.1% COD reduction. Bio-kinetic parameters also confirmed the increased rate of bio-oxidation at enhanced BIs. The results indicate that the WAO pretreatment facilitates enhanced bio-oxidation/bio-degradation of complex effluents like the distillery spent wash. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aeroelastic Tailoring of Transport Wings Including Transonic Flutter Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanford, Bret K.; Wieseman, Carol D.; Jutte, Christine V.

2015-01-01

Several minimum-mass optimization problems are solved to evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of novel tailoring schemes for subsonic transport wings. Aeroelastic stress and panel buckling constraints are imposed across several trimmed static maneuver loads, in addition to a transonic flutter margin constraint, captured with aerodynamic influence coefficient-based tools. Tailoring with metallic thickness variations, functionally graded materials, balanced or unbalanced composite laminates, curvilinear tow steering, and distributed trailing edge control effectors are all found to provide reductions in structural wing mass with varying degrees of success. The question as to whether this wing mass reduction will offset the increased manufacturing cost is left unresolved for each case.

The effects of facilitation and competition on group foraging in patches

PubMed Central

Laguë, Marysa; Tania, Nessy; Heath, Joel; Edelstein-Keshet, Leah

2012-01-01

Significant progress has been made towards understanding the social behaviour of animal groups, but the patch model, a foundation of foraging theory, has received little attention in a social context. The effect of competition on the optimal time to leave a foraging patch was considered as early as the original formulation of the marginal value theorem, but surprisingly, the role of facilitation (where foraging in groups decreases the time to find food in patches), has not been incorporated. Here we adapt the classic patch model to consider how the trade-off between facilitation and competition influence optimal group size. Using simple assumptions about the effect of group size on the food-finding time and the sharing of resources, we find conditions for existence of optima in patch residence time and in group size. When patches are close together (low travel times), larger group sizes are optimal. Groups are predicted to exploit patches differently than individual foragers and the degree of patch depletion at departure depends on the details of the trade-off between competition and facilitation. A variety of currencies and group-size effects are also considered and compared. Using our simple formulation, we also study the effects of social foraging on patch exploitation which to date have received little empirical study. PMID:22743132

The effects of facilitation and competition on group foraging in patches.

PubMed

Laguë, Marysa; Tania, Nessy; Heath, Joel; Edelstein-Keshet, Leah

2012-10-07

Significant progress has been made towards understanding the social behaviour of animal groups, but the patch model, a foundation of foraging theory, has received little attention in a social context. The effect of competition on the optimal time to leave a foraging patch was considered as early as the original formulation of the marginal value theorem, but surprisingly, the role of facilitation (where foraging in groups decreases the time to find food in patches), has not been incorporated. Here we adapt the classic patch model to consider how the trade-off between facilitation and competition influences optimal group size. Using simple assumptions about the effect of group size on the food-finding time and the sharing of resources, we find conditions for existence of optima in patch residence time and in group size. When patches are close together (low travel times), larger group sizes are optimal. Groups are predicted to exploit patches differently than individual foragers and the degree of patch depletion at departure depends on the details of the trade-off between competition and facilitation. A variety of currencies and group-size effects are also considered and compared. Using our simple formulation, we also study the effects of social foraging on patch exploitation which to date have received little empirical study. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The dynamics of continental breakup-related magmatism on the Norwegian volcanic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breivik, A. J.; Faleide, J. I.; Mjelde, R.

2007-12-01

The Vøring margin off mid-Norway was initiated during the earliest Eocene (~54 Ma), and large volumes of magmatic rocks were emplaced during and after continental breakup. In 2003, an ocean bottom seismometer survey was acquired on the Norwegian margin to constrain continental breakup and early seafloor spreading processes. The profile P-wave model described here crosses the northern part of the Vøring Plateau. Maximum igneous crustal thickness was found to be 18 km, decreasing to ~6.5 km over ~6 M.y. after continental breakup. Both the volume and the duration of excess magmatism after breakup is about twice of what is observed off the Møre Margin south of the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone, which offsets the margin segments by ~170 km. A similar reduction in magmatism occurs to the north over an along-margin distance of ~100 km to the Lofoten margin, but without a margin offset. There is a strong correlation between magma productivity and early plate spreading rate, which are highest just after breakup, falling with time. This is seen both at the Møre and the Vøring margin segments, suggesting a common cause. A model for the breakup- related magmatism should be able to (1) explain this correlation, (2) the magma production peak at breakup, and (3) the magmatic segmentation. Proposed end-member hypotheses are elevated upper-mantle temperatures caused by a hot mantle plume, or edge-driven small-scale convection fluxing mantle rocks through the melt zone. Both the average P-wave velocity and the major-element data at the Vøring margin indicate a low degree of melting consistent with convection. However, small scale convection does not easily explain the issues listed above. An elaboration of the mantle plume model by N. Sleep, in which buoyant plume material fills the rift-topography at the base of the lithosphere, can explain these: When the continents break apart, the buoyant plume-material flows up into the rift zone, causing excess magmatism by both elevated temperature and excess flux, and magmatism dies off as this rift-restricted material is spent. The buoyancy of the plume-material also elevates the plate boundaries and enhances plate spreading forces initially. The rapid drop in magma productivity to the north correlates with the northern boundary of the wide and deep Cretaceous Vøring Basin, thus less plume material was accommodated off Lofoten. This model predicts that the magma segmentation will show little variation in the geochemical signature.

ENAM: A community seismic experiment targeting rifting processes and post-rift evolution of the Mid Atlantic US margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Avendonk, H. J.; Magnani, M. B.; Shillington, D. J.; Gaherty, J. B.; Hornbach, M. J.; Dugan, B.; Long, M. D.; Lizarralde, D.; Becel, A.; Benoit, M. H.; Harder, S. H.; Wagner, L. S.; Christeson, G. L.

2014-12-01

The continental margins of the eastern United States formed in the Early Jurassic after the breakup of supercontinent Pangea. The relationship between the timing of this rift episode and the occurrence of offshore magmatism, which is expressed in the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly, is still unknown. The possible influence of magmatism and existing lithospheric structure on the rifting processes along margin of the eastern U.S. was one of the motivations to conduct a large-scale community seismic experiment in the Eastern North America (ENAM) GeoPRISMS focus site. In addition, there is also a clear need for better high-resolution seismic data with shallow penetration on this margin to better understand the geological setting of submarine landslides. The ENAM community seismic experiment is a project in which a team of scientists will gather both active-source and earthquake seismic data in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras on a 500 km wide section of the margin offshore North Carolina and Virginia. The timing of data acquisition in 2014 and 2015 facilitates leveraging of other geophysical data acquisition programs such as Earthscope's Transportable Array and the USGS marine seismic investigation of the continental shelf. In April of 2014, 30 broadband ocean-bottom seismometers were deployed on the shelf, slope and abyssal plain of the study site. These instruments will record earthquakes for one year, which will help future seismic imaging of the deeper lithosphere beneath the margin. In September and October of 2014, regional marine seismic reflection and refraction data will be gathered with the seismic vessel R/V Marcus Langseth, and airgun shots will also be recorded on land to provide data coverage across the shoreline. Last, in the summer of 2015, a land explosion seismic refraction study will provide constraints on the crustal structure in the adjacent coastal plain of North Carolina and Virginia. All seismic data will be distributed to the community through IRIS/DMC and the LDEO/UTIG Seismic data center. Two workshops are planned for 2015, where new users get an opportunity to engage in basic processing and analysis of the new data set.

A model for translating ethnography and theory into culturally constructed clinical practices.

PubMed

Nastasi, Bonnie Kaul; Schensul, Jean J; Schensul, Stephen L; Mekki-Berrada, Abelwahed; Pelto, Pertti J; Maitra, Shubhada; Verma, Ravi; Saggurti, Niranjan

2015-03-01

This article describes the development of a dynamic culturally constructed clinical practice model for HIV/STI prevention, the Narrative Intervention Model (NIM), and illustrates its application in practice, within the context of a 6-year transdisciplinary research program in Mumbai, India. Theory and research from anthropology, psychology, and public health, and mixed-method ethnographic research with practitioners, patients, and community members, contributed to the articulation of the NIM for HIV/STI risk reduction and prevention among married men living in low-income communities. The NIM involves a process of negotiation of patient narratives regarding their sexual health problems and related risk factors to facilitate risk reduction. The goal of the NIM is to facilitate cognitive-behavioral change through a three-stage process of co-construction (eliciting patient narrative), deconstruction (articulating discrepancies between current and desired narrative), and reconstruction (proposing alternative narratives that facilitate risk reduction). The NIM process extends the traditional clinical approach through the integration of biological, psychological, interpersonal, and cultural factors as depicted in the patient narrative. Our work demonstrates the use of a recursive integration of research and practice to address limitations of current evidence-based intervention approaches that fail to address the diversity of cultural constructions across populations and contexts.

A Model for Translating Ethnography and Theory into Culturally Constructed Clinical Practices

PubMed Central

Schensul, Jean J.; Schensul, Stephen L.; Mekki-Berrada, Abelwahed; Pelto, Pertti J.; Maitra, Shubhada; Verma, Ravi; Saggurti, Niranjan

2015-01-01

This article describes the development of a dynamic culturally constructed clinical practice model for HIV/STI prevention, the Narrative Intervention Model (NIM), and illustrates its application in practice, within the context of a 6-year transdisciplinary research program in Mumbai, India. Theory and research from anthropology, psychology, and public health, and mixed-method ethnographic research with practitioners, patients, and community members, contributed to the articulation of the NIM for HIV/STI risk reduction and prevention among married men living in low-income communities. The NIM involves a process of negotiation of patient narratives regarding their sexual health problems and related risk factors to facilitate risk reduction. The goal of the NIM is to facilitate cognitive-behavioral change through a three-stage process of co-construction (eliciting patient narrative), deconstruction (articulating discrepancies between current and desired narrative), and reconstruction (proposing alternative narratives that facilitate risk reduction). The NIM process extends the traditional clinical approach through the integration of biological, psychological, interpersonal, and cultural factors as depicted in the patient narrative. Our work demonstrates the use of a recursive integration of research and practice to address limitations of current evidence-based intervention approaches that fail to address the diversity of cultural constructions across populations and contexts. PMID:25292448

Randomised controlled non-inferiority trial of primary care-based facilitated access to an alcohol reduction website: cost-effectiveness analysis

PubMed Central

Wallace, Paul; Struzzo, Pierluigi; Vedova, Roberto Della; Scafuri, Francesca; Tersar, Costanza; Lygidakis, Charilaos; McGregor, Richard; Scafato, Emanuele; Freemantle, Nick

2017-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the 12-month costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained to the Italian National Health Service of facilitated access to a website for hazardous drinkers compared with a standard face-to-face brief intervention (BI). Design Randomised 1:1 non-inferiority trial. Setting Practices of 58 general practitioners (GPs) in Italy. Participants Of 9080 patients (>18 years old) approached to take part in the trial, 4529 (49·9%) logged on to the website and 3841 (84.8%) undertook online screening for hazardous drinking. 822 (21.4%) screened positive and 763 (19.9%) were recruited to the trial. Interventions Patients were randomised to receive either a face-to-face BI or access via a brochure from their GP to an alcohol reduction website (facilitated access). Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome is the cost per QALY gained of facilitated access compared with face-to-face. A secondary analysis includes total costs and benefits per 100 patients, including number of hazardous drinkers prevented at 12 months. Results The average time required for the face-to-face BI was 8 min (95% CI 7.5 min to 8.6 min). Given the maximum time taken for facilitated access of 5 min, face-to-face is an additional 3 min: equivalent to having time for another GP appointment for every three patients referred to the website. Complete case analysis adjusting for baseline the difference in QALYs for facilitated access is 0.002 QALYs per patient (95% CI −0.007 to 0.011). Conclusions Facilitated access to a website to reduce hazardous drinking costs less than a face-to-face BI given by a GP with no worse outcomes. The lower cost of facilitated access, particularly in regards to investment of time, may facilitate the increase in provision of BIs for hazardous drinking. Trial registration number NCT01638338;Post-results. PMID:29102983

An Eight-Week Clinical Evaluation of an Oscillating-Rotating Power Toothbrush with a Brush Head Utilizing Angled Bristles Compared with a Sonic Toothbrush in the Reduction of Gingivitis and Plaque.

PubMed

Ccahuana-Vasquez, Renzo A; Conde, Erinn; Grender, Julie M; Cunningham, Pamela; Qaqish, Jimmy; Goyal, C Ram

2015-01-01

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of an oscillating-rotating (O-R) power toothbrush with a brush head utilizing angled bristles to a marketed sonic toothbrush in the reduction of plaque and gingivitis over an eight-week period. This study used a randomized, examiner-blind, single-center, two-treatment, parallel group, eight-week design. Subjects with mild-to-moderate plaque and gingivitis were evaluated for baseline whole mouth, gingival margin, and approximal plaque, gingivitis, and gingival bleeding. Clinical assessments were performed using the Modified Gingival Index, Gingival Bleeding Index, and the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index. Subjects received either the O-R brush (Oral-B Professional Care 1000 [D16u] with Oral-B CrossAction brush head [EB50]) or the sonic brush (Sonicare DiamondClean with the standard DiamondClean brush head). Subjects brushed twice daily for two minutes per brushing with the assigned brush and a standard fluoride dentifrice for eight weeks before returning for plaque and gingivitis evaluations using the same methods. Prior to baseline and Week 8 measurements, participants abstained from oral hygiene for 12 hours. One hundred and forty-eight subjects completed the study; 75 in the O-R group and 73 in the sonic group. Both brushes demonstrated statistically significant reductions in plaque and gingivitis over the eight-week study period (p < 0.00 1). The O-R brush was statistically significantly more effective in reducing plaque and gingivitis than the sonic brush. Whole mouth, gingival margin, and approximal plaque reductions were 27.7%, 46.8%, and 29.3% greater, respectively, compared with the sonic brush, while the reductions in gingivitis, gingival bleeding, and number of bleeding sites were 34.6%, 36.4%, and 36.1% greater, respectively, for the O-R brush than for the sonic brush (p < 0.001 for all six measures). No adverse events were observed for either brush. The plaque and gingivitis reductions for the O-R power brush incorporating the angled-bristled brush head were significantly greater than for the sonic power brush.

Gingival microleakage of class V composite restorations with fiber inserts.

PubMed

Ahmed, Walaa; El-Badrawy, Wafa; Kulkarni, Gajanan; Prakki, Anuradha; El-Mowafy, Omar

2013-07-01

This study investigated the effect of different fiber inserts (glass and polyethylene), bonding agents, and resin composites on the gingival margin microleakage of class V composite restorations. Sixty premolars were sterilized and mounted in acrylic resin bases. Class V cavities were prepared buccally and lingually, 1 mm below the cementoenamel junction, comprising 12 groups (n = 10). In the experimental groups fiber inserts were cut and placed at the gingival seat, while the control groups had no inserts. Combinations of two composite materials, Filtek-Z250 and Filtek-LS (3M-ESPE), and four bonding agents, Clearfil SE bond (Kuraray) (C), Scotch Bond Multipurpose (3M-ESPE) (SB), Prime and Bond NT (Dentsply) (PB), and Filtek-LS (3M-ESPE) (LS) were used. Restorations were incrementally inserted and polymerized for 40s. Specimens were then stored in distilled water for 7 days and thermocycled for 500 cycles. Teeth surfaces were sealed with nail polish except for 1 mm around restoration margins and immersed in 2% red procion dye. Teeth were then sectioned buccolingually and dye penetration was assessed with five-point scale. Data were statistically-analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA and Tukey's tests (α = 5%). Mean microleakage scores varied from 0.40 (Groups C, C with polyethylene, LS, LS with polyethylene) to 1.50 (SB). Different bonding agents led to differences in microleakage scores where C and LS showed significantly lower microleakage than PB. SB had highest mean microleakage score, however, incorporation of fibers resulted in significant reduction in microleakage. Class V resin composite restorations bonded with a total-etch adhesive had a significant reduction in mean microleakage scores when glass or polyethylene fibers were placed at the gingival cavo-surface margin. In contrast, for two self-etch adhesive systems, the incorporation of fibers had no significant effect on mean microleakage scores.

Globalization and the price decline of illicit drugs.

PubMed

Costa Storti, Cláudia; De Grauwe, Paul

2009-01-01

This study aims at understanding the mechanisms underlying the dramatic decline of the retail prices of major drugs like cocaine and heroin during the past two decades. It also aims at analysing the implications of this decline for drug policies. We use a theoretical model to identify the possible causes of this price decline. This allows us to formulate the hypothesis that the major driving force behind the price decline is a reduction of the intermediation margin (the difference between the retail and producer prices). We also develop the hypothesis that globalization has been an important factor behind the decline of the intermediation margin. We then analyse the statistical information to test these hypotheses. We find that the decline in the retail prices of drugs is related to the strong decline in the intermediation margin in the drug business, and that globalization is the main driving force behind this phenomenon. Globalization has done so by increasing the efficiency of the distribution of drugs, by reducing the risk premium involved in dealing with drugs, and by increasing the degree of competition in the drug markets. We conclude that the cocaine and heroin price declines were due to a sharp fall in the intermediation margin, which was probably influenced by globalization. This phenomenon might have a strong impact on the effectiveness of drug policies, increasing the relative effectiveness of policies aiming at reducing the demand of drugs.

Drosophila Lyra mutations are gain-of-function mutations of senseless

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nolo, R.; Abbott, L. A.; Bellen, H. J.

2001-01-01

The Lyra mutation was first described by Jerry Coyne in 1935. Lyra causes recessive pupal lethality and adult heterozygous Lyra mutants exhibit a dominant loss of the anterior and posterior wing margins. Unlike many mutations that cause loss of wing tissue (e.g., scalloped, Beadex, cut, and apterous-Xasta), Lyra wing discs do not exhibit increased necrotic or apoptotic cell death, nor do they show altered BrdU incorporation. However, during wing disc eversion, loss of the anterior and posterior wing margins is apparent. We have previously shown that senseless, a gene that is necessary and sufficient for peripheral nervous system (PNS) development, is allelic to Lyra. Here we show by several genetic criteria that Lyra alleles are neomorphic alleles of senseless that cause ectopic expression of SENSELESS in the wing pouch. Similarly, overexpression of SENSELESS in the wing disc causes loss of wing margin tissue, thereby mimicking the Lyra phenotype. Lyra mutants display aberrant expression of DELTA, VESTIGIAL, WINGLESS, and CUT. As in Lyra mutants, overexpression of SENSELESS in some areas of the wing pouch also leads to loss of WINGLESS and CUT. In summary, our data indicate that overexpression of SENSELESS causes a severe reduction in NOTCH signaling that in turn may lead to decreased transcription of several key genes required for wing development, leading to a failure in cell proliferation and loss of wing margin tissue.

Marginal costs of water savings from cooling system retrofits: a case study for Texas power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loew, Aviva; Jaramillo, Paulina; Zhai, Haibo

2016-10-01

The water demands of power plant cooling systems may strain water supply and make power generation vulnerable to water scarcity. Cooling systems range in their rates of water use, capital investment, and annual costs. Using Texas as a case study, we examined the cost of retrofitting existing coal and natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plants with alternative cooling systems, either wet recirculating towers or air-cooled condensers for dry cooling. We applied a power plant assessment tool to model existing power plants in terms of their key plant attributes and site-specific meteorological conditions and then estimated operation characteristics of retrofitted plants and retrofit costs. We determined the anticipated annual reductions in water withdrawals and the cost-per-gallon of water saved by retrofits in both deterministic and probabilistic forms. The results demonstrate that replacing once-through cooling at coal-fired power plants with wet recirculating towers has the lowest cost per reduced water withdrawals, on average. The average marginal cost of water withdrawal savings for dry-cooling retrofits at coal-fired plants is approximately 0.68 cents per gallon, while the marginal recirculating retrofit cost is 0.008 cents per gallon. For NGCC plants, the average marginal costs of water withdrawal savings for dry-cooling and recirculating towers are 1.78 and 0.037 cents per gallon, respectively.

Minority Stress and Stress Proliferation Among Same-Sex and Other Marginalized Couples

PubMed Central

LeBlanc, Allen J.; Frost, David M.; Wight, Richard G.

2014-01-01

Drawing from 2 largely isolated approaches to the study of social stress—stress proliferation and minority stress—the authors theorize about stress and mental health among same-sex couples. With this integrated stress framework, they hypothesized that couple-level minority stressors may be experienced by individual partners and jointly by couples as a result of the stigmatized status of their same-sex relationship—a novel concept. They also consider dyadic minority stress processes, which result from the relational experience of individual-level minority stressors between partners. Because this framework includes stressors emanating from both status- (e.g., sexual minority) and role-based (e.g., partner) stress domains, it facilitates the study of stress proliferation linking minority stress (e.g., discrimination), more commonly experienced relational stress (e.g., conflict), and mental health. This framework can be applied to the study of stress and health among other marginalized couples, such as interracial/ethnic, interfaith, and age-discrepant couples. PMID:25663713

Laser-supported diaphanoscopy: an innovative technique for locating gastric stromal tumors in gastroscopic-laparoscopic rendezvous: a case series.

PubMed

Patrzyk, M; Schreiber, A; Heidecke, C D; Glitsch, A

2009-12-01

Development of an innovative method of endoscopic laser-supported diaphanoscopy, for precise demonstration of the location of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) at laparoscopy is described. The equipment consists of a light transmission cable with an anchoring system for the gastric mucosa, a connecting system for the light source, and the laser light source itself. During surgery, transillumination by laser is used to show the shape of the tumor. The resection margins are then marked by electric coagulation. Ten patients have been successfully treated using this technique in laparoscopic-endoscopic rendezvous procedures. Average time of surgery was 123 minutes. The time for marking the shape of the tumor averaged 16 minutes. Depending on tumor location and size, 4-7 marks were used, and resection margins were 4-15 mm. This new and effective technique facilitates precise locating of gastric GISTs leading to exact and tissue-sparing transmural laparoscopic resections. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart New York.

Assistive products and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

PubMed

Tebbutt, Emma; Brodmann, Rebecca; Borg, Johan; MacLachlan, Malcolm; Khasnabis, Chapal; Horvath, Robert

2016-11-29

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have placed great emphasis on the need for much greater social inclusion, and on making deliberate efforts to reach marginalized groups. People with disabilities are often marginalized through their lack of access to a range of services and opportunities. Assistive products can help people overcome impairments and barriers enabling them to be active, participating and productive members of society. Assistive products are vital for people with disabilities, frailty and chronic illnesses; and for those with mental health problems, and gradual cognitive and physical decline characteristic of aging populations. This paper illustrates how the achievement of each of the 17 SDGs can be facilitated by the use of assistive products. Without promoting the availability of assistive products the SDGs cannot be achieved equitably. We highlight how assistive products can be considered as both a mediator and a moderator of SDG achievement. We also briefly describe how the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) is working to promote greater access to assistive products on a global scale.

Multi-disciplinary optimization of aeroservoelastic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karpel, Mordechay

1990-01-01

Efficient analytical and computational tools for simultaneous optimal design of the structural and control components of aeroservoelastic systems are presented. The optimization objective is to achieve aircraft performance requirements and sufficient flutter and control stability margins with a minimal weight penalty and without violating the design constraints. Analytical sensitivity derivatives facilitate an efficient optimization process which allows a relatively large number of design variables. Standard finite element and unsteady aerodynamic routines are used to construct a modal data base. Minimum State aerodynamic approximations and dynamic residualization methods are used to construct a high accuracy, low order aeroservoelastic model. Sensitivity derivatives of flutter dynamic pressure, control stability margins and control effectiveness with respect to structural and control design variables are presented. The performance requirements are utilized by equality constraints which affect the sensitivity derivatives. A gradient-based optimization algorithm is used to minimize an overall cost function. A realistic numerical example of a composite wing with four controls is used to demonstrate the modeling technique, the optimization process, and their accuracy and efficiency.

Multidisciplinary optimization of aeroservoelastic systems using reduced-size models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karpel, Mordechay

1992-01-01

Efficient analytical and computational tools for simultaneous optimal design of the structural and control components of aeroservoelastic systems are presented. The optimization objective is to achieve aircraft performance requirements and sufficient flutter and control stability margins with a minimal weight penalty and without violating the design constraints. Analytical sensitivity derivatives facilitate an efficient optimization process which allows a relatively large number of design variables. Standard finite element and unsteady aerodynamic routines are used to construct a modal data base. Minimum State aerodynamic approximations and dynamic residualization methods are used to construct a high accuracy, low order aeroservoelastic model. Sensitivity derivatives of flutter dynamic pressure, control stability margins and control effectiveness with respect to structural and control design variables are presented. The performance requirements are utilized by equality constraints which affect the sensitivity derivatives. A gradient-based optimization algorithm is used to minimize an overall cost function. A realistic numerical example of a composite wing with four controls is used to demonstrate the modeling technique, the optimization process, and their accuracy and efficiency.

Eastern Indian Ocean microcontinent formation driven by plate motion changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittaker, J. M.; Williams, S. E.; Halpin, J. A.; Wild, T. J.; Stilwell, J. D.; Jourdan, F.; Daczko, N. R.

2016-11-01

The roles of plate tectonic or mantle dynamic forces in rupturing continental lithosphere remain controversial. Particularly enigmatic is the rifting of microcontinents from mature continental rifted margins, with plume-driven thermal weakening commonly inferred to facilitate calving. However, a role for plate tectonic reorganisations has also been suggested. Here, we show that a combination of plate tectonic reorganisation and plume-driven thermal weakening were required to calve the Batavia and Gulden Draak microcontinents in the Cretaceous Indian Ocean. We reconstruct the evolution of these two microcontinents using constraints from new paleontological samples, 40Ar/39Ar ages, and geophysical data. Calving from India occurred at 101-104 Ma, coinciding with the onset of a dramatic change in Indian plate motion. Critically, Kerguelen plume volcanism does not appear to have directly triggered calving. Rather, it is likely that plume-related thermal weakening of the Indian passive margin preconditioned it for microcontinent formation but calving was triggered by changes in plate tectonic boundary forces.

Polymer flexibility and turbulent drag reduction.

PubMed

Gillissen, J J J

2008-10-01

Polymer-induced drag reduction is the phenomenon by which the friction factor of a turbulent flow is reduced by the addition of small amounts of high-molecular-weight linear polymers, which conformation in solution at rest can vary between randomly coiled and rodlike. It is well known that drag reduction is positively correlated to viscous stresses, which are generated by extended polymers. Rodlike polymers always assume this favorable conformation, while randomly coiling chains need to be unraveled by fluid strain rate in order to become effective. The coiling and stretching of flexible polymers in turbulent flow produce an additional elastic component in the polymer stress. The effect of the elastic stresses on drag reduction is unclear. To study this issue, we compare direct numerical simulations of turbulent drag reduction in channel flow using constitutive equations describing solutions of rigid and flexible polymers. When compared at constant phi r2, both simulations predict the same amount of drag reduction. Here phi is the polymer volume fraction and r is the polymer aspect ratio, which for flexible polymers is based on average polymer extension at the channel wall. This demonstrates that polymer elasticity plays a marginal role in the mechanism for drag reduction.

The marginal cost of carbon abatement from planting street trees in New York City

Treesearch

Kent F. Kovacs; Robert G. Haight; Suhyun Jung; Dexter H. Locke; Jarlath O' Neil-Dunne

2013-01-01

Urban trees can store carbon through the growth process and reduce fossil fuel use by lowering cooling and heating energy consumption of buildings through the process of transpiration, shading, and the blocking of wind. However, the planting and maintenance of urban trees come at a cost. We estimate the discounted cost of net carbon reductions associated with planting...

Setup Variations in Radiotherapy of Anal Cancer: Advantages of Target Volume Reduction Using Image-Guided Radiation Treatment

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

Chen Yijen, E-mail: yichen@coh.org; Suh, Steve; Nelson, Rebecca A.

2012-09-01

Purpose: To define setup variations in the radiation treatment (RT) of anal cancer and to report the advantages of image-guided RT (IGRT) in terms of reduction of target volume and treatment-related side effects. Methods and Materials: Twelve consecutive patients with anal cancer treated by combined chemoradiation by use of helical tomotherapy from March 2007 to November 2008 were selected. With patients immobilized and positioned in place, megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) scans were performed before each treatment and were automatically registered to planning CT scans. Patients were shifted per the registration data and treated. A total of 365 MVCT scans weremore » analyzed. The primary site received a median dose of 55 Gy. To evaluate the potential dosimetric advantage(s) of IGRT, cases were replanned according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0529, with and without adding recommended setup variations from the current study. Results: Significant setup variations were observed throughout the course of RT. The standard deviations for systematic setup correction in the anterior-posterior (AP), lateral, and superior-inferior (SI) directions and roll rotation were 1.1, 3.6, and 3.2 mm, and 0.3 Degree-Sign , respectively. The average random setup variations were 3.8, 5.5, and 2.9 mm, and 0.5 Degree-Sign , respectively. Without daily IGRT, margins of 4.9, 11.1, and 8.5 mm in the AP, lateral, and SI directions would have been needed to ensure that the planning target volume (PTV) received {>=}95% of the prescribed dose. Conversely, daily IGRT required no extra margins on PTV and resulted in a significant reduction of V15 and V45 of intestine and V10 of pelvic bone marrow. Favorable toxicities were observed, except for acute hematologic toxicity. Conclusions: Daily MVCT scans before each treatment can effectively detect setup variations and thereby reduce PTV margins in the treatment of anal cancer. The use of concurrent chemotherapy and IGRT provided favorable toxicities, except for acute hematologic toxicity.« less

A new model for the development of the active Afar volcanic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pik, Raphaël; Stab, Martin; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Leroy, Sylvie

2016-04-01

Volcanic passive margins, that represent more than the three quarters of continental margins worldwide, are privileged witnesses of the lithospheric extension processes thatform new oceanic basins. They are characterized by voluminous amounts of underplated, intruded and extruded magmas, under the form of massive lavas prisms (seaward-dipping reflectors, or SDR) during the course of thinning and stretching of the lithosphere, that eventually form the ocean-continent transition. The origin and mechanisms of formation of these objects are still largely debated today. We have focussed our attention in the last few years on the Afar volcanic province which represents an active analogue of such volcanic margins. We explored the structural and temporal relationships that exist between the development of the major thinning and stretching structures and the magmatic production in Central Afar. Conjugate precise fieldwork analysis along with lavas geochronology allowed us to revisit the timing and style of the rift formation, since the early syn-rift period of time in the W-Afar marginal area to present days. Extension is primarily accommodated over a wide area at the surface since the very initial periods of extension (~ 25 Ma) following the emplacement of Oligocene CFBs. We propose in our reconstruction of central Afar margin history that extension has been associated with important volumes of underplated mafic material that compensate crustal thinning. This has been facilitated by major crustal-scale detachments that help localize the thinning and underplating at depth. In line with this 'magmatic wide-rift' mode of extension, we demonstrate that episodic extension steps alternate with more protracted magmatic phases. The production of syn-rift massive flood basalts (~ 4 Ma) occurs after early thinning of both the crust and the lithosphere, which suggests that SDR formation, is controlled by previous tectonic event. We determined how the melting regime evolved in response to the deformation of the lithosphere, through a petrological and geochemical study of the pre- to syn-rift lavas and concluded that the lithospheric mantle experienced the combined effect of post-plume cooling, but also thinning during the Miocene. This is accompanied by the early channelization of the plume head into narrower zones, which helped focus extension at the future volcanic margins location. The anomalous mantle potential temperature increased during the very last localization phase (< 1 Ma), which leads us to argue in favor of the focussed activity of a plume stem below the volcanic margin, instead of purely passive adiabatic decompression. Our new interpretation of the regional isotopic signatures of lavas depicts a clear framework of the Afar plume and lithospheric mantle relationships to on going extension and segmentation of these margins, and allow us to propose new contrasted models for their development.

Timing and adequate attendance of antenatal care visits among women in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Yaya, Sanni; Bishwajit, Ghose; Ekholuenetale, Michael; Shah, Vaibhav; Kadio, Bernard; Udenigwe, Ogochukwu

2017-01-01

Although ANC services are increasingly available to women in low and middle-income countries, their inadequate use persists. This suggests a misalignment between aims of the services and maternal beliefs and circumstances. Owing to the dearth of studies examining the timing and adequacy of content of care, this current study aims to investigate the timing and frequency of ANC visits in Ethiopia. Data was obtained from the nationally representative 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) which used a two-stage cluster sampling design to provide estimates for the health and demographic variables of interest for the country. Our study focused on a sample of 10,896 women with history of at least one childbirth event. Percentages of timing and adequacy of ANC visits were conducted across the levels of selected factors. Variables which were associated at 5% significance level were examined in the multivariable logistic regression model for association between timing and frequency of ANC visits and the explanatory variables while controlling for covariates. Furthermore, we presented the approach to estimate marginal effects involving covariate-adjusted logistic regression with corresponding 95%CI of delayed initiation of ANC visits and inadequate ANC attendance. The method used involved predicted probabilities added up to a weighted average showing the covariate distribution in the population. Results indicate that 66.3% of women did not use ANC at first trimester and 22.3% had ANC less than 4 visits. The results of this study were unique in that the association between delayed ANC visits and adequacy of ANC visits were examined using multivariable logistic model and the marginal effects using predicted probabilities. Results revealed that older age interval has higher odds of inadequate ANC visits. More so, type of place of residence was associated with delayed initiation of ANC visits, with rural women having the higher odds of delayed initiation of ANC visits (OR = 1.65; 95%CI: 1.26-2.18). However, rural women had 44% reduction in the odds of having inadequate ANC visits. In addition, multi-parity showed higher odds of delayed initiation of ANC visit when compared to the primigravida (OR = 2.20; 95%CI: 1.07-2.69). On the contrary, there was 36% reduction in the odds of multigravida having inadequate ANC visits when compared to the women who were primigravida. There were higher odds of inadequacy in ANC visits among women who engaged in sales/business, agriculture, skilled manual and other jobs when compared to women who currently do not work, after adjusting for covariates. From the predictive margins, assuming the distribution of all covariates remained the same among respondents, but everyone was aged 15-19 years, we would expect 71.8% delayed initiation of ANC visit. If everyone was aged 20-24years, 73.4%; 25-29years, 66.5%; 30-34years, 64.8%; 35-39years, 65.6%; 40-44years, 59.6% and 45-49years, we would expect 70.1% delayed initiation of ANC visit. If instead the distribution of age was as observed and for other covariates remained the same among respondents, but no respondent lived in the rural, we would expect about 61.4% delayed initiation of ANC visit; if however, everyone lived in the rural, and we would expect 71.6% delayed initiation in ANC visit. Model III revealed the predictive margins of all factors examined for delayed initiation for ANC visits, while Model IV presented the predictive marginal effects of the determinants of adequacy of ANC visits. The precise mechanism by which these factors affect ANC visits remain blurred at best. There may be factors on the demand side like the women's empowerment, financial support of the husband, knowledge of ANC visits in the context of timing, frequency and the expectations of ANC visits might be mediating the effects through the factors found associated in this study. Supply side factors like the quality of ANC services, skilled staff, and geographic location of the health centers also mediate their effects through the highlighted factors. Irrespective of the knowledge about the precise mechanism of action, policy makers could focus on improving women's empowerment, improving women's education, reducing wealth inequity and facilitating improved utilization of ANC through modifications on the supply side factors such as geographic location and focus on hard to reach women.

[Import and local transmission of Haemophilus ducreyi].

PubMed

Knudsen, Troels Bygum; Sand, Carsten; Jensen, Jørgen Skov

2010-07-26

Chancroid is a sexually transmitted disease characterized by painful ulcers with a soft margin, necrotic base and purulent exudate. Previously, only sporadic, imported cases have been reported in Denmark. The bacterium is difficult to culture and novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for direct demonstration of bacterial DNA have facilitated rapid verification of the clinical diagnosis. We report two cases which demonstrate import and subsequent local transmission in Denmark. In both cases, the clinical diagnosis was rapidly verified by a combined PCR testing for multiple causes of venereal ulcers.

Using fluorescence lymphangiography to define the ileocolic mesentery: proof of concept for the watershed area using real-time imaging.

PubMed

Keller, D S; Joshi, H M; Rodriguez-Justo, M; Walsh, D; Coffey, J C; Chand, M

2017-09-01

Recent advances in mesenteric science have demonstrated that the mesentery is a continuous structure with a 'watershed' area at the mesenteric apex between the right colon and terminal ileum, where lymphatic flow can proceed either proximally or distally. With this new understanding of the anatomy, functional features are emerging, which can have an impact on surgical management. Fluorescence lymphangiography or lymphoscintigraphy with indocyanine green allows real-time visualization of lymphatic channels, which highlights sentinel lymph nodes and may facilitate identification of the ideal margins for mesenteric lymphadenectomy during bowel resection for colon cancer. By using this novel technology, it is possible to demonstrate a watershed area in the ileocolic region and may facilitate more precise mesenteric dissection. In the present study, we provide proof of concept for the ileocolic watershed area using fluorescence lymphangiography.

Displacement and HIV: Factors Influencing Antiretroviral Therapy Use by Ethnic Shan Migrants in Northern Thailand

PubMed Central

Murray, Jordan K.; DiStefano, Anthony S.; Yang, Joshua S.; Wood, Michele M.

2016-01-01

Migrant populations face increased HIV vulnerabilities, including limited access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Civil conflict in Myanmar has displaced thousands of people from the minority Shan ethnic group into northern Thailand, where they bear a disproportionate HIV burden. To identify barriers and facilitators of ART use in this population, we conducted a rapid ethnographic assessment and case study with a clinical sample of Shan migrants receiving treatment for HIV in a district hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Thai nurses providing their care, and health care administrators (n = 23). Barriers included fears of arrest and deportation, communication difficulties, perceived social marginalization, limited HIV knowledge, and lack of finances. Facilitating factors included hospital-based migrant registration services and community outreach efforts involving support group mobilization, referral practices, and radio broadcasts. These findings provided a contextualized account to inform policies, community interventions, and nursing practice to increase treatment access for minority migrant groups. PMID:27188762

Solvent-free direct reductive amination by catalytic use of an organotin reagent incorporated on an ionic liquid.

PubMed

Pham, Phuoc Dien; Bertus, Philippe; Legoupy, Stéphanie

2009-11-07

An organotin reagent supported on an ionic liquid was used as a highly effective catalyst (down to 0.1 mol%) for the direct reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones using PhSiH3; this solvent-free method facilitates purification of the products, thus minimizing the contamination by tin.

Water and energy link in the cities of the future - achieving net zero carbon and pollution emissions footprint.

PubMed

Novotny, V

2011-01-01

This article discusses the link between water conservation, reclamation, reuse and energy use as related to the goal of achieving the net zero carbon emission footprint in future sustainable cities. It defines sustainable ecocities and outlines quantitatively steps towards the reduction of energy use due to water and used water flows, management and limits in linear and closed loop water/stormwater/wastewater management systems. The three phase water energy nexus diagram may have a minimum inflection point beyond which reduction of water demand may not result in a reduction of energy and carbon emissions. Hence, water conservation is the best alternative solution to water shortages and minimizing the carbon footprint. A marginal water/energy chart is developed and proposed to assist planners in developing future ecocities and retrofitting older communities to achieve sustainability.

Facilitators on networks reveal optimal interplay between information exchange and reciprocity.

PubMed

Szolnoki, Attila; Perc, Matjaž; Mobilia, Mauro

2014-04-01

Reciprocity is firmly established as an important mechanism that promotes cooperation. An efficient information exchange is likewise important, especially on structured populations, where interactions between players are limited. Motivated by these two facts, we explore the role of facilitators in social dilemmas on networks. Facilitators are here mirrors to their neighbors-they cooperate with cooperators and defect with defectors-but they do not participate in the exchange of strategies. As such, in addition to introducing direct reciprocity, they also obstruct information exchange. In well-mixed populations, facilitators favor the replacement and invasion of defection by cooperation as long as their number exceeds a critical value. In structured populations, on the other hand, there exists a delicate balance between the benefits of reciprocity and the deterioration of information exchange. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations of social dilemmas on various interaction networks reveal that there exists an optimal interplay between reciprocity and information exchange, which sets in only when a small number of facilitators occupy the main hubs of the scale-free network. The drawbacks of missing cooperative hubs are more than compensated for by reciprocity and, at the same time, the compromised information exchange is routed via the auxiliary hubs with only marginal losses in effectivity. These results indicate that it is not always optimal for the main hubs to become leaders of the masses, but rather to exploit their highly connected state to promote tit-for-tat-like behavior.

Facilitators on networks reveal optimal interplay between information exchange and reciprocity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szolnoki, Attila; Perc, Matjaž; Mobilia, Mauro

2014-04-01

Reciprocity is firmly established as an important mechanism that promotes cooperation. An efficient information exchange is likewise important, especially on structured populations, where interactions between players are limited. Motivated by these two facts, we explore the role of facilitators in social dilemmas on networks. Facilitators are here mirrors to their neighbors—they cooperate with cooperators and defect with defectors—but they do not participate in the exchange of strategies. As such, in addition to introducing direct reciprocity, they also obstruct information exchange. In well-mixed populations, facilitators favor the replacement and invasion of defection by cooperation as long as their number exceeds a critical value. In structured populations, on the other hand, there exists a delicate balance between the benefits of reciprocity and the deterioration of information exchange. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations of social dilemmas on various interaction networks reveal that there exists an optimal interplay between reciprocity and information exchange, which sets in only when a small number of facilitators occupy the main hubs of the scale-free network. The drawbacks of missing cooperative hubs are more than compensated for by reciprocity and, at the same time, the compromised information exchange is routed via the auxiliary hubs with only marginal losses in effectivity. These results indicate that it is not always optimal for the main hubs to become leaders of the masses, but rather to exploit their highly connected state to promote tit-for-tat-like behavior.

Aspect ratio effects on neoclassical tearing modes from comparison between DIII-D and National Spherical Torus Experiment

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

La Haye, R. J.; Buttery, R. J.; Gerhardt, S. P.

Neoclassical tearing mode islands are sustained by helically perturbed bootstrap currents arising at finite beta from toroidal effects that trap a fraction of the particles in non-circulating orbits. DIII-D and NSTX are here operated with similar shape and cross-sectional area but almost a factor of two difference in inverse aspect ratio a/R. In these experiments, destabilized n=1 tearing modes were self-stabilized (reached the 'marginal point') by reducing neutral-beam power and thus beta. The measure of the marginal island gives information on the small-island stabilizing physics that in part (with seeding) governs onset. The marginal island width on NSTX is foundmore » to be about three times the ion banana width and agrees with that measured in DIII-D, except for DIII-D modes closer to the magnetic axis, which are about two times the ion banana width. There is a balance of the helically perturbed bootstrap term with small island effects with the sum of the classical and curvature terms in the modified Rutherford equation for tearing-mode stability at the experimental marginal point. Empirical evaluation of this sum indicates that while the stabilizing effect of the curvature term is negligible in DIII-D, it is important in NSTX. The mode temporal behavior from the start of neutral-beam injection reduction also suggests that NSTX operates closer to marginal classical tearing stability; this explains why there is little hysteresis in beta between mode onset, saturation, and self-stabilization (while DIII-D has large hysteresis in beta). NIMROD code module component calculations based on DIII-D and NSTX reconstructed experimental equilibria are used to diagnose and confirm the relative importance of the stabilizing curvature effect, an advantage for low aspect ratio; the relatively greater curvature effect makes for less susceptibility to NTM onset even if the classical tearing stability index is near marginal.« less

Breakup magmatism on the Vøring Margin, mid-Norway: New insight from interpretation of high-quality 2D and 3D seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelmalak, M. M.; Planke, S.; Millett, J.; Jerram, D. A.; Maharjan, D.; Zastrozhnov, D.; Schmid, D. W.; Faleide, J. I.; Svensen, H.; Myklebust, R.

2017-12-01

The Vøring Margin offshore mid-Norway is a classic volcanic rifted margin, characterized by voluminous Paleogene igneous rocks present on both sides of the continent-ocean boundary. The margin displays (1) thickened transitional crust with a well-defined lower crustal high-velocity body and prominent deep crustal reflections, the so-called T-Reflection, (2) seaward dipping reflector (SDR) wedges and a prominent northeast-trending escarpment on the Vøring Marginal High, and (3) extensive sill complexes in the adjacent Cretaceous Vøring Basin. During the last decade, new 2D and 3D industry seismic data along with improved processing techniques, such as broadband processing and noise reduction processing sequences, have made it possible to image and map the breakup igneous complex in much greater detail than previously possible. Our interpretation includes a combination of (1) seismic horizon picking, (2) integrated seismic-gravity-magnetic (SGM) interpretation, (3) seismic volcanostratigraphy, and (4) igneous seismic geomorphology. The results are integrated with published wide-angle seismic data, re-analyzed borehole data including new geochronology, and new geodynamic modeling of the effects of magmatism on the thermal history and subsidence of the margin. The extensive sill complexes and associated hydrothermal vent complexes in the Vøring Basin have a Paleocene-Eocene boundary age based on high-precision U/Pb dating combined with seismic mapping constraints. On the marginal high, our results show a highly variable crustal structure, with a pre-breakup configuration consisting of large-scale structural highs and sedimentary basins. These structures were in-filled and covered by basalt flows and volcanogenic sediments during the early stages of continental breakup in the earliest Eocene. Subsequently, rift basins developed along the continent-ocean boundary and where infilled by up to ca. 6 km thick basalt sequences, currently imaged as SDRs fed by a dike swarm imaged on seismic data. The addition of magma within the crust had a prominent effect on the thermal history and hydrocarbon maturation of the sedimentary basin, causing uplift, delayed subsidence, and possibly contributing to the triggering of global warming during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).

Hydrodynamic controls on the downstream elimination of gravel, and implications for fluvial-deltaic stratigraphy: two end-member case studies from the Selenga River, Russia, and the Mississippi River, U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nittrouer, J. A.

2015-12-01

The downstream termination of gravel is measured for two fluvial-deltaic systems: the Selenga and Mississippi rivers. These end-members vary by an order of magnitude for slope, water and sediment discharge, and delta area. Moreover, the contrast between the tectonic regimes of the receiving basins is stark: the Selenga delta is located along the deep-water margin of Lake Baikal, which is an active half-graben rift basin, while the Mississippi discharges onto a passive margin with little tectonic influence. Nevertheless, the two rivers share a striking sedimentological similarity: near the delta apex, gravel is eliminated from the downstream dispersal system, and so sediment reaching the land-water interface is exclusively sand and mud. Field data for both rivers, including sediment samples and water discharge and flow velocity measurements, are used to validate morphodynamic models that assess the downstream changes in fluid stress and gravel transport. The analyses show that there are two distinct mechanisms that drive gravel deposition and prohibit dispersal throughout the delta. For the Selenga, water partitioning among bifurcating channels produces a non-linear reduction in shear stress and gravel deposition. For the Mississippi, backwater flow arrests the downstream movement of gravel during low and moderate water discharges, and although floods overcome backwater and produce uniform flow to the outlet, the duration of floods is too short to disperse gravel throughout the delta. Given sufficient time, model results indicate that both rivers should approach morphodynamic equilibrium, whereby aggradation due to sediment deposition raises local bed slope and sediment transport capacity, thereby facilitating downstream gravel movement. However, both systems possess unique characteristics that prevent this process from occurring. For the Selenga, tectonically induced movements regularly down drop portions of the delta below base level, forcing renewed delta sedimentation. For the Mississippi, channel filling produces regular avulsions, whereby mainstem channels are abandoned. In both cases, sediment is sequestered in perpetuity, and gravel dispersal within the delta begins anew. This presentation will discuss the stratigraphic implications for these different scenarios.

Lot-to-lot consistency of live attenuated SA 14-14-2 Japanese encephalitis vaccine manufactured in a good manufacturing practice facility and non-inferiority with respect to an earlier product.

PubMed

Zaman, K; Naser, Abu Mohd; Power, Maureen; Yaich, Mansour; Zhang, Lei; Ginsburg, Amy Sarah; Luby, Stephen P; Rahman, Mahmudur; Hills, Susan; Bhardwaj, Mukesh; Flores, Jorge

2014-10-21

We conducted a four-arm, double-blind, randomized controlled trial among 818 Bangladeshi infants between 10 and 12 months of age to establish equivalence among three lots of live attenuated SA 14-14-2 JE vaccine manufactured by the China National Biotec Group's Chengdu Institute of Biological Products (CDIBP) in a new Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility and to evaluate non-inferiority of the product with a lot of the same vaccine manufactured in CDIBP's original facility. The study took place in two sites in Bangladesh, rural Matlab and Mirpur in urban Dhaka. We collected pre-vaccination (Day 0) and post-vaccination Day 28 (-4 to +14 days) blood samples to assess neutralizing anti-JE virus antibody titers in serum by plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT). Seroprotection following vaccination was defined as a PRNT titer ≥1:10 at Day 28 in participants non-immune at baseline. Follow-up for reactogenicity and safety was conducted through home visits at Day 7 and monitoring for serious adverse events through Day 28. Seroprotection rates ranged from 80.2% to 86.3% for all four lots of vaccine. Equivalence of the seroprotection rates between pairs of vaccine lots produced in the new GMP facility was satisfied at the pre-specified 10% margin of the 95% confidence interval (CI) for two of the three pairwise comparisons, but not for the third (-4.3% observed difference with 95% CI of -11.9 to 3.3%). Nevertheless, the aggregate seroprotection rate for all three vaccine lots manufactured in the GMP facility was calculated and found to be within the non-inferiority margin (within 10%) to the vaccine lot produced in the original facility. All four lots of vaccine were safe and well tolerated. These study results should facilitate the use of SA 14-14-2 JE vaccine as a routine component of immunization programs in Asian countries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Topological order and memory time in marginally-self-correcting quantum memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siva, Karthik; Yoshida, Beni

2017-03-01

We examine two proposals for marginally-self-correcting quantum memory: the cubic code by Haah and the welded code by Michnicki. In particular, we prove explicitly that they are absent of topological order above zero temperature, as their Gibbs ensembles can be prepared via a short-depth quantum circuit from classical ensembles. Our proof technique naturally gives rise to the notion of free energy associated with excitations. Further, we develop a framework for an ergodic decomposition of Davies generators in CSS codes which enables formal reduction to simpler classical memory problems. We then show that memory time in the welded code is doubly exponential in inverse temperature via the Peierls argument. These results introduce further connections between thermal topological order and self-correction from the viewpoint of free energy and quantum circuit depth.

Design verification and fabrication of active control systems for the DAST ARW-2 high aspect ratio wing, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgehee, C. R.

1986-01-01

A study was conducted under Drones for Aerodynamic and Structural Testing (DAST) program to accomplish the final design and hardware fabrication for four active control systems compatible with and ready for installation in the NASA Aeroelastic Research Wing No. 2 (ARW-2) and Firebee II drone flight test vehicle. The wing structure was designed so that Active Control Systems (ACS) are required in the normal flight envelope by integrating control system design with aerodynamics and structure technologies. The DAST ARW-2 configuration uses flutter suppression, relaxed static stability, and gust and maneuver load alleviation ACS systems, and an automatic flight control system. Performance goals and criteria were applied to individual systems and the systems collectively to assure that vehicle stability margins, flutter margins, flying qualities and load reductions are achieved.

Katabatic winds diminish precipitation contribution to the Antarctic ice mass balance.

PubMed

Grazioli, Jacopo; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste; Gallée, Hubert; Forbes, Richard M; Genthon, Christophe; Krinner, Gerhard; Berne, Alexis

2017-10-10

Snowfall in Antarctica is a key term of the ice sheet mass budget that influences the sea level at global scale. Over the continental margins, persistent katabatic winds blow all year long and supply the lower troposphere with unsaturated air. We show that this dry air leads to significant low-level sublimation of snowfall. We found using unprecedented data collected over 1 year on the coast of Adélie Land and simulations from different atmospheric models that low-level sublimation accounts for a 17% reduction of total snowfall over the continent and up to 35% on the margins of East Antarctica, significantly affecting satellite-based estimations close to the ground. Our findings suggest that, as climate warming progresses, this process will be enhanced and will limit expected precipitation increases at the ground level.

Katabatic winds diminish precipitation contribution to the Antarctic ice mass balance

PubMed Central

Grazioli, Jacopo; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste; Gallée, Hubert; Forbes, Richard M.; Genthon, Christophe; Krinner, Gerhard; Berne, Alexis

2017-01-01

Snowfall in Antarctica is a key term of the ice sheet mass budget that influences the sea level at global scale. Over the continental margins, persistent katabatic winds blow all year long and supply the lower troposphere with unsaturated air. We show that this dry air leads to significant low-level sublimation of snowfall. We found using unprecedented data collected over 1 year on the coast of Adélie Land and simulations from different atmospheric models that low-level sublimation accounts for a 17% reduction of total snowfall over the continent and up to 35% on the margins of East Antarctica, significantly affecting satellite-based estimations close to the ground. Our findings suggest that, as climate warming progresses, this process will be enhanced and will limit expected precipitation increases at the ground level. PMID:28973875

Site-specific range uncertainties caused by dose calculation algorithms for proton therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuemann, J.; Dowdell, S.; Grassberger, C.; Min, C. H.; Paganetti, H.

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the possibility of introducing site-specific range margins to replace current generic margins in proton therapy. Further, the goal was to study the potential of reducing margins with current analytical dose calculations methods. For this purpose we investigate the impact of complex patient geometries on the capability of analytical dose calculation algorithms to accurately predict the range of proton fields. Dose distributions predicted by an analytical pencil-beam algorithm were compared with those obtained using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations (TOPAS). A total of 508 passively scattered treatment fields were analyzed for seven disease sites (liver, prostate, breast, medulloblastoma-spine, medulloblastoma-whole brain, lung and head and neck). Voxel-by-voxel comparisons were performed on two-dimensional distal dose surfaces calculated by pencil-beam and MC algorithms to obtain the average range differences and root mean square deviation for each field for the distal position of the 90% dose level (R90) and the 50% dose level (R50). The average dose degradation of the distal falloff region, defined as the distance between the distal position of the 80% and 20% dose levels (R80-R20), was also analyzed. All ranges were calculated in water-equivalent distances. Considering total range uncertainties and uncertainties from dose calculation alone, we were able to deduce site-specific estimations. For liver, prostate and whole brain fields our results demonstrate that a reduction of currently used uncertainty margins is feasible even without introducing MC dose calculations. We recommend range margins of 2.8% + 1.2 mm for liver and prostate treatments and 3.1% + 1.2 mm for whole brain treatments, respectively. On the other hand, current margins seem to be insufficient for some breast, lung and head and neck patients, at least if used generically. If no case specific adjustments are applied, a generic margin of 6.3% + 1.2 mm would be needed for breast, lung and head and neck treatments. We conclude that the currently used generic range uncertainty margins in proton therapy should be redefined site specific and that complex geometries may require a field specific adjustment. Routine verifications of treatment plans using MC simulations are recommended for patients with heterogeneous geometries.

Methane sources and production in the northern Cascadia margin gas hydrate system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pohlman, J.W.; Kaneko, M.; Heuer, V.B.; Coffin, R.B.; Whiticar, M.

2009-01-01

The oceanographic and tectonic conditions of accretionary margins are well-suited for several potential processes governing methane generation, storage and release. To identify the relevant methane evolution pathways in the northern Cascadia accretionary margin, a four-site transect was drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311. The ??13C values of methane range from a minimum value of - 82.2??? on an uplifted ridge of accreted sediment near the deformation front (Site U1326, 1829 mbsl, meters below sea level) to a maximum value of - 39.5??? at the most landward location within an area of steep canyons near the shelf edge (Site U1329, 946 mbsl). An interpretation based solely on methane isotope values might conclude the 13C-enrichment of methane indicates a transition from microbially- to thermogenically-sourced methane. However, the co-existing CO2 exhibits a similar trend of 13C-enrichment along the transect with values ranging from - 22.5??? to +25.7???. The magnitude of the carbon isotope separation between methane and CO2 (??c = 63.8 ?? 5.8) is consistent with isotope fractionation during microbially mediated carbonate reduction. These results, in conjunction with a transect-wide gaseous hydrocarbon content composed of > 99.8% (by volume) methane and uniform ??DCH4 values (- 172??? ?? 8) that are distinct from thermogenic methane at a seep located 60 km from the Expedition 311 transect, suggest microbial CO2 reduction is the predominant methane source at all investigated sites. The magnitude of the intra-site downhole 13C-enrichment of CO2 within the accreted ridge (Site U1326) and a slope basin nearest the deformation front (Site U1325, 2195 mbsl) is ~ 5???. At the mid-slope site (Site U1327, 1304 mbsl) the downhole 13C-enrichment of the CO2 is ~ 25??? and increases to ~ 40??? at the near-shelf edge Site U1329. This isotope fractionation pattern is indicative of more extensive diagenetic alteration at sites with greater 13C-enrichment. The magnitude of the 13C-enrichment of CO2 correlates with decreasing sedimentation rates and a diminishing occurrence of stratigraphic gas hydrate. We suggest the decreasing sedimentation rates increase the exposure time of sedimentary organic matter to aerobic and anaerobic degradation, during burial, thereby reducing the availability of metabolizable organic matter available for methane production. This process is reflected in the occurrence and distribution of gas hydrate within the northern Cascadia margin accretionary prism. Our observations are relevant for evaluating methane production and the occurrence of stratigraphic gas hydrate within other convergent margins.

Cost of practice in a tertiary/quaternary referral center: is it sustainable?

PubMed

Cologne, K G; Hwang, G S; Senagore, A J

2014-11-01

Third-party payers are moving toward a bundled care payment system. This means that there will need to be a warranty cost of care-where the cost of complexity and complication rates is built into the bundled payment. The theoretical benefit of this system is that providers with lower complication rates will be able to provide care with lower warranty costs and lower overall costs. This may also result in referring riskier patients to tertiary or quaternary referral centers. Unless the payment model truly covers the higher cost of managing such referred cases, the economic risk may be unsustainable for these centers. We took the last seven patients that were referred by other surgeons as "too high risk" for colectomy at other centers. A contribution margin was calculated using standard Medicare reimbursement rates at our institution and cost of care based on our administrative database. We then recalculated a contribution margin assuming a 3 % reduction in payment for a higher than average readmission rate, like that which will take effect in 2014. Finally, we took into account the cost of any readmissions. Seven patients with diagnosis related group (DRG) 330 were reviewed with an average age of 66.8 ± 16 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists score 2.3 ± 1.0, body mass index 31.6 ± 9.8 kg/m(2) (range 22-51 kg/m(2)). There was a 57 % readmission rate, 29 % reoperation rate, 10.8 ± 7.7 day average initial length of stay with 14 ± 8.6 day average readmission length of stay. Forty-two percent were discharged to a location other than home. Seventy-one percent of these patients had Medicare insurance. The case mix index was 2.45. Average reimbursement for DRG 330 was $17,084 (based on Medicare data) for our facility in 2012, with the national average being $12,520. The total contribution margin among all cases collectively was -$19,122 ± 13,285 (average per patient -$2,731, range -$21,905-$12,029). Assuming a 3 % reimbursement reduction made the overall contribution margin -$22,122 ± 13,285 (average -$3,244). Including the cost of readmission in the variable cost made the contribution margin -$115,741 ± 16,023 (average -$16,534). Care of high-risk patients at tertiary and quaternary referral centers is a very expensive proposition and can lead to financial ruin under the current reimbursement system.

Essays on the comparison of climate change policies: Land use regulations, taxes, and tradable permits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heres Del Valle, David R.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires year 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the state to be reduced back to 1990 levels. Several mitigation strategies have been explored and are expected to be implemented over the next few years. Among others, land use policies have been advocated as an important means to curb GHG emissions through the reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT), while an economy-wide cap and trade system would ensure that a certain level of GHG reductions is achieved although at unknown costs. The first essay of this dissertation aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion over the impact of land use policies by implementing a modified two-part model (M2PM) with instrumental variables (IV), a procedure that respectively takes into account the large mass of observations with zero car travel, and the possibility of residential self-selection, both of which could otherwise bias the estimates. The analysis takes advantage of a large dataset on travel patterns and socio-economic characteristics of more than 7,000 households across the 58 counties in the state of California. Results show that although VMT elasticities with respect to residential density are larger than others found in the recent econometric literature, the actual impact of residential density on VMT would not be as large unless very large increases in residential density occur. On the other hand, recent estimates of the elasticity of VMT with respect to the price of gasoline imply that moderate increases in the price of gasoline would suffice to reduce travel by similar magnitudes. The second essay reconsiders the debate over quantity (e.g., tradable permits) and price (e.g., taxes) controls by introducing uncertainty in the damage from the externality under a controlled environment. Economic theory predicts that quantity and price instruments for the control of externalities will produce identical outcomes as long as certain conditions obtain - namely negligible transaction costs and certainty about marginal control costs. This theoretical prediction explicitly renders irrelevant any uncertainties regarding the marginal damages in determining the market equilibrium outcome. Uncertainty about marginal damages may be important in practice, however, due to citizen participation in the permit market or to behavioral considerations. Through a laboratory experiment the instrument's equivalence is tested under different environments (including uncertainty about the marginal damages) that comply with the mentioned conditions. Results from the comparative analysis of a tax and a tradable permit system in a market composed of individuals with heterogeneous marginal abatement costs lend support to the equivalence of instruments.

Authigenic Carbonate Formation on the Peru Margin; New Insights from IODP Site 1230

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullajintakam, S.; Naehr, T. H.

2015-12-01

Fluid seepage of reduced organic compounds such as methane impacts the geology and biology of the seabed by inducing complex, microbially mediated biogeochemical processes. Authigenic carbonates serve as one of the few permanent records of these of dynamic biogeochemical interactions that involve methanogenesis, methanotrophy, sulfate reduction and carbonate precipitation. Meister et al. (2007) investigated deep-sea dolomite formation at Sites 1227-1229 on the Peru margin, where dolomite precipitation occurs in association with organic carbon-rich continental margin sediments. Geochemical and petrographic studies indicated episodic dolomite precipitation at a dynamic sulfate methane transition zone (SMTZ). Variations in δ13C values of these dolomites between +15‰ and -15‰ were attributed to non-steady state conditions as a result of the upward and downward migration of the SMTZ. Our study aims to better understand the biogeochemical processes associated with authigenic carbonate precipitation in this dynamic deep-sea setting. We focused our efforts on IODP Site 1230, which is a gas-hydrate-bearing site that shows sulphate consumption within the uppermost 10 m below the seafloor as well as high methane production. Using a multi proxy approach, we combined X-ray diffraction, stable isotope geochemistry, and trace metal analysis of authigenic carbonates to elucidate conditions for authigenic carbonate formation. Results from Site 1230 are compared to Sites 1227 and 1229, which lacks gas hydrates and is characterized by high pore water sulfate and low methane concentrations. This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of authigenic carbonate formation and associated biogeochemical processes in continental margin sediments. Meister, P., Mckenzie, J. A., Vasconcelos, C., Bernasconi, S., Frank, M., Gutjhar, M. and SCHRAG, D. P. (2007), Dolomite formation in the dynamic deep biosphere: results from the Peru Margin. Sedimentology, 54: 1007-1032.

Sci-Thur PM – Brachytherapy 05: Surface Collimation Applied to Superficial Flap High Dose-Rate Brachytherapy

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

Liu, Derek; Sabondjian, Eric; Lawrence, Kailin

Purpose: To apply surface collimation for superficial flap HDR skin brachytherapy utilizing common clinical resources and to demonstrate the potential for OAR dose reduction within a clinically relevant setting. Methods: Two phantom setups were used. 3 mm lead collimation was applied to a solid slab phantom to determine appropriate geometries relating to collimation and dwell activation. The same collimation was applied to the temple of an anthropomorphic head phantom to demonstrate lens dose reduction. Each setup was simulated and planned to deliver 400 cGy to a 3 cm circular target to 3 mm depth. The control and collimated irradiations weremore » sequentially measured using calibrated radiochromic films. Results: Collimation for the slab phantom attenuated the dose beyond the collimator opening, decreasing the fall-off distances by half and reducing the area of healthy skin irradiated. Target coverage can be negatively impacted by a tight collimation margin, with the required margin approximated by the primary beam geometric penumbra. Surface collimation applied to the head phantom similarly attenuated the surrounding normal tissue dose while reducing the lens dose from 84 to 68 cGy. To ensure consistent setup between simulation and treatment, additional QA was performed including collimator markup, accounting for collimator placement uncertainties, standoff distance verification, and in vivo dosimetry. Conclusions: Surface collimation was shown to reduce normal tissue dose without compromising target coverage. Lens dose reduction was demonstrated on an anthropomorphic phantom within a clinical setting. Additional QA is proposed to ensure treatment fidelity.« less

Will joint regional air pollution control be more cost-effective? An empirical study of China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

PubMed

Wu, Dan; Xu, Yuan; Zhang, Shiqiu

2015-02-01

By following an empirical approach, this study proves that joint regional air pollution control (JRAPC) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will save the expense on air pollution control compared with a locally-based pollution control strategy. The evidences below were found. (A) Local pollutant concentration in some of the cities is significantly affected by emissions from their surrounding areas. (B) There is heterogeneity in the marginal pollutant concentration reduction cost among various districts as a result of the cities' varying contribution of unit emission reduction to the pollutant concentration reduction, and their diverse unit cost of emission reduction brought about by their different industry composition. The results imply that the cost-efficiency of air pollution control will be improved in China if the conventional locally based regime of air pollution control can shift to a regionally based one. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A project-based system for including farmers in the EU ETS.

PubMed

Brandt, Urs Steiner; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2011-04-01

Farmers in the EU do not trade greenhouse gases under the Kyoto agreement. This is an empirical puzzle because agriculture is a significant contributor of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the EU and may harvest private net gains from trade. Furthermore, the US has strongly advocated land-use practices as 'the missing link' in past climate negotiations. We argue that farmers have relatively low marginal reduction costs and that consequences in terms of the effect on permit price and technology are overall positive in the EU Emission Trading System (ETS). Thus, we propose a project-based system for including the farming practices in the EU ETS that reduces the uncertainty from measuring emission reduction in this sector. The system encourages GHG reduction either by introducing a new and less polluting practice or by reducing the polluting activity. When doing so, farmers will receive GHG permits corresponding to the amount of reduction which can be stored for later use or sold in the EU ETS. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Study to Ascertain the Feasibility of Joint Efforts to Establish a Comprehensive Health Care Delivery System Utilizing Hill-Burton Constructed Hospital,

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-15

Utilization Review Procedures ................ 22 Reduced Philanthropy ......................... 22 Lack of Incentives ........................... 23 Reductions...challenges are made on hospitals in the form of status of technology, elite physician compliments, and increased specialization of labor which ccnstantly...construction are now marginally subsidized by philanthropy . Third party reimbursement is now the dominant source of hospital revenue with cost based formula

Max-margin weight learning for medical knowledge network.

PubMed

Jiang, Jingchi; Xie, Jing; Zhao, Chao; Su, Jia; Guan, Yi; Yu, Qiubin

2018-03-01

The application of medical knowledge strongly affects the performance of intelligent diagnosis, and method of learning the weights of medical knowledge plays a substantial role in probabilistic graphical models (PGMs). The purpose of this study is to investigate a discriminative weight-learning method based on a medical knowledge network (MKN). We propose a training model called the maximum margin medical knowledge network (M 3 KN), which is strictly derived for calculating the weight of medical knowledge. Using the definition of a reasonable margin, the weight learning can be transformed into a margin optimization problem. To solve the optimization problem, we adopt a sequential minimal optimization (SMO) algorithm and the clique property of a Markov network. Ultimately, M 3 KN not only incorporates the inference ability of PGMs but also deals with high-dimensional logic knowledge. The experimental results indicate that M 3 KN obtains a higher F-measure score than the maximum likelihood learning algorithm of MKN for both Chinese Electronic Medical Records (CEMRs) and Blood Examination Records (BERs). Furthermore, the proposed approach is obviously superior to some classical machine learning algorithms for medical diagnosis. To adequately manifest the importance of domain knowledge, we numerically verify that the diagnostic accuracy of M 3 KN is gradually improved as the number of learned CEMRs increase, which contain important medical knowledge. Our experimental results show that the proposed method performs reliably for learning the weights of medical knowledge. M 3 KN outperforms other existing methods by achieving an F-measure of 0.731 for CEMRs and 0.4538 for BERs. This further illustrates that M 3 KN can facilitate the investigations of intelligent healthcare. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Co-culture of 3D tumor spheroids with fibroblasts as a model for epithelial–mesenchymal transition in vitro

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

Kim, Sun-Ah, E-mail: j.sarah.k@gmail.com; Lee, Eun Kyung, E-mail: leeek@catholic.ac.kr; Cancer Evolution Research Center, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) acts as a facilitator of metastatic dissemination in the invasive margin of malignant tumors where active tumor–stromal crosstalks take place. Co-cultures of cancer cells with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are often used as in vitro models of EMT. We established a tumor–fibroblast proximity co-culture using HT-29 tumor spheroids (TSs) with CCD-18co fibroblasts. When co-cultured with TSs, CCD-18co appeared activated, and proliferative activity as well as cell migration increased. Expression of fibronectin increased whereas laminin and type I collagen decreased in TSs co-cultured with fibroblasts compared to TSs alone, closely resembling the margin of in vivo xenograft tissue. Activemore » TGFβ1 in culture media significantly increased in TS co-cultures but not in 2D co-cultures of cancer cells–fibroblasts, indicating that 3D context-associated factors from TSs may be crucial to crosstalks between cancer cells and fibroblasts. We also observed in TSs co-cultured with fibroblasts increased expression of α-SMA, EGFR and CTGF; reduced expression of membranous β-catenin and E-cadherin, together suggesting an EMT-like changes similar to a marginal region of xenograft tissue in vivo. Overall, our in vitro TS–fibroblast proximity co-culture mimics the EMT-state of the invasive margin of in vivo tumors in early metastasis. - Highlights: • An adjacent co-culture of tumor spheroids and fibroblasts is presented as EMT model. • Activation of fibroblasts and increased cell migration were shown in co-culture. • Expression of EMT-related factors in co-culture was similar to that in tumor tissue. • Crosstalk between spheroids and fibroblasts was demonstrated by secretome analysis.« less

Marginal semi-supervised sub-manifold projections with informative constraints for dimensionality reduction and recognition.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhao; Zhao, Mingbo; Chow, Tommy W S

2012-12-01

In this work, sub-manifold projections based semi-supervised dimensionality reduction (DR) problem learning from partial constrained data is discussed. Two semi-supervised DR algorithms termed Marginal Semi-Supervised Sub-Manifold Projections (MS³MP) and orthogonal MS³MP (OMS³MP) are proposed. MS³MP in the singular case is also discussed. We also present the weighted least squares view of MS³MP. Based on specifying the types of neighborhoods with pairwise constraints (PC) and the defined manifold scatters, our methods can preserve the local properties of all points and discriminant structures embedded in the localized PC. The sub-manifolds of different classes can also be separated. In PC guided methods, exploring and selecting the informative constraints is challenging and random constraint subsets significantly affect the performance of algorithms. This paper also introduces an effective technique to select the informative constraints for DR with consistent constraints. The analytic form of the projection axes can be obtained by eigen-decomposition. The connections between this work and other related work are also elaborated. The validity of the proposed constraint selection approach and DR algorithms are evaluated by benchmark problems. Extensive simulations show that our algorithms can deliver promising results over some widely used state-of-the-art semi-supervised DR techniques. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness of unicondylar versus total knee arthroplasty: a Markov model analysis.

PubMed

Peersman, Geert; Jak, Wouter; Vandenlangenbergh, Tom; Jans, Christophe; Cartier, Philippe; Fennema, Peter

2014-01-01

Unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) is believed to lead to less morbidity and enhanced functional outcomes when compared with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Conversely, UKA is also associated with a higher revision risk than TKA. In order to further clarify the key differences between these separate procedures, the current study assessing the cost-effectiveness of UKA versus TKA was undertaken. A state-transition Markov model was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness of UKA versus TKA for unicondylar osteoarthritis using a Belgian payer's perspective. The model was designed to include the possibility of two revision procedures. Model estimates were obtained through literature review and revision rates were based on registry data. Threshold analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to assess the model's robustness. UKA was associated with a cost reduction of €2,807 and a utility gain of 0.04 quality-adjusted life years in comparison with TKA. Analysis determined that the model is sensitive to clinical effectiveness, and that a marginal reduction in the clinical performance of UKA would lead to TKA being the more cost-effective solution. UKA yields clear advantages in terms of costs and marginal advantages in terms of health effects, in comparison with TKA. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phenotypic covariance at species’ borders

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Understanding the evolution of species limits is important in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. Despite its likely importance in the evolution of these limits, little is known about phenotypic covariance in geographically marginal populations, and the degree to which it constrains, or facilitates, responses to selection. We investigated phenotypic covariance in morphological traits at species’ borders by comparing phenotypic covariance matrices (P), including the degree of shared structure, the distribution of strengths of pair-wise correlations between traits, the degree of morphological integration of traits, and the ranks of matricies, between central and marginal populations of three species-pairs of coral reef fishes. Results Greater structural differences in P were observed between populations close to range margins and conspecific populations toward range centres, than between pairs of conspecific populations that were both more centrally located within their ranges. Approximately 80% of all pair-wise trait correlations within populations were greater in the north, but these differences were unrelated to the position of the sampled population with respect to the geographic range of the species. Conclusions Neither the degree of morphological integration, nor ranks of P, indicated greater evolutionary constraint at range edges. Characteristics of P observed here provide no support for constraint contributing to the formation of these species’ borders, but may instead reflect structural change in P caused by selection or drift, and their potential to evolve in the future. PMID:23714580

Phenotypic covariance at species' borders.

PubMed

Caley, M Julian; Cripps, Edward; Game, Edward T

2013-05-28

Understanding the evolution of species limits is important in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. Despite its likely importance in the evolution of these limits, little is known about phenotypic covariance in geographically marginal populations, and the degree to which it constrains, or facilitates, responses to selection. We investigated phenotypic covariance in morphological traits at species' borders by comparing phenotypic covariance matrices (P), including the degree of shared structure, the distribution of strengths of pair-wise correlations between traits, the degree of morphological integration of traits, and the ranks of matricies, between central and marginal populations of three species-pairs of coral reef fishes. Greater structural differences in P were observed between populations close to range margins and conspecific populations toward range centres, than between pairs of conspecific populations that were both more centrally located within their ranges. Approximately 80% of all pair-wise trait correlations within populations were greater in the north, but these differences were unrelated to the position of the sampled population with respect to the geographic range of the species. Neither the degree of morphological integration, nor ranks of P, indicated greater evolutionary constraint at range edges. Characteristics of P observed here provide no support for constraint contributing to the formation of these species' borders, but may instead reflect structural change in P caused by selection or drift, and their potential to evolve in the future.

Can Funding for University Partnerships between Africa and the US Contribute to Social Development and Poverty Reduction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Christopher S.

2014-01-01

This study explores US funding for university partnerships between the US and Africa. The primary objective was to study how funds are facilitated through partnerships to promote social development and poverty reduction. Findings include the innovative and resilient nature of the 11 projects included in the study as well as pitfalls in the…

Robotic assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using contrast-enhanced ultrasound scan to map renal blood flow.

PubMed

Alenezi, Ahmad; Motiwala, Aamir; Eves, Susannah; Gray, Rob; Thomas, Asha; Meiers, Isabelle; Sharif, Haytham; Motiwala, Hanif; Laniado, Marc; Karim, Omer

2017-03-01

The paper describes novel real-time 'in situ mapping' and 'sequential occlusion angiography' to facilitate selective ischaemia robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) using intraoperative contrast enhanced ultrasound scan (CEUS). Data were collected and assessed for 60 patients (61 tumours) between 2009 and 2013. 31 (50.8%) tumours underwent 'Global Ischaemia', 27 (44.3%) underwent 'Selective Ischaemia' and 3 (4.9%) were removed 'Off Clamp Zero Ischaemia'. Demographics, operative variables, complications, renal pathology and outcomes were assessed. Median PADUA score was 9 (range 7-10). The mean warm ischaemia time in selective ischaemia was less and statistically significant than in global ischaemia (17.1 and 21.4, respectively). Mean operative time was 163 min. Postoperative complications (n = 10) included three (5%) Clavien grade 3 or above. Malignancy was demonstrated in 47 (77%) with negative margin in 43 (91.5%) and positive margin in four (8.5%). Long-term decrease in eGFR post selective ischaemia robotic partial nephrectomy was less compared with global ischaemia (four and eight, respectively) but not statistically significant. This technique is safe, feasible and cost-effective with comparable perioperative outcomes. The technical aspects elucidate the role of intraoperative CEUS to facilitate and ascertain selective ischaemia. Further work is required to demonstrate long-term oncological outcomes. © 2016 The Authors. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2016 The Authors. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Object based implicit contextual learning: a study of eye movements.

PubMed

van Asselen, Marieke; Sampaio, Joana; Pina, Ana; Castelo-Branco, Miguel

2011-02-01

Implicit contextual cueing refers to a top-down mechanism in which visual search is facilitated by learned contextual features. In the current study we aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying implicit contextual learning using object information as a contextual cue. Therefore, we measured eye movements during an object-based contextual cueing task. We demonstrated that visual search is facilitated by repeated object information and that this reduction in response times is associated with shorter fixation durations. This indicates that by memorizing associations between objects in our environment we can recognize objects faster, thereby facilitating visual search.

Synapsin- and Actin-Dependent Frequency Enhancement in Mouse Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Synapses

PubMed Central

Owe, Simen G.; Jensen, Vidar; Evergren, Emma; Ruiz, Arnaud; Shupliakov, Oleg; Kullmann, Dimitri M.; Storm-Mathisen, Jon; Walaas, S. Ivar; Hvalby, Øivind

2009-01-01

The synapsin proteins have different roles in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic terminals. We demonstrate a differential role between types of excitatory terminals. Structural and functional aspects of the hippocampal mossy fiber (MF) synapses were studied in wild-type (WT) mice and in synapsin double-knockout mice (DKO). A severe reduction in the number of synaptic vesicles situated more than 100 nm away from the presynaptic membrane active zone was found in the synapsin DKO animals. The ultrastructural level gave concomitant reduction in F-actin immunoreactivity observed at the periactive endocytic zone of the MF terminals. Frequency facilitation was normal in synapsin DKO mice at low firing rates (∼0.1 Hz) but was impaired at firing rates within the physiological range (∼2 Hz). Synapses made by associational/commissural fibers showed comparatively small frequency facilitation at the same frequencies. Synapsin-dependent facilitation in MF synapses of WT mice was attenuated by blocking F-actin polymerization with cytochalasin B in hippocampal slices. Synapsin III, selectively seen in MF synapses, is enriched specifically in the area adjacent to the synaptic cleft. This may underlie the ability of synapsin III to promote synaptic depression, contributing to the reduced frequency facilitation observed in the absence of synapsins I and II. PMID:18550596

Facilitating the implementation of pharmacokinetic-guided dosing of prophylaxis in haemophilia care by discrete choice experiment.

PubMed

Lock, J; de Bekker-Grob, E W; Urhan, G; Peters, M; Meijer, K; Brons, P; van der Meer, F J M; Driessens, M H E; Collins, P W; Fijnvandraat, K; Leebeek, F W G; Cnossen, M H

2016-01-01

Patients', parents' and providers' preferences with regard to medical innovations may have a major impact on their implementation. To evaluate barriers and facilitators for individualized pharmacokinetic (PK)-guided dosing of prophylaxis in haemophilia patients, parents of young patients, and treating professionals by discrete choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire. The study population consisted of patients with haemophilia currently or previously on prophylactic treatment with factor concentrate (n = 114), parents of patients aged 12-18 years (n = 19) and haemophilia professionals (n = 91). DCE data analysis was performed, taking preference heterogeneity into account. Overall, patients and parents, and especially professionals were inclined to opt for PK-guided dosing of prophylaxis. In addition, if bleeding was consequently reduced, more frequent infusions were acceptable. However, daily dosing remained an important barrier for all involved. 'Reduction of costs for society' was a facilitator for implementation in all groups. To achieve implementation of individualized PK-guided dosing of prophylaxis in haemophilia, reduction of bleeding risk and reduction of costs for society should be actively discussed as they are motivating for implementation; daily dosing is still reported to be a barrier for all groups. The knowledge of these preferences will enlarge support for this innovation, and aid in the drafting of implementable guidelines and information brochures for patients, parents and professionals. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Motivational, reduction and usual care interventions for smokers who are not ready to quit: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Klemperer, Elias M; Hughes, John R; Solomon, Laura J; Callas, Peter W; Fingar, James R

2017-01-01

To test whether, in comparison to usual care, brief motivational or reduction interventions increase quit attempts (QA) or abstinence among smokers who are not ready to quit. A parallel-group randomized controlled trial of brief motivational (n = 185), reduction (n = 186) or usual care (n = 189) telephone interventions delivered over the course of 4 weeks. Outcomes were assessed at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. No medication was provided. United States. A total of 560 adult smokers of ≥ 10 cigarettes per day who were not ready to quit in the next 30 days. The primary outcomes were whether participants made a QA that lasted ≥ 24 hours and whether they made a QA of any length between baseline and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 6 and 12 months. The 12-month follow-up was added after the study began. A priori-defined comparisons were between motivational versus usual care and reduction versus usual care conditions. The probability of making a QA that lasted ≥ 24 hours was not significantly different between the motivational (38%) or the reduction (31%) conditions and the usual care (34%) condition [motivational versus usual care odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.78-1.82; reduction versus usual care OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.57-1.36]. Bayes factors ranged from 0.13 to 0.18. Findings regarding a QA of any length were similar. At 6 months, the motivational condition had marginally more abstinence than usual care (11 versus 5%, OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 0.99-4.77), but the reduction condition was not significantly different from usual care (8 versus 5%, OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.69-3.59). At 12 months, the motivational condition had significantly more abstinence than usual care (10 versus 4%, OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.14-6.88) and the reduction condition had marginally more abstinence than usual care (9 versus 4%, OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 0.98-6.09). Among adult smokers who are not ready to quit, both logistic regression and Bayesian analysis indicate that neither motivational nor reduction-based telephone interventions increased the odds of making a quit attempt in comparison to usual care at 6 months. The motivational intervention appeared to increase abstinence at 6 months and did increase abstinence at 12 months. The reduction intervention did not increase abstinence at 6 months but appeared to increase abstinence at 12 months. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Marine cold seeps and their manifestations: geological control, biogeochemical criteria and environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suess, Erwin

2014-10-01

Characteristics of cold seeps at different geologic settings are the subject of this review primarily based on results of the Research Consortium SFB 574. Criteria are drawn from examples on the erosive convergent margin off Costa Rica, the accretionary margin off Chile supplemented by examples from the transform margin of the Golf of Cadiz and the convergent Hikurangi margin off New Zealand. Others are from well-studied passive margins of the Black Sea, the Golf of Mexico, the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the South China Sea. Seeps at all settings transport water and dissolved compounds to the ocean through the seafloor by different forcing mechanism and from different depths of the submerged geosphere (10s of meters to 10s of km). The compounds sustain oasis-type ecosystems by providing bioactive reductants sulfide, methane and hydrogen. Hereby, the interaction between fluid composition, flux rates and biota results in a diagnostic hydrocarbon-metazoan-microbe-carbonate association; currently, well over 100 active sites are known. The single most important reaction is microbially mediated anaerobic oxidation of methane with secondary reactions involving S-biogeochemistry and carbonate mineral precipitation. Seep fluids and their seafloor manifestations provide clues as to source depth, fluid-sediment/rock interaction during ascent, lifetime and cyclicity of seepage events but less so on the magnitude of return flow. At erosive margins, Cl-depleted and B-enriched fluids from clay dehydration provide criteria for source depth and temperature. The upward material flow generates mud volcanoes at the seafloor above the projected location of dehydration at depth. At accretionary margins, fluids are derived from more shallow depths by compaction of sediments as they ride on the incoming oceanic plate; they are emitted through thrust faults. At highly sedimented margins, organic-rich and evaporite-containing strata (when present) determine the final fluid composition, by emitting characteristically gas hydrate-derived methane, brine-associated non-methane hydrocarbons or leached elements and their isotopes (Li, δ7Li, B, Ba) from host sediments. Smectite-illite transformation and associated Cl-depletion from release of interlayer water is a pervasive process at these margins. Rare earth element pattern in conjunction with redox-sensitive metals retained in seep carbonates indicate whether or not they precipitated in contact with oxic bottom water or suboxic fluids; clear environmental characterization, though, currently remains inconclusive. More deeply sourced fluids as in transform margins may be characterized by their 87Sr/86Sr ratios from interaction with oceanic crustal rocks below. Quantification of flow and reliable estimates of total volatile output from fore-arcs remain a challenge to seep research, as does understanding the role of geologically derived methane in the global methane cycle.

The Gemini Recipe System: a dynamic workflow for automated data reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labrie, Kathleen; Allen, Craig; Hirst, Paul; Holt, Jennifer; Allen, River; Dement, Kaniela

2010-07-01

Gemini's next generation data reduction software suite aims to offer greater automation of the data reduction process without compromising the flexibility required by science programs using advanced or unusual observing strategies. The Recipe System is central to our new data reduction software. Developed in Python, it facilitates near-real time processing for data quality assessment, and both on- and off-line science quality processing. The Recipe System can be run as a standalone application or as the data processing core of an automatic pipeline. The data reduction process is defined in a Recipe written in a science (as opposed to computer) oriented language, and consists of a sequence of data reduction steps, called Primitives, which are written in Python and can be launched from the PyRAF user interface by users wishing to use them interactively for more hands-on optimization of the data reduction process. The fact that the same processing Primitives can be run within both the pipeline context and interactively in a PyRAF session is an important strength of the Recipe System. The Recipe System offers dynamic flow control allowing for decisions regarding processing and calibration to be made automatically, based on the pixel and the metadata properties of the dataset at the stage in processing where the decision is being made, and the context in which the processing is being carried out. Processing history and provenance recording are provided by the AstroData middleware, which also offers header abstraction and data type recognition to facilitate the development of instrument-agnostic processing routines.

Effectiveness of Haemodiafiltration with Heat Sterilized High-Flux Polyphenylene HF Dialyzer in Reducing Free Light Chains in Patients with Myeloma Cast Nephropathy

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Introduction In cases of myeloma cast nephropathy in need of haemodialysis (HD), reduction of free light chains using HD with High-Cut-Off filters (HCO-HD), in combination with chemotherapy, may be associated with better renal recovery. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of haemodiafiltration (HDF) in reducing free light chain levels using a less expensive heat sterilized high-flux polyphenylene HF dialyzer (HF-HDF). Methods In a single-centre prospective cohort study, 327 dialysis sessions were performed using a 2.2 m2 heat sterilized high-flux polyphenylene HF dialyzer (Phylther HF22SD), a small (1.1m2) or large (2.1 m2) high-cut-off (HCO) dialyzer (HCOS and HCOL) in a cohort of 16 patients presenting with dialysis-dependent acute cast nephropathy and elevated free light chains (10 kappa, 6 lambda). The outcomes of the study were the mean reduction ratio (RR) of kappa and lambda, the proportion of treatments with an RR of at least 0.65, albumin loss and the description of patient outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using linear and logistic regression through generalized estimating equation analysis so as to take into account repeated observation within subjects and adjust for session duration. Results There were no significant differences in the estimated marginal mean of kappa RR, which were respectively 0.67, 0.69 and 0.70 with HCOL-HD, HCOS-HDF and HF-HDF (P = 0.950). The estimated marginal mean of the proportions of treatments with a kappa RR ≥0.65 were 68%, 63% and 71% with HCOL-HD, HCOS-HDF and HF-HDF, respectively (P = 0.913). The estimated marginal mean of lambda RR were higher with HCOL-HDF (0.78), compared to HCOL-HD and HF-HDF (0.62, and 0.61 respectively). The estimated marginal mean proportion of treatments with a lambda RR ≥0.65 were higher with HCOL-HDF (81%), compared to 57% in HF-HDF (P = 0.042). The median albumin loss were 7, 21 and 63 g/session with HF-HDF, HCOL-HD and HCOL-HDF respectively (P = 0.044). Among survivors, 9 out of 10 episodes of acute kidney injuries became dialysis-independent following a median time of renal replacement therapy of 40 days (range 7–181). Conclusion Therefore, in patients with acute dialysis-dependent myeloma cast nephropathy, in addition to chemotherapy, HDF with a heat sterilized high-flux polyphenylene HF dialyzer could offer an alternative to HCO dialysis for extracorporeal kappa reduction with lower albumin loss. PMID:26466100

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: guiding a cost-effective reduction of crop water consumption to a permit or benchmark level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chukalla, Abebe D.; Krol, Maarten S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2017-07-01

Reducing the water footprint (WF) of the process of growing irrigated crops is an indispensable element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, information on marginal cost curves (MCCs) that rank management packages according to their cost-effectiveness to reduce the WF need to support the decision making. MCCs enable the estimation of the cost associated with a certain WF reduction target, e.g. towards a given WF permit (expressed in m3  ha-1 per season) or to a certain WF benchmark (expressed in m3  t-1 of crop). This paper aims to develop MCCs for WF reduction for a range of selected cases. AquaCrop, a soil-water-balance and crop-growth model, is used to estimate the effect of different management packages on evapotranspiration and crop yield and thus the WF of crop production. A management package is defined as a specific combination of management practices: irrigation technique (furrow, sprinkler, drip or subsurface drip); irrigation strategy (full or deficit irrigation); and mulching practice (no, organic or synthetic mulching). The annual average cost for each management package is estimated as the annualized capital cost plus the annual costs of maintenance and operations (i.e. costs of water, energy and labour). Different cases are considered, including three crops (maize, tomato and potato); four types of environment (humid in UK, sub-humid in Italy, semi-arid in Spain and arid in Israel); three hydrologic years (wet, normal and dry years) and three soil types (loam, silty clay loam and sandy loam). For each crop, alternative WF reduction pathways were developed, after which the most cost-effective pathway was selected to develop the MCC for WF reduction. When aiming at WF reduction one can best improve the irrigation strategy first, next the mulching practice and finally the irrigation technique. Moving from a full to deficit irrigation strategy is found to be a no-regret measure: it reduces the WF by reducing water consumption at negligible yield reduction while reducing the cost for irrigation water and the associated costs for energy and labour. Next, moving from no to organic mulching has a high cost-effectiveness, reducing the WF significantly at low cost. Finally, changing from sprinkler or furrow to drip or subsurface drip irrigation reduces the WF, but at a significant cost.

Does consideration of GHG reductions change local decision making? A Case Study in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cifuentes, L. A.; Blumel, G.

2003-12-01

While local air pollution has been a public concern in developing countries for some time, climate change is looked upon as a non-urgent, developed world problem. In this work we present a case study of the interaction of measures to abate air pollution and measures to mitigate GHG emissions in Santiago, Chile, with the purpose of determining if the consideration of reductions in GHG affects the decisions taken to mitigate local air pollution. The emissions reductions of both GHG and local air pollutants were estimated from emission factors (some derived locally) and changes in activity levels. Health benefits due to air pollution abatement were computed using figures derived previously for the cost benefit analysis of Santiago's Decontamination Plan, transferred to the different cities taking into consideration local demographic and income data. The Santiago estimates were obtained using the damage function approach, based on some local epidemiological studies, and on local health and demographic data. Unit social values for the effects were estimated locally (for cost of treatment and lost productivity values) or extrapolated from US values (mainly for WTP values) using the ratio of per-capita income and an income elasticity of 1. The average benefits of emission abatement (in 1997 US\\ per ton) are 1,800 (1,200-2300) for NOx, 3,000 (2,100-3900) for SO2, 31,900 (21,900 - 41,900) for PM, and 630 (430 - 830) for resuspended dust. Economic benefits due to carbon reduction were considered at 3.5, 10 and 20 UStCO2. Marginal abatement cost curves were constructed considering private and net costs (private less the potential sales of carbon credits) Due to the bottom-up approach to constructing the marginal cost curve, many abatement measures (like congestion tolls and CNG instead of diesel buses) amounting to 8% reduction of PM2.5 concentration, exhibit a negative private cost. If the health benefits are considered for the decision, a maximum reduction of 22% in PM2.5 levels is obtained. Although many measures have associated reductions in GHG, due to the relatively low price considered for carbon reductions, when the potential benefits of CO2 sales are considered, this number does not increases. Therefore, consideration of the CO2 benefits did not change the decision for any of the 36 measures analyzed. This confirms that the main driver for air pollution policy is likely to continue to be local concerns, like public health issues.

Enhanced Fe2O3 Reducibility via Surface Modification with Pd: Characterizing the Synergy within Pd/Fe Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation Reactions

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

Hensley, Alyssa; Hong, Yongchun; Zhang, Renqin

2014-10-03

The synergistic catalysis in the hydrodeoxygenation of phenolic compounds over a Pd/Fe bimetallic surface has been well established. However, the nature of this synergy is still in part a mystery. In this work, we used a combined experimental and theoretical approach to understand a potential function of the surface Pd in the reduction of Pd/Fe2O3. This function of Pd was investigated via the comparison of the reduction properties as well as other physicochemical properties of samples synthesized by the reduction of Fe2O3 nanoparticles with and without surface Pd. Temperature-programmed reduction studies demonstrated the remarkable facilitation of reduction by addition ofmore » Pd, evidenced by a 150 degrees C shift toward lower temperature of the reduction peak of Fe3+. From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculation results, the interaction between Pd and the Fe2O3 surface occurs through the exchange of electrons with both the surface Fe and O atoms. This bonding between the Pd and surface oxide elements causes the Pd to partially donate electrons to the oxide surface, making the surface electrons more delocalized. This electron delocalization stabilizes the reduced oxide surfaces, as suggested by the TPR results and theoretical prediction. Therefore, the stabilization of the reduced Fe surface as well as the facilitated water formation by introduction of Pd is expected to significantly contribute to the Pd-Fe synergy in hydrodeoxygenation catalysis.« less

Are Electronic Cigarettes an Effective Aid to Smoking Cessation or Reduction Among Vulnerable Groups? A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence.

PubMed

Gentry, Sarah; Forouhi, Nita; Notley, Caitlin

2018-03-28

Smoking prevalence remains high in some vulnerable groups, including those who misuse substances, have a mental illness, are homeless or are involved with the criminal justice system. E-cigarette use is increasing and may support smoking cessation/reduction. Systematic review of quantitative and qualitative data on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation/reduction among vulnerable groups. Databases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, ASSIA, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and Open Grey. Narrative synthesis of quantitative data and thematic synthesis of qualitative data. 2628 records and 46 full texts were screened; 9 studies were identified for inclusion. Due to low quality of evidence, it is uncertain whether e-cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation in vulnerable populations. A moderate quality study suggested e-cigarettes were as effective as nicotine replacement therapy. Four studies suggested significant smoking reduction, however three were uncontrolled and had sample sizes below 30. A prospective cohort study found no differences between e-cigarette users and non-users. No significant adverse events and minimal side effects were identified. Qualitative thematic synthesis revealed barriers and facilitators associated with each component of the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour) model, including practical barriers; perceptions of effectiveness for cessation/reduction; design features contributing to automatic and reflective motivation; smoking bans facilitating practical opportunity; and social connectedness increasing social opportunity. Further research is needed to identify the most appropriate device types for practicality and safety, level of support required in e-cigarette interventions, and to compare e-cigarettes with current best practice smoking cessation support among vulnerable groups. Smoking prevalence among people with mental illness, substance misuse, homelessness or criminal justice system involvement remains high. E-cigarettes could support cessation. This systematic review found limited quantitative evidence assessing effectiveness. No serious adverse events were identified. Qualitative thematic synthesis revealed barriers and facilitators mapping to each component of the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour) model, including practical barriers; perceived effectiveness; design features contributing to automatic and reflective motivation; smoking bans facilitating practical opportunity; and social connectedness increasing social opportunity. Further research should consider appropriate devices for practicality and safety, concurrent support, and comparison with best practice smoking cessation support.

Impact of damming on the Chironomidae of the upper zone of a tropical run-of-the-river reservoir.

PubMed

Brandimarte, A L; Anaya, M; Shimizu, G Y

2016-06-01

We examined the effects of the Mogi-Guaçu river damming (São Paulo State, Brazil) on the Chironomidae fauna. Pre, during, and post-filling sampling was carried out in the main channel and margins of one site in the upper zone of the reservoir, using a modified Petersen grab (325 cm2). We evaluated the total, subfamily, and tribe densities and also their relative abundance. Analysis of genera included densities, relative abundance, richness, and dominance. The Rosso's ecological value index (EVI) determined the ecological importance of each genus. There was a tendency of decrease of the total Chironomidae density, increase in the percentage of Chironomini, and decrease in densities and percentages of Orthocladiinae and Tanytarsini. These changes in percentage were respectively related to Polypedilum, Lopescladius, and Rheotanytarsus, the genera with the highest EVI values. After-filling richness was lower in the margins and dominance of genera did not change significantly. Chironomidae in the margins was more sensitive to damming than in the main channel. This difference in sensibility sustains the use of Chironomidae as bioindicators. Damming impact was indicated by the reduction of both genera richness in the margins and relative abundance of groups typical of faster waters. The results have highlighted the need for multi-habitat analysis combined with a before-after sampling approach in the environmental impact studies concerning the damming impact on the benthic fauna.

Shedding PEG Palisade by Temporal Photostimulation and Intracellular Reducing Milieu for Facilitated Intracellular Trafficking and DNA Release.

PubMed

Wang, Tieyan; Chen, Qixian; Lu, Hongguang; Li, Wei; Li, Zaifen; Ma, Jianbiao; Gao, Hui

2016-08-17

The dilemma of poly(ethylene glycol) surface modification (PEGylation) inspired us to develop an intracellularly sheddable PEG palisade for synthetic delivery systems. Here, we attempted to conjugate PEG to polyethylenimine (PEI) through tandem linkages of disulfide-bridge susceptible to cytoplasmic reduction and an azobenzene/cyclodextrin inclusion complex responsive to external photoirradiation. The subsequent investigations revealed that facile PEG detachment could be achieved in endosomes upon photoirradiation, consequently engendering exposure of membrane-disruptive PEI for facilitated endosome escape. The liberated formulation in the cytosol was further subjected to complete PEG detachment relying on disulfide cleavage in the reductive cytosol, thus accelerating dissociation of electrostatically assembled PEI/DNA polyplex to release DNA by means of polyion exchange reaction with intracellularly charged species, ultimately contributing to efficient gene expression.

Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human Health and Food Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shindell, Drew; Kuylenstierna, Johan C. I.; Vignati, Elisabetta; van Dingenen, Rita; Amann, Markus; Klimont, Zbigniew; Anenberg, Susan C.; Muller, Nicholas; Janssens-Maenhout, Greet; Raes, Frank; Schwartz, Joel; Faluvegi, Greg; Pozzoli, Luca; Kupiainen, Kaarle; Höglund-Isaksson, Lena; Emberson, Lisa; Streets, David; Ramanathan, V.; Hicks, Kevin; Oanh, N. T. Kim; Milly, George; Williams, Martin; Demkine, Volodymyr; Fowler, David

2012-01-01

Tropospheric ozone and black carbon (BC) contribute to both degraded air quality and global warming. We considered ~400 emission control measures to reduce these pollutants by using current technology and experience. We identified 14 measures targeting methane and BC emissions that reduce projected global mean warming ~0.5°C by 2050. This strategy avoids 0.7 to 4.7 million annual premature deaths from outdoor air pollution and increases annual crop yields by 30 to 135 million metric tons due to ozone reductions in 2030 and beyond. Benefits of methane emissions reductions are valued at $700 to $5000 per metric ton, which is well above typical marginal abatement costs (less than $250). The selected controls target different sources and influence climate on shorter time scales than those of carbon dioxide-reduction measures. Implementing both substantially reduces the risks of crossing the 2°C threshold.

The From Survivor to Thriver Program: RCT of an online therapist-facilitated program for rape-related PTSD

PubMed Central

Littleton, Heather; Grills, Amie E.; Kline, Katherine D.; Schoemann, Alexander M.; Dodd, Julia C.

2016-01-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of the From Survivor to Thriver program, an interactive, online therapist-facilitated cognitive-behavioral program for rape-related PTSD. Eighty-seven college women with rape-related PTSD were randomized to complete the interactive program (n = 46) or a psycho-educational self-help website (n = 41). Both programs led to large reductions in interview-assessed PTSD at post-treatment (interactive d = 2.22, psycho-educational d = 1.10), which were maintained at three month follow-up. Both also led to medium- to large-sized reductions in self-reported depressive and general anxiety symptoms. Follow-up analyses supported that the therapist-facilitated interactive program led to superior outcomes among those with higher pre-treatment PTSD whereas the psycho-educational self-help website led to superior outcomes for individuals with lower pre-treatment PTSD. Future research should examine the efficacy and effectiveness of online interventions for rape-related PTSD including whether treatment intensity matching could be utilized to maximize outcomes and therapist resource efficiency. PMID:27513363

The From Survivor to Thriver program: RCT of an online therapist-facilitated program for rape-related PTSD.

PubMed

Littleton, Heather; Grills, Amie E; Kline, Katherine D; Schoemann, Alexander M; Dodd, Julia C

2016-10-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of the From Survivor to Thriver program, an interactive, online therapist-facilitated cognitive-behavioral program for rape-related PTSD. Eighty-seven college women with rape-related PTSD were randomized to complete the interactive program (n=46) or a psycho-educational self-help website (n=41). Both programs led to large reductions in interview-assessed PTSD at post-treatment (interactive d=2.22, psycho-educational d=1.10), which were maintained at three month follow-up. Both also led to medium- to large-sized reductions in self-reported depressive and general anxiety symptoms. Follow-up analyses supported that the therapist-facilitated interactive program led to superior outcomes among those with higher pre-treatment PTSD whereas the psycho-educational self-help website led to superior outcomes for individuals with lower pre-treatment PTSD. Future research should examine the efficacy and effectiveness of online interventions for rape-related PTSD including whether treatment intensity matching could be utilized to maximize outcomes and therapist resource efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Randomised controlled non-inferiority trial of primary care-based facilitated access to an alcohol reduction website: cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Hunter, Rachael; Wallace, Paul; Struzzo, Pierluigi; Vedova, Roberto Della; Scafuri, Francesca; Tersar, Costanza; Lygidakis, Charilaos; McGregor, Richard; Scafato, Emanuele; Freemantle, Nick

2017-11-03

To evaluate the 12-month costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained to the Italian National Health Service of facilitated access to a website for hazardous drinkers compared with a standard face-to-face brief intervention (BI). Randomised 1:1 non-inferiority trial. Practices of 58 general practitioners (GPs) in Italy. Of 9080 patients (>18 years old) approached to take part in the trial, 4529 (49·9%) logged on to the website and 3841 (84.8%) undertook online screening for hazardous drinking. 822 (21.4%) screened positive and 763 (19.9%) were recruited to the trial. Patients were randomised to receive either a face-to-face BI or access via a brochure from their GP to an alcohol reduction website (facilitated access). The primary outcome is the cost per QALY gained of facilitated access compared with face-to-face. A secondary analysis includes total costs and benefits per 100 patients, including number of hazardous drinkers prevented at 12 months. The average time required for the face-to-face BI was 8 min (95% CI 7.5 min to 8.6 min). Given the maximum time taken for facilitated access of 5 min, face-to-face is an additional 3 min: equivalent to having time for another GP appointment for every three patients referred to the website. Complete case analysis adjusting for baseline the difference in QALYs for facilitated access is 0.002 QALYs per patient (95% CI -0.007 to 0.011). Facilitated access to a website to reduce hazardous drinking costs less than a face-to-face BI given by a GP with no worse outcomes. The lower cost of facilitated access, particularly in regards to investment of time, may facilitate the increase in provision of BIs for hazardous drinking. NCT01638338;Post-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche-efficiency.

PubMed

Liang, Jingjing; Zhou, Mo; Tobin, Patrick C; McGuire, A David; Reich, Peter B

2015-05-05

The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche-efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche-efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species' inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty.

Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche–efficiency

PubMed Central

Liang, Jingjing; Zhou, Mo; Tobin, Patrick C.; McGuire, A. David; Reich, Peter B.

2015-01-01

The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche–efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche–efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species’ inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty. PMID:25901325

Evaluating potential effects of an industrial road on winter habitat of caribou in North-Central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Ryan R.; Gustine, David D.; Joly, Kyle

2014-01-01

Worldwide, some caribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations are experiencing declines due partially to the expansion of industrial development. Caribou can exhibit behavioral avoidance of development, leading to indirect habitat loss, even if the actual footprint is small. Thus, it is important to understand before construction begins how much habitat might be affected by proposed development. In northern Alaska, an industrial road that has been proposed to facilitate mining transects a portion of the Western Arctic caribou herd's winter range. To understand how winter habitat use might be affected by the road, we estimated resource selection patterns during winter for caribou in a study area surrounding the proposed road. We assessed the reductions of habitat value associated with three proposed routes at three distance thresholds for disturbance. High-value winter habitat tended to occur in locally rugged areas that have not burned recently and have a high density of lichen and early dates of spring snowmelt. We found that 1.5% to 8.5% (146-848 km2) of existing high-value winter habitat in our study area might be reduced in quality. The three alternative routes were only marginally different. Our results suggest that the road would have minimal direct effects on high-value winter habitat; however, additional cumulative impacts to caribou (e.g., increased access by recreationists and hunters) should be considered before the full effects of the road can be estimated.

Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche–efficiency

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liang, Jingjing; Zhou, Mo; Tobin, Patrick C.; McGuire, A. David; Reich, Peter B.

2015-01-01

The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche–efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche–efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species’ inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty.

Toward a new spacecraft optimal design lifetime? Impact of marginal cost of durability and reduced launch price

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snelgrove, Kailah B.; Saleh, Joseph Homer

2016-10-01

The average design lifetime of satellites continues to increase, in part due to the expectation that the satellite cost per operational day decreases monotonically with increased design lifetime. In this work, we challenge this expectation by revisiting the durability choice problem for spacecraft in the face of reduced launch price and under various cost of durability models. We first provide a brief overview of the economic thought on durability and highlight its limitations as they pertain to our problem (e.g., the assumption of zero marginal cost of durability). We then investigate the merging influence of spacecraft cost of durability and launch price, and we identify conditions that give rise cost-optimal design lifetimes that are shorter than the longest lifetime technically achievable. For example, we find that high costs of durability favor short design lifetimes, and that under these conditions the optimal choice is relatively robust to reduction in launch prices. By contrast, lower costs of durability favor longer design lifetimes, and the optimal choice is highly sensitive to reduction in launch price. In both cases, reduction in launch prices translates into reduction of the optimal design lifetime. Our results identify a number of situations for which satellite operators would be better served by spacecraft with shorter design lifetimes. Beyond cost issues and repeat purchases, other implications of long design lifetime include the increased risk of technological slowdown given the lower frequency of purchases and technology refresh, and the increased risk for satellite operators that the spacecraft will be technologically obsolete before the end of its life (with the corollary of loss of value and competitive advantage). We conclude with the recommendation that, should pressure to extend spacecraft design lifetime continue, satellite manufacturers should explore opportunities to lease their spacecraft to operators, or to take a stake in the ownership of the asset on orbit.

Reduction of Perceived Social Distance as an Explanation for Media's Influence on Personal Risk Perceptions: A Test of the Risk Convergence Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Jiyeon; Nabi, Robin

2013-01-01

The risk convergence model proposes reduction of perceived social distance to a mediated personality as a mechanism through which the mass media can influence audiences' personal risk perceptions. As an initial test of the model, this study examined whether 5 audience variables known to facilitate media effects on personal risk…

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

Iverson, Aaron

Ra Power Management (RPM) has developed a cloud based software platform that manages the financial and operational functions of third party financed solar projects throughout their lifecycle. RPM’s software streamlines and automates the sales, financing, and management of a portfolio of solar assets. The software helps solar developers automate the most difficult aspects of asset management, leading to increased transparency, efficiency, and reduction in human error. More importantly, our platform will help developers save money by improving their operating margins

An approach for aerodynamic optimization of transonic fan blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khelghatibana, Maryam

Aerodynamic design optimization of transonic fan blades is a highly challenging problem due to the complexity of flow field inside the fan, the conflicting design requirements and the high-dimensional design space. In order to address all these challenges, an aerodynamic design optimization method is developed in this study. This method automates the design process by integrating a geometrical parameterization method, a CFD solver and numerical optimization methods that can be applied to both single and multi-point optimization design problems. A multi-level blade parameterization is employed to modify the blade geometry. Numerical analyses are performed by solving 3D RANS equations combined with SST turbulence model. Genetic algorithms and hybrid optimization methods are applied to solve the optimization problem. In order to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the optimization method, a singlepoint optimization problem aiming to maximize design efficiency is formulated and applied to redesign a test case. However, transonic fan blade design is inherently a multi-faceted problem that deals with several objectives such as efficiency, stall margin, and choke margin. The proposed multi-point optimization method in the current study is formulated as a bi-objective problem to maximize design and near-stall efficiencies while maintaining the required design pressure ratio. Enhancing these objectives significantly deteriorate the choke margin, specifically at high rotational speeds. Therefore, another constraint is embedded in the optimization problem in order to prevent the reduction of choke margin at high speeds. Since capturing stall inception is numerically very expensive, stall margin has not been considered as an objective in the problem statement. However, improving near-stall efficiency results in a better performance at stall condition, which could enhance the stall margin. An investigation is therefore performed on the Pareto-optimal solutions to demonstrate the relation between near-stall efficiency and stall margin. The proposed method is applied to redesign NASA rotor 67 for single and multiple operating conditions. The single-point design optimization showed +0.28 points improvement of isentropic efficiency at design point, while the design pressure ratio and mass flow are, respectively, within 0.12% and 0.11% of the reference blade. Two cases of multi-point optimization are performed: First, the proposed multi-point optimization problem is relaxed by removing the choke margin constraint in order to demonstrate the relation between near-stall efficiency and stall margin. An investigation on the Pareto-optimal solutions of this optimization shows that the stall margin has been increased with improving near-stall efficiency. The second multi-point optimization case is performed with considering all the objectives and constraints. One selected optimized design on the Pareto front presents +0.41, +0.56 and +0.9 points improvement in near-peak efficiency, near-stall efficiency and stall margin, respectively. The design pressure ratio and mass flow are, respectively, within 0.3% and 0.26% of the reference blade. Moreover the optimized design maintains the required choking margin. Detailed aerodynamic analyses are performed to investigate the effect of shape optimization on shock occurrence, secondary flows, tip leakage and shock/tip-leakage interactions in both single and multi-point optimizations.

How I do it: Awake craniotomy.

PubMed

Hill, Ciaran Scott; Severgnini, Flavio; McKintosh, Edward

2017-01-01

Awake craniotomy allows continuous assessment of a patient's clinical and neurological status during open brain surgery. This facilitates early detection of interference with eloquent cortex, and hence can allow a surgeon to maximize resection margins without compromising neurological function. Awake craniotomy requires an effective scalp blockade, intraoperative assessment, and a carefully co-ordinated theatre team. A variety of clinical and electrophysiological techniques can be used to assess cortical function. Effective scalp blockade and awake craniotomy provides the opportunity to intraoperatively assess cortical function in the awake patient, thus providing an important neurosurgical option for lesions near eloquent cortex.

Stability of linear systems in second-order form based on structure preserving similarity transformations

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

Stoustrup, Jakob; Pommer, Christian; Kliem, Wolfhard

2015-10-31

This paper deals with two stability aspects of linear systems of the form I ¨ x +B˙ x +Cx = 0 given by the triple (I;B;C). A general transformation scheme is given for a structure and Jordan form preserving transformation of the triple. We investigate how a system can be transformed by suitable choices of the transformation parameters into a new system (I;B1;C1) with a symmetrizable matrix C1. This procedure facilitates stability investigations. We also consider systems with a Hamiltonian spectrum which discloses marginal stability after a Jordan form preserving transformation.

The Future of Marine Biogeochemistry, Ecosystems, and Societies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bundy, Alida; Liu, Kon-Kee; Thomas, Helmuth

2013-05-01

The international project Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) convenes an IMBIZO (a Zulu word meaning "a gathering") biennially, with a format of three concurrent, interacting workshops designed to synthesize information on topical research areas in marine science. IMBIZO III, held at the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa, India, focused on multidimensional approaches to challenges of global change in continental margins (CM), open ocean systems, and dependent human societies. More than 120 participants from 29 nations attended the meeting; the smaller workshop groups allowed in-depth discussions, and daily plenary sessions facilitated discussion among interdisciplinary experts.

Loop technique.

PubMed

Seeburger, Joerg; Noack, Thilo; Winkfein, Michael; Ender, Joerg; Mohr, Friedrich Wilhelm

2010-01-01

The loop technique facilitates mitral valve repair for leaflet prolapse by implantation of Gore-Tex neo-chordae. The key feature of the technique is a premade bundle of four loops made out of one suture. The loops are available in different lengths ranging from 10 to 26 mm. After assessment of the ideal length of neo-chordae with a caliper the loops are then secured to the body of the papillary muscle over an additional felt pledget. In the following step, the free ends of the loops are distributed along the free margin of the prolapsing segment using one additional suture for each loop.

Enabling rechargeable non-aqueous Mg-O2 battery operations with dual redox mediators.

PubMed

Dong, Qi; Yao, Xiahui; Luo, Jingru; Zhang, Xizi; Hwang, Hajin; Wang, Dunwei

2016-12-11

Dual redox mediators (RMs) were introduced for Mg-O 2 batteries. 1,4-Benzoquinone (BQ) facilitates the discharge with an overpotential reduction of 0.3 V. 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine cobalt(ii) (Co(ii)TPP) facilitates the recharge with an overpotential decrease of up to 0.3 V. Importantly, the two redox mediators are compatible in the same DMSO-based electrolyte.

Improving Visual Acuity of Myopes through Operant Training: The Evaluation of Psychological and Physiological Mechanisms Facilitating Acuity Enhancement

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

Suiek. M. ( 1987 ). Voice and Manual Control in Dual Task Situations. Proceedings o* the Human Pactors Society. (31st Annual Meeting): 419-423. FIELDS OF...aberration. Trachtman ( 1987 ) found that a reduction in pupil size alone may improve acuity although accommodation remains unchanged. 18 One means of...that facilitate behaviorally trained visual acuity improvement (Gallaway, Pearl, Winkelstein, & Scheiman, 1987 ). Relatively few eye care practitioners

[Arthroscopy-guided fracture management. Ankle joint and calcaneus].

PubMed

Schoepp, C; Rixen, D

2013-04-01

Arthroscopic fracture management of the ankle and calcaneus requires a differentiated approach. The aim is to minimize surgical soft tissue damage and to visualize anatomical fracture reduction arthroscopically. Moreover, additional cartilage damage can be detected and treated. The arthroscopic approach is limited by deep impressions of the joint surface needing cancellous bone grafting, by multiple fracture lines on the articular side and by high-grade soft tissue damage. An alternative to the minimally invasive arthroscopic approach is open arthroscopic reduction in conventional osteosynthesis. This facilitates correct assessment of surgical reduction of complex calcaneal fractures, otherwise remaining non-anatomical reduction might not be fluoroscopically detected during surgery.

Environmental degradation and remediation: is economics part of the problem?

PubMed

Dore, Mohammed H I; Burton, Ian

2003-01-01

It is argued that standard environmental economic and 'ecological economics', have the same fundamentals of valuation in terms of money, based on a demand curve derived from utility maximization. But this approach leads to three different measures of value. An invariant measure of value exists only if the consumer has 'homothetic preferences'. In order to obtain a numerical estimate of value, specific functional forms are necessary, but typically these estimates do not converge. This is due to the fact that the underlying economic model is not structurally stable. According to neoclassical economics, any environmental remediation can be justified only in terms of increases in consumer satisfaction, balancing marginal gains against marginal costs. It is not surprising that the optimal policy obtained from this approach suggests only small reductions in greenhouse gases. We show that a unidimensional metric of consumer's utility measured in dollar terms can only trivialize the problem of global climate change.

The reduction, verification and interpretation of MAGSAT magnetic data over Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coles, R. L. (Principal Investigator); Haines, G. V.; Vanbeek, G. J.; Walker, J. K.; Newitt, L. R.; Nandi, A.

1982-01-01

Correlations between the MAGSAT scalar anomaly map produced at the Earth Physics ranch and other geophysical and geological data reveal relationships between high magnetic field and some metamorphic grade shields, as well as between low magnetic field and shield regions of lower metamorphic grade. An intriguing contrast exists between the broad low anomaly field over the Nasen-Gakkel Ridge (a spreading plate margin) and the high anomaly field over Iceland (part of a spreading margin). Both regions have high heat flow, and presumably thin magnetic crust. This indicates that Iceland is quite anomalous in its magnetic character, and possible similarities with the Alpha Ridge are suggested. Interesting correlations exist between MAGSAT anomalies around the North Atlantic, after reconstructing the fit of continents into a prerifting configuration. These correlations suggest that several orogenies in that region have not completely destroyed an ancient magnetization formed in high grade Precambrian rocks.

Observation of wave refraction at an ice edge by synthetic aperture radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Antony K.; Vachon, Paris W.; Peng, Chih Y.

1991-01-01

In this note the refraction of waves at the ice edge is studied by using aircraft synthesis aperture radar (SAR). Penetration of a dominant swell from open ocean into the ice cover was observed by SAR during the Labrador Ice Margin Experiment (LIMEX), conducted on the marginal ice zone (MIZ) off the east coast of Newfoundland, Canada, in March 1987. At an ice edge with a large curvature, the dominant swell component disappeared locally in the SAR imagery. Six subscenes of waves in the MIZ from the SAR image have been processed, revealing total reflection, refraction, and energy reduction of the ocean waves by the ice cover. The observed variations of wave spectra from SAR near the ice edge are consistent with the model prediction of wave refraction at the ice edge due to the change of wave dispersion relation in ice developed by Liu and Mollo-Christensen (1988).

Design verification and fabrication of active control systems for the DAST ARW-2 high aspect ratio wing. Part 2: Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgehee, C. R.

1986-01-01

This is Part 2-Appendices of a study conducted under Drones for Aerodynamic and Structural Testing (DAST) Program to accomplish the final design and hardware fabrication for four active control systems compatible with and ready for installation in the NASA Aeroelastic Research Wing No. 2 (ARW-2) and Firebee II drone flight test vehicle. The wing structure was designed so that Active Control Systems (ACS) are required in the normal flight envelope by integrating control system design with aerodynamics and structure technologies. The DAST ARW-2 configuration uses flutter suppression, relaxed static stability, and gust and maneuver load alleviation ACS systems, and an automatic flight control system. Performance goals and criteria were applied to individual systems and the systems collectively to assure that vehicle stability margins, flutter margins, flying qualities, and load reductions were achieved.

Economic tools to promote transparency and comparability in the Paris Agreement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldy, Joseph; Pizer, William; Tavoni, Massimo; Reis, Lara Aleluia; Akimoto, Keigo; Blanford, Geoffrey; Carraro, Carlo; Clarke, Leon E.; Edmonds, James; Iyer, Gokul C.; McJeon, Haewon C.; Richels, Richard; Rose, Steven; Sano, Fuminori

2016-11-01

The Paris Agreement culminates a six-year transition towards an international climate policy architecture based on parties submitting national pledges every five years. An important policy task will be to assess and compare these contributions. We use four integrated assessment models to produce metrics of Paris Agreement pledges, and show differentiated effort across countries: wealthier countries pledge to undertake greater emission reductions with higher costs. The pledges fall in the lower end of the distributions of the social cost of carbon and the cost-minimizing path to limiting warming to 2 °C, suggesting insufficient global ambition in light of leaders’ climate goals. Countries’ marginal abatement costs vary by two orders of magnitude, illustrating that large efficiency gains are available through joint mitigation efforts and/or carbon price coordination. Marginal costs rise almost proportionally with income, but full policy costs reveal more complex regional patterns due to terms of trade effects.

Deglacial 'ping-pong' between East Asian Monsoon, North Pacific Meridional Overturning Circulation, and sediment dynamics along the deep northern South China Sea margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarnthein, M.

2011-12-01

On the basis of marine and speleothem paleoclimate records it is widely accepted that the East Asian summer monsoon was strongly reduced during Heinrich stadial 1 (HS-1) such as during preceding stadials. Accordingly, Eastern Asia suffered from severe aridity from 17.4 - 14.7 ka, when all great Asian rivers from the Mekong in the south up to the Amur in the north almost ceased flowing into the Western Pacific. Today, the modern freshwater input of these rivers sums up to approx. 0.165 Sverdrups (in addition to the river discharge from Canada and Alaska), a flow possibly similar to the meltwater outbreaks that induced Atlantic Heinrich stadials. The East Asian freshwater feeds the Kuroshio/Oyashio Currents which act as "rain gutter" and finally discharge the freshwater up to the subarctic North Pacific (sensu Emile-Geay, et al., 2003). Indeed, the great reduction in both the fluvial freshwater discharge and the direct monsoon precipitation over the N.W. Pacific during HS-1 matched a significant rise in sea surface salinity in the subarctic North Pacific. Most important, it was precisely coeval with a thousand-year long pulse of North Pacific deep-water convection down to >3600 m water depth. This event obviously reflects a direct response to the great reduction in East Asian monsoon precipitation and is inferred from a major reduction of planktic reservoir ages from 1150 to 300 yr in the northwest Pacific and in particular, from an abrupt reduction of benthic ventilation ages by 1500 yr and a prominent minimum in bottom water alkalinity inferred from minimum delta11B, that suggests intensive vertical downmixing. The ventilated North Pacific deep waters, in turn, probably formed a western boundary current per analogy to that along the modern West Atlantic margin and finally entered the South China Sea with a lag of centuries. Today the track of the Pacific inflow can be traced along the northern margin of the South China Sea near 2000 m water depth by means of erosional furrows that reflect winnowing and/or erosion. The great deglacial incursion of North Pacific deep waters is reflected by a prominent reduction in deep-water ventilation ages and a maximum in CaCO3 preservation that leads to an aragonite spike. Near the end of previous glacial terminations II, III, and V (i.e., in the context of Heinrich stadials associated) the deglacial incursion pulses of North Pacific Deep Water probably resulted in major erosional hiatuses found at ODP Site 1144 to the south of HongKong, which each may finally be traced back to a short-term dramatic reduction in East Asian monsoon moisture during deglacial Heinrich events as ultimate driver of short-term convection events in the N.W. Pacific. Ref.: Emile-Geay, J., et al., 2003, Warren revisited: Atmospheric freshwater fluxes and 'Why is no deep water formed in the North Pacific.' - JGR 108, C6, 3178, doi:10.1029/2001JC001058.

Effects of Optical Blur Reduction on Equivalent Intrinsic Blur

PubMed Central

Valeshabad, Ali Kord; Wanek, Justin; McAnany, J. Jason; Shahidi, Mahnaz

2015-01-01

Purpose To determine the effect of optical blur reduction on equivalent intrinsic blur, an estimate of the blur within the visual system, by comparing optical and equivalent intrinsic blur before and after adaptive optics (AO) correction of wavefront error. Methods Twelve visually normal individuals (age; 31 ± 12 years) participated in this study. Equivalent intrinsic blur (σint) was derived using a previously described model. Optical blur (σopt) due to high-order aberrations was quantified by Shack-Hartmann aberrometry and minimized using AO correction of wavefront error. Results σopt and σint were significantly reduced and visual acuity (VA) was significantly improved after AO correction (P ≤ 0.004). Reductions in σopt and σint were linearly dependent on the values before AO correction (r ≥ 0.94, P ≤ 0.002). The reduction in σint was greater than the reduction in σopt, although it was marginally significant (P = 0.05). σint after AO correlated significantly with σint before AO (r = 0.92, P < 0.001) and the two parameters were related linearly with a slope of 0.46. Conclusions Reduction in equivalent intrinsic blur was greater than the reduction in optical blur due to AO correction of wavefront error. This finding implies that VA in subjects with high equivalent intrinsic blur can be improved beyond that expected from the reduction in optical blur alone. PMID:25785538

Effects of optical blur reduction on equivalent intrinsic blur.

PubMed

Kord Valeshabad, Ali; Wanek, Justin; McAnany, J Jason; Shahidi, Mahnaz

2015-04-01

To determine the effect of optical blur reduction on equivalent intrinsic blur, an estimate of the blur within the visual system, by comparing optical and equivalent intrinsic blur before and after adaptive optics (AO) correction of wavefront error. Twelve visually normal subjects (mean [±SD] age, 31 [±12] years) participated in this study. Equivalent intrinsic blur (σint) was derived using a previously described model. Optical blur (σopt) caused by high-order aberrations was quantified by Shack-Hartmann aberrometry and minimized using AO correction of wavefront error. σopt and σint were significantly reduced and visual acuity was significantly improved after AO correction (p ≤ 0.004). Reductions in σopt and σint were linearly dependent on the values before AO correction (r ≥ 0.94, p ≤ 0.002). The reduction in σint was greater than the reduction in σopt, although it was marginally significant (p = 0.05). σint after AO correlated significantly with σint before AO (r = 0.92, p < 0.001), and the two parameters were related linearly with a slope of 0.46. Reduction in equivalent intrinsic blur was greater than the reduction in optical blur after AO correction of wavefront error. This finding implies that visual acuity in subjects with high equivalent intrinsic blur can be improved beyond that expected from the reduction in optical blur alone.

Digital robust control law synthesis using constrained optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivekananda

1989-01-01

Development of digital robust control laws for active control of high performance flexible aircraft and large space structures is a research area of significant practical importance. The flexible system is typically modeled by a large order state space system of equations in order to accurately represent the dynamics. The active control law must satisy multiple conflicting design requirements and maintain certain stability margins, yet should be simple enough to be implementable on an onboard digital computer. Described here is an application of a generic digital control law synthesis procedure for such a system, using optimal control theory and constrained optimization technique. A linear quadratic Gaussian type cost function is minimized by updating the free parameters of the digital control law, while trying to satisfy a set of constraints on the design loads, responses and stability margins. Analytical expressions for the gradients of the cost function and the constraints with respect to the control law design variables are used to facilitate rapid numerical convergence. These gradients can be used for sensitivity study and may be integrated into a simultaneous structure and control optimization scheme.

AN INTERVENTION TO ASSIST MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN DISCLOSE THEIR SEROSTATUS TO CASUAL SEX PARTNERS

PubMed Central

Serovich, Julianne M.; Reed, Sandra; Grafsky, Erika L.; Andrist, David

2009-01-01

This article reports pilot data from a newly developed disclosure intervention and associated measures specifically tailored for disclosure to casual sexual partners. Treatment consisted of a four-session, theoretically driven intervention focusing on the costs and benefits of disclosure. Using a randomized control, crossover design 77 men were randomized into one of three conditions (wait-list control, facilitator only, and computer and facilitator). Results of the study suggest that facilitated administration of the pilot intervention was effective in reducing mean scores on the HIV disclosure behavior and attitude scales and that these reductions were both statistically and practically significant. PMID:19519236

Mechanistic investigations of Se(VI) treatment in anoxic groundwater using granular iron and organic carbon: an EXAFS study.

PubMed

Gibson, Blair D; Blowes, David W; Lindsay, Matthew B J; Ptacek, Carol J

2012-11-30

The removal of aqueous Se(VI) from a simulated groundwater by granular iron (GI), organic carbon (OC), and a mixture of these reactive materials (GI-OC) was evaluated in laboratory batch experiments. The experiments were performed under anoxic conditions to simulate subsurface treatment. A total reaction time of 120 h (5 d) was chosen to investigate the rapid changes in speciation occurring over reaction times that are reasonable for permeable reactive barrier (PRB) systems. After 120 h, concentrations of Se decreased by >90% in the GI system, 15% in the OC system and 35% in the GI-OC mixture. Analysis of the materials after contact with Se using synchrotron-radiation based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicated the presence of Se(IV) and Se(0) on the margins of GI grains after 6h with evidence of SeO and SeSe bonding, whereas Se(VI) was not observed. After 72 h, Se(0) was the only form of Se present in the GI experiments. In the OC batches, the XAS analysis indicated binding consistent with sorption of aqueous Se(VI) onto the OC with only minor reduction to Se(IV) and Se(0) after 120 h. Selenium XAS spectra collected for the GI-OC mixture were consistent with spectra for Se(IV) and Se(0) on both the margins of GI grains and OC particles, suggesting that the presence of dissolved Fe may have mediated the reduction of sorbed Se(VI). The results suggest that the application of granular Fe is effective at inducing aqueous Se removal in anoxic conditions through reductive precipitation processes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Noise Scaling and Community Noise Metrics for the Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burley, Casey L.; Brooks, Thomas F.; Hutcheson, Florence V.; Doty, Michael J.; Lopes, Leonard V.; Nickol, Craig L.; Vicroy, Dan D.; Pope, D. Stuart

2014-01-01

An aircraft system noise assessment was performed for the hybrid wing body aircraft concept, known as the N2A-EXTE. This assessment is a result of an effort by NASA to explore a realistic HWB design that has the potential to substantially reduce noise and fuel burn. Under contract to NASA, Boeing designed the aircraft using practical aircraft design princip0les with incorporation of noise technologies projected to be available in the 2020 timeframe. NASA tested 5.8% scale-mode of the design in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel to provide source noise directivity and installation effects for aircraft engine and airframe configurations. Analysis permitted direct scaling of the model-scale jet, airframe, and engine shielding effect measurements to full-scale. Use of these in combination with ANOPP predictions enabled computations of the cumulative (CUM) noise margins relative to FAA Stage 4 limits. The CUM margins were computed for a baseline N2A-EXTE configuration and for configurations with added noise reduction strategies. The strategies include reduced approach speed, over-the-rotor line and soft-vane fan technologies, vertical tail placement and orientation, and modified landing gear designs with fairings. Combining the inherent HWB engine shielding by the airframe with added noise technologies, the cumulative noise was assessed at 38.7 dB below FAA Stage 4 certification level, just 3.3 dB short of the NASA N+2 goal of 42 dB. This new result shows that the NASA N+2 goal is approachable and that significant reduction in overall aircraft noise is possible through configurations with noise reduction technologies and operational changes.

Sulfur in serpentinized oceanic peridotites: Serpentinization processes and microbial sulfate reduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alt, J.C.; Shanks, Wayne C.

1998-01-01

The mineralogy, contents, and isotopic compositions of sulfur in oceanic serpentinites reflect variations in temperatures and fluid fluxes. Serpentinization of <1 Ma peridotites at Hess Deep occurred at high temperatures (200??-400??C) and low water/rock ratios. Oxidation of ferrous iron to magnetite maintained low fO2and produced a reduced, low-sulfur assemblage including NiFe alloy. Small amounts of sulfate reduction by thermophilic microbes occurred as the system cooled, producing low-??34S sulfide (1.5??? to -23.7???). In contrast, serpentinization of Iberian Margin peridotites occurred at low temperatures (???20??-200??C) and high water/rock ratios. Complete serpentinization and consumption of ferrous iron allowed evolution to higher fO2. Microbial reduction of seawater sulfate resulted in addition of low-??34S sulfide (-15 to -43???) and formation of higher-sulfur assemblages that include valleriite and pyrite. The high SO4/total S ratio of Hess Deep serpentinites (0.89) results in an increase of total sulfur and high ??34S of total sulfur (mean ??? 8???). In contrast, Iberian Margin serpentinites gained large amounts of 34S-poor sulfide (mean total S = 3800 ppm), and the high sulfide/total S ratio (0.61) results in a net decrease in ??34S of total sulfur (mean ??? -5???). Thus serpentinization is a net sink for seawater sulfur, but the amount fixed and its isotopic composition vary significantly. Serpentinization may result in uptake of 0.4-14 ?? 1012 g S yr-1 from the oceans, comparable to isotopic exchange in mafic rocks of seafloor hydrothermal systems and approaching global fluxes of riverine sulfate input and sedimentary sulfide output.

Spin-transfer-torque efficiency enhanced by edge-damage of perpendicular magnetic random access memories

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

Song, Kyungmi; Lee, Kyung-Jin, E-mail: kj-lee@korea.ac.kr; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-713

2015-08-07

We numerically investigate the effect of magnetic and electrical damages at the edge of a perpendicular magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell on the spin-transfer-torque (STT) efficiency that is defined by the ratio of thermal stability factor to switching current. We find that the switching mode of an edge-damaged cell is different from that of an undamaged cell, which results in a sizable reduction in the switching current. Together with a marginal reduction of the thermal stability factor of an edge-damaged cell, this feature makes the STT efficiency large. Our results suggest that a precise edge control is viable formore » the optimization of STT-MRAM.« less

[Multi-wall orbital decompression for disfiguring proptosis in patients with mild or moderate thyroid eye disease].

PubMed

Wang, Y; Yang, N; Li, Y Y; Xiao, L H

2017-02-11

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of orbital decompression by transconjunctival medial and inferior wall combined transpalpebral lateral wall for disfiguring proptosis with mild or moderate thyroid eye disease (TED). Methods: It is a retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 18 TED cases (28 orbits) between Dec 2013 and Dec 2015 at the Institute of Orbital Diseases of the General Hospital of the Armed Police were reviewed. All the patients underwent mulit-wall orbital decompression to relieve remarkable proptosis, widen eyelid fissure, and swollen eyelid. 1. Hertel value was 14-23 mm or over 2-7 mm than contralateral eye; 2.Orbitalpathy has been inactive with normal thyroid function for at least 6 months; 3.Orbital pressure is normal or (+). Clinical outcomes were recorded including best-corrected visual acuity, exophthalmometry, margin-to-central distance of upper and lower lids, diplopia, and CT scans before and 3 months after surgery. Results: The mean protosis of pre-and postoperation were (19.2±2.3) mm and (14.7±1.4) mm with mean reduction was (4.6±1.7) mm ( t= 14.08, P< 0.01). Margin-to-central distance of the upperlid of pre- and postoperation were (5.1±1.2) mm and (4.9±1.3) mm with mean reduction was (0.2±0.5) mm ( t= 1.73, P= 0.095). Margin-to-central distance of the lowerlid of pre-and postoperation were (5.9±0.9) mm and 4.3±0.7 mm with mean reduction was (1.6±0.8) mm ( t= 10.09, P< 0.01). The difference of bilateral exophthalmos after surgery is 0-2.5 mm (media n= 1 mm). None of the patients showed new-onset diplopia at primary gaze and two patient showed surrounding gaze diplopia postoperatively. Two patients with diplopia relieved after surgery ( Z= 743.00, P= 0.458). Conclusions: Transconjunctival and transpalpebral medial, inferior, and lateral walls decompression with a hidden incision was a controllable, safe, effective technique with minimal complications in relieving not only mild, moderate proptosis, but also retraction of lowerlid, and swollen eyelids. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2017, 53: 128-135) .

The Gemini Recipe System: A Dynamic Workflow for Automated Data Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labrie, K.; Hirst, P.; Allen, C.

2011-07-01

Gemini's next generation data reduction software suite aims to offer greater automation of the data reduction process without compromising the flexibility required by science programs using advanced or unusual observing strategies. The Recipe System is central to our new data reduction software. Developed in Python, it facilitates near-real time processing for data quality assessment, and both on- and off-line science quality processing. The Recipe System can be run as a standalone application or as the data processing core of an automatic pipeline. Building on concepts that originated in ORAC-DR, a data reduction process is defined in a Recipe written in a science (as opposed to computer) oriented language, and consists of a sequence of data reduction steps called Primitives. The Primitives are written in Python and can be launched from the PyRAF user interface by users wishing for more hands-on optimization of the data reduction process. The fact that the same processing Primitives can be run within both the pipeline context and interactively in a PyRAF session is an important strength of the Recipe System. The Recipe System offers dynamic flow control allowing for decisions regarding processing and calibration to be made automatically, based on the pixel and the metadata properties of the dataset at the stage in processing where the decision is being made, and the context in which the processing is being carried out. Processing history and provenance recording are provided by the AstroData middleware, which also offers header abstraction and data type recognition to facilitate the development of instrument-agnostic processing routines. All observatory or instrument specific definitions are isolated from the core of the AstroData system and distributed in external configuration packages that define a lexicon including classifications, uniform metadata elements, and transformations.

The promise of prison-based treatment for dually diagnosed inmates.

PubMed

Wexler, Harry K

2003-10-01

The Stay'n Out therapeutic community was created 25 years ago, the first rigorously evaluated prison program that demonstrated recidivism reduction. Since then, there has been a growing appreciation for the recidivism-reducing benefit of substance abuse treatment and the general understanding has been reached that prison treatment for substance abuse is good for the public interest. A number of replicated outcome studies have led to increases in treatment capacity in most state correctional systems, primarily utilizing the therapeutic community model. In contrast, efforts to introduce treatment for offenders with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders (COD) are only beginning. This article describes developments in prison substance abuse treatment and reentry programs and offers some guiding observations from prison substance abuse treatment history that could facilitate the development of COD treatment. Lessons learned include that: public safety (i.e., recidivism reduction) is a primary goal; personal accountability as a basic treatment value facilitates cooperation between treatment and correctional staff; self-help approaches foster more ambitious treatment goals than just symptom reduction; and well-run treatment programs often ease the burden of correctional administration.

Reducing contact resistance in graphene devices through contact area patterning.

PubMed

Smith, Joshua T; Franklin, Aaron D; Farmer, Damon B; Dimitrakopoulos, Christos D

2013-04-23

Performance of graphene electronics is limited by contact resistance associated with the metal-graphene (M-G) interface, where unique transport challenges arise as carriers are injected from a 3D metal into a 2D-graphene sheet. In this work, enhanced carrier injection is experimentally achieved in graphene devices by forming cuts in the graphene within the contact regions. These cuts are oriented normal to the channel and facilitate bonding between the contact metal and carbon atoms at the graphene cut edges, reproducibly maximizing "edge-contacted" injection. Despite the reduction in M-G contact area caused by these cuts, we find that a 32% reduction in contact resistance results in Cu-contacted, two-terminal devices, while a 22% reduction is achieved for top-gated graphene transistors with Pd contacts as compared to conventionally fabricated devices. The crucial role of contact annealing to facilitate this improvement is also elucidated. This simple approach provides a reliable and reproducible means of lowering contact resistance in graphene devices to bolster performance. Importantly, this enhancement requires no additional processing steps.

Biochar and denitrification in soils: when, how much and why does biochar reduce N2O emissions?

PubMed Central

Cayuela, Maria Luz; Sánchez-Monedero, Miguel Angel; Roig, Asunción; Hanley, Kelly; Enders, Akio; Lehmann, Johannes

2013-01-01

Agricultural soils represent the main source of anthropogenic N2O emissions. Recently, interactions of black carbon with the nitrogen cycle have been recognized and the use of biochar is being investigated as a means to reduce N2O emissions. However, the mechanisms of reduction remain unclear. Here we demonstrate the significant impact of biochar on denitrification, with a consistent decrease in N2O emissions by 10–90% in 14 different agricultural soils. Using the 15N gas-flux method we observed a consistent reduction of the N2O/(N2 + N2O) ratio, which demonstrates that biochar facilitates the last step of denitrification. Biochar acid buffer capacity was identified as an important aspect for mitigation that was not primarily caused by a pH shift in soil. We propose the function of biochar as an “electron shuttle” that facilitates the transfer of electrons to soil denitrifying microorganisms, which together with its liming effect would promote the reduction of N2O to N2. PMID:23615819

Mindfulness-based prevention for eating disorders: A school-based cluster randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Atkinson, Melissa J; Wade, Tracey D

2015-11-01

Successful prevention of eating disorders represents an important goal due to damaging long-term impacts on health and well-being, modest treatment outcomes, and low treatment seeking among individuals at risk. Mindfulness-based approaches have received early support in the treatment of eating disorders, but have not been evaluated as a prevention strategy. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a novel mindfulness-based intervention for reducing the risk of eating disorders among adolescent females, under both optimal (trained facilitator) and task-shifted (non-expert facilitator) conditions. A school-based cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in which 19 classes of adolescent girls (N = 347) were allocated to a three-session mindfulness-based intervention, dissonance-based intervention, or classes as usual control. A subset of classes (N = 156) receiving expert facilitation were analyzed separately as a proxy for delivery under optimal conditions. Task-shifted facilitation showed no significant intervention effects across outcomes. Under optimal facilitation, students receiving mindfulness demonstrated significant reductions in weight and shape concern, dietary restraint, thin-ideal internalization, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment relative to control by 6-month follow-up. Students receiving dissonance showed significant reductions in socio-cultural pressures. There were no statistically significant differences between the two interventions. Moderate intervention acceptability was reported by both students and teaching staff. Findings show promise for the application of mindfulness in the prevention of eating disorders; however, further work is required to increase both impact and acceptability, and to enable successful outcomes when delivered by less expert providers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

T1 mapping combined with Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in predicting the pathologic grading of hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

Chen, C Y; Chen, J; Xia, C C; Huang, Z X; Song, B

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the value of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI on hepatobiliary phase (HBP) imaging and T1 mapping sequence in the differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 45 patients with HCC who were to undergo a resection were enrolled in this study. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance examination was performed prior to resection. T1 mapping was performed before and 20 min after injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA. T1 values of the lesions were measured on pre-contrast (T1p) and during HBP (T1-HBP) on T1 maps. The signal intensity, the diameter and the margin of HCC lesions on HBP images were analyzed. The reduction in T1 value (T1d) and the reduction rate (ΔT1%) of T1 mapping between pre-contrast and HBP were calculated. The Edmondson-Steiner classification of each lesion was made after surgery. The SPSS software package was used for statistical analysis and the analysis of receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were carried out by using MedCalc software package. Mean values of T1p and T1-HBP were 1935.4±730.8 ms and 1257.1±529.1 ms, respectively. T1p accuracy (AUC = 0.685, p = 0.037) in predicting pathological grading was similar to that of T1-HBP (AUC = 0.751, p = 0.005). A T1p of 1648.2 ms or greater had a sensitivity and specificity of 85.19% and 61.11%, respectively. A T1-HBP of 1006 ms or greater had a sensitivity and specificity of 81.84% and 61.11%, respectively. The number of HCCs with a non-smooth tumor margin was 20 (44.4%), and a non-smooth tumor margin correlated moderately with the Edmondson-Steiner grade (Spearman r = 0.491, p = 0.041). There was no significant correlation between T1d, ΔT1%, HCC signal intensity on HBP image and lesion diameter with pathologic grading. T1 mapping in pre-contrast and HBP of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI, a non-smooth tumor margin in the HBP of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI, are useful in predicting the pathologic grading of HCC.

Clinical efficacy of veneered zirconium dioxide-based posterior partial fixed dental prostheses: five-year results.

PubMed

Raigrodski, Ariel J; Yu, Alika; Chiche, Gerard J; Hochstedler, J L; Mancl, Lloyd A; Mohamed, Shawky E

2012-10-01

In recent years, zirconium dioxide-based partial fixed dental prostheses (FDP) have been suggested as an alternative treatment to traditional metal ceramic FDPs. However, clinical studies evaluating their longevity and related complications are limited. The purpose of this cohort clinical study was to assess the efficacy of zirconium dioxide-based posterior 3-unit FDPs. Twenty 3-unit posterior FDPs (Lava) were placed in 16 participants missing a second premolar or a first molar. All participants met specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and provided informed consent. All teeth were prepared in a standardized manner: occlusal reduction of 1.5 to 2 mm; axial reduction of 1 to 1.5 mm; a 1.0 mm 360-degree rounded shoulder placed 0.5 mm subgingivally on the facial aspect and supragingivally on the lingual aspect on sound tooth structure; and rounded internal line angles. Definitive impressions were made with vinyl polysiloxane impression material. Frameworks were fabricated by using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology with a uniform retainer thickness of 0.6 mm and a minimal connector surface area of 9 mm(2). Restorations were luted with resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Rely-X Luting). Participants were recalled at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months, and thereafter, annually for up to 60 months. Clinical fracture measurements, marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, radiographic proximal recurrent caries, and periapical pathoses were assessed over time by using modified Ryge criteria. The probability distributions of these variables were calculated for the baseline data and for the recall data. An analysis of survival was made by using the Kaplan-Meier method. Eighteen FDPs were clinically evaluated at 5 years and 1 at 48 months. Fifteen were rated Alpha for fracture measurements, and 2 were rated Bravo (minor chipping of veneering porcelain and not requiring restoration replacement). Two were rated Charlie (major chipping of veneering porcelain and requiring restoration replacement). Eighteen FDPs were rated Alpha for marginal integrity, and 1 rated Bravo. All restorations were rated Alpha for marginal discoloration. One participant experienced root fracture after 60 months, while another was treated surgically for a periapical pathosis on an endodontically treated abutment. Zirconium dioxide-based posterior 3-unit FDPs performed well after 5 years of service. Copyright © 2012 The Editorial Council of the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 12057 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-28

... combines cultural affirmation with critical thinking and empowerment, to increase reasoning skill, problem solving capacity, self-protective behavior change, and well-being which facilitates the reduction of risky...

Robotic unclamped "minimal-margin" partial nephrectomy: ongoing refinement of the anatomic zero-ischemia concept.

PubMed

Satkunasivam, Raj; Tsai, Sheaumei; Syan, Sumeet; Bernhard, Jean-Christophe; de Castro Abreu, Andre Luis; Chopra, Sameer; Berger, Andre K; Lee, Dennis; Hung, Andrew J; Cai, Jie; Desai, Mihir M; Gill, Inderbir S

2015-10-01

Anatomic partial nephrectomy (PN) techniques aim to decrease or eliminate global renal ischemia. To report the technical feasibility of completely unclamped "minimal-margin" robotic PN. We also illustrate the stepwise evolution of anatomic PN surgery with related outcomes data. This study was a retrospective analysis of 179 contemporary patients undergoing anatomic PN at a tertiary academic institution between October 2009 and February 2013. Consecutive consented patients were grouped into three cohorts: group 1, with superselective clamping and developmental-curve experience (n = 70); group 2, with superselective clamping and mature experience (n = 60); and group 3, which had completely unclamped, minimal-margin PN (n = 49). Patients in groups 1 and 2 underwent superselective tumor-specific devascularization, whereas patients in group 3 underwent completely unclamped minimal-margin PN adjacent to the tumor edge, a technique that takes advantage of the radially oriented intrarenal architecture and anatomy. Primary outcomes assessed the technical feasibility of robotic, completely unclamped, minimal-margin PN; short-term changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR); and development of new-onset chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage >3. Secondary outcome measures included perioperative variables, 30-d complications, and histopathologic outcomes. Demographic data were similar among groups. For similarly sized tumors (p = 0.13), percentage of kidney preserved was greater (p = 0.047) and margin width was narrower (p = 0.0004) in group 3. In addition, group 3 had less blood loss (200, 225, and 150ml; p = 0.04), lower transfusion rates (21%, 23%, and 4%; p = 0.008), and shorter hospital stay (p = 0.006), whereas operative time and 30-d complication rates were similar. At 1-mo postoperatively, median percentage reduction in eGFR was similar (7.6%, 0%, and 3.0%; p = 0.53); however, new-onset CKD stage >3 occurred less frequently in group 3 (23%, 10%, and 2%; p = 0.003). Study limitations included retrospective analysis, small sample size, and short follow-up. We developed an anatomically based technique of robotic, unclamped, minimal-margin PN. This evolution from selective clamped to unclamped PN may further optimize functional outcomes but requires external validation and longer follow-up. The technical evolution of partial nephrectomy surgery is aimed at eliminating global renal damage from the cessation of blood flow. An unclamped minimal-margin technique is described and may offer renal functional advantage but requires long-term follow-up and validation at other institutions. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acoustic and sonochemical methods for altering the viscosity of oil during recovery and pipeline transportation.

PubMed

Abramov, Vladimir O; Abramova, Anna V; Bayazitov, Vadim M; Mullakaev, Marat S; Marnosov, Alexandr V; Ildiyakov, Alexandr V

2017-03-01

Reduction of oil viscosity is of great importance for the petroleum industry since it contributes a lot to the facilitation of pipeline transportation of oil. This study analyzes the capability of acoustic waves to decrease the viscosity of oil during its commercial production. Three types of equipment were tested: an ultrasonic emitter that is located directly in the well and affects oil during its production and two types of acoustic machines to be located at the wellhead and perform acoustic treatment after oil extraction: a setup for ultrasonic hydrodynamic treatment and a flow-through ultrasonic reactor. In our case, the two acoustic machines were rebuilt and tested in the laboratory. The viscosity of oil was measured before and after both types of acoustic treatment; and 2, 24 and 48h after ultrasonic treatment and 1 and 4h after hydrodynamic treatment in order to estimate the constancy of viscosity reduction. The viscosity reduction achieved by acoustic waves was compared to the viscosity reduction achieved by acoustic waves jointly with solvents. It was shown, that regardless of the form of powerful acoustic impact, a long lasting decrease in viscosity can be obtained only if sonochemical treatment is used. Using sonochemical treatment based on ultrasonic hydrodynamic treatment a viscosity reduction by 72,46% was achieved. However, the reduction in viscosity by 16%, which was demonstrated using the ultrasonic downhole tool in the well without addition of chemicals, is high enough to facilitate the production of viscous hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring Institutional Quality in Head and Neck Surgery Using Hospital-Level Data: Negative Margin Rates and Neck Dissection Yield.

PubMed

Schoppy, David W; Rhoads, Kim F; Ma, Yifei; Chen, Michelle M; Nussenbaum, Brian; Orosco, Ryan K; Rosenthal, Eben L; Divi, Vasu

2017-11-01

Negative margins and lymph node yields (LNY) of 18 or more from neck dissections in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) have been associated with improved patient survival. It is unclear whether these metrics can be used to identify hospitals with improved outcomes. To determine whether 2 patient-level metrics would predict outcomes at the hospital level. A retrospective review of records from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify patients who underwent primary surgery and concurrent neck dissection for HNSCC between 2004 and 2013. The percentage of patients at each hospital with negative margins on primary resection and an LNY 18 or more from a neck dissection was quantified. Cox proportional hazard models were used to define the association between hospital performance on these metrics and overall survival. Margin status and lymph node yield at hospital level. Overall survival (OS). We identified 1008 hospitals in the NCDB where 64 738 patients met inclusion criteria. Of the 64 738 participants, 45 170 (69.8%) were men and 19 568 (30.2%) were women. The mean SD age of included patients was 60.5 (12.0) years. Patients treated at hospitals attaining the combined metric of a 90% or higher negative margin rate and 80% or more of cases with LNYs of 18 or more experienced a significant reduction in mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.98). This benefit in survival was independent of the patient-level improvement associated with negative margins (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.71-0.76) and LNY of 18 or more (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.83-0.88). Including these metrics in the model neutralized the association of traditional measures of hospital quality (volume and teaching status). Treatment at hospitals that attain a high rate of negative margins and LNY of 18 or more is associated with improved survival in patients undergoing surgery for HNSCC. These surgical outcome measures predicted outcomes independent of traditional, but generally nonmodifiable characteristics. Tracking of these metrics may help identify high-quality centers and provide guidance for institution-level quality improvement.

Effect of Resin Bonded Luting Agents Influencing Marginal Discrepancy in All Ceramic Complete Veneer Crowns.

PubMed

Ganapathy, Dhanraj; Sathyamoorthy, Anusha; Ranganathan, Hemalatha; Murthykumar, Karthikeyan

2016-12-01

Marginal discrepancy severely affects the long term success of All ceramic complete veneer crowns. The precise role of resin luting agents influencing this phenomenon needs to be explored further. To estimate and compare the marginal discrepancy in CAD/CAM processed All ceramic complete veneer crowns prior and following luting with resin bonded luting agents. Extracted human maxillary first premolars were randomly allocated into four groups of 27 samples each Viz., Group I-Resin Modified Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) (RelyX), Group II-Bis-GMA based dual cure resin cement (Variolink II), Group III-PMMA based resin cement (Superbond), Group IV- Urethane Dimethacrylate resin cement (Calibra). Following tooth preparation, CAD/CAM All ceramic complete veneer crowns were fabricated and sectioned and marginal discrepancy was evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (TESCAN, Magnification power-1,00,000x) prior and after luting with the experimental resin cements. The vertical and horizontal discrepancy before and after cementation with Group I [270.08±103.10μm, 165.3±53.00μm and 270.86±102.70μm, 166.62±54.96μm respectively]; Group II [254.21±79.20μm, 117.75±24.29μm and 234.81±79μm, 116.89±18.22μm respectively]; Group III [272.47±86.25μm, 142.08±50.83μm and 251.82±62.69μm, 136.07±44.95μm respectively]; Group IV were [260.28±64.81μm, 116.98±17.71μm and 233.08±69.44μm, 116.58±21.13μm respectively]. ANOVA inferred a statistically significant difference between the four test specimen with regards to vertical and horizontal marginal discrepancy after cementation (F=9.092, p<0.001), (F=10.97, p<0.001). Tukey HSD Post-hoc test observed significant differences in vertical and horizontal marginal discrepancies between the resin modified glass ionomer and resin cements (p<0.05). Resin cements exhibited a greater reduction in the marginal discrepancy than the resin modified glass ionomer following luting in All ceramic complete veneer crowns. Hence resin cements are more preferable to GIC for luting All ceramic complete veneer crowns.

Upper-Crustal Structure of the Møre Margin, Offshore-Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moronfoye, A. T.; Ronen, S.; Klemperer, S. L.; Alves, G. C.

2016-12-01

The Møre Margin is a segment of the volcanic passive continental margin offshore mid Norway which formed as a result of the early-Cenozoic opening of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. The Møre Margin has been interpreted as a `volcanic rifted margin', with voluminous basaltic lavas accompanied by a mafic underplate of velocities greater than 7 km/s. The Møre Margin is a region of interest for oil and gas exploration, and characterization of a layer with seismic velocities above 7 km/s could help understand the time-temperature history of its basin. However, seismic exploration of the Møre Margin is greatly complicated by the problems of sub-basalt imaging. We picked refraction arrivals from 2D seismic data acquired by Seabed Geosolutions using a common-receiver gather from a line of 179 4-component ocean-bottom nodes that spanned 85 km west to east. The source was an airgun of 4000 in3 and was fired at 100 m intervals to a maximum offset of 100 km. We used Seismic Unix to apply a linear-moveout reduction velocity, and estimated the velocities and thicknesses of the layers down to a prominent reflector believed to be either the basalt layer or the mafic underplate. The P-wave velocity, Vp, ranges from about 2 km/s at the seabed to 2.4 km/s above the prominent reflecting layer which has a velocity of 5 km/s. Using the horizontal component data, we identified a converted S wave refraction and used its travel time to estimate an average Vp/Vs ratio of just under 2 in the 2 km/s sedimentary layer, a value consistent with compacted sediments. Based on the seismic velocities calculated and an assessment of laboratory sonic-velocity measurements, we concluded that the primary reflector is likely weathered or vesicular basalt. We also generated synthetic travel-time curves from a velocity model that included a mafic underplate at a depth of about 20 km, as proposed in earlier studies. Our calculated refraction travel time curves suggest that our 85 km receiver line may be too short to identify a mafic underplate at such depth, even with a velocity greater than 7 km/s.

Effect of Resin Bonded Luting Agents Influencing Marginal Discrepancy in All Ceramic Complete Veneer Crowns

PubMed Central

Sathyamoorthy, Anusha; Ranganathan, Hemalatha; Murthykumar, Karthikeyan

2016-01-01

Introduction Marginal discrepancy severely affects the long term success of All ceramic complete veneer crowns. The precise role of resin luting agents influencing this phenomenon needs to be explored further. Aim To estimate and compare the marginal discrepancy in CAD/CAM processed All ceramic complete veneer crowns prior and following luting with resin bonded luting agents. Materials and Methods Extracted human maxillary first premolars were randomly allocated into four groups of 27 samples each Viz., Group I-Resin Modified Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) (RelyX), Group II-Bis-GMA based dual cure resin cement (Variolink II), Group III-PMMA based resin cement (Superbond), Group IV- Urethane Dimethacrylate resin cement (Calibra). Following tooth preparation, CAD/CAM All ceramic complete veneer crowns were fabricated and sectioned and marginal discrepancy was evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (TESCAN, Magnification power-1,00,000x) prior and after luting with the experimental resin cements. Results The vertical and horizontal discrepancy before and after cementation with Group I [270.08±103.10μm, 165.3±53.00μm and 270.86±102.70μm, 166.62±54.96μm respectively]; Group II [254.21±79.20μm, 117.75±24.29μm and 234.81±79μm, 116.89±18.22μm respectively]; Group III [272.47±86.25μm, 142.08±50.83μm and 251.82±62.69μm, 136.07±44.95μm respectively]; Group IV were [260.28±64.81μm, 116.98±17.71μm and 233.08±69.44μm, 116.58±21.13μm respectively]. ANOVA inferred a statistically significant difference between the four test specimen with regards to vertical and horizontal marginal discrepancy after cementation (F=9.092, p<0.001), (F=10.97, p<0.001). Tukey HSD Post-hoc test observed significant differences in vertical and horizontal marginal discrepancies between the resin modified glass ionomer and resin cements (p<0.05). Conclusion Resin cements exhibited a greater reduction in the marginal discrepancy than the resin modified glass ionomer following luting in All ceramic complete veneer crowns. Hence resin cements are more preferable to GIC for luting All ceramic complete veneer crowns. PMID:28209008

Geometric reconstruction using tracked ultrasound strain imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pheiffer, Thomas S.; Simpson, Amber L.; Ondrake, Janet E.; Miga, Michael I.

2013-03-01

The accurate identification of tumor margins during neurosurgery is a primary concern for the surgeon in order to maximize resection of malignant tissue while preserving normal function. The use of preoperative imaging for guidance is standard of care, but tumor margins are not always clear even when contrast agents are used, and so margins are often determined intraoperatively by visual and tactile feedback. Ultrasound strain imaging creates a quantitative representation of tissue stiffness which can be used in real-time. The information offered by strain imaging can be placed within a conventional image-guidance workflow by tracking the ultrasound probe and calibrating the image plane, which facilitates interpretation of the data by placing it within a common coordinate space with preoperative imaging. Tumor geometry in strain imaging is then directly comparable to the geometry in preoperative imaging. This paper presents a tracked ultrasound strain imaging system capable of co-registering with preoperative tomograms and also of reconstructing a 3D surface using the border of the strain lesion. In a preliminary study using four phantoms with subsurface tumors, tracked strain imaging was registered to preoperative image volumes and then tumor surfaces were reconstructed using contours extracted from strain image slices. The volumes of the phantom tumors reconstructed from tracked strain imaging were approximately between 1.5 to 2.4 cm3, which was similar to the CT volumes of 1.0 to 2.3 cm3. Future work will be done to robustly characterize the reconstruction accuracy of the system.

Male Contraception: Research, New Methods, and Implications for Marginalized Populations.

PubMed

Plana, Olivia

2017-07-01

The majority of research on contraception has focused on manipulating the female reproductive system. Recent studies have identified novel contraceptives for males, including hormonal- and nonhormonal-based therapeutics. Although these new contraceptives are still undergoing clinical trials, their development and potential future use in society necessitate serious consideration of their implications for reproductive health. Through my analysis of the research conducted on male contraception over time and the current therapeutics available, it is clear that male contraception has the potential to shift societal gender dynamics and provide males with greater control over their own reproduction. This article also identifies the implications of these novel contraceptives for marginalized populations, especially men of color and men of lower socioeconomic positions. To overcome barriers to contraception among these populations, public policy efforts are needed in order to motivate the development of programs that facilitate coverage of these new male contraceptives by health plans and to increase their availability to underserved communities. Health care providers will be responsible for educating patients about these novel male contraception options and the need to continue using existing methods (e.g., condoms) in order to prevent sexually transmitted infections. This article analyzes the research conducted on male contraception and identifies the implications of these novel therapeutics for marginalized groups of men in the United States to identify the interventions that will be necessary to help ensure that all men have access to these promising scientific innovations.

Male Contraception: Research, New Methods, and Implications for Marginalized Populations

PubMed Central

Plana, Olivia

2015-01-01

The majority of research on contraception has focused on manipulating the female reproductive system. Recent studies have identified novel contraceptives for males, including hormonal- and nonhormonal-based therapeutics. Although these new contraceptives are still undergoing clinical trials, their development and potential future use in society necessitate serious consideration of their implications for reproductive health. Through my analysis of the research conducted on male contraception over time and the current therapeutics available, it is clear that male contraception has the potential to shift societal gender dynamics and provide males with greater control over their own reproduction. This article also identifies the implications of these novel contraceptives for marginalized populations, especially men of color and men of lower socioeconomic positions. To overcome barriers to contraception among these populations, public policy efforts are needed in order to motivate the development of programs that facilitate coverage of these new male contraceptives by health plans and to increase their availability to underserved communities. Health care providers will be responsible for educating patients about these novel male contraception options and the need to continue using existing methods (e.g., condoms) in order to prevent sexually transmitted infections. This article analyzes the research conducted on male contraception and identifies the implications of these novel therapeutics for marginalized groups of men in the United States to identify the interventions that will be necessary to help ensure that all men have access to these promising scientific innovations. PMID:26206159

Solo-Surgeon Single-Port Laparoscopic Anterior Resection for Sigmoid Colon Cancer: Comparative Study.

PubMed

Choi, Byung Jo; Jeong, Won Jun; Kim, Say-June; Lee, Sang Chul

2018-03-01

To report our experience with solo-surgeon, single-port laparoscopic anterior resection (solo SPAR) for sigmoid colon cancer. Data from sigmoid colon cancer patients who underwent anterior resections (ARs) using the single-port, solo surgery technique (n = 31) or the conventional single-port laparoscopic technique (n = 45), between January 2011 and July 2016, were retrospectively analyzed. In the solo surgeries, making the transumbilical incision into the peritoneal cavity was facilitated through the use of a self-retaining retractor system. After establishing a single port through the umbilicus, an adjustable mechanical camera holder replaced the human scope assistant. Patient and tumor characteristics and operative, pathologic, and postoperative outcomes were compared. The operative times and estimated blood losses were similar for the patients in both treatment groups. In addition, most of the postoperative variables were comparable between the two groups, including postoperative complications and hospital stays. In the solo SPAR group, comparable lymph nodes were attained, and sufficient proximal and distal cut margins were obtained. The difference in the proximal cut margin significantly favored the solo SPAR, compared with the conventional AR group (P = .000). This study shows that solo SPAR, using a passive camera system, is safe and feasible for use in sigmoid colon cancer surgery, if performed by an experienced laparoscopic surgeon. In addition to reducing the need for a surgical assistant, the oncologic requirements, including adequate margins and sufficient lymph node harvesting, could be fulfilled. Further evaluations, including prospective randomized studies, are warranted.

Building bridges across differences to meet social action goals: being and creating allies among People of Color.

PubMed

Suyemoto, Karen L; Fox Tree, Claudia A

2006-06-01

Although challenges of anti-racist work are most commonly framed in relation to White people and People of Color, there are significant challenges involved in creating allies across minority racial groups. This article describes our experiences within a community organization aimed at training anti-racist culturally sensitive K-12 educators. As Asian American and Native American facilitators within a group of facilitators of color who were predominantly Black, we describe our experiences of relative marginalization and our (mostly failed) attempts to create change within the organization to be more inclusive of the perspectives, experiences, and needs of non-Black people/students of color. We contextualize these experienced conflicts in relation to race hierarchies, the "divide and conquer strategy" and the maintenance of White privilege. We offer reflections for how racial minorities engaged in anti-racist education could be better allies and how organizations might better foster environments that contribute to the creation of these alliances.

Correlates of HIV testing uptake among kothi-identified men who have sex with men in public sex environments in Chennai, India.

PubMed

Woodford, Michael R; Newman, Peter A; Chakrapani, Venkatesan; Shunmugam, Murali; Kakinami, Lisa

2012-01-01

Kothi-identified men who have sex with men in India are highly marginalized and are at high-risk for HIV. This study examines HIV testing among 132 self-reported HIV-negative and unknown serostatus kothis recruited from public sex environments in Chennai, India. Using logistic regression we identified variables associated with HIV testing uptake (i.e., being tested and knowing the result). Sixty-one percent reported HIV testing uptake. At the bivariate level, married men, those with low HIV transmission knowledge, those who engaged in unprotected anal sex and unprotected receptive anal sex were at lower odds of reporting testing uptake. In multivariate analysis, married men and those with low levels of HIV transmission knowledge were at decreased odds of being tested, as were kothis who experienced forced sex. Culturally competent programs engaging married kothis are needed. Interventions to facilitate HIV prevention education and systemic interventions to combat sexual violence may facilitate HIV testing uptake among kothis.

Solving the Principal - Agent Problem in Iraq: Economic Incentives Create a New Model for Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

The substantial devaluation of the local currency and prolonged implementation of government subsidies contributed to the growth of a predominantly...solution consisted of currency reform, elimination of price controls, and a reduction of marginal tax rates. Erhard’s solution was to substitute a much...percent. This ensured that the new money had value and helped move economic transactions away from barter and back to the use of currency exchange

Solar Asset Management Software

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

Iverson, Aaron; Zviagin, George

Ra Power Management (RPM) has developed a cloud based software platform that manages the financial and operational functions of third party financed solar projects throughout their lifecycle. RPM’s software streamlines and automates the sales, financing, and management of a portfolio of solar assets. The software helps solar developers automate the most difficult aspects of asset management, leading to increased transparency, efficiency, and reduction in human error. More importantly, our platform will help developers save money by improving their operating margins.

Healthcare's crown jewels. A looming 15% reduction in Medicare payments could tarnish the financial viability of teaching hospitals, studies say. Others, however, say they'll keep shining despite the scheduled cuts.

PubMed

Lovern, Ed

2002-05-27

Though saddled with higher costs than other hospitals, teaching hospitals reap plump margins on Medicare. But that could change this fall. A volley of studies say a looming 15% cut in indirect medical education payments and disproportionate-share payments could threaten the financial viability of healthcare's crown jewels unless Congress reverses current law.

Conversation Therapy with People with Aphasia and Conversation Partners using Video Feedback: A Group and Case Series Investigation of Changes in Interaction

PubMed Central

Best, Wendy; Maxim, Jane; Heilemann, Claudia; Beckley, Firle; Johnson, Fiona; Edwards, Susan I.; Howard, David; Beeke, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Conversation therapies employing video for feedback and to facilitate outcome measurement are increasingly used with people with post-stroke aphasia and their conversation partners; however the evidence base for change in everyday interaction remains limited. We investigated the effect of Better Conversations with Aphasia (BCA), an intervention that is freely available online at https://extend.ucl.ac.uk/. Eight people with chronic agrammatic aphasia, and their regular conversation partners participated in the tailored 8 week program involving significant video feedback. We explored changes in: (i) conversation facilitators (such as multi-modal turns by people with aphasia); and (ii) conversation barriers (such as use of test questions by conversation partners). The outcome of intervention was evaluated directly by measuring change in video-recorded everyday conversations. The study employed a pre-post design with multiple 5 minute samples of conversation before and after intervention, scored by trained raters blind to the point of data collection. Group level analysis showed no significant increase in conversation facilitators. There was, however, a significant reduction in the number of conversation barriers. The case series data revealed variability in conversation behaviors across occasions for the same dyad and between different dyads. Specifically, post-intervention there was a significant increase in facilitator behaviors for two dyads, a decrease for one and no significant change for five dyads. There was a significant decrease in barrier behaviors for five dyads and no significant change for three dyads. The reduction in barrier behaviors was considerable; on average change from over eight to fewer than three barrier behaviors in 5 minutes of conversation. The pre-post design has the limitation of no comparison group. However, change occurs in targeted conversational behaviors and in people with chronic aphasia and their partners. The findings suggest change can occur after eight therapy sessions and have implications for clinical practice. A reduction in barrier behaviors may be easier to obtain, although the controlled case series results demonstrate a significant increase in conversation facilitators is also possible. The rehabilitation tool is available online and video technology was central to delivering intervention and evaluating change. PMID:27872588

Estimation of the climate change impact on a catchment water balance using an ensemble of GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reshmidevi, T. V.; Nagesh Kumar, D.; Mehrotra, R.; Sharma, A.

2018-01-01

This work evaluates the impact of climate change on the water balance of a catchment in India. Rainfall and hydro-meteorological variables for current (20C3M scenario, 1981-2000) and two future time periods: mid of the 21st century (2046-2065) and end of the century (2081-2100) are simulated using Modified Markov Model-Kernel Density Estimation (MMM-KDE) and k-nearest neighbor downscaling models. Climate projections from an ensemble of 5 GCMs (MPI-ECHAM5, BCCR-BCM2.0, CSIRO-mk3.5, IPSL-CM4, and MRI-CGCM2) are used in this study. Hydrologic simulations for the current as well as future climate scenarios are carried out using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) integrated with ArcGIS (ArcSWAT v.2009). The results show marginal reduction in runoff ratio, annual streamflow and groundwater recharge towards the end of the century. Increased temperature and evapotranspiration project an increase in the irrigation demand towards the end of the century. Rainfall projections for the future shows marginal increase in the annual average rainfall. Short and moderate wet spells are projected to decrease, whereas short and moderate dry spells are projected to increase in the future. Projected reduction in streamflow and groundwater recharge along with the increase in irrigation demand is likely to aggravate the water stress in the region under the future scenario.

Technical opportunities to reduce global anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winiwarter, Wilfried; Höglund-Isaksson, Lena; Klimont, Zbigniew; Schöpp, Wolfgang; Amann, Markus

2018-01-01

We describe a consistent framework developed to quantify current and future anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide and the available technical abatement options by source sector for 172 regions globally. About 65% of the current emissions derive from agricultural soils, 8% from waste, and 4% from the chemical industry. Low-cost abatement options are available in industry, wastewater, and agriculture, where they are limited to large industrial farms. We estimate that by 2030, emissions can be reduced by about 6% ±2% applying abatement options at a cost lower than 10 €/t CO2-eq. The largest abatement potential at higher marginal costs is available from agricultural soils, employing precision fertilizer application technology as well as chemical treatment of fertilizers to suppress conversion processes in soil (nitrification inhibitors). At marginal costs of up to 100 €/t CO2-eq, about 18% ±6% of baseline emissions can be removed and when considering all available options, the global abatement potential increases to about 26% ±9%. Due to expected future increase in activities driving nitrous oxide emissions, the limited technical abatement potential available means that even at full implementation of reduction measures by 2030, global emissions can be at most stabilized at the pre-2010 level. In order to achieve deeper reductions in emissions, considerable technological development will be required as well as non-technical options like adjusting human diets towards moderate animal protein consumption.

Participatory methods for research prioritization in primary care: an analysis of the World Café approach in Ireland and the USA.

PubMed

MacFarlane, Anne; Galvin, Rose; O'Sullivan, Madeleine; McInerney, Chris; Meagher, Eoghan; Burke, Daniel; LeMaster, Joseph W

2017-06-01

There are increasing imperatives for patients and members of the public to engage as partners in identifying health research priorities. The use of participatory methods to engage stakeholders in health care in research prioritization is not commonly reported. This article analyses the use of World Cafés as a participatory method for research prioritization with marginalized communities in Ireland and the USA. The principles of purposeful and snowball sampling were followed in both settings and a diverse range of community and health care stakeholders participated (n = 63 Ireland and n = 55 USA). The principles for a classic World Café were employed but there were novel features in each setting as well. Stewart et al.'s (Patients' and clinicians' research priorities. Health Expect 2011; 14: 439-48, conceptual framework for patient engagement was adapted and used to comparatively analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the World Cafés, focusing on agenda setting, engagement with research processes, interactional features and outputs. Design principles for World Cafés were found to align with high-quality patient engagement for research prioritization in both settings. They served to facilitate meaningful collaboration among stakeholder groups in research prioritization (research agenda setting) and explored research priorities (engagement with research). The café ambience, emphasis on hospitality and self-facilitation created an environment for dialogues within and across participating groups (interactional features). There was a commitment to follow-up actions with reference to possible subsequent research (outputs). The World Café is a valuable, participatory, flexible method that can be used with community and health care stakeholders for research prioritization with marginalized communities. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

SU-F-J-132: Evaluation of CTV-To-PTV Expansion for Whole Breast Radiotherapy

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

Burgdorf, B; Freedman, G; Teo, B

2016-06-15

Purpose: The current standard CTV-to-PTV expansion for whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) is 7mm, as recommended by RTOG-1005.This expansion is derived from the uncertainty due to patient positioning (±5mm) and respiratory motion (±5mm). We evaluated the expansion needed for respiratory motion uncertainty using 4DCT. After determining the appropriate expansion margins, RT plans were generated to evaluate the reduction in heart and lung dose. Methods: 4DCT images were acquired during treatment simulation and retrospectively analyzed for 34 WBRT patients. Breast CTVs were contoured on the maximum inhale and exhale phase. Breast CTV displacement was measured in the L-R, A-P, and SUP-INF directionsmore » using rigid registration between phase images. Averaging over the 34 patients, we determined the margin due to respiratory motion. Plans were generated for 10 left-sided cases comparing the new expansion with the 7mm PTV expansion. Results: The results for respiratory motion uncertainty are shown in Table 1. Drawing on previous work by White et al at Princess Margaret Hospital (1) (see supporting document for reference) which studied the uncertainty due to patient positioning, we concluded that, in total, a 5mm expansion was sufficient. The results for our suggested PTV margin are shown in Table 2, combining the patient positioning results from White et al with our respiratory motion results. The planning results demonstrating the heart and lung dose differences in the 5mm CTV-to-PTV expanded plan compared to the 7mm plan are shown in Table 3. Conclusion: Our work evaluating the expansion needed for respiratory motion along with previous work evaluating the expansion needed for setup uncertainty shows that a CTV-to-PTV expansion of 5mm is acceptable and conservative. By reducing the PTV expansion, significant dose reduction to the heart and lung are achievable.« less

Reproducibility of lung tumor position and reduction of lung mass within the planning target volume using active breathing control (ABC).

PubMed

Cheung, Patrick C F; Sixel, Katharina E; Tirona, Romeo; Ung, Yee C

2003-12-01

The active breathing control (ABC) device allows for temporary immobilization of respiratory motion by implementing a breath hold at a predefined relative lung volume and air flow direction. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the ability of the ABC device to immobilize peripheral lung tumors at a reproducible position, increase total lung volume, and thereby reduce lung mass within the planning target volume (PTV). Ten patients with peripheral non-small-cell lung cancer tumors undergoing radiotherapy had CT scans of their thorax with and without ABC inspiration breath hold during the first 5 days of treatment. Total lung volumes were determined from the CT data sets. Each peripheral lung tumor was contoured by one physician on all CT scans to generate gross tumor volumes (GTVs). The lung density and mass contained within a 1.5-cm PTV margin around each peripheral tumor was calculated using CT numbers. Using the center of the GTV from the Day 1 ABC scan as the reference, the displacement of subsequent GTV centers on Days 2 to 5 for each patient with ABC applied was calculated in three dimensions. With the use of ABC inspiration breath hold, total lung volumes increased by an average of 42%. This resulted in an average decrease in lung mass of 18% within a standard 1.5-cm PTV margin around the GTV. The average (+/- standard deviation) displacement of GTV centers with ABC breath hold applied was 0.3 mm (+/- 1.8 mm), 1.2 mm (+/- 2.3 mm), and 1.1 mm (+/- 3.5 mm) in the lateral direction, anterior-posterior direction, and superior-inferior direction, respectively. Results from this study indicate that there remains some inter-breath hold variability in peripheral lung tumor position with the use of ABC inspiration breath hold, which prevents significant PTV margin reduction. However, lung volumes can significantly increase, thereby decreasing the mass of lung within a standard PTV.

COMPARISON OF ARTIFICIAL NEOCHORDAE AND NATIVE CHORDAL TRANSFER IN THE REPAIR OF A FLAIL POSTERIOR MITRAL LEAFLET: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

PubMed Central

Padala, Muralidhar; Cardinau, Benedicte; Gyoneva, Lazarina I.; Thourani, Vinod H.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Surgical reconstruction of a flail posterior leaflet is a routine mitral valve repair, the techniques for which have evolved from leaflet resection to leaflet preservation. Artificial ePTFE neochordae are frequently used to stabilize the flail leaflet, and seldom translocation of the native secondary chordae of the valve to the leaflet free edge is used. In this study, we sought to investigate the efficacy of the two techniques to correct posterior leaflet prolapse and reduce mitral regurgitation, and quantify the acute post-repair leaflet kinematics. METHODS Adult porcine mitral valves (N =7) were studied in a pulsatile left heart experimental model in which isolated P2 flail was mimicked by marginal chordal transection. Baseline conditions were established in each valve under normal conditions (control), and followed by induction of isolated P2 flail by transecting the two marginal chordae on the posterior leaflet free edge (disease). The flail posterior leaflet was reconstructed using artificial neochordae (repair 1) and then native chordal translocation (repair 2). Reduction in leaflet flail, changes in mitral regurgitation fraction, leaflet coaptation length, and posterior leaflet mobility were measured using B-mode echocardiography or color doppler. RESULTS At baseline, all the valves were competent with no mitral regurgitation. After transection of the marginal chordae on the posterior leaflet, isolated P2 flail was evident with 13.7±13% regurgitation. Reconstruction with artificial neochordae eliminated leaflet flail and reduced mitral regurgitation to 3.2± 2.8%, and with chordal translocation leaflet flail was corrected and mitral regurgitation was measured at 2.3±2.6%. Using either repair techniques, leaflet coaptation and mobility of the repaired leaflets were adequate and comparable to the baseline measurements. CONCLUSIONS Comparable reduction leaflet flail and regurgitation, and restoration of physiological leaflet coaptation with the two techniques indicates that under acute conditions, use of artificial neochordae or native chordal translocations have similar benefits. PMID:23291143

A 5-year comparison of marginal bone level following immediate loading of single-tooth implants placed in healed alveolar ridges and extraction sockets in the maxilla.

PubMed

Berberi, Antoine N; Sabbagh, Joseph M; Aboushelib, Moustafa N; Noujeim, Ziad F; Salameh, Ziad A

2014-01-01

The aim of present investigation was to evaluate marginal bone level after 5-year follow-up of implants placed in healed ridges and fresh extraction sockets in maxilla with immediate loading protocol. Thirty-six patients in need of a single-tooth replacement in the anterior maxilla received 42 Astra Tech implants (Astra Tech Implant system™, Dentsply Implants, Mölndal, Sweden). Implants were placed either in healed ridges (group I) or immediately into fresh extraction sockets (group II). Implants were restored and placed into functional loading immediately by using a prefabricated abutment. Marginal bone level relative to the implant reference point was recorded at implant placement, crown cementation, 12, 36, and 60 months following loading using intra-oral radiographs. Measurements were made on the mesial and distal sides of each implant. Overall, two implants were lost from the group II, before final crown cementation: they were excluded from the study. The mean change in marginal bone loss (MBL) after implant placement was 0.26 ± 0.161 mm for 1 year, and 0.26 ± 0.171 mm for 3 years, and 0.21 ± 0.185 mm for 5 years in extraction sockets and was 0.26 ± 0.176 mm for 1 year and 0.21 ± 0.175 mm for 3 years, and 0.19 ± 0.172 mm for 5 years in healed ridges group. Significant reduction of marginal bone was more pronounced in implants inserted in healed ridges (P < 0.041) compared to fresh surgical extraction sockets (P < 0.540). Significant MBL was observed on the mesial side of the implant after cementation of the provisional (P < 0.007) and after 12 months (P < 0.034) compared to the distal side which remained stable for 3 and 5 years observation period. Within the limitations of this study, responses of local bone to immediately loaded implants placed either in extraction sockets or healed ridges were similar. Functional loading technique by using prefabricated abutment placed during the surgery time seems to maintain marginal bone around implant in both healed and fresh extraction sites.

Effect of Body Mass Index on Magnitude of Setup Errors in Patients Treated With Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Endometrial Cancer With Daily Image Guidance

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

Lin, Lilie L., E-mail: lin@uphs.upenn.edu; Hertan, Lauren; Rengan, Ramesh

2012-06-01

Purpose: To determine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on daily setup variations and frequency of imaging necessary for patients with endometrial cancer treated with adjuvant intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with daily image guidance. Methods and Materials: The daily shifts from a total of 782 orthogonal kilovoltage images from 30 patients who received pelvic IMRT between July 2008 and August 2010 were analyzed. The BMI, mean daily shifts, and random and systematic errors in each translational and rotational direction were calculated for each patient. Margin recipes were generated based on BMI. Linear regression and spearman rank correlation analysis were performed.more » To simulate a less-than-daily IGRT protocol, the average shift of the first five fractions was applied to subsequent setups without IGRT for assessing the impact on setup error and margin requirements. Results: Median BMI was 32.9 (range, 23-62). Of the 30 patients, 16.7% (n = 5) were normal weight (BMI <25); 23.3% (n = 7) were overweight (BMI {>=}25 to <30); 26.7% (n = 8) were mildly obese (BMI {>=}30 to <35); and 33.3% (n = 10) were moderately to severely obese (BMI {>=} 35). On linear regression, mean absolute vertical, longitudinal, and lateral shifts positively correlated with BMI (p = 0.0127, p = 0.0037, and p < 0.0001, respectively). Systematic errors in the longitudinal and vertical direction were found to be positively correlated with BMI category (p < 0.0001 for both). IGRT for the first five fractions, followed by correction of the mean error for all subsequent fractions, led to a substantial reduction in setup error and resultant margin requirement overall compared with no IGRT. Conclusions: Daily shifts, systematic errors, and margin requirements were greatest in obese patients. For women who are normal or overweight, a planning target margin margin of 7 to 10 mm may be sufficient without IGRT, but for patients who are moderately or severely obese, this is insufficient.« less

An experimental assessment of resistance reduction and wake modification of a kvlcc model by using outer-layer vertical blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Nam Hyun; Ryu, Sang Hoon; Chun, Ho Hwan; Lee, Inwon

2014-03-01

In this study, an experimental investigation has been made of the applicability of outer-layer vertical blades to real ship model. After first devised by Hutchins and Choi (2003), the outer-layer vertical blades demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing total drag of flat plate (Park et al., 2011) with maximum drag reduction of 9.6%. With a view to assessing the effect in the flow around a ship, the arrays of outer-layer vertical blades have been installed onto the side bottom and flat bottom of a 300k KVLCC model. A series of towing tank test has been carried out to investigate resistance (CTM) reduction efficiency and improvement of stern wake distribution with varying geometric parameters of the blades array. The installation of vertical blades led to the CTM reduction of 2.15~2.76% near the service speed. The nominal wake fraction was affected marginally by the blades array and the axial velocity distribution tended to be more uniform by the blades array.

Unexpected Reduction of Iminoquinone and Quinone Derivatives in Positive Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Possible Mechanism Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Jiying; Hsu, Cheng-Chih; Zhang, Ruijie; Wang, Yinghui; Yu, Kefu; Huang, Guangming

2017-08-01

Unexpected reduction of iminoquinone (IQ) and quinone derivatives was first reported during positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Upon increasing spray voltage, the intensities of IQ and quinone derivatives decreased drastically, accompanying the increase of the intensities of the reduction products, amodiaquine (AQ) and phenol derivatives. To gain more insight into the mechanism of such reduction, we explored the experimental factors that are influential to corona discharge (CD). The results show that experimental parameters that favor severe CD, including metal spray emitter, using water as spray solvent, sheath gas with low dielectric strength (e.g., nitrogen), and shorter spray tip-to-mass spectrometer inlet distance, facilitated the reduction of IQ and quinone derivatives, implying that the reduction should be closely related to CD in the gas phase. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Methane sources and production in the northern Cascadia margin gas hydrate system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pohlman, John; Kaneko, Masanori; Heuer, Verena B.; Coffin, Richard B.; Whiticar, Michael

2009-01-01

The oceanographic and tectonic conditions of accretionary margins are well-suited for several potential processes governing methane generation, storage and release. To identify the relevant methane evolution pathways in the northern Cascadia accretionary margin, a four-site transect was drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311. The δ13C values of methane range from a minimum value of − 82.2‰ on an uplifted ridge of accreted sediment near the deformation front (Site U1326, 1829 mbsl, meters below sea level) to a maximum value of − 39.5‰ at the most landward location within an area of steep canyons near the shelf edge (Site U1329, 946 mbsl). An interpretation based solely on methane isotope values might conclude the 13C-enrichment of methane indicates a transition from microbially- to thermogenically-sourced methane. However, the co-existing CO2 exhibits a similar trend of 13C-enrichment along the transect with values ranging from − 22.5‰ to +25.7‰. The magnitude of the carbon isotope separation between methane and CO2 (εc = 63.8 ± 5.8) is consistent with isotope fractionation during microbially mediated carbonate reduction. These results, in conjunction with a transect-wide gaseous hydrocarbon content composed of > 99.8% (by volume) methane and uniform δDCH4 values (− 172‰ ± 8) that are distinct from thermogenic methane at a seep located 60 km from the Expedition 311 transect, suggest microbial CO2 reduction is the predominant methane source at all investigated sites. The magnitude of the intra-site downhole 13C-enrichment of CO2 within the accreted ridge (Site U1326) and a slope basin nearest the deformation front (Site U1325, 2195 mbsl) is ~ 5‰. At the mid-slope site (Site U1327, 1304 mbsl) the downhole 13C-enrichment of the CO2 is ~ 25‰ and increases to ~ 40‰ at the near-shelf edge Site U1329. This isotope fractionation pattern is indicative of more extensive diagenetic alteration at sites with greater 13C-enrichment. The magnitude of the 13C-enrichment of CO2 correlates with decreasing sedimentation rates and a diminishing occurrence of stratigraphic gas hydrate. We suggest the decreasing sedimentation rates increase the exposure time of sedimentary organic matter to aerobic and anaerobic degradation, during burial, thereby reducing the availability of metabolizable organic matter available for methane production. This process is reflected in the occurrence and distribution of gas hydrate within the northern Cascadia margin accretionary prism. Our observations are relevant for evaluating methane production and the occurrence of stratigraphic gas hydrate within other convergent margins.

Impact of Improved HIV Care and Treatment on PrEP Effectivenesss in the United States, 2016-2020.

PubMed

Khurana, Nidhi; Yaylali, Emine; Farnham, Paul G; Hicks, Katherine A; Allaire, Benjamin T; Jacobson, Evin; Sansom, Stephanie L

2018-04-20

The effect of improving diagnosis, care, and treatment of persons living with HIV (PLWH) on PrEP effectiveness in the United States has not be well established. We used a dynamic, compartmental model that simulates the sexually active US population. We investigated the change in cumulative HIV incidence from 2016 to 2020 for three HIV care continuum levels, and the marginal benefit of PrEP compared with each. We also explored the marginal benefit of PrEP for individual risk groups, and as PrEP adherence, coverage and dropout rates varied. Delivering PrEP in 2016 to persons at high risk of acquiring HIV resulted in an 18.1% reduction in new HIV infections from 2016 to 2020 under current care continuum levels. Achieving HIV national goals of 90% of PLWH with diagnosed infection, 85% of newly diagnosed PLWH linked to care at diagnosis, and 80% of diagnosed PLWH virally suppressed reduced cumulative incidence by 34.4%. Delivery of PrEP in addition to this scenario resulted in a marginal benefit of 11.1% additional infections prevented. When national goals were reached, PrEP prevented an additional 15.2% cases among men who have sex with men (MSM), 3.9% among heterosexuals, and 3.8% among persons who inject drugs. The marginal benefit of PrEP was larger when current HIV care continuum percentages were maintained, but continued to be substantial even when national care goals were met. The high-risk MSM population was the chief beneficiary of PrEP.

[Fracture resistance of Procera Allceram depending on the framework design--an in vitro study].

PubMed

Hagmann, Edgar; Marinello, Carlo P; Zitzmann, Nicola U

2006-01-01

Procera AllCeram is one of the all-ceramic systems with an aluminium-oxide core employing CAD/CAM technology. The aim of the current study was to investigate the fracture resistance of Procera AllCeram full-ceramic crowns with a reduced core design compared to the conventional method. In addition, a possible influence of the preparation form (molars or premolars) and the cementation material (glas-ionomer or composite) was analyzed. For both preparation forms, 30 ceramic cores with reduced margins (collarless cores, test) and 30 cores with extended cores (control) were veneered with porcelain in a standardized procedure (total 120 crowns). For the test group, Procera-AllCeram-margin ceramic material was used for the porcelain collar. 40 crowns each were cemented on stainless steel dies with either Ketac-Cem Aplicap or Panavia F. The additional 40 crowns were set on polyurethane dies without cementation and occlusally loaded until fracture occurred. Among the molar crowns, no differences were observed in fracture resistance neither for the different core designs (test or control) nor for the cementation materials. For the premolar form, fusing of a porcelain margin was associated with a reduction in fracture resistance, while the use of composite cement was accompanied with an increase. The present in vitro results indicate that for Procera AllCeram crowns with a highly undulating preparation margin, a conventional core design combined with adhesive cementation is preferable, especially in the posterior region due to higher chewing forces; this assumption needs to be proven in clinical studies.

Patients' willingness to trade off between the duration and frequency of rheumatoid arthritis treatments.

PubMed

Poulos, Christine; Hauber, A Brett; González, Juan Marcos; Turpcu, Adam

2014-07-01

Biologic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) vary widely in both the time required to administer treatment and treatment frequency. This study aimed to quantify the rate at which RA patients are willing to trade off between the time required to administer treatment (duration) and treatment frequency. Respondents with a self-reported physician diagnosis of moderate to severe RA completed an online discrete choice experiment survey (also known as conjoint analysis). Respondents were presented with a series of treatment-choice questions. Each hypothetical treatment included 6 attributes: response rate, mode of administration, treatment duration, treatment frequency, and the risks of immediate mild and serious treatment reactions. Preference weights, also called marginal utilities or relative importances, were estimated using mixed-logit methods and then used to calculate the marginal rates of substitution between attributes, including treatment duration and treatment frequency. Among the 901 respondents, 505 were in the RA Information, Service, and Education group (www.risesupport.com) and 396 were members of an online panel. The marginal utility of changes in treatment features was largest for a 1-hour change in treatment duration, while a 1-unit change in the annual frequency of treatment was the second least important change. The marginal utility of changes in annual treatment frequency depends on the treatment duration and vice versa. Respondents would accept treatments with lower efficacy and greater risk to achieve lower duration and frequency. Previous studies have linked patient preferences to treatment adherence, suggesting that reductions in duration or frequency could improve adherence and health outcomes. Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Rheumatology.

Lithosphere erosion and continental breakup: Interaction of extension, plume upwelling and melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavecchia, Alessio; Thieulot, Cedric; Beekman, Fred; Cloetingh, Sierd; Clark, Stuart

2017-06-01

We present the results of thermo-mechanical modelling of extension and breakup of a heterogeneous continental lithosphere, subjected to plume impingement in presence of intraplate stress field. We incorporate partial melting of the extending lithosphere, underlying upper mantle and plume, caused by pressure-temperature variations during the thermo-mechanical evolution of the conjugate passive margin system. Effects of melting included in the model account for thermal effects, causing viscosity reduction due to host rock heating, and mechanical effects, due to cohesion loss. Our study provides better understanding on how presence of melts can influence the evolution of rifting. Here we focus particularly on the role of melting for the temporal and spatial evolution of passive margin geometry and rift migration. Depending on the lithospheric structure, melt presence may have a significant impact on the characteristics of areas affected by lithospheric extension. Pre-existing lithosphere heterogeneities determine the location of initial breakup, but in presence of plumes the subsequent evolution is more difficult to predict. For small distances between plume and area of initial rifting, the development of symmetric passive margins is favored, whereas increasing the distance promotes asymmetry. For a plume-rifting distance large enough to prevent interaction, the effect of plumes on the overlying lithosphere is negligible and the rift persists at the location of the initial lithospheric weakness. When the melt effect is included, the development of asymmetric passive continental margins is fostered. In this case, melt-induced lithospheric weakening may be strong enough to cause rift jumps toward the plume location.

Energy use and recovery in waste management and implications for accounting of greenhouse gases and global warming contributions.

PubMed

Fruergaard, Thilde; Astrup, Tomas; Ekvall, Thomas

2009-11-01

The energy system plays an essential role in accounting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from waste management systems and waste technologies. This paper focuses on energy use and energy recovery in waste management and outlines how these aspects should be addressed consistently in a GHG perspective. Essential GHG emission data for the most common fuels, electricity and heat are provided. Average data on electricity provision show large variations from country to country due to different fuels being used and different efficiencies for electricity production in the individual countries (0.007-1.13 kg CO(2)-eq. kWh(-1)). Marginal data on electricity provision show even larger variations (0.004-3 kg CO(2)-eq. kWh( -1)). Somewhat less variation in GHG emissions is being found for heat production (0.01-0.69 kg CO(2)-eq. kWh( -1)). The paper further addresses allocation principles and the importance of applying either average or marginal energy data, and it discusses the consequences of introducing reduction targets on CO( 2) emissions. All discussed aspects were found to significantly affect the outcome of GHG accounts suggesting transparent reporting to be critical. Recommendations for use of average/marginal energy data are provided.

The Use of a Lidar Forward-Looking Turbulence Sensor for Mixed-Compression Inlet Unstart Avoidance and Gross Weight Reduction on a High Speed Civil Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soreide, David; Bogue, Rodney K.; Ehernberger, L. J.; Seidel, Jonathan

1997-01-01

Inlet unstart causes a disturbance akin to severe turbulence for a supersonic commercial airplane. Consequently, the current goal for the frequency of unstarts is a few times per fleet lifetime. For a mixed-compression inlet, there is a tradeoff between propulsion system efficiency and unstart margin. As the unstart margin decreases, propulsion system efficiency increases, but so does the unstart rate. This paper intends to first, quantify that tradeoff for the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) and second, to examine the benefits of using a sensor to detect turbulence ahead of the airplane. When the presence of turbulence is known with sufficient lead time to allow the propulsion system to adjust the unstart margin, then inlet un,starts can be minimized while overall efficiency is maximized. The NASA Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements program is developing a lidar system to serve as a prototype of the forward-looking sensor. This paper reports on the progress of this development program and its application to the prevention of inlet unstart in a mixed-compression supersonic inlet. Quantified benefits include significantly reduced takeoff gross weight (TOGW), which could increase payload, reduce direct operating costs, or increase range for the HSCT.

Framework for Testing the Effectiveness of Bat and Eagle Impact-Reduction Strategies at Wind Energy Projects

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

Sinclair, Karin; DeGeorge, Elise

2016-04-13

The objectives of this framework are to facilitate the study design and execution to test the effectiveness of bat and eagle impact-reduction strategies at wind energy sites. Through scientific field research, the wind industry and its partners can help determine if certain strategies are ready for operational deployment or require further development. This framework should be considered a living document to be improved upon as fatality-reduction technologies advance from the initial concepts to proven readiness (through project- and technology-specific testing) and as scientific field methods improve.

Precipitation-Static-Reduction Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1943-03-31

if» 85 z \\ PRECIPITATION-STATIC-REDUCTION RESEARCH study of the effects of flame length , flame spacing, and burner spacing on B shows that there...unod: Flame length *. The visual length of the flame from the burner tip to the flame tip when examined in a darkened room against a black background...Postlve and Negative Flames The use of the second flame-conduction coefficient, B, facilitates considerably the study of the effect of flame length , spacing

Do You Hear What I Hear? The Impact of a Hearing Voices Simulation on Affective Domain Attributes in Nursing Students.

PubMed

Ward, Terry D

2015-01-01

Affective domain teaching and learning can facilitate the reduction of stigmatization of clients with mental illness in nursing students. Experiential learning activities such as simulation are regarded as an effective method for facilitating student learning in the affective domain. The project reported here measured the impact of a simulation experience, "Hearing Voices Which Are Distressing," on attitudes, values, and beliefs of accelerated baccalaureate students caring for clients with mental illness who experienced hearing voices.

Application of geoinformation techniques in sustainable development of marginal rural

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leszczynska, G.

2009-04-01

The basic objective of the studies is to create a geographic information system that would assure integration of activities aimed at protecting biological diversity with sustainable development of marginal rural areas through defining the conditions for development of tourism and recreation in the identified areas. The choice of that solution is a consequence of the fact that numerous phenomena and processes presented in maps are linked to functional relations or they can be viewed as functions of space, time and attributes. The paper presents the system development stage aimed at elaborating the template for the system serving solution of the above-presented problem. In case of this issue the geographic information system will be developed to support development of marginal rural areas through selection of appropriate forms of tourism for the endangered areas including indication of locations for development of appropriate tourist infrastructure. Selection of the appropriate form of tourism will depend on natural, tourist and infrastructure values present in a given area and conditioned by the need to present the biodiversity component present in those areas together with elements of traditional agricultural landscape. The most important problem is to reconcile two seemingly contradictory aims: 1. Preventing social and economic marginalization of the restructured rural areas. 2. Preserving biological diversity in the restructured areas.Agriculture influences many aspects of the natural environment such as water resources, biodiversity and status of natural habitats, status of soils, landscape and, in a wider context, the climate. Project implementation will involve application of technologies allowing analysis of the systems for managing marginal rural areas as spatial models based on geographic information systems. Modelling of marginal rural areas management using the GIS technologies will involve creating spatial models of actual objects. On the basis of data on location, properties of attributes and mutual relations of objects analyses of synergic influence of specific development forms on the environment and development of rural areas will be carried out. The important aspect here is the possibility of linking the phenomena and processes presented in maps with functional relations, including the space and time function. Application of that solution will allow analysis of actual marginal rural areas management system as a model of object and it will allow application of artificial intelligence as decision support tool. The system designed in that way will be characterized by the following properties: - it will be modelled and built of mutually communicating objects implemented by software using special object types. - division of the software into objects will facilitate its analysis. - dynamic properties of object structures: polymorphism, hermetization and implementation of methods in object structure will be applied. - objects will be used as the set of system model elements, which will assure ease of its modification. - specialization of classes will be introduced by means of inheritance of fields and methods [Muller, 2000]. The applied methods of object design coupled with GIS use should allow integration of marginal rural areas management according to the principle of sustainable development.

Quantification of Collagen Ultrastructure after Penetrating Keratoplasty – Implications for Corneal Biomechanics

PubMed Central

Gardner, Steven J.; Kamma-Lorger, Christina S.; Hayes, Sally; Nielsen, Kim; Hjortdal, Jesper; Sorensen, Thomas; Terrill, Nicholas J.; Meek, Keith M.

2013-01-01

Purpose To quantify long-term changes in stromal collagen ultrastructure following penetrating keratoplasty (PK), and evaluate their possible implications for corneal biomechanics. Methods A pair of 16 mm post-mortem corneo-scleral buttons was obtained from a patient receiving bilateral penetrating keratoplasty 12 (left)/28 (right) years previously. Small-angle x-ray scattering quantified collagen fibril spacing, diameter and spatial order at 0.5 mm or 0.25 mm intervals along linear scans across the graft margin. Corresponding control data was collected from two corneo-scleral buttons with no history of refractive surgery. Wide-angle x-ray scattering quantified collagen fibril orientation at 0.25 mm (horizontal)×0.25 mm (vertical) intervals across both PK specimens. Quantification of orientation changes in the graft margin were verified by equivalent analysis of data from a 13 year post-operative right PK specimen obtained from a second patient in a previous study, and comparison made with new and published data from normal corneas. Results Marked changes to normal fibril alignment, in favour of tangentially oriented collagen, were observed around the entire graft margin in all PK specimens. The total number of meridional fibrils in the wound margin was observed to decrease by up to 40%, with the number of tangentially oriented fibrils increasing by up to 46%. As a result, in some locations the number of fibrils aligned parallel to the wound outnumbered those spanning it by up to five times. Localised increases in fibril spacing and diameter, with an accompanying reduction in matrix order, were also evident. Conclusions Abnormal collagen fibril size and spatial order within the PK graft margin are indicative of incomplete stromal wound remodelling and the long term persistence of fibrotic scar tissue. Lasting changes in collagen fibril orientation in and around PK wounds may alter corneal biomechanics and compromise the integrity of the graft-host interface in the long term. PMID:23861866

The Journey of Addiction: Barriers to and Facilitators of Drug Use Cessation among Street Children and Youths in Western Kenya

PubMed Central

Embleton, Lonnie; Atwoli, Lukoye; Ayuku, David; Braitstein, Paula

2013-01-01

This mixed-methods study examined barriers to and facilitators of street children’s drug use cessation in Eldoret, Kenya utilizing a cross-sectional survey and focus group discussions with a community-based sample of street-involved children and youth. The primary objective of this study was to describe factors that may assist or impede cessation of drug use that can be utilized in developing substance use interventions for this marginalized population. In 2011, 146 children and youth ages 10–19 years, classified as either children on the street or children of the street were recruited to participate in the cross-sectional survey. Of the 146 children that participated in the survey 40 were invited to participate in focus group discussion; 30 returned voluntarily to participate in the discussions. Several themes were derived from children’s narratives that described the barriers to and facilitators of drug cessation. Specifically, our findings reveal the strength of the addiction to inhalants, the dual role that peers and family play in substance use, and how the social, cultural, and economic context influence or impede cessation. Our findings demonstrate the need to integrate community, family and peers into any intervention in addition to traditional medical and psychological models for treatment of substance use dependence. PMID:23326428

Abiotic CO2 reduction during geologic carbon sequestration facilitated by Fe(II)-bearing minerals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, L. C.; Maher, K.; Bird, D. K.; Brown, G. E.; Thomas, B.; Johnson, N. C.; Rosenbauer, R. J.

2012-12-01

Redox reactions involving subsurface minerals and fluids and can lead to the abiotic generation of hydrocarbons from CO2 under certain conditions. Depleted oil reservoirs and saline aquifers targeted for geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) can contain significant quantities of minerals such as ferrous chlorite, which could facilitate the abiotic reduction of carbon dioxide to n-carboxylic acids, hydrocarbons, and amorphous carbon (C0). If such reactions occur, the injection of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) could significantly alter the oxidation state of the reservoir and cause extensive reorganization of the stable mineral assemblage via dissolution and reprecipitation reactions. Naturally occurring iron oxide minerals such as magnetite are known to catalyze CO2 reduction, resulting in the synthesis of organic compounds. Magnetite is thermodynamically stable in Fe(II) chlorite-bearing mineral assemblages typical of some reservoir formations. Thermodynamic calculations demonstrate that GCS reservoirs buffered by the chlorite-kaolinite-carbonate(siderite/magnesite)-quartz assemblage favor the reduction of CO2 to n-carboxylic acids, hydrocarbons, and C0, although the extent of abiotic CO2 reduction may be kinetically limited. To investigate the rates of abiotic CO2 reduction in the presence of magnetite, we performed batch abiotic CO2 reduction experiments using a Dickson-type rocking hydrothermal apparatus at temperatures (373 K) and pressures (100 bar) within the range of conditions relevant to GCS. Blank experiments containing CO2 and H2 were used to rule out the possibility of catalytic activity of the experimental apparatus. Reaction of brine-suspended magnetite nanoparticles with scCO2 at H2 partial pressures typical of reservoir rocks - up to 100 and 0.1 bars respectively - was used to investigate the kinetics of magnetite-catalyzed abiotic CO2 reduction. Later experiments introducing ferrous chlorite (ripidolite) were carried out to determine the potential for heterogeneous catalysis in GCS systems.

Global occurrences of gas hydrate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvenvolden, K.A.; Lorenson, T.D.

2001-01-01

Natural gas hydrate is found worldwide in sediments of outer continental margins of all oceans and in polar areas with continuous permafrost. There are currently 77 localities identified globally where geophysical, geochemical and/or geological evidence indicates the presence of gas hydrate. Details concerning individual gas-hydrate occurrences are compiled at a new world-wide-web (www) site (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/globalhydrate). This site has been created to facilitate global gas-hydrate research by providing information on each of the localities where there is evidence for gas hydrate. Also considered are the implications of gas hydrate as a potential (1) energy resource, (2) factor in global climate change, and (3) geohazard.

Quantile regression in the presence of monotone missingness with sensitivity analysis

PubMed Central

Liu, Minzhao; Daniels, Michael J.; Perri, Michael G.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we develop methods for longitudinal quantile regression when there is monotone missingness. In particular, we propose pattern mixture models with a constraint that provides a straightforward interpretation of the marginal quantile regression parameters. Our approach allows sensitivity analysis which is an essential component in inference for incomplete data. To facilitate computation of the likelihood, we propose a novel way to obtain analytic forms for the required integrals. We conduct simulations to examine the robustness of our approach to modeling assumptions and compare its performance to competing approaches. The model is applied to data from a recent clinical trial on weight management. PMID:26041008

Calculation of the lateral control of swept and unswept flexible wings of arbitrary stiffness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diederich, Franklin W

1951-01-01

A method similar to that of NACA rep. 1000 is presented for calculating the effectiveness and the reversal speed of lateral-control devices on swept and unswept wings of arbitrary stiffness. Provision is made for using either stiffness curves and root-rotation constants or structural influence coefficients in the analysis. Computing forms and an illustrative example are included to facilitate calculations by means of the method. The effectiveness of conventional aileron configurations and the margin against aileron reversal are shown to be relatively low for swept wings at all speeds and for all wing plan forms at supersonic speeds.

EARLY BIOMARKERS OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY ALLERGEN EXPOSURE

EPA Science Inventory

Rationale: Allergic asthma prevalence has been increasing in Western societies for several decades. Identification of potential allergens facilitates reduction in exposure and may reduce the risk of asthma development. Predictive models for recognition of sensitizers require th...

Comparison of Anxiety Management Training and Self-Control Desensitization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deffenbacher, Jerry L.; And Others

1980-01-01

Anxiety management training and self-control desensitization effectively reduced debilitating test anxiety and increased facilitating test anxiety. Follow-up demonstrated maintenance of debilitating test anxiety reduction. Subjects receiving treatment had significantly higher psychology grades. (Author)

Software For Least-Squares And Robust Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeffreys, William H.; Fitzpatrick, Michael J.; Mcarthur, Barbara E.; Mccartney, James

1990-01-01

GAUSSFIT computer program includes full-featured programming language facilitating creation of mathematical models solving least-squares and robust-estimation problems. Programming language designed to make it easy to specify complex reduction models. Written in 100 percent C language.

Academic health center teaching hospitals in transition: a perspective from the field.

PubMed

Cyphert, S T; Colloton, J W; Levey, S

1997-01-01

A study of 11 Academic Health Center Teaching Hospitals (ATHs) in 11 states found that cost reduction programs, internal reorganizations, reengineering, benchmarking, and broadened entrepreneurial activity were prominent among the strategic initiatives reported in dealing with an increasingly turbulent environment. Although none of the ATHs had experienced negative net margins, we conclude that today's competitive healthcare system requires ATHs be reimbursed separately for their educational and other societally related costs to assist them in competing on a level playing fields.

Oceanography: 1998 Paris Meeting Abstracts: Coastal and Marginal Seas. Volume 11, Number 2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Laave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 18 MAR 1999 3. REPORT...Richard W. Spinrad Small-Scale Hydrodynamics of Feeding Appendages of Marine Animals 10 M.A.R. Koehl Controls on Floe Size in the Sea 13 Paul S...we’ve included our first inter- view with one of community’s most influential leaders, the Chief of Naval Research, Rear Admiral Paul G. Gaffney, Jr

Experimental study of tail-span effects on a generic canard-controlled missile

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blair, A. B., Jr.; Dillon, James L.; Watson, Carolyn B.

1992-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted on a cruciform canard controlled missile configuration to determine the effects of tail span/canard span ratio on controllability. The investigation was conducted over the Mach number range of 1.75 to 3.50. Reductions of tail span/canard span ratio produced lower static margins and higher trim angle of attack. The results show that canard controls can provide pitch- and yaw-control as well as roll-control by proper selection of the tail span/canard span ratio.

Structured codebook design in CELP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leblanc, W. P.; Mahmoud, S. A.

1990-01-01

Codebook Excited Linear Protection (CELP) is a popular analysis by synthesis technique for quantizing speech at bit rates from 4 to 6 kbps. Codebook design techniques to date have been largely based on either random (often Gaussian) codebooks, or on known binary or ternary codes which efficiently map the space of (assumed white) excitation codevectors. It has been shown that by introducing symmetries into the codebook, good complexity reduction can be realized with only marginal decrease in performance. Codebook design algorithms are considered for a wide range of structured codebooks.

Final Report Ra Power Management 1255 10-15-16 FINAL_Public

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

Iverson, Aaron

Ra Power Management (RPM) has developed a cloud based software platform that manages the financial and operational functions of third party financed solar projects throughout their lifecycle. RPM’s software streamlines and automates the sales, financing, and management of a portfolio of solar assets. The software helps solar developers automate the most difficult aspects of asset management, leading to increased transparency, efficiency, and reduction in human error. More importantly, our platform will help developers save money by improving their operating margins

Surface Ligand Promotion of Carbon Dioxide Reduction through Stabilizing Chemisorbed Reactive Intermediates.

PubMed

Wang, Zhijiang; Wu, Lina; Sun, Kun; Chen, Ting; Jiang, Zhaohua; Cheng, Tao; Goddard, William A

2018-05-23

We have explored functionalizing metal catalysts with surface ligands as an approach to facilitate electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). To provide a molecular level understanding of the mechanism by which this enhancement occurs, we combine in situ spectroscopy analysis with an interpretation based on quantum mechanics (QM) calculations. We find that a surface ligand can play a critical role in stabilizing the chemisorbed CO 2 , which facilitates CO 2 activation and leads to a 0.3 V decrease in the overpotential for carbon monoxide (CO) formation. Moreover, the presence of the surface ligand leads to nearly exclusive CO production. At -0.6 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE), CO is the only significant product with a faradic efficiency of 93% and a current density of 1.9 mA cm -2 . This improvement corresponds to 53-fold enhancement in turnover frequency compared with the Ag nanoparticles (NPs) without surface ligands.

Glycosylation facilitates transdermal transport of macromolecules

PubMed Central

Pino, Christopher J.; Gutterman, Jordan U.; Vonwil, Daniel; Mitragotri, Samir; Shastri, V. Prasad

2012-01-01

Stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, allows transport of only low-molecular weight (<500) lipophilic solutes. Here, we report a surprising finding that avicins (Avs), a family of naturally occurring glycosylated triterpenes with a molecular weight > 2,000, exhibit skin permeabilities comparable to those of small hydrophobic molecules, such as estradiol. Systematic fragmentation of the Av molecule shows that deletion of the outer monoterpene results in a 62% reduction in permeability, suggesting an important role for this motif in skin permeation. Further removal of the tetrasaccharide residue results in a further reduction of permeability by 79%. These results, taken in sum, imply that synergistic effects involving both hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues may hold the key in facilitating translocation of Avs across skin lipids. In addition to exhibiting high permeability, Avs provided moderate enhancements of skin permeability of estradiol and polysaccharides, including dextran and inulin but not polyethylene glycol. PMID:23236155

Fe(III) oxides accelerate microbial nitrate reduction and electricity generation by Klebsiella pneumoniae L17.

PubMed

Liu, Tongxu; Li, Xiaomin; Zhang, Wei; Hu, Min; Li, Fangbai

2014-06-01

Klebsiella pneumoniae L17 is a fermentative bacterium that can reduce iron oxide and generate electricity under anoxic conditions, as previously reported. This study reveals that K. pneumoniae L17 is also capable of dissimilatory nitrate reduction, producing NO2(-), NH4(+), NO and N2O under anoxic conditions. The presence of Fe(III) oxides (i.e., α-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, α-Fe2O3 and γ-Fe2O3) significantly accelerates the reduction of nitrate and generation of electricity by K. pneumoniae L17, which is similar to a previous report regarding another fermentative bacterium, Bacillus. No significant nitrate reduction was observed upon treatment with Fe(2+) or α-FeOOH+Fe(2+), but a slight facilitation of nitrate reduction and electricity generation was observed upon treatment with L17+Fe(2+). This result suggests that aqueous Fe(II) or mineral-adsorbed Fe(II) cannot reduce nitrate abiotically but that L17 can catalyze the reduction of nitrate and generation of electricity in the presence of Fe(II) (which might exist as cell surface-bound Fe(II)). To rule out the potential effect of Fe(II) produced by L17 during microbial iron reduction, treatments with the addition of TiO2 or Al2O3 instead of Fe(III) oxides also exhibited accelerated microbial nitrate reduction and electricity generation, indicating that cell-mineral sorption did account for the acceleration effect. However, the acceleration caused by Fe(III) oxides is only partially attributed to the cell surface-bound Fe(II) and cell-mineral sorption but may be driven by the iron oxide conduction band-mediated electron transfer from L17 to nitrate or an electrode, as proposed previously. The current study extends the diversity of bacteria of which nitrate reduction and electricity generation can be facilitated by the presence of iron oxides and confirms the positive role of Fe(III) oxides on microbial nitrate reduction and electricity generation by particular fermentative bacteria in anoxic environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flying Lessons: Learning from Ryanair's Cost Reduction Culture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawton, Thomas C.

2000-01-01

Through radically improving the value equation for airline customers, Ryanair has served to shake-up established norms and practices in European aviation. Underpinning its price leadership and market success is a vigorous and relentless cost reduction ethos and resultant low break-even load factor. Ryanair has lowered European airline cost structures considerably, shattering existing cost floors. Few competitors are able to follow, either because they do not know how or they are unable due to social settlement obligations or service commitments. At the same time, the company has maintained high average load factors on its flights. Taken in conjunction with its low break-even load factor, this results in consistently high overall profit margins. On this basis, Ryanair is likely to remain a significant competitor and increase its market presence and success across Europe.

Reduction of earthquake risk in the united states: Bridging the gap between research and practice

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hays, W.W.

1998-01-01

Continuing efforts under the auspices of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program are under way to improve earthquake risk assessment and risk management in earthquake-prone regions of Alaska, California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones in the central United States, the southeastern and northeastern United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and Hawaii. Geologists, geophysicists, seismologists, architects, engineers, urban planners, emergency managers, health care specialists, and policymakers are having to work at the margins of their disciplines to bridge the gap between research and practice and to provide a social, technical, administrative, political, legal, and economic basis for changing public policies and professional practices in communities where the earthquake risk is unacceptable. ?? 1998 IEEE.

Timing and adequate attendance of antenatal care visits among women in Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Bishwajit, Ghose; Ekholuenetale, Michael; Shah, Vaibhav; Kadio, Bernard; Udenigwe, Ogochukwu

2017-01-01

Introduction Although ANC services are increasingly available to women in low and middle-income countries, their inadequate use persists. This suggests a misalignment between aims of the services and maternal beliefs and circumstances. Owing to the dearth of studies examining the timing and adequacy of content of care, this current study aims to investigate the timing and frequency of ANC visits in Ethiopia. Methods Data was obtained from the nationally representative 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) which used a two-stage cluster sampling design to provide estimates for the health and demographic variables of interest for the country. Our study focused on a sample of 10,896 women with history of at least one childbirth event. Percentages of timing and adequacy of ANC visits were conducted across the levels of selected factors. Variables which were associated at 5% significance level were examined in the multivariable logistic regression model for association between timing and frequency of ANC visits and the explanatory variables while controlling for covariates. Furthermore, we presented the approach to estimate marginal effects involving covariate-adjusted logistic regression with corresponding 95%CI of delayed initiation of ANC visits and inadequate ANC attendance. The method used involved predicted probabilities added up to a weighted average showing the covariate distribution in the population. Results Results indicate that 66.3% of women did not use ANC at first trimester and 22.3% had ANC less than 4 visits. The results of this study were unique in that the association between delayed ANC visits and adequacy of ANC visits were examined using multivariable logistic model and the marginal effects using predicted probabilities. Results revealed that older age interval has higher odds of inadequate ANC visits. More so, type of place of residence was associated with delayed initiation of ANC visits, with rural women having the higher odds of delayed initiation of ANC visits (OR = 1.65; 95%CI: 1.26–2.18). However, rural women had 44% reduction in the odds of having inadequate ANC visits. In addition, multi-parity showed higher odds of delayed initiation of ANC visit when compared to the primigravida (OR = 2.20; 95%CI: 1.07–2.69). On the contrary, there was 36% reduction in the odds of multigravida having inadequate ANC visits when compared to the women who were primigravida. There were higher odds of inadequacy in ANC visits among women who engaged in sales/business, agriculture, skilled manual and other jobs when compared to women who currently do not work, after adjusting for covariates. From the predictive margins, assuming the distribution of all covariates remained the same among respondents, but everyone was aged 15–19 years, we would expect 71.8% delayed initiation of ANC visit. If everyone was aged 20-24years, 73.4%; 25-29years, 66.5%; 30-34years, 64.8%; 35-39years, 65.6%; 40-44years, 59.6% and 45-49years, we would expect 70.1% delayed initiation of ANC visit. If instead the distribution of age was as observed and for other covariates remained the same among respondents, but no respondent lived in the rural, we would expect about 61.4% delayed initiation of ANC visit; if however, everyone lived in the rural, and we would expect 71.6% delayed initiation in ANC visit. Model III revealed the predictive margins of all factors examined for delayed initiation for ANC visits, while Model IV presented the predictive marginal effects of the determinants of adequacy of ANC visits. Conclusion The precise mechanism by which these factors affect ANC visits remain blurred at best. There may be factors on the demand side like the women’s empowerment, financial support of the husband, knowledge of ANC visits in the context of timing, frequency and the expectations of ANC visits might be mediating the effects through the factors found associated in this study. Supply side factors like the quality of ANC services, skilled staff, and geographic location of the health centers also mediate their effects through the highlighted factors. Irrespective of the knowledge about the precise mechanism of action, policy makers could focus on improving women’s empowerment, improving women’s education, reducing wealth inequity and facilitating improved utilization of ANC through modifications on the supply side factors such as geographic location and focus on hard to reach women. PMID:28922383

Range shift and introgression of the rear and leading populations in two ecologically distinct Rubus species.

PubMed

Mimura, Makiko; Mishima, Misako; Lascoux, Martin; Yahara, Tetsukazu

2014-10-25

The margins of a species' range might be located at the margins of a species' niche, and in such cases, can be highly vulnerable to climate changes. They, however, may also undergo significant evolutionary changes due to drastic population dynamics in response to climate changes, which may increase the chances of isolation and contact among species. Such species interactions induced by climate changes could then regulate or facilitate further responses to climatic changes. We hypothesized that climate changes lead to species contacts and subsequent genetic exchanges due to differences in population dynamics at the species boundaries. We sampled two closely related Rubus species, one temperate (Rubus palmatus) and the other subtropical (R. grayanus) near their joint species boundaries in southern Japan. Coalescent analysis, based on molecular data and ecological niche modelling during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), were used to infer past population dynamics. At the contact zones on Yakushima (Yaku Island), where the two species are parapatrically distributed, we tested hybridization along altitudinal gradients. Coalescent analysis suggested that the southernmost populations of R. palmatus predated the LGM (~20,000 ya). Conversely, populations at the current northern limit of R. grayanus diverged relatively recently and likely represent young outposts of a northbound range shift. These population dynamics were partly supported by the ensemble forecasting of six different species distribution models. Both past and ongoing hybridizations were detected near and on Yakushima. Backcrosses and advanced-generation hybrids likely generated the clinal hybrid zones along altitudinal gradients on the island where the two species are currently parapatrically distributed. Climate oscillations during the Quaternary Period and the response of a species in range shifts likely led to repeated contacts with the gene pools of ecologically distinct relatives. Such species interactions, induced by climate changes, may bring new genetic material to the marginal populations where species tend to experience more extreme climatic conditions at the margins of the species distribution.

One-stop-shop with confocal microscopy imaging vs. standard care for surgical treatment of basal cell carcinoma: an open-label, noninferiority, randomized controlled multicentre trial.

PubMed

Kadouch, D J; Elshot, Y S; Zupan-Kajcovski, B; van Haersma de With, A S E; van der Wal, A C; Leeflang, M; Jóźwiak, K; Wolkerstorfer, A; Bekkenk, M W; Spuls, P I; de Rie, M A

2017-09-01

Routine punch biopsies are considered to be standard care for diagnosing and subtyping basal cell carcinoma (BCC) when clinically suspected. We assessed the efficacy of a one-stop-shop concept using in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) imaging as a diagnostic tool vs. standard care for surgical treatment in patients with clinically suspected BCC. In this open-label, parallel-group, noninferiority, randomized controlled multicentre trial we enrolled patients with clinically suspected BCC at two tertiary referral centres in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Patients were randomly assigned to the RCM one-stop-shop (diagnosing and subtyping using RCM followed by direct surgical excision) or standard care (planned excision based on the histological diagnosis and subtype of a punch biopsy). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with tumour-free margins after surgical excision of BCC. Of the 95 patients included, 73 (77%) had a BCC histologically confirmed using a surgical excision specimen. All patients (40 of 40, 100%) in the one-stop-shop group had tumour-free margins. In the standard-care group tumour-free margins were found in all but two patients (31 of 33, 94%). The difference in the proportion of patients with tumour-free margins after BCC excision between the one-stop-shop group and the standard-care group was -0·06 (90% confidence interval -0·17-0·01), establishing noninferiority. The proposed new treatment strategy seems suitable in facilitating early diagnosis and direct treatment for patients with BCC, depending on factors such as availability of RCM, size and site of the lesion, patient preference and whether direct surgical excision is feasible. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.

New Insights into the Electroreduction of Ethylene Sulfite as Electrolyte Additive for Facilitating Solid Electrolyte Interphase of Lithium Ion Battery

PubMed Central

Sun, Youmin; Wang, Yixuan

2017-01-01

To help understand the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation facilitated by electrolyte additives of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) the supermolecular clusters [(ES)Li+(PC)m](PC)n (m=1–2; n=0, 6, and 9) were used to investigate the electroreductive decompositions of the electrolyte additive, ethylene sulfite (ES), as well as the solvent, propylene carbonate (PC) with density functional theory. The results show that ES can be reduced prior to PC, resulting in a reduction precursor that will then undergo a ring opening decomposition to yield a radical anion. A new concerted pathway (path B) was located for the ring opening of the reduced ES, which has much lower energy barrier than the previously reported stepwise pathway (path A). The transition state for the ring opening of PC induced by the reduced ES (path C, indirect path) is closer to that of path A than path B in energy. The direct ring opening of the reduced PC (path D) has lower energy barrier than those of paths A, B and C, yet it is less favorable than the latter paths in terms of thermodynamics (vertical electron affinity or the reduction potential dissociation energy). The overall rate constant including the initial reduction and the subsequent ring opening for path B is the largest among the four paths, followed by paths A>C>D, which further signifies the importance of the concerted new path in facilitating the SEI. The hybrid models, the supermolecular cluster augmented by polarized continuum model, PCM-[(ES)Li+(PC)2](PC)n (n=0,6, and 9), were used to further estimate the reduction potential by taking into account both explicit and implicit solvent effects. The second solvation shell of Li+ in [(ES)Li+(PC)2](PC)n (n=6, and 9) partially compensates the overestimation of solvent effects arising from the PCM model for the naked (ES)Li+(PC)2, and the theoretical reduction potential with PCM-[(ES)Li+(PC)2](PC)6 (1.90–1.93V) agrees very well with the experimental one (1.8–2.0V). PMID:28220165

New insights into the electroreduction of ethylene sulfite as an electrolyte additive for facilitating solid electrolyte interphase formation in lithium ion batteries.

PubMed

Sun, Youmin; Wang, Yixuan

2017-03-01

To help understand the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation facilitated by electrolyte additives of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) the supermolecular clusters [(ES)Li + (PC) m ](PC) n (m = 1-2; n = 0, 6 and 9) were used to investigate the electroreductive decompositions of the electrolyte additive ethylene sulfite (ES) as well as the solvent propylene carbonate (PC) with density functional theory. The results show that ES can be reduced prior to PC, resulting in a reduction precursor that will then undergo a ring opening decomposition to yield a radical anion. A new concerted pathway (path B) was located for the ring opening of the reduced ES, which has a much lower energy barrier than the previously reported stepwise pathway (path A). The transition state for the ring opening of PC induced by the reduced ES (path C, indirect path) is closer to that of path A than path B in energy. The direct ring opening of the reduced PC (path D) has a lower energy barrier than paths A, B and C, yet it is less favorable than the latter paths in terms of thermodynamics (vertical electron affinity or reduction potential and dissociation energy). The overall rate constant including the initial reduction and the subsequent ring opening for path B is the largest among the four paths, followed by paths A > C > D, which further signifies the importance of the concerted new path in facilitating the SEI formation. The hybrid models, the supermolecular clusters augmented by a polarized continuum model, PCM-[(ES)Li + (PC) 2 ](PC) n (n = 0, 6 and 9), were used to further estimate the reduction potential by taking into account both explicit and implicit solvent effects. The second solvation shell of Li + in [(ES)Li + (PC) 2 ](PC) n (n = 6 and 9) partially compensates the overestimation of solvent effects arising from the PCM for the naked (ES)Li + (PC) 2 , and the theoretical reduction potential of PCM-[(ES)Li + (PC) 2 ](PC) 6 (1.90-1.93 V) agrees very well with the experimental one (1.8-2.0 V).

Humic acids facilitated microbial reduction of polymeric Pu(IV) under anaerobic conditions.

PubMed

Xie, Jinchuan; Liang, Wei; Lin, Jianfeng; Zhou, Xiaohua; Li, Mei

2018-01-01

Flavins and humic substances have been extensively studied with emphasis on their ability to transfer extracellular electrons to insoluble metal oxides. Nevertheless, whether the low-solubility Pu(IV) polymers are microbially reduced to aqueous Pu(III) remains uncertain. Experiments were conducted under anaerobic and slightly alkaline conditions to study the difference between humic acids and flavins to transport extracellular electrons to Pu(IV) polymers. Our study demonstrates that Shewanella putrefaciens was unable to directly reduce polymeric Pu(IV) with a notably low reduction rate (3.4×10 -12 mol/L Pu(III) aq within 144h). The relatively high redox potential of flavins reveals the thermodynamically unfavorable reduction: E h (PuO 2 (am)/Pu 3+ )

Utility Sector Impacts of Reduced Electricity Demand

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

Coughlin, Katie

2014-12-01

This report presents a new approach to estimating the marginal utility sector impacts associated with electricity demand reductions. The method uses publicly available data and provides results in the form of time series of impact factors. The input data are taken from the Energy Information Agency's Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projections of how the electric system might evolve in the reference case, and in a number of side cases that incorporate different effciency and other policy assumptions. The data published with the AEO are used to define quantitative relationships between demand-side electricity reductions by end use and supply-side changes tomore » capacity by plant type, generation by fuel type and emissions of CO2, Hg, NOx and SO2. The impact factors define the change in each of these quantities per unit reduction in site electricity demand. We find that the relative variation in these impacts by end use is small, but the time variation can be significant.« less

Kinetic studies on the reduction of iron ore nuggets by devolatilization of lean-grade coal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, Chanchal; Gupta, Prithviraj; De, Arnab; Chaudhuri, Mahua Ghosh; Dey, Rajib

2016-12-01

An isothermal kinetic study of a novel technique for reducing agglomerated iron ore by volatiles released by pyrolysis of lean-grade non-coking coal was carried out at temperature from 1050 to 1200°C for 10-120 min. The reduced samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and chemical analysis. A good degree of metallization and reduction was achieved. Gas diffusion through the solid was identified as the reaction-rate-controlling resistance; however, during the initial period, particularly at lower temperatures, resistance to interfacial chemical reaction was also significant, though not dominant. The apparent rate constant was observed to increase marginally with decreasing size of the particles constituting the nuggets. The apparent activation energy of reduction was estimated to be in the range from 49.640 to 51.220 kJ/mol and was not observed to be affected by the particle size. The sulfur and carbon contents in the reduced samples were also determined.

Effects on Physical Health of a Multicomponent Programme for Overweight and Obesity for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

PubMed

Martínez-Zaragoza, Fermín; Campillo-Martínez, José M; Ato-García, Manuel

2016-05-01

Overweight and obesity are major health risk factors in people with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a multicomponent programme (physical activity, diet and motivation) for overweight and obesity in adults with intellectual disabilities. A quasi-experimental design with repeated-measures and non-equivalent control group (n = 33, n = 31) was used. The programme was conducted over 17 weeks, with follow-up at 6 months in a sample of Spanish adults with a mild and moderate intellectual disability from a community occupational day centre, aged from 23 to 50, 40.6% of which were women. A significant reduction in weight and diastolic blood pressure was obtained over time, and this reduction was maintained in the follow-up for weight. Reduction in heart rate was only marginally significant. The treatment was effective in reducing overweight and obesity, improving cardiovascular capacity and therefore the physical health of the participants. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reduction of radar cross-section of a wind turbine

DOEpatents

McDonald, Jacob Jeremiah; Brock, Billy C.; Clem, Paul G.; Loui, Hung; Allen, Steven E.

2016-08-02

The various technologies presented herein relate to formation of a wind turbine blade having a reduced radar signature in comparison with a turbine blade fabricated using conventional techniques. Various techniques and materials are presented to facilitate reduction in radar signature of a wind turbine blade, where such techniques and materials are amenable for incorporation into existing manufacturing techniques without degradation in mechanical or physical performance of the blade or major alteration of the blade profile.

Reducing Fatal Opioid Overdose: Prevention, Treatment and Harm Reduction Strategies

PubMed Central

Hawk, Kathryn F.; Vaca, Federico E.; D’Onofrio, Gail

2015-01-01

The opioid overdose epidemic is a major threat to the public’s health, resulting in the development and implementation of a variety of strategies to reduce fatal overdose [1-3]. Many strategies are focused on primary prevention and increased access to effective treatment, although the past decade has seen an exponential increase in harm reduction initiatives. To maximize identification of opportunities for intervention, initiatives focusing on prevention, access to effective treatment, and harm reduction are examined independently, although considerable overlap exists. Particular attention is given to harm reduction approaches, as increased public and political will have facilitated widespread implementation of several initiatives, including increased distribution of naloxone and policy changes designed to increase bystander assistance during a witnessed overdose [4-7]. PMID:26339206

A Plate Tectonic Model for the Neoproterozoic with Evolving Plate Boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merdith, Andrew; Collins, Alan; Williams, Simon; Pisarevsky, Sergei; Müller, Dietmar

2017-04-01

The Neoproterozoic was dominated by the formation of the supercontinent Rodinia, its break-up and the subsequent amalgamation of Gondwana, during which, the planet experienced large climatic variations and the emergence of complex life. Here we present a topological plate model of the Neoproterozoic based on a synthesis of available geological and palaeomagnetic data. Subduction zones, which are well preserved in the geological record, are used as a proxy for convergent margins; evidence for mid-ocean ridges and transform motion is less clearly preserved, though passive margins are used as a proxy for spreading centres, and evidence for strike-slip motions are used to model transform boundaries. We find that the model presented here only predicts 70% of the total length of subduction active today, though it models similar lengths of both transform and divergent boundaries, suggesting that we have produced a conservative model and are probably underestimating the amount of subduction. Where evidence for convergent, divergent or transform motion is not preserved, we interpret the locations of plate boundaries based on the relative motions of cratonic crust as suggested through either palaeomagnetic data or the geological record. Using GPlates, we tie these boundaries together to generate a plate model that depicts the motion of tectonic plates through the Neoproterozoic. We omit India and South China from Rodinia completely, due to long-lived subduction preserved on margins of India and conflicting palaeomagnetic data for the Cryogenian, but tie them together due to similar Tonian aged accretionary patterns along their respective (present-day) north-western and northern margins, such that these two cratons act as a "lonely wanderer" for much of the Neoproterozoic, and form their own tectonic plate. We also introduce a Tonian-Cryogenian aged rotation of the Congo-São Francisco Craton relative to Rodinia to better fit palaeomagnetic data and account for thick passive margin sediments along its southern margin during the Tonian. The model depicts a sequential breakup of Rodinia, with Australia-Antarctica rifting first ( 800 Ma), Congo-São Francisco (and the Sahara Metacraton) second ( 750 Ma) and Kalahari third (700 Ma). Amazonia and West Africa rift later with the opening of the Iapetus Ocean from 600 Ma. We expect that this global model will assist in the development of future regional models for the Neoproterozoic, and that the production of this full-plate topological reconstruction will facilitate the investigation of controls on other earth systems, such as the possible role of volcanism on initiation of the Cryogenian, or the nature of mantle convection in the Neoproterozoic.

The effectiveness of interventions to reduce the household economic burden of illness and injury: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Kimman, Merel; Svenstrup, Nina; Lindevig Kjoege, Katharina; Lea Laba, Tracey; Hackett, Maree L; Jan, Stephen

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective To determine the nature, scope and effectiveness of interventions to reduce the household economic burden of illness or injury. Methods We systematically reviewed reports published on or before 31 January 2014 that we found in the CENTRAL, CINAHL, Econlit, Embase, MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE and PsycINFO databases. We extracted data from prospective controlled trials and assessed the risk of bias. We narratively synthesized evidence. Findings Nine of the 4330 studies checked met our inclusion criteria – seven had evaluated changes to existing health-insurance programmes and two had evaluated different modes of delivering information. The only interventions found to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure significantly were those that eliminated or substantially reduced co-payments for a given patient population. However, the reductions only represented marginal changes in the total expenditures of patients. We found no studies that had been effective in addressing broader household economic impacts – such as catastrophic health expenditure – in the disease populations investigated. Conclusion In general, interventions designed to reduce the complex household economic burden of illness and injury appear to have had little impact on household economies. We only found a few relevant studies using rigorous study designs that were conducted in defined patient populations. The studies were limited in the range of interventions tested and they evaluated only a narrow range of household economic outcomes. There is a need for method development to advance the measurement of the household economic consequences of illness and injury and facilitate the development of innovative interventions to supplement the strategies based on health insurance. PMID:25883403

Equilibration and analysis of first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, William; Gygi, François

2018-03-01

First-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulations based on density functional theory are becoming increasingly popular for the description of liquids. In view of the high computational cost of these simulations, the choice of an appropriate equilibration protocol is critical. We assess two methods of estimation of equilibration times using a large dataset of first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of water. The Gelman-Rubin potential scale reduction factor [A. Gelman and D. B. Rubin, Stat. Sci. 7, 457 (1992)] and the marginal standard error rule heuristic proposed by White [Simulation 69, 323 (1997)] are evaluated on a set of 32 independent 64-molecule simulations of 58 ps each, amounting to a combined cumulative time of 1.85 ns. The availability of multiple independent simulations also allows for an estimation of the variance of averaged quantities, both within MD runs and between runs. We analyze atomic trajectories, focusing on correlations of the Kohn-Sham energy, pair correlation functions, number of hydrogen bonds, and diffusion coefficient. The observed variability across samples provides a measure of the uncertainty associated with these quantities, thus facilitating meaningful comparisons of different approximations used in the simulations. We find that the computed diffusion coefficient and average number of hydrogen bonds are affected by a significant uncertainty in spite of the large size of the dataset used. A comparison with classical simulations using the TIP4P/2005 model confirms that the variability of the diffusivity is also observed after long equilibration times. Complete atomic trajectories and simulation output files are available online for further analysis.

Labelling of mental illness in a paediatric emergency department and its implications for stigma reduction education.

PubMed

Sukhera, Javeed; Miller, Kristina; Milne, Alexandra; Scerbo, Christina; Lim, Rodrick; Cooper, Alicia; Watling, Chris

2017-06-01

Stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours towards patients with mental illness have negative consequences on their health. Despite research regarding educational and social contact-based interventions to reduce stigma, there are limitations to the success of these interventions for individuals with deeply held stigmatizing beliefs. Our study sought to better understand the process of implicit mental illness stigma in the setting of a paediatric emergency department to inform the design of future educational interventions. We conducted a qualitative exploration of mental illness stigma with interviews including physician, nurse, service user, caregiver and administrative staff participants (n = 24). We utilized the implicit association test as a discussion prompt to explore stigma outside of conscious awareness. We conducted our study utilizing constructivist grounded theory methodology, including purposeful theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis. Our study found that the confluence of socio-cultural, cognitive and emotional forces results in labelling of patients with mental illness as time-consuming, unpredictable and/or unfixable. These labels lead to unintentional avoidance behaviours from staff which are perceived as prejudicial and discriminatory by patients and caregivers. Participants emphasized education as the most useful intervention to reduce stigma, suggesting that educational interventions should focus on patient-provider relationships to foster humanizing labels for individuals with mental illness and by promoting provider empathy and engagement. Our results suggest that educational interventions that target negative attributions, consider socio-cultural contexts and facilitate positive emotions in healthcare providers may be useful. Our findings may inform further research and interventions to reduce stereotypes towards marginalized groups in healthcare settings.

Demonstration of a Probabilistic Technique for the Determination of Economic Viability of Very Large Transport Configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mavris, Dimitri N.

1998-01-01

Over the past few years, modem aircraft design has experienced a paradigm shift from designing for performance to designing for affordability. This report contains a probabilistic approach that will allow traditional deterministic design methods to be extended to account for disciplinary, economic, and technological uncertainty. The probabilistic approach was facilitated by the Fast Probability Integration (FPI) technique; a technique which allows the designer to gather valuable information about the vehicle's behavior in the design space. This technique is efficient for assessing multi-attribute, multi-constraint problems in a more realistic fashion. For implementation purposes, this technique is applied to illustrate how both economic and technological uncertainty associated with a Very Large Transport aircraft concept may be assessed. The assessment is evaluated with the FPI technique to determine the cumulative probability distributions of the design space, as bound by economic objectives and performance constraints. These distributions were compared to established targets for a comparable large capacity aircraft, similar in size to the Boeing 747-400. The conventional baseline configuration design space was determined to be unfeasible and marginally viable, motivating the infusion of advanced technologies, including reductions in drag, specific fuel consumption, wing weight, and Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation costs. The resulting system design space was qualitatively assessed with technology metric "k" factors. The infusion of technologies shifted the VLT design into regions of feasibility and greater viability. The study also demonstrated a method and relationship by which the impact of new technologies may be assessed in a more system focused approach.

Equilibration and analysis of first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of water.

PubMed

Dawson, William; Gygi, François

2018-03-28

First-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulations based on density functional theory are becoming increasingly popular for the description of liquids. In view of the high computational cost of these simulations, the choice of an appropriate equilibration protocol is critical. We assess two methods of estimation of equilibration times using a large dataset of first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of water. The Gelman-Rubin potential scale reduction factor [A. Gelman and D. B. Rubin, Stat. Sci. 7, 457 (1992)] and the marginal standard error rule heuristic proposed by White [Simulation 69, 323 (1997)] are evaluated on a set of 32 independent 64-molecule simulations of 58 ps each, amounting to a combined cumulative time of 1.85 ns. The availability of multiple independent simulations also allows for an estimation of the variance of averaged quantities, both within MD runs and between runs. We analyze atomic trajectories, focusing on correlations of the Kohn-Sham energy, pair correlation functions, number of hydrogen bonds, and diffusion coefficient. The observed variability across samples provides a measure of the uncertainty associated with these quantities, thus facilitating meaningful comparisons of different approximations used in the simulations. We find that the computed diffusion coefficient and average number of hydrogen bonds are affected by a significant uncertainty in spite of the large size of the dataset used. A comparison with classical simulations using the TIP4P/2005 model confirms that the variability of the diffusivity is also observed after long equilibration times. Complete atomic trajectories and simulation output files are available online for further analysis.

Imaging the neonate in the incubator: an investigation of the technical, radiological and nursing issues.

PubMed

Mutch, S J; Wentworth, S D P

2007-11-01

Modern neonatal incubators incorporate an X-ray tray device into the mattress support structure to facilitate patient examination with minimal disturbance and distress. However, the usual method of examination is to place the image plate directly underneath the baby. Users often cite radiological reasons for not using X-ray trays but modern quantitative evidence is lacking. This work looks at the technical and clinical aspects of imaging neonates in incubators and the impact that these may have in determining the imaging protocol. A number of hospitals were surveyed to determine their current method of examination and the reasons for their preference. Experimental measurements of the radiological impact of using (or not using) the X-ray tray were performed for a range of neonatal incubators. The average dose to the image plate was 5.9 microGy (range 5.4-6.4 microGy) for the "plate on mattress" method and 3.0 microGy (2.0-3.8 microGy) when using the tray--a 49% reduction owing to the mattress support materials. However, when using a computed radiography (CR) imaging system, the image quality differences were marginal. Survey results indicated that nurses preferred to use the tray but that radiographers were reluctant. We conclude that incubator manufacturers could do much to improve the radiological performance of their equipment and we offer recommendations. We also conclude that, with appropriate nurse and radiographer training and the advent of CR imaging systems, use of X-ray tray facilities may optimize imaging of the neonate in the incubator.

Carbon-neutral energy cycles using alcohols.

PubMed

Fukushima, Takashi; Kitano, Sho; Hata, Shinichi; Yamauchi, Miho

2018-01-01

We demonstrated carbon-neutral (CN) energy circulation using glycolic acid ( GC )/oxalic acid ( OX ) redox couple. Here, we report fundamental studies on both catalyst search for power generation process, i.e. GC oxidation, and elemental steps for fuel generation process, i.e. OX reduction, in CN cycle. The catalytic activity test on various transition metals revealed that Rh, Pd, Ir, and Pt have preferable features as a catalyst for electrochemical oxidation of GC . A carbon-supported Pt catalyst in alkaline conditions exhibited higher activity, durability, and product selectivity for electrooxidation of GC rather than those in acidic media. The kinetic study on OX reduction clearly indicated that OX reduction undergoes successive two-electron reductions to form GC . Furthermore, application of TiO 2 catalysts with large specific area for electrochemical reduction of OX facilitates the selective formation of GC .

Carbon-neutral energy cycles using alcohols

PubMed Central

Fukushima, Takashi; Kitano, Sho; Hata, Shinichi; Yamauchi, Miho

2018-01-01

Abstract We demonstrated carbon-neutral (CN) energy circulation using glycolic acid (GC)/oxalic acid (OX) redox couple. Here, we report fundamental studies on both catalyst search for power generation process, i.e. GC oxidation, and elemental steps for fuel generation process, i.e. OX reduction, in CN cycle. The catalytic activity test on various transition metals revealed that Rh, Pd, Ir, and Pt have preferable features as a catalyst for electrochemical oxidation of GC. A carbon-supported Pt catalyst in alkaline conditions exhibited higher activity, durability, and product selectivity for electrooxidation of GC rather than those in acidic media. The kinetic study on OX reduction clearly indicated that OX reduction undergoes successive two-electron reductions to form GC. Furthermore, application of TiO2 catalysts with large specific area for electrochemical reduction of OX facilitates the selective formation of GC. PMID:29511392

Contribution of Ih to the relative facilitation of synaptic responses induced by carbachol in the entorhinal cortex during repetitive stimulation of the parasubiculum.

PubMed

Sparks, D W; Chapman, C A

2014-10-10

Neurons in the superficial layers of the entorhinal cortex provide the hippocampus with the majority of its cortical sensory input, and also receive the major output projection from the parasubiculum. This puts the parasubiculum in a position to modulate the activity of entorhinal neurons that project to the hippocampus. These brain areas receive cholinergic projections that are active during periods of theta- and gamma-frequency electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate how cholinergic receptor activation affects the strength of repetitive synaptic responses at these frequencies in the parasubiculo-entorhinal pathway and the cellular mechanisms involved. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of rat layer II medial entorhinal neurons were conducted using an acute slice preparation, and responses to 5-pulse trains of stimulation at theta- and gamma-frequency delivered to the parasubiculum were recorded. The cholinergic agonist carbachol (CCh) suppressed the amplitude of single synaptic responses, but also produced a relative facilitation of synaptic responses evoked during stimulation trains. The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor blocker APV did not significantly reduce the relative facilitation effect. However, the hyperpolarization-activated cationic current (Ih) channel blocker ZD7288 mimicked the relative facilitation induced by CCh, suggesting that CCh-induced inhibition of Ih could produce the effect by increasing dendritic input resistance (Rin). Inward-rectifying and leak K(+) currents are known to interact with Ih to affect synaptic excitability. Application of the K(+) channel antagonist Ba(2+) depolarized neurons and enhanced temporal summation, but did not block further facilitation of train-evoked responses by ZD7288. The Ih-dependent facilitation of synaptic responses can therefore occur during reductions in inward-rectifying potassium current (IKir) associated with dendritic depolarization. Thus, in addition to cholinergic reductions in transmitter release that are known to facilitate train-evoked responses, these findings emphasize the role of inhibition of Ih in the integration of synaptic inputs within the entorhinal cortex during cholinergically-induced oscillatory states, likely due to enhanced summation of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) induced by increases in dendritic Rin. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The ciliary margin zone of the mammalian retina generates retinal ganglion cells

PubMed Central

Marcucci, Florencia; Murcia-Belmonte, Veronica; Coca, Yaiza; Ferreiro-Galve, Susana; Wang, Qing; Kuwajima, Takaaki; Khalid, Sania; Ross, M. Elizabeth; Herrera, Eloisa; Mason, Carol

2016-01-01

Summary The retina of lower vertebrates grows continuously by integrating new neurons generated from progenitors in the ciliary margin zone (CMZ). Whether the mammalian CMZ provides the neural retina with retinal cells is controversial. Live-imaging of embryonic retina expressing eGFP in the CMZ shows that cells migrate laterally from the CMZ to the neural retina where differentiated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) reside. As Cyclin D2, a cell-cycle regulator, is enriched in ventral CMZ, we analyzed Cyclin D2−/− mice to test whether the CMZ is a source of retinal cells. Neurogenesis is diminished in Cyclin D2 mutants, leading to a reduction of RGCs in the ventral retina. In line with these findings, in the albino retina, the decreased production of ipsilateral RGCs is correlated with fewer Cyclin D2+ cells. Together, these results implicate the mammalian CMZ as a neurogenic site that produces RGCs and whose proper generation depends on Cyclin D2 activity. PMID:28009286

Methodology Development for Passive Component Reliability Modeling in a Multi-Physics Simulation Environment

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

Aldemir, Tunc; Denning, Richard; Catalyurek, Umit

Reduction in safety margin can be expected as passive structures and components undergo degradation with time. Limitations in the traditional probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodology constrain its value as an effective tool to address the impact of aging effects on risk and for quantifying the impact of aging management strategies in maintaining safety margins. A methodology has been developed to address multiple aging mechanisms involving large numbers of components (with possibly statistically dependent failures) within the PRA framework in a computationally feasible manner when the sequencing of events is conditioned on the physical conditions predicted in a simulation environment, suchmore » as the New Generation System Code (NGSC) concept. Both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties can be accounted for within the same phenomenological framework and maintenance can be accounted for in a coherent fashion. The framework accommodates the prospective impacts of various intervention strategies such as testing, maintenance, and refurbishment. The methodology is illustrated with several examples.« less

Vulnerability of schools to floods in Nyando River catchment, Kenya.

PubMed

Ochola, Samuel O; Eitel, Bernhard; Olago, Daniel O

2010-07-01

This paper assesses the vulnerability of schools to floods in the Nyando River catchment (3,600 km(2)) in western Kenya and identifies measures needed to reduce this vulnerability. It surveys 130 schools in the lower reaches, where flooding is a recurrent phenomenon. Of the primary schools assessed, 40% were vulnerable, 48% were marginally vulnerable and 12% were not vulnerable. Of the secondary schools, 8% were vulnerable, 73% were marginally vulnerable and 19% were not vulnerable. Vulnerability to floods is due to a lack of funds, poor building standards, local topography, soil types and inadequate drainage. The Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), established in 2003, provides financial support to cover school construction and reconstruction costs; CDF Committees are expected to adopt school building standards. In an effort to promote safe and resilient construction and retrofitting to withstand floods, this paper presents vulnerability reduction strategies and recommendations for incorporating minimum standards in the on-going Primary School Infrastructure Programme Design.

Turbine Engine Clearance Control Systems: Current Practices and Future Directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lattime, Scott B.; Steinetz, Bruce M.

2002-09-01

Improved blade tip sealing in the high pressure compressor (HPC) and high pressure turbine (HPT) can provide dramatic reductions in specific fuel consumption (SFC), time-on-wing, compressor stall margin, and engine efficiency as well as increased payload and mission range capabilities. Maintenance costs to overhaul large commercial gas turbine engines can easily exceed 1M. Engine removal from service is primarily due to spent exhaust gas temperature (EGT) margin caused mainly by the deterioration of HPT components. Increased blade tip clearance is a major factor in hot section component degradation. As engine designs continue to push the performance envelope with fewer parts and the market drives manufacturers to increase service life, the need for advanced sealing continues to grow. A review of aero gas turbine engine HPT performance degradation and the mechanisms that promote these losses are discussed. Benefits to the HPT due to improved clearance management are identified. Past and present sealing technologies are presented along with specifications for next generation engine clearance control systems.

Turbine Engine Clearance Control Systems: Current Practices and Future Directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lattime, Scott B.; Steinetz, Bruce M.

2002-01-01

Improved blade tip sealing in the high pressure compressor (HPC) and high pressure turbine (HPT) can provide dramatic reductions in specific fuel consumption (SFC), time-on-wing, compressor stall margin, and engine efficiency as well as increased payload and mission range capabilities. Maintenance costs to overhaul large commercial gas turbine engines can easily exceed $1M. Engine removal from service is primarily due to spent exhaust gas temperature (EGT) margin caused mainly by the deterioration of HPT components. Increased blade tip clearance is a major factor in hot section component degradation. As engine designs continue to push the performance envelope with fewer parts and the market drives manufacturers to increase service life, the need for advanced sealing continues to grow. A review of aero gas turbine engine HPT performance degradation and the mechanisms that promote these losses are discussed. Benefits to the HPT due to improved clearance management are identified. Past and present sealing technologies are presented along with specifications for next generation engine clearance control systems.

Intersections of poverty, race/ethnicity, and sex: alcohol consumption and adverse outcomes in the United States.

PubMed

Glass, Joseph E; Rathouz, Paul J; Gattis, Maurice; Joo, Young Sun; Nelson, Jennifer C; Williams, Emily C

2017-05-01

We examine whether intersectionality theory-which formalizes the notion that adverse health outcomes owing to having a marginalized social status, identity, or characteristic, may be magnified for individuals with an additional marginalized social status, identity, or characteristic-can be applied using quantitative methods to describe the differential effects of poverty on alcohol consumption across sex and race/ethnicity. Using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, we analyze longitudinal data from Black, Hispanic, and White drinkers (n = 21,140) to assess multiplicative interactions between poverty, as defined by the US Census Bureau, sex, and race/ethnicity, on adverse alcohol outcomes. Findings indicated that the effect of poverty on the past-year incidence of heavy episodic drinking was stronger among Black men and Black women in comparison to men and women of other racial/ethnic groups. Poverty reduction programs that are culturally informed may help reduce racial/ethnic disparities in the adverse outcomes of alcohol consumption.

The Ciliary Margin Zone of the Mammalian Retina Generates Retinal Ganglion Cells.

PubMed

Marcucci, Florencia; Murcia-Belmonte, Veronica; Wang, Qing; Coca, Yaiza; Ferreiro-Galve, Susana; Kuwajima, Takaaki; Khalid, Sania; Ross, M Elizabeth; Mason, Carol; Herrera, Eloisa

2016-12-20

The retina of lower vertebrates grows continuously by integrating new neurons generated from progenitors in the ciliary margin zone (CMZ). Whether the mammalian CMZ provides the neural retina with retinal cells is controversial. Live imaging of embryonic retina expressing eGFP in the CMZ shows that cells migrate laterally from the CMZ to the neural retina where differentiated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) reside. Because Cyclin D2, a cell-cycle regulator, is enriched in ventral CMZ, we analyzed Cyclin D2 -/- mice to test whether the CMZ is a source of retinal cells. Neurogenesis is diminished in Cyclin D2 mutants, leading to a reduction of RGCs in the ventral retina. In line with these findings, in the albino retina, the decreased production of ipsilateral RGCs is correlated with fewer Cyclin D2 + cells. Together, these results implicate the mammalian CMZ as a neurogenic site that produces RGCs and whose proper generation depends on Cyclin D2 activity. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intersections of poverty, race/ethnicity, and sex: Alcohol consumption and adverse outcomes in the United States

PubMed Central

Glass, Joseph E.; Rathouz, Paul J.; Gattis, Maurice; Joo, Young Sun; Nelson, Jennifer C.; Williams, Emily C.

2017-01-01

We examine whether intersectionality theory—which formalizes the notion that adverse health outcomes owing to having a marginalized social status, identity, or characteristic, may be magnified for individuals with an additional marginalized social status, identity, or characteristic —can be applied using quantitative methods to describe the differential effects of poverty on alcohol consumption across sex and race/ethnicity. Using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, we analyze longitudinal data from Black, Hispanic, and White drinkers (n = 21,140) to assess multiplicative interactions between poverty, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, sex, and race/ethnicity, on adverse alcohol outcomes. Findings indicated that the effect of poverty on the past-year incidence of heavy episodic drinking was stronger among Black men and Black women in comparison to men and women of other racial/ethnic groups. Poverty reduction programs that are culturally informed may help reduce racial/ethnic disparities in the adverse outcomes of alcohol consumption. PMID:28349171

Gas migration through Opouawe Bank at the Hikurangi margin offshore New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Stephanie; Schroeder, Henning; Haeckel, Matthias; Berndt, Christian; Bialas, Joerg; Papenberg, Cord; Klaeschen, Dirk; Plaza-Faverola, Andreia

2016-06-01

This study presents 2D seismic reflection data, seismic velocity analysis, as well as geochemical and isotopic porewater compositions from Opouawe Bank on New Zealand's Hikurangi subduction margin, providing evidence for essentially pure methane gas seepage. The combination of geochemical information and seismic reflection images is an effective way to investigate the nature of gas migration beneath the seafloor, and to distinguish between water advection and gas ascent. The maximum source depth of the methane that migrates to the seep sites on Opouawe Bank is 1,500-2,100 m below seafloor, generated by low-temperature degradation of organic matter via microbial CO2 reduction. Seismic velocity analysis enabled identifying a zone of gas accumulation underneath the base of gas hydrate stability (BGHS) below the bank. Besides structurally controlled gas migration along conduits, gas migration also takes place along dipping strata across the BGHS. Gas migration on Opouawe Bank is influenced by anticlinal focusing and by several focusing levels within the gas hydrate stability zone.

A 12-week clinical comparison of an oscillating-rotating power brush versus a marketed sonic brush with self-adjusting technology in reducing plaque and gingivitis.

PubMed

Klukowska, Malgorzata; Grender, Julie M; Conde, Erinn; Goyal, C Ram

2013-01-01

The aim of this investigation was to assess the comparative gingivitis and plaque reduction efficacy of a leading oscillating-rotating power toothbrush and a recently introduced sonic toothbrush in adults with gingivitis. This was a 12-week, randomized and controlled, parallel group, examiner-blind, single-center clinical study of 130 adults with pre-existing gingivitis and plaque. At baseline, the Modified Gingival Index (MGI), Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), and total number of bleeding sites were assessed, along with plaque levels (whole mouth, gingival margin, and interproximal) via the Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index (RMNPI). Qualified subjects were randomly assigned to one of two power toothbrush test groups: the Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide (marketed in the United States as the Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 [D34]) oscillating-rotating brush, or the Colgate ProClinical A1500 (also marketed as elmex ProClinical) sonic brush. Subjects brushed at home for two minutes twice daily with their assigned power toothbrush and a marketed sodium fluoride dentifrice, and were reevaluated for gingivitis at Week 4 and Week 12 via the MGI, GBI, and total number of bleeding sites, and for plaque reduction via the RMNPI. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the 130 enrolled subjects completed the trial and 62 and 65 subjects in the oscillating-rotating and sonic brush groups, respectively, had evaluable data for analysis. Statistically significant mean reductions in all three gingivitis parameters and plaque relative to baseline were seen at both Weeks 4 and 12 with unsupervised use of both test toothbrushes (p < 0.001). The oscillating-rotating power brush provided statistically significantly superior reductions compared to the sonic brush in mean adjusted MGI (31% and 29% at Weeks 4 and 12, respectively; p < 0.001), GBI (17% at Week 12; p = 0.047), and total number of bleeding sites (48% and 30% at Weeks 4 and 12, respectively; p = 0.002), and produced statistically significantly greater relative mean adjusted plaque reductions for RMNPI whole mouth plaque (38% and 24% at Weeks 4 and 12, respectively; p < 0.001), gingival margin plaque (36% at Week 4; p = 0.004), and interproximal plaque (39% and 26% at Weeks 4 and 12, respectively; p < 0.001). Both power toothbrushes were well-tolerated. An advanced oscillating-rotating power toothbrush produced substantial, statistically superior reductions in plaque and gingivitis via multiple outcome measures compared to a new sonic toothbrush after both four weeks and 12 weeks of tooth brushing.