Electrical Characterization of Spherical Copper Oxide Memristive Array Sensors

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

Quartz Tube Furnace . . . . . . . 37 3.3.2.2 Thermal Oxidation in Air on a Hot Plate . . . . . . . . . 38 3.4 Experimental Setup for Electrical...closed hot plate . . . 80 B.1 Oxidation rates for copper at 100 °C by two different formulas . . . . . . . . . 81 xi List of Tables Table Page 2.1 The... Tectonics Inc. and manufactured by Canfield Technologies using a proprietary fabrication method. As received, the copper spheres may have contaminants

Origin of Stability in Particle Sedimentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Segre, Philip N.

2003-01-01

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to study the slow settling motions of spheres in suspensions ranging from dilute to highly concentrated, 0.0001 less than phi less than 0.50. During sedimentation, particle velocity fluctuations are found to be organized into regions of characteristic size xi approximately 11 a phi (exp -1/3). A simple model, based upon buoyant mass fluctuations DELTAm given by random density fluctuations in a region of size xi, accurately predicts the magnitudes of the velocity fluctuations DELTAV. We also find a new universal relation for particle diffusion during sedimentation. It can be written in a Stokes-Einstein form as Dapproximately(DELTAmxi)/(6pietaxi), where the effective temperature DELTAmgxi is the gravitational potential energy of density fluctuations. In addition related experiments examining inertial effects and transient states, that are aimed at uncovering the origin of the new lengthscale xi, will also be given.

Half-cell potentials of semiconductive simple binary sulphides in aqueous solution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sato, M.

1966-01-01

Theoretical consideration of the charge-transfer mechanism operative in cells with an electrode of a semiconductive binary compound leads to the conclusion that the half-cell potential of such a compound is not only a function of ionic activities in the electrolytic solution, but also a function of the activities of the component elements in the compound phase. The most general form of the electrode equation derived for such a compound with a formula MiXj which dissociates into Mj+ and Xi- ions in aqueous solution is. EMiXj = EMiXj0 + R T 2 ij ln [ (sua Mj+)aqi ?? (suaX)jMiXj/ (suaXi-)aqj ?? (suaM)iMiXj],. where. EMiXj0 = 1 2(EM,Mj+0 + EXi-,X). The equation can be modified to other forms. When applied to semiconductive simple binary sulphides, these equations appear to give better descriptions of the observed electrode potentials of such sulphides than any other proposed equations. ?? 1966.

Applications of Nonlinear Control Using the State-Dependent Riccati Equation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-12-01

method, and do not address noise rejection or robustness issues. xi Applications of Nonlinear Control Using the State-Dependent Riccati Equation I...construct a stabilizing nonlinear feedback controller. This method will be referred to as nonlinear quadratic regulation (NQR). The original intention...involves nding a state-dependent coe- cient (SDC) linear structure for which a stabilizing nonlinear feedback controller can be constructed. The

Stabilized wide bandgap MAPbBr xI 3-x perovskite by enhanced grain size and improved crystallinity

DOE PAGES

Hu, Miao; Bi, Cheng; Yuan, Yongbo; ...

2015-12-07

In this study, the light instability of CH 3NH 3PbI xBr 3–x has been raised one of the biggest challenges for its application in tandem solar cells. Here we show that an improved crystallinity and grain size of CH 3NH 3PbI xBr 3–x films could stabilize these materials under one sun illumination, improving both the efficiency and stability of the wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells.

Review of LMIs, Interior Point Methods, Complexity Theory, and Robustness Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mesbahi, M.

1996-01-01

From end of intro: ...We would like to show that for certain problems in systems and control theory, there exist algorithms for which corresponding (xi) can be viewed as a certain measure of robustness, e.g., stability margin.

Optimization of the photoelectric properties and photo-stability of CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X films for efficient planar perovskite solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhaoyi; Zhang, Weijia; Ma, Denghao; Liu, Haixu; Yu, Wei; Fan, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Yulong; Lu, Chaoqun; Li, Yun

2018-01-01

In this paper, the CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X films were prepared by introducing CH3NH3Br into CH3NH3I precursor solution, after which the microstructure and photoelectric properties of the films were thoroughly investigated. Due to Br incorporation in the perovskite films, the band gap increased and the light absorption was slightly reduced while the charge carrier lifetime was prolonged due to the enhanced crystallinity. For the films with higher bromine content, the red shift of the photoluminescence peaks indicated that the phase segregation appeared in the films under illumination, which led to the formation of the iodine-rich domains in this process and the reduced carrier lifetime. On the contrary, for films with lower bromine content, the red shift of the photoluminescence peaks was negligible, which revealed that instability of the perovskite films under illumination can be suppressed by adjusting the bromine content of the films. Consequently, by moderate Br incorporation (CH3NH3Br/CH3NH3I mole ratio = 3:7), the CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X films with optimal photoelectric properties and photo-stability were achieved, and the stable photoelectric conversion efficiency of corresponding device under illumination can reach 13.8%.

Site occupancy, composition and magnetic structure dependencies of martensitic transformation in Mn2Ni1 + x Sn1-x.

PubMed

Kundu, Ashis; Ghosh, Subhradip

2017-11-29

A delicate balance between various factors such as site occupancy, composition and magnetic ordering seems to affect the stability of the martensitic phase in [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. Using first-principles DFT calculations, we explore the impacts of each one of these factors on the martensitic stability of this system. Our results on total energies, magnetic moments and electronic structures upon changes in the composition, the magnetic configurations and the site occupancies show that the occupancies at the 4d sites in the inverse Heusler crystal structure play the most crucial role. The presence of Mn at the 4d sites originally occupied by Sn and its interaction with the Mn atoms at other sites decide the stability of the martensitic phases. This explains the discrepancy between the experiments and earlier DFT calculations regarding phase stability in [Formula: see text]NiSn. Our results qualitatively explain the trends observed experimentally with regard to martensitic phase stability and the magnetisations in Ni-excess, Sn-deficient [Formula: see text]NiSn system.

Supersymmetric Q-balls: A numerical study

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

Campanelli, L.; INFN--Sezione di Ferrara, I-44100 Ferrara; Ruggieri, M.

2008-02-15

We study numerically a class of nontopological solitons, the Q-balls, arising in a supersymmetric extension of the standard model with low-energy, gauge-mediated symmetry breaking. Taking into account the exact form of the supersymmetric potential giving rise to Q-balls, we find that there is a lower limit on the value of the charge Q in order to make them classically stable: Q > or approx. 5x10{sup 2}Q{sub cr}, where Q{sub cr} is constant depending on the parameters defining the potential and can be in the range 1 < or approx. Q{sub cr} < or approx. 10{sup 8} {sup divide} {sup 16}.more » If Q is the baryon number, stability with respect to the decay into protons requires Q > or approx. 10{sup 17}Q{sub cr}, while if the gravitino mass is greater then m{sub 3/2} > or approx. 61 MeV, no stable gauge-mediation supersymmetric Q-balls exist. Finally, we find that energy and radius of Q-balls can be parametrized as E{approx}{xi}{sub E}Q{sup 3/4} and R{approx}{xi}{sub R}Q{sup 1/4}, where {xi}{sub E} and {xi}{sub R} are slowly varying functions of the charge.« less

Calculation of the lateral-dynamic stability of aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raikh, A

1952-01-01

Graphs and formulas are given with the aid of which all the aerodynamic coefficients required for computing the lateral dynamic stability can be determined. A number of numerical examples are given for obtaining the stability derivatives and solving the characteristic-stability equation. Approximate formulas are derived with the aid of which rapid preliminary computations may be made and the stability coefficients corrected for certain modifications of the airplane. A derivation of the lateral-dynamic-stability equations is included.

Crystal growth and properties of Ag 7_ xTaSe 6_ xI x (0 x 1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wada, H.; Sato, A.

1993-03-01

National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials, Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan A series of argyrodite compounds with the formula Ag7 xTaSe6 xIx (0 x 1) have been prepared for the first time by a sealed silica tube method. Single crystals have been obtained by heating at 800°C for 2 weeks. Their morphology and crystal structure have been studied by reflected-light microscopy, SEM, EDAX and X-ray diffraction. The silver ionic conductivities of the samples have been also measured.

Spectral analysis of localized rotating waves in parabolic systems.

PubMed

Beyn, Wolf-Jürgen; Otten, Denny

2018-04-13

In this paper, we study the spectra and Fredholm properties of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck operators [Formula: see text]where [Formula: see text] is the profile of a rotating wave satisfying [Formula: see text] as [Formula: see text], the map [Formula: see text] is smooth and the matrix [Formula: see text] has eigenvalues with positive real parts and commutes with the limit matrix [Formula: see text] The matrix [Formula: see text] is assumed to be skew-symmetric with eigenvalues (λ 1 ,…,λ d )=(±i σ 1 ,…,±i σ k ,0,…,0). The spectra of these linearized operators are crucial for the nonlinear stability of rotating waves in reaction-diffusion systems. We prove under appropriate conditions that every [Formula: see text] satisfying the dispersion relation [Formula: see text]belongs to the essential spectrum [Formula: see text] in L p For values Re λ to the right of the spectral bound for [Formula: see text], we show that the operator [Formula: see text] is Fredholm of index 0, solve the identification problem for the adjoint operator [Formula: see text] and formulate the Fredholm alternative. Moreover, we show that the set [Formula: see text]belongs to the point spectrum [Formula: see text] in L p We determine the associated eigenfunctions and show that they decay exponentially in space. As an application, we analyse spinning soliton solutions which occur in the Ginzburg-Landau equation and compute their numerical spectra as well as associated eigenfunctions. Our results form the basis for investigating the nonlinear stability of rotating waves in higher space dimensions and truncations to bounded domains. This article is part of the themed issue 'Stability of nonlinear waves and patterns and related topics'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Effects of different combinations of nanocrystallization technologies on avanafil nanoparticles: in vitro, in vivo and stability evaluation.

PubMed

Soliman, Kareem AbuBakr; Ibrahim, Howida Kamal; Ghorab, Mahmoud Mohammed

2017-01-30

The study investigated the effects of different combined top-down and bottom-up nanocrystallization technologies on particle size and solid state of avanafil nanoparticles. Combined antisolvent precipitation-ultrasonication (sonoprecipitation) technique was adopted to prepare 18 formulas according to 3 2 .2 1 factorial design using 3 stabilizers; Tween 80, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Pluronic F68 at different concentrations with different cryoprotectants. Particle size analysis of the lyophilized formulas showed that Tween 80 was an effective nanoparticles stabilizer in contrast to Pluronic F68 and PVA which failed to prevent nanoparticles flocculation when they were used at high concentration. The combined effects of nanonization and amorphism contributed to the improvement in solubility. Further processing of the sonoprecipitated formulas by high pressure homogenization (HPH) (modified NANOEDGE™ technology) resulted in further size reduction of PVA-stabilized particles, while it stimulated flocculation of Tween-stabilized nanoparticles. Nevertheless, all of the homogenized formulas partially retrieved their crystallinity which reduced their solubility. Non-homogenized formula 2E composed of 1:2 (avanafil: Tween) with glucose as cryoprotectant, exhibited 13.68- and 2.59-fold improvement in solubility and in vitro dissolution, respectively. This formula had oral bioavailability of 137.02% relative to Spedra ® tablets and it maintained its nanosize, amorphism and dissolution behavior over 6 months of storage under stress conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cristobalite X-I: A bridge between low and high density silica polymorphs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelton, H.; Tiange, B.; Zurek, E.; Smith, J.; Dera, P.

2017-12-01

SiO2 is one of the most common compounds found on Earth. Despite its chemical simplicity, and because of its crystal chemical characteristics, SiO2 exhibits a complex phase diagram. SiO2 has a wide variety of thermodynamically stable crystalline phases, as well as numerous metastable crystalline and amorphous polymorphs. Many of the phase transition sequences that produce metastable phases of SiO2 are strongly path-dependent, where the rate of change controls the transition just as much as the final conditions. The elusive metastable polymorphs of SiO2 may provide a better understanding of the factors controlling its densification. On compression of α-cristobalite (the high temperature tetrahedral phase of SiO2) to pressures above 12 GPa, a new polymorph known as cristobalite X-I forms. Existence of cristobalite X-I has been known for several decades, however, consensus regarding the exact atomic arrangement has not yet been reached. The X-I phase constitutes an important step in the silica densification process, separating low-density tetrahedral framework structures from high-density octahedral polymorphs. It is unique in being the only non-quenchable high-density SiO2 phase, which reverts back to the tetrahedral low-density form on decompression at ambient temperature. Our new single crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments, with quasihydrostatic neon as the pressure medium, revealed the structure of this enigmatic phase to consist of octahedral silicate chains with 4-60°-2 zigzag chain geometry. This geometry has not been considered before, but is closely related to post-quartz, stishovite and seifertite. Density functional theory calculations support this observation, confirming the dynamic stability of the X-I arrangement and reasonably reproducing the pressure at which the transformation takes place. The enthalpy of cristobalite X-I is higher than stishovite and seifertite, but it is favored as a high-pressure successor of cristobalite due to a unique transformation pathway.

Approximation-based adaptive tracking control of pure-feedback nonlinear systems with multiple unknown time-varying delays.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Ge, Shuzhi Sam; Hong, Keum-Shik

2010-11-01

This paper presents adaptive neural tracking control for a class of non-affine pure-feedback systems with multiple unknown state time-varying delays. To overcome the design difficulty from non-affine structure of pure-feedback system, mean value theorem is exploited to deduce affine appearance of state variables x(i) as virtual controls α(i), and of the actual control u. The separation technique is introduced to decompose unknown functions of all time-varying delayed states into a series of continuous functions of each delayed state. The novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals are employed to compensate for the unknown functions of current delayed state, which is effectively free from any restriction on unknown time-delay functions and overcomes the circular construction of controller caused by the neural approximation of a function of u and [Formula: see text] . Novel continuous functions are introduced to overcome the design difficulty deduced from the use of one adaptive parameter. To achieve uniformly ultimate boundedness of all the signals in the closed-loop system and tracking performance, control gains are effectively modified as a dynamic form with a class of even function, which makes stability analysis be carried out at the present of multiple time-varying delays. Simulation studies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X-based perovskite solar cells via anti-solvent extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhaoyi; Zhang, Weijia; Lu, Chaoqun; Ma, Denghao; Liu, Haixu; Yu, Wei; Zhang, Yu; Ma, Qiang; Zhang, Yulong

2018-06-01

In this paper, the two-step sequential deposition method was used to prepare the CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X films by introducing CH3NH3Br in the precursors. The surface morphology of the PbI2 films was controlled by anti-solvent extraction (ASE) to improve the microstructure and photo-physical properties of the perovskite films. It was noteworthy that, compared to the compact PbI2 films, the porous PbI2 films facilitated the growth of crystals and bromine incorporation in films, and the prepared perovskite films exhibited enlarged grain size, increased light absorption, enhanced Br incorporation and prolonged carrier lifetime, which resulted in excellent photo-electrical properties of the CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X films. With porous PbI2 templates, the inverted planar perovskite solar cells based on films with appropriate Br incorporation (CH3NH3Br/CH3NH3I mole ratio = 3/7) showed a photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.9%, and the stability of the devices in air was elevated. Consequently, the high-quality CH3NH3PbBrXI3-X films can be obtained with porous PbI2 templates for improving the performance of the perovskite solar cells.

TlBr and TlBr xI 1-x crystals for γ-ray detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churilov, Alexei V.; Ciampi, Guido; Kim, Hadong; Higgins, William M.; Cirignano, Leonard J.; Olschner, Fred; Biteman, Viktor; Minchello, Mark; Shah, Kanai S.

2010-04-01

TlBr and TlBr xI 1-x are wide bandgap semiconductor materials being investigated for applications in γ-ray spectroscopy. They have a good combination of density and atomic numbers, promising to make them very efficient detectors. Their low melting points and simple cubic and orthorhombic crystal structures are favorable for bulk crystal growth. However, these semiconductors need to be extremely pure to become useful as radiation detectors. Impurities can lead to charge trapping and scattering, reducing the charge transit lengths and limiting the detector thickness to <1 mm. Additional purification steps were implemented to improve the purity and mobility-lifetime product ( μτ) of electrons. Detector-grade TlBr with the electron μτ product of up to 6×10 -3 cm 2/V has been produced, which allowed operation of detectors up to 15 mm thickness. The ternary TlBr xI 1-x was investigated at different compositions to vary the bandgap and explore the effect of added TlI on the long term stability of detectors. The material analysis and detector characterization results are included.

Deteriorating haze situation and the severe haze episode during December 18-25 of 2013 in Xi'an, China, the worst event on record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaodong; Hui, Ying; Yin, Zhi-Yong; Wang, Zhaosheng; Xie, Xiaoning; Fang, Jiangang

2016-07-01

Frequent occurrence of haze weather has been considered an urgent environmental problem in China and has attracted much attention worldwide in recent years. In this study, we examined the trend in the occurrence of haze days based on horizontal visibility in Xi'an, a major city in central China, since 2000. There were 49 haze days per year on average in Xi'an during 2000-2013, and the number of haze days has increased significantly since 2008, reaching 102 days in 2013. December is the month of the highest frequency of occurrence. During December 18-25 of 2013, the longest-lasting and most severe haze event in the recent decades occurred. The 8-day mean visibility in Xi'an was only 2.5 km with 5 days below 2 km. The mean air quality index in Xi'an during this period was 486.5, and in four of those days, it reached or exceeded the index's upper limit of 500. The exceptionally high level of PM2.5 concentration was inferred as the main reason of this severe haze episode. The local weather conditions were characterized by weak winds, enhanced atmospheric stability, and high relative humidity. Strong mid-tropospheric zonal flows in combination with weakened East Asian winter monsoon limited the cold air invasion from the higher latitudes, creating a condition of low pressure gradients in the lower troposphere and near the surface for a large region in central and eastern China. With high background emission levels, the suppressed dispersion of air pollutants eventually caused this severe haze episode affecting a large region in China.

Zhen gan xi feng decoction, a traditional chinese herbal formula, for the treatment of essential hypertension: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Xiong, Xingjiang; Yang, Xiaochen; Feng, Bo; Liu, Wei; Duan, Lian; Gao, Ao; Li, Haixia; Ma, Jizheng; Du, Xinliang; Li, Nan; Wang, Pengqian; Su, Kelei; Chu, Fuyong; Zhang, Guohao; Li, Xiaoke; Wang, Jie

2013-01-01

Objectives. To assess the clinical effectiveness and adverse effects of Zhen Gan Xi Feng Decoction (ZGXFD) for essential hypertension (EH). Methods. Five major electronic databases were searched up to August 2012 to retrieve any potential randomized controlled trials designed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of ZGXFD for EH reported in any language, with main outcome measure as blood pressure (BP). Results. Six randomized trials were included. Methodological quality of the trials was evaluated as generally low. Four trials compared prescriptions based on ZGXFD with antihypertensive drugs. Meta-analysis showed that ZGXFD was more effective in BP control and TCM syndrome and symptom differentiation (TCM-SSD) scores than antihypertensive drugs. Two trials compared the combination of modified ZGXFD plus antihypertensive drugs with antihypertensive drugs. Meta-analysis showed that there is significant beneficial effect on TCM-SSD scores. However, no significant effect on BP was found. The safety of ZGXFD is still uncertain. Conclusions. ZGXFD appears to be effective in improving blood pressure and hypertension-related symptoms for EH. However, the evidence remains weak due to poor methodological quality of the included studies. More rigorous trials are warranted to support their clinical use.

Myosins XI-K, XI-1, and XI-2 are required for development of pavement cells, trichomes, and stigmatic papillae in Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The positioning and dynamics of vesicles and organelles, and thus the growth of plant cells, is mediated by the acto-myosin system. In Arabidopsis there are 13 class XI myosins which mediate vesicle and organelle transport in different cell types. So far the involvement of five class XI myosins in cell expansion during the shoot and root development has been shown, three of which, XI-1, XI-2, and XI-K, are essential for organelle transport. Results Simultaneous depletion of Arabidopsis class XI myosins XI-K, XI-1, and XI-2 in double and triple mutant plants affected the growth of several types of epidermal cells. The size and shape of trichomes, leaf pavement cells and the elongation of the stigmatic papillae of double and triple mutant plants were affected to different extent. Reduced cell size led to significant size reduction of shoot organs in the case of triple mutant, affecting bolt formation, flowering time and fertility. Phenotype analysis revealed that the reduced fertility of triple mutant plants was caused by delayed or insufficient development of pistils. Conclusions We conclude that the class XI myosins XI-K, XI-1 and XI-2 have partially redundant roles in the growth of shoot epidermis. Myosin XI-K plays more important role whereas myosins XI-1 and XI-2 have minor roles in the determination of size and shape of epidermal cells, because the absence of these two myosins is compensated by XI-K. Co-operation between myosins XI-K and XI-2 appears to play an important role in these processes. PMID:22672737

An embedded formula of the Chebyshev collocation method for stiff problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piao, Xiangfan; Bu, Sunyoung; Kim, Dojin; Kim, Philsu

2017-12-01

In this study, we have developed an embedded formula of the Chebyshev collocation method for stiff problems, based on the zeros of the generalized Chebyshev polynomials. A new strategy for the embedded formula, using a pair of methods to estimate the local truncation error, as performed in traditional embedded Runge-Kutta schemes, is proposed. The method is performed in such a way that not only the stability region of the embedded formula can be widened, but by allowing the usage of larger time step sizes, the total computational costs can also be reduced. In terms of concrete convergence and stability analysis, the constructed algorithm turns out to have an 8th order convergence and it exhibits A-stability. Through several numerical experimental results, we have demonstrated that the proposed method is numerically more efficient, compared to several existing implicit methods.

A note on a corrector formula for the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Y.-C.; Agrawal, K. M.

1979-01-01

A new corrector formula for predictor-corrector methods for numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations is presented. Two considerations for choosing corrector formulas are given: (1) the coefficient in the error term and (2) its stability properties. The graph of the roots of an equation plotted against its stability region, of different values, is presented along with the tables that correspond to various corrector equations, including Hamming's and Milne and Reynolds'.

W-transform for exponential stability of second order delay differential equations without damping terms.

PubMed

Domoshnitsky, Alexander; Maghakyan, Abraham; Berezansky, Leonid

2017-01-01

In this paper a method for studying stability of the equation [Formula: see text] not including explicitly the first derivative is proposed. We demonstrate that although the corresponding ordinary differential equation [Formula: see text] is not exponentially stable, the delay equation can be exponentially stable.

Metabolomic signatures distinguish the impact of formula carbohydrates on disease outcome in a preterm piglet model of NEC.

PubMed

Call, Lee; Stoll, Barbara; Oosterloo, Berthe; Ajami, Nadim; Sheikh, Fariha; Wittke, Anja; Waworuntu, Rosaline; Berg, Brian; Petrosino, Joseph; Olutoye, Oluyinka; Burrin, Douglas

2018-06-19

Major risk factors for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) include premature birth and formula feeding in the context of microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract. We previously showed that feeding formula composed of lactose vs. corn syrup solids protects against NEC in preterm pigs; however, the microbial and metabolic effects of these different carbohydrates used in infant formula has not been explored. Our objective was to characterize the effects of lactose- and corn syrup solid-based formulas on the metabolic and microbial profiles of preterm piglets and to determine whether unique metabolomic or microbiome signatures correlate with severity or incidence of NEC. Preterm piglets (103 days gestation) were given total parenteral nutrition (2 days) followed by gradual (5 days) advancement of enteral feeding of formulas matched in nutrient content but containing either lactose (LAC), corn syrup solids (CSS), or 1:1 mix (MIX). Gut contents and mucosal samples were collected and analyzed for microbial profiles by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Metabolomic profiles of cecal contents and plasma were analyzed by LC/GC mass spectrometry. NEC incidence was 14, 50, and 44% in the LAC, MIX, and CSS groups, respectively. The dominant classes of bacteria were Bacilli, Clostridia, and Gammaproteobacteria. The number of observed OTUs was lowest in colon contents of CSS-fed pigs. CSS-based formula was associated with higher Bacilli and lower Clostridium from clusters XIVa and XI in the colon. NEC was associated with decreased Gammaproteobacteria in the stomach and increased Clostridium sensu stricto in the ileum. Plasma from NEC piglets was enriched with metabolites of purine metabolism, aromatic amino acid metabolism, and bile acids. Markers of glycolysis, e.g., lactate, were increased in the cecal contents of CSS-fed pigs and in plasma of pigs which developed NEC. Feeding formula containing lactose is not completely protective against NEC, yet selects for greater microbial richness associated with changes in Bacilli and Clostridium and lower NEC incidence. We conclude that feeding preterm piglets a corn syrup solid vs. lactose-based formula increases the incidence of NEC and produces distinct metabolomic signatures despite modest changes in microbiome profiles.

Search for Exotic Baryons in 800 GeV pp{yields}p{xi}{sup {+-}}{pi}{sup {+-}}X Reactions

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

Christian, D.C.; Gottschalk, E.E.; Gutierrez, G.

We report the results of a high-statistics, sensitive search for narrow baryon resonances decaying to {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}, {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, {xi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, and {xi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}. The only resonances observed are the well known {xi}{sup 0}(1530) and {xi}{sup 0}(1530). No evidence is found for the states near 1862 MeV, previously reported by NA49 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 042003 (2003)]. At the 95% confidence level, we find the upper limit for the production of a Gaussian enhancement with {sigma}=7.6 MeV in the {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -} effective mass spectrum to be 0.3% of the number of observed {xi}{sup 0}(1530){yields}{xi}{sup -}{pi}{supmore » +}. We find similarly restrictive upper limits for an enhancement at 1862 MeV in the {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, {xi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, and {xi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +} mass spectra.« less

On the vortices for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in higher dimensions.

PubMed

Feng, Wen; Stanislavova, Milena

2018-04-13

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in n space dimensions [Formula: see text]and study the existence and stability of standing wave solutions of the form [Formula: see text]and [Formula: see text]For n =2 k , ( r j , θ j ) are polar coordinates in [Formula: see text], j =1,2,…, k ; for n =2 k +1, ( r j , θ j ) are polar coordinates in [Formula: see text], ( r k , θ k , z ) are cylindrical coordinates in [Formula: see text], j =1,2,…, k -1. We show the existence of functions ϕ w , which are constructed variationally as minimizers of appropriate constrained functionals. These waves are shown to be spectrally stable (with respect to perturbations of the same type), if 1< p <1+4/ n This article is part of the theme issue 'Stability of nonlinear waves and patterns and related topics'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Equilibrium structure of δ-Bi(2)O(3) from first principles.

PubMed

Music, Denis; Konstantinidis, Stephanos; Schneider, Jochen M

2009-04-29

Using ab initio calculations, we have systematically studied the structure of δ-Bi(2)O(3) (fluorite prototype, 25% oxygen vacancies) probing [Formula: see text] and combined [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] oxygen vacancy ordering, random distribution of oxygen vacancies with two different statistical descriptions as well as local relaxations. We observe that the combined [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] oxygen vacancy ordering is the most stable configuration. Radial distribution functions for these configurations can be classified as discrete (ordered configurations) and continuous (random configurations). This classification can be understood on the basis of local structural relaxations. Up to 28.6% local relaxation of the oxygen sublattice is present in the random configurations, giving rise to continuous distribution functions. The phase stability obtained may be explained with the bonding analysis. Electron lone-pair charges in the predominantly ionic Bi-O matrix may stabilize the combined [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] oxygen vacancy ordering.

Molecular cloning and biochemical characterization of rabbit factor XI.

PubMed Central

Sinha, Dipali; Marcinkiewicz, Mariola; Gailani, David; Walsh, Peter N

2002-01-01

Human factor XI, a plasma glycoprotein required for normal haemostasis, is a homodimer (160 kDa) formed by a single interchain disulphide bond linking the Cys-321 of each Apple 4 domain. Bovine, porcine and murine factor XI are also disulphide-linked homodimers. Rabbit factor XI, however, is an 80 kDa polypeptide on non-reducing SDS/PAGE, suggesting that rabbit factor XI exists and functions physiologically either as a monomer, as does prekallikrein, a structural homologue to factor XI, or as a non-covalent homodimer. We have investigated the structure and function of rabbit factor XI to gain insight into the relation between homodimeric structure and factor XI function. Characterization of the cDNA sequence of rabbit factor XI and its amino acid translation revealed that in the rabbit protein a His residue replaces the Cys-321 that forms the interchain disulphide linkage in human factor XI, explaining why rabbit factor XI is a monomer in non-reducing SDS/PAGE. On size-exclusion chromatography, however, purified plasma rabbit factor XI, like the human protein and unlike prekallikrein, eluted as a dimer, demonstrating that rabbit factor XI circulates as a non-covalent dimer. In functional assays rabbit factor XI and human factor XI behaved similarly. Both monomeric and dimeric factor XI were detected in extracts of cells expressing rabbit factor XI. We conclude that the failure of rabbit factor XI to form a covalent homodimer due to the replacement of Cys-321 with His does not impair its functional activity because it exists in plasma as a non-covalent homodimer and homodimerization is an intracellular process. PMID:12084014

New image-stabilizing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yuejin

1996-06-01

In this paper, a new method for image stabilization with a three-axis image- stabilizing reflecting prism assembly is presented, and the principle of image stabilization in this prism assembly, formulae for image stabilization and working formulae with an approximation up to the third power are given in detail. In this image-stabilizing system, a single chip microcomputer is used to calculate value of compensating angles and thus to control the prism assembly. Two gyroscopes act as sensors from which information of angular perturbation is obtained, three stepping motors drive the prism assembly to compensate for the movement of image produced by angular perturbation. The image-stabilizing device so established is a multifold system which involves optics, mechanics, electronics and computer.

Observation of the $$\\Xi_b^0$$ Baryon

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

Aaltonen, T.; /Helsinki Inst. of Phys.; Alvarez Gonzalez, B.

The observation of the bottom, strange baryon {Xi}{sup 0}{sub b} through the decay chain {Xi}{sup 0}{sub b} {yields} {Xi}{sup +}{sub c} {pi}{sup -}, where {Xi}{sup +}{sub c} {yields} {Xi}{sup -} {pi}{sup +} {pi}{sup +}, {Xi}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda} {yields} p {pi}{sup -}, is reported using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.2 ft{sup -1} from p{anti p} collisions at {radical}{ovr s} = 1.96 TeV recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. A signal of 25.3{sup +5.6}{sub -5.4} candidates is observed whose probability of arising from a background fluctuation is 3.6 x 10{sup -12}, corresponding to 6.8 Gaussian standard deviations.more » The {Xi}{sup 0}{sub b} mass is measured to be 5787.8 {+-} 5.0(stat) {+-} 1.3(syst) MeV/c{sup 2}. In addition, the {Xi}{sup -}{sub b} is observed through the process {Xi}{sup -}{sub b} {yields} {Xi}{sup 0}{sub c} {pi}{sup -}, where {Xi}{sup 0}{sub c} {yields} {Xi}{sup -} {pi}{sup +}, {Xi}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda} {pi}{sup -}, and {Lambda} {yields} p {pi}{sup -}.« less

Observation of the {Xi}{sub b}{sup 0} Baryon

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

Aaltonen, T.; Brucken, E.; Devoto, F.

The observation of the bottom, strange baryon {Xi}{sub b}{sup 0} through the decay chain {Xi}{sub b}{sup 0}{yields}{Xi}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}, where {Xi}{sub c}{sup +}{yields}{Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}, {Xi}{sup -}{yields}{Lambda}{pi}{sup -}, and {Lambda}{yields}p{pi}{sup -}, is reported by using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.2 fb{sup -1} from pp collisions at {radical}(s)=1.96 TeV recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. A signal of 25.3{sub -5.4}{sup +5.6} candidates is observed whose probability of arising from a background fluctuation is 3.6x10{sup -12}, corresponding to 6.8 Gaussian standard deviations. The {Xi}{sub b}{sup 0} mass is measured to be 5787.8{+-}5.0(stat){+-}1.3(syst) MeV/c{sup 2}. In addition,more » the {Xi}{sub b}{sup -} baryon is observed through the process {Xi}{sub b}{sup -}{yields}{Xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{pi}{sup -}, where {Xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{yields}{Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, {Xi}{sup -}{yields}{Lambda}{pi}{sup -}, and {Lambda}{yields}p{pi}{sup -}.« less

Effect of Afterbody Length and Keel Angle on Minimum Depth of Step for Landing Stability and on Take-Off Stability of a Flying Boat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, Roland E; Land, Norman S

1949-01-01

Tests were made to fill partly the need for information on the effect of afterbody dimensions on the hydrodynamic stability of a flying boat in smooth water. The dimensions investigated were depth of step, angle of afterbody keel, and length of afterbody. An analysis of the data showed that as either the afterbody length or keel angle was increased an accompanying increase in depth of step was required in order to maintain adequate landing stability. The landing-tests results have been reduced to an empirical formula giving the minimum depth of step in terms of afterbody length and keel angle. This formula is compared with results from other tank tests, and the correlation is fairly good. The formula thus becomes of use in preliminary design.

Flatness-based control in successive loops for stabilization of heart's electrical activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigatos, Gerasimos; Melkikh, Alexey

2016-12-01

The article proposes a new flatness-based control method implemented in successive loops which allows for stabilization of the heart's electrical activity. Heart's pacemaking function is modeled as a set of coupled oscillators which potentially can exhibit chaotic behavior. It is shown that this model satisfies differential flatness properties. Next, the control and stabilization of this model is performed with the use of flatness-based control implemented in cascading loops. By applying a per-row decomposition of the state-space model of the coupled oscillators a set of nonlinear differential equations is obtained. Differential flatness properties are shown to hold for the subsystems associated with the each one of the aforementioned differential equations and next a local flatness-based controller is designed for each subsystem. For the i-th subsystem, state variable xi is chosen to be the flat output and state variable xi+1 is taken to be a virtual control input. Then the value of the virtual control input which eliminates the output tracking error for the i-th subsystem becomes reference setpoint for the i + 1-th subsystem. In this manner the control of the entire state-space model is performed by successive flatness-based control loops. By arriving at the n-th row of the state-space model one computes the control input that can be actually exerted on the aforementioned biosystem. This real control input of the coupled oscillators' system, contains recursively all virtual control inputs associated with the previous n - 1 rows of the state-space model. This control approach achieves asymptotically the elimination of the chaotic oscillation effects and the stabilization of the heart's pulsation rhythm. The stability of the proposed control scheme is proven with the use of Lyapunov analysis.

Light {xi} hypernuclei in four-body cluster models

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

Hiyama, E.; Yamamoto, Y.; Motoba, T.

Detailed structure calculations in {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 12}Be, {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 5}H, {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 9}Li, {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 7}H, and {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 10}Li are performed within the framework of the microscopic two-, three-, and four-body cluster models using the Gaussian expansion method. We adopted effective {xi}N interactions derived from the Nijmegen interaction models, which give rise to substantially attractive {xi}-nucleus potentials in accordance with the experimental indications. {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 7}H and {sub {xi}{sup -}}{sup 10}Li are predicted to have bound states. we propose to observe the bound states in future (K{sup -},K{sup +}) experiments using {sup 7}Limore » and {sup 10}B targets in addition to the standard {sup 12}C target. The experimental confirmation of these states will provide information on the spin- and isospin-averaged {xi}N interaction.« less

Searches for the pentaquark states {xi}(1860){sup 0} and {xi}(1860){sup --} in neutron-carbon interactions via the EXCHARM experiment

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

Aleev, A. N.; Amaglobeli, N. S.; Balandin, V. P.

Results of searches for the pentaquark states {xi}(1860){sup 0} and {xi}(1860){sup --} in neutron-carbon interactions at an average neutron energy of about 51 GeV via the EXCHARM experiment are presented. No such states are found in the {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} and {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -} effective-mass spectra examined in this study. Upper limits on the cross sections for {xi}(1860){sup 0} and {xi}(1860){sup --} production are estimated.

Production and Decay of {xi}{sub c}{sup 0} at BABAR

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

Aubert, B.; Barate, R.; Boutigny, D.

Using 116.1 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the BABAR detector, we present an analysis of {xi}{sub c}{sup 0} production in B decays and from the cc continuum, with the {xi}{sub c}{sup 0} decaying into {omega}{sup -}K{sup +} and {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} final states. We measure the ratio of branching fractions B({xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{yields}{omega}{sup -}K{sup +})/B({xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}) to be 0.294{+-}0.018{+-}0.016, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The {xi}{sub c}{sup 0} momentum spectrum is measured on and 40 MeV below the {upsilon}(4S) resonance. From these spectra the branching fraction product B(B{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}X)xB({xi}{submore » c}{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}) is measured to be (2.11{+-}0.19{+-}0.25)x10{sup -4}, and the cross-section product {sigma}(e{sup +}e{sup -}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}X)xB({xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}) from the continuum is measured to be (388{+-}39{+-}41) fb at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV.« less

On the wall-normal velocity of the compressible boundary-layer equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pruett, C. David

1991-01-01

Numerical methods for the compressible boundary-layer equations are facilitated by transformation from the physical (x,y) plane to a computational (xi,eta) plane in which the evolution of the flow is 'slow' in the time-like xi direction. The commonly used Levy-Lees transformation results in a computationally well-behaved problem for a wide class of non-similar boundary-layer flows, but it complicates interpretation of the solution in physical space. Specifically, the transformation is inherently nonlinear, and the physical wall-normal velocity is transformed out of the problem and is not readily recovered. In light of recent research which shows mean-flow non-parallelism to significantly influence the stability of high-speed compressible flows, the contribution of the wall-normal velocity in the analysis of stability should not be routinely neglected. Conventional methods extract the wall-normal velocity in physical space from the continuity equation, using finite-difference techniques and interpolation procedures. The present spectrally-accurate method extracts the wall-normal velocity directly from the transformation itself, without interpolation, leaving the continuity equation free as a check on the quality of the solution. The present method for recovering wall-normal velocity, when used in conjunction with a highly-accurate spectral collocation method for solving the compressible boundary-layer equations, results in a discrete solution which is extraordinarily smooth and accurate, and which satisfies the continuity equation nearly to machine precision. These qualities make the method well suited to the computation of the non-parallel mean flows needed by spatial direct numerical simulations (DNS) and parabolized stability equation (PSE) approaches to the analysis of stability.

Mixing {Xi}--{Xi}' Effects and Static Properties of Heavy {Xi}'s

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

Aliev, T. M.; Ozpineci, A.; Zamiralov, V. S.

It is shown the importance of mixing of heavy baryons {Xi}--{Xi}' with the new quantum numbers for analysis of its characteristics. The quark model of Ono is used as an example. Masses of new baryons as well as mixing angles of the states {Xi}--{Xi}' are obtained. The same reasoning is shown to be valid for the interpolating currents of these baryons in the framework of the QCD sum rules.

Design and Simulation of a Nano-Satellite Attitude Determination System

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

SimTime); 119 2. Attitude Matrix %# eml function att = ATT( quat ) %% Making Attitude Matrix att = transpose(XI(quat)) * PSI(quat); return...3. XI %# eml function xi = XI( quat ) %% Making Xi Matrix xi = [ quat(4...eye(3) + SKEW(quat(1:3,1)) ; - quat(1:3,1)’ ]; return %---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. PSI %# eml

Torsional stress impedance and magneto-impedance in (Co0.95Fe0.05)72.5 Si12.5B15 amorphous wire with helical induced anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco, J. M.; Zhukov, A. P.; González, J.

1999-12-01

The magneto-impedance effect icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/ZH = [Z(H)-Z(Hmax)]/Z(Hmax) has been measured in (Fe0.95Co0.05)72.5B15Si12.5 wire under torsion stress, icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> (torsion angle per unit length) with axial magnetic field (H) as parameter. Without stress (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)H(H) dependence has a non-monotonous shape with first an increase of total impedance Z and then a decrease, i.e. shows a maximum at certain axial magnetic field Hm. It was found that the torsion stress dependence of electrical impedance (torsion impedance), (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> = [Z(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>)-Z(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>max)]/Z(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>max), has asymmetric character with a clear maximum at torsion angle, icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> around 7icons/Journals/Common/pi" ALT="pi" ALIGN="TOP"/> rad m-1 in as-cast wire, while (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> reaches a maximum around 170%. Thermal treatments under torsion stress (without and with a previous annealing stage) develop a helical anisotropy on the amorphous wire, which drastically modifies the (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> response. Such treatments were carried out by using current annealing which resulted in a drastic increase of the maximum (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> up to 225%, and a change of torsion dependence of icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z with a tendency to a finally symmetric dependence of (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/>(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>). The maximum (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> ratio, (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> m, was obtained under torsion stress of icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> = 20icons/Journals/Common/pi" ALT="pi" ALIGN="TOP"/> rad m-1 (in a torsion annealed sample) and = 11 rad m-1 (with pre-annealing and torsion annealing). Observed dependences were explained taking into account the frozen-in magneto-elastic anisotropy owing to the internal stress distribution during the fabrication process, the helical anisotropies induced by the torsion strain and that developed by thermal treatment under torsion stress (torsion annealing). The differences in the shape and intensity of the maximum ( Z/Z) m between the torsion annealed and pre-annealed and torsion annealed samples should be ascribed to the visco-elastic character of the helical anisotropy induced by torsion stress.

Stability of triangular lagrangian points in elliptical restricted three body problem under the radiating binary systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, A.; Singh, Nutan

2014-10-01

This paper studies the stability of Triangular Lagrangian points in the model of elliptical restricted three body problem, under the assumption that both the primaries are radiating. The model proposed is applicable to the well known binary systems Achird, Luyten, αCen AB, Kruger-60, Xi-Bootis. Conditional stability of the motion around the triangular points exists for 0≤ μ≤ μ ∗, where μ is the mass ratio. The method of averaging due to Grebenikov has been exploited throughout the analysis of stability of the system. The critical mass ratio depends on the combined effects of radiation of both the primaries and eccentricity of this orbit. It is found by adopting the simulation technique that the range of stability decreases as the radiation pressure parameter increases.

Zhen Gan Xi Feng Decoction, a Traditional Chinese Herbal Formula, for the Treatment of Essential Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

PubMed Central

Xiong, Xingjiang; Yang, Xiaochen; Feng, Bo; Liu, Wei; Duan, Lian; Gao, Ao; Li, Haixia; Ma, Jizheng; Du, Xinliang; Li, Nan; Wang, Pengqian; Su, Kelei; Chu, Fuyong; Zhang, Guohao; Li, Xiaoke; Wang, Jie

2013-01-01

Objectives. To assess the clinical effectiveness and adverse effects of Zhen Gan Xi Feng Decoction (ZGXFD) for essential hypertension (EH). Methods. Five major electronic databases were searched up to August 2012 to retrieve any potential randomized controlled trials designed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of ZGXFD for EH reported in any language, with main outcome measure as blood pressure (BP). Results. Six randomized trials were included. Methodological quality of the trials was evaluated as generally low. Four trials compared prescriptions based on ZGXFD with antihypertensive drugs. Meta-analysis showed that ZGXFD was more effective in BP control and TCM syndrome and symptom differentiation (TCM-SSD) scores than antihypertensive drugs. Two trials compared the combination of modified ZGXFD plus antihypertensive drugs with antihypertensive drugs. Meta-analysis showed that there is significant beneficial effect on TCM-SSD scores. However, no significant effect on BP was found. The safety of ZGXFD is still uncertain. Conclusions. ZGXFD appears to be effective in improving blood pressure and hypertension-related symptoms for EH. However, the evidence remains weak due to poor methodological quality of the included studies. More rigorous trials are warranted to support their clinical use. PMID:23573163

Combinatorial Formulas for Characteristic Classes, and Localization of Secondary Topological Invariants.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, Mikhail

1995-01-01

The problems solved in this thesis originated from combinatorial formulas for characteristic classes. This thesis deals with Chern-Simons classes, their generalizations and related algebraic and analytic problems. (1) In this thesis, I describe a new class of algebras whose elements contain Chern and generalized Chern -Simons classes. There is a Poisson bracket in these algebras, similar to the bracket in Kontsevich's noncommutative symplectic geometry (Kon). I prove that the Poisson bracket gives rise to a graded Lie algebra containing differential forms representing Chern and Chern-Simons classes. This is a new result. I describe algebraic analogs of the dilogarithm and higher polylogarithms in the algebra corresponding to Chern-Simons classes. (2) I study the properties of this bracket. It is possible to write the exterior differential and other operations in the algebra using this bracket. The bracket of any two Chern classes is zero and the bracket of a Chern class and a Chern-Simons class is d-closed. The construction developed here easily gives explicit formulas for known secondary classes and makes it possible to construct new ones. (3) I develop an algebraic model for the action of the gauge group and describe how elements of algebra corresponding to the secondary characteristic classes change under this action (see theorem 3 page xi). (4) It is possible give new explicit formulas for cocycles on a gauge group of a bundle and for the corresponding cocycles on the Lie algebra of the gauge group. I use formulas for secondary characteristic classes and an algebraic approach developed in chapter 1. I also use the work of Faddeev, Reiman and Semyonov-Tian-Shanskii (FRS) on cocycles as quantum anomalies. (5) I apply the methods of differential geometry of formal power series to construct universal characteristic and secondary characteristic classes. Given a pair of gauge equivalent connections using local formulas I obtain dilogarithmic and trilogarithmic analogs of Chern-Simons classes.

Multiscale model within-host and between-host for viral infectious diseases.

PubMed

Almocera, Alexis Erich S; Nguyen, Van Kinh; Hernandez-Vargas, Esteban A

2018-05-08

Multiscale models possess the potential to uncover new insights into infectious diseases. Here, a rigorous stability analysis of a multiscale model within-host and between-host is presented. The within-host model describes viral replication and the respective immune response while disease transmission is represented by a susceptible-infected model. The bridging of scales from within- to between-host considered transmission as a function of the viral load. Consequently, stability and bifurcation analyses were developed coupling the two basic reproduction numbers [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for the within- and the between-host subsystems, respectively. Local stability results for each subsystem, including a unique stable equilibrium point, recapitulate classical approaches to infection and epidemic control. Using a Lyapunov function, global stability of the between-host system was obtained. Our main result was the derivation of the [Formula: see text] as an increasing function of [Formula: see text]. Numerical analyses reveal that a Michaelis-Menten form based on the virus is more likely to recapitulate the behavior between the scales than a form directly proportional to the virus. Our work contributes basic understandings of the two models and casts light on the potential effects of the coupling function on linking the two scales.

Arabidopsis Myosins XI1, XI2, and XIK Are Crucial for Gravity-Induced Bending of Inflorescence Stems

PubMed Central

Talts, Kristiina; Ilau, Birger; Ojangu, Eve-Ly; Tanner, Krista; Peremyslov, Valera V.; Dolja, Valerian V.; Truve, Erkki; Paves, Heiti

2016-01-01

Myosins and actin filaments in the actomyosin system act in concert in regulating cell structure and dynamics and are also assumed to contribute to plant gravitropic response. To investigate the role of the actomyosin system in the inflorescence stem gravitropism, we used single and multiple mutants affecting each of the 17 Arabidopsis myosins of class VIII and XI. We show that class XI but not class VIII myosins are required for stem gravitropism. Simultaneous loss of function of myosins XI1, XI2, and XIK leads to impaired gravitropic bending that is correlated with altered growth, stiffness, and insufficient sedimentation of gravity sensing amyloplasts in stem endodermal cells. The gravitropic defect of the corresponding triple mutant xi1 xi2 xik could be rescued by stable expression of the functional XIK:YFP in the mutant background, indicating a role of class XI myosins in this process. Altogether, our results emphasize the critical contributions of myosins XI in stem gravitropism of Arabidopsis. PMID:28066484

First Observation of the Cabibbo-suppressed Decays Xi+(c) ---> Sigma+ pi- pi+ and Xi+(c) ---> Sigma- pi+ pi+ and Measurement of their Branching Ratios

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

Vazquez-Jauregui, E.; /San Luis Potosi U.; Engelfried, J.

The authors report the first observation of two Cabibbo-suppressed decay modes, {Xi}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Sigma}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} and {Xi}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Sigma}{sup -} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}. They observe 56 {+-} 13 over a background of 21, and 23 {+-} 7 over a background of 12 events, respectively, for the signals. The data were accumulated using the SELEX spectrometer during the 1996-1997 fixed target run at Fermilab, chiefly from a 600 GeV/c {Sigma}{sup -} beam. The branching ratios of the decays relative to the Cabibbo-favored {Xi}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +} are measured to be B({Xi}{submore » c}{sup +} {yields} {Sigma}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +})/B({xi}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Xi}{sup -} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}) = 0.50 {+-} 0.20, and B({Xi}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Sigma}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +})/B({Xi}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}) = 0.23 {+-} 0.11, respectively. They also report branching ratios for the same decay modes of the {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +} relative to {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} pK{sup -}{pi}{sup +}.« less

Infrared studies of defects formed during postirradiation anneals of Czochralski silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Londos, C. A.; Sarlis, N. V.; Fytros, L. G.

1998-10-01

This article reports on defect studies of neutron-irradiated Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) material by means of infrared spectroscopy. In particular, the investigation was focused on the evolution of the 828 cm-1 well-known band of A-center, due to isochronal anneals from room temperature (RT) up to ≈700 °C. The strength of the VO band begins to increase above ≈200 gradually up to 300 °C (stage I); then, it begins to decrease up to ≈400 °C (stage II), where upon it stabilizes up to ≈550 °C (stage III). Upon re-irradiation under exactly the same conditions and repeating the annealing process, the increase of the VO signal in stage I disappears. The phenomenon is ascribed to the existence of defect aggregates labeled as Xi centers which are correlated with (impurity-defect) clusters that compete with Oi in capturing vacancies. The presence of Xi centers is related to the thermal annealings performed. Comparison of the evolution of VO (828 cm-1) and VO2 (887 cm-1) bands between irradiated and re-irradiated materials, during stage II, is made and the results are discussed in the framework of established reaction patterns. The stabilization of the amplitude of the 828 cm-1 line in stage III is examined. The prevailing aspect is that a portion of A-centers in neutron-irradiated Si acquires larger thermal stability by relaxing in the vicinity of larger defects.

Measurement of the spin of the {xi}(1530) resonance

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

Aubert, B.; Bona, M.; Karyotakis, Y.

The properties of the {xi}(1530) resonance are investigated in the {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{yields}{xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}K{sup +} decay process. The data sample was collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider operating at center-of-mass energies 10.58 and 10.54 GeV. The corresponding integrated luminosity is approximately 230 fb{sup -1}. The spin of the {xi}(1530) is established to be 3/2. The existence of an S-wave amplitude in the {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} system is inferred, and its interference with the {xi}(1530){sup 0} amplitude provides the first clear demonstration of the Breit-Wigner phase motion expected for the {xi}(1530). Themore » P{sub 1}(cos{theta}{sub {xi}}{sub {sup -}}) Legendre polynomial moment indicates the presence of a significant S-wave amplitude for {xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} mass values above 1.6 GeV/c{sup 2}, and a dip in the mass distribution at approximately 1.7 GeV/c{sup 2} is interpreted as due to the coherent addition of a {xi}(1690){sup 0} contribution to this amplitude. This would imply J{sup P}=1/2{sup -} for the {xi}(1690). Attempts at fitting the {xi}(1530){sup 0} line shape yield unsatisfactory results, and this failure is attributed to interference effects associated with the amplitudes describing the K{sup +}{pi}{sup +} and/or {xi}{sup -}K{sup +} systems.« less

Measurement of the Spin of the $$\\Xi(1530)$$ Resonance

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

Aubert, B.; Bona, M.; Karyotakis, Y.

The properties of the {Xi}(1530) resonance are investigated in the {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +} {yields} {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}K{sup +} decay process. The data sample was collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} collider operating at center of mass energies 10.58 and 10.54 GeV. The corresponding integrated luminosity is approximately 230 fb{sup -1}. The spin of the {Xi}(1530) is established to be 3/2. The existence of an S-wave amplitude in the {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} system is inferred, and its interference with the {Xi}(1530)0 amplitude provides the first clear demonstration of the Breit-Wigner phase motion expected formore » the {Xi}(1530). The P{sub 1}(cos {theta}{sub {Xi}{sup -}}) Legendre polynomial moment indicates the presence of a significant S-wave amplitude for {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +} mass values above 1.6 GeV/c{sup 2}, and a dip in the mass distribution at approximately 1.7 GeV/c{sup 2} is interpreted as due to coherent addition of a {Xi}(1690){sup 0} contribution to this amplitude. This would imply J{sup P} = 1/2{sup -} for the {Xi}(1690). Attempts at fitting the {Xi}(1530){sup 0} lineshape yield unsatisfactory results, and this failure is attributed to interference effects associated with the amplitudes describing the K{sup +}{pi}{sup +} and/or {Xi}{sup -}K{sup +} systems.« less

On the equivalent classification of three-dimensional competitive Leslie/Gower models via the boundary dynamics on the carrying simplex.

PubMed

Jiang, Jifa; Niu, Lei

2017-04-01

We study the asymptotic behavior of the competitive Leslie/Gower model (map) [Formula: see text]It is shown that T unconditionally admits a globally attracting 1-codimensional invariant hypersurface [Formula: see text], called carrying simplex, such that every nontrivial orbit is asymptotic to one in [Formula: see text]. More general and easily checked conditions to guarantee the existence of carrying simplex for competitive maps are provided. An equivalence relation is defined relative to local stability of fixed points on [Formula: see text] (the boundary of [Formula: see text]) on the space of all three-dimensional Leslie/Gower models. Using a formula on the sum of the indices of all fixed points on the carrying simplex for three-dimensional maps, we list the 33 stable equivalence classes in terms of simple inequalities on the parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and draw their orbits on [Formula: see text]. In classes 1-18, every nontrivial orbit tends to a fixed point on [Formula: see text]. In classes 19-25, each map possesses a unique positive fixed point which is a saddle on [Formula: see text], and hence Neimark-Sacker bifurcations do not occur. Neimark-Sacker bifurcation does occur within each of classes 26-31, while it does not occur in class 32. Each map from class 27 admits a heteroclinic cycle, which forms the boundary of [Formula: see text]. The criteria on the stability of heteroclinic cycles are also given. This classification makes it possible to further investigate various dynamical properties in respective class.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of an oral sustained release hepatoprotective caffeine loaded w/o Pickering emulsion formula - containing wheat germ oil and stabilized by magnesium oxide nanoparticles.

PubMed

Elmotasem, Heba; Farag, Hala K; Salama, Abeer A A

2018-05-16

The objective of this study was to innovate an effective oral sustained release hepatoprotective formula for - the water soluble drug - caffeine. Caffeine is rapidly absorbed and eliminated which dictates frequent administration to achieve adequate therapeutic effect. A w/o Pickering emulsion incorporating caffeine in the internal phase was primed. It contained wheat germ oil and was stabilized by synthesized magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs). Components selection was based on their antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anticarcinogenic effects. The MgO NPs were prepared via sol-gel method, and then were characterized using X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle and cytotoxicity. The Pickering emulsion formula stabilized by MgO NPs (F1) was compared to another stabilized by conventional MgO particles (F2). Both were evaluated regarding droplet size, stability and caffeine release. F1 was stable against phase separation for a 2 months period. Its droplets mean size was 665.9 ± 90 nm. F1 afforded sustained release for caffeine that reached 70% within 48 h that followed zero order kinetics. 100 ppm of F1 showed nearly 36% growth inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG2). In vivo and histopathalogical evaluations were conducted on CCl 4 intoxicated rats. Biochemical analysis for liver enzymes - (ALT and AST), oxidative stress biomarkers and the inflammation marker (protein kinase C) - revealed that the selected formula elicited significant hepatoprotection. This formula acted as an economical approach to multiple therapy and afforded safe effective sustained level for caffeine. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Exclusive photoproduction of the cascade (Xi) hyperon

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

John Price; Bernard Nefkens; Justin Ducote

2004-09-01

We report on the first measurement of exclusive {Xi}{sup -}(1321) hyperon photoproduction in {gamma}p {yields} K{sup +}K{sup +}{Xi}{sup -} for 3.2 < E{sub {gamma}} < 3.9 GeV. The final state is identified by the missing mass in p({gamma}, K{sup +}K{sup +})X measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory. We have detected a significant number of the ground-state {Xi}{sup -}(132)1/2{sup +}, and have estimated the total cross section for its production. We have also observed the first excited state {Xi}{sup -}(1530)3/2{sup +}. Photoproduction provides a copious source of {Xi}'s. We discuss the possibilities of a search for the recently proposedmore » {Xi}{sub 5}{sup --} and {Xi}{sub 5}{sup +} pentaquarks.« less

Decay widths of ground-state and excited {Xi}{sub b} baryons in a nonrelativistic quark model

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

Limphirat, Ayut; Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics; Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000

Decay processes of ground and excited bottom baryons are studied in the {sup 3}P{sub 0} nonrelativistic quark model with all model parameters fixed in the sector of light quarks. Using as an input the recent mass of {Xi}{sub b} and the theoretical masses of {Xi}{sub b}{sup *} and {Xi}{sub b}{sup '}, narrow decay widths are predicted for the ground-state bottom baryons {Xi}{sub b}{sup *} and {Xi}{sub b}{sup '}. The work predicts large decay widths, about 100 MeV for the {rho}-type orbital excitation states of {Xi}{sub b}.

A Fixed Point Theorem in Weak Topology for Successively Recurrent System of Set-Valued Mapping Equations and Its Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horiuchi, Kazuo

Let us introduce n (≥ 2) mappings fi(i = 1, …, n ≡ 0) defined on reflexive real Banach spaces Xi-1 and let fi : Xi-1 → Yi be completely continuous on bounded convex closed subsets X_{i-1}^{(0)} \\\\subset X_{i-1}. Moreover, let us introduce n set-valued mappings F_i : X_{i-1} \\\\times Y_i \\\\to {\\\\cal F}_c(X_i) (the family of all non-empty compact subsets of Xi), (i=1, …, n ≡ 0). Here, we have a fixed point theorem in weak topology on the successively recurrent system of set-valued mapping equations: xi ∈ Fi(xi-1, fi(xi-1)), (i=1, …, n ≡ 0). This theorem can be applied immediately to analysis of the availability of system of circular networks of channels undergone by uncertain fluctuations and to evaluation of the tolerability of behaviors of those systems.

Direct Observation of the Strange b Baryon {xi}{sub b}{sup -}

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

Abazov, V. M.; Alexeev, G. D.; Kalinin, A. M.

We report the first direct observation of the strange b baryon {xi}{sub b}{sup -}({xi}{sub b}{sup +}). We reconstruct the decay {xi}{sub b}{sup -}{yields}J/{psi}{xi}{sup -}, with J/{psi}{yields}{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}, and {xi}{sup -}{yields}{lambda}{pi}{sup -}{yields}p{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -} in pp collisions at {radical}(s)=1.96 TeV. Using 1.3 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the D0 detector, we observe 15.2{+-}4.4(stat){sub -0.4}{sup +1.9}(syst) {xi}{sub b}{sup -} candidates at a mass of 5.774{+-}0.011(stat){+-}0.015(syst) GeV. The significance of the observed signal is 5.5{sigma}, equivalent to a probability of 3.3x10{sup -8} of it arising from a background fluctuation. Normalizing to the decay {lambda}{sub b}{yields}J/{psi}{lambda}, we measure the relative rate ({sigma}({xi}{submore » b}{sup -})xB({xi}{sub b}{sup -}{yields}J/{psi}{xi}{sup -})/{sigma}({lambda}{sub b})xB({lambda}{sub b}{yields}J/{psi}{lambda}))=0.28{+-}0.09(stat){sub -0.08}{sup +0.09}(syst)« less

Light-cone distribution amplitudes of {xi} and their applications

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

Liu Yonglu; Huang Mingqiu

We present the light-cone distribution amplitudes of the {xi} baryons up to twist six on the basis of QCD conformal partial wave expansion to the leading order conformal spin accuracy. The nonperturbative parameters relevant to the DAs are determined in the framework of the QCD sum rule. The light-cone QCD sum rule approach is used to investigate both the electromagnetic form factors of {xi} and the exclusive semileptonic decay of {xi}{sub c} as applications. Our estimations on the magnetic moments are {mu}{sub {xi}{sup 0}}=-(1.92{+-}0.34){mu}{sub N} and {mu}{sub {xi}{sup -}}=-(1.19{+-}0.03){mu}{sub N}. The decay width of the process {xi}{sub c}{yields}{xi}e{sup +}{nu}{sub e}more » is evaluated to be {gamma}=8.73x10{sup -14} GeV, which is in accordance with the experimental measurements and other theoretical approaches.« less

Asymptotic (h tending to infinity) absolute stability for BDFs applied to stiff differential equations. [Backward Differentiation Formulas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krogh, F. T.; Stewart, K.

1984-01-01

Methods based on backward differentiation formulas (BDFs) for solving stiff differential equations require iterating to approximate the solution of the corrector equation on each step. One hope for reducing the cost of this is to make do with iteration matrices that are known to have errors and to do no more iterations than are necessary to maintain the stability of the method. This paper, following work by Klopfenstein, examines the effect of errors in the iteration matrix on the stability of the method. Application of the results to an algorithm is discussed briefly.

Iron rich low cost superalloys. Ph.D. Thesis. Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wayne, S. F.

1985-01-01

An iron-rich low-cost superalloy was developed. The alloy, when processed by conventional chill casting, has physical and mechanical properties that compare favorably with existing nickel and cobalt based superalloys while containing significantly lower amounts of strategic elements. Studies were also made on the properties of Cr(20)-Mn(10)-C(3.4)-Fe(bal.), a eutectic alloy processed by chill casting and directional solidification which produced an aligned microstructure consisting of M7C3 fibers in a gamma-Fe matrix. Thermal expansion of the M7C3 (M = Fe, Cr, Mn) carbide lattice was measured up to 800 C and found to be highly anisotropic, with the a-axis being the predominant mode of expansion. Repetitive impact sliding wear experiments performed with the Fe rich eutectic alloy showed that the directionally solidified microstructure greatly improved the alloy's wear resistance as compared to the chill cast microstructure and conventional nickel base superalloys. Studies on the molybdenum cementite phase prove that the crystal structure of the xi phase is not orthorhombic. The crystal structure of the xi phase is made up of octahedra building elements consisting of four Mo and two Fe atoms and trigonal prisms consisting of four Fe and two Mo atoms. The voids are occupied by carbon atoms. The previous chemical formula for the molybdenum cementite MoFe2C is now clearly seen to be Mo12Fe22C10.

Develop Accurate Methods for Characterizing and Quantifying Cohesive Sediment Erosion Under Combined Current-Wave Conditions

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

ER D C/ CH L TR -1 7- 15 Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Develop Accurate Methods for Characterizing and...current environments. This research will provide more accurate methods for assessing contaminated sediment stability for many DoD and Environmental...47.88026 pascals yards 0.9144 meters ERDC/CHL TR-17-15 xi Executive Summary Objective The proposed research goal is to develop laboratory methods

The Da Vinci Xi and robotic radical prostatectomy-an evolution in learning and technique.

PubMed

Goonewardene, S S; Cahill, D

2017-06-01

The da Vinci Xi robot has been introduced as the successor to the Si platform. The promise of the Xi is to open the door to new surgical procedures. For robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP)/pelvic surgery, the potential is better vision and longer instruments. How has the Xi impacted on operative and pathological parameters as indicators of surgical performance? This is a comparison of an initial series of 42 RARPs with the Xi system in 2015 with a series using the Si system immediately before Xi uptake in the same calendar year, and an Si series by the same surgeon synchronously as the Xi series using operative time, blood loss, and positive margins as surrogates of surgical performance. Subjectively and objectively, there is a learning curve to Xi uptake in longer operative times but no impact on T2 positive margins which are the most reflective single measure of RARP outcomes. Subjectively, the vision of the Xi is inferior to the Si system, and the integrated diathermy system and automated setup are quirky. All require experience to overcome. There is a learning curve to progress from the Si to Xi da Vinci surgical platforms, but this does not negatively impact the outcome.

Hyperon and hyperon resonance properties from charm baryon decays at BABAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziegler, Veronique

This thesis describes studies of hyperons and hyperon resonances produced in charm baryon decays at BABAR. Using two-body decays of the X0c and W0c , it is shown, for the first time, that the spin of the O - is 3/2. The O- analysis procedures are extended to three-body final states and properties of the xi(1690)0 are extracted from a detailed isobar model analysis of the L+c → ΛK¯0K + Dalitz plot. The mass and width values of the xi(1690) 0 are measured with much greater precision than attained previously. The hypothesis that the spin of the xi(1690) resonance is 1/2 yields an excellent description of the data, while spin values 3/2 and 5/2 are disfavored. The Λa0(980)+ decay mode of the L+c is observed for the first time. Similar techniques are then used to study xi(1530)0 production in L+c decay. The spin of the xi(1530) is established for the first time to be 3/2. The existence of an S-wave amplitude in the xi -pi+ system is shown, and its interference with the xi(1530) 0 amplitude provides the first clear demonstration of the Breit-Wigner phase motion expected for the xi(1530). The xi-pi + mass distribution in the vicinity of the xi(1690)0 exhibits interesting structure which may be interpreted as indicating that the xi(1690) has negative parity.

Energy decomposition analysis of single bonds within Kohn-Sham density functional theory.

PubMed

Levine, Daniel S; Head-Gordon, Martin

2017-11-28

An energy decomposition analysis (EDA) for single chemical bonds is presented within the framework of Kohn-Sham density functional theory based on spin projection equations that are exact within wave function theory. Chemical bond energies can then be understood in terms of stabilization caused by spin-coupling augmented by dispersion, polarization, and charge transfer in competition with destabilizing Pauli repulsions. The EDA reveals distinguishing features of chemical bonds ranging across nonpolar, polar, ionic, and charge-shift bonds. The effect of electron correlation is assessed by comparison with Hartree-Fock results. Substituent effects are illustrated by comparing the C-C bond in ethane against that in bis(diamantane), and dispersion stabilization in the latter is quantified. Finally, three metal-metal bonds in experimentally characterized compounds are examined: a [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] dimer, the [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] bond in dizincocene, and the Mn-Mn bond in dimanganese decacarbonyl.

Novel jojoba oil-based emulsion gel formulations for clotrimazole delivery.

PubMed

Shahin, Mostafa; Hady, Seham Abdel; Hammad, Mohammed; Mortada, Nahed

2011-03-01

Jojoba oil-based emulgel formulations were prepared using different concentrations of various gelling agents, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and Carbopol 934 P and combination of both. The prepared emulgels were physically evaluated for their stability after temperature cycle test, centrifugation and long-term shelf storage for 1 year at room temperature. The in vitro release at 37 °C was studied to define the effect of the concentration and type of the gelling agent. A comparison between the formulated emulgels and two commercially available products, Candistan® and Canesten® creams, was carried out to judge their efficacy and stability. The prepared emulgels exhibited non-Newtonian shear thinning behavior with little or no thixotropy. Four emulgels showed excellent stability as they demonstrated consistent rheological model under different treatment conditions. The in vitro release test showed variation in the extent of percent drug released. The drug release from the commercial preparation was lower than some of the prepared emulgel formulae. One formula containing combination of the two gelling agents (HPMC and Carbopol 934 P), showed excellent stability and high extent of clotrimazole release was microbiologically evaluated against Candida albicans using cylinder and plate method. The selected formula showed superior antimycotic activity compared to the commercially available formulation. Further in vivo animal studies for the obtained stable formula is recommended. © 2011 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Evidence for an exotic S= -2, Q= -2 baryon resonance in proton-proton collisions at the CERN SPS.

PubMed

Alt, C; Anticic, T; Baatar, B; Barna, D; Bartke, J; Betev, L; Białkowska, H; Billmeier, A; Blume, C; Boimska, B; Botje, M; Bracinik, J; Bramm, R; Brun, R; Buncić, P; Cerny, V; Christakoglou, P; Chvala, O; Cramer, J G; Csató, P; Darmenov, N; Dimitrov, A; Dinkelaker, P; Eckardt, V; Farantatos, G; Filip, P; Flierl, D; Fodor, Z; Foka, P; Freund, P; Friese, V; Gál, J; Gaździcki, M; Georgopoulos, G; Gładysz, E; Hegyi, S; Höhne, C; Kadija, K; Karev, A; Kniege, S; Kolesnikov, V I; Kollegger, T; Korus, R; Kowalski, M; Kraus, I; Kreps, M; van Leeuwen, M; Lévai, P; Litov, L; Makariev, M; Malakhov, A I; Markert, C; Mateev, M; Mayes, B W; Melkumov, G L; Meurer, C; Mischke, A; Mitrovski, M; Molnár, J; Mrówczyński, St; Pálla, G; Panagiotou, A D; Panayotov, D; Perl, K; Petridis, A; Pikna, M; Pinsky, L; Pühlhofer, F; Reid, J G; Renfordt, R; Retyk, W; Roland, C; Roland, G; Rybczyński, M; Rybicki, A; Sandoval, A; Sann, H; Schmitz, N; Seyboth, P; Siklér, F; Sitar, B; Skrzypczak, E; Stefanek, G; Stock, R; Ströbele, H; Susa, T; Szentpétery, I; Sziklai, J; Trainor, T A; Varga, D; Vassiliou, M; Veres, G I; Vesztergombi, G; Vranić, D; Wetzler, A; Włodarczyk, Z; Yoo, I K; Zaranek, J; Zimányi, J

2004-01-30

Results of resonance searches in the Xi(-)pi(-), Xi(-)pi(+), Xi;(+)pi(-), and Xi;(+)pi(+) invariant mass spectra in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=17.2 GeV are presented. Evidence is shown for the existence of a narrow Xi(-)pi(-) baryon resonance with mass of 1.862+/-0.002 GeV/c(2) and width below the detector resolution of about 0.018 GeV/c(2). The significance is estimated to be above 4.2sigma. This state is a candidate for the hypothetical exotic Xi(--)(3/2) baryon with S=-2, I=3 / 2, and a quark content of (dsdsū). At the same mass, a peak is observed in the Xi(-)pi(+) spectrum which is a candidate for the Xi(0)(3/2) member of this isospin quartet with a quark content of (dsus[-]d). The corresponding antibaryon spectra also show enhancements at the same invariant mass.

Dynamics of Circumbinary Planets Near the Stability Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quarles, Billy; Satyal, Suman; Kostov, Veselin; Kaib, Nathan; Haghighipour, Nader

2018-04-01

The stability limit for circumbinary planets (CBPs) is not well defined and carries uncertainty that depends on the orbital parameters of the stellar binary and possible planets. Previous work by Holman & Wiegert (1999, AJ 117, 621) developed a two parameter fitting formula for CBPs. We update the coefficients for this formula and introduce a grid interpolation method that is based on ∼150 million full N-body simulations of systems with Jupiter-mass planets on initially circular, coplanar orbits. We find an improvement in the accuracy in estimating the inner boundary of stability and use planet packing to identify the relative proximity of the Kepler CBPs to their respective stability limits. As a result, 55% of the Kepler CBPs could host a planet at the stability limit in addition to the innermost observed planet. The results of our simulations and python tools to determine the stability limit are available to the CBP community on Zenodo and GitHub, respectively.

Influence of heating procedures on the surface structure of stabilized polyacrylonitrile fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Rui-Xue; Sun, Peng-fei; Liu, Rui-jian; Ding, Zhan-hui; Li, Xiang-shan; Liu, Xiao-yang; Zhao, Xu-dong; Gao, Zhong-min

2018-03-01

The stabilized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were obtained after heating the precursor PAN fibers under air atmosphere by different procedures. The surface structures and compositions of as-prepared stabilized PAN fibers have been investigated by SEM, SSNMR, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that 200 °C, 220 °C, 250 °C, and 280 °C are key temperatures for the preparation of stabilized PAN fibers. The effect of heating gradient on the structure of stabilized PAN fibers has been studied. The possible chemical structural formulas for the PAN fibers is provided, which include the stable and unstable structure. The stable structure (α-type) could endure the strong chemical reactions and the unstable structure (β- or γ-type) could mitigate the drastic oxidation reactions. The inferences of chemical formula of stabilized PAN fibers are benefit to the design of appropriate surface structure for the production for high quality carbon fibers.

Solubility and crystallization of xylose isomerase from Streptomyces rubiginosus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuolanto, Antti; Uotila, Sinikka; Leisola, Matti; Visuri, Kalevi

2003-10-01

We have studied the crystallization and crystal solubility of xylose isomerase (XI) from Streptomyces rubiginosus. In this paper, we show a rational approach for developing a large-scale crystallization process for XI. Firstly, we measured the crystal solubility in salt solutions with respect to salt concentration, temperature and pH. In ammonium sulfate the solubility of XI decreased logarithmically when increasing the salt concentration. Surprisingly, the XI crystals had a solubility minimum at low concentration of magnesium sulfate. The solubility of XI in 0.17 M magnesium sulfate was less than 0.5 g l -1. The solubility of XI increased logarithmically when increasing the temperature. We also found a solubility minimum around pH 7. This is far from the isoelectric point of XI (pH 3.95). Secondly, based on the solubility study, we developed a large-scale crystallization process for XI. In a simple and economical cooling crystallization of XI from 0.17 M magnesium sulfate solution, the recovery of crystalline active enzyme was over 95%. Moreover, we developed a process for production of uniform crystals and produced homogenous crystals with average crystal sizes between 12 and 360 μm.

Level structure and production cross section of {sub {Xi}}{sup 12} Be studied with coupled-channels antisymmetrized molecular dynamics

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

Matsumiya, H.; Tsubakihara, K.; Kimura, M.

A theoretical framework of coupled-channels antisymmetrized molecular dynamics that describes the multistrangeness system with mixing between different baryon species is developed and applied to {sub {Lambda}}{sup 12}C and {sub {Xi}}{sup 12}Be. By introducing a minor modification to the YN G-matrix interaction derived from the Nijmegen model-D, the low-lying level structure and production cross section of {sub {Lambda}}{sup 12}C are reasonably described. It is found that the low-lying states of {sub {Xi}}{sup 12}Be are dominated by the {sup 11}B {circle_times} {Xi}{sup -} channel and their order strongly depends on {Xi}N effective interactions used in the calculation. The calculated peak position ofmore » the production cross section depends on the {Xi}N effective interaction and the magnitude of spin-flip and non-spin-flip cross sections of K{sup -}p{yields}K{sup +}{Xi}{sup -} elemental processes. We suggest that the {sup 12}C(K{sup -},K{sup +}){sub {Xi}}{sup 12}Be reaction possibly provides us information about the {Xi}N interaction.« less

Towards Synergistic Electrode-Electrolyte Design Principles for Nonaqueous Li-O[Formula: see text] batteries.

PubMed

Khetan, Abhishek; Krishnamurthy, Dilip; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian

2018-03-20

One route toward sustainable land and aerial transportation is based on electrified vehicles. To enable electrification in transportation, there is a need for high-energy-density batteries, and this has led to an enormous interest in lithium-oxygen batteries. Several critical challenges remain with respect to realizing a practical lithium-oxygen battery. In this article, we present a detailed overview of theoretical efforts to formulate design principles for identifying stable electrolytes and electrodes with the desired functionality and stability. We discuss design principles relating to electrolytes and the additional stability challenges that arise at the cathode-electrolyte interface. Based on a thermodynamic analysis, we discuss two important requirements for the cathode: the ability to nucleate the desired discharge product, Li[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text], and the ability to selectively activate only this discharge product while suppressing lithium oxide, the undesired secondary discharge product. We propose preliminary guidelines for determining the chemical stability of the electrode and illustrate the challenge associated with electrode selection using the examples of carbon cathodes and transition metals. We believe that a synergistic design framework for identifying electrolyte-electrode formulations is needed to realize a practical Li-O[Formula: see text] battery.

Observation and mass measurement of the baryon Xib-.

PubMed

Aaltonen, T; Abulencia, A; Adelman, J; Affolder, T; Akimoto, T; Albrow, M G; Amerio, S; Amidei, D; Anastassov, A; Anikeev, K; Annovi, A; Antos, J; Aoki, M; Apollinari, G; Arisawa, T; Artikov, A; Ashmanskas, W; Attal, A; Aurisano, A; Azfar, F; Azzi-Bacchetta, P; Azzurri, P; Bacchetta, N; Badgett, W; Barbaro-Galtieri, A; Barnes, V E; Barnett, B A; Baroiant, S; Bartsch, V; Bauer, G; Beauchemin, P-H; Bedeschi, F; Behari, S; Bellettini, G; Bellinger, J; Belloni, A; Benjamin, D; Beretvas, A; Beringer, J; Berry, T; Bhatti, A; Binkley, M; Bisello, D; Bizjak, I; Blair, R E; Blocker, C; Blumenfeld, B; Bocci, A; Bodek, A; Boisvert, V; Bolla, G; Bolshov, A; Bortoletto, D; Boudreau, J; Boveia, A; Brau, B; Brigliadori, L; Bromberg, C; Brubaker, E; Budagov, J; Budd, H S; Budd, S; Burkett, K; Busetto, G; Bussey, P; Buzatu, A; Byrum, K L; Cabrera, S; Campanelli, M; Campbell, M; Canelli, F; Canepa, A; Carrillo, S; Carlsmith, D; Carosi, R; Carron, S; Casal, B; Casarsa, M; Castro, A; Catastini, P; Cauz, D; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Chang, S H; Chen, Y C; Chertok, M; Chiarelli, G; Chlachidze, G; Chlebana, F; Cho, I; Cho, K; Chokheli, D; Chou, J P; Choudalakis, G; Chuang, S H; Chung, K; Chung, W H; Chung, Y S; Cilijak, M; Ciobanu, C I; Ciocci, M A; Clark, A; Clark, D; Coca, M; Compostella, G; Convery, M E; Conway, J; Cooper, B; Copic, K; Cordelli, M; Cortiana, G; Crescioli, F; Cuenca Almenar, C; Cuevas, J; Culbertson, R; Cully, J C; DaRonco, S; Datta, M; D'Auria, S; Davies, T; Dagenhart, D; de Barbaro, P; De Cecco, S; Deisher, A; De Lentdecker, G; De Lorenzo, G; Dell'Orso, M; Delli Paoli, F; Demortier, L; Deng, J; Deninno, M; De Pedis, D; Derwent, P F; Di Giovanni, G P; Dionisi, C; Di Ruzza, B; Dittmann, J R; D'Onofrio, M; Dörr, C; Donati, S; Dong, P; Donini, J; Dorigo, T; Dube, S; Efron, J; Erbacher, R; Errede, D; Errede, S; Eusebi, R; Fang, H C; Farrington, S; Fedorko, I; Fedorko, W T; Feild, R G; Feindt, M; Fernandez, J P; Field, R; Flanagan, G; Forrest, R; Forrester, S; Franklin, M; Freeman, J C; Furic, I; Gallinaro, M; Galyardt, J; Garcia, J E; Garberson, F; Garfinkel, A F; Gay, C; Gerberich, H; Gerdes, D; Giagu, S; Giannetti, P; Gibson, K; Gimmell, J L; Ginsburg, C; Giokaris, N; Giordani, M; Giromini, P; Giunta, M; Giurgiu, G; Glagolev, V; Glenzinski, D; Gold, M; Goldschmidt, N; Goldstein, J; Golossanov, A; Gomez, G; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Goncharov, M; González, O; Gorelov, I; Goshaw, A T; Goulianos, K; Gresele, A; Grinstein, S; Grosso-Pilcher, C; Group, R C; Grundler, U; Guimaraes da Costa, J; Gunay-Unalan, Z; Haber, C; Hahn, K; Hahn, S R; Halkiadakis, E; Hamilton, A; Han, B-Y; Han, J Y; Handler, R; Happacher, F; Hara, K; Hare, D; Hare, M; Harper, S; Harr, R F; Harris, R M; Hartz, M; Hatakeyama, K; Hauser, J; Hays, C; Heck, M; Heijboer, A; Heinemann, B; Heinrich, J; Henderson, C; Herndon, M; Heuser, J; Hidas, D; Hill, C S; Hirschbuehl, D; Hocker, A; Holloway, A; Hou, S; Houlden, M; Hsu, S-C; Huffman, B T; Hughes, R E; Husemann, U; Huston, J; Incandela, J; Introzzi, G; Iori, M; Ivanov, A; Iyutin, B; James, E; Jang, D; Jayatilaka, B; Jeans, D; Jeon, E J; Jindariani, S; Johnson, W; Jones, M; Joo, K K; Jun, S Y; Jung, J E; Junk, T R; Kamon, T; Karchin, P E; Kato, Y; Kemp, Y; Kephart, R; Kerzel, U; Khotilovich, V; Kilminster, B; Kim, D H; Kim, H S; Kim, J E; Kim, M J; Kim, S B; Kim, S H; Kim, Y K; Kimura, N; Kirsch, L; Klimenko, S; Klute, M; Knuteson, B; Ko, B R; Kondo, K; Kong, D J; Konigsberg, J; Korytov, A; Kotwal, A V; Kraan, A C; Kraus, J; Kreps, M; Kroll, J; Krumnack, N; Kruse, M; Krutelyov, V; Kubo, T; Kuhlmann, S E; Kuhr, T; Kulkarni, N P; Kusakabe, Y; Kwang, S; Laasanen, A T; Lai, S; Lami, S; Lammel, S; Lancaster, M; Lander, R L; Lannon, K; Lath, A; Latino, G; Lazzizzera, I; LeCompte, T; Lee, J; Lee, J; Lee, Y J; Lee, S W; Lefèvre, R; Leonardo, N; Leone, S; Levy, S; Lewis, J D; Lin, C; Lin, C S; Lindgren, M; Lipeles, E; Lister, A; Litvintsev, D O; Liu, T; Lockyer, N S; Loginov, A; Loreti, M; Lu, R-S; Lucchesi, D; Lujan, P; Lukens, P; Lungu, G; Lyons, L; Lys, J; Lysak, R; Lytken, E; Mack, P; MacQueen, D; Madrak, R; Maeshima, K; Makhoul, K; Maki, T; Maksimovic, P; Malde, S; Malik, S; Manca, G; Manousakis, A; Margaroli, F; Marginean, R; Marino, C; Marino, C P; Martin, A; Martin, M; Martin, V; Martínez, M; Martínez-Ballarín, R; Maruyama, T; Mastrandrea, P; Masubuchi, T; Matsunaga, H; Mattson, M E; Mazini, R; Mazzanti, P; McFarland, K S; McIntyre, P; McNulty, R; Mehta, A; Mehtala, P; Menzemer, S; Menzione, A; Merkel, P; Mesropian, C; Messina, A; Miao, T; Miladinovic, N; Miles, J; Miller, R; Mills, C; Milnik, M; Mitra, A; Mitselmakher, G; Miyamoto, A; Moed, S; Moggi, N; Mohr, B; Moon, C S; Moore, R; Morello, M; Movilla Fernandez, P; Mülmenstädt, J; Mukherjee, A; Muller, Th; Mumford, R; Murat, P; Mussini, M; Nachtman, J; Nagano, A; Naganoma, J; Nakamura, K; Nakano, I; Napier, A; Necula, V; Neu, C; Neubauer, M S; Nielsen, J; Nodulman, L; Norniella, O; Nurse, E; Oh, S H; Oh, Y D; Oksuzian, I; Okusawa, T; Oldeman, R; Orava, R; Osterberg, K; Pagliarone, C; Palencia, E; Papadimitriou, V; Papaikonomou, A; Paramonov, A A; Parks, B; Pashapour, S; Patrick, J; Pauletta, G; Paulini, M; Paus, C; Pellett, D E; Penzo, A; Phillips, T J; Piacentino, G; Piedra, J; Pinera, L; Pitts, K; Plager, C; Pondrom, L; Portell, X; Poukhov, O; Pounder, N; Prakoshyn, F; Pronko, A; Proudfoot, J; Ptohos, F; Punzi, G; Pursley, J; Rademacker, J; Rahaman, A; Ramakrishnan, V; Ranjan, N; Redondo, I; Reisert, B; Rekovic, V; Renton, P; Rescigno, M; Richter, S; Rimondi, F; Ristori, L; Robson, A; Rodrigo, T; Rogers, E; Rolli, S; Roser, R; Rossi, M; Rossin, R; Roy, P; Ruiz, A; Russ, J; Rusu, V; Saarikko, H; Safonov, A; Sakumoto, W K; Salamanna, G; Saltó, O; Santi, L; Sarkar, S; Sartori, L; Sato, K; Savard, P; Savoy-Navarro, A; Scheidle, T; Schlabach, P; Schmidt, E E; Schmidt, M P; Schmitt, M; Schwarz, T; Scodellaro, L; Scott, A L; Scribano, A; Scuri, F; Sedov, A; Seidel, S; Seiya, Y; Semenov, A; Sexton-Kennedy, L; Sfyrla, A; Shalhout, S Z; Shapiro, M D; Shears, T; Shepard, P F; Sherman, D; Shimojima, M; Shochet, M; Shon, Y; Shreyber, I; Sidoti, A; Sinervo, P; Sisakyan, A; Slaughter, A J; Slaunwhite, J; Sliwa, K; Smith, J R; Snider, F D; Snihur, R; Soderberg, M; Soha, A; Somalwar, S; Sorin, V; Spalding, J; Spinella, F; Spreitzer, T; Squillacioti, P; Stanitzki, M; Staveris-Polykalas, A; St Denis, R; Stelzer, B; Stelzer-Chilton, O; Stentz, D; Strologas, J; Stuart, D; Suh, J S; Sukhanov, A; Sun, H; Suslov, I; Suzuki, T; Taffard, A; Takashima, R; Takeuchi, Y; Tanaka, R; Tecchio, M; Teng, P K; Terashi, K; Thom, J; Thompson, A S; Thomson, E; Tipton, P; Tiwari, V; Tkaczyk, S; Toback, D; Tokar, S; Tollefson, K; Tomura, T; Tonelli, D; Torre, S; Torretta, D; Tourneur, S; Trischuk, W; Tsuno, S; Tu, Y; Turini, N; Ukegawa, F; Uozumi, S; Vallecorsa, S; van Remortel, N; Varganov, A; Vataga, E; Vazquez, F; Velev, G; Vellidis, C; Veramendi, G; Veszpremi, V; Vidal, M; Vidal, R; Vila, I; Vilar, R; Vine, T; Vogel, M; Vollrath, I; Volobouev, I; Volpi, G; Würthwein, F; Wagner, P; Wagner, R G; Wagner, R L; Wagner, J; Wagner, W; Wallny, R; Wang, S M; Warburton, A; Waters, D; Weinberger, M; Wester, W C; Whitehouse, B; Whiteson, D; Wicklund, A B; Wicklund, E; Williams, G; Williams, H H; Wilson, P; Winer, B L; Wittich, P; Wolbers, S; Wolfe, C; Wright, T; Wu, X; Wynne, S M; Yagil, A; Yamamoto, K; Yamaoka, J; Yamashita, T; Yang, C; Yang, U K; Yang, Y C; Yao, W M; Yeh, G P; Yoh, J; Yorita, K; Yoshida, T; Yu, G B; Yu, I; Yu, S S; Yun, J C; Zanello, L; Zanetti, A; Zaw, I; Zhang, X; Zhou, J; Zucchelli, S

2007-08-03

We report the observation and measurement of the mass of the bottom, strange baryon Xi(b)- through the decay chain Xi(b)- -->J/psiXi-, where J/psi-->mu+mu-, Xi- -->Lambdapi-, and Lambda-->ppi-. A signal is observed whose probability of arising from a background fluctuation is 6.6 x 10(-15), or 7.7 Gaussian standard deviations. The Xi(b)- mass is measured to be 5792.9+/-2.5(stat) +/- 1.7(syst) MeV/c2.

Translation and validation of a Spanish version of the xerostomia inventory.

PubMed

Serrano, Carlos; Fariña, María P; Pérez, Cristhian; Fernández, Marcos; Forman, Katherine; Carrasco, Mauricio

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish cross-cultural adaptation of the xerostomia inventory (XI). The original English version of XI was translated into Spanish, cross-culturally adapted and field tested. The Spanish version of XI (XI-Sp) was tested with a sample of 41 patients with xerostomia. The reliability of the XI-Sp was determined through internal consistency and test-retest methods. The construct validity of XI-Sp was determined by means of correlation between XI-Sp scores and salivary flow measurements. Overall XI-Sp scores were 40.8 (SD = 10) for the first application and 40.2 (SD = 9.5) for the second. Cronbach's alpha value for the XI-Sp was 0.89 and 0.87, respectively, while interitem correlation averages were r = 0.44 and r = 0.39 for each application. Interitem correlation and corrected total was r c ≥0.30. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient value for the XI-Sp score was 0.59 and 0.91. Convergent validity for construct validity correlation with salivary flow showed a medium effect size (r 2  = 0.10) for the first application but did not make a statistically significant prediction for the second (r 2  = 0.7). This study provides evidence concerning the reliability of the XI-Sp, showing that it may be a useful tool for Spanish-speaking xerostomia patients for both clinical and epidemiologic research. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S and The Gerodontology Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Search for CP Violation in Hyperon Decay: $$\\Xi^- / \\bar{\\Xi}^+$$ and $$\\Lambda / \\bar{\\Lambda}$$ (in French)

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

Leros, Nicolas

2001-06-01

The HyperCP(EB71) experiment, performed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States, provides a primary search for direct OP violation in the decays ofmore » $$\\Xi^-/\\bar{\\Xi}^+$$ and $$\\Lambda/ \\bar{\\Lambda}$$ hyperons....« less

Model-Scale Experiment of the Seakeeping Performance for R/V Melville, Model 5720

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

Angle 1 Y None Deg Sensor Bourns Rotary Potentiometer 6574S-1-103 NA 39596 KVH Sin 2 Y None volts Sensor KVH Fluxgate Compass C-100...NA Deg Sensor KVH Calc Heading NA N None DegM Calculated KVH Fluxgate Compass C-100 39449 Bow Tracker Sensor Bottom NA N None...3DM-3XI combined three axis of angular rate gyros, accelerometers, and magnetometers to provide various combinations of gyro stabilized Euler

Develop Accurate Methods for Characterizing And Quantifying Cohesive Sediment Erosion Under Combined Current Wave Conditions: Project ER 1497

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

ER D C/ CH L TR -1 7- 15 Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Develop Accurate Methods for Characterizing and...current environments. This research will provide more accurate methods for assessing contaminated sediment stability for many DoD and Environmental...47.88026 pascals yards 0.9144 meters ERDC/CHL TR-17-15 xi Executive Summary Objective The proposed research goal is to develop laboratory methods

First measurements of J/{psi} decays into {sigma}{sup +}{sigma}{sup -} and {xi}{sup 0}{xi}{sup 0}

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

Ablikim, M.; Bai, J. Z.; Bai, Y.

Based on 58x10{sup 6} J/{psi} events collected with the BESII detector at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider, the baryon pair processes J/{psi}{yields}{sigma}{sup +}{sigma}{sup -} and J/{psi}{yields}{xi}{sup 0}{xi}{sup 0} are observed for the first time. The branching fractions are measured to be B(J/{psi}{yields}{sigma}{sup +}{sigma}{sup -})=(1.50{+-}0.10{+-}0.22)x10{sup -3} and B(J/{psi}{yields}{xi}{sup 0}{xi}{sup 0})=(1.20{+-}0.12{+-}0.21)x10{sup -3}, where the first errors are statistical and the second ones are systematic.

Xi0 and anti-Xi0 Polarization Measurements at 800-GeV/c

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

Abouzaid, E.; Alavi-Harati, A.; Alexopoulos, T.

The polarization of {Xi}{sup 0} and {bar {Xi}}{sup 0} hyperons produced by 800 GeV/c protons on a BeO target at a fixed targeting angle of 4.8 mrad is measured by the KTeV experiment at Fermilab. The result of 9.7% for {Xi}{sup 0} polarization shows no significant energy dependence when compared to a result obtained at 400 GeV/c production energy and at twice the targeting angle. The polarization of the {Xi}{sup 0} is measured for the first time and found to be consistent with zero. They also examine the dependence of polarization on production p{sub t}.

Xi-cam: a versatile interface for data visualization and analysis

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

Pandolfi, Ronald J.; Allan, Daniel B.; Arenholz, Elke

Xi-cam is an extensible platform for data management, analysis and visualization.Xi-camaims to provide a flexible and extensible approach to synchrotron data treatment as a solution to rising demands for high-volume/high-throughput processing pipelines. The core ofXi-camis an extensible plugin-based graphical user interface platform which provides users with an interactive interface to processing algorithms. Plugins are available for SAXS/WAXS/GISAXS/GIWAXS, tomography and NEXAFS data. WithXi-cam's `advanced' mode, data processing steps are designed as a graph-based workflow, which can be executed live, locally or remotely. Remote execution utilizes high-performance computing or de-localized resources, allowing for the effective reduction of high-throughput data.Xi-cam's plugin-based architecture targetsmore » cross-facility and cross-technique collaborative development, in support of multi-modal analysis.Xi-camis open-source and cross-platform, and available for download on GitHub.« less

Xi-cam: a versatile interface for data visualization and analysis

DOE PAGES

Pandolfi, Ronald J.; Allan, Daniel B.; Arenholz, Elke; ...

2018-05-31

Xi-cam is an extensible platform for data management, analysis and visualization.Xi-camaims to provide a flexible and extensible approach to synchrotron data treatment as a solution to rising demands for high-volume/high-throughput processing pipelines. The core ofXi-camis an extensible plugin-based graphical user interface platform which provides users with an interactive interface to processing algorithms. Plugins are available for SAXS/WAXS/GISAXS/GIWAXS, tomography and NEXAFS data. WithXi-cam's `advanced' mode, data processing steps are designed as a graph-based workflow, which can be executed live, locally or remotely. Remote execution utilizes high-performance computing or de-localized resources, allowing for the effective reduction of high-throughput data.Xi-cam's plugin-based architecture targetsmore » cross-facility and cross-technique collaborative development, in support of multi-modal analysis.Xi-camis open-source and cross-platform, and available for download on GitHub.« less

Cluster-cluster clustering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, J.; Dekel, A.; Efstathiou, G.; Frenk, C. S.

1985-01-01

The cluster correlation function xi sub c(r) is compared with the particle correlation function, xi(r) in cosmological N-body simulations with a wide range of initial conditions. The experiments include scale-free initial conditions, pancake models with a coherence length in the initial density field, and hybrid models. Three N-body techniques and two cluster-finding algorithms are used. In scale-free models with white noise initial conditions, xi sub c and xi are essentially identical. In scale-free models with more power on large scales, it is found that the amplitude of xi sub c increases with cluster richness; in this case the clusters give a biased estimate of the particle correlations. In the pancake and hybrid models (with n = 0 or 1), xi sub c is steeper than xi, but the cluster correlation length exceeds that of the points by less than a factor of 2, independent of cluster richness. Thus the high amplitude of xi sub c found in studies of rich clusters of galaxies is inconsistent with white noise and pancake models and may indicate a primordial fluctuation spectrum with substantial power on large scales.

Study of the Rare Hyperon Decay $${\\boldmath \\Omega^\\mp \\to \\Xi^\\mp \\: \\pi^+\\pi^-}$$

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

Kamaev, O.; Solomey, N.; Burnstein, R.A.

The authors report a new measurement of the decay {Omega}{sup -} {yields} {Xi}{sup -} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} with 76 events and a first observation of the decay {bar {Omega}}{sup +} {yields} {bar {Xi}}{sup +} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} with 24 events, yielding a combined branching ratio (3.74{sub -0.56}{sup +0.67}) x 10{sup -4}. This represents a factor 25 increase in statistics over the best previous measurement. No evidence is seen for CP violation, with {Beta}({Omega}{sup -} {yields} {Xi}{sup -} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = 4.04{sub -0.71}{sup +0.83} x 10{sup -4} and {Beta}({bar {Omega}}{sup +} {yields} {bar {Xi}}{sup +} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) = 3.15{submore » -0.89}{sup +1.12} x 10{sup -4}. Contrary to theoretical expectation, they see little evidence for the decays {Omega}{sup -} {yields} {Xi}*{sub 1530}{sup 0} {pi}{sup -} and {bar {Omega}}{sup +} {yields} {bar {Xi}}*{sub 1530}{sup 0} {pi}{sup +} and place a 90% C.L. upper limit on the combined branching ratio {Beta}({Omega}{sup -}({bar {Omega}}{sup +}) {yields} {Xi}*{sub 1530}{sup 0} ({bar {Xi}}*{sub 1530}{sup 0}){pi}{sup {-+}}) < 7.0 x 10{sup -5}.« less

BRCA1 does not paint the inactive X to localize XIST RNA but may contribute to broad changes in cancer that impact XIST and Xi heterochromatin.

PubMed

Pageau, Gayle J; Hall, Lisa L; Lawrence, Jeanne B

2007-03-01

The BRCA1 tumor suppressor involved in breast and ovarian cancer is linked to several fundamental cell regulatory processes. Recently, it was reported that BRCA1 supports localization of XIST RNA to the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in women. The apparent cytological overlap between BRCA1 and XIST RNA across the Xi raised the possibility a direct role of BRCA1 in localizing XIST. We report here that BRCA1 does not paint the Xi or XIST territory, as do markers of Xi facultative heterochromatin. A smaller BRCA1 accumulation abuts Xi, although this is not exclusive to Xi. In BRCA1 depleted normal and tumor cells, or BRCA1 reconstituted cells, BRCA1 status does not closely correlate with XIST localization, however in a BRCA1 inducible system over-expression correlated strongly with enhanced XIST expression. We confirm frequent loss of an Xi in tumor cells. In addition to mitotic loss of Xi, we find XIST RNA expression or localization frequently become compromised in cultured breast cancer cells, suggesting Xi heterochromatin may not be fully maintained. We demonstrate that complex epigenetic differences between tumor cell subpopulations can have striking effects on XIST transcription, accumulation, and localization, but this does not strictly correlate with BRCA1. Although BRCA1 can have indirect effects that impact XIST, our results do not indicate a direct and specific role in XIST RNA regulation. Rather, regulatory factors such as BRCA1 that have broad effects on chromatin or gene regulation can impact XIST RNA and the Xi. We provide preliminary evidence that this may occur as part of a wider failure of heterochromatin maintenance in some cancers.

Observation of B{sup +}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +} and evidence for B{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup -}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}

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

Chistov, R.; Aushev, T.; Balagura, V.

We report the first observation of the decay B{sup +}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +} with a significance of 8.7{sigma} and evidence for the decay B{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup -}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +} with a significance of 3.8{sigma}. The product B(B{sup +}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +})xB({xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}) is measured to be (4.8{sub -0.9}{sup +1.0}{+-}1.1{+-}1.2)x10{sup -5}, and B(B{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup -}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +})xB({xi}{sub c}{sup -}{yields}{xi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}) is measured to be (9.3{sub -2.8}{sup +3.7}{+-}1.9{+-}2.4)x10{sup -5}. The errors are statistical, systematic and the error of the {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{yields}pK{sup -}{pi}{sup +} branching fraction, respectively. The decay B{sup +}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{lambda}{sub c}{supmore » +} is the first example of a two-body exclusive B{sup +} decay into two charmed baryons. The data used for this analysis was accumulated at the {upsilon}(4S) resonance, using the Belle detector at the e{sup +}e{sup -} asymmetric-energy collider KEKB. The integrated luminosity of the data sample is equal to 357 fb{sup -1}, corresponding to 386x10{sup 6} BB pairs.« less

Evolution from BCS superconductivity to Bose condensation: Calculation of the zero-temperature phase coherence length

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

Pistolesi, F.; Strinati, G.C.

1996-06-01

We consider a fermionic system at zero temperature interacting through an effective nonretarded potential of the type introduced by Nozi{grave e}res and Schmitt-Rink, and calculate the {ital phase} coherence length {xi}{sub phase} (associated with the spatial fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter) by exploiting a functional-integral formulation for the correlation functions and the associated loop expansion. This formulation is especially suited to follow the evolution of the fermionic system from a BCS-type superconductor for weak coupling to a Bose-condensed system for strong coupling, since in the latter limit a {ital direct} mapping of the original fermionic system onto an effectivemore » system of bosons with a residual boson-boson interaction can be established. Explicit calculations are performed at the one-loop order. The phase coherence length {xi}{sub phase} is compared with the coherence length {xi}{sub pair} for two-electron correlation, which is relevant to distinguish the weak- ({ital k}{sub {ital F}}{xi}{sub pair}{gt}1) from the strong- ({ital k}{sub {ital F}}{xi}{sub pair}{lt}1) coupling limits ({ital k}{sub {ital F}} being the Fermi wave vector) {ital as} {ital well} {ital as} to follow the crossover in between. It is shown that {xi}{sub phase} coincides with {xi}{sub pair} down to {ital k}{sub {ital F}}{xi}{sub pair}{approx_equal}10, {xi}{sub pair} in turn coinciding with the Pippard coherence length. In the strong-coupling limit we find instead that {xi}{sub phase}{gt}{xi}{sub pair}, with {xi}{sub pair} coinciding with the radius of the bound-electron pair. From the mapping onto an effective system of bosons in the strong-coupling limit we further relate {xi}{sub pair} with the {open_quote}{open_quote}range{close_quote}{close_quote} of the residual boson-boson interaction, which is physically the only significant length associated with the dynamics of the bosonic system. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}« less

Redshift distortions of galaxy correlation functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fry, J. N.; Gaztanaga, Enrique

1994-01-01

To examine how peculiar velocities can affect the two-, three-, and four-point redshift correlation functions, we evaluate volume-average correlations for configurations that emphasize and minimize redshift distortions for four different volume-limited samples from each of the CfA, SSRS, and IRAS redshift catalogs. We present the results as the correlation length r(sub 0) and power index gamma of the two-point correlations, bar-xi(sub 0) = (r(sub 0)/r)(exp gamma), and as the hierarchical amplitudes of the three- and four-point functions, S(sub 3) = bar-xi(sub 3)/bar-xi(exp 2)(sub 2) and S(sub 4) = bar-xi(sub 4)/bar-xi(exp 3)(sub 2). We find a characteristic distortion for bar-xi(sub 2), the slope gamma is flatter and the correlation length is larger in redshift space than in real space; that is, redshift distortions 'move' correlations from small to large scales. At the largest scales (up to 12 Mpc), the extra power in the redshift distribution is compatible with Omega(exp 4/7)/b approximately equal to 1. We estimate Omega(exp 4/7)/b to be 0.53 +/- 0.15, 1.10 +/- 0.16, and 0.84 +/- 0.45 for the CfA, SSRS, and IRAS catalogs. Higher order correlations bar-xi(sub 3) and bar-xi(sub 4) suffer similar redshift distortions but in such a way that, within the accuracy of our ananlysis, the normalized amplitudes S(sub 3) and S(sub 4) are insensitive to this effect. The hierarchical amplitudes S(sub 3) and S(sub 4) are constant as a function of scale between 1 and 12 Mpc and have similar values in all samples and catalogs, S(sub 3) approximately equal to 2 and S(sub 4) approximately equal to 6, despite the fact that bar-xi(sub 2), bar-xi(sub 3), and bar-xi(sub 4) differ from one sample to another by large factors (up to a factor of 4 in bar-xi(sub 2), 8 for bar-xi(sub 3), and 12 for bar-xi(sub 4)). The agreement between the independent estimations of S(sub 3) and S(sub 4) is remarkable given the different criteria in the selection of galaxies and also the difference in the resulting range of densities, luminosities, and locations between samples.

Salbutamol sulfate suppositories: influence of formulation on physical parameters and stability.

PubMed

Taha, Ehab I; Zaghloul, Abdel-Azim A; Kassem, Alaa A; Khan, Mansoor A

2003-01-01

To prepare and evaluate a suppository dosage form of salbutamol sulfate. The prepared formulae with and without different concentrations of gels were tested for hardness, melting time, content uniformity, and drug release. The stability of some of the selected formulae was assessed. Salbutamol sulfate was formulated as a rectal suppository with emulsifying fatty bases (suppocire and witepsol) and water-soluble bases (PEG) adopting the molding from a melt technique. Physical characteristics and dissolution profiles of the prepared formulations were determined as the responses. The effects of adding gels, methyl cellulose (MC), and Eudispert (Eud) and their concentrations (1, 3, and 6%) on these responses were also investigated. Formulations showing high rank order were scaled up for shelf-life stability study for one year. The results showed that all the investigated formulae have acceptable physical characteristics with respect to hardness, melting time (except F7), and uniformity of drug content. The amount of drug dissolved in 100 min of dissolution time was inversely affected by the melting point of the fatty base. The release from PEG bases was found to be molecular weight dependent. Addition of 1% MC or Eud gel increased the release from all the investigated formulae. Increasing gel concentration to 3% then to 6% showed different effects on the release. The degradation of salbutamol sulfate in the investigated formulae was found to be a first-order reaction. Rectal suppository of salbutamol sulfate could be prepared as an alternative to the oral dosage form to circumvent the first-pass metabolism.

Deletion of DXZ4 on the human inactive X chromosome alters higher-order genome architecture.

PubMed

Darrow, Emily M; Huntley, Miriam H; Dudchenko, Olga; Stamenova, Elena K; Durand, Neva C; Sun, Zhuo; Huang, Su-Chen; Sanborn, Adrian L; Machol, Ido; Shamim, Muhammad; Seberg, Andrew P; Lander, Eric S; Chadwick, Brian P; Aiden, Erez Lieberman

2016-08-02

During interphase, the inactive X chromosome (Xi) is largely transcriptionally silent and adopts an unusual 3D configuration known as the "Barr body." Despite the importance of X chromosome inactivation, little is known about this 3D conformation. We recently showed that in humans the Xi chromosome exhibits three structural features, two of which are not shared by other chromosomes. First, like the chromosomes of many species, Xi forms compartments. Second, Xi is partitioned into two huge intervals, called "superdomains," such that pairs of loci in the same superdomain tend to colocalize. The boundary between the superdomains lies near DXZ4, a macrosatellite repeat whose Xi allele extensively binds the protein CCCTC-binding factor. Third, Xi exhibits extremely large loops, up to 77 megabases long, called "superloops." DXZ4 lies at the anchor of several superloops. Here, we combine 3D mapping, microscopy, and genome editing to study the structure of Xi, focusing on the role of DXZ4 We show that superloops and superdomains are conserved across eutherian mammals. By analyzing ligation events involving three or more loci, we demonstrate that DXZ4 and other superloop anchors tend to colocate simultaneously. Finally, we show that deleting DXZ4 on Xi leads to the disappearance of superdomains and superloops, changes in compartmentalization patterns, and changes in the distribution of chromatin marks. Thus, DXZ4 is essential for proper Xi packaging.

Search for the lepton-number-violating decay Xi(-)-->pmu(-)mu(-).

PubMed

Rajaram, D; Burnstein, R A; Chakravorty, A; Chan, A; Chen, Y C; Choong, W S; Clark, K; Dukes, E C; Durandet, C; Felix, J; Gidal, G; Gu, P; Gustafson, H R; Ho, C; Holmstrom, T; Huang, M; James, C; Jenkins, C M; Kaplan, D M; Lederman, L M; Leros, N; Longo, M J; Lopez, F; Lu, L C; Luebke, W; Luk, K B; Nelson, K S; Park, H K; Perroud, J-P; Rubin, H A; Teng, P K; Volk, J; White, C G; White, S L; Zyla, P

2005-05-13

A sensitive search for the lepton-number-violating decay Xi(-)-->pmu(-)mu(-) has been performed using a sample of approximately 10(9) Xi(-) hyperons produced in 800 GeV/c p-Cu collisions. We obtain B(Xi(-)-->pmu(-)mu(-))<4.0x10(-8) at 90% confidence, improving on the best previous limit by 4 orders of magnitude.

Use of the new da Vinci Xi® during robotic rectal resection for cancer: a pilot matched-case comparison with the da Vinci Si®.

PubMed

Morelli, Luca; Guadagni, Simone; Di Franco, Gregorio; Palmeri, Matteo; Caprili, Giovanni; D'Isidoro, Cristiano; Cobuccio, Luigi; Marciano, Emanuele; Di Candio, Giulio; Mosca, Franco

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to compare the short-term outcomes of robotic rectal resection with total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer, with the use of the new da Vinci Xi® (Xi-RobTME group) and the da Vinci Si® (Si-RobTME group). Ten patients with histologically confirmed rectal cancer underwent robot-assisted TME with the use of the new da Vinci Xi. The outcomes of Xi-RobTME group were compared with a Si-RobTME group selected using a case-matched methodology. Overall operative times and mean hospital stays were shorter in the Xi-RobTME group. Surgeries were fully robotic with a complete take-down of the splenic flexure in all Xi-RobTME cases, while only four cases of the Si-RobTME group were fully robotic, with two cases of complete take-down of the splenic flexure. The new da Vinci Xi could offer some advantages with respect to the da Vinci Si in rectal resection for cancer. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Xi-cam: Flexible High Throughput Data Processing for GISAXS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandolfi, Ronald; Kumar, Dinesh; Venkatakrishnan, Singanallur; Sarje, Abinav; Krishnan, Hari; Pellouchoud, Lenson; Ren, Fang; Fournier, Amanda; Jiang, Zhang; Tassone, Christopher; Mehta, Apurva; Sethian, James; Hexemer, Alexander

With increasing capabilities and data demand for GISAXS beamlines, supporting software is under development to handle larger data rates, volumes, and processing needs. We aim to provide a flexible and extensible approach to GISAXS data treatment as a solution to these rising needs. Xi-cam is the CAMERA platform for data management, analysis, and visualization. The core of Xi-cam is an extensible plugin-based GUI platform which provides users an interactive interface to processing algorithms. Plugins are available for SAXS/GISAXS data and data series visualization, as well as forward modeling and simulation through HipGISAXS. With Xi-cam's advanced mode, data processing steps are designed as a graph-based workflow, which can be executed locally or remotely. Remote execution utilizes HPC or de-localized resources, allowing for effective reduction of high-throughput data. Xi-cam is open-source and cross-platform. The processing algorithms in Xi-cam include parallel cpu and gpu processing optimizations, also taking advantage of external processing packages such as pyFAI. Xi-cam is available for download online.

Screening in ionic systems: simulations for the Lebowitz length.

PubMed

Kim, Young C; Luijten, Erik; Fisher, Michael E

2005-09-30

Simulations of the Lebowitz length, xiL (T, rho), are reported for the restricted primitive model hard-core (diameter a) 1:1 electrolyte for densities rho approximately < 4rho(c) and T(c) approximately < T approximately < 40T(c). Finite-size effects are elucidated for the charge fluctuations in various subdomains that serve to evaluate xiL. On extrapolation to the bulk limit for T approximately > 10T(c) the exact low-density expansions are seen to fail badly when rho > 1/10 rho(c) (with rho(c)a3 approximately = 0.08). At higher densities xiL rises above the Debye length, xiD proportional to square root(T/rho), by 10%-30% (up to rho approximately =1.3rho(c)); the variation is portrayed fairly well by the generalized Debye-Hückel theory. On approaching criticality at fixed rho or fixed T, xiL (T, rho) remains finite with xiL(c) approximately = 0.30a approximately = 1.3xiD(c) but displays a weak entropylike singularity.

2017 Scientific Sessions Sol Sherry Distinguished Lecture in Thrombosis: Factor XI as a Target for New Anticoagulants.

PubMed

Weitz, Jeffrey I; Fredenburgh, James C

2018-02-01

The goal of anticoagulant therapy is to attenuate thrombosis without compromising hemostasis. Although the direct oral anticoagulants are associated with less intracranial hemorrhage than vitamin K antagonists, bleeding remains their major side effect. Factor XI has emerged as a promising target for anticoagulants that may be safer than those currently available. The focus on factor XI stems from epidemiological evidence of its role in thrombosis, the observation of attenuated thrombosis in factor XI-deficient mice, identification of novel activators, and the fact that factor XI deficiency is associated with only a mild bleeding diathesis. Proof-of-concept comes from the demonstration that compared with enoxaparin, factor XI knockdown reduces venous thromboembolism without increasing bleeding after elective knee arthroplasty. This article rationalizes the selection of factor XI as a target for new anticoagulants, reviews the agents under development, and outlines a potential path forward for their development. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Documentation of program COORDC to generate and coordinate system for 3D corners with or without fillet using body fitted curvilinear coordinates, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, D.

1980-01-01

The computer program COORDC generates a body fitted curvilinear coordinate system for corner geometry with or without corner fillets. It is assumed that at any given xi, x remains constant; consequently the only variation is in y and z. It is also assumed that for all xi's in the physical plane the coordinate system in y-z plane is similar. This enables solution of coordinate system for one particular xi = 1 (x for xi = 1 is arbitrarily chosen to be 0.0) and the solution for all other xi plane can be easily specified once the coordinates in the physical plane on the line 1 or = to xi or = to IMAX, eta = 1, zeta = 1 are specified.

Stability and Adaptation of Neural Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-02

lI ion:S,(xff) IW wher IIx I A + + x deine th sqare ~-Thle SCL2 algorithm slightly modifies thie SCLI algo- cI idean vector lorin oi x rithm. The...bles the reward-punish sign ch?.nge in the SCLI and SCL2 AS, (yi (t)) denotes the time change of the jth neurons algorithms. This suggests that we...xi, then the discrete version of DCL resembles the UCL, SCLI , and SCL2 algorithms. We used both iin- I if x > 0 ear and nonlinear formulations to

Blunting the Talons. The Impact of Peace Operations Deployments on USAF Fighter Crew Combat Skills

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

Bomb Accuracy 74 Figure 5.16 - Typical Medium Altitude LGB Delivery 75 Figure 6.1 - Graph of Air-to-air Missile Shot Groups Showing Number of Shots...Between F-16C LGB and LALD/HD Practice Deliveries October 1997 Through February 1998 77 XI SUMMARY This document presents an analysis of the impact...intensive training promoted acted as a deterrent that reduced the chances war would occur - enhancing global stability. Thus, for the first 40

Da Vinci Xi and Si platforms have equivalent perioperative outcomes during robot-assisted partial nephrectomy: preliminary experience.

PubMed

Abdel Raheem, Ali; Sheikh, Abulhasan; Kim, Dae Keun; Alatawi, Atalla; Alabdulaali, Ibrahim; Han, Woong Kyu; Choi, Young Deuk; Rha, Koon Ho

2017-03-01

The aims of this study were to compare the perioperative outcomes of da Vinci Xi to Si during robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and to discuss the feasibility of our novel port placement scheme for the da Vinci Xi platform, to overcome the existing kinetic and technical difficulties we faced with the linear port placement in patients with a small body habitus. A retrospective data analysis of patients who underwent RPN using da Vinci Xi (n = 18) was carried out. The outcomes of the Xi group were compared with the Si group (n = 18) selected using a case-matched methodology. For da Vinci Xi, we applied the universal linear port placement in 12 patients and our modified port placement in the remaining 6 patients. The Xi group had a shorter mean docking time of 17.8 ± 2.6 min compared to the Si group of 20.5 ± 2.1 min (p = 0.002); otherwise, no significant difference was present with regard to the remaining perioperative variables (p > 0.05). The modified Xi port placement had a shorter mean console time of 70.8 ± 9.7 min compared to the universal linear port placement of 89.3 ± 17.2 min (p = 0.03). Moreover, it provided a broader field of vision with excellent robotic arms movement, minimizing collisions and allowing an easier and comfortable surgical assist. Da Vinci Xi appears to be feasible and safe during RPN with similar outcomes to Si. The novel Xi port placement makes surgery easier in patients with low BMI.

Deletion of DXZ4 on the human inactive X chromosome alters higher-order genome architecture

PubMed Central

Darrow, Emily M.; Huntley, Miriam H.; Dudchenko, Olga; Stamenova, Elena K.; Durand, Neva C.; Sun, Zhuo; Huang, Su-Chen; Sanborn, Adrian L.; Machol, Ido; Shamim, Muhammad; Seberg, Andrew P.; Lander, Eric S.; Chadwick, Brian P.; Aiden, Erez Lieberman

2016-01-01

During interphase, the inactive X chromosome (Xi) is largely transcriptionally silent and adopts an unusual 3D configuration known as the “Barr body.” Despite the importance of X chromosome inactivation, little is known about this 3D conformation. We recently showed that in humans the Xi chromosome exhibits three structural features, two of which are not shared by other chromosomes. First, like the chromosomes of many species, Xi forms compartments. Second, Xi is partitioned into two huge intervals, called “superdomains,” such that pairs of loci in the same superdomain tend to colocalize. The boundary between the superdomains lies near DXZ4, a macrosatellite repeat whose Xi allele extensively binds the protein CCCTC-binding factor. Third, Xi exhibits extremely large loops, up to 77 megabases long, called “superloops.” DXZ4 lies at the anchor of several superloops. Here, we combine 3D mapping, microscopy, and genome editing to study the structure of Xi, focusing on the role of DXZ4. We show that superloops and superdomains are conserved across eutherian mammals. By analyzing ligation events involving three or more loci, we demonstrate that DXZ4 and other superloop anchors tend to colocate simultaneously. Finally, we show that deleting DXZ4 on Xi leads to the disappearance of superdomains and superloops, changes in compartmentalization patterns, and changes in the distribution of chromatin marks. Thus, DXZ4 is essential for proper Xi packaging. PMID:27432957

State Funding of Higher Education: A New Formula.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edirisooriya, Gunapala

2003-01-01

Asserts that heavy dependence on state support is quite detrimental to operational viability of higher education institutions, and that securing financial stability of higher education institutions should be a major priority among higher education policymakers. Presents a new funding formula that can be adopted by any state. (EV)

[Optimization of Glycyrrhiza flavonoid and ferulic acid cream by reflect-line orthogonal simplex method].

PubMed

Liu, Sheng; Xie, Jun; Chen, Xiangqing; Yang, Liqiang; Su, Dan; Fang, Yan; Yu, Na; Fang, Wei

2010-02-01

To optimize the formula of Glycyrrhiza flavonoid and ferulic acid cream and set up its quality control parameters. Reflect-line orthogonal simplex method was used to optimize the main factors such as amount of Myrj52-glyceryl monostearate and dimethicone, based on the appearance, spreadability and stability of the cream. 9.0% Myrj52-glyceryl monostearate (3:2) and 2.5% dimethicone were chosen in prescription. The prepared cream presented a good stability after being placed 24 h at 5 degrees C, 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C respectively,and its spreadability suited with the property of semi-fluid cream. [corrected] The formula of Glycyrrhiza flavonoid and ferulic acid cream is suitable, and its quality is stable. The reflect-line orthogonal simplex method is suitable for the formula optimization of cream.

Robotic Colorectal Resection With and Without the Use of the New Da Vinci Table Motion: A Case-Matched Study.

PubMed

Palmeri, Matteo; Gianardi, Desirée; Guadagni, Simone; Di Franco, Gregorio; Bastiani, Luca; Furbetta, Niccolò; Simoncini, Tommaso; Zirafa, Cristina; Melfi, Franca; Buccianti, Piero; Moglia, Andrea; Cuschieri, Alfred; Mosca, Franco; Morelli, Luca

2018-06-01

The da Vinci Table Motion (dVTM) is a new device that enables patients to be repositioned with instruments in place within the abdomen, and without undocking the robot. The present study was designed to compare operative and short-term outcomes of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery with the da Vinci Xi system, with or without use of the dVTM. Ten patients underwent robotic colorectal resection for cancer with the use of dVTM (Xi-dVTM group) between May 2015 and October 2015 at our center. The intraoperative and short-term clinical outcome were compared, using a case-control methodology (propensity scores approach to create 1:2 matched pairs), with a similar group of patients who underwent robotic colorectal surgery for cancer without the use of the dVTM device (Xi-only group). Overall robotic operative time was shorter in the Xi-dVTM group ( P = .04). Operations were executed fully robotic in all Xi-dVTM cases, while 2 cases of the Xi-only group required conversion to open surgery because of bulky tumors and difficult exposure. Postoperative medical complications were higher in the Xi-only group ( P = .024). In this preliminary experience, the use of the new dVTM with the da Vinci Xi in colorectal surgery, by overcoming the limitations of the fixed positions of the patient, enhanced the workflow and resulted in improved exposure of the operative field. Further studies with a greater number of patients are needed to confirm these benefits of the dVTM-da Vinci Xi robotically assisted colorectal surgery.

Forward-Backward asymmetry in $$\\Lambda_{b}$$ production and search for the $$\\Xi^{-}_{b}$$ and $$\\Omega^{-}_{b}$$ baryons in $$p\\bar{p}$$ collisions at $$\\sqrt{s} = 1.96$$ TeV

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

Garcia Gonzalez, Jose Andres

We present a search for the heavy-flavor baryonsmore » $$\\Xi_{b}$$ (bsd) and $$\\Omega^{-}_{b}$$ in decays $$\\Xi^{-}_{b}$$→ J/ψ$$\\Xi^{-}_{b}$$ → J/ψΛπ-, J/ψ → μ + μ - and $$\\Omega^{-}_{b}$$ → J/ψ$$\\Omega^{-}_{b}$$ J/ψΛ $$K^{-}_{b}$$, J/ψ → μ + μ - respectively.« less

Short-term sandbar variability based on video imagery: Comparison between Time-Average and Time-Variance techniques

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guedes, R.M.C.; Calliari, L.J.; Holland, K.T.; Plant, N.G.; Pereira, P.S.; Alves, F.N.A.

2011-01-01

Time-exposure intensity (averaged) images are commonly used to locate the nearshore sandbar position (xb), based on the cross-shore locations of maximum pixel intensity (xi) of the bright bands in the images. It is not known, however, how the breaking patterns seen in Variance images (i.e. those created through standard deviation of pixel intensity over time) are related to the sandbar locations. We investigated the suitability of both Time-exposure and Variance images for sandbar detection within a multiple bar system on the southern coast of Brazil, and verified the relation between wave breaking patterns, observed as bands of high intensity in these images and cross-shore profiles of modeled wave energy dissipation (xD). Not only is Time-exposure maximum pixel intensity location (xi-Ti) well related to xb, but also to the maximum pixel intensity location of Variance images (xi-Va), although the latter was typically located 15m offshore of the former. In addition, xi-Va was observed to be better associated with xD even though xi-Ti is commonly assumed as maximum wave energy dissipation. Significant wave height (Hs) and water level (??) were observed to affect the two types of images in a similar way, with an increase in both Hs and ?? resulting in xi shifting offshore. This ??-induced xi variability has an opposite behavior to what is described in the literature, and is likely an indirect effect of higher waves breaking farther offshore during periods of storm surges. Multiple regression models performed on xi, Hs and ?? allowed the reduction of the residual errors between xb and xi, yielding accurate estimates with most residuals less than 10m. Additionally, it was found that the sandbar position was best estimated using xi-Ti (xi-Va) when xb was located shoreward (seaward) of its mean position, for both the first and the second bar. Although it is unknown whether this is an indirect hydrodynamic effect or is indeed related to the morphology, we found that this behavior can be explored to optimize sandbar estimation using video imagery, even in the absence of hydrodynamic data. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V..

Screening and evolution of a novel protist xylose isomerase from the termite Reticulitermes speratus for efficient xylose fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Katahira, Satoshi; Muramoto, Nobuhiko; Moriya, Shigeharu; Nagura, Risa; Tada, Nobuki; Yasutani, Noriko; Ohkuma, Moriya; Onishi, Toru; Tokuhiro, Kenro

2017-01-01

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , a promising host for lignocellulosic bioethanol production, is unable to metabolize xylose. In attempts to confer xylose utilization ability in S. cerevisiae , a number of xylose isomerase (XI) genes have been expressed heterologously in this yeast. Although several of these XI encoding genes were functionally expressed in S. cerevisiae , the need still exists for a S. cerevisiae strain with improved xylose utilization ability for use in the commercial production of bioethanol. Although currently much effort has been devoted to achieve the objective, one of the solutions is to search for a new XI gene that would confer superior xylose utilization in S. cerevisiae . Here, we searched for novel XI genes from the protists residing in the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes speratus . Eight novel XI genes were obtained from a cDNA library, prepared from the protists of the R. speratus hindgut, by PCR amplification using degenerated primers based on highly conserved regions of amino acid sequences of different XIs. Phylogenetic analysis classified these cloned XIs into two groups, one showed relatively high similarities to Bacteroidetes and the other was comparatively similar to Firmicutes . The growth rate and the xylose consumption rate of the S. cerevisiae strain expressing the novel XI, which exhibited highest XI activity among the eight XIs, were superior to those exhibited by the strain expressing the XI gene from Piromyces sp. E2. Substitution of the asparagine residue at position 337 of the novel XI with a cysteine further improved the xylose utilization ability of the yeast strain. Interestingly, introducing point mutations in the corresponding asparagine residues in XIs originated from other organisms, such as Piromyces sp. E2 or Clostridium phytofermentans , similarly improved xylose utilization in S. cerevisiae . A novel XI gene conferring superior xylose utilization in S. cerevisiae was successfully isolated from the protists in the termite hindgut. Isolation of this XI gene and identification of the point mutation described in this study might contribute to improving the productivity of industrial bioethanol.

Characterizing short-term stability for Boolean networks over any distribution of transfer functions

DOE PAGES

Seshadhri, C.; Smith, Andrew M.; Vorobeychik, Yevgeniy; ...

2016-07-05

Here we present a characterization of short-term stability of random Boolean networks under arbitrary distributions of transfer functions. Given any distribution of transfer functions for a random Boolean network, we present a formula that decides whether short-term chaos (damage spreading) will happen. We provide a formal proof for this formula, and empirically show that its predictions are accurate. Previous work only works for special cases of balanced families. Finally, it has been observed that these characterizations fail for unbalanced families, yet such families are widespread in real biological networks.

Infant diet, gender and the development of vagal tone stability during the first two years of life

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Postnatal nutrition influences neurodevelopment, including autonomic nervous system components associated with cardiac control. In this study resting vagal tone (V) was measured quarterly during infancy and at 2 years in 146 breast-fed, 143 milk formula-fed, and 137 soy formula-fed infants. Stabilit...

Study of the strong {sigma}{sub c}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{pi},{sigma}{sub c}*{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{pi} and {xi}{sub c}*{yields}{xi}{sub c}{pi} decays in a nonrelativistic quark model

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

Albertus, C.; Nieves, J.; Hernandez, E.

We present results for the strong widths corresponding to the {sigma}{sub c}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{pi}, {sigma}{sub c}*{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{pi} and {xi}{sub c}*{yields}{xi}{sub c}{pi} decays. The calculations have been done in a nonrelativistic constituent quark model with wave functions that take advantage of the constraints imposed by heavy quark symmetry. Partial conservation of axial current hypothesis allows us to determine the strong vertices from an analysis of the axial current matrix elements. Our results {gamma}({sigma}{sub c}{sup ++}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup +})=2.41{+-}0.07{+-}0.02 MeV, {gamma}({sigma}{sub c}{sup +}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0})=2.79{+-}0.08{+-}0.02 MeV, {gamma}({sigma}{sub c}{sup 0}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -})=2.37{+-}0.07{+-}0.02 MeV, {gamma}({sigma}{sub c}*{sup ++}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup +})=17.52{+-}0.74{+-}0.12 MeV, {gamma}({sigma}{sub c}*{supmore » +}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0})=17.31{+-}0.73{+-}0.12 MeV, {gamma}({sigma}{sub c}*{sup 0}{yields}{lambda}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -})=16.90{+-}0.71{+-}0.12 MeV, {gamma}({xi}{sub c}*{sup +}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{pi}{sup +}+{xi}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0})=3.18{+-}0.10{+-}0.01 MeV, and {gamma}({xi}{sub c}*{sup 0}{yields}{xi}{sub c}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}+{xi}{sub c}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0})=3.03{+-}0.10{+-}0.01 MeV are in good agreement with experimental determinations.« less

MuPeXI: prediction of neo-epitopes from tumor sequencing data.

PubMed

Bjerregaard, Anne-Mette; Nielsen, Morten; Hadrup, Sine Reker; Szallasi, Zoltan; Eklund, Aron Charles

2017-09-01

Personalization of immunotherapies such as cancer vaccines and adoptive T cell therapy depends on identification of patient-specific neo-epitopes that can be specifically targeted. MuPeXI, the mutant peptide extractor and informer, is a program to identify tumor-specific peptides and assess their potential to be neo-epitopes. The program input is a file with somatic mutation calls, a list of HLA types, and optionally a gene expression profile. The output is a table with all tumor-specific peptides derived from nucleotide substitutions, insertions, and deletions, along with comprehensive annotation, including HLA binding and similarity to normal peptides. The peptides are sorted according to a priority score which is intended to roughly predict immunogenicity. We applied MuPeXI to three tumors for which predicted MHC-binding peptides had been screened for T cell reactivity, and found that MuPeXI was able to prioritize immunogenic peptides with an area under the curve of 0.63. Compared to other available tools, MuPeXI provides more information and is easier to use. MuPeXI is available as stand-alone software and as a web server at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/MuPeXI .

Direct Visualization of Surfaces from Computed Tomography Data,

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

dominant method - slice-by-slice - makes comprehension of convoluted, small, or faint structures difficult. From a densitometric point of view, the human ...Di t SPeclal 4 N(xI) = Vf(lx) IVf (XI)I* There are many ways to estimate the gradient vector Vf(xi). The selection of an operator depends on the...the data is relatively noise-free or has been pre-smoothed. A graph of a(xi) as a function of f(xi) and IVf (xl)l for three tissue types A, B, and C

Group 16SrXI phytoplasma strains, including subgroup 16SrXI-B and a new subgroup, 16SrXI-D, are associated with sugar cane white leaf.

PubMed

Zhang, Rong-Yue; Li, Wen-Feng; Huang, Ying-Kun; Wang, Xiao-Yan; Shan, Hong-Li; Luo, Zhi-Ming; Yin, Jiong

2016-01-01

Sugar cane white leaf (SCWL) is a serious disease caused by phytoplasmas. In this study, we performed nested PCR with phytoplasma universal primer pairs (P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2) for the 16S rRNA gene to detect SCWL phytoplasmas in 31 SCWL samples collected from Baoshan and Lincang, Yunnan, China. We cloned and sequenced the nested PCR products, revealing that the 16S rRNA gene sequences from 31 SCWL samples were all 1247 bp in length and shared more than 99 % nucleotide sequence similarity with the 16S rRNA gene sequences of SCWL phytoplasmas from various countries. Based on the reported 16S rRNA gene sequence data from SCWL isolates of various countries, we conducted phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analysis. In the resulting phylogenetic tree, all SCWL isolates clustered into two branches, with the Lincang and Baoshan SCWL phytoplasma isolates belonging to different branches. The virtual RFLP patterns show that phytoplasmas of the Lincang branch belong to subgroup 16SrXI-B. However, the virtual RFLP patterns revealed by HaeIII digestion of phytoplasmas of the Baoshan branch differed from those of subgroup 16SrXI-B. According to the results of phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analysis, we propose that the phytoplasmas of the Baoshan branch represent a new subgroup, 16SrXI-D. These findings suggest that SCWL is caused by phytoplasmas from group 16SrXI, including subgroup 16SrXI-B and a new subgroup, 16SrXI-D.

Rapid increase of ozone concentrations in Xi'an, China: Anthropogenically or naturally?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, J.; Li, G.; Junji, C.

2017-12-01

The air quality in the Guanzhong basin, China has deteriorated recently caused by growing industries, city expansions, and increasing transportation activity. We report here a substantial increasing trend of ozone (O3) concentrations in Xi'an, the largest city of the basin, and the average observed O3 concentration in the afternoon during summertime has increased by 39% from 2013 to 2016. There are two main possible reasons for the rapid O3 increase. Motor vehicle has been reported to increase by 35% in Xi'an, which enhances the O3 precursors emissions to facilitate the O3 formation. In addition, the surface solar radiation at the meteorological site in Xi'an has been observed to intensify by 30%, which increases the photolysis rates to expedite the O3 production. A persistent high O3 episode from 16 to 22 June 2016 in Xi'an has been simulated using the WRF-CHEM model to evaluate the contribution of the transportation emission and solar radiation enhancement on the O3 trend. The model generally performs reasonably well in simulating the temporal variation and spatial distribution of near-surface O3 and NO2 concentrations against measurements in Xi'an. Sensitivity studies have revealed that the enhancement of transportation emissions and the solar radiation explains about 70% of the O3 trend from 2013 to 2016. Considering that large amounts of biogenic emissions are released over the Qinling Mountains on the south of Xi'an, which can be delivered to Xi'an under favorable meteorological conditions, enhancing O3 formation. Therefore, future studies need to be performed to evaluate impacts of the solar radiation enhancement on the biogenic emissions and further the O3 formation in Xi'an.

A mixture of milk and vegetable lipids in infant formula changes gut digestion, mucosal immunity and microbiota composition in neonatal piglets.

PubMed

Le Huërou-Luron, Isabelle; Bouzerzour, Karima; Ferret-Bernard, Stéphanie; Ménard, Olivia; Le Normand, Laurence; Perrier, Cécile; Le Bourgot, Cindy; Jardin, Julien; Bourlieu, Claire; Carton, Thomas; Le Ruyet, Pascale; Cuinet, Isabelle; Bonhomme, Cécile; Dupont, Didier

2018-03-01

Although composition of infant formula has been significantly improved during the last decade, major differences with the composition and structure of breast milk still remain and might affect nutrient digestion and gut biology. We hypothesized that the incorporation of dairy fat in infant formulas could modify their physiological impacts by making their composition closer to that of human milk. The effect of milk fat and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) fragments in infant formulas on gut digestion, mucosal immunity and microbiota composition was evaluated. Three formulas containing either (1) vegetable lipids stabilized only by proteins (V-P), (2) vegetable lipids stabilized by a mixture of proteins and MFGM fragments (V-M) and (3) a mixture of milk and vegetable lipids stabilized by a mixture of proteins and MFGM fragments (M-M) were automatically distributed to 42 newborn piglets until slaughter at postnatal day (PND) 7 or 28, and compared to a fourth group of sow's suckling piglets (SM) used as a breast-fed reference. At both PND, casein and β-lactoglobulin digestion was reduced in M-M proximal jejunum and ileum contents compared to V-P and V-M ones leading to more numerous β-Cn peptides in M-M contents. The IFNγ cytokine secretion of ConA-stimulated MLN cells from M-M piglets tended to be higher than in V-P ones at PND 7 and PND 28 and was closer to that of SM piglets. No dietary treatment effect was observed on IL-10 MLN cell secretion. Changes in faecal microbiota in M-M piglets resulted in an increase in Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes and a decrease in Firmicutes phyla compared to V-P ones. M-M piglets showed higher abundances of Parabacteroides, Escherichia/Shigella and Klebsiella genus. The incorporation of both milk fat and MFGM fragments in infant formula modifies protein digestion, the dynamic of the immune system maturation and the faecal microbiota composition.

Convergence of the chiral expansion in two-flavor lattice QCD.

PubMed

Noaki, J; Aoki, S; Chiu, T W; Fukaya, H; Hashimoto, S; Hsieh, T H; Kaneko, T; Matsufuru, H; Onogi, T; Shintani, E; Yamada, N

2008-11-14

We test the convergence property of the chiral perturbation theory using a lattice QCD calculation of pion mass and decay constant with two dynamical quark flavors. The lattice calculation is performed using the overlap fermion formulation, which realizes exact chiral symmetry at finite lattice spacing. By comparing various expansion prescriptions, we find that the chiral expansion is well saturated at the next-to-leading order for pions lighter than approximately 450 MeV. Better convergence behavior is found, in particular, for a resummed expansion parameter xi, with which the lattice data in the pion mass region 290-750 MeV can be fitted well with the next-to-next-to-leading order formulas. We obtain the results in two-flavor QCD for the low energy constants l[over ]_{3} and l[over ]_{4} as well as the pion decay constant, the chiral condensate, and the average up and down quark mass.

Photo nuclear energy loss term for muon-nucleus interactions based on xi scaling model of QCD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roychoudhury, R.

1985-01-01

Extensive air showers (EMC) experiments discovered a significant deviation of the ratio of structure functions of iron and deuteron from unity. It was established that the quark parton distribution in nuclei are different from the corresponding distribution in the nucleus. It was examined whether these results have an effect on the calculation of photo nucleus energy loss term for muon-nucleus nuclear interaction. Though the EMC and SLAC data were restricted to rather large q sq region it is expected that the derivation would persist even in the low q sq domain. For the ratio of iron and deuteron structure function a rather naive least square fit of the form R(x) = a + bx was taken and it is assumed that the formula is valid for the whole q sq region the absence of any knowledge of R(x) for small q sq.

Teleportation with a mixed state of four qubits and the generalized singlet fraction

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

Yeo, Ye

2006-11-15

Recently, an explicit protocol E{sub 0} for faithfully teleporting arbitrary two-qubit states using genuine four-qubit entangled states was presented by us [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 060502 (2006)]. Here, we show that E{sub 0} with an arbitrary four-qubit mixed-state resource {xi} is equivalent to a generalized depolarizing bichannel with probabilities given by the maximally entangled components of the resource. These are defined in terms of our four-qubit entangled states. We define the generalized singlet fraction G[{xi}] and illustrate its physical significance with several examples. We argue that in order to teleport arbitrary two-qubit states with average fidelity better than is classicallymore » possible, we have to demand that G[{xi}]>1/2. In addition, we conjecture that when G[{xi}]<1/4, then no entanglement could be teleported. It is shown that to determine the usefulness of {xi} for E{sub 0}, it is necessary to analyze G[{xi}].« less

Selective contribution of each hamstring muscle to anterior cruciate ligament protection and tibiofemoral joint stability in leg-extension exercise: a simulation study.

PubMed

Biscarini, Andrea; Botti, Fabio Massimo; Pettorossi, Vito Enrico

2013-09-01

A biomechanical model was developed to simulate the selective effect of the co-contraction force provided by each hamstring muscle on the shear and compressive tibiofemoral joint reaction forces, during open kinetic-chain knee-extension exercises. This model accounts for instantaneous values of knee flexion angle [Formula: see text], angular velocity and acceleration, and for changes in magnitude, orientation, and application point of external resistance. The tibiofemoral shear force (TFSF) largely determines the tensile force on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Biceps femoris is the most effective hamstring muscle in decreasing the ACL-loading TFSF developed by quadriceps contractions for [Formula: see text]. In this range, the semimembranosus generates the dominant tibiofemoral compressive force, which enhances joint stability, opposes anterior/posterior tibial translations, and protects cruciate ligaments. The semitendinosus force provides the greatest decreasing gradient of ACL-loading TFSF for [Formula: see text], and the greatest increasing gradient of tibiofemoral compressive force for [Formula: see text]. However, semitendinosus efficacy is strongly limited by its small physiological section. Hamstring muscles behave as a unique muscle in enhancing the PCL-loading TFSF produced by quadriceps contractions for [Formula: see text]. The levels of hamstrings co-activation that suppress the ACL-loading TFSF considerably shift when the knee angular acceleration is changed while maintaining the same level of knee extensor torque by a concurrent adjustment in the magnitude of external resistance. The knowledge of the specific role and the optimal activation level of each hamstring muscle in ACL protection and tibiofemoral stability are fundamental for planning safe and effective rehabilitative knee-extension exercises.

Baryon interactions in lattice QCD: the direct method vs. the HAL QCD potential method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iritani, T.; HAL QCD Collaboration

We make a detailed comparison between the direct method and the HAL QCD potential method for the baryon-baryon interactions, taking the $\\Xi\\Xi$ system at $m_\\pi= 0.51$ GeV in 2+1 flavor QCD and using both smeared and wall quark sources. The energy shift $\\Delta E_\\mathrm{eff}(t)$ in the direct method shows the strong dependence on the choice of quark source operators, which means that the results with either (or both) source are false. The time-dependent HAL QCD method, on the other hand, gives the quark source independent $\\Xi\\Xi$ potential, thanks to the derivative expansion of the potential, which absorbs the source dependence to the next leading order correction. The HAL QCD potential predicts the absence of the bound state in the $\\Xi\\Xi$($^1$S$_0$) channel at $m_\\pi= 0.51$ GeV, which is also confirmed by the volume dependence of finite volume energy from the potential. We also demonstrate that the origin of the fake plateau in the effective energy shift $\\Delta E_\\mathrm{eff}(t)$ at $t \\sim 1$ fm can be clarified by a few low-lying eigenfunctions and eigenvalues on the finite volume derived from the HAL QCD potential, which implies that the ground state saturation of $\\Xi\\Xi$($^1$S$_0$) requires $t \\sim 10$ fm in the direct method for the smeared source on $(4.3 \\ \\mathrm{fm})^3$ lattice, while the HAL QCD method does not suffer from such a problem.

10 CFR 50.55a - Codes and standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... commitments must be applied to Section XI activities. (xi) [Reserved] (xii) Underwater welding. The provisions in IWA-4660, “Underwater Welding,” of Section XI, 1997 Addenda through the latest edition and addenda... performed by welding or brazing on a pressure retaining boundary using the 2003 Addenda through the latest...

10 CFR 50.55a - Codes and standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... commitments must be applied to Section XI activities. (xi) [Reserved] (xii) Underwater welding. The provisions in IWA-4660, “Underwater Welding,” of Section XI, 1997 Addenda through the latest edition and addenda... performed by welding or brazing on a pressure retaining boundary using the 2003 Addenda through the latest...

Test Fairness and Toulmin's Argument Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunnan, Antony John

2010-01-01

This paper presents the author's response to Xiaoming Xi's article titled "How do we go about investigating test fairness?" In this response, the author focuses on test fairness and Toulmin's model of argument structure, Xi's proposal, and the challenges the proposal brings. Xi proposes an approach to investigating test fairness to guide…

Robust Kernel-Based Object Tracking with Multiple Kernel Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-09

orientation and scale estimation, which will be added in Section 4. 1017 where gji ,l represents g(‖ rl(y j)−xi h0 ‖2) for short. Note that y j cancels out...ρ(zj)]g j i,l hj ∑N i=1 ∑L l=1 w j i,lg j i,l (47) where, vji,l = (xi − yj)T ∂∆rl(φ j) ∂φ (48) sji,l = (xi − yj)T (xi − rl(zj)) (49) and gji ,l

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

Carvalho De Gouvea, Andre Luiz

ln this thesis the polarization of themore » $$\\Xi^-$$ hyperon and the $$\\Xi^+$$ antihyperon produced in the Fermilab Experiment E791 was determined by the analysis of the weak decay $$\\Xi^- \\to \\Lambda^0 + \\pi^-$$. For $$\\Xi^-$$ produced in the interaction between a 500 GeV/c $$\\pi^-$$ beam and a unpolarized carbon (platinum) target in the region $$p_t$$ > 0.8 GeV/c and $$X_F$$ > 0, -10.9% ± 1.5% (-14.7% ± 3.1%) polarization was obtained perpendicular to the production plane and -5.92% ± 1.69% (-2.41%±3.53% $$\\approx O$$) polarization was measured for $$\\Xi^+$$. Evidence was also found for a polarized $$\\Omega^-$$ hyperon produced in the same experiment in the region $$X_F$$ >0, after analysis of the weak decay $$\\Omega^- \\to \\Lambda^0 + K^-$$.« less

xiSPEC: web-based visualization, analysis and sharing of proteomics data.

PubMed

Kolbowski, Lars; Combe, Colin; Rappsilber, Juri

2018-05-08

We present xiSPEC, a standard compliant, next-generation web-based spectrum viewer for visualizing, analyzing and sharing mass spectrometry data. Peptide-spectrum matches from standard proteomics and cross-linking experiments are supported. xiSPEC is to date the only browser-based tool supporting the standardized file formats mzML and mzIdentML defined by the proteomics standards initiative. Users can either upload data directly or select files from the PRIDE data repository as input. xiSPEC allows users to save and share their datasets publicly or password protected for providing access to collaborators or readers and reviewers of manuscripts. The identification table features advanced interaction controls and spectra are presented in three interconnected views: (i) annotated mass spectrum, (ii) peptide sequence fragmentation key and (iii) quality control error plots of matched fragments. Highlighting or selecting data points in any view is represented in all other views. Views are interactive scalable vector graphic elements, which can be exported, e.g. for use in publication. xiSPEC allows for re-annotation of spectra for easy hypothesis testing by modifying input data. xiSPEC is freely accessible at http://spectrumviewer.org and the source code is openly available on https://github.com/Rappsilber-Laboratory/xiSPEC.

Design, parametrization, and pole placement of stabilizing output feedback compensators via injective cogenerator quotient signal modules.

PubMed

Blumthaler, Ingrid; Oberst, Ulrich

2012-03-01

Control design belongs to the most important and difficult tasks of control engineering and has therefore been treated by many prominent researchers and in many textbooks, the systems being generally described by their transfer matrices or by Rosenbrock equations and more recently also as behaviors. Our approach to controller design uses, in addition to the ideas of our predecessors on coprime factorizations of transfer matrices and on the parametrization of stabilizing compensators, a new mathematical technique which enables simpler design and also new theorems in spite of the many outstanding results of the literature: (1) We use an injective cogenerator signal module ℱ over the polynomial algebra [Formula: see text] (F an infinite field), a saturated multiplicatively closed set T of stable polynomials and its quotient ring [Formula: see text] of stable rational functions. This enables the simultaneous treatment of continuous and discrete systems and of all notions of stability, called T-stability. We investigate stabilizing control design by output feedback of input/output (IO) behaviors and study the full feedback IO behavior, especially its autonomous part and not only its transfer matrix. (2) The new technique is characterized by the permanent application of the injective cogenerator quotient signal module [Formula: see text] and of quotient behaviors [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text]-behaviors B. (3) For the control tasks of tracking, disturbance rejection, model matching, and decoupling and not necessarily proper plants we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of proper stabilizing compensators with proper and stable closed loop behaviors, parametrize all such compensators as IO behaviors and not only their transfer matrices and give new algorithms for their construction. Moreover we solve the problem of pole placement or spectral assignability for the complete feedback behavior. The properness of the full feedback behavior ensures the absence of impulsive solutions in the continuous case, and that of the compensator enables its realization by Kalman state space equations or elementary building blocks. We note that every behavior admits an IO decomposition with proper transfer matrix, but that most of these decompositions do not have this property, and therefore we do not assume the properness of the plant. (4) The new technique can also be applied to more general control interconnections according to Willems, in particular to two-parameter feedback compensators and to the recent tracking framework of Fiaz/Takaba/Trentelman. In contrast to these authors, however, we pay special attention to the properness of all constructed transfer matrices which requires more subtle algorithms.

42 CFR 476.86 - Correlation of Title XI functions with Title XVIII functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Correlation of Title XI functions with Title XVIII functions. 476.86 Section 476.86 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF...) Qio Review Functions § 476.86 Correlation of Title XI functions with Title XVIII functions. (a...

Global stability for epidemic models on multiplex networks.

PubMed

Huang, Yu-Jhe; Juang, Jonq; Liang, Yu-Hao; Wang, Hsin-Yu

2018-05-01

In this work, we consider an epidemic model in a two-layer network in which the dynamics of susceptible-infected-susceptible process in the physical layer coexists with that of a cyclic process of unaware-aware-unaware in the virtual layer. For such multiplex network, we shall define the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] in the virtual layer, which is similar to the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] defined in the physical layer. We show analytically that if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], then the disease and information free equilibrium is globally stable and if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], then the disease free and information saturated equilibrium is globally stable for all initial conditions except at the origin. In the case of [Formula: see text], whether the disease dies out or not depends on the competition between how well the information is transmitted in the virtual layer and how contagious the disease is in the physical layer. In particular, it is numerically demonstrated that if the difference in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is greater than the product of [Formula: see text], the deviation of [Formula: see text] from 1 and the relative infection rate for an aware susceptible individual, then the disease dies out. Otherwise, the disease breaks out.

Hadronic production of the doubly heavy baryon {Xi}{sub bc} at the LHC

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

Zhang Jiawei; Wu Xinggang; Zhong Tao

We investigate the hadronic production of the doubly heavy baryon {Xi}{sub bc} at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where contributions from the four (bc)-diquark states (bc){sub 3,6}[{sup 1}S{sub 0}] and (bc){sub 3,6}[{sup 3}S{sub 1}] have been taken into consideration. Numerical results show that under the condition of p{sub T}>4 GeV and |y|<1.5, sizable {Xi}{sub bc} events about 1.7x10{sup 7} and 3.5x10{sup 9} per year can be produced for the center-of-mass energy {radical}(S)=7 TeV and {radical}(S)=14 TeV, respectively. For experimental usage, the total and the interested differential cross sections are estimated under some typical p{sub T} and y cuts for themore » LHC detectors CMS, ATLAS, and LHCb. The main uncertainties are discussed and a comparative study on the hadronic production of {Xi}{sub cc}, {Xi}{sub bc}, and {Xi}{sub bb} at the LHC are also presented.« less

Transoral robotic surgery for the base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma: a preliminary comparison between da Vinci Xi and Si.

PubMed

Alessandrini, Marco; Pavone, Isabella; Micarelli, Alessandro; Caporale, Claudio

2017-09-13

Considering the emerging advantages related to da Vinci Xi robotic platform, the aim of this study is to compare for the first time the operative outcomes of this tool to the previous da Vinci Si during transoral robotic surgery (TORS), both performed for squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the base of tongue (BOT). Intra- and peri-operative outcomes of eight patients with early stage (T1-T2) of the BOT carcinoma and undergoing TORS by means of the da Vinci Xi robotic platform (Xi-TORS) are compared with the da Vinci Si group ones (Si-TORS). With respect to Si-TORS group, Xi-TORS group demonstrated a significantly shorter overall operative time, console time, and intraoperative blood loss, as well as peri-operative pain intensity and length of mean hospital stays and nasogastric tube positioning. Considering recent advantages offered by surgical robotic techniques, the da Vinci Xi Surgical System preliminary outcomes could suggest its possible future routine implementation in BOT squamous cell carcinoma procedures.

Size effects in PbTiO3 nanocrystals: Effect of particle size on spontaneous polarization and strains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akdogan, E. K.; Rawn, C. J.; Porter, W. D.; Payzant, E. A.; Safari, A.

2005-04-01

The spontaneous polarization (Ps) and spontaneous strains (xi) in mechanically unclamped and surface charge compensated PbTiO3 nanocrystals were determined as a function of particle size in the range <150nm by differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray powder diffraction, respectively. Significant deviations from bulk order parameters (P,xi) have been observed as the particle size decreased below ˜100nm. The critical size (rc) below which the ferroelectric tetragonal phase transforms to the paraelectric cubic phase was determined as ˜15nm. The depression in transition temperature with particle size is 14 °C at 28 nm. No change in the order of m3m →4mm ferrodistortive phase transition is observed. A simple analysis showed that ΔHtr/(kBT )˜103 at 25 °C for r =16nm, indicating that the stabilization of the cubic phase at rc cannot be linked to an instability in dipolar ordering due to thermal agitations. Comparison of the spontaneous volumetric strains with the strain induced by surface stress indicated that the effect of surface stress on ferroelectric phase stability was negligible. Anomalies in electrostrictive properties were determined for r →rc. The observed size dependence of PS is attributed to the reduced extent of long-range dipole-dipole interactions that arise due to the changes in bonding characteristics of ions with decreasing particle size in the perovskite lattice, in conformity with a recent study by Tsunekawa et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (16), 4340 (2000)].

[HIV/STD prevalence and related behaviors among male STD clinic attendees in Xi'an and Xianyang cities, Shaanxi province].

PubMed

Hu, T; Dong, L F; Ding, Z W; Jia, H; Li, X; Zhang, J S; Song, Y L; Chang, W H

2017-12-10

Objective: To compare the prevalence of HIV/STD and related health care seeking behaviors among male STD clinic attendees between Xi'an and Xianyang cities. Methods: During June and July 2016, 206 male STD clinic attendees were studied in Xi'an city, with another 221 male STD clinic attendees in Xianyang city. Cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to collect attendees'behavioral information. Blood samples were collected via HIV/HCV/Syphilis testing. Results: The prevalence rate of HIV infection was 2.4% (5/206) in Xi'an and 0.9% (2/221) in Xianyang, with no statistical significant difference between the two cities. The prevalence rate of syphilis was 4.9% (10/206) in Xi'an, which was significantly lower than 13.6% (30/221) in Xianyang. The proportion of respondents, diagnosed with other sexually transmitted diseases, in Xi'an was higher than that of Xianyang. The proportions of commercial heterosexual sex and sex with temporary sexual partners in the past 3 months were 18.0% (37/206) and 15.5% (32/206) in Xi'an, lower than 46.6% (103/221) and 15.8% (35/221) in Xianyang ( χ (2)=39.70, Р <0.01; χ (2)=0.01, P =0.93) . The proportions of condom use with commercial sex workers or temporary sexual partners in the past 3 months among Xi'an were 37.8% (14/37) and 6.3% (2/32) , lower than 93.1% (95/102) and 57.1% (20/35) in Xianyang ( χ (2)=49.06, Р <0.01; χ (2)=19.63, Р <0.01) . Conclusion: Differences were noticed between Xi'an and Xianyang city in terms of STD and HIV prevalences, behaviors related to commercial sex and use of condoms among the male STD clinic attendees that calling for targeted actions in control of high risk behavlors in both HIV/AIDS and STDs transmission.

Pain, quality of life, and spinal accessory nerve status after neck dissection.

PubMed

Terrell, J E; Welsh, D E; Bradford, C R; Chepeha, D B; Esclamado, R M; Hogikyan, N D; Wolf, G T

2000-04-01

To assess quality of life (QOL) in patients with head and neck cancer who underwent neck dissection and to compare QOL scores for patients in whom the spinal accessory nerve (CN XI) was resected or preserved. SETTING AND DESIGN AND OUTCOMES MEASURES: Three hundred ninety-seven patients who had undergone treatment for head and neck cancer completed the University of Michigan Head and Neck Quality of Life (HNQOL) instrument, the Medical Outcomes Study SF-12 General Health Survey, and questions on "pain despite pain medications" and headaches. Of the 397 patients, 222 had no neck dissection, 46 had neck dissections resecting CN XI, and 129 had dissection sparing CN XI. Of the latter group, 68 patients had dissections sparing level V and 61 dissections included level V. Age, sex, primary site distribution, and T stage were not different between the groups. Patients who had neck dissections sparing CN XI had better scores on the HNQOL pain domain (P = .002), had less shoulder or neck pain (P = .003), and took pain medications less frequently (P = .0004) compared with patients who had neck dissections sacrificing CN XI. When CN XI was preserved, patients who had no level V dissection had better pain domain scores (P = .03) and eating domain scores (P = .007) on the HNQOL, had less shoulder or neck pain (P = .006), and had less physical problems (P = .03) than patients who had level V dissected. On multivariate analysis, pain-related QOL scores after neck dissection were significantly better (P < .01) if patients had dissections with preservation of CN XI and if level V was not dissected. Neck dissections sparing CN XI are associated with better pain scores on the HNQOL, less shoulder and neck pain, and less need for medications. When CN XI is spared, not dissecting level V of the neck is associated with better HNQOL pain scores, less shoulder or neck pain, and fewer physical problems.

Finite field equation of Yang--Mills theory

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

Brandt, R.A.; Wing-Chiu, N.; Yeung, W.

1980-03-01

We consider the finite local field equation -)(1+1/..cap alpha.. (1+f/sub 4/))g/sup munu/D'Alembertian-partial/sup ..mu../partial/sup ..nu../)A/sup nua/ =-(1+f/sub 3/) g/sup 2/N(A/sup c/..nu..A/sup a/..mu..A/sub ..nu..//sup c/) +xxx+(1-s)/sup 2/M/sup 2/A/sup a/..mu.., introduced by Lowenstein to rigorously describe SU(2) Yang--Mills theory, which is written in terms of normal products. We also consider the operator product expansion A/sup c/..nu..(x+xi) A/sup a/..mu..(x) A/sup b/lambda(x-xi) approx...sigma..M/sup c/ab..nu mu..lambda/sub c/'a'b'..nu..'..mu..'lambda' (xi) N(A/sup nuprimec/'A/sup muprimea/'A/sup lambdaprimeb/')(x), and using asymptotic freedom, we compute the leading behavior of the Wilson coefficients M/sup ...//sub .../(xi) with the help of a computer, and express the normal products in the field equation in terms ofmore » products of the c-number Wilson coefficients and of operator products like A/sup c/..nu..(x+xi) A/sup a/..mu..(x) A/sup b/lambda(x-xi) at separated points. Our result is -)(1+(1/..cap alpha..)(1+f/sub 4/))g/sup munu/D'Alembertian-partial/sup ..mu../partial/sup ..nu../)A/sup nua/ =-(1+f/sub 3/) g/sup 2/lim/sub xiarrow-right0/) (lnxi)/sup -0.28/2b/(A/sup c/..nu.. (x+xi) A/sup a/..mu..(x) A/sub ..nu..//sup c/(x-xi) +epsilon/sup a/bcA/sup muc/(x+xi) partial/sup ..nu../A/sup b//sub ..nu../(x)+xxx) +xxx)+(1-s)/sup 2/M/sup 2/A/sup a/..mu.., where ..beta.. (g) =-bg/sup 3/, and so (lnxi)/sup -0.28/2b/ is the leading behavior of the c-number coefficient multiplying the operator products in the field equation.« less

Bearing-only Cooperative Localization: Simulation and Experimental Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

matrix Fi and Bi are the system jacobian with respect to state Xi and control ui, which are given below Fi = I3 + Ts ∂fi ∂Xi |Xi=Xi(k) =  1 0 − ViTs ...sinψ(k)0 1 ViTs cosψ(k) 0 0 1  , (8) Bi = Ts ∂fi ∂ui |ui=ui(k) Ts cosψk 0Ts sinψk 0 0 Ts  , (9) and Qi(k) = ( σ2vi 0 0 σ2ωi ) , where σvi and σωi

Model for End-stage Liver Disease excluding INR (MELD-XI) score in critically ill patients: Easily available and of prognostic relevance

PubMed Central

Wernly, Bernhard; Lichtenauer, Michael; Franz, Marcus; Kabisch, Bjoern; Muessig, Johanna; Masyuk, Maryna; Hoppe, Uta C.; Kelm, Malte; Jung, Christian

2017-01-01

Purpose MELD-XI, an adapted version of Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score excluding INR, was reported to predict outcomes e.g. in patients with acute heart failure. We aimed to evaluate MELD-XI in critically ill patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for prognostic relevance. Methods A total of 4381 medical patients (66±14 years, 2862 male) admitted to a German ICU between 2004 and 2009 were included and retrospectively investigated. Admission diagnoses were e.g. myocardial infarction (n = 2034), sepsis (n = 694) and heart failure (n = 688). We divided our patients in two cohorts basing on their MELD-XI score and evaluated the MELD-XI score for its prognostic relevance regarding short-term and long-term survival. Optimal cut-offs were calculated by means of the Youden-Index. Results Patients with a MELD-XI score >12 had pronounced laboratory signs of organ failure and more comorbidities. MELD-XI >12 was associated with an increase in short-term (27% vs 6%; HR 4.82, 95%CI 3.93–5.93; p<0.001) and long-term (HR 3.69, 95%CI 3.20–4.25; p<0.001) mortality. In a univariate Cox regression analysis for all patients MELD-XI was associated with increased long-term mortality (changes per score point: HR 1.06, 95%CI 1.05–1.07; p<0.001) and remained to be associated with increased mortality after correction in a multivariate regression analysis for renal failure, liver failure, lactate concentration, blood glucose concentration, oxygenation and white blood count (HR 1.04, 95%CI 1.03–1.06; p<0.001). Optimal cut-off for the overall cohort was 11 and varied remarkably depending on the admission diagnosis: myocardial infarction (9), pulmonary embolism (9), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (17) and pneumonia (17). We performed ROC-analysis and compared the AUC: SAPS2 (0.78, 95%CI 0.76–0.80; p<0.0001) and APACHE (0.76, 95%CI 0.74–0.78; p<0.003) score were superior to MELD-XI (0.71, 95%CI 0.68–0.73) for prediction of mortality. Conclusions The easily calculable MELD-XI score is a robust and reliable tool to predict both intra-ICU and long-term mortality in critically ill medical patients admitted to an ICU. Optimal cut-off values for MELD-XI scores seem to depend on the primary disease and need to be validated in future prospective studies. Compared to SAPS2 and APACHE score, MELD-XI lacks precision but might have comparable and even additive value, as it is easily available and independent of subjective values. PMID:28151948

Model for End-stage Liver Disease excluding INR (MELD-XI) score in critically ill patients: Easily available and of prognostic relevance.

PubMed

Wernly, Bernhard; Lichtenauer, Michael; Franz, Marcus; Kabisch, Bjoern; Muessig, Johanna; Masyuk, Maryna; Hoppe, Uta C; Kelm, Malte; Jung, Christian

2017-01-01

MELD-XI, an adapted version of Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score excluding INR, was reported to predict outcomes e.g. in patients with acute heart failure. We aimed to evaluate MELD-XI in critically ill patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for prognostic relevance. A total of 4381 medical patients (66±14 years, 2862 male) admitted to a German ICU between 2004 and 2009 were included and retrospectively investigated. Admission diagnoses were e.g. myocardial infarction (n = 2034), sepsis (n = 694) and heart failure (n = 688). We divided our patients in two cohorts basing on their MELD-XI score and evaluated the MELD-XI score for its prognostic relevance regarding short-term and long-term survival. Optimal cut-offs were calculated by means of the Youden-Index. Patients with a MELD-XI score >12 had pronounced laboratory signs of organ failure and more comorbidities. MELD-XI >12 was associated with an increase in short-term (27% vs 6%; HR 4.82, 95%CI 3.93-5.93; p<0.001) and long-term (HR 3.69, 95%CI 3.20-4.25; p<0.001) mortality. In a univariate Cox regression analysis for all patients MELD-XI was associated with increased long-term mortality (changes per score point: HR 1.06, 95%CI 1.05-1.07; p<0.001) and remained to be associated with increased mortality after correction in a multivariate regression analysis for renal failure, liver failure, lactate concentration, blood glucose concentration, oxygenation and white blood count (HR 1.04, 95%CI 1.03-1.06; p<0.001). Optimal cut-off for the overall cohort was 11 and varied remarkably depending on the admission diagnosis: myocardial infarction (9), pulmonary embolism (9), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (17) and pneumonia (17). We performed ROC-analysis and compared the AUC: SAPS2 (0.78, 95%CI 0.76-0.80; p<0.0001) and APACHE (0.76, 95%CI 0.74-0.78; p<0.003) score were superior to MELD-XI (0.71, 95%CI 0.68-0.73) for prediction of mortality. The easily calculable MELD-XI score is a robust and reliable tool to predict both intra-ICU and long-term mortality in critically ill medical patients admitted to an ICU. Optimal cut-off values for MELD-XI scores seem to depend on the primary disease and need to be validated in future prospective studies. Compared to SAPS2 and APACHE score, MELD-XI lacks precision but might have comparable and even additive value, as it is easily available and independent of subjective values.

Chitosan-coated diacerein nanosuspensions as a platform for enhancing bioavailability and lowering side effects: preparation, characterization, and ex vivo/in vivo evaluation

PubMed Central

Allam, Ahmed N; Hamdallah, Sherif I; Abdallah, Ossama Y

2017-01-01

Nanodrug delivery systems have been widely reviewed for their use in several drug formulations to improve bioavailability, sustain effect, and decrease side effects of many candidate drugs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of chitosan (CS)-coated nanosuspensions to enhance bioavailability and reduce the diarrheal side effect of diacerein (DCN) after oral administration. DCN nanosuspensions (DNS) were prepared by sonoprecipitation technique using different stabilizers at three different concentrations. The selected DNS with optimum particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), and Zeta potential (ZP) was coated with three different concentrations of CS-coated DNS (CS-DNS) and screened. In vitro dissolution was performed for the selected lyophilized formulae and compared with DCN powder in addition to the assessment of drug crystallinity via scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. Ex vivo drug permeability using noneverted rat intestine, intraluminal content, and mucoadhesion evaluation was studied for nominated formulae in comparison to DCN suspension. Moreover, in vivo study, pharmacokinetic parameters, and evaluation of diarrheal potential were conducted after oral administration of selected formulae. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-stabilized DNS showed a significant increase (P≤0.05) in PS and PDI as the stabilizer concentration increased. PVP-stabilized DNS with the lowest CS concentration was protected from aggregation by lyophilization with mannitol. A remarked enhancement in dissolution parameters was observed in the nanocrystals’ formulae. Morphological examination and X-ray diffraction confirmed drug crystallinity. The intermediate permeation parameters of CS-DNS-F10, lowest rhein-to-DCN ratio in intraluminal content along with the highest percentage of mucoadhesive, could serve as a sustaining profile of coated formula. CS-DNS-F10 showed a significantly higher Cmax of 0.74±0.15 µg/mL at a delayed Tmax of 3.60±0.55 hours with a relative bioavailability of 172.1% compared to DCN suspension. CS-coated nanosuspensions could serve as promising revenue to enhance bioavailability and reduce the diarrheal side effect of DCN after oral administration. PMID:28740381

Chitosan-coated diacerein nanosuspensions as a platform for enhancing bioavailability and lowering side effects: preparation, characterization, and ex vivo/in vivo evaluation.

PubMed

Allam, Ahmed N; Hamdallah, Sherif I; Abdallah, Ossama Y

2017-01-01

Nanodrug delivery systems have been widely reviewed for their use in several drug formulations to improve bioavailability, sustain effect, and decrease side effects of many candidate drugs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of chitosan (CS)-coated nanosuspensions to enhance bioavailability and reduce the diarrheal side effect of diacerein (DCN) after oral administration. DCN nanosuspensions (DNS) were prepared by sonoprecipitation technique using different stabilizers at three different concentrations. The selected DNS with optimum particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), and Zeta potential (ZP) was coated with three different concentrations of CS-coated DNS (CS-DNS) and screened. In vitro dissolution was performed for the selected lyophilized formulae and compared with DCN powder in addition to the assessment of drug crystallinity via scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. Ex vivo drug permeability using noneverted rat intestine, intraluminal content, and mucoadhesion evaluation was studied for nominated formulae in comparison to DCN suspension. Moreover, in vivo study, pharmacokinetic parameters, and evaluation of diarrheal potential were conducted after oral administration of selected formulae. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-stabilized DNS showed a significant increase ( P ≤0.05) in PS and PDI as the stabilizer concentration increased. PVP-stabilized DNS with the lowest CS concentration was protected from aggregation by lyophilization with mannitol. A remarked enhancement in dissolution parameters was observed in the nanocrystals' formulae. Morphological examination and X-ray diffraction confirmed drug crystallinity. The intermediate permeation parameters of CS-DNS-F10, lowest rhein-to-DCN ratio in intraluminal content along with the highest percentage of mucoadhesive, could serve as a sustaining profile of coated formula. CS-DNS-F10 showed a significantly higher C max of 0.74±0.15 µg/mL at a delayed T max of 3.60±0.55 hours with a relative bioavailability of 172.1% compared to DCN suspension. CS-coated nanosuspensions could serve as promising revenue to enhance bioavailability and reduce the diarrheal side effect of DCN after oral administration.

Non-aqueous electrolyte for lithium-ion battery

DOEpatents

Zhang, Lu; Zhang, Zhengcheng; Amine, Khalil

2014-04-15

The present technology relates to stabilizing additives and electrolytes containing the same for use in electrochemical devices such as lithium ion batteries and capacitors. The stabilizing additives include triazinane triones and bicyclic compounds comprising succinic anhydride, such as compounds of Formulas I and II described herein.

40 CFR Appendix Xi to Part 86 - Sampling Plans for Selective Enforcement Auditing of Light-Duty Vehicles

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 19 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sampling Plans for Selective Enforcement Auditing of Light-Duty Vehicles XI Appendix XI to Part 86 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Enforcement Auditing of Light-Duty Vehicles 40% AQL Table 1—Sampling Plan Code Letter Annual sales of...

Does transition from the da Vinci Si to Xi robotic platform impact single-docking technique for robot-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy?

PubMed

Patel, Manish N; Aboumohamed, Ahmed; Hemal, Ashok

2015-12-01

To describe our robot-assisted nephroureterectomy (RNU) technique for benign indications and RNU with en bloc excision of bladder cuff (BCE) and lymphadenectomy (LND) for malignant indications using the da Vinci Si and da Vinci Xi robotic platform, with its pros and cons. The port placement described for Si can be used for standard and S robotic systems. This is the first report in the literature on the use of the da Vinci Xi robotic platform for RNU. After a substantial experience of RNU using different da Vinci robots from the standard to the Si platform in a single-docking fashion for benign and malignant conditions, we started using the newly released da Vinci Xi robot since 2014. The most important differences are in port placement and effective use of the features of da Vinci Xi robot while performing simultaneous upper and lower tract surgery. Patient positioning, port placement, step-by-step technique of single docking RNU-LND-BCE using the da Vinci Si and da Vinci Xi robot are shown in an accompanying video with the goal that centres using either robotic system benefit from the hints and tips. The first segment of video describes RNU-LND-BCE using the da Vinci Si followed by the da Vinci Xi to highlight differences. There was no need for patient repositioning or robot re-docking with the new da Vinci Xi robotic platform. We have experience of using different robotic systems for single docking RNU in 70 cases for benign (15) and malignant (55) conditions. The da Vinci Xi robotic platform helps operating room personnel in its easy movement, allows easier patient side-docking with the help of its boom feature, in addition to easy and swift movements of the robotic arms. The patient clearance feature can be used to avoid collision with the robotic arms or the patient's body. In patients with challenging body habitus and in situations where bladder cuff management is difficult, modifications can be made through reassigning the camera to a different port with utilisation of the retargeting feature of the da Vinci Xi when working on the bladder cuff or in the pelvis. The vision of the camera used for da Vinci Xi was initially felt to be inferior to that of the da Vinci Si; however, with a subsequent software upgrade this was much improved. The base of the da Vinci Xi is bigger, which does not slide and occasionally requires a change in table placement/operating room setup, and requires side-docking especially when dealing with very tall and obese patients for pelvic surgery. RNU alone or with LND-BCE is a challenging surgical procedure that addresses the upper and lower urinary tract simultaneously. Single docking and single robotic port placement for RNU-LND-BCE has evolved with the development of different generations of the robotic system. These procedures can be performed safely and effectively using the da Vinci S, Si or Xi robotic platform. The new da Vinci Xi robotic platform is more user-friendly, has easy installation, and is intuitive for surgeons using its features. © 2015 The Authors BJU International © 2015 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Study of excited charm-strange baryons with evidence for new baryons {xi}{sub c}(3055){sup +} and {xi}{sub c}(3123){sup +}

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

Aubert, B.; Bona, M.; Boutigny, D.

We present a study of excited charm-strange baryon states produced in e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilations at or near a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV, in a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 384 fb{sup -1} recorded with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} storage rings at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. We study strong decays of charm-strange baryons to {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}K{sub S}{sup 0}, {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}K{sup -}, {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup -}, {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, and {lambda}{sub c}{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}. This study confirmsmore » the existence of the states {xi}{sub c}(2980){sup +}, {xi}{sub c}(3077){sup +}, and {xi}{sub c}(3077){sup 0}, with a more accurate determination of the {xi}{sub c}(2980){sup +} mass and width. We also present evidence for two new states, {xi}{sub c}(3055){sup +} and {xi}{sub c}(3123){sup +}, decaying through the intermediate-resonant modes {sigma}{sub c}(2455){sup ++}K{sup -} and {sigma}{sub c}(2520){sup ++}K{sup -}, respectively. For each of these baryons, we measure the yield in each final state, determine the statistical significance, and calculate the product of the production cross section and branching fractions. We also measure the masses and widths of these excited charm-strange baryons.« less

Detection of a compact companion of the mild barium star Xi-1 Ceti

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohm-Vitense, E.; Johnson, H. R.

1985-01-01

In the present paper, the observation of a white dwarf companion of the mild Ba star Xi-1 Ceti (= 65 Ceti = HR 649 = HD 13611) is reported, taking into account also the properties of the mild Ba star and of its companion. The UV spectrum of Xi-1 Ceti is discussed along with an interpretation of this spectrum. Attention is given to the effective temperature of the companion, the absorption bands in the spectrum, the radius and mass of the Xi-1 Ceti companion, and questions regarding the obscuration of the companion by the atmosphere of the Ba star. It is found that the overall energy distribution of the Xi-1 Ceti companion can best be matched with a 14,000 K DA white dwarf of log g = 8 or less. However, the absolute intensity is too small and would require a radius too small and a mass too large for such a gravity.

Transformation of measures in infinite-dimensional spaces by the flow induced by a stochastic differential equation

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

Pilipenko, A Yu

2003-04-30

Let {mu} be a Gaussian measure in the space X and H the Cameron-Martin space of the measure {mu}. Consider the stochastic differential equation d{xi}(u,t)=a{sub t}({xi}(u,t))dt+{sigma}{sub n}{sigma}{sub t}{sup n}({xi}(u,t))d{omega}{sub n}(t), t element of [0,T]; {xi}(u,0)=u,; where u element of X, a and {sigma}{sub n} are functions taking values in H, {omega}{sub n}(t), n{>=}1 are independent one-dimensional Wiener processes. Consider the easure-valued random process {mu}{sub t}:={mu}o{xi}( {center_dot} ,t){sup -1}. It is shown that under certain natural conditions on the coefficients of the initial equation the measures {mu}{sub t}({omega}) are equivalent to {mu} for almost all {omega}. Explicit expressions for their Radon-Nikodymmore » densities are obtained.« less

2 CFR 376.147 - Does an exclusion from participation in Federal health care programs under Title XI of the Social...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Federal health care programs under Title XI of the Social Security Act affect a person's eligibility to..., Medicaid, and other Federal health care programs under Title XI of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1320a... Federal Agency Regulations for Grants and Agreements DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

40 CFR Appendix Xi to Part 268 - Metal Bearing Wastes Prohibited From Dilution in a Combustion Unit According to 40 CFR 268.3(c)

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS Pt. 268, App. XI Appendix XI to Part 268—Metal Bearing Wastes Prohibited From Dilution in a Combustion... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Metal Bearing Wastes Prohibited From...

40 CFR Appendix Xi to Part 268 - Metal Bearing Wastes Prohibited From Dilution in a Combustion Unit According to 40 CFR 268.3(c)

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS Pt. 268, App. XI Appendix XI to Part 268—Metal Bearing Wastes Prohibited From Dilution in a Combustion... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Metal Bearing Wastes Prohibited From...

Robot-assisted total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: case-matched comparison of short-term surgical and functional outcomes between the da Vinci Xi and Si.

PubMed

Morelli, Luca; Di Franco, Gregorio; Guadagni, Simone; Rossi, Leonardo; Palmeri, Matteo; Furbetta, Niccolò; Gianardi, Desirée; Bianchini, Matteo; Caprili, Giovanni; D'Isidoro, Cristiano; Mosca, Franco; Moglia, Andrea; Cuschieri, Alfred

2018-02-01

Robotic rectal resection with da Vinci Si has some technical limitations, which could be overcome by the new da Vinci Xi. We compare short-term surgical and functional outcomes following robotic rectal resection with total mesorectal excision for cancer, with the da Vinci Xi (Xi-RobTME group) and the da Vinci Si (Si-RobTME group). The first consecutive 30 Xi-RobTME were compared with a Si-RobTME control group of 30 patients, selected using a one-to-one case-matched methodology from our prospectively collected Institutional database, comprising all cases performed between April 2010 and September 2016 by a single surgeon. Perioperative outcomes were compared. The impact of minimally invasive TME on autonomic function and quality of life was analyzed with specific questionnaires. The docking and overall operative time were shorter in the Xi-RobTME group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 respectively). The mean differences of overall operative time and docking time were -33.8 min (95% CI -5.1 to -64.5) and -6 min (95% CI -4.1 to -7.9), respectively. A fully-robotic approach with complete splenic flexure mobilization was used in 30/30 (100%) of the Xi-RobTME cases and in 7/30 (23%) of the Si-RobTME group (p < 0.001). The hybrid approach in males and patients with BMI > 25 kg/m 2 was necessary in ten patients (45 vs. 0%, p < 0.001) and in six patients (37 vs. 0%, p < 0.05), in the Si-RobTME and Xi-RobTME groups, respectively. There were no differences in conversion rate, mean hospital stay, pathological data, and in functional outcomes between the two groups before and at 1 year after surgery. The technical advantages offered by the da Vinci Xi seem to be mainly associated with a shorter docking and operative time and with superior ability to perform a fully-robotic approach. Clinical and functional outcomes seem not to be improved, with the introduction of the new Xi platform.

Bacterial xylose isomerases from the mammal gut Bacteroidetes cluster function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for effective xylose fermentation.

PubMed

Peng, Bingyin; Huang, Shuangcheng; Liu, Tingting; Geng, Anli

2015-05-17

Xylose isomerase (XI) catalyzes the conversion of xylose to xylulose, which is the key step for anaerobic ethanolic fermentation of xylose. Very few bacterial XIs can function actively in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we illustrate a group of XIs that would function for xylose fermentation in S. cerevisiae through phylogenetic analysis, recombinant yeast strain construction, and xylose fermentation. Phylogenetic analysis of deposited XI sequences showed that XI evolutionary relationship was highly consistent with the bacterial taxonomic orders and quite a few functional XIs in S. cerevisiae were clustered with XIs from mammal gut Bacteroidetes group. An XI from Bacteroides valgutus in this cluster was actively expressed in S. cerevisiae with an activity comparable to the fungal XI from Piromyces sp. Two XI genes were isolated from the environmental metagenome and they were clustered with XIs from environmental Bacteroidetes group. These two XIs could not be expressed in yeast with activity. With the XI from B. valgutus expressed in S. cerevisiae, background yeast strains were optimized by pentose metabolizing pathway enhancement and adaptive evolution in xylose medium. Afterwards, more XIs from the mammal gut Bacteroidetes group, including those from B. vulgatus, Tannerella sp. 6_1_58FAA_CT1, Paraprevotella xylaniphila and Alistipes sp. HGB5, were individually transformed into S. cerevisiae. The known functional XI from Orpinomyces sp. ukk1, a mammal gut fungus, was used as the control. All the resulting recombinant yeast strains were able to ferment xylose. The respiration-deficient strains harboring B. vulgatus and Alistipes sp. HGB5 XI genes respectively obtained specific xylose consumption rate of 0.662 and 0.704 g xylose gcdw(-1) h(-1), and ethanol specific productivity of 0.277 and 0.283 g ethanol gcdw(-1) h(-1), much comparable to those obtained by the control strain carrying Orpinomyces sp. ukk1 XI gene. This study demonstrated that XIs clustered in the mammal gut Bacteroidetes group were able to be expressed functionally in S. cerevisiae and background strain anaerobic adaptive evolution in xylose medium is essential for the screening of functional XIs. The methods outlined in this paper are instructive for the identification of novel XIs that are functional in S. cerevisiae.

Some data on the static longitudinal stability and control of airplanes : design of control surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinov, A; Kolosov, E

1940-01-01

In the solution of a number of problems on the stability and controllability of airplanes, there arises the necessity for knowing the characteristics of the tail surfaces of the types in common use today. Of those characteristics, the most important are the effectiveness and hinge moments of the tail surfaces. As has been shown in the present paper, there exists the possibility of determining these characteristics by the formulas obtained with a degree of accuracy sufficient for the purposes of preliminary computation. These formulas take into account a number of fundamental tail characteristics such as tail cut-outs on the control surface and the form of the control surface leading edge.

A formula for the Shakura-Sunyaev turbulent viscosity parameter. [for modeling of accretion disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canuto, V. M.; Goldman, I.; Hubickyj, O.

1984-01-01

A formula for the Shakura-Suniaev alpha parameter is proposed in terms of the growth rate of the unstable modes of the physical mechanisms that generates turbulence. Turbulent convection is discussed as a particular example. The effect of rotation on turbulent viscosity is considered, and some remarks are made on convective fluxes, disk stability, and other types of instabilities.

Role of single-point mutations and deletions on transition temperatures in ideal proteinogenic heteropolymer chains in the gas phase.

PubMed

Olivares-Quiroz, L

2016-07-01

A coarse-grained statistical mechanics-based model for ideal heteropolymer proteinogenic chains of non-interacting residues is presented in terms of the size K of the chain and the set of helical propensities [Formula: see text] associated with each residue j along the chain. For this model, we provide an algorithm to compute the degeneracy tensor [Formula: see text] associated with energy level [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the number of residues with a native contact in a given conformation. From these results, we calculate the equilibrium partition function [Formula: see text] and characteristic temperature [Formula: see text] at which a transition from a low to a high entropy states is observed. The formalism is applied to analyze the effect on characteristic temperatures [Formula: see text] of single-point mutations and deletions of specific amino acids [Formula: see text] along the chain. Two probe systems are considered. First, we address the case of a random heteropolymer of size K and given helical propensities [Formula: see text] on a conformational phase space. Second, we focus our attention to a particular set of neuropentapeptides, [Met-5] and [Leu-5] enkephalins whose thermodynamic stability is a key feature on their coupling to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] receptors and the triggering of biochemical responses.

A COSMIC COINCIDENCE: THE POWER-LAW GALAXY CORRELATION FUNCTION

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

Watson, Douglas F.; Berlind, Andreas A.; Zentner, Andrew R.

We model the evolution of galaxy clustering through cosmic time to investigate the nature of the power-law shape of {xi}(r), the galaxy two-point correlation function. While {xi}(r) at large scales is set by primordial fluctuations, departures from a power law are governed by galaxy pair counts at small scales, subject to nonlinear dynamics. We assume that galaxies reside within dark matter halos and subhalos. Therefore, the shape of the correlation function at small scales depends on the amount of halo substructure. We use a semi-analytic substructure evolution model to study subhalo populations within host halos. We find that tidal massmore » loss and, to a lesser extent, dynamical friction dramatically deplete the number of subhalos within larger host halos over time, resulting in a {approx}90% reduction by z = 0 compared to the number of distinct mergers that occur during the assembly of a host halo. We show that these nonlinear processes resulting in this depletion are essential for achieving a power law {xi}(r). We investigate how the shape of {xi}(r) depends on subhalo mass (or luminosity) and redshift. We find that {xi}(r) breaks from a power law at high masses, implying that only galaxies of luminosities {approx}< L{sub *} should exhibit power-law clustering. Moreover, we demonstrate that {xi}(r) evolves from being far from a power law at high redshift, toward a near power-law shape at z = 0. We argue that {xi}(r) will once again evolve away from a power law in the future. This is in large part caused by the evolving competition between the accretion and destruction rates of subhalos over time, which happen to strike just the right balance at z {approx} 0. We then investigate the conditions required for {xi}(r) to be a power law in a general context. We use the halo model, along with simple parameterizations of the halo occupation distribution, to probe galaxy occupation at various masses and redshifts. We show that the key ingredients determining the shape of {xi}(r) are the fraction of galaxies that are satellites, the relative difference in mass between the halos of isolated galaxies and halos that contain a single satellite on average, and the rareness of halos that host galaxies. These pieces are intertwined and we find no simple, universal rule for which a power law {xi}(r) will occur. However, we do show that the physics responsible for setting the galaxy content of halos do not care about the conditions needed to achieve a power law {xi}(r) and that these conditions are met only in a narrow mass and redshift range. We conclude that the power-law nature of {xi}(r) for L{sub *} and fainter galaxy samples at low redshift is a cosmic coincidence.« less

Removal of nitrogen compounds from landfill leachate using reverse osmosis with leachate stabilization in a buffer tank.

PubMed

Talalaj, Izabela Anna

2015-01-01

In this paper, a removal of nitrogen compounds from a landfill leachate during reverse osmosis (RO) was evaluated. The treatment facility consists of a buffer tank and a RO system. The removal rate of N─NH4, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the buffer tank reached 14%, 91% and 41%, respectively. The relatively low concentration of organic carbon limits N─NH4 oxidation in the buffer tank. The removal rate for the total organic nitrogen (TON) was 47%. The removal rate in RO was 99% for [Formula: see text], 84.1% for [Formula: see text] and 41% for [Formula: see text]. The accumulation of [Formula: see text] may be the result of a low pH, which before the RO process is reduced to a value of 6.0-6.5. Besides it, the cause for a low removal rate of the [Formula: see text] in the buffer tank and during RO may be free ammonia, which can inhibit the [Formula: see text] oxidation. The removal rates of total inorganic nitrogen and TON in the RO treatment facility were similar being 99% and 98.5%, respectively.

A comprehensive energy approach to predict fatigue life in CuAlBe shape memory alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sameallah, S.; Legrand, V.; Saint-Sulpice, L.; Kadkhodaei, M.; Arbab Chirani, S.

2015-02-01

Stabilized dissipated energy is an effective parameter on the fatigue life of shape memory alloys (SMAs). In this study, a formula is proposed to directly evaluate the stabilized dissipated energy for different values of the maximum and minimum applied stresses, as well as the loading frequency, under cyclic tensile loadings. To this aim, a one-dimensional fully coupled thermomechanical constitutive model and a cycle-dependent phase diagram are employed to predict the uniaxial stress-strain response of an SMA in a specified cycle, including the stabilized one, with no need of obtaining the responses of the previous cycles. An enhanced phase diagram in which different slopes are defined for the start and finish of a backward transformation strip is also proposed to enable the capture of gradual transformations in a CuAlBe shape memory alloy. It is shown that the present approach is capable of reproducing the experimental responses of CuAlBe specimens under cyclic tensile loadings. An explicit formula is further presented to predict the fatigue life of CuAlBe as a function of the maximum and minimum applied stresses as well as the loading frequency. Fatigue tests are also carried out, and this formula is verified against the empirically predicted number of cycles for failure.

USING A PHENOMENOLOGICAL MODEL TO TEST THE COINCIDENCE PROBLEM OF DARK ENERGY

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

Chen Yun; Zhu Zonghong; Alcaniz, J. S.

2010-03-01

By assuming a phenomenological form for the ratio of the dark energy and matter densities rho{sub X} {proportional_to} rho{sub m} a {sup x}i, we discuss the cosmic coincidence problem in light of current observational data. Here, xi is a key parameter to denote the severity of the coincidence problem. In this scenario, xi = 3 and xi = 0 correspond to LAMBDACDM and the self-similar solution without the coincidence problem, respectively. Hence, any solution with a scaling parameter 0 < xi < 3 makes the coincidence problem less severe. In addition, the standard cosmology without interaction between dark energy andmore » dark matter is characterized by xi + 3omega{sub X} = 0, where omega{sub X} is the equation of state of the dark energy component, whereas the inequality xi + 3omega{sub X} {ne} 0 represents non-standard cosmology. We place observational constraints on the parameters (OMEGA{sub X,0}, omega{sub X}, xi) of this model, where OMEGA{sub X,0} is the present value of density parameter of dark energy OMEGA{sub X}, by using the Constitution Set (397 supernovae of type Ia data, hereafter SNeIa), the cosmic microwave background shift parameter from the five-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey baryon acoustic peak. Combining the three samples, we get OMEGA{sub X,0} = 0.72 +- 0.02, omega{sub X} = -0.98 +- 0.07, and xi = 3.06 +- 0.35 at 68.3% confidence level. The result shows that the LAMBDACDM model still remains a good fit to the recent observational data, and the coincidence problem indeed exists and is quite severe, in the framework of this simple phenomenological model. We further constrain the model with the transition redshift (deceleration/acceleration). It shows that if the transition from deceleration to acceleration happens at the redshift z > 0.73, within the framework of this model, we can conclude that the interaction between dark energy and dark matter is necessary.« less

Discovery potentials of doubly charmed baryons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Fu-Sheng; Jiang, Hua-Yu; Li, Run-Hui; Lü, Cai-Dian; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Zhen-Xing

2018-05-01

The existence of doubly heavy flavor baryons has not been well established experimentally so far. In this Letter we systematically investigate the weak decays of the doubly charmed baryons, {{{\\Xi }}}{{cc}}++ and {{{\\Xi }}}{{cc}}+, which should be helpful for experimental searches for these particles. The long-distance contributions are first studied in the doubly heavy baryon decays, and found to be significantly enhanced. Comparing all the processes, {{{\\Xi }}}{{cc}}++\\to {{{Λ }}}{{c}}+{{{K}}}-{{{π }}}+{{{π }}}+ and {{{\\Xi }}}{{c}}+{{{π }}}+ are the most favorable decay modes for experiments to search for doubly heavy baryons. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11505083, 11505098, 11647310, 11575110, 11375208, 11521505, 11621131001, 11235005, 11447032, U1732101) and Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (15DZ2272100)

Missile aerodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nielsen, Jack N.

1988-01-01

The fundamental aerodynamics of slender bodies is examined in the reprint edition of an introductory textbook originally published in 1960. Chapters are devoted to the formulas commonly used in missile aerodynamics; slender-body theory at supersonic and subsonic speeds; vortices in viscid and inviscid flow; wing-body interference; downwash, sidewash, and the wake; wing-tail interference; aerodynamic controls; pressure foredrag, base drag, and skin friction; and stability derivatives. Diagrams, graphs, tables of terms and formulas are provided.

Generation and characterization of a human-mouse chimeric antibody against the extracellular domain of claudin-1 for cancer therapy using a mouse model.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Yosuke; Tada, Minoru; Iida, Manami; Nagase, Shotaro; Hata, Tomoyuki; Watari, Akihiro; Okada, Yoshiaki; Doi, Takefumi; Fukasawa, Masayoshi; Yagi, Kiyohito; Kondoh, Masuo

2016-08-12

Claudin-1 (CLDN-1), an integral transmembrane protein, is an attractive target for drug absorption, prevention of infection, and cancer therapy. Previously, we generated mouse anti-CLDN-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and found that they enhanced epidermal absorption of a drug and prevented hepatitis C virus infection in human hepatocytes. Here, we investigated anti-tumor activity of a human-mouse chimeric IgG1, xi-3A2, from one of the anti-CLDN-1 mAbs, clone 3A2. Xi-3A2 accumulated in the tumor tissues in mice bearing with human CLDN-1-expressing tumor cells. Xi-3A2 activated Fcγ receptor IIIa-expressing reporter cells in the presence of human CLDN-1-expressing cells, suggesting xi-3A2 has a potential to exhibit antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against CLDN-1 expressing tumor cells. We also constructed a mutant xi-3A2 antibody with Gly, Ser, and Ile substituted with Ala, Asp, and Arg at positions 236, 239, and 332 of the Fc domain. This mutant antibody showed greater activation of Fcγ receptor IIIa and in vivo anti-tumor activity in mice bearing human CLDN-1-expressing tumors than xi-3A2 did. These findings indicate that the G236A/S239D/I332E mutant of xi-3A2 might be a promising lead for tumor therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Donor motivation in Xi'an, China: comparison with Canadian donors.

PubMed

O'Brien, S F; Shao, Z-J; Osmond, L; Yi, Q-L; Li, C-Y; An, Q-X

2013-04-01

In China, paid donation is prohibited by law. There is little literature assessing donor motivation in China, and comparison with western countries such as Canada is important in understanding the application of Western literature. We compared motivational factors in donors from the city of Xi'an, China, with Canadian donors matched for age, sex and donation status. A total of 218 donors in Xi'an completed an interview about motivation as did 218 Canadian donors matched for age, sex and donation status. Frequencies and percentages of responses to questions were tabulated and compared using the Chi-squared test. Donors in Xi'an and Canada felt a personal responsibility to donate blood (81·2% vs. 78·0%, P = 0·2057), but Xi'an donors were more likely to consider blood donation a social responsibility (81·7% vs. 45·2%, P < 0·0001). Xi'an donors more often believed that society views donation as a normal activity (98·6% vs. 48·4%, P < 0·0001) and that the social atmosphere promotes donation (90·3% vs. 53·5%, P < 0·0001) and saw greater health benefit (52·3% vs. 12·5%, P < 0·0001). Most Xi'an donors believed in balance between their life force (Qi) and blood (86·7% vs. 49·8%, P < 0·0001) but did not believe blood lost from donating would affect this (0·5% vs. 3·8%, P = 0·01). While traditional Chinese beliefs may not be seen as a barrier among people in Xi'an who donate blood, blood donation is seen differently than by Canadian donors. There is a need for more research specific to China to tailor recruitment strategies. © 2012 The Author(s). Vox Sanguinis © 2012 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Disease Extinction Versus Persistence in Discrete-Time Epidemic Models.

PubMed

van den Driessche, P; Yakubu, Abdul-Aziz

2018-04-12

We focus on discrete-time infectious disease models in populations that are governed by constant, geometric, Beverton-Holt or Ricker demographic equations, and give a method for computing the basic reproduction number, [Formula: see text]. When [Formula: see text] and the demographic population dynamics are asymptotically constant or under geometric growth (non-oscillatory), we prove global asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium of the disease models. Under the same demographic assumption, when [Formula: see text], we prove uniform persistence of the disease. We apply our theoretical results to specific discrete-time epidemic models that are formulated for SEIR infections, cholera in humans and anthrax in animals. Our simulations show that a unique endemic equilibrium of each of the three specific disease models is asymptotically stable whenever [Formula: see text].

Global Geodetic Signatures of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, Thomas S.; Ivins, Erik R.

1997-01-01

Four scenarios of present day Antarctic ice sheet mass change are developed from comprehensive reviews of the available glaciological and oceanographic evidence. The gridded scenarios predict widely varying contributions to secular sea level change xi ranging from -1.1 to 0.45 mm/yr, and predict polar motion m and time-varying low-degree gravitational coefficients J(sub l) that differ significantly from earlier estimates. A reasonably linear relationship between the rate of sea level change from Antarctica xi(sub A) and the predicted Antarctic J(sub l) is found for the four scenarios. This linearity permits a series of forward models to be constructed that incorporate the effects of ice mass changes in Antarctica, Greenland, and distributed smaller glaciers, as well as postglacial rebound (assuming the ICE-3G deglaciation history), with the goal of obtaining optimum reconciliation between observed constraints on J(sub l) and sea level rise xi. Numerous viable combinations of lower mantle viscosity and hydrologic sources are found that safely "observed" in the range of 1 to 2-2.5 mm/yr and observed J(sub l) for degrees 2, 3, and 4. In contrast, rates of global sea level rise above 2.5 mm/yr are inconsistent with available J(sub l) observations. The successful composite models feature a pair of lower mantle viscosity solutions arising from the sensitivity of J(sub l) to glacial rebound. The paired values are well separated at xi = 1 mm/yr, but move closer together as xi is increased, and, in fact, merge around xi = 2 - 2.5 mm/yr, revealing an intimate relation between xi and preferred lower mantle viscosity. This general pattern is quite robust and persists for different J(sub l) solutions, for variations in source assumptions, and for different styles of lower mantle viscosity stratification. Tighter J(sub l) constraints for l greater than 2 may allow some viscosity stratification schemes and source assumptions to be excluded in the future. For a given total observed xi the sea level rise from Antarctica xi(sub A) is tightly constrained and ranges from 0 to + 1 mr/yr (corresponding to an ablating ice sheet) as estimates of xi are raised from 1 to 2.5 mm/yr. However, when the degree 3 zonal harmonic constraint is removed, the solutions show little sensitivity to Antarctic mass balance, emphasizing the need for a well determined odd-degree secular zonal harmonic for determining polar ice mass balance.

Approximation method for determining the static stability of a monoplane glider

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lippisch, A

1927-01-01

The calculations in this paper afford an approximate solution of the static stability. A derivation of the formulas for moment coefficient of a wing, moment coefficient of elevator, and the total moment of the combined wing and elevator and the moment coefficient with reference to the center of gravity are provided.

STABILIZED RARE EARTH OXIDES FOR A CONTROL ROD AND METHOD OF PREPARATION

DOEpatents

McNees, R.A.; Potter, R.A.

1964-01-14

A method is given for preparing mixed oxides of the formula MR/sub x/O/ sub 12/ wherein M is tungsten or molybdenum and R is a rare earth in the group consisting of samarium, europium, dysprosium, and gadolinium and x is 4 to 5. Oxides of this formula, and particularly the europiumcontaining species, are useful as control rod material for water-cooled nuclear reactors owing to their stability, favorable nuclear properties, and resistance to hydration. These oxides may be utilized as a dispersion in a stainlesssteel matrix. Preparation of these oxides is effected by blending tungsten oxide or molybdenum oxide with a rare earth oxide, compressing the mixture, and firing at an elevated temperature in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. (AEC)

A Dependence Study of $$\\Xi^{*0}$$ and $$\\bar{\\Xi}^{*0}$$ in 250 GeV/c $$\\pi^-$$. $K^-$ -nucleon Interactions (in Portuguese)

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

Seixas de Rezende, Fabio Antonio; /Rio de Janeiro, CBPF

A direct measurement of the mass number (A) dependence of the production of the hyperon {Xi}*{sup 0} and its opposite {bar {Xi}}*{sup 0} in {pi}{sup -}, K{sup -} beam-nucleon interactions at 250 GeV/c is reported. The data derive from the experiment E769 at Fermilab. The results were obtained for different targets: Be, Al, Cu and W. It was observed the data are found to be well described by the parametrization {sigma}{sub A} = {sigma}{sub 0}A{sup {alpha}}, {alpha} being calculated for different beams. The results obtained are compared with those results of E769 experiment. The results shown here are preliminary.

OMEGA{sup -}, XI*{sup -}, SIGMA*{sup -}, and DELTA{sup -} decuplet baryon magnetic moments

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

Slaughter, Milton Dean

The properties of the ground-state U spin =(3/2) baryon decuplet magnetic moments DELTA{sup -}, XI*{sup -}, SIGMA*{sup -}, and OMEGA{sup -} and their ground-state spin-(1/2) cousins p, n, LAMBDA, SIGMA{sup +}, SIGMA{sup 0}, SIGMA{sup -}, XI{sup +}, and XI{sup -} have been studied for many years with a modicum of success. The magnetic moments of many are yet to be determined. Of the decuplet baryons, only the magnetic moment of the OMEGA{sup -} has been accurately determined. We calculate the magnetic moments of the physical decuplet U spin =(3/2) quartet members without ascribing any specific form to their quark structuremore » or intraquark interactions.« less

Xi-CAM v1.2.3

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

PANDOLFI, RONALD; KUMAR, DINESH; VENKATAKRISHNAN, SINGANALLUR

Xi-CAM aims to provide a community driven platform for multimodal analysis in synchrotron science. The platform core provides a robust plugin infrastructure for extensibility, allowing continuing development to simply add further functionality. Current modules include tools for characterization with (GI)SAXS, Tomography, and XAS. This will continue to serve as a development base as algorithms for multimodal analysis develop. Seamless remote data access, visualization and analysis are key elements of Xi-CAM, and will become critical to synchrotron data infrastructure as expectations for future data volume and acquisition rates rise with continuously increasing throughputs. The highly interactive design elements of Xi-cam willmore » similarly support a generation of users which depend on immediate data quality feedback during high-throughput or burst acquisition modes.« less

Structure and interstitial iodide migration in hybrid perovskite methylammonium lead iodide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minns, J. L.; Zajdel, P.; Chernyshov, D.; van Beek, W.; Green, M. A.

2017-05-01

Hybrid perovskites form an emerging family of exceptional light harvesting compounds. However, the mechanism underpinning their photovoltaic effect is still far from understood, which is impeded by a lack of clarity on their structures. Here we show that iodide ions in the methylammonium lead iodide migrate via interstitial sites at temperatures above 280 K. This coincides with temperature dependent static distortions resulting in pseudocubic local symmetry. Based on bond distance analysis, the migrating and distorted iodines are at lengths consistent with the formation of I2 molecules, suggesting a 2I--->I2+2e- redox couple. The actual formula of this compound is thus (CH3NH3)PbI3-2x(I2)x where x~0.007 at room temperature. A crucial feature of the tetragonal structure is that the methylammonium ions do not sit centrally in the A-site cavity, but disordered around two off-centre orientations that facilitate the interstitial ion migration via a gate opening mechanism.

Generalized spherical and simplicial coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richter, Wolf-Dieter

2007-12-01

Elementary trigonometric quantities are defined in l2,p analogously to that in l2,2, the sine and cosine functions are generalized for each p>0 as functions sinp and cosp such that they satisfy the basic equation cosp([phi])p+sinp([phi])p=1. The p-generalized radius coordinate of a point [xi][set membership, variant]Rn is defined for each p>0 as . On combining these quantities, ln,p-spherical coordinates are defined. It is shown that these coordinates are nearly related to ln,p-simplicial coordinates. The Jacobians of these generalized coordinate transformations are derived. Applications and interpretations from analysis deal especially with the definition of a generalized surface content on ln,p-spheres which is nearly related to a modified co-area formula and an extension of Cavalieri's and Torricelli's indivisibeln method, and with differential equations. Applications from probability theory deal especially with a geometric interpretation of the uniform probability distribution on the ln,p-sphere and with the derivation of certain generalized statistical distributions.

Determination of the Accomodation Coefficient Using Vapor/Gas Bubble Dynamics in an Acoustic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gumerov, Nail A.

1999-01-01

Non-equilibrium liquid/vapor phase transformations can occur in superheated or subcooled liquids in fast processes such as in evaporation in a vacuum, in processing of molten metals, and in vapor explosions. The rate at which such a phase transformation occurs, Xi, can be described by the Hertz-Knudsen-Langmuir formula. More than one century of the history of the accommodation coefficient measurements shows many problems with its determination. This coefficient depends on the temperature, is sensitive to the conditions at the interface, and is influenced by small amounts of impurities. Even recent measurements of the accommodation coefficient for water (Hagen et al, 1989) showed a huge variation in Beta from 1 for 1 micron droplets to 0.006 for 15 micron droplets. Moreover, existing measurement techniques for the accommodation coefficient are complex and expensive. Thus development of a relatively inexpensive and reliable technique for measurement of the accommodation coefficient for a wide range of substances and temperatures is of great practical importance.

Cross sections and rate coefficients for inner-shell excitation of Li-like ions with 6 < Z < 42

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safronova, U. I.; Safronova, M. S.; Kato, T.

1996-07-01

Excitation cross sections and rate coefficients by electron impact were calculated for the 1s22s-1s2s2p, 1s22s-1s2s2 and 1s22s-1s2p2 transitions of the Li-like ions (C IV, N V, O VI, Ne VIII, Mg X, Al XI, Si XII, S XIV, Ar XVI, Ca XVIII, Ti XX, Fe XXIV, Ni XXVI, Zn XXVIII, Ge XXX, Se XXXII, Kr XXXIV and Mo XXXX) in the Coulomb-Born approximation with exchange including relativistic effects and configuration interaction. Level energies, mixing coefficients and transition wavelengths and probabilities were also computed. Calculations performed by the 1/Z perturbation theory and Coulomb-Born approximation are compared with the R-matrix method and the distorted-wave approximation were Z is the nuclear charge. Formulae obtained for the angular factors of n-electron atomic system allow one to generalize this method to an arbitrary system of highly charged ions.

Contributions to study of the stability of the electric welding arc under the action of acoustic pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petru, S.

1974-01-01

During the treatment of an electric welding arc with ultrasonic oscillations, an improvement was found in overall source-arc stability. Theoretical explanations are provided for this phenomenon and formulas of equivalence between the classical arc and the treated arc are derived, taking stability as their criterion. A knowledge of this phenomenon can be useful in extending the applications of ultrasounds to different forms of electric arcs.

A Study of Double-Charm and Charm-Strange Baryons inElectron-Positron Annihilations

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

Edwards, Adam J.; /SLAC

2007-10-15

In this dissertation I describe a study of double-charm and charm-strange baryons based on data collected with the BABAR Detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. In this study I search for new baryons and make precise measurements of their properties and decay modes. I seek to verify and expand upon double-charm and charm-strange baryon observations made by other experiments. The BABAR Detector is used to measure subatomic particles that are produced at the PEP-II storage rings. I analyze approximately 300 million e+e- {yields} c{bar c} events in a search for the production of double-charm baryons. I search for themore » double-charm baryons {Xi}{sup +}{sub cc} (containing the quarks ccd) and {Xi}{sup ++}{sub cc} (ccu) in decays to {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} and {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup +}, respectively. No statistically significant signals for their production are found, and upper limits on their production are determined. Statistically significant signals for excited charm-strange baryons are observed with my analysis of approximately 500 million e+e- {yields} c{bar c} events. The charged charm-strange baryons {Xi}{sub c}(2970){sup +}, {Xi}{sub c}(3055){sup +}, {Xi}{sub c}(3123){sup +} are found in decays to {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, the same decay mode used in the {Xi}{sup +}{sub cc} search. The neutral charm-strange baryon {Xi}{sub c}(3077){sup 0} is observed in decays to {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sub 8}{pi}{sup -}. I also search for excited charm-strange baryon decays to {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sub 8}, {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sup -}, {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sub 8}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, and {Lambda}{sup +}{sub c}K{sup -}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}. No significant charm-strange baryon signals a f h these decay modes. For each excited charm-strange baryon state that I observe, I measure its mass, natural width (lifetime), and production rate. The properties of these excited charm-strange baryons and their decay modes provide constraints for phenomenological models of quark interactions through quantum chromodynamics. My discovery of the two new charm-strange baryons {Xi}{sub c}(3055){sup +} and {Xi}{sub c}(3123){sup +} influences our theoretical understanding of charm-strange baryon states.« less

A structured population model with diffusion in structure space.

PubMed

Pugliese, Andrea; Milner, Fabio

2018-05-09

A structured population model is described and analyzed, in which individual dynamics is stochastic. The model consists of a PDE of advection-diffusion type in the structure variable. The population may represent, for example, the density of infected individuals structured by pathogen density x, [Formula: see text]. The individuals with density [Formula: see text] are not infected, but rather susceptible or recovered. Their dynamics is described by an ODE with a source term that is the exact flux from the diffusion and advection as [Formula: see text]. Infection/reinfection is then modeled moving a fraction of these individuals into the infected class by distributing them in the structure variable through a probability density function. Existence of a global-in-time solution is proven, as well as a classical bifurcation result about equilibrium solutions: a net reproduction number [Formula: see text] is defined that separates the case of only the trivial equilibrium existing when [Formula: see text] from the existence of another-nontrivial-equilibrium when [Formula: see text]. Numerical simulation results are provided to show the stabilization towards the positive equilibrium when [Formula: see text] and towards the trivial one when [Formula: see text], result that is not proven analytically. Simulations are also provided to show the Allee effect that helps boost population sizes at low densities.

Cloning and characterization of XiR1, a locus responsible for dagger nematode resistance in grape.

PubMed

Hwang, Chin-Feng; Xu, Kenong; Hu, Rong; Zhou, Rita; Riaz, Summaira; Walker, M Andrew

2010-08-01

The dagger nematode, Xiphinema index, feeds aggressively on grape roots and in the process, vectors grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) leading to the severe viral disease known as fanleaf degeneration. Resistance to X. index and GFLV has been the key objective of grape rootstock breeding programs. A previous study found that resistance to X. index derived from Vitis arizonica was largely controlled by a major quantitative trait locus, XiR1 (X. index Resistance 1), located on chromosome 19. The study presented here develops high-resolution genetic and physical maps in an effort to identify the XiR1 gene(s). The mapping was carried out with 1,375 genotypes in three populations derived from D8909-15, a resistant selection from a cross of V. rupestris A. de Serres (susceptible) x V. arizonica b42-26 (resistant). Resistance to X. index was evaluated on 99 informative recombinants that were identified by screening the three populations with two markers flanking the XiR1 locus. The high-resolution genetic map of XiR1 was primarily constructed with seven DNA markers developed in this study. Physical mapping of XiR1 was accomplished by screening three bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries constructed from D8909-15, V. vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon and V. arizonica b42-26. A total of 32 BAC clones were identified and the XiR1 locus was delineated within a 115 kb region. Sequence analysis of three BAC clones identified putative nucleotide binding/leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) genes. This is the first report of a closely linked major gene locus responsible for ectoparasitic nematode resistance. The markers developed from this study are being used to expedite the breeding of resistant grape rootstocks.

Cloning and characterization of XiR1, a locus responsible for dagger nematode resistance in grape

PubMed Central

Hwang, Chin-Feng; Xu, Kenong; Hu, Rong; Zhou, Rita; Riaz, Summaira

2010-01-01

The dagger nematode, Xiphinemaindex, feeds aggressively on grape roots and in the process, vectors grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) leading to the severe viral disease known as fanleaf degeneration. Resistance to X. index and GFLV has been the key objective of grape rootstock breeding programs. A previous study found that resistance to X. index derived from Vitis arizonica was largely controlled by a major quantitative trait locus, XiR1 (X. index Resistance 1), located on chromosome 19. The study presented here develops high-resolution genetic and physical maps in an effort to identify the XiR1 gene(s). The mapping was carried out with 1,375 genotypes in three populations derived from D8909-15, a resistant selection from a cross of V. rupestris A. de Serres (susceptible) × V. arizonica b42-26 (resistant). Resistance to X. index was evaluated on 99 informative recombinants that were identified by screening the three populations with two markers flanking the XiR1 locus. The high-resolution genetic map of XiR1 was primarily constructed with seven DNA markers developed in this study. Physical mapping of XiR1 was accomplished by screening three bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries constructed from D8909-15, V. vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon and V. arizonica b42-26. A total of 32 BAC clones were identified and the XiR1 locus was delineated within a 115 kb region. Sequence analysis of three BAC clones identified putative nucleotide binding/leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) genes. This is the first report of a closely linked major gene locus responsible for ectoparasitic nematode resistance. The markers developed from this study are being used to expedite the breeding of resistant grape rootstocks. PMID:20490447

Influence of Problem-Based Learning Model of Learning to the Mathematical Communication Ability of Students of Grade XI IPA SMAN 14 Padang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisa, I. M.

2018-04-01

The ability of mathematical communication is one of the goals of learning mathematics expected to be mastered by students. However, reality in the field found that the ability of mathematical communication the students of grade XI IPA SMA Negeri 14 Padang have not developed optimally. This is evident from the low test results of communication skills mathematically done. One of the factors that causes this happens is learning that has not been fully able to facilitate students to develop mathematical communication skills well. By therefore, to improve students' mathematical communication skills required a model in the learning activities. One of the models learning that can be used is Problem Based learning model Learning (PBL). The purpose of this study is to see whether the ability the students' mathematical communication using the PBL model better than the students' mathematical communication skills of the learning using conventional learning in Class XI IPA SMAN 14 Padang. This research type is quasi experiment with design Randomized Group Only Design. Population in this research that is student of class XI IPA SMAN 14 Padang with sample class XI IPA 3 and class XI IPA 4. Data retrieval is done by using communication skill test mathematically shaped essay. To test the hypothesis used U-Mann test Whitney. Based on the results of data analysis, it can be concluded that the ability mathematical communication of students whose learning apply more PBL model better than the students' mathematical communication skills of their learning apply conventional learning in class XI IPA SMA 14 Padang at α = 0.05. This indicates that the PBL learning model effect on students' mathematical communication ability.

Emodin Decreases Hepatic Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1[Formula: see text] by Inhibiting its Biosynthesis.

PubMed

Ma, Feifei; Hu, Lijuan; Yu, Ming; Wang, Feng

2016-01-01

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is an [Formula: see text] dimeric transcription factor. Because HIF-1[Formula: see text] is instable with oxygen, HIF-1 is scarce in normal mammalian cells. However, HIF-1[Formula: see text] is expressed in pathological conditions such as cancer and obesity. Inhibiting HIF-1[Formula: see text] may be of therapeutic value for these pathologies. Here, we investigated whether emodin, derived from the herb of Rheum palmatum L, which is also known as Chinese rhubarb, and is native to China, regulates HIF-1[Formula: see text] expression. Male C57BL/6 mice without or with diet-induced obesity were treated with emodin for two weeks, while control mice were treated with vehicle. HIF-1[Formula: see text] expression was determined by Western blot. We found that emodin inhibited obesity-induced HIF-1[Formula: see text] expression in liver and skeletal muscle but did not regulate HIF-1[Formula: see text] expression in the kidneys or in intra-abdominal fat. In vitro, emodin inhibited HIF-1[Formula: see text] expression in human HepG2 hepatic cells and Y1 adrenocortical cells. Further, we investigated the mechanisms of HIF-1[Formula: see text] expression in emodin-treated HepG2 cells. First, we found that HIF-1[Formula: see text] had normal stability in the presence of emodin. Thus, emodin did not decrease HIF-1[Formula: see text] by stimulating its degradation. Importantly, emodin decreased the activity of the signaling pathways that led to HIF-1[Formula: see text] biosynthesis. Interestingly, emodin increased HIF-1[Formula: see text] mRNA in HepG2 cells. This may be a result of feedback in response to the emodin-induced decrease in the protein of HIF-1[Formula: see text]. In conclusion, emodin decreases hepatic HIF-1[Formula: see text] by inhibiting its biosynthesis.

Bsrightarrowtau+tau- decay in the general two Higgs doublet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iltan, Erhan Onur; Turan, Gursevil

2002-11-01

We study the exclusive decay Bsrightarrowtau+tau- in the general two Higgs doublet model. We analyse the dependencies of the branching ratio on the model parameters, including the leading order QCD corrections. We found that there is an enhancement in the branching ratio, especially for rtb = bar xiN,ttU/bar xiN,bbD > 1 case. Further, the neutral Higgs effects are detectable for large values of the parameter bar xiN,tautauD.

A Global Picture of the Gamma-Ricker Map: A Flexible Discrete-Time Model with Factors of Positive and Negative Density Dependence.

PubMed

Liz, Eduardo

2018-02-01

The gamma-Ricker model is one of the more flexible and general discrete-time population models. It is defined on the basis of the Ricker model, introducing an additional parameter [Formula: see text]. For some values of this parameter ([Formula: see text], population is overcompensatory, and the introduction of an additional parameter gives more flexibility to fit the stock-recruitment curve to field data. For other parameter values ([Formula: see text]), the gamma-Ricker model represents populations whose per-capita growth rate combines both negative density dependence and positive density dependence. The former can lead to overcompensation and dynamic instability, and the latter can lead to a strong Allee effect. We study the impact of the cooperation factor in the dynamics and provide rigorous conditions under which increasing the Allee effect strength stabilizes or destabilizes population dynamics, promotes or prevents population extinction, and increases or decreases population size. Our theoretical results also include new global stability criteria and a description of the possible bifurcations.

[Formulation of a rice-based beverage of high nutritive value].

PubMed

Guerra, M J; González, D; Jaffé, W G; Calderón, M

1981-06-01

The purpose of this work was the production of a beverage with a nutritive value similar to that of milk, but available at a lower cost. A traditional beverage in Venezuela, "Chicha de Arroz" (Rice Chicha), was chosen. The various formulas studied were based on rice, non-fat milk and different kinds of soy flour, in addition to sugar, vegetable oil, vitamins, ferrous sulfate and different flavors. A product with protein and caloric values similar to those of milk was obtained. Twenty formulas were prepared and submitted to physico-chemical, microbiological and sensorial evaluations with respect to flavor, color, viscosity and stability during period of refrigeration. The most adequate formula was prepared on a pilot-plant scale. Rat assays gave the same PER results as those of casein. Consumer acceptability was tested on 1,080 school children, and showed to be greater than 95%. The stability was superior to that of milk and the cost, approximately three-fourths that of the latter. In the school-snack program of the National Institute of Nutrition, milk is now being replaced by this Chicha.

Use of a mobile tower-based robot--The initial Xi robot experience in surgical oncology.

PubMed

Yuh, Bertram; Yu, Xian; Raytis, John; Lew, Michael; Fong, Yuman; Lau, Clayton

2016-01-01

The da Vinci Xi platform provides expanded movement of the arms relative to the base, theoretically allowing increased versatility in complex multi-field or multi-quadrant surgery. We describe the initial Xi experience in oncologic surgery at a tertiary cancer center. One hundred thirty unique robot-assisted procedures were performed using the Xi between 2014 and 2015, 112 of which were oncology surgeries. For procedures involving multiple quadrants, the robot was re-targeted. Complications were assessed according to Martin criteria and the Clavien-Dindo classification up to 90 days after operation. Thirteen different operations were performed in five oncology subspecialties (urology, gynecology, thoracic, hepatobiliary, and gastrointestinal surgery). Median operative times ranged from 183 min for nephroureterectomy to 543 min for esophagogastrectomy. Median estimated blood loss did not exceed 200 ml for any of the categorized procedures . No patients were transfused intraoperatively and no positioning injuries occurred. Conversions to open operation occurred in three cases (2.7%), though not related to complications or technical considerations. Overall complication rate was 26% with major complication rate of 4%. Readmissions were necessary in 11 (10%) patients. The da Vinci Xi can be safely assimilated into a surgical oncology program. The Xi offers versatility to various oncologic procedures with satisfactory complication and readmission rates. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inhibition of d-xylose isomerase by polyols: atomic details by joint X-ray/neutron crystallography

PubMed Central

Kovalevsky, Andrey; Hanson, B. Leif; Mason, Sax A.; Forsyth, V. Trevor; Fisher, Zoe; Mustyakimov, Marat; Blakeley, Matthew P.; Keen, David A.; Langan, Paul

2012-01-01

d-Xylose isomerase (XI) converts the aldo-sugars xylose and glucose to their keto analogs xylulose and fructose, but is strongly inhibited by the polyols xylitol and sorbitol, especially at acidic pH. In order to understand the atomic details of polyol binding to the XI active site, a 2.0 Å resolution room-temperature joint X-ray/neutron structure of XI in complex with Ni2+ cofactors and sorbitol inhibitor at pH 5.9 and a room-temperature X-ray structure of XI containing Mg2+ ions and xylitol at the physiological pH of 7.7 were obtained. The protonation of oxygen O5 of the inhibitor, which was found to be deprotonated and negatively charged in previous structures of XI complexed with linear glucose and xylulose, was directly observed. The Ni2+ ions occupying the catalytic metal site (M2) were found at two locations, while Mg2+ in M2 is very mobile and has a high B factor. Under acidic conditions sorbitol gains a water-mediated interaction that connects its O1 hydroxyl to Asp257. This contact is not found in structures at basic pH. The new interaction that is formed may improve the binding of the inhibitor, providing an explanation for the increased affinity of the polyols for XI at low pH. PMID:22948921

Is da Vinci Xi Better than da Vinci Si in Robotic Rectal Cancer Surgery? Comparison of the 2 Generations of da Vinci Systems.

PubMed

Ozben, Volkan; Cengiz, Turgut B; Atasoy, Deniz; Bayraktar, Onur; Aghayeva, Afag; Erguner, Ilknur; Baca, Bilgi; Hamzaoglu, Ismail; Karahasanoglu, Tayfun

2016-10-01

We aimed to compare perioperative outcomes for procedures using the latest generation of da Vinci robot versus its previous version in rectal cancer surgery. Fifty-three patients undergoing robotic rectal cancer surgery between January 2010 and March 2015 were included. Patients were classified into 2 groups (Xi, n=28 vs. Si, n=25) and perioperative outcomes were analyzed. The groups had significant differences including operative procedure, hybrid technique and redocking (P>0.05). In univariate analysis, the Xi group had shorter console times (265.7 vs. 317.1 min, P=0.006) and total operative times (321.6 vs. 360.4 min, P=0.04) and higher number of lymph nodes harvested (27.5 vs. 17.0, P=0.008). In multivariate analysis, Xi robot was associated with a shorter console time (odds ratio: 0.09, P=0.004) with no significant differences regarding other outcomes. Both generations of da Vinci robot led to similar short-term outcomes in rectal cancer surgery, but the Xi robot allowed shorter console times.

Storage stability of packaged baby formula in poly(lactide)-whey protein isolate laminated pouch.

PubMed

Phupoksakul, Thunyaluck; Leuangsukrerk, Manusawee; Somwangthanaroj, Anongnat; Tananuwong, Kanitha; Janjarasskul, Theeranun

2017-08-01

The use of biodegradable polymeric materials has been proposed as an environmentally-friendly alternative to petroleum-based packaging. To extend the shelf life of food products, these bioplastics must possess appropriate barrier properties and food-package stability. In the present study, shelf life analysis of packaged baby formula in biopolymeric, multilayer film, fabricated from poly(lactide) (PLA) and whey protein isolate (WPI), PLA/WPI/PLA and PLA pouches was performed at 4-35  o C and 50-59% relative humidity. Despite the possible sorption of food components into contact PLA surfaces, the results demonstated that the transparency and barrier properties of PLA-based pouches were insignificantly changed over time (P > 0.05), although the films showed a slow rate of color change. The baby formula packaged in PLA/WPI/PLA had a delayed lipid oxidation compared to the sample in the PLA pouch, especially at a higher temperature. The application of WPI in the multilayer structure shifted the shelf life determination factor from lipid oxidation to moisture gain. The results indicate that the PLA/WPI/PLA pouch has good storage stability. The film could be used to package dry food properly at 4-35  o C and 50-59% relative humidity for an extended period of time. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Choosing the Active X: The Human Version of X Inactivation.

PubMed

Migeon, Barbara R

2017-12-01

Humans and rodents differ in how they carry out X inactivation (XI), the mammalian method to compensate for the different number of X chromosomes in males and females. Evolutionary changes in staging embryogenesis and in mutations within the XI center alter the process among mammals. The mouse model of XI is predicated on X counting and subsequently choosing the X to 'inactivate'. However, new evidence suggests that humans initiate XI by protecting one X in both sexes from inactivation by XIST, the noncoding RNA that silences the inactive X. This opinion article explores the question of how the active X is protected from silencing by its own Xist locus, and the possibility of different solutions for mouse and human. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Revisit submergence of ice blocks in front of ice cover—an experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Wu, Yi-fan; Sui, Jueyi

2018-04-01

The present paper studies the stabilities of ice blocks in front of an ice cover based on experiments carried out in laboratory by using four types of ice blocks with different dimensions. The forces acting on the ice blocks in front of the ice cover are analyzed. The critical criteria for the entrainment of ice blocks in front of the ice cover are established by considering the drag force caused by the flowing water, the collision force, and the hydraulic pressure force. Formula for determining whether or not an ice block will be entrained under the ice cover is derived. All three dimensions of the ice block are considered in the proposed formula. The velocities calculated by using the developed formula are compared with those of calculated by other formulas proposed by other researchers, as well as the measured flow velocities for the entrainment of ice blocks in laboratory. The fitting values obtained by using the derived formula agree well with the experimental results.

An analysis of lateral stability in power-off flight with charts for use in design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, Charles H

1937-01-01

The aerodynamic and mass factors governing lateral stability are discussed and formulas are given for their estimation. Relatively simple relationships between the governing factors and the resulting stability characteristics are presented. A series of charts is included with which approximate stability characteristics may be rapidly estimated. The effects of the various governing factors upon the stability characteristics are discussed in detail. It is pointed out that much additional research is necessary both to correlate stability characteristics with riding, flying, and handling qualities and to provide suitable data for accurate estimates of those characteristics of an airplane while it is in the design stage.

A Model-Based Diagnosis Framework for Distributed Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-04

of centralized compilation techniques as applied to [6] Marco Cadoli and Francesco M . Donini . A survey several areas, of which diagnosis is one. Our...for doing so than the family for that (1) Vi 1 ... m . Xi E 2V; (2) V ui(Xi[Xi E 1). tree-structured systems. For simplicity of notation, we will that (i...our diagnosis synthesis diagnoses using a likelihood weight ri assigned to each as- algorithm. sumable Ai, i = I, ... m . Using the likelihood algebra

Study on collaborative operation in Xi'an international inland port and airport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Guoling

2017-10-01

Xi 'an international inland port and airport are the important fulcrums for Shaanxi province to implement the strategy of "One Belt One Road" and to develop its export-oriented economy. Based on the general development situation of Xi 'an international inland port and airport and analyzing their similarities and differences, the external cause and internal cause of synergy are discussed. The contents of synergy from the strategy level, tactics level and business level are explained respectively.

Genetics Home Reference: fibrochondrogenesis

MedlinePlus

... provide instructions for making components of type XI collagen, which is a complex molecule that gives structure ... the body's joints and organs. Specifically, type XI collagen is found in cartilage, a tough but flexible ...

Analysis and testing of numerical formulas for the initial value problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, R. L.; Kovach, K. R.; Popyack, J. L.

1980-01-01

Three computer programs for evaluating and testing numerical integration formulas used with fixed stepsize programs to solve initial value systems of ordinary differential equations are described. A program written in PASCAL SERIES, takes as input the differential equations and produces a FORTRAN subroutine for the derivatives of the system and for computing the actual solution through recursive power series techniques. Both of these are used by STAN, a FORTRAN program that interactively displays a discrete analog of the Liapunov stability region of any two dimensional subspace of the system. The derivatives may be used by CLMP, a FORTRAN program, to test the fixed stepsize formula against a good numerical result and interactively display the solutions.

The calibration analysis of soil infiltration formula in farmland scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Tao; Han, Na Na; Chang, Shuan Ling

2018-06-01

Soil infiltration characteristic is an important basis of farmland scale parameter estimation. Based on 12 groups of double-loop infiltration tests conducted in the test field of tianjin agricultural university west campus. Based on the calibration theory and the combination of statistics, the calibration analysis of phillips formula was carried out and the spatial variation characteristics of the calibration factor were analyzed. Results show that in study area based on the soil stability infiltration rate A calculate calibration factor αA calibration effect is best, that is suitable for the area formula of calibration infiltration and αA variation coefficient is 0.3234, with A certain degree of spatial variability.

Genetics Home Reference: otospondylomegaepiphyseal dysplasia

MedlinePlus

... instructions for making one component of type XI collagen, which is a complex molecule that gives structure ... support the body's joints and organs. Type XI collagen is found in cartilage, a tough but flexible ...

Clustering of galaxies near damped Lyman-alpha systems with (z) = 2.6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, A. M

1993-01-01

The galaxy two-point correlation function, xi, at (z) = 2.6 is determined by comparing the number of Ly-alpha-emitting galaxies in narrowband CCD fields selected for the presence of damped L-alpha absorption to their number in randomly selected control fields. Comparisons between the presented determination of (xi), a density-weighted volume average of xi, and model predictions for (xi) at large redshifts show that models in which the clustering pattern is fixed in proper coordinates are highly unlikely, while better agreement is obtained if the clustering pattern is fixed in comoving coordinates. Therefore, clustering of Ly-alpha-emitting galaxies around damped Ly-alpha systems at large redshifts is strong. It is concluded that the faint blue galaxies are drawn from a parent population different from normal galaxies, the presumed offspring of damped Ly-alpha systems.

Educational Pico-Satellite Project CUBESAT - University of Tokyo's CUBESAT XI and its Operation Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuda, Y.; Sako, N.; Eishima, T.; Ito, T.; Arikawa, Y.; Miyamura, N.

2002-01-01

University of Tokyo ISSL (Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory) has been developing a pico-satellite called "CubeSat" as an international joint program. In CubeSat project, 10cm cubic satellites have been developed by several universities and launched to the low-earth orbit altogether by Russian rocket "Dnepr". ISSL has developed "XI" series ([sai]: X-factor Investigator) satellites, and the flight model is already fabricated and ready for delivery. The mission of XI satellite is the on-orbit technology demonstration of the ultra-small satellite bus system with an extensive use of commercial-off-the-shelf components. XI transmits the Morse beacon and FM packet telemetry which provides the health data of the satellite. Additionally, XI has a CMOS camera which provides 15,000 pixels panchromatic images as an advanced mission. Ground operation is one of the key issues for CubeSats. Now we are promoting international ground station network in which several universities' ground stations connected by internet collaboratively operate university-built small satellites, which enlarges the link opportunity. Collaboration with amateur HAM engineers is also indispensable for search for the satellite or get beacon signal to estimate the satellite orbit. We are now developing operation concept based on these ideas. As the launch is scheduled in this fall, the operation plan will be fixed at the time of this conference. In this presentation the final design of ISSL's CubeSat XI and operation plan will be presented.

Human X chromosome inactivation and reactivation: implications for cell reprogramming and disease.

PubMed

Cantone, Irene; Fisher, Amanda G

2017-11-05

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an exemplar of epigenetic regulation that is set up as pluripotent cells differentiate. Once established, XCI is stably propagated, but can be reversed in vivo or by pluripotent reprogramming in vitro Although reprogramming provides a useful model for inactive X (Xi) reactivation in mouse, the relative instability and heterogeneity of human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells hampers comparable progress in human. Here we review studies aimed at reactivating the human Xi using different reprogramming strategies. We outline our recent results using mouse ES cells to reprogramme female human fibroblasts by cell-cell fusion. We show that pluripotent reprogramming induces widespread and rapid chromatin remodelling in which the human Xi loses XIST and H3K27m3 enrichment and selected Xi genes become reactivated, ahead of mitotic division. Using RNA sequencing to map the extent of human Xi reactivation, and chromatin-modifying drugs to potentiate reactivation, we outline how this approach could be used to better design strategies to re-express human X-linked loci. As cell fusion induces the expression of human pluripotency genes that represent both the 'primed' and 'naive' states, this approach may also offer a fresh opportunity to segregate human pluripotent states with distinct Xi expression profiles, using single-cell-based approaches.This article is part of the themed issue 'X-chromosome inactivation: a tribute to Mary Lyon'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Multiquadrant robotic colorectal surgery: the da Vinci Xi vs Si comparison.

PubMed

Protyniak, Bogdan; Jorden, Jeffrey; Farmer, Russell

2018-03-01

The newly introduced da Vinci Xi Surgical System hopes to address the shortcomings of its predecessor, specifically robotic arm restrictions and difficulty working in multiple quadrants. We compare the two robot platforms in multiquadrant surgery at a major colorectal referral center. Forty-four patients in the da Vinci Si group and 26 patients in the Xi group underwent sigmoidectomy or low anterior resection between 2014 and 2016. Patient demographics, operative variables, and postoperative outcomes were compared using descriptive statistics. Both groups were similar in age, sex, BMI, pelvic surgeries, and ASA class. Splenic flexure was mobilized in more (p = 0.045) da Vinci Xi cases compared to da Vinci Si both for sigmoidectomy (50 vs 15.4%) and low anterior resection (60 vs 29%). There was no significant difference in operative time (219.9 vs 224.7 min; p = 0.640), blood loss (170.0 vs 188.1 mL; p = 0.289), length of stay (5.7 vs 6 days; p = 0.851), or overall complications (26.9 vs 22.7%; p = 0.692) between the da Vinci Xi and Si groups, respectively. Single-dock multiquadrant robotic surgery, measured by splenic flexure mobilization with concomitant pelvic dissection, was more frequently performed using the da Vinci Xi platform with no increase in operative time, bleeding, or postoperative complications. The new platform provides surgeons an easier alternative to the da Vinci Si dual docking or combined robotic/laparoscopic multiquadrant surgery.

Impact on air quality of measures to reduce CO2 emissions from road traffic in Basel, Rotterdam, Xi'an and Suzhou

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keuken, M. P.; Jonkers, S.; Verhagen, H. L. M.; Perez, L.; Trüeb, S.; Okkerse, W.-J.; Liu, J.; Pan, X. C.; Zheng, L.; Wang, H.; Xu, R.; Sabel, C. E.

2014-12-01

Two traffic scenarios to reduce CO2 emissions from road traffic in two European cities (Basel and Rotterdam) and two Chinese cities (Xi'an and Suzhou) were evaluated in terms of their impact on air quality. The two scenarios, one modelling a reduction of private vehicle kilometres driven by 10% on urban streets and the other modelling the introduction of 50% electric-powered private vehicle kilometres on urban streets, were both compared to a scenario following “business-as-usual”: 2020-BAU. The annual average concentrations of NO2, PM2.5, PM10 and elemental carbon (EC) were modelled separately in busy street canyons, near urban motorways and in the remainder of the urban area. It was concluded that traffic-related CO2 emissions in 2020-BAU could be expected to remain at the levels of 2010 in Basel and Rotterdam, while in Xi'an and Suzhou to increase 30-50% due to growth in the traffic volume. Traffic-related CO2 emissions may be reduced by up to 5% and 25%, respectively using the first and second scenarios. Air pollution in the Chinese cities is a factor 3 to 5 higher than in the European cities in 2010 and 2020-BAU. The impact of both CO2 reduction scenarios on air quality in 2020-BAU is limited. In Europe, due to implementation of stringent emission standards in all sectors, air quality is expected to improve at both the urban background and near busy road traffic. In China, the regional background is expected to improve for EC, stabilize for PM2.5 and PM10, and decrease for NO2. The urban background follows this regional trend, while near busy road traffic, air pollution will remain elevated due to the considerable growth in traffic volume. A major constraint for modelling air quality in China is access to the input data required and lack of measurements at ground level for validation.

Phase stability and electronic structure of UMo2Al20: A first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peng-Chuang; Xian, Ya-Jiang; Wang, Xin; Zhang, Yu-Ting; Zhang, Peng-Cheng

2017-09-01

In this paper, the phase stability of UMo2Al20 was explored using cluster formula in combination with first-principles calculations. Cluster formula analysis uncovered that the compound was composed of two principal clusters, i.e. [Mo-Al12] and [U-Al16]. The electronic interactions between U, Mo and Al atoms in this compound were discussed using elastic property, Bader charges and energy-resolved local bonding analysis, as well as the electronic interactions between Mo and Al atoms in [Mo-Al12] cluster and between U and Al atoms in [U-Al16] cluster. It revealed that UMo2Al20 satisfied the mechanical stability criterion for cubic system, and exhibited near ionic bonding character with weak bonding directionality. The calculations within both standard DFT and HSE frameworks demonstrated that U and Al atoms acted as an electron donor while Mo atoms acted as electron acceptor. The intrinsic stability of UMo2Al20 mainly stemmed from the bonding states of Mo-Al bonds and Al-Al bonds in [Mo-Al12] cluster. These calculations provide a further insight on the CeCr2Al20-type ternary compounds.

Search for Exotic S=-2 Baryons in proton-antiproton Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

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

Abulencia, A.; Adelman, J.; Affolder, T.

2006-12-01

A search for a manifestly exotic S = -2 baryon state decaying to {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}, and its neutral partner decaying to {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}, has been performed using 220 pb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The {Xi}{sup -} trajectories were measured in a silicon tracker before their decay, resulting in a sample with low background and excellent position resolution. No evidence was found for S = -2 pentaquark candidates in the invariant mass range of 1600-2100 MeV/c{sup 2}. Upper limits on the product of pentaquark production crossmore » section times its branching fraction to {Xi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +,-}, relative to the cross section of the well established {Xi}(1530) resonance, are presented for neutral and doubly negative candidates with p{sub T} > 2 GeV/c and |y| < 1 as a function of pentaquark mass. At 1862 MeV/c{sup 2}, these upper limits for neutral and doubly negative final states were found to be 3.2% and 1.7% at the 90% confidence level, respectively.« less

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

Delgado-Acosta, E. G.; Napsuciale, Mauro; Rodriguez, Simon

We develop a second order formalism for massive spin 1/2 fermions based on the projection over Poincare invariant subspaces in the ((1/2),0)+(0,(1/2)) representation of the homogeneous Lorentz group. Using the U(1){sub em} gauge principle we obtain a second order description for the electromagnetic interactions of a spin 1/2 fermion with two free parameters, the gyromagnetic factor g and a parameter {xi} related to odd-parity Lorentz structures. We calculate Compton scattering in this formalism. In the particular case g=2, {xi}=0, and for states with well-defined parity, we recover Dirac results. In general, we find the correct classical limit and a finitemore » value r{sub c}{sup 2} for the forward differential cross section, independent of the photon energy and of the value of the parameters g and {xi}. The differential cross section vanishes at high energies for all g, {xi} except in the forward direction. The total cross section at high energies vanishes only for g=2, {xi}=0. We argue that this formalism is more convenient than Dirac theory in the description of low energy electromagnetic properties of baryons and illustrate the point with the proton case.« less

Baryon masses and axial couplings in the combined 1/N{sub c} and Chiral expansions

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

Alvaro Calle Cordon, Jose Goity

The effective theory for baryons with a combined 1/N{sub c} and chiral expansions is analyzed for non-strange baryons. Results for baryon masses and axial couplings are obtained in the small scale expansion, to be coined as the {xi}-expansion, in which the 1/N{sub c} and the low energy power countings are linked according to 1/N{sub c}=O({xi})=O(p). Masses and axial couplings are analyzed to O({xi}{sup 3}) and O({xi}{sup 2}) respectively, which correspond to next-to-next to leading order evaluations, and require one-loop contributions in the effective theory. The role of the spin-flavor approximate symmetry in baryons, consequence of the large N{sub c} limit,more » is manifested in the physical world with N{sub c}=3 in a significant way, as the analysis of its breaking in the masses and the axial couplings show. Applications to the recent lattice QCD results on baryon masses and the nucleon's axial coupling are presented. It is shown that those results are naturally described within the effective theory at the order considered in the {xi}-expansion.« less

Second-order numerical methods for multi-term fractional differential equations: Smooth and non-smooth solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Fanhai; Zhang, Zhongqiang; Karniadakis, George Em

2017-12-01

Starting with the asymptotic expansion of the error equation of the shifted Gr\\"{u}nwald--Letnikov formula, we derive a new modified weighted shifted Gr\\"{u}nwald--Letnikov (WSGL) formula by introducing appropriate correction terms. We then apply one special case of the modified WSGL formula to solve multi-term fractional ordinary and partial differential equations, and we prove the linear stability and second-order convergence for both smooth and non-smooth solutions. We show theoretically and numerically that numerical solutions up to certain accuracy can be obtained with only a few correction terms. Moreover, the correction terms can be tuned according to the fractional derivative orders without explicitly knowing the analytical solutions. Numerical simulations verify the theoretical results and demonstrate that the new formula leads to better performance compared to other known numerical approximations with similar resolution.

Genetics Home Reference: Weissenbacher-Zweymüller syndrome

MedlinePlus

... instructions for making one component of type XI collagen, which is a complex molecule that gives structure ... support the body's joints and organs. Type XI collagen is found in cartilage, a tough but flexible ...

What Are Rare Clotting Factor Deficiencies?

MedlinePlus

... Deficiency Factor V Deficiency Combined FV & FVIII Deficiencies Factor VII Deficiency Factor X Deficiency Factor XI Deficiency Factor ... Deficiency Factor V Deficiency Combined FV & FVIII Deficiencies Factor VII Deficiency Factor X Deficiency Factor XI Deficiency Factor ...

An experimental study of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability critical wave length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Xujing; Wang, Youchun; Zhang, Shufei; Xu, Hongkun

1992-06-01

A physical model has been constructed to represent the condensate film pattern on a horizontal downward-facing surface with fins, which is based on visual observation in experiment. The results of analysis using this model confirms the validity of the critical wave length formula obtained from Rayleigh-Taylor stability analysis. This formula may be used as a criterion to design horizontal downward-facing surfaces with fins that can best destabilize the condensate film, thus enhancing condensation heat transfer.

Methods and formulas for calculating the strength of plate and shell constructions as used in airplane design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heck, O S; Ebner, H

1936-01-01

This report is a compilation of previously published articles on formulas and methods of calculation for the determination of the strength and stability of plate and shell construction as employed in airplane design. In particular, it treats the problem of isotropic, orthotopic, and stiffened rectangular plates, thin curved panels, and circular cylinders under various loading conditions. The purpose of appending the pertinent literature references following the subjects discussed was to facilitate a comprehensive study of the treated problems.

Robust exponential stability of uncertain delayed neural networks with stochastic perturbation and impulse effects.

PubMed

Huang, Tingwen; Li, Chuandong; Duan, Shukai; Starzyk, Janusz A

2012-06-01

This paper focuses on the hybrid effects of parameter uncertainty, stochastic perturbation, and impulses on global stability of delayed neural networks. By using the Ito formula, Lyapunov function, and Halanay inequality, we established several mean-square stability criteria from which we can estimate the feasible bounds of impulses, provided that parameter uncertainty and stochastic perturbations are well-constrained. Moreover, the present method can also be applied to general differential systems with stochastic perturbation and impulses.

Superspace and global stability in general relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurzadyan, A. V.; Kocharyan, A. A.

A framework is developed enabling the global analysis of the stability of cosmological models using the local geometric characteristics of the infinite-dimensional superspace, i.e. using the generalized Jacobi equation reformulated for pseudo-Riemannian manifolds. We give a direct formalism for dynamical analysis in the superspace, the requisite equation pertinent for stability analysis of the universe by means of generalized covariant and Fermi derivative is derived. Then, the relevant definitions and formulae are retrieved for cosmological models with a scalar field.

A Comprehensive Study of the Tocks Island Lake Project and Alternatives. Part A. Chapters I, II, III. Analysis of Service Areas and Resource Needs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-06-01

Conventional Hydroelectric and Pumped Storage Power XI- 49 2. Electric Power Demand XI- 53 3. Water Demand by Power Plants XI- 54 4. Fossil and Nuclear ...Systems and Temporary Evacuation XV- 32 12. Upstream Land Use and Agricultural Treatment XV- 32 13. Results and Criteria for Further Analysis XV- 33... resulted in record flows and significant flooding. The August, 1955, flood was a result of Hurricanes Connie and Diane. Northern New Jersey streams have had

Oversight Hearings on the Implementation of Title XI, Public Law 95-561: Problems in the BIA Portland Area. Hearings before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-Sixth Congress, Second Session (July 28-29, 1980).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and Labor.

The Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and XI, Public Law 95-561: Problems in the BIA Portland Area. issue of administrative funds (Element 10, Title XI, Basic Indian Education Act) to be allotted to the Portland area of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Maxine Edmo, president of the Advocates for Indian Education educational arm of the…

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, John P; Mckinney, Marion O

1952-01-01

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

Detection of mecC-Positive Staphylococcus aureus (CC130-MRSA-XI) in Diseased European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Sweden

PubMed Central

Monecke, Stefan; Gavier-Widen, Dolores; Mattsson, Roland; Rangstrup-Christensen, Lena; Lazaris, Alexandros; Coleman, David C.; Shore, Anna C.; Ehricht, Ralf

2013-01-01

Recently, a novel mec gene conferring beta-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus has been discovered. This gene, mecC, is situated on a SCCmec XI element that has to date been identified in clonal complexes 49, 130, 425, 599 and 1943. Some of the currently known isolates have been identified from animals. This, and observations of mecA alleles that do not confer beta-lactam resistance, indicate that mec genes might have a reservoir in Staphylococcus species from animals. Thus it is important also to screen wildlife isolates for mec genes. Here, we describe mecC-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ST130-MRSA-XI) and the lesions related to the infection in two diseased free-ranging European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus). One was found dead in 2003 in central Sweden, and suffered from S. aureus septicaemia. The other one, found on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea in 2011, showed a severe dermatitis and was euthanised. ST130-MRSA-XI isolates were isolated from lesions from both hedgehogs and were essentially identical to previously described isolates from humans. Both isolates carried the complete SCCmec XI element. They lacked the lukF-PV/lukS-PV and lukM/lukF-P83 genes, but harboured a gene for an exfoliative toxin homologue previously described from Staphylococcus hyicus, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and other S. aureus of the CC130 lineage. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported cases of CC130-MRSA-XI in hedgehogs. Given that one of the samples was taken as early as 2003, this was the earliest detection of this strain and of mecC in Sweden. This and several other recent observations suggest that CC130 might be a zoonotic lineage of S. aureus and that SCCmec XI/mecC may have originated from animal pathogens. PMID:23776626

Detection of mecC-positive Staphylococcus aureus (CC130-MRSA-XI) in diseased European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Sweden.

PubMed

Monecke, Stefan; Gavier-Widen, Dolores; Mattsson, Roland; Rangstrup-Christensen, Lena; Lazaris, Alexandros; Coleman, David C; Shore, Anna C; Ehricht, Ralf

2013-01-01

Recently, a novel mec gene conferring beta-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus has been discovered. This gene, mecC, is situated on a SCCmec XI element that has to date been identified in clonal complexes 49, 130, 425, 599 and 1943. Some of the currently known isolates have been identified from animals. This, and observations of mecA alleles that do not confer beta-lactam resistance, indicate that mec genes might have a reservoir in Staphylococcus species from animals. Thus it is important also to screen wildlife isolates for mec genes. Here, we describe mecC-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ST130-MRSA-XI) and the lesions related to the infection in two diseased free-ranging European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus). One was found dead in 2003 in central Sweden, and suffered from S. aureus septicaemia. The other one, found on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea in 2011, showed a severe dermatitis and was euthanised. ST130-MRSA-XI isolates were isolated from lesions from both hedgehogs and were essentially identical to previously described isolates from humans. Both isolates carried the complete SCCmec XI element. They lacked the lukF-PV/lukS-PV and lukM/lukF-P83 genes, but harboured a gene for an exfoliative toxin homologue previously described from Staphylococcus hyicus, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and other S. aureus of the CC130 lineage. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported cases of CC130-MRSA-XI in hedgehogs. Given that one of the samples was taken as early as 2003, this was the earliest detection of this strain and of mecC in Sweden. This and several other recent observations suggest that CC130 might be a zoonotic lineage of S. aureus and that SCCmec XI/mecC may have originated from animal pathogens.

The Intrinsic Pathway of Coagulation as a Target for Antithrombotic Therapy

PubMed Central

Wheeler, Allison P.; Gailani, David

2016-01-01

Plasma coagulation in the activated partial thromboplastin time assay is initiated by sequential activation of coagulation factors XII, XI and IX – the classical intrinsic pathway of coagulation. It is well recognized that this series of proteolytic reactions is not an accurate model for hemostasis in vivo, as factor XII deficiency does not cause abnormal bleeding, and fXI deficiency causes a relatively mild propensity to bleed excessively with injury. Despite their limited roles in hemostasis, there is mounting evidence that fXI and fXII contribute to thrombosis, and that inhibiting them can produce an antithrombotic effect with a relatively small effect on hemostasis. In this chapter the contributions of components of the intrinsic pathway to thrombosis in animal models and humans are discussed, and results of early clinical trials of drugs targeting factors IX, XI and XII are presented. PMID:27637310

Spherical means of solutions of partial differential equations in a conical region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ting, L.

1975-01-01

The spherical means of the solutions of a linear partial differential equation Lu = f in a conical region are studied. The conical region is bounded by a surface generated by curvilinear xi lines and by two truncating xi surfaces. The spherical mean is the average of u over a constant xi surface. Conditions on the linear differential operator, L, and on the orthogonal coordinates xi, eta, and zeta are established so that the problem for the determination of the spherical mean of the solution subjected to the appropriate boundary and initial conditions can be reduced to a problem with only one space variable. Conditions are then established so that the spherical mean of the solution in one conical region will be proportional to that of a known solution in another conical region. Applications to various problems of mathematical physics and their physical interpretations are presented.

Ground Subsidence Monitoring with MT-InSAR and Mechanism Inversion Over Xi'an, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, M. M.; Zhao, C. Y.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, J.; Liu, Y. Y.

2018-04-01

The ancient Xi'an, China, has been suffering severe land subsidence and ground fissure hazards since the 1960s, which has affected the safety of Subways. Multi-sensor SAR data are conducted to monitor the latest complex ground deformation and its influence on subway line No.3 over Xi'an. Annual deformation rates have been retrieved to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution of ground subsidence in Xi'an city from 2013 to 2017. Meanwhile, the correlation between land subsidence and ground fissures are analyzed by retrieving the deformation differences in both sides of the fissures. Besides, the deformation along subway line No. 3 is analyzed, and the fast deformation section is quantitatively studied. Finally, a flat lying sill model with distributed contractions is implemented to model the InSAR deformation over YHZ subsidence center, which manifests that the ground deformation is mainly caused by groundwater withdrawal.

How cosmic microwave background correlations at large angles relate to mass autocorrelations in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blumenthal, George R.; Johnston, Kathryn V.

1994-01-01

The Sachs-Wolfe effect is known to produce large angular scale fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) due to gravitational potential fluctuations. We show how the angular correlation function of the CMBR can be expressed explicitly in terms of the mass autocorrelation function xi(r) in the universe. We derive analytic expressions for the angular correlation function and its multipole moments in terms of integrals over xi(r) or its second moment, J(sub 3)(r), which does not need to satisfy the sort of integral constraint that xi(r) must. We derive similar expressions for bulk flow velocity in terms of xi and J(sub 3). One interesting result that emerges directly from this analysis is that, for all angles theta, there is a substantial contribution to the correlation function from a wide range of distance r and that radial shape of this contribution does not vary greatly with angle.

A Robust Cooperated Control Method with Reinforcement Learning and Adaptive H∞ Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obayashi, Masanao; Uchiyama, Shogo; Kuremoto, Takashi; Kobayashi, Kunikazu

This study proposes a robust cooperated control method combining reinforcement learning with robust control to control the system. A remarkable characteristic of the reinforcement learning is that it doesn't require model formula, however, it doesn't guarantee the stability of the system. On the other hand, robust control system guarantees stability and robustness, however, it requires model formula. We employ both the actor-critic method which is a kind of reinforcement learning with minimal amount of computation to control continuous valued actions and the traditional robust control, that is, H∞ control. The proposed system was compared method with the conventional control method, that is, the actor-critic only used, through the computer simulation of controlling the angle and the position of a crane system, and the simulation result showed the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Translation and Validation of a Korean Version of the Xerostomia Inventory in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

PubMed

Lee, Jennifer; Koh, Jung Hee; Kwok, Seung-Ki; Park, Sung-Hwan

2016-05-01

This study was conducted to generate and validate a cross-culturally adapted Korean version of the xerostomia inventory (XI), an 11-item questionnaire designed to measure the severity of xerostomia. The original English version of the XI was translated into Korean according to the guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality-of-life measures. Among a prospective cohort of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) in Korea, 194 patients were analyzed. Internal consistency was evaluated by using Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability was obtained by using an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. Construct validity was investigated by performing a correlation analysis between XI total score and salivary flow rate (SFR). Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was 0.868, and the ICC for test-retest reliability ranged from 0.48 to 0.827, with a median value of 0.72. Moderate negative correlations between XI score and stimulated SFR, unstimulated SFR, and differential (stimulated minus unstimulated) SFR were observed (Spearman's rho, ρ = -0.515, -0.447, and -0.482, respectively; P < 0.001). The correlation analysis between the visual analogue scale (VAS) score of overall dryness and SFR indicated a smaller ρ value (-0.235 [P = 0.006], -0.243 [P = 0.002], and -0.252 [P = 0.003], respectively), which supports that XI more accurately reflects the degree of xerostomia in the pSS patients. In conclusion, the Korean version of the XI is a reliable tool to estimate the severity of xerostomia in patients with pSS.

Safety evaluation of a human chimeric monoclonal antibody that recognizes the extracellular loop domain of claudin-2.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Yosuke; Hata, Tomoyuki; Tada, Minoru; Iida, Manami; Watari, Akihiro; Okada, Yoshiaki; Doi, Takefumi; Kuniyasu, Hiroki; Yagi, Kiyohito; Kondoh, Masuo

2018-05-30

Claudin-2 (CLDN-2), a pore-forming tight junction protein with a tetra-transmembrane domain, is involved in carcinogenesis and the metastasis of some cancers. Although CLDN-2 is highly expressed in the tight junctions of the liver and kidney, whether CLDN-2 is a safe target for cancer therapy remains unknown. We recently generated a rat monoclonal antibody (mAb, clone 1A2) that recognizes the extracellular domains of human and mouse CLDN-2. Here, we investigated the safety of CLDN-2-targeted cancer therapy by using 1A2 as a model therapeutic antibody. Because most human therapeutic mAbs are IgG1 subtype that can induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, we generated a human-rat chimeric IgG1 form of 1A2 (xi-1A2). xi-1A2 activated Fcγ receptor IIIa in the presence of CLDN-2-expressing cells, indicating that xi-1A2 likely exerts antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. At 24 h after its intravenous injection, xi-1A2 was distributed into the liver, kidney, and tumor tissues of mice bearing CLDN-2-expressing fibrosarcoma cells. Treatment of the xenografted mice with xi-1A2 attenuated tumor growth without apparent adverse effects, such as changes in body weight and biochemical markers of liver and kidney injury. These results support xi-1A2 as the lead candidate mAb for safe CLDN-2-targeted cancer therapy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Operative technique and early experience for robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (RALNU) using da Vinci Xi.

PubMed

Darwiche, Fadi; Swain, Sanjaya; Kallingal, George; Punnen, Sanoj; Manoharan, Murugesan; Parekh, Dipen J; Gonzalgo, Mark L

2015-01-01

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (RALNU) has been previously utilized for management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. The da Vinci Xi surgical system was released in April of 2014. We describe our operative technique and early experience for RALNU using the da Vinci Xi system highlighting unique features of this surgical platform. A total of 10 patients with a diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma underwent RALNU using the da Vinci Xi system between April and November of 2014. A novel, oblique "in line" robotic trocar configuration was utilized to access the upper abdomen (nephrectomy portion) and pelvis (bladder cuff excision) without undocking. The port hopping feature of da Vinci Xi was utilized to facilitate optimal, multi-quadrant visualization during RALNU. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy was successfully completed without open conversion in all 10 patients. Mean operative time was 184 min (range 140-300 min), mean estimated blood loss was 121 cc (range 60-300 cc), and mean hospital stay was 2.4 days. Final pathology demonstrated high grade urothelial carcinoma in all patients. Surgical margins were negative in all patients. No intra-operative complications were encountered. One patient developed a pulmonary embolus after being discharged. No patients required a blood transfusion. Mean patient follow-up was 130 days (range 15-210 days). The use of da Vinci Xi with a novel, oblique "in line" port configuration and camera port hopping technique allows for an efficient and reproducible method for RALNU without the need for repositioning the patient or the robot during surgery.

Localized N, {lambda}, {sigma}, and {xi} single-particle potentials in finite nuclei calculated with SU{sub 6} quark-model baryon-baryon interactions

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

Kohno, M.; Fujiwara, Y.

Localized single-particle potentials for all octet baryons, N, {lambda}, {sigma}, and {xi}, in finite nuclei, {sup 12}C, {sup 16}O, {sup 28}Si, {sup 40}Ca, {sup 56}Fe, and {sup 90}Zr, are calculated using the quark-model baryon-baryon interactions. G matrices evaluated in symmetric nuclear matter in the lowest order Brueckner theory (LOBT) are applied to finite nuclei in local density approximation. Nonlocal potentials are localized by a zero-momentum Wigner transformation. Empirical single-particle properties of the nucleon and the {lambda} hyperon in a nuclear medium have been known to be explained semiquantitatively in the LOBT framework. Attention is focused in the present consideration onmore » predictions for the {sigma} and {xi} hyperons. The unified description for the octet baryon-baryon interactions by the SU{sub 6} quark model enables us to obtain less ambiguous extrapolation to the S=-1 and S=-2 sectors based on the knowledge in the NN sector than other potential models. The {sigma} mean field is shown to be weakly attractive at the surface, but turns out to be repulsive inside, which is consistent with the experimental evidence. The {xi} hyperon s.p. potential is also attractive at the nuclear surface region, and inside it fluctuates around zero. Hence {xi} hypernuclear bound states are unlikely. We also evaluate energy shifts of the {sigma}{sup -} and {xi}{sup -} atomic levels in {sup 28}Si and {sup 56}Fe, using the calculated s.p. potentials.« less

Suspended particle destabilization in retained urban stormwater as a function of coagulant dosage and redox conditions.

PubMed

Sansalone, John J; Kim, Jong-Yeop

2008-02-01

Source area runoff entrains a hetero-disperse particle size distribution (PSD). When retained for clarification, larger sediment and settleable particles are mainly influenced by gravitational forces, while the suspended particles, in particular the clay-size particles, are subject to coagulation phenomena. Such phenomena occur in untreated runoff as well as runoff treated with a coagulant, albeit to differing rates and extents. Runoff PSDs and water chemistry indices including zeta potential (xi) are potentially modified during inter-event stormwater retention in best management practices (BMPs). This study examined xi of clay-size particles (<2 microm) in retained runoff, captured from an instrumented watershed, subject to batch coagulation and variable redox conditions. Separate parallel tests were also conducted with wastewater. Significant turbidity, particle mass (measured as total suspended solids (TSS)) and volume concentration (as total volume concentration (TVC)) reduction generated by alum and ferric chloride consistently occurred at a xi in the range of -15 to about -10 mV. Alum addition produced a charge reversal at dosing above 60 mg/L (18 x 10(-5)M) while ferric chloride did not reverse charge. With respect to turbidity and TSS reductions, alum outperformed ferric chloride, without the need for pH control. While xi illustrated no clear trend during aerobic retention, anoxic retention resulted in a trend for xi approaching the isoelectric point. The decrease in negative xi towards the isoelectric point appears to be a result of the coupled pH depression under reductive conditions and an increase in conductivity. Results have significant implications for BMPs that retain runoff between events.

Flight Performance of the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dillman, Robert; DiNonno, John; Bodkin, Richard; Gsell, Valerie; Miller, Nathanael; Olds, Aaron; Bruce, Walter

2013-01-01

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment 3 (IRVE-3) launched July 23, 2012, from NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on a Black Brant XI suborbital sounding rocket and successfully performed its mission, demonstrating the survivability of a hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (HIAD) in the reentry heating environment and also illustrating the effect of an offset center of gravity on the HIAD's lift-to-drag ratio. IRVE-3 was a follow-on to 2009's IRVE-II mission, which demonstrated exo-atmospheric inflation, reentry survivability - without significant heating - and the aerodynamic stability of a HIAD down to subsonic flight conditions. NASA Langley Research Center is leading the development of HIAD technology for use on future interplanetary and Earth reentry missions.

Research progress of free space coherent optical communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Zhenkun; Ke, Xizheng

2018-02-01

This paper mainly introduces the research progress of free space coherent optical communication in Xi'an University of Technology. In recent years, the research on the outer modulation technology of the laser, free-space-to-fiber coupling technique, the design of transmitting and receiving optical antenna, adaptive optical technology with or without wave-front sensor, automatic polarization control technology, frequency stabilization technology, heterodyne detection technology and high speed signal processing technology. Based on the above related research, the digital signal modulation, transmission, detection and data recovery are realized by the heterodyne detection technology in the free space optical communication system, and finally the function of smooth viewing high-definition video is realized.

Galaxy clustering and the origin of large-scale flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juszkiewicz, R.; Yahil, A.

1989-01-01

Peebles's 'cosmic virial theorem' is extended from its original range of validity at small separations, where hydrostatic equilibrium holds, to large separations, in which linear gravitational stability theory applies. The rms pairwise velocity difference at separation r is shown to depend on the spatial galaxy correlation function xi(x) only for x less than r. Gravitational instability theory can therefore be tested by comparing the two up to the maximum separation for which both can reliably be determined, and there is no dependence on the poorly known large-scale density and velocity fields. With the expected improvement in the data over the next few years, however, this method should yield a reliable determination of omega.

What Is Combined Deficiency of Vitamin K-Dependent Clotting Factors?

MedlinePlus

... Deficiency Factor V Deficiency Combined FV & FVIII Deficiencies Factor VII Deficiency Factor X Deficiency Factor XI Deficiency Factor ... Deficiency Factor V Deficiency Combined FV & FVIII Deficiencies Factor VII Deficiency Factor X Deficiency Factor XI Deficiency Factor ...

A Mathematical Model of Anthrax Transmission in Animal Populations.

PubMed

Saad-Roy, C M; van den Driessche, P; Yakubu, Abdul-Aziz

2017-02-01

A general mathematical model of anthrax (caused by Bacillus anthracis) transmission is formulated that includes live animals, infected carcasses and spores in the environment. The basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] is calculated, and existence of a unique endemic equilibrium is established for [Formula: see text] above the threshold value 1. Using data from the literature, elasticity indices for [Formula: see text] and type reproduction numbers are computed to quantify anthrax control measures. Including only herbivorous animals, anthrax is eradicated if [Formula: see text]. For these animals, oscillatory solutions arising from Hopf bifurcations are numerically shown to exist for certain parameter values with [Formula: see text] and to have periodicity as observed from anthrax data. Including carnivores and assuming no disease-related death, anthrax again goes extinct below the threshold. Local stability of the endemic equilibrium is established above the threshold; thus, periodic solutions are not possible for these populations. It is shown numerically that oscillations in spore growth may drive oscillations in animal populations; however, the total number of infected animals remains about the same as with constant spore growth.

Multistrange baryon production in Au-Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=130 GeV.

PubMed

Adams, J; Adler, C; Aggarwal, M M; Ahammed, Z; Amonett, J; Anderson, B D; Arkhipkin, D; Averichev, G S; Bai, Y; Balewski, J; Barannikova, O; Barnby, L S; Baudot, J; Bekele, S; Belaga, V V; Bellwied, R; Berger, J; Bezverkhny, B I; Bharadwaj, S; Bhatia, V S; Bichsel, H; Bland, L C; Blyth, C O; Bonner, B E; Botje, M; Boucham, A; Brandin, A; Bravar, A; Cadman, R V; Cai, X Z; Caines, H; Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, M; Carroll, J; Castillo, J; Cebra, D; Chaloupka, P; Chattopdhyay, S; Chen, H F; Chen, Y; Cheng, J; Cherney, M; Chikanian, A; Christie, W; Coffin, J P; Cormier, T M; Cramer, J G; Crawford, H J; Das, D; Das, S; de Moura, M M; Derevschikov, A A; Didenko, L; Dietel, T; Dong, W J; Dong, X; Draper, J E; Du, F; Dubey, A K; Dunin, V B; Dunlop, J C; Dutta Mazumdar, M R; Eckardt, V; Efimov, L G; Emelianov, V; Engelage, J; Eppley, G; Erazmus, B; Estienne, M; Fachini, P; Faivre, J; Fatemi, R; Fedorisin, J; Filimonov, K; Filip, P; Finch, E; Fine, V; Fisyak, Y; Flierl, D; Foley, K J; Fomenko, K; Fu, J; Gagliardi, C A; Gans, J; Ganti, M S; Gaudichet, L; Geurts, F; Ghazikhanian, V; Ghosh, P; Gonzalez, J E; Grachov, O; Grebenyuk, O; Gronstal, S; Grosnick, D; Guertin, S M; Gupta, A; Gutierrez, T D; Hallman, T J; Hamed, A; Hardtke, D; Harris, J W; Heinz, M; Henry, T W; Hepplemann, S; Hippolyte, B; Hirsch, A; Hjort, E; Hoffmann, G W; Huang, H Z; Huang, S L; Hughes, E; Humanic, T J; Igo, G; Ishihara, A; Jacobs, P; Jacobs, W W; Janik, M; Jiang, H; Jones, P G; Judd, E G; Kabana, S; Kang, K; Kaplan, M; Keane, D; Khodyrev, V Yu; Kiryluk, J; Kisiel, A; Kislov, E M; Klay, J; Klein, S R; Klyachko, A; Koetke, D D; Kollegger, T; Kopytine, M; Kotchenda, L; Kramer, M; Kravtsov, P; Kravtsov, V I; Krueger, K; Kuhn, C; Kulikov, A I; Kumar, A; Kunz, C L; Kutuev, R Kh; Kuznetsov, A A; Lamont, M A C; Landgraf, J M; Lange, S; Lansdell, C L; Laue, F; Lauret, J; Lebedev, A; Lednicky, R; Lehocka, S; LeVine, M J; Li, C; Li, Q; Li, Y; Lindenbaum, S J; Lisa, M A; Liu, F; Liu, L; Liu, Q J; Liu, Z; Ljubicic, T; Llope, W J; Long, H; Longacre, R S; Lopez-Noriega, M; Love, W A; Ludlam, T; Lynn, D; Ma, G L; Ma, J G; Ma, Y G; Magestro, D; Mahajan, S; Mahapatra, D P; Majka, R; Mangotra, L K; Manweiler, R; Margetis, S; Markert, C; Martin, L; Marx, J N; Matis, H S; Matulenko, Yu A; McClain, C J; McShane, T S; Meissner, F; Melnick, Yu; Meschanin, A; Miller, M L; Milosevich, Z; Minaev, N G; Mironov, C; Mischke, A; Mishra, D; Mitchell, J; Mohanty, B; Molnar, L; Moore, C F; Mora-Corral, M J; Morozov, D A; Morozov, V; Munhoz, M G; Nandi, B K; Nayak, T K; Nelson, J M; Netrakanti, P K; Nikitin, V A; Nogach, L V; Norman, B; Nurushev, S B; Odyniec, G; Ogawa, A; Okorokov, V; Oldenburg, M; Olson, D; Pal, S K; Panebratsev, Y; Panitkin, S Y; Pavlinov, A I; Pawlak, T; Peitzmann, T; Perevoztchikov, V; Perkins, C; Peryt, W; Petrov, V A; Phatak, S C; Picha, R; Planinic, M; Pluta, J; Porile, N; Porter, J; Poskanzer, A M; Potekhin, M; Potrebenikova, E; Potukuchi, B V K S; Prindle, D; Pruneau, C; Putschke, J; Rai, G; Rakness, G; Raniwala, R; Raniwala, S; Ravel, O; Ray, R L; Razin, S V; Reichhold, D; Reid, J G; Renault, G; Retiere, F; Ridiger, A; Ritter, H G; Roberts, J B; Rogachevskiy, O V; Romero, J L; Rose, A; Ruan, L; Sakrejda, I; Salur, S; Sandweiss, J; Savin, I; Sazhin, P S; Schambach, J; Scharenberg, R P; Schmitz, N; Schroeder, L S; Schweda, K; Seger, J; Seyboth, P; Shahaliev, E; Shao, M; Shao, W; Sharma, M; Shen, W Q; Shestermanov, K E; Shimanskiy, S S; Simon, F; Singaraju, R N; Skoro, G; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Sood, G; Sorensen, P; Sowinski, J; Speltz, J; Spinka, H M; Srivastava, B; St Claire, L; Stadnik, A; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, A; Strikhanov, M; Stringfellow, B; Struck, C; Suaide, A A P; Sugarbaker, E; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Surrow, B; Symons, T J M; Szanto de Toledo, A; Szarwas, P; Tai, A; Takahashi, J; Tang, A H; Thein, D; Thomas, J H; Timoshenko, S; Tokarev, M; Trainor, T A; Trentalange, S; Tribble, R E; Tsai, O; Ullrich, T; Underwood, D G; Urkinbaev, A; Van Buren, G; Vander Molen, A M; Varma, R; Vasilevski, I M; Vasiliev, A N; Vernet, R; Vigdor, S E; Viyogi, V P; Vokal, S; Vznuzdaev, M; Waggoner, B; Wang, F; Wang, G; Wang, G; Wang, X L; Wang, Y; Wang, Y; Wang, Z M; Ward, H; Webb, J C; Wells, R; Westfall, G D; Wetzler, A; Whitten, C; Wieman, H; Wissink, S W; Witt, R; Wood, J; Wu, J; Xu, N; Xu, Z; Xu, Z; Yamamoto, E; Yepes, P; Yurevich, V I; Zanevsky, Y V; Zhang, H; Zhang, Z P; Zolnierczuk, P A; Zoulkarneev, R; Zoulkarneeva, Y; Zubarev, A N

2004-05-07

The transverse mass spectra and midrapidity yields for Xis and Omegas are presented. For the 10% most central collisions, the (-)Xi(+)/h(-) ratio increases from the Super Proton Synchrotron to the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider energies while the Xi(-)/h(-) stays approximately constant. A hydrodynamically inspired model fit to the Xi spectra, which assumes a thermalized source, seems to indicate that these multistrange particles experience a significant transverse flow effect, but are emitted when the system is hotter and the flow is smaller than values obtained from a combined fit to pi, K, p, and Lambdas.

Nucleon and Delta axial-vector couplings in 1/N{sub c}-Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory

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

Goity, Jose Luis; Calle Cordon, Alvaro

In this contribution, baryon axial-vector couplings are studied in the framework of the combined 1/N{sub c} and chiral expansions. This framework is implemented on the basis of the emergent spin-flavor symmetry in baryons at large N{sub c} and HBChPT, and linking both expansions ({xi}-expansion), where 1/N{sub c} is taken to be a quantity order p. The study is carried out including one-loop contributions, which corresponds to order xi to the third for baryon masses and order {xi} square for the axial couplings.

Loss of Xist RNA from the inactive X during B cell development is restored in a dynamic YY1-dependent two-step process in activated B cells

PubMed Central

Syrett, Camille M.; Sindhava, Vishal; Hodawadekar, Suchita; Myles, Arpita; Liang, Guanxiang; Zhang, Yue; Nandi, Satabdi; Cancro, Michael; Atchison, Michael

2017-01-01

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) in female lymphocytes is uniquely regulated, as the inactive X (Xi) chromosome lacks localized Xist RNA and heterochromatin modifications. Epigenetic profiling reveals that Xist RNA is lost from the Xi at the pro-B cell stage and that additional heterochromatic modifications are gradually lost during B cell development. Activation of mature B cells restores Xist RNA and heterochromatin to the Xi in a dynamic two-step process that differs in timing and pattern, depending on the method of B cell stimulation. Finally, we find that DNA binding domain of YY1 is necessary for XCI in activated B cells, as ex-vivo YY1 deletion results in loss of Xi heterochromatin marks and up-regulation of X-linked genes. Ectopic expression of the YY1 zinc finger domain is sufficient to restore Xist RNA localization during B cell activation. Together, our results indicate that Xist RNA localization is critical for maintaining XCI in female lymphocytes, and that chromatin changes on the Xi during B cell development and the dynamic nature of YY1-dependent XCI maintenance in mature B cells predisposes X-linked immunity genes to reactivation. PMID:28991910

Conversion of partially reprogrammed cells to fully pluripotent stem cells is associated with further activation of stem cell maintenance- and gamete generation-related genes.

PubMed

Kim, Jong Soo; Choi, Hyun Woo; Choi, Sol; Seo, Han Geuk; Moon, Sung-Hwan; Chung, Hyung-Min; Do, Jeong Tae

2014-11-01

Somatic cells are reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by overexpression of a combination of defined transcription factors. We generated iPSCs from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (with Oct4-GFP reporter) by transfection of pCX-OSK-2A (Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4) and pCX-cMyc vectors. We could generate partially reprogrammed cells (XiPS-7), which maintained more than 20 passages in a partially reprogrammed state; the cells expressed Nanog but were Oct4-GFP negative. When the cells were transferred to serum-free medium (with serum replacement and basic fibroblast growth factor), the XiPS-7 cells converted to Oct4-GFP-positive iPSCs (XiPS-7c, fully reprogrammed cells) with ESC-like properties. During the conversion of XiPS-7 to XiPS-7c, we found several clusters of slowly reprogrammed genes, which were activated at later stages of reprogramming. Our results suggest that partial reprogrammed cells can be induced to full reprogramming status by serum-free medium, in which stem cell maintenance- and gamete generation-related genes were upregulated. These long-term expandable partially reprogrammed cells can be used to verify the mechanism of reprogramming.

PRA and Risk Informed Analysis

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

Bernsen, Sidney A.; Simonen, Fredric A.; Balkey, Kenneth R.

2006-01-01

The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has introduced a risk based approach into Section XI that covers Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components. The risk based approach requires application of the probabilistic risk assessments (PRA). Because no industry consensus standard existed for PRAs, ASME has developed a standard to evaluate the quality level of an available PRA needed to support a given risk based application. The paper describes the PRA standard, Section XI application of PRAs, and plans for broader applications of PRAs to other ASME nuclear codesmore » and standards. The paper addresses several specific topics of interest to Section XI. Important consideration are special methods (surrogate components) used to overcome the lack of PRA treatments of passive components in PRAs. The approach allows calculations of conditional core damage probabilities both for component failures that cause initiating events and failures in standby systems that decrease the availability of these systems. The paper relates the explicit risk based methods of the new Section XI code cases to the implicit consideration of risk used in the development of Section XI. Other topics include the needed interactions of ISI engineers, plant operating staff, PRA specialists, and members of expert panels that review the risk based programs.« less

Collider signals of maximal flavor violation: Same-sign leptons from same-sign top quarks at the Fermilab Tevatron

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

Bar-Shalom, Shaouly; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697; Rajaraman, Arvind

2008-08-01

In models of maximal flavor violation (MxFV) suggested in [S. Bar-Shalom and A. Rajaraman, Phys. Rev. D 77, 095011 (2008).] there is at least one new scalar {phi}{sub FV} which couples to the quarks via {phi}{sub FV}q{sub i}q{sub j}{proportional_to}{xi}{sub ij} where {xi}{sub i3},{xi}{sub 3i}{approx}V{sub tb} for i=1, 2 and {xi}{sub 33}{approx}V{sub td} and V is the CKM matrix. In this article, we explore the potential phenomenological implications of MxFV for collider experiments. We study MxFV signals of same-sign leptons from same-sign top-quark pair production at the Tevatron and at the LHC. We show that the current Tevatron data set hasmore » strong sensitivity to this signature, for which there are no current limits. For example, if m{sub {phi}{sub FV}}{approx}200 GeV and the MxFV coupling {xi} has a natural value of {approx}1, we expect {approx}12 MxFV events to survive a selection requiring a pair of same-sign leptons, a tagged b-jet and missing transverse energy, over a background of approximately 4-5 events.« less

[Correlativity study of the distribution of soil magnetic susceptibility and the heavy metal contents in Xi'an City].

PubMed

Chen, Xiu-Duan; Lu, Xin-Wei; Yang, Guang

2013-03-01

The magnetic susceptibility and the concentrations of Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sn, Sr and Ba in topsoil samples from Xi'an City were measured to study their spatial distribution and their correlation in this study. The results show that the concentrations of all measured heavy metals are higher than their background values in Cinnamon topsoil, which is the main soil type of Xi'an City. The heavy metals concentrations and the magnetic susceptibility of the studied samples display moderate variance. Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sn, Sr and Ba are significantly positively correlated with low-frequency magnetic susceptibility, while are significantly negatively correlated with frequency susceptibility. The spatial distribution of low-frequency magnetic susceptibility is identical with the concentrations of Pb and Cu. However, the spatial variation of frequency magnetic susceptibility is different from the concentrations of Co, Cr and Ba. The pollution assessment results show that the heavy metal pollution in topsoil of Xi'an City is moderate. The spatial contribution of the pollution load index was significantly correlated with the magnetic susceptibility of topsoil in Xi'an City. Therefore, soil magnetic susceptibility can be used as an effective monitoring means for heavy metal pollution in urban soil.

Binding Energy and Catalysis by D-Xylose Isomerase: Kinetic, Product and X-Ray Crystallographic Analysis of Enzyme-Catalyzed Isomerization of (R)-Glyceraldehyde‡, ¶

PubMed Central

Toteva, Maria M.; Silvaggi, Nicholas R.; Allen, Karen N.; Richard, John P.

2011-01-01

D-Xylose isomerase (XI) and triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) catalyze the aldose-ketose isomerization reactions of D-xylose and D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (DGAP), respectively. D-Glyceraldehyde (DGA) is the triose fragment common to the substrates for XI and TIM. The XI-catalyzed isomerization of DGA to give dihydroxyacetone (DHA) in D2O was monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy and kcat/Km = 0.034 M−1 s−1 was determined for this isomerization at pD 7.0. This is similar to kcat/Km = 0.017 M−1 s−1 for the TIM-catalyzed carbon deprotonation reaction of DGA in D2O at pD 7.0 [Amyes, T. L.; O’Donoghue, A. C. and Richard J. P. (2001) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123, 11325–11326]. The much larger activation barrier for XI-catalyzed isomerization of D-xylose (kcat/Km = 490 M−1 s−1) than for the TIM-catalyzed isomerization of DGAP (kcat/Km = 9.6 x 106 M−1 s−1) is due to: (i) The larger barrier to conversion of cyclic D-xylose to the reactive linear sugar (5.4 kcal/mol) than for conversion of DGAP hydrate to the free aldehyde (1.7 kcal/mol). (ii) The smaller intrinsic binding energy [Jencks, W. P. (1975) Adv. Enzymol. Relat. Areas Mol. Biol. 43, 219–410] of the terminal ethylene glycol fragment of D-xylose (9.3 kcal/mol) than of the phosphodianion group of DGAP (ca. 12 kcal/mol). The XI-catalyzed isomerization of DGA in D2O at pD 7.0 gives a 90% yield of [1-1H]-DHA and a 10% yield of [1-2H]-DHA, the product of isomerization with deuterium incorporation from solvent D2O. By comparison, the transfer of 3H from labeled hexose substrate to solvent is observed only once in every 109 turnovers for the XI-catalyzed isomerization of [2-3H]-glucose in H2O [Allen, K. N., Lavie, A., Farber, G. K., Glasfeld, A., Petsko, G. A., and Ringe, D. (1994), Biochemistry 33, 1481–1487]. We propose that truncation of the terminal ethylene glycol fragment of D-xylose to give DGA results in a large decrease in the rate of XI-catalyzed isomerization with hydride transfer compared with that for proton transfer. An ultra-high resolution (0.97 Å) X-ray crystal structure was determined for the complex obtained by soaking crystals of XI with 50 mM DGA. The triose binds to XI as the unreactive hydrate, but ligand binding induces metal cofactor movement and conformational changes in active site residues similar to those observed for XI•sugar complexes. PMID:21995300

Multiwavelength observations of magnetic fields and related activity on XI Bootis A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saar, Steven H.; Huovelin, J.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Giampapa, Mark S.; Jordan, Carole

1988-01-01

Preliminary results of coordinated observations of magnetic fields and related activity on the active dwarf, Xi Boo A, are presented. Combining the magnetic fluxes with the linear polarization data, a simple map of the stellar active regions is constructed.

Spiral-wave dynamics in a mathematical model of human ventricular tissue with myocytes and fibroblasts.

PubMed

Nayak, Alok Ranjan; Shajahan, T K; Panfilov, A V; Pandit, Rahul

2013-01-01

Cardiac fibroblasts, when coupled functionally with myocytes, can modulate the electrophysiological properties of cardiac tissue. We present systematic numerical studies of such modulation of electrophysiological properties in mathematical models for (a) single myocyte-fibroblast (MF) units and (b) two-dimensional (2D) arrays of such units; our models build on earlier ones and allow for zero-, one-, and two-sided MF couplings. Our studies of MF units elucidate the dependence of the action-potential (AP) morphology on parameters such as [Formula: see text], the fibroblast resting-membrane potential, the fibroblast conductance [Formula: see text], and the MF gap-junctional coupling [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, we find that our MF composite can show autorhythmic and oscillatory behaviors in addition to an excitable response. Our 2D studies use (a) both homogeneous and inhomogeneous distributions of fibroblasts, (b) various ranges for parameters such as [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], and (c) intercellular couplings that can be zero-sided, one-sided, and two-sided connections of fibroblasts with myocytes. We show, in particular, that the plane-wave conduction velocity [Formula: see text] decreases as a function of [Formula: see text], for zero-sided and one-sided couplings; however, for two-sided coupling, [Formula: see text] decreases initially and then increases as a function of [Formula: see text], and, eventually, we observe that conduction failure occurs for low values of [Formula: see text]. In our homogeneous studies, we find that the rotation speed and stability of a spiral wave can be controlled either by controlling [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text]. Our studies with fibroblast inhomogeneities show that a spiral wave can get anchored to a local fibroblast inhomogeneity. We also study the efficacy of a low-amplitude control scheme, which has been suggested for the control of spiral-wave turbulence in mathematical models for cardiac tissue, in our MF model both with and without heterogeneities.

RESOLVING THE {xi} BOO BINARY WITH CHANDRA, AND REVEALING THE SPECTRAL TYPE DEPENDENCE OF THE CORONAL 'FIP EFFECT'

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

Wood, Brian E.; Linsky, Jeffrey L., E-mail: brian.wood@nrl.navy.mi, E-mail: jlinsky@jila.colorado.ed

On 2008 May 2, Chandra observed the X-ray spectrum of {xi} Boo (G8 V+K4 V), resolving the binary for the first time in X-rays and allowing the coronae of the two stars to be studied separately. With the contributions of {xi} Boo A and B to the system's total X-ray emission now observationally established (88.5% and 11.5%, respectively), consideration of mass loss measurements for GK dwarfs of various activity levels (including one for {xi} Boo) leads to the surprising conclusion that {xi} Boo B may dominate the wind from the binary, with {xi} Boo A's wind being very weak despitemore » its active corona. Emission measure (EM) distributions and coronal abundances are computed for both stars and compared with Chandra measurements of other moderately active stars with G8-K5 spectral types, all of which exhibit a narrow peak in EM near log T = 6.6, indicating that the coronal heating process in these stars has a strong preference for this temperature. As is the case for the Sun and many other stars, our sample of stars shows coronal abundance anomalies dependent on the first ionization potential (FIP) of the element. We see no dependence of the degree of 'FIP effect' on activity, but there is a dependence on spectral type, a correlation that becomes more convincing when moderately active main-sequence stars with a broader range of spectral types are considered. This clear dependence of coronal abundances on spectral type weakens if the stellar sample is allowed to be contaminated by evolved stars, interacting binaries, or extremely active stars with log L{sub X} >29, explaining why this correlation has not been recognized in the past.« less

Early clinical experience with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System in general surgery.

PubMed

Hagen, Monika E; Jung, Minoa K; Ris, Frederic; Fakhro, Jassim; Buchs, Nicolas C; Buehler, Leo; Morel, Philippe

2017-09-01

The da Vinci Xi Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) has been released in 2014 to facilitate minimally invasive surgery. Novel features are targeted towards facilitating complex multi-quadrant procedures, but data is scarce so far. Perioperative data of patients who underwent robotic general surgery with the da Vinci Xi system within the first 6 month after installation were collected and analyzed. The gastric bypass procedures performed with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System were compared to an equal amount of the last procedures with the da Vinci Si Surgical System. Thirty-one foregut (28 Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses), 6 colorectal procedures and 1 revisional biliary procedure were performed. The mean operating room (OR) time was 221.8 (±69.0) minutes for gastric bypasses and 306.5 (±48.8) for colorectal procedures with mean docking time of 9.4 (±3.8) minutes. The gastric bypass procedure was transitioned from a hybrid to a fully robotic approach. In comparison to the last 28 gastric bypass procedures performed with the da Vinci Si Surgical System, the OR time was comparable (226.9 versus 230.6 min, p = 0.8094), but the docking time significantly longer with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System (8.5 versus 6.1 min, p = 0.0415). All colorectal procedures were performed with a single robotic docking. No intraoperative and two postoperative complications occurred. The da Vinci Xi might facilitate single-setups of totally robotic gastric bypass and colorectal surgeries. However, further comparable research is needed to clearly determine the significance of this latest version of the da Vinci Surgical System.

Xerostomia is associated with old age and poor appetite in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

PubMed

Bossola, Maurizio; Di Stasio, Enrico; Giungi, Stefania; Vulpio, Carlo; Papa, Valerio; Rosa, Fausto; Tortorelli, Antonio; Tazza, Luigi

2013-11-01

The objective of this study was to assess variables associated with xerostomia in patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD). This was a cross-sectional study of 75 HD patients at an outpatient HD service. Demographic, clinical (renal disease, HD regimen/duration, Charlson comorbidity index, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living [IADL], body mass index), and laboratory (hemoglobin, albumin, interleukin-6 [IL-6], and parathyroid hormone) parameters were recorded. We assessed the appetite through the Hemodialysis Study Appetite questionnaire and xerostomia through the Xerostomia Inventory (XI). A single question ("How often does your mouth feel dry?"; never = Class 1, almost never = Class 2, occasionally = Class 3, often = Class 4, very often = Class 5) was also included in the study questionnaire. The main outcome measure was factors correlated with XI. The median XI score was 18 (min-max = 11-33). Forty patients had an XI score of 18 or less (Group 1) and between 18 and 35 (Group 2). In Group 2, age, Charlson comorbidity index score, and number of patients with poor/very poor appetite were significantly higher. At the univariate analysis, the score of the XI was significantly associated with age, appetite, IADL, Charlson comorbidity index, and serum IL-6 levels. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the XI was independently associated with age and appetite. Thirty-one patients were in Class 1 to 2, 23 were in Class 3, and 21 were in Class 4 to 5. In Classes 4 to 5, age and the number of patients with poor/very poor appetite were higher (P = .012 and .09, respectively). Xerostomia is associated with old age and poor appetite in patients on chronic HD. Copyright © 2013 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards a rational theory for CFD global stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, A. J.; Iannelli, G. S.

1989-01-01

The fundamental notion of the consistent stability of semidiscrete analogues of evolution PDEs is explored. Lyapunov's direct method is used to develop CFD semidiscrete algorithms which yield the TVD constraint as a special case. A general formula for supplying dissipation parameters for arbitrary multidimensional conservation law systems is proposed. The reliability of the method is demonstrated by the results of two numerical tests for representative Euler shocked flows.

[Stability study of paediatric extemporaneous parenteral nutrition with lipids].

PubMed

Tuan, F; Montalto, M; Pell, Ma B; Bianchi, M; Pendica, S; Traverso, Ma L

2011-01-01

Stability of extemporaneous parenteral nutrition is a critical aspect of these formulations, with impact in patient safety and quality of service. In lipid emulsions physical stability can be assessed by the increase in the number of lipid globules of size superior than 500 nm, generated by coalescence of small globules during time. To determine medium size of the lipid globules that compose the internal phase of TNA, in order to evaluate its stability and establish beyond-use date of the parenteral nutrition. To evaluate distribution profile of the lipid globules in the parenteral nutrition and compare it with this of the lipid emulsion used as raw material. Globule size assessment by dynamic light scattering in a paediatric extemporaneous parenteral nutrition formula of frequent use, stored in different periods of time and temperatures. Medium globule size of the parenteral nutrition analyzed samples did not exceed the limit recommended by literature. Medium size and distribution of the lipid globules in the original lipid emulsion did not have significative changes after the compounding of the parenteral nutrition. Obtained data allow to consider that the extemporaneous parenteral nutrition evaluated would have a beyond-use date superior than the one now in use. This research must be deepened by the study of other formulas of parenteral nutrition in order to optimize the setting of beyond-use date.

Dynamics of column stability with partial end restraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, Peyton B.

1990-01-01

The dynamic behavior of columns with partial end restraints and loads consisting of a dead load and a pulsating load are investigated. The differential equation is solved using a lumped impulse recurrence formula relative to time coupled with a finite difference discretization along the member length. A computer program is written from which the first critical frequencies are found as a function of end stiffness. The case of a pinned ended column compares very well with the exact solution. Also, the natural frequency and buckling load formulas are derived for equal and unequal end restraints.

Effect of water content on partial ternary phase diagram water-in-diesel microemulsion fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukayat, Hastinatun; Badri, Khairiah Haji; Raman, Ismail Ab.; Ramli, Suria

2014-09-01

Introduction of water in the fuel gave a significant effect to the reduction of pollutant such as NOx emission. In this work, water/diesel microemulsion fuels were prepared using compositional method by mixing water and diesel in the presence of non-ionic surfactant and co-surfactant. The effects of water composition on the partial ternary phase diagram were studied at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (w/w). The physical stability of the microemulsion was investigated at 45°C over a period of one month. The optimum formulae obtained were diesel/T80/1-penthanol/water 60:20:15:5 wt% (System 1), 55:20:15:10 wt% (System 2), 50:20:15:15 wt% (System 3) and 45:20:15:20 wt% (System 4). Physicochemical characterizations of optimum formulae were studied. The results showed that water content has a significant effect to the formation of microemulsion, its stability, droplet size and viscosity.

Department of the Air Force Supporting Data for Fiscal Year 1981, Budget Estimates Submitted to Congress January 1980, Descriptive Summaries, Research, Development, Test and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

4J y 03 C 4-1 y 0 y c c 3 0) 41 es y tfl JB > HH > 3 < « c I c: 4-1 u- •H 3 y 1 03 •iH X 03 c •H c 0 c 0 "v. X C -rl 3X3 01 0 ■H r- 01 E...Of u as 4-> 0 H C t< HH 0 00 rH £ Xi .*• XI x < oi a c xi a 0 u ü y • XI 4» 01 1 <H 44 JB • <s CS — •o CO it — cj...o o o a 3 cd •H O CO 4J a eu X ft.-* « U 4J pu u 14.4 CO ri -H H 44 O U H HH JB pB au 4J u P. id ft. B OH 41

The impact on post-operative shoulder function of intraoperative nerve monitoring of cranial nerve XI during modified radical neck dissection.

PubMed

Lanišnik, Boštjan; Žitnik, Lidija; Levart, Primož; Žargi, Miha; Rodi, Zoran

2016-12-01

Intraoperative monitoring of the cranial nerve XI (CN XI) may decrease shoulder disability following modified radical neck dissection. Prospective study was designed comparing results of Constant Shoulder Score (CSS), Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) and EMG score of the trapezius muscle (mT) before and after surgery. One side of the neck was monitored during surgery with intraoperative nerve monitor. EMG scores of the mT 6 months postoperatively were statistically better on monitored as compared to the non-monitored side of the neck (p = 0.041), while the differences of the CSS and SPADI were not statistically significant. Patients with better EMG scores of the mT at 6 weeks recuperated better and with smaller decrease of the CSS. Intraoperative monitoring is beneficial at the beginning of the surgeon's learning curve and in the process of familiarizing with anatomical variation of the CN XI.

Particle Identification in Nuclear Emulsion by Measuring Multiple Coulomb Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Than Tint, Khin; Nakazawa, Kazuma; Yoshida, Junya; Kyaw Soe, Myint; Mishina, Akihiro; Kinbara, Shinji; Itoh, Hiroki; Endo, Yoko; Kobayashi, Hidetaka; E07 Collaboration

2014-09-01

We are developing particle identification techniques for single charged particles such as Xi, proton, K and π by measuring multiple Coulomb scattering in nuclear emulsion. Nuclear emulsion is the best three dimensional detector for double strangeness (S = -2) nuclear system. We expect to accumulate about 10000 Xi-minus stop events which produce double lambda hypernucleus in J-PARC E07 emulsion counter hybrid experiment. The purpose of this particle identification (PID) in nuclear emulsion is to purify Xi-minus stop events which gives information about production probability of double hypernucleus and branching ratio of decay mode. Amount of scattering parameterized as angular distribution and second difference is inversely proportional to the momentum of particle. We produced several thousands of various charged particle tracks in nuclear emulsion stack via Geant4 simulation. In this talk, PID with some measuring methods for multiple scattering will be discussed by comparing with simulation data and real Xi-minus stop events in KEK-E373 experiment.

Port positioning and docking for single-stage totally robotic dissection for rectal cancer surgery with the Si and Xi Da Vinci Surgical System.

PubMed

Toh, James Wei Tatt; Kim, Seon-Hahn

2017-11-04

We have previously reported our technique of single-docking totally robotic dissection for rectal cancer surgery using the Da Vinci ® Si Surgical System in 2009. However, we have since optimised our port placement for the Si system and have developed a novel configuration of port placement and docking for the Da Vinci ® Xi Surgical System. We have performed over 700 cases using this technique with the Si system and have used our Xi technique since 2016 for totally robotic dissection for rectal cancer. We have kept the configuration of port placements for both the Xi and Si system as similar as possible, with the priorities to avoid arm collisions as well as to provide a workable port configuration of two left-handed instruments and one right-handed instrument. To date, there have had no major complications or arm collisions related to this technique of docking, port positioning and instrument placement.

Insight into the da Vinci® Xi - technical notes for single-docking left-sided colorectal procedures.

PubMed

Ngu, James Chi-Yong; Sim, Sarah; Yusof, Sulaiman; Ng, Chee-Yung; Wong, Andrew Siang-Yih

2017-12-01

The adoption of robot-assisted laparoscopic colorectal surgery has been hampered by issues with docking, operative duration, technical difficulties in multi-quadrant access, and cost. The da Vinci® Xi has been designed to overcome some of these limitations. We describe our experience with the system and offer technical insights to its application in left-sided colorectal procedures. Our initial series of left-sided robotic colorectal procedures was evaluated. Patient demographics and operative outcomes were recorded prospectively using a predefined database. Between March 2015 and April 2016, 54 cases of robot-assisted laparoscopic left-sided colorectal procedures were successfully completed with no cases of conversion. The majority were low anterior resections for colorectal malignancies. Using the da Vinci® Xi Surgical System, multi-quadrant surgery involving dissection from the splenic flexure to the pelvis was possible without redocking. The da Vinci® Xi simplifies the docking procedure and makes single-docking feasible for multi-quadrant left-sided colorectal procedures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Structural organization of the inactive X chromosome in the mouse

PubMed Central

Giorgetti, Luca; Lajoie, Bryan R.; Carter, Ava C.; Attia, Mikael; Zhan, Ye; Xu, Jin; Chen, Chong Jian; Kaplan, Noam; Chang, Howard Y.; Heard, Edith; Dekker, Job

2017-01-01

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) involves major reorganization of the X chromosome as it becomes silent and heterochromatic. During female mammalian development, XCI is triggered by upregulation of the non-coding Xist RNA from one of the two X chromosomes. Xist coats the chromosome in cis and induces silencing of almost all genes via its A-repeat region1,2, although some genes (constitutive escapees) avoid silencing in most cell types, and others (facultative escapees) escape XCI only in specific contexts3. A role for Xist in organizing the inactive X (Xi) chromosome has been proposed4–6. Recent chromosome conformation capture approaches have revealed global loss of local structure on the Xi chromosome and formation of large mega-domains, separated by a region containing the DXZ4 macrosatellite7–10. However, the molecular architecture of the Xi chromosome, in both the silent and expressed regions, remains unclear. Here we investigate the structure, chromatin accessibility and expression status of the mouse Xi chromosome in highly polymorphic clonal neural progenitors (NPCs) and embryonic stem cells. We demonstrate a crucial role for Xist and the DXZ4-containing boundary in shaping Xi chromosome structure using allele-specific genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) analysis, an assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high throughput sequencing (ATAC–seq) and RNA sequencing. Deletion of the boundary disrupts mega-domain formation, and induction of Xist RNA initiates formation of the boundary and the loss of DNA accessibility. We also show that in NPCs, the Xi chromosome lacks active/inactive compartments and topologically associating domains (TADs), except around genes that escape XCI. Escapee gene clusters display TAD-like structures and retain DNA accessibility at promoter-proximal and CTCF-binding sites. Furthermore, altered patterns of facultative escape genes in different neural progenitor clones are associated with the presence of different TAD-like structures after XCI. These findings suggest a key role for transcription and CTCF in the formation of TADs in the context of the Xi chromosome in neural progenitors. PMID:27437574

Factor XI Antisense Oligonucleotide for Prevention of Venous Thrombosis

PubMed Central

Büller, Harry R.; Bethune, Claudette; Bhanot, Sanjay; Gailani, David; Monia, Brett P.; Raskob, Gary E.; Segers, Annelise; Verhamme, Peter; Weitz, Jeffrey I.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Experimental data indicate that reducing factor XI levels attenuates thrombosis without causing bleeding, but the role of factor XI in the prevention of postoperative venous thrombosis in humans is unknown. FXI-ASO (ISIS 416858) is a second-generation antisense oligonucleotide that specifically reduces factor XI levels. We compared the efficacy and safety of FXI-ASO with those of enoxaparin in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. METHODS In this open-label, parallel-group study, we randomly assigned 300 patients who were undergoing elective primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty to receive one of two doses of FXI-ASO (200 mg or 300 mg) or 40 mg of enoxaparin once daily. The primary efficacy outcome was the incidence of venous thromboembolism (assessed by mandatory bilateral venography or report of symptomatic events). The principal safety outcome was major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding. RESULTS Around the time of surgery, the mean (±SE) factor XI levels were 0.38±0.01 units per milliliter in the 200-mg FXI-ASO group, 0.20±0.01 units per milliliter in the 300-mg FXI-ASO group, and 0.93±0.02 units per milliliter in the enoxaparin group. The primary efficacy outcome occurred in 36 of 134 patients (27%) who received the 200-mg dose of FXI-ASO and in 3 of 71 patients (4%) who received the 300-mg dose of FXI-ASO, as compared with 21 of 69 patients (30%) who received enoxaparin. The 200-mg regimen was noninferior, and the 300-mg regimen was superior, to enoxaparin (P<0.001). Bleeding occurred in 3%, 3%, and 8% of the patients in the three study groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that factor XI contributes to postoperative venous thromboembolism; reducing factor XI levels in patients undergoing elective primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty was an effective method for its prevention and appeared to be safe with respect to the risk of bleeding. (Funded by Isis Pharmaceuticals; FXI-ASO TKA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01713361.) PMID:25482425

Delay decomposition approach to [Formula: see text] filtering analysis of genetic oscillator networks with time-varying delays.

PubMed

Revathi, V M; Balasubramaniam, P

2016-04-01

In this paper, the [Formula: see text] filtering problem is treated for N coupled genetic oscillator networks with time-varying delays and extrinsic molecular noises. Each individual genetic oscillator is a complex dynamical network that represents the genetic oscillations in terms of complicated biological functions with inner or outer couplings denote the biochemical interactions of mRNAs, proteins and other small molecules. Throughout the paper, first, by constructing appropriate delay decomposition dependent Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional combined with reciprocal convex approach, improved delay-dependent sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure the asymptotic stability of the filtering error system with a prescribed [Formula: see text] performance. Second, based on the above analysis, the existence of the designed [Formula: see text] filters are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities with Kronecker product. Finally, numerical examples including a coupled Goodwin oscillator model are inferred to illustrate the effectiveness and less conservatism of the proposed techniques.

Baryon chiral perturbation theory combined with the 1 / N c expansion in SU(3): Framework

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

Fernando, I. P.; Goity, J. L.

Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory combined with themore » $$1/N_c$$ expansion is implemented for three flavors. Here, Baryon masses, vector charges and axial vector couplings are studied to one-loop and organized according to the $$\\xi$$-expansion, in which the $$1/N_c$$ and the low energy power countings are linked according to $$1/N_c={\\cal{O}}(\\xi)={\\cal{O}}(p)$$. The renormalization to $${\\cal{O}}(\\xi^3)$$ necessary for the mentioned observables is provided, along with applications to the baryon masses and axial couplings as obtained in lattice QCD calculations.« less

Baryon chiral perturbation theory combined with the 1 / N c expansion in SU(3): Framework

DOE PAGES

Fernando, I. P.; Goity, J. L.

2018-03-14

Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory combined with themore » $$1/N_c$$ expansion is implemented for three flavors. Here, Baryon masses, vector charges and axial vector couplings are studied to one-loop and organized according to the $$\\xi$$-expansion, in which the $$1/N_c$$ and the low energy power countings are linked according to $$1/N_c={\\cal{O}}(\\xi)={\\cal{O}}(p)$$. The renormalization to $${\\cal{O}}(\\xi^3)$$ necessary for the mentioned observables is provided, along with applications to the baryon masses and axial couplings as obtained in lattice QCD calculations.« less

Robotic da Vinci Xi-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy: First clinical report.

PubMed

Sarfati, Benjamin; Honart, Jean-Francois; Leymarie, Nicolas; Rimareix, Francoise; Al Khashnam, Heba; Kolb, Frederic

2018-05-01

Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is increasingly popular for the treatment of selected breast cancers and prophylactic mastectomy. Surgical scarring and esthetic outcomes are important patient-related cosmetic considerations. Today, the concept of minimally invasive surgery has become popular, especially using robotic surgery. The authors report the first case of NSM using the latest version of the da Vinci Xi surgical system (Xi). The final incision used to remove the entire mammary gland was located behind the axillary line. In this position, hidden by the arm of the patient, the incision was not visible and was compatible with immediate breast reconstruction. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Measurement of water-soluble B vitamins in infant formula by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Huang, Min; Winters, Doug; Crowley, Richard; Sullivan, Darryl

2009-01-01

A method has been developed for the simultaneous measurement of multiple B vitamins (i.e., B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6) in infant formulas by LC-MSIMS. The vitamins were extracted with acidic solvent, followed by protein precipitation at a pH range of 4.5 to 5.5, and filtered. This simplified procedure eliminates many of the potential sources of laboratory error and facilitates rapid and efficient analysis. As is common in most cases, isotope internal standards were added to account for variations in sample preparation, as well as changes in MS measurement. In this method, isotope-labeled internal standards of B1, B3, B5, and B6 were used. The factors affecting analytical performance were investigated and optimized. In addition, the stability of these vitamins in the extraction solution was investigated. An acidic condition (5 mM HCl) was applied to successfully stabilize B1, which had shown a decrease in signal when other solvents were used. The quantitative extraction and good stability allowed isotope standards to be added to the filtered sample solution, instead of to the extraction solvent. The addition of the isotope to the small portion of the filtered sample solution significantly reduces cost. A comprehensive evaluation of the analysis of the standard reference material and good spike recovery of the vitamins (100 +/- 6%) demonstrates the accuracy of the method. The results for commercially available infant formula samples were also compared with those obtained using the current microbiological method.

40 CFR 1045.315 - How do I know when my engine family fails the production-line testing requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... and CO emissions: Ci = Max [0 or Ci−1 + Xi − (STD + 0.25 × σ)] Where: Ci = The current CumSum...). Xi = The current emission test result for an individual engine. STD = Emission standard (or family...

40 CFR 1048.315 - How do I know when my engine family fails the production-line testing requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... and CO emissions: Ci = Max [0 or Ci-1 + Xi − (STD + 0.25 × σ)] Where: Ci = The current CumSum...). Xi = The current emission test result for an individual engine. STD = Emission standard. (c) Use...

40 CFR 1045.315 - How do I know when my engine family fails the production-line testing requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... and CO emissions: Ci = Max [0 or Ci−1 + Xi − (STD + 0.25 × σ)] Where: Ci = The current CumSum...). Xi = The current emission test result for an individual engine. STD = Emission standard (or family...

12 CFR 722.1 - Authority, purpose, and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Union Administration (“NCUA”) under title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and...) Purpose and scope. (1) Title XI provides protection for federal financial and public policy interests in... entered into by the National Credit Union Administration or by federally insured credit unions (“regulated...

Fatigue Behavior of HY-130 Steel Weldments Containing Fabrication Discontinuities.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-04-18

discontinuities to solutions for elliptical discontinuities. One such approach has been formalized in the ASME Section XI Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code [1... Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code , Section XI, "Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Reactor Coolant Systems," American Society of Mechanical

78 FR 2214 - Enhanced Weapons, Firearms Background Checks, and Security Event Notifications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-10

.... Voluntary Consensus Standards XI. Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact XII. Paperwork Reduction... ML110480470 of Nuclear Energy Institute, on the proposed ``Enhanced Weapons, Firearms Background Checks and... consensus standards. XI. Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact In the proposed rule published on...

Modular pathway engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum to improve xylose utilization and succinate production.

PubMed

Jo, Suah; Yoon, Jinkyung; Lee, Sun-Mi; Um, Youngsoon; Han, Sung Ok; Woo, Han Min

2017-09-20

Xylose-negative Corynebacterium glutamicum has been engineered to utilize xylose as the sole carbon source via either the xylose isomerase (XI) pathway or the Weimberg pathway. Heterologous expression of xylose isomerase and overexpression of a gene encoding for xylulose kinase enabled efficient xylose utilization. In this study, we show that two functionally-redundant transcriptional regulators (GntR1 and GntR2) present on xylose repress the pentose phosphate pathway genes. For efficient xylose utilization, pentose phosphate pathway genes and a phosphoketolase gene were overexpressed with the XI pathway in C. glutamicum. Overexpression of the genes encoding for transaldolase (Tal), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Gnd), or phosphoketolase (XpkA) enhanced the growth and xylose consumption rates compared to the wild-type with the XI pathway alone. However, co-expression of these genes did not have a synergetic effect on xylose utilization. For the succinate production from xylose, overexpression of the tal gene with the XI pathway in a succinate-producing strain improved xylose utilization and increased the specific succinate production rate by 2.5-fold compared to wild-type with the XI pathway alone. Thus, overexpression of the tal, gnd, or xpkA gene could be helpful for engineering C. glutamicum toward production of value-added chemicals with efficient xylose utilization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distribution and source analysis of aluminum in rivers near Xi'an City, China.

PubMed

Wang, Dongqi; He, Yanling; Liang, Jidong; Liu, Pei; Zhuang, Pengyu

2013-02-01

To study the status and source of aluminum (Al) contamination, a total of 21 sampling sites along six rivers near Xi'an City (Shaanxi province, China) were investigated during 2008-2010. The results indicated that the average concentration of total Al (Al(t)) in the six rivers increased by 1.6 times from 2008 to 2010. The spatial distribution of Al(t) concentrations in the rivers near Xi'an City was significantly different, ranged from 367 μg/L (Bahe River) to 1,978 μg/L (Taiping River). The Al(t) concentration was highest near an industrial area for pulp and paper-making (2,773 μg/L), where the Al level greatly exceeded the water quality criteria of both the USA (Criterion Continuous Concentration, 87 μg/L) and Canada (100 μg/L). The average concentration of inorganic monometric aluminum (Al(im)) was 72 μg/L which would pose threats to fishes and other aquatic lives in the rivers. The concentrations of exchangeable Al (Al(ex)) in the sediment of the Taiping River sampled were relatively high, making it to be an alternative explanation of increasing Al concentrations in the rivers near Xi'an City. Furthermore, an increasing Al level has been detected in the upstream watershed near Xi'an City in recent years, which might indicate another notable pollution source of Al.

Effect of Intermediate Hosts on Emerging Zoonoses.

PubMed

Cui, Jing-An; Chen, Fangyuan; Fan, Shengjie

2017-08-01

Most emerging zoonotic pathogens originate from animals. They can directly infect humans through natural reservoirs or indirectly through intermediate hosts. As a bridge, an intermediate host plays different roles in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens. In this study, we present three types of pathogen transmission to evaluate the effect of intermediate hosts on emerging zoonotic diseases in human epidemics. These types are identified as follows: TYPE 1, pathogen transmission without an intermediate host for comparison; TYPE 2, pathogen transmission with an intermediate host as an amplifier; and TYPE 3, pathogen transmission with an intermediate host as a vessel for genetic variation. In addition, we established three mathematical models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying zoonotic disease transmission according to these three types. Stability analysis indicated that the existence of intermediate hosts increased the difficulty of controlling zoonotic diseases because of more difficult conditions to satisfy for the disease to die out. The human epidemic would die out under the following conditions: TYPE 1: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]; TYPE 2: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]; and TYPE 3: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] Simulation with similar parameters demonstrated that intermediate hosts could change the peak time and number of infected humans during a human epidemic; intermediate hosts also exerted different effects on controlling the prevalence of a human epidemic with natural reservoirs in different periods, which is important in addressing problems in public health. Monitoring and controlling the number of natural reservoirs and intermediate hosts at the right time would successfully manage and prevent the prevalence of emerging zoonoses in humans.

Rock Slope Stability Evaluation in a Steep-Walled Canyon: Application to Elevator Construction in the Yunlong River Valley, Enshi, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Lili; Chai, Bo; Yin, Kunlong

2015-09-01

A passenger elevator is to be built on a nearly vertical slope in the National Geological Park in Enshi, Hubei province, China. Three steps comprise the construction: excavating the slope toe for the elevator platform, building the elevator on the platform, and affixing the elevator to the slope using anchors. To evaluate the rock slope stability in the elevator area and the safety of the elevator construction, we applied three techniques: qualitative analysis, formula calculation, and numerical simulation methods, based on field investigation and parameter selection, and considering both wet and dry conditions, pre- and post-construction. Qualitative stability factors for sliding and falling were calculated using the limit equilibrium method; the results show that the slope as a whole is stable, with a few unstable blocks, notably block BT1. Formula-based stability factors were calculated for four sections on block BT1, revealing the following: anchors will decrease the stability of certain rock pieces; the lowest average stability factor after anchoring will be K f = 1.36 in wet conditions; block BT1 should be reinforced during elevator construction, up to a first-class slope stability factor of K f = 1.40; and the slope as a whole is stable. Numerical simulation using FLAC3D indicated that the stress distribution will reach equilibrium for all steps before and after construction, and that the factor of safety (FOS) is within the general slope safety range (FOS > 1.05). We suggest that unstable pieces in block BT1 be reinforced during construction to a first-class slope safety range (FOS > 1.3), and that deformation monitoring on the slope surface be implemented.

Tg(Th-Cre)FI172Gsat (Th-Cre) defines neurons that are required for full hypercapnic and hypoxic reflexes.

PubMed

Sun, Jenny J; Ray, Russell S

2017-08-15

The catecholaminergic (CA) system has been implicated in many facets of breathing control and offers an important target to better comprehend the underlying etiologies of both developmental and adult respiratory pathophysiologies. Here, we used a noninvasive DREADD-based pharmacogenetic approach to acutely perturb Tg(Th-Cre)FI172Gsat ( Th-Cre )-defined neurons in awake and unrestrained mice in an attempt to characterize CA function in breathing. We report that clozapine-N-oxide (CNO)-DREADD-mediated inhibition of Th-Cre -defined neurons results in blunted ventilatory responses under respiratory challenge. Under a hypercapnic challenge (5% CO 2 /21% O 2 /74% N 2 ), perturbation of Th-Cre neurons results in reduced f R , [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] Under a hypoxic challenge (10% O 2 /90% N 2 ), we saw reduced f R , [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], in addition to instability in both interbreath interval and tidal volume, resulting in a Cheyne-Stokes-like respiratory pattern. These findings demonstrate the necessity of Th-Cre -defined neurons for the hypercapnic and hypoxic ventilatory responses and breathing stability during hypoxia. However, given the expanded non-CA expression domains of the Tg(Th-Cre)FI172Gsat mouse line found in the brainstem, full phenotypic effect cannot be assigned solely to CA neurons. Nonetheless, this work identifies a key respiratory population that may lead to further insights into the circuitry that maintains respiratory stability in the face of homeostatic challenges. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Unsteady Newton-Busemann flow theory. I - Airfoils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hui, W. H.; Tobak, M.

1981-01-01

Newtonian flow theory for unsteady flow at very high Mach numbers is completed by the addition of a centrifugal force correction to the impact pressures. The correction term is the unsteady counterpart of Busemann's centrifugal force correction to impact pressures in steady flow. For airfoils of arbitary shape, exact formulas for the unsteady pressure and stiffness and damping-in-pitch derivatives are obtained in closed form, which require only numerical quadratures of terms involving the airfoil shape. They are applicable to airfoils of arbitrary thickness having sharp or blunt leading edges. For wedges and thin airfoils these formulas are greatly simplified, and it is proved that the pitching motions of thin airfoils of convex shape and of wedges of arbitrary thickness are always dynamically stable according to Newton-Busemann theory. Leading-edge bluntness is shown to have a favorable effect on the dynamic stability; on the other hand, airfoils of concave shape tend toward dynamic instability over a range of axis positions if the surface curvature exceeds a certain limit. As a byproduct, it is also shown that a pressure formula recently given by Barron and Mandl for unsteady Newtonian flow over a pitching power-law shaped airfoil is erroneous and that their conclusion regarding the effect of pivot position on the dynamic stability is misleading.

Microencapsulation Approach for Orally Extended Delivery of Glipizide: In vitro and in vivo Evaluation

PubMed Central

Abdelbary, A.; El-gendy, N. A.; Hosny, A.

2012-01-01

Glipizide is an effective antidiabetic agent, however, it suffers from relatively short biological half-life. To solve this encumbrance, it is a prospective candidate for fabricating glipizide extended release microcapsules. Microencapsulation of glipizde with a coat of alginate alone or in combination with chitosan or carbomer 934P was prepared employing ionotropic gelation process. The prepared microcapsules were evaluated in vitro by microscopical examination, determination of the particle size, yield and microencapsulation efficiency. The filled capsules were assessed for content uniformity and drug release characteristics. Stability study of the optimised formulas was carried out at three different temperatures over 12 weeks. In vivo bioavailability study and hypoglycemic activity of C9 microcapsules were done on albino rabbits. All formulas achieved high yield, microencapsulation efficiency and extended t1/2. C9 and C19 microcapsules attained the most optimised results in all tests and complied with the dissolution requirements for extended release dosage forms. These two formulas were selected for stability studies. C9 exhibited longer shelf-life and hence was chosen for in vivo studies. C9 microcapsules showed an improvement in the drug bioavailability and significant hypoglycemic activity compared to immediate release tablets (Minidiab® 5 mg). The optimised microcapsule formulation developed was found to produce extended antidiabetic activity. PMID:23626387

Evaluation of the healing activity of therapeutic clay in rat skin wounds.

PubMed

Dário, Giordana Maciel; da Silva, Geovana Gomes; Gonçalves, Davi Ludvig; Silveira, Paulo; Junior, Adilson Teixeira; Angioletto, Elidio; Bernardin, Adriano Michael

2014-10-01

The use of clays for therapeutic practice is widespread in almost all regions of the world. In this study the physicochemical and microbiological healing characteristics of a clay from Ocara, Brazil, popularly used for therapeutic uses, were analyzed. The presence of Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, and Si was observed, which initially indicated that the clay had potential for therapeutic use. The average particle size of the clay (26.3 μm) can induce the microcirculation of the skin and the XRD analysis shows that the clay is formed by kaolinite and illite, a swelling clay. During the microbiological evaluation there was the need to sterilize the clay for later incorporation into the pharmaceutical formula. The accelerated stability test at 50°C for 3 months has showed that the pharmaceutical formula remained stable with a shelf life of two years. After the stability test the wound-healing capacity of the formulation in rats was evaluated. It was observed that the treatment made with the formulation containing the Ocara clay showed the best results since the formula allowed greater formation of collagen fibers and consequent regeneration of the deep dermis after seven days of treatment and reepithelialization and continuous formation of granulation tissue at the 14th day. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative study on the in vitro performance of blister molded and conventional lornoxicam immediate release liquitablets: accelerated stability study and anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic effects.

PubMed

El-Setouhy, Doaa Ahmed; Gamiel, Alaa Abdel-Rahman; Badawi, Alia Abd El-Latif; Osman, Afaf Sayed; Labib, Dina Ahmed

2017-03-01

Lornoxicam is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It shows limited solubility in the gastric pH, delayed bioavailability and pharmacodynamic effects with aggravated gastric side effects (due to longer residence in the stomach wall). To enhance dissolution of lornoxicam in the gastric fluid and expectedly absorption and pharmacological action, with less ulcerogenic effects. Formulation of immediate release (IR) lornoxicam liquitablets containing both liquid and solid release modulators (wetting agent, solubilizers and microenvironmental pH modifiers). Beside the traditional direct compression technique employed for the preparation of liquitablets a new technique, blister molding, was also used. The effect of the two different manufacturing methods on the fast release characteristics (rapid disintegration and dissolution) was studied. Stability and pharmacological activity of the optimum formula were also explored. Similarity factor pointed out the superiority of molding technique in enhancing dissolution of lornoxicam owing to significant crystallinity reduction (XRD). Optimum formula showed negligible change in drug content and dissolution profiles over 12 weeks, significantly improved anti-inflammatory activity and significantly reduced gastric ulcerative effect over pure lornoxicam and commercial formula. Blister molded lornoxicam liquitablet of improved dissolution and pharmacological activity and less gastric erosion was successfully prepared.

A reaction-diffusion within-host HIV model with cell-to-cell transmission.

PubMed

Ren, Xinzhi; Tian, Yanni; Liu, Lili; Liu, Xianning

2018-06-01

In this paper, a reaction-diffusion within-host HIV model is proposed. It incorporates cell mobility, spatial heterogeneity and cell-to-cell transmission, which depends on the diffusion ability of the infected cells. In the case of a bounded domain, the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] is established and shown as a threshold: the virus-free steady state is globally asymptotically stable if [Formula: see text] and the virus is uniformly persistent if [Formula: see text]. The explicit formula for [Formula: see text] and the global asymptotic stability of the constant positive steady state are obtained for the case of homogeneous space. In the case of an unbounded domain and [Formula: see text], the existence of the traveling wave solutions is proved and the minimum wave speed [Formula: see text] is obtained, providing the mobility of infected cells does not exceed that of the virus. These results are obtained by using Schauder fixed point theorem, limiting argument, LaSalle's invariance principle and one-side Laplace transform. It is found that the asymptotic spreading speed may be larger than the minimum wave speed via numerical simulations. However, our simulations show that it is possible either to underestimate or overestimate the spread risk [Formula: see text] if the spatial averaged system is used rather than one that is spatially explicit. The spread risk may also be overestimated if we ignore the mobility of the cells. It turns out that the minimum wave speed could be either underestimated or overestimated as long as the mobility of infected cells is ignored.

On the Absolutely Continuous Spectrum of Stark Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perelman, Galina

The stability of the absolutely continuous spectrum of the one-dimensional Stark operator under perturbations of the potential is discussed. The focus is on proving this stability under minimal assumptions on smoothness of the perturbation. A general criterion is presented together with some applications. These include the case of periodic perturbations where we show that any perturbation vL1()∩H-1/2() preserves the a.c. spectrum.

7 CFR 1485.13 - Application process and strategic plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... business cards; (viii) The cost of seasonal greeting cards; (ix) Fees for office parking; (x) The cost of subscriptions to publications; (xi) The cost of activities conducted overseas; (xii) Credit card fees; (xiii... fees or similar sales expenditures; (x) Membership fees in clubs and social organizations; and (xi) Any...

25 CFR 36.31 - Standard XI-Student promotion requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Standard XI-Student promotion requirements. 36.31 Section 36.31 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION MINIMUM ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR THE BASIC EDUCATION OF INDIAN CHILDREN AND NATIONAL CRITERIA FOR DORMITORY SITUATIONS Student...

25 CFR 36.31 - Standard XI-Student promotion requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Standard XI-Student promotion requirements. 36.31 Section 36.31 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION MINIMUM ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR THE BASIC EDUCATION OF INDIAN CHILDREN AND NATIONAL CRITERIA FOR DORMITORY SITUATIONS Student...

Confined Turbulent Swirling Recirculating Flow Predictions. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abujelala, M. T.

1984-01-01

Turbulent swirling flow, the STARPIC computer code, turbulence modeling of turbulent flows, the k-xi turbulence model and extensions, turbulence parameters deduction from swirling confined flow measurements, extension of the k-xi to confined swirling recirculating flows, and general predictions for confined turbulent swirling flow are discussed.

12 CFR 323.1 - Authority, purpose, and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

....C. 1818, 1819 [“Seventh” and “Tenth”] and title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery...)). (b) Purpose and scope. (1) Title XI provides protection for federal financial and public policy... transactions entered into by the FDIC or by institutions regulated by the FDIC (regulated institutions). (2...

15 CFR 30.3 - Electronic Export Information filer requirements, parties to export transactions, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.../units of measure. (ix) Value. (x) Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or sufficient technical information to determine the ECCN. (xi) All licensing information necessary to file the EEI for commodities... export. (xi) Foreign port of unloading. (xii) Shipping weight. (xiii) ECCN. (xiv) License or license...

15 CFR 30.3 - Electronic Export Information filer requirements, parties to export transactions, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

.../units of measure. (ix) Value. (x) Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or sufficient technical information to determine the ECCN. (xi) All licensing information necessary to file the EEI for commodities... export. (xi) Foreign port of unloading. (xii) Shipping weight. (xiii) ECCN. (xiv) License or license...

15 CFR 30.3 - Electronic Export Information filer requirements, parties to export transactions, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.../units of measure. (ix) Value. (x) Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or sufficient technical information to determine the ECCN. (xi) All licensing information necessary to file the EEI for commodities... export. (xi) Foreign port of unloading. (xii) Shipping weight. (xiii) ECCN. (xiv) License or license...

15 CFR 30.3 - Electronic Export Information filer requirements, parties to export transactions, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.../units of measure. (ix) Value. (x) Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or sufficient technical information to determine the ECCN. (xi) All licensing information necessary to file the EEI for commodities... export. (xi) Foreign port of unloading. (xii) Shipping weight. (xiii) ECCN. (xiv) License or license...

15 CFR 30.3 - Electronic Export Information filer requirements, parties to export transactions, and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.../units of measure. (ix) Value. (x) Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or sufficient technical information to determine the ECCN. (xi) All licensing information necessary to file the EEI for commodities... export. (xi) Foreign port of unloading. (xii) Shipping weight. (xiii) ECCN. (xiv) License or license...

25 CFR 36.31 - Standard XI-Student promotion requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Standard XI-Student promotion requirements. 36.31 Section 36.31 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION MINIMUM ACADEMIC... programs, in a minimum of 160 instructional days per academic term or 80 instructional days per semester...

25 CFR 36.31 - Standard XI-Student promotion requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Standard XI-Student promotion requirements. 36.31 Section 36.31 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION MINIMUM ACADEMIC... programs, in a minimum of 160 instructional days per academic term or 80 instructional days per semester...

78 FR 15374 - Notice of Formula Allocations and Program Requirements for Neighborhood Stabilization Program...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-11

... (or NSP) was established by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) (Pub. L. 110-289... background for the program, the program principles, and the objectives and outcomes of the NSP program. NSP...

Research on Xi Jinping's Thought of Ecological Civilization and Environment Sustainable Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang-chao, Pan

2018-05-01

Since the reform and opening up, China’s sustained and rapid economic development, but the environment problem increasingly is prominent in our country. It has seriously affected the sustainability of economic development in China. Environment overall situation is not optimistic, and environmental management is imperative. Since the 18th national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jin-ping has put forward the thought of building a beautiful China with ecological civilization and realizing the sustainable development of economic construction and environmental protection. Sticking to Xi's Thought of Ecological Civilization is a fundamental guarantee for the sustainable development of environment and building a new era of ecological civilization.

Effects of Assuming Independent Component Failure Times, If They Are Actually Dependent, In a Series System

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-31

non-negative random variables with system life Y = r ( TI, ..., rp ) and failure pattern kT) - [, ifY =- Td , I I and Y<Ty, j* (2.2) S=a , otherwise...Moeschberger - 3a. TYPE OF REPORT 1i3b. TIME COVERED 114. DATE OF REPORT (Year, Month, Day) S. PAGE COUNT Final I FROM9 -1- 8 2 Td .2-3l--8 7 IMay 31...T1iY > Td )since average concordanceeover the range Y > Tiis 0. When i - I arid l=-0, then Ti -Xi <.04= Ti, Xi < V ,Yi <Xi. Here if Ti Y1&<T, the

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

Huey-Wen Lin; Robert G. Edwards; Balint Joo

In this work, we perform parameter tuning with dynamical anisotropic clover lattices using the Schr\\"odinger functional and stout-smearing in the fermion field. We find thatmore » $$\\xi_R/\\xi_0$$ is relatively close to 1 in our parameter search, which allows us to fix $$\\xi_0$$ in our runs. We proposed to determine the gauge and fermion anisotropy in a Schr\\"odinger-background small box using Wilson loop ratios and PCAC masses. We demonstrate that these ideas are equivalent to but more efficient than the conventional meson dispersion approach. The spatial and temporal clover coefficients are fixed to the tree-level tadpole-improved clover values, and we demonstrate that they satisfy the nonperturbative condition determined by Schr\\"odinger functional method.« less

A T8.5 BROWN DWARF MEMBER OF THE {xi} URSAE MAJORIS SYSTEM

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

Wright, Edward L.; Mace, Gregory; McLean, Ian S.

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has revealed a T8.5 brown dwarf (WISE J111838.70+312537.9) that exhibits common proper motion with a solar-neighborhood (8 pc) quadruple star system-{xi} Ursae Majoris. The angular separation is 8.'5, and the projected physical separation is Almost-Equal-To 4000 AU. The sub-solar metallicity and low chromospheric activity of {xi} UMa A argue that the system has an age of at least 2 Gyr. The infrared luminosity and color of the brown dwarf suggests the mass of this companion ranges between 14 and 38 M{sub J} for system ages of 2 and 8 Gyr, respectively.

Multiple-vehicle collision induced by a sudden stop in traffic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, Naoki; Nagatani, Takashi

2012-04-01

We study the dynamic process of the multiple-vehicle collision when a vehicle stops suddenly in a traffic flow. We apply the optimal-velocity model to the vehicular motion. If a vehicle does not decelerate successfully, it crashes into the vehicle ahead with a residual speed. The collision criterion is presented by vi(t)/Δxi(t)→∞ if Δxi(t)→0 where vi(t) and Δxi(t) are the speed and headway of vehicle i at time t. The number of crumpled vehicles depends on the initial velocity, the sensitivity, and the initial headway. We derive the region map (or phase diagram) for the multiple-vehicle collision.

Elastic Instability of Members Having Sections Common in Aircraft Construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trayer, George W; March, H W

1932-01-01

Two fundamental problems of elastic stability are discussed in this report. In part one formulas are given for calculating the critical stress at which a thin, outstanding flange of a compression member will either wrinkle into several waves or form into a single half wave and twist the member about its longitudinal axis. A mathematical study of the problem, which together with experimental work has led to these formulas, is given in an appendix. Results of test substantiating the recommended formulas are also presented. In part two the lateral buckling of beams is discussed. The results of a number of mathematical studies of this phenomenon have been published prior to this writing, but very little experimentally determined information relating to the problem has been available heretofore. Experimental verification of the mathematical deductions is supplied.

Stability and bifurcation analysis for the Kaldor-Kalecki model with a discrete delay and a distributed delay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jinchen; Peng, Mingshu

2016-10-01

In this paper, a Kaldor-Kalecki model of business cycle with both discrete and distributed delays is considered. With the corresponding characteristic equation analyzed, the local stability of the positive equilibrium is investigated. It is found that there exist Hopf bifurcations when the discrete time delay passes a sequence of critical values. By applying the method of multiple scales, the explicit formulae which determine the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of bifurcating periodic solutions are derived. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate our main results.

Development of Sizing Systems for Navy Women’s Uniforms

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

sample. Table la indicates the distance (D2) between the racial groups. Group 1 is White, Group 2 is Black, and Group 4 is Hispanic. There were too...TABLE ,. DEscriminant Analysis Pairwise Squared Generalized Distances between Groups D2 (IIJ) - (XI - Xj)’ COY’ (XI - Xj) Generalized Square( Distaace To

A Preliminary Investigation into Critical Thinking of Urban Xi'an High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Qing; Wang, Xiang; Yao, Linna

2007-01-01

This paper reports the development of critical thinking of urban high school students in the Chinese city of Xi'an. It presents the assessment of the students' two components of critical thinking: dispositions towards critical thinking and critical thinking skills, using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and the California…

Changing Student Expectations and Graduate Employment: Case Studies from Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moorman, Adam B. R.

2011-01-01

This paper addresses the issue of students' employment expectations, considered a key factor in alleviating graduate unemployment in China. This empirical investigation surveyed students at two higher education institutions in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, to analyze how expectations were changing. The results contrasted with earlier studies that…

25 CFR 36.31 - Standard XI-Student promotion requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Standard XI-Student promotion requirements. 36.31 Section... Instructional Evaluation § 36.31 Standard XI—Student promotion requirements. Each school shall establish and implement a promotion policy which shall be submitted to and approved by the local school board and Agency...

A direct method for nonlinear ill-posed problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakhal, A.

2018-02-01

We propose a direct method for solving nonlinear ill-posed problems in Banach-spaces. The method is based on a stable inversion formula we explicitly compute by applying techniques for analytic functions. Furthermore, we investigate the convergence and stability of the method and prove that the derived noniterative algorithm is a regularization. The inversion formula provides a systematic sensitivity analysis. The approach is applicable to a wide range of nonlinear ill-posed problems. We test the algorithm on a nonlinear problem of travel-time inversion in seismic tomography. Numerical results illustrate the robustness and efficiency of the algorithm.

THE AXISYMMETRIC FREE-CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER ALONG A VERTICAL THIN CYLINDER WITH CONSTANT SURFACE TEMPERATURE

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

Viskanta, R.

1963-01-01

Laminar free-convection flow produced by a heated, vertical, circular cylinder for which the temperature at the outer surface of the cylinder is assumed to be uniform is analyzed. The solution of the boundary-layer equations was obtained by the perturbation method of Sparrow and Gregg, which is valid only for small values of the axial distance parameter xi ; and the integral method of Hama et al., for large values of the parameter xi . Heat-transfer results were calculated for Prandtl numbers (Pr) of 100, the Nusselt numbers (Nu) for the cylinder were higher than those for the flat plate, andmore » this difference increased as Pr decreased. It was also found that the perturbation method of solution of the free-convection boundary-layer equations becomes useless for small values of Pr because of the slow convergence of the series. The results obtained by the integral method were in good agreement with those calculated by the perturbation method for Pr approximately 1 and 0.1 < xi < 1 only; they deviated considerably for smaller values of xi . (auth)« less

[Heavy metals pollution and analysis of seasonal variation runoff in Xi'an].

PubMed

Yuan, Hong-Lin; Li, Xing-Yu; Wang, Xiao-Chang

2014-11-01

In order to explore heavy metals pollution situation,changes in characteristics, the correlation between each heavy mental and pollution source analysis of Xi'an various regions in different season in one year. This study collected several samples of Xi'an rainfall typical urban trunk roads throughout the year in 2013 and used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the level of Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Al, Cd of the samples, then, analyzed the seasonal change of heavy mental. Studies have shown that: the heavy metal of Xi'an road runoff pollutes seriously, the concentration of Fe over three times of the national standard and maintain the higher levels throughout the year, meanwhile the concentration with the intensity of human activities increases. The concentration of Mn and Zn in one year show a trends: winter > autumn > summer> spring. Pb concentration increases with the increase in traffic volume, while showing: winter > spring > summer > autumn. Factor analysis shows: Fe and Al was affected by the same sources-natural sources; Zn, Cd affected by anthropogenic sources of large; Mn, Pb affected by the larger traffic sources.

Monitoring on Xi'an ground fissures deformation with TerraSAR-X data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhao, C.; Zhang, Q.; Zhu, W.; Lu, Z.

2012-01-01

Owing to the fine resolution of TerraSAR-X data provided since 2007, this paper applied 6 TerraSAR data (strip mode) during 3rd Dec. 2009 to 23rd Mar. 2010 to detect and monitor the active fissures over Xi'an region. Three themes have been designed for high precision detection and monitoring of Xi'an-Chang'an fissures, as small baseline subsets (SBAS) to test the atmospheric effects of differential interferograms pair stepwise, 2-pass differential interferogram with very short baseline perpendicular to generate the whole deformation map with 44 days interval, and finally, corner reflector (CR) technique was used to closely monitor the relative deformation time series between two CRs settled crossing two ground fissures. Results showed that TerraSAR data are a good choice for small-scale ground fissures detection and monitoring, while special considerations should be taken for their great temporal and baseline decorrelation. Secondly, ground fissures in Xi'an were mostly detected at the joint section of stable and deformable regions. Lastly, CR-InSAR had potential ability to monitor relative deformation crossing fissures with millimeter precision.

Molecular dynamics study of the isotropic-nematic quench.

PubMed

Bradac, Z; Kralj, S; Zumer, S

2002-02-01

Effects of cylindrical and spherical confinement on the kinetics of the isotropic-nematic quench is studied numerically. The nematic liquid crystal structure was modeled by a modified induced-dipole--induced-dipole interaction. Molecules were allowed to wander around points of a hexagonal lattice. Brownian molecular dynamics was used in order to access macroscopic time scales. In the bulk we distinguish between the early, domain, and late stage regime. The early regime is characterized by the exponential growth of the nematic uniaxial order parameter. In the domain regime domains are clearly visible and the average nematic domain size xi(d) obeys the dynamical scaling law xi(d)-t(gamma). The late stage evolution is dominated by dynamics of individual defects. In a confined system the qualitative change of the scaling behavior appears when xi(d) becomes comparable to a typical linear dimension R of the confinement. In the confining regime (xi(d)>or=R) the scaling coefficient gamma depends on the details of the confinement and also the final equilibrium nematic structure. The domain growth is well described with the Kibble-Zurek mechanism.

Measurement of the {ital {tau}} Neutrino Helicity and Michel Parameters in Polarized {ital e}{sup +}{ital e}{sup -} Collisions

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

Steiner, R.; Benvenuti, A.C.; Coller, J.A.

1997-06-01

We present a new measurement of the {tau} neutrino helicity h{sub {nu}{sub {tau}}} and the {tau} Michel parameters {rho} , {eta} , {xi} , and the product {delta}{xi} . The analysis exploits the highly polarized SLC electron beam to extract these quantities directly from a measurement of the {tau} decay spectra, using the 1993{endash}1995 SLD data sample of 4328 e{sup +}e{sup -}{r_arrow}Z{sup 0}{r_arrow}{tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} events. From the decays {tau}{r_arrow}{pi}{nu}{sub {tau}} and {tau}{r_arrow}{rho}{nu}{sub {tau}} we obtain a combined value h{sub {nu}{sub {tau}}}=-0.93{plus_minus}0.10{plus_minus} 0.04 . The leptonic decay channels yield combined values of {rho}=0.72{plus_minus}0.09{plus_minus}0.03 , {xi}=1.05{plus_minus}0.35{plus_minus}0.04 , and {delta}{xi}=0.88{plus_minus}0.27{plus_minus}0.04 . {copyright}more » {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

Factor XI and Contact Activation as Targets for Antithrombotic Therapy

PubMed Central

Gailani, David; Bane, Charles E.; Gruber, Andras

2015-01-01

Summary The most commonly used anticoagulants produce therapeutic antithrombotic effects either by inhibiting thrombin or factor Xa, or by lowering the plasma levels of the precursors of these key enzymes, prothrombin and factor X. These drugs do not distinguish between thrombin generation contributing to thrombosis from thrombin generation required for hemostasis. Thus, anticoagulants increase bleeding risk, and many patients who would benefit from therapy go untreated because of comorbidities that place them at unacceptable risk for hemorrhage. Studies in animals demonstrate that components of the plasma contact activation system contribute to experimentally-induced thrombosis, despite playing little or no role in hemostasis. Attention has focused on factor XII, the zymogen of a protease (factor XIIa) that initiates contact activation when blood is exposed to foreign surfaces; and factor XI, the zymogen of the protease factor XIa, which links contact activation to the thrombin generation mechanism. In the case of factor XI, epidemiologic data indicate this protein contributes to stroke and venous thromboembolism, and perhaps myocardial infarction, in humans. A phase 2 trial showing that reduction of factor XI may be more effective than low-molecular-weight heparin at preventing venous thrombosis during knee replacement surgery provides proof of concept for the premise that an antithrombotic effect can be uncoupled from an anticoagulant effect in humans by targeting components of contact activation. Here we review data on the role of factor XI and factor XII in thrombosis, and results of pre-clinical and human trials for therapies targeting these proteins. PMID:25976012

Robotic resections in hepatobiliary oncology - initial experience with Xi da Vinci system in India.

PubMed

Chandarana, M; Patkar, S; Tamhankar, A; Garg, S; Bhandare, M; Goel, M

2017-01-01

Minimal invasive surgery has proven its advantages over open surgeries in the perioperative period. Food and Drug Administration approved da Vinci robot in 2000. The latest version, da Vinci Xi system has a mobile tower-based robot with several modifications to improve the functionality, versatility, and operative ease. None of the centers have reported exclusively on hepatobiliary oncology using the da Vinci Xi system. We report our initial experience. To study the feasibility, advantages, and discuss the operative technique of da Vinci Xi system in hepatobiliary oncology. Data were analyzed retrospectively from a prospectively maintained database from June 2015 to October 2016. Twenty-five patients with suspected or proven hepatobiliary malignancies were operated. Total robotic technique using da Vinci Xi system was used. Demographic details and perioperative outcomes were noted. Of the 25 surgeries, 14 patients had a suspected gallbladder malignancy, 11 patients had primary or metastatic liver tumor. Median age was 53 years. The average duration of surgery was 225 min with a median blood loss 150 ml. The median postoperative stay was 4 days. The median nodal yield for radical cholecystectomy was seven. Five patients required conversion. Two of these developed postoperative morbidity. Robotic surgery for hepatobiliary oncology is feasible and can be performed safely in experienced hands. Increasing experience in this field may equal or even prove advantageous over conventional or laparoscopic approach in future. A cautious approach with judicious patient selection is the key to establishing robotic surgery as a standard surgical approach.

Da Vinci Xi Robot-Assisted Penetrating Keratoplasty.

PubMed

Chammas, Jimmy; Sauer, Arnaud; Pizzuto, Joëlle; Pouthier, Fabienne; Gaucher, David; Marescaux, Jacques; Mutter, Didier; Bourcier, Tristan

2017-06-01

This study aims (1) to investigate the feasibility of robot-assisted penetrating keratoplasty (PK) using the new Da Vinci Xi Surgical System and (2) to report what we believe to be the first use of this system in experimental eye surgery. Robot-assisted PK procedures were performed on human corneal transplants using the Da Vinci Xi Surgical System. After an 8-mm corneal trephination, four interrupted sutures and one 10.0 monofilament running suture were made. For each procedure, duration and successful completion of the surgery as well as any unexpected events were assessed. The depth of the corneal sutures was checked postoperatively using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Robot-assisted PK was successfully performed on 12 corneas. The Da Vinci Xi Surgical System provided the necessary dexterity to perform the different steps of surgery. The mean duration of the procedures was 43.4 ± 8.9 minutes (range: 28.5-61.1 minutes). There were no unexpected intraoperative events. SD-OCT confirmed that the sutures were placed at the appropriate depth. We confirm the feasibility of robot-assisted PK with the new Da Vinci Surgical System and report the first use of the Xi model in experimental eye surgery. Operative time of robot-assisted PK surgery is now close to that of conventional manual surgery due to both improvement of the optical system and the presence of microsurgical instruments. Experimentations will allow the advantages of robot-assisted microsurgery to be identified while underlining the improvements and innovations necessary for clinical use.

Precision in robotic rectal surgery using the da Vinci Xi system and integrated table motion, a technical note.

PubMed

Panteleimonitis, Sofoklis; Harper, Mick; Hall, Stuart; Figueiredo, Nuno; Qureshi, Tahseen; Parvaiz, Amjad

2017-09-15

Robotic rectal surgery is becoming increasingly more popular among colorectal surgeons. However, time spent on robotic platform docking, arm clashing and undocking of the platform during the procedure are factors that surgeons often find cumbersome and time consuming. The newest surgical platform, the da Vinci Xi, coupled with integrated table motion can help to overcome these problems. This technical note aims to describe a standardised operative technique of single docking robotic rectal surgery using the da Vinci Xi system and integrated table motion. A stepwise approach of the da Vinci docking process and surgical technique is described accompanied by an intra-operative video that demonstrates this technique. We also present data collected from a prospectively maintained database. 33 consecutive rectal cancer patients (24 male, 9 female) received robotic rectal surgery with the da Vinci Xi during the preparation of this technical note. 29 (88%) patients had anterior resections, and four (12%) had abdominoperineal excisions. There were no conversions, no anastomotic leaks and no mortality. Median operation time was 331 (249-372) min, blood loss 20 (20-45) mls and length of stay 6.5 (4-8) days. 30-day readmission rate and re-operation rates were 3% (n = 1). This standardised technique of single docking robotic rectal surgery with the da Vinci Xi is safe, feasible and reproducible. The technological advances of the new robotic system facilitate the totally robotic single docking approach.

A determination of the charm content of the proton: The NNPDF Collaboration.

PubMed

Ball, Richard D; Bertone, Valerio; Bonvini, Marco; Carrazza, Stefano; Forte, Stefano; Guffanti, Alberto; Hartland, Nathan P; Rojo, Juan; Rottoli, Luca

2016-01-01

We present an unbiased determination of the charm content of the proton, in which the charm parton distribution function (PDF) is parametrized on the same footing as the light quarks and the gluon in a global PDF analysis. This determination relies on the NLO calculation of deep-inelastic structure functions in the FONLL scheme, generalized to account for massive charm-initiated contributions. When the EMC charm structure function dataset is included, it is well described by the fit, and PDF uncertainties in the fitted charm PDF are significantly reduced. We then find that the fitted charm PDF vanishes within uncertainties at a scale [Formula: see text] GeV for all [Formula: see text], independent of the value of [Formula: see text] used in the coefficient functions. We also find some evidence that the charm PDF at large [Formula: see text] and low scales does not vanish, but rather has an "intrinsic" component, very weakly scale dependent and almost independent of the value of [Formula: see text], carrying less than [Formula: see text] of the total momentum of the proton. The uncertainties in all other PDFs are only slightly increased by the inclusion of fitted charm, while the dependence of these PDFs on [Formula: see text] is reduced. The increased stability with respect to [Formula: see text] persists at high scales and is the main implication of our results for LHC phenomenology. Our results show that if the EMC data are correct, then the usual approach in which charm is perturbatively generated leads to biased results for the charm PDF, though at small x this bias could be reabsorbed if the uncertainty due to the charm mass and missing higher orders were included. We show that LHC data for processes, such as high [Formula: see text] and large rapidity charm pair production and [Formula: see text] production, have the potential to confirm or disprove the implications of the EMC data.

[Temporal change in annual air temperature and heat island effect in a coastal city and an inland city at mid-latitude in China during 1956-1998].

PubMed

Chao, Lu-men; Sun, Jian-xin

2009-12-01

Temporal changes in air temperature and urban heat island (UHI) effects during 1956-1998 were compared between a coastal city, Ji' nan, and an inland city, Xi' an, which were similar in latitude, size and development. During 1956-1978, except that the annual mean minimum temperature in Ji' nan increased by 0.37 degrees C x 10 a(-1), the temperature variables in the two cities did not display any apparent trend. During 1979-1998, all temperature variables of the two cities showed an increasing trend. Comparing with that in Ji' nan, the increasing rate of annual mean maximum temperature and annual mean temperature in Xi' an was greater, but that of annual mean minimum temperature was smaller. In the two cities, heat island effect occurred during 1956-1978 but without any apparent trend, whereas during 1979-1998, this effect increased with time, especially in Xi' an where the annual mean minimum temperature and annual mean temperature increased by 0.22 degrees C x 10 a(-1) and 0.32 degrees C x 10 a(-1), respectively. Both the level and the inter-annual variation of the heat island effect were much greater in Ji' nan than in Xi' an, but the increasing rate of this effect was greater in Xi' an than in Ji' nan. Obvious differences were observed in the increasing rate of annual mean maximum air temperature, annual mean air temperature, and annual mean minimum temperature as well as the heat island effect in Ji' nan, whereas negligible differences were found in Xi' an. Among the three temperature variables, annual mean minimum temperature displayed the most obvious increasing trend and was most affected by heat island effect, while annual mean maximum temperature was most variable inter-annually. Geographical location not only affected the magnitude of urban warming, but also affected the mode of urban warming and the strength of heat island effect.

Neuroanatomical basis of Sandifer's syndrome: a new vagal reflex?

PubMed

Cerimagic, Denis; Ivkic, Goran; Bilic, Ervina

2008-01-01

Sandifer's syndrome is a gastrointestinal disorder with neurological features. It is characterized by reflex torticollis following deglutition in patients with gastroesophageal reflux and/or hiatal hernia. The authors believe that neurological manifestations of the syndrome are the consequence of vagal reflex with the reflex center in nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). Three models for the neuroanatomical basis of the hypothetic reflex arc are presented. In the first one the hypothetic reflex arc is based on the classic hypothesis of two components nervus accessorius (n.XI) - radix cranialis (RC) and radix spinalis (RS) The nervous impulses are transmitted by nervus vagus (n.X) general visceral afferent (GVA) fibers to NTS situated in medulla oblongata, then by interneuronal connections on nucleus ambiguus (NA) and nucleus dorsalis nervi vagi (NDX). Special visceral efferent fibers (SVE) impulses from NA are in part transferred to n.XI ramus externus (RE) (carrying the majority of general somatic efferent (GSE) fibers) via hypothetic anastomoses in the region of foramen jugulare. This leads to contraction of trapezius and sternocleidomastoideus muscles, and the occurrence of intermittent torticollis. In the second suggested neuroanatomical model the hypothetic reflex arc is organized in the absence of n.XI RC, the efferent part of the reflex arc continues as NA, which is motor nucleus of nervus glossopharyngeus (n.IX) and n.X in this case while distal roots of n.XI that appear at the level of the olivary nucleus lower edge represent n.X roots. In the third presented model the hypothetic reflex arc includes no jugular transfer and could be realized via interneuronal connections directly from NTS to the spinal motoneurons within nucleus radicis spinalis nervi accessorii (NRS n.XI) or from NA to NRS n.XI. The afferent segment of the postulated reflex arc in all three models is mediated via n.X. We conclude that Sandifer's syndrome is a clinical manifestation of another vagal reflex that could be termed a "vagocervical" or "esophagocervical" reflex, based on the neuroanatomical hypotheses elaborated in this paper.

Harnessing electrical power from vortex-induced vibration of a circular cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soti, Atul Kumar; Thompson, Mark C.; Sheridan, John; Bhardwaj, Rajneesh

2017-04-01

The generation of electrical power from Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) of a cylinder is investigated numerically. The cylinder is free to oscillate in the direction transverse to the incoming flow. The cylinder is attached to a magnet that can move along the axis of a coil made from conducting wire. The magnet and the coil together constitute a basic electrical generator. When the cylinder undergoes VIV, the motion of the magnet creates a voltage across the coil, which is connected to a resistive load. By Lenz's law, induced current in the coil applies a retarding force to the magnet. Effectively, the electrical generator applies a damping force on the cylinder with a spatially varying damping coefficient. For the initial investigation reported here, the Reynolds number is restricted to Re < 200, so that the flow is laminar and two-dimensional (2D). The incompressible 2D Navier-Stokes equations are solved using an extensively validated spectral-element based solver. The effects of the electromagnetic (EM) damping constant xi_m, coil dimensions (radius a, length L), and mass ratio on the electrical power extracted are quantified. It is found that there is an optimal value of xi_m (xi_opt) at which maximum electrical power is generated. As the radius or length of the coil is increased, the value of xi_opt is observed to increase. Although the maximum average power remains the same, a larger coil radius or length results in a more robust system in the sense that a relatively large amount of power can be extracted when xi_m is far from xi_opt, unlike the constant damping ratio case. The average power output is also a function of Reynolds number, primarily through the increased maximum oscillation amplitude that occurs with increased Reynolds number at least within the laminar range, although the general qualitative findings seem likely to carry across to high Reynolds number VIV.

Transformation of sintered CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals to cubic CsPbI 3 and gradient CsPbBr xI 3–x through halide exchange

DOE PAGES

Hoffman, Jacob B.; Schleper, A. Lennart; Kamat, Prashant V.

2016-06-20

All-inorganic cesium lead halide (CsPbX 3, X = Br –, I –) perovskites could potentially provide comparable photovoltaic performance with enhanced stability compared to organic–inorganic lead halide species. However, small-bandgap cubic CsPbI3 has been difficult to study due to challenges forming CsPbI 3 in the cubic phase. Here, a low-temperature procedure to form cubic CsPbI 3 has been developed through a halide exchange reaction using films of sintered CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals. The reaction was found to be strongly dependent upon temperature, featuring an Arrhenius relationship. Additionally, film thickness played a significant role in determining internal film structure at intermediate reactionmore » times. Thin films (50 nm) showed only a small distribution of CsPbBr xI 3–x species, while thicker films (350 nm) exhibited much broader distributions. Furthermore, internal film structure was ordered, featuring a compositional gradient within film. Transient absorption spectroscopy showed the influence of halide exchange on the excited state of the material. In thicker films, charge carriers were rapidly transferred to iodide-rich regions near the film surface within the first several picoseconds after excitation. Furthermore, this ultrafast vectorial charge-transfer process illustrates the potential of utilizing compositional gradients to direct charge flow in perovskite-based photovoltaics.« less

Effectiveness of virtual reality simulation software in radiotherapy treatment planning involving non-coplanar beams with partial breast irradiation as a model.

PubMed

Glaser, S; Warfel, B; Price, J; Sinacore, J; Albuquerque, K

2012-10-01

Virtual reality simulation software (VRS - FocalSim Version 4.40 with VRS prototype, Computerized Medical Systems, St. Louis, MO) is a new radiation dose planning tool that allows for 3D visualization of the patient and the machine couch (treatment table) in relationship to the linear accelerator. This allows the radiation treatment planner to have a "room's-eye-view" and enhances the process of virtual simulation. The aim of this study was to compare VRS to a standard planning program (XiO - Version 4.50, Computerized Medical Systems, St. Louis, MO) in regards to the time it took to use each program, the angles chosen in each, and to determine if there was a dosimetric benefit to using VRS. Ten patients who had undergone left-sided lumpectomies were chosen to have treatment plans generated. A partial breast irradiation (PBI) treatment plan by external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) was generated for each patient using two different methods. In the first method the full plan was generated using XiO software. In the second method beam angles were chosen using the VRS software, those angles were transferred to XiO, and the remaining part of the plan was completed using XiO (since VRS does not allow dose calculations). On average, using VRS to choose angles took about 10 minutes longer than XiO. None of the five gantry angles differed significantly between the two programs, but four of the five couch angles did. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) data showed a significantly better conformality index, and trends toward decreased hot spots and increased coverage of the planed treatment volume (PTV) when using VRS. However, when angels were chosen in VRS a greater volume of the ipsilateral breast received a low dose of radiation (between 3% and 50% of the prescribed dose) (VRS = 23.06%, XiO = 19.57%, p < 0.0005). A significant advantage that VRS provided over XiO was the ability to detect potential collisions prior to actual treatment of the patient in three of the ten patients studied. The potential to save time with VRS by not having to redo plans because of a collision increases clinic efficiency.

The ESO Slice Project (ESP) galaxy redshift survey. VII. The redshift and real-space correlation functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzzo, L.; Bartlett, J. G.; Cappi, A.; Maurogordato, S.; Zucca, E.; Zamorani, G.; Balkowski, C.; Blanchard, A.; Cayatte, V.; Chincarini, G.; Collins, C. A.; Maccagni, D.; MacGillivray, H.; Merighi, R.; Mignoli, M.; Proust, D.; Ramella, M.; Scaramella, R.; Stirpe, G. M.; Vettolani, G.

2000-03-01

We present analyses of the two-point correlation properties of the ESO Slice Project (ESP) galaxy redshift survey, both in redshift and real space. From the redshift-space correlation function $xi (r) i(s) we are able to trace positive clustering out to separations as large as 50 h^{-1} Mpc, after which xi (r) i(s) smoothly breaks down, crossing the zero value between 60 and 80 h^{-1} Mpc. This is best seen from the whole magnitude-limited redshift catalogue, using the J_3 miniμm-variance weighting estimator. xi (r) i(s) is reasonably well described by a shallow power law with \\gamma\\sim 1.5 between 3 and 50 h^{-1} Mpc, while on smaller scales (0.2-2 h^{-1} Mpc) it has a shallower slope (\\gamma\\sim 1). This flattening is shown to be mostly due to the redshift-space damping produced by virialized structures, and is less evident when volume-limited samples of the survey are analysed. We examine the full effect of redshift-space distortions by computing the two-dimensional correlation function xi (r) i(r_p,\\pi) , from which we project out the real-space xi (r) i(r) below 10 h^{-1} Mpc. This function is well described by a power-law model (r/r_o)^{-\\gamma}, with r_o=4.15^{+0.20}_{-0.21} h^{-1} Mpc and \\gamma=1.67^{+0.07}_{-0.09} for the whole magnitude-limited catalogue. Comparison to other redshift surveys shows a consistent picture in which galaxy clustering remains positive out to separations of 50 h^{-1} Mpc or larger, in substantial agreement with the results obtained from angular surveys like the APM and EDSGC. Also the shape of the two-point correlation function is remarkably unanimous among these data sets, in all cases requiring more power on scales larger than 5 h^{-1} Mpc (a `shoulder'), with respect to a simple extrapolation of the canonical xi (r) i(r) =(r/5)^{-1.8}. The analysis of xi (r) i(s) for volume-limited subsamples with different luminosity shows evidence of luminosity segregation only for the most luminous sample with Mb_J <= -20.5. For these galaxies, the amplitude of clustering is on all scales >4 h^{-1} Mpc about a factor of 2 above that of all other subsamples containing less luminous galaxies. When redshift-space distortions are removed through projection of xi (r) i(r_p,\\pi) , however, a weak dependence on luminosity is seen at small separations also at fainter magnitudes, resulting in a growth of r_o from 3.45_{-0.30}^{+0.21} h^{-1} Mpc to 5.15_{-0.44}^{+0.39} h^{-1} Mpc, when the limiting absolute magnitude of the sample changes from M=-18.5 to M=-20. This effect is masked in redshift space, as the mean pairwise velocity dispersion experiences a parallel increase, basically erasing the effect of the clustering growth on xi (r) i(s) . Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.}

Vibration and stability of cracked hollow-sectional beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, D. Y.; Fan, S. C.

2003-10-01

This paper presents simple tools for the vibration and stability analysis of cracked hollow-sectional beams. It comprises two parts. In the first, the influences of sectional cracks are expressed in terms of flexibility induced. Each crack is assigned with a local flexibility coefficient, which is derived by virtue of theories of fracture mechanics. The flexibility coefficient is a function of the depth of a crack. The general formulae are derived and expressed in integral form. It is then transformed to explicit form through 128-point Gauss quadrature. According to the depth of the crack, the formulae are derived under two scenarios. The first is for shallow cracks, of which the penetration depth is contained within the top solid-sectional region. The second is for deeper penetration, in which the crack goes into the middle hollow-sectional region. The explicit formulae are best-fitted equations generated by the least-squares method. The best-fitted curves are presented. From the curves, the flexibility coefficients can be read out easily, while the explicit expressions facilitate easy implementation in computer analysis. In the second part, the flexibility coefficients are employed in the vibration and stability analysis of hollow-sectional beams. The cracked beam is treated as an assembly of sub-segments linked up by rotational springs. Division of segments are made coincident with the location of cracks or any abrupt change of sectional property. The crack's flexibility coefficient then serves as that of the rotational spring. Application of the Hamilton's principle leads to the governing equations, which are subsequently solved through employment of a simple technique. It is a kind of modified Fourier series, which is able to represent any order of continuity of the vibration/buckling modes. Illustrative numerical examples are included.

New effective azelaic acid liposomal gel formulation of enhanced pharmaceutical bioavailability.

PubMed

Burchacka, E; Potaczek, P; Paduszyński, P; Karłowicz-Bodalska, K; Han, T; Han, S

2016-10-01

Azelaic acid is a naturally occurring saturated C9-dicarboxylic acid which has been shown to be effective in the treatment of comedonal acne and inflammatory acne, as well as hiperpigmentary skin disorders. The aim of the present study is to compare new developed liposomal hydrogel (lipogel) and commercially available product in terms of the active substance-azelaic acid bioavailability. Topical formulations were evaluated for physical parameters, such as pH measurement, organoleptic evaluation and liposome size analysis in lipogel formulation. In addition, studies were performed on in vitro antimicrobial preservation, stability and accumulation in the stratum corneum according to guidelines established by European Pharmacopoeia and International Conferences on Harmonisation. The new formula for liposomal gel with azelaic acid has the stability required for pharmaceutical preparations. Moreover, presented formulation F2 reveals a very high accumulation (187.5μg/cm 2 ) of an active substance in the stratum corneum, which results in opportunity to decrease of the API content to 10% in comparison to a reference formula: commercially available cream with 20% of azelaic acid. The study reveals that the final formula of lipogel F2 with azelaic acid had acceptable physical parameters that showed that they were compatible with the skin and in addition this formulation passed stability studies. In vitro antimicrobial preservation studies showed that the formulated lipogel F2 showed strong antibacterial activity; thus, no preservatives were added to the final composition of the preparation. The present study concludes that the formulated lipogel F2 with azelaic acid is stable, efficient in antimicrobial preservation and reveals improved active substance bioavailability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

OATYC Journal; Vol. XI, Nos. 1-2, Fall 1985-Spring 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullen, James, Ed.

1986-01-01

"OATYC Journal," which is published by the Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges, is designed as a forum for the exchange of concepts, methods, and findings relevant to the two-year college classroom. Along with commentaries and letters of reaction from the readership, the two issues of volume XI contain the following: (1) "Focus:…

University of Nottingham Ningbo China and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University: Globalization of Higher Education in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Yi

2013-01-01

This essay studies the University of Nottingham Ningbo China and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University--the two Chinese campuses established respectively by the University of Nottingham and the University of Liverpool. They represent successful models of globalization of higher education in China; however their rationale, strategies, curricula,…

Singularly Perturbed Equations in the Critical Case.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

asymptotic properties of the differential equation (1) in the noncritical case (all ReXi (t) ɘ) . We will consider the critical case (k 0) ; the...the inequality (3), that is, ReXi (t,a) < 0 (58) The matrix ca(t,a) , consisting of the eigenvectors corresponding to w 0 , now has the form I (P -(t

77 FR 21813 - Changes to the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report Revision 2 AMP XI.M41, “Buried and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2012-0055] Changes to the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report Revision 2 AMP XI.M41, ``Buried and Underground Piping and Tanks'' AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory... NUREG-1801, Revision 2, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report,'' and the NRC staff's aging...

Teaching Authorial Style and Literary Technique: "Exemplo XI" of "El Conde Lucanor"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Stacy

2016-01-01

This current study proposes a comparative method of teaching authorial style, using four versions of "Exemplo XI," an often-anthologized tale about the "mago" of Toledo, Don Illán, from the "Conde Lucanor," a series of interlinked tales by the early fourteenth-century author Don Juan Manuel. Teaching a medieval text…

High Order Well-balanced WENO Scheme for the Gas Dynamics Equations under Gravitational Fields

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-12

there exists the hydrostatic balance where the flux produced by the pressure is canceled by the gravitational source term. Many astro - physical...approximation to W (x) to obtain an approximation to W ′(xi) = fx (U(xi, yj)). See again [7, 15] for more details of finite difference WENO schemes in

[Book reviews] The Science of Allelopathy, edited by A. R. Putnam and C. Tang; Allelopathy, by E .L. Rice

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keeley, J.E.

1988-01-01

Review of: Putnam, Alan R., and Chung-Shih Tang (eds.). 1986. The science of allelopathy. Wiley-Interscience Publications, John Wiley and Sons, New York. xi + 317 p. $52.50. Rice, Elroy L. 1984. Allelopathy. Second Edition. Academic Press, New York. xi + 422 p. $71.00.

Financing Community Colleges: Threats and Opportunities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapraun, E. Daniel; Heard, Don A.

Today many community colleges are faced with a multitude of financial problems that threaten the stability of their educational and operational programs. These problems include decreases in funding, rising costs, outdated funding formulas, and volatile enrollment patterns. The extent to which individual community college leaders understand these…

78 FR 29771 - Notice of Formula Allocations and Program Requirements for Neighborhood Stabilization Programs 1...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-21

... impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. FAX inquiries... and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-203, approved July 21, 2010) (Dodd-Frank Act) for the...

Vibrational and mechanical properties of single layer MXene structures: a first-principles investigation.

PubMed

Yorulmaz, Uğur; Özden, Ayberk; Perkgöz, Nihan K; Ay, Feridun; Sevik, Cem

2016-08-19

MXenes, carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides of early transition metals are the new members of two dimensional materials family given with a formula of [Formula: see text] X n . Recent advances in chemical exfoliation and CVD growth of these crystals together with their promising performance in electrochemical energy storage systems have triggered the interest in these two dimensional structures. In this work, we employ first principles calculations for n = 1 structures of Sc, Ti, Zr, Mo and Hf pristine MXenes and their fully surface terminated forms with F and O. We systematically investigated the dynamical and mechanical stability of both pristine and fully terminated MXene structures to determine the possible MXene candidates for experimental realization. In conjunction with an extensive stability analysis, we report Raman and infrared active mode frequencies for the first time, providing indispensable information for the experimental elaboration of MXene field. After determining dynamically stable MXenes, we provide their phonon dispersion relations, electronic and mechanical properties.

Dry Gel Containing Optimized Felodipine-Loaded Transferosomes: a Promising Transdermal Delivery System to Enhance Drug Bioavailability.

PubMed

Kassem, Mohammed Ali; Aboul-Einien, Mona Hassan; El Taweel, Mai Magdy

2018-04-30

Felodipine has a very low bioavailability due to first-pass metabolism. The aim of this study was to enhance its bioavailability by transdermal application. Felodipine-loaded transferosomes were prepared by thin-film hydration using different formulation variables. An optimized formula was designed using statistical experimental design. The independent variables were the used edge activator, its molar ratio to phosphatidylcholine, and presence or absence of cholesterol. The responses were entrapment efficiency of transferosomes, their size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and percent drug released after 8 h. The optimized formula was subjected to differential scanning calorimetry studies and its stability on storage at 4°C for 6 months was estimated. This formula was improved by incorporation of different permeation enhancers where ex vivo drug flux through mice skin was estimated and the best improved formula was formulated in a gel and lyophilized. The prepared gel was subjected to in vivo study using Plendil® tablets as a reference. According to the calculated desirability, the optimized transferosome formula was that containing sodium deoxycholate as edge activator at 5:1 M ratio to phosphatidylcholine and no cholesterol. The thermograms of this formula indicated the incorporation of felodipine inside the prepared vesicles. None of the tested parameters differed significantly on storage. The lyophilized gel of labrasol-containing formula was chosen for in vivo study. The relative bioavailability of felodipine from the designed gel was 1.7. In conclusion, topically applied lyophilized gel containing felodipine-loaded transferosomes is a promising transdermal delivery system to enhance its bioavailability.

On dynamics in a Keynesian model of monetary stabilization policy with debt effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asada, Toichiro; Demetrian, Michal; Zimka, Rudolf

2018-05-01

In this paper, a four-dimensional model of flexible prices with the central bank's stabilization policy, describing the development of the firms' private debt, the output, the expected rate of inflation and the rate of interest is analyzed. Questions concerning the existence of limit cycles around its normal equilibrium point are investigated. The bifurcation equation is found. The formulae for the calculation of its coefficients are gained. A numerical example is presented by means of numerical simulations.

Dying dyons don't count

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Miranda C. N.; Verlinde, Erik P.

2007-09-01

The dyonic 1/4-BPS states in 4D string theory with Script N = 4 spacetime supersymmetry are counted by a Siegel modular form. The pole structure of the modular form leads to a contour dependence in the counting formula obscuring its duality invariance. We exhibit the relation between this ambiguity and the (dis-)appearance of bound states of 1/2-BPS configurations. Using this insight we propose a precise moduli-dependent contour prescription for the counting formula. We then show that the degeneracies are duality-invariant and are correctly adjusted at the walls of marginal stability to account for the (dis-)appearance of the two-centered bound states. Especially, for large black holes none of these bound states exists at the attractor point and none of these ambiguous poles contributes to the counting formula. Using this fact we also propose a second, moduli-independent contour which counts the ``immortal dyons" that are stable everywhere.

Development and Physico-Chemical Characterization of a Shea Butter-Containing Lipid Nutrition Supplement for Sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Sloffer, Elizabeth M; Gaur, Shashank; Engeseth, Nicki J; Andrade, Juan E

2017-11-08

Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) are used to prevent and treat moderate and severe acute malnutrition, a leading cause of mortality in children-under-five. The physical and chemical changes of two new LNS products were evaluated before and after accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT) according to protocols suggested by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Doctors without Borders and compared against USAID's A-20 paste as a control. LNS formulas containing Shea butter from the Shea nut tree ( Vitellaria paradoxa ), a common fat source in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, with and without flax-seed oil, as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, were developed. LNS formulas were batched (0.8 kg) in a wet grinder, sealed under nitrogen in three-layer mini-pouches (20 g), and underwent ASLT at 40 ± 2 °C for six months with sampling every eight weeks. At each time point, water activity, moisture, peroxide value, oil separation, vitamin C content, and hardness were evaluated. Results showed comparable stability among all formulas with an increase in Aw ( p < 0.05) but no change in vitamin C, oil separation, or peroxide value. Addition of Shea butter improved the LNS's hardness, which remained stable over time. Modifying fat profile in LNS can improve its texture and essential fatty acid content without affecting its storage stability.

Development and Physico-Chemical Characterization of a Shea Butter-Containing Lipid Nutrition Supplement for Sub-Saharan Africa

PubMed Central

Sloffer, Elizabeth M.; Engeseth, Nicki J.

2017-01-01

Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) are used to prevent and treat moderate and severe acute malnutrition, a leading cause of mortality in children-under-five. The physical and chemical changes of two new LNS products were evaluated before and after accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT) according to protocols suggested by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Doctors without Borders and compared against USAID’s A-20 paste as a control. LNS formulas containing Shea butter from the Shea nut tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), a common fat source in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, with and without flax-seed oil, as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, were developed. LNS formulas were batched (0.8 kg) in a wet grinder, sealed under nitrogen in three-layer mini-pouches (20 g), and underwent ASLT at 40 ± 2 °C for six months with sampling every eight weeks. At each time point, water activity, moisture, peroxide value, oil separation, vitamin C content, and hardness were evaluated. Results showed comparable stability among all formulas with an increase in Aw (p < 0.05) but no change in vitamin C, oil separation, or peroxide value. Addition of Shea butter improved the LNS’s hardness, which remained stable over time. Modifying fat profile in LNS can improve its texture and essential fatty acid content without affecting its storage stability. PMID:29117103

Comparison of constructed wetland and stabilization pond for the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, Gang-Jin; Zheng, Dan; Deng, Liang-Wei; Wen, Quan; Liu, Yi

2014-01-01

A laboratory-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSFCW) and a stabilization pond (SP) were constructed to compare their performances on the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater. After 457 days of operation, the removal efficiencies of the HSFCW were as follows: chemical oxygen demand (COD), 17-54%; total phosphorus (TP), 32-45% and ammonia nitrogen [Formula: see text], 27-88%, while they were 25-55%, 31-56% and 56-98%, respectively, for the SP, with a hydraulic retention time of 54 days and hydraulic loading of 0.01 m³ m⁻² d⁻¹. The average removed loads for the HSFCW were as follows: COD, 0.25-4.33; TP, 0.01-0.11 and [Formula: see text], 0.34-2.54 g m⁻² d⁻¹, while they were 0.25-4.45, 0.02-0.13 and 0.72-2.87 g m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, for the SP. The SP performed better than the HSFCW because the SP showed a 20% of higher removal efficiency for [Formula: see text] than the HSFCW. Especially, the COD removal rate of SP was 10% higher than the HSFCW when the influent concentration was at the lowest and highest stages. Meanwhile, given the lower costs, the SP is more suitable for the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater than the HSFCW.

Influence of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid formula feeds on vitamin E status in preterm infants.

PubMed

Kaempf-Rotzoll, Daisy E; Hellstern, Gerald; Linderkamp, Otwin

2003-10-01

It has been recommended to supplement formulas for preterm infants with n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCP) to improve growth, visual acuity, and neurodevelopmental performance. However, large amounts of LCP may increase lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in preterm infants. We investigated if, under high supplementation of natural tocopherols, LCP addition to formula can be performed safely without causing tocopherol depletion in cell membranes. Thirty-one healthy preterm infants with gestational ages from 28 to 32 weeks were evaluated in a prospective, randomized study from birth to day 42. Nine infants received an n-3 and n-6 LCP-enriched formula (A), eleven infants a standard formula (B), and eleven infants breast milk (control group). Alpha- and gamma-tocopherol extracts were added to both formulas, amounting to five times the value in breast milk (2.3 mg/dL in both formulas versus 0.45 mg/dL in breast milk). Erythrocyte arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction were similar in the three groups over the study period, whereas a significant reduction of erythrocyte AA and DHA could be detected in the phosphatidylcholine fraction in all three groups from day 14 onwards, when compared to respective cord blood values, with lowest values in the standard formula group. Amazingly, levels of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol were higher in plasma, erythrocytes, platelets, monocytes, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes with LCP supplementation as compared to standard formula and breast milk from day 7 onwards, whereas in buccal mucosal cells, this was not the case until day 42. Gammatocopherol uptake in the LCP-supplemented group was also significantly higher in all cell fractions studied from day 7 onwards. We therefore hypothesize that the LCP supplementation used in formula A improves tocopherol solubility and stability in biological membranes. Under high-dose vitamin E addition to n-3 and n-6 LCP-supplemented formula, no evidence for tocopherol depletion and furthermore, high accumulation of tocopherols, can be detected in healthy preterm infants.

Atomic and electronic structures of Si(1 1 1)-(√3 x √3)R30°-Au and (6 × 6)-Au surfaces.

PubMed

Patterson, C H

2015-12-02

Si(1 1 1)-Au surfaces with around one monolayer of Au exhibit many ordered structures and structures containing disordered domain walls. Hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations presented here reveal the origin of these complex structures and tendency to form domain walls. The conjugate honeycomb chain trimer (CHCT) structure of the [Formula: see text]-Au phase contains Si atoms with non-bonding surface states which can bind Au atoms in pairs in interstices of the CHCT structure and make this surface metallic. Si adatoms adsorbed on the [Formula: see text]-Au surface induce a gapped surface through interaction with the non-bonding states. Adsorption of extra Au atoms in interstitial sites of the [Formula: see text]-Au surface is stabilized by interaction with the non-bonding orbitals and leads to higher coverage ordered structures including the [Formula: see text]-Au phase. Extra Au atoms bound in interstitial sites of the [Formula: see text]-Au surface result in top layer Si atoms with an SiAu4 butterfly wing configuration. The structure of a [Formula: see text]-Au phase, whose in-plane top atomic layer positions were previously determined by an electron holography technique (Grozea et al 1998 Surf. Sci. 418 32), is calculated using total energy minimization. The Patterson function for this structure is calculated and is in good agreement with data from an in-plane x-ray diffraction study (Dornisch et al 1991 Phys. Rev. B 44 11221). Filled and empty state scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images are calculated for domain walls and the [Formula: see text]-Au structure. The [Formula: see text]-Au phase is 2D chiral and this is evident in computed and actual STM images. [Formula: see text]-Au and domain wall structures contain the SiAu4 motif with a butterfly wing shape. Chemical bonding within the Si-Au top layers of the [Formula: see text]-Au and [Formula: see text]-Au surfaces is analyzed and an explanation for the SiAu4 motif structure is given.

The Richness Dependence of Galaxy Cluster Correlations: Results From A Redshift Survey Of Rich APM Clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Croft, R. A. C.; Dalton, G. B.; Efstathiou, G.; Sutherland, W. J.; Maddox, S. J.

1997-01-01

We analyze the spatial clustering properties of a new catalog of very rich galaxy clusters selected from the APM Galaxy Survey. These clusters are of comparable richness and space density to Abell Richness Class greater than or equal to 1 clusters, but selected using an objective algorithm from a catalog demonstrably free of artificial inhomogeneities. Evaluation of the two-point correlation function xi(sub cc)(r) for the full sample and for richer subsamples reveals that the correlation amplitude is consistent with that measured for lower richness APM clusters and X-ray selected clusters. We apply a maximum likelihood estimator to find the best fitting slope and amplitude of a power law fit to x(sub cc)(r), and to estimate the correlation length r(sub 0) (the value of r at which xi(sub cc)(r) is equal to unity). For clusters with a mean space density of 1.6 x 10(exp -6) h(exp 3) MpC(exp -3) (equivalent to the space density of Abell Richness greater than or equal to 2 clusters), we find r(sub 0) = 21.3(+11.1/-9.3) h(exp -1) Mpc (95% confidence limits). This is consistent with the weak richness dependence of xi(sub cc)(r) expected in Gaussian models of structure formation. In particular, the amplitude of xi(sub cc)(r) at all richnesses matches that of xi(sub cc)(r) for clusters selected in N-Body simulations of a low density Cold Dark Matter model.

The Obama - Xi Accord: A Need for Further Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tribett, W. R.; Hope, A. P.; Canty, T. P.; Salawitch, R. J.

2015-12-01

Presidents Barrack Obama of the United States and Jinping Xi of China recently announced a bilateral framework to reduce the total carbon emissions of their respective countries. The U.S. agreed to reduce annual carbon emissions such that by 2025, emissions would be 27% below 2005 levels. China agreed to achieve peak carbon emissions around 2030 coupled with a best effort to peak early. Here we analyze the implications of the Obama-Xi accord for total global carbon emissions (GCE) out to year 2060, using projections of population, economic growth, and carbon intensity for the rest of the world as well as various assumptions regarding how emissions from the U.S. and China will evolve after the timeframe of the Obama-Xi accord. Our GCE projections will be compared to those of the four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) emission scenarios used in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). The Obama-Xi accord is shown to be a meaningful first step: if followed, the actual GCE will likely fall below RCP 8.5 between now and 2060. The U.S., China, and rest of the world presently emit 4.5, 2.0, and 1.1 tonne of carbon per person per year (tpy), respectively. We show that if the world's nations adopt a strategy of "Contraction and Convergence", such that per capita emission for each country reaches 1.0 tpy by 2060, actual GCE will approach that of RCP 4.5 by year 2060. Such action may be needed to reduce the risk of the most dire global warming forecasts within IPCC AR5.

Da Vinci Xi Robot–Assisted Penetrating Keratoplasty

PubMed Central

Chammas, Jimmy; Sauer, Arnaud; Pizzuto, Joëlle; Pouthier, Fabienne; Gaucher, David; Marescaux, Jacques; Mutter, Didier; Bourcier, Tristan

2017-01-01

Purpose This study aims (1) to investigate the feasibility of robot-assisted penetrating keratoplasty (PK) using the new Da Vinci Xi Surgical System and (2) to report what we believe to be the first use of this system in experimental eye surgery. Methods Robot-assisted PK procedures were performed on human corneal transplants using the Da Vinci Xi Surgical System. After an 8-mm corneal trephination, four interrupted sutures and one 10.0 monofilament running suture were made. For each procedure, duration and successful completion of the surgery as well as any unexpected events were assessed. The depth of the corneal sutures was checked postoperatively using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Results Robot-assisted PK was successfully performed on 12 corneas. The Da Vinci Xi Surgical System provided the necessary dexterity to perform the different steps of surgery. The mean duration of the procedures was 43.4 ± 8.9 minutes (range: 28.5–61.1 minutes). There were no unexpected intraoperative events. SD-OCT confirmed that the sutures were placed at the appropriate depth. Conclusions We confirm the feasibility of robot-assisted PK with the new Da Vinci Surgical System and report the first use of the Xi model in experimental eye surgery. Operative time of robot-assisted PK surgery is now close to that of conventional manual surgery due to both improvement of the optical system and the presence of microsurgical instruments. Translational Relevance Experimentations will allow the advantages of robot-assisted microsurgery to be identified while underlining the improvements and innovations necessary for clinical use. PMID:28660096

Human plasma kallikrein and tissue kallikrein binding to a substrate based on the reactive site of a factor Xa inhibitor isolated from Bauhinia ungulata seeds.

PubMed

Oliva, M L; Andrade, S A; Batista, I F; Sampaio, M U; Juliano, M; Fritz, H; Auerswald, E A; Sampaio, C A

1999-12-01

Kunitz type Bauhinia ungulata factor Xa inhibitor (BuXI) was purified from B. ungulata seeds. BuXI inactivates factor Xa and human plasma kallikrein (HuPK) with Ki values of 18.4 and 6.9 nM, respectively. However, Bauhinia variegata trypsin inhibitor (BvTI) which is 70% homologous to BuXI does not inhibit factor Xa and is less efficient on HuPK (Ki = 80 nM). The comparison between BuXI and BvTI reactive site structure indicates differences at Met59, Thr66 and Met67 residues. The hydrolysis rate of quenched fluorescence peptide substrates based on BuXI reactive site sequence, Abz-VMIAALPRTMFIQ-EDDnp (leading peptide), by HuPK and porcine pancreatic kallikrein (PoPK) is low, but hydrolysis is enhanced with Abz-VMIAALPRTMQ-EDDnp, derived from the leading peptide shortened by removing the dipeptide Phe-Ileu from the C-terminal portion, for HuPK (Km = 0.68 microM, k(cat)/Km = 1.3 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1)), and the shorter substrate Abz-LPRTMQ-EDDnp is better for PoPK (Km = 0.66 microM, k(cat)/Km = 2.2 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1)). The contribution of substrate methionine residues to HuPK and PoPK hydrolysis differs from that observed with factor Xa. The determined Km and k(cat) values suggest that the substrates interact with kallikreins the same as an enzyme and inhibitor interacts to form complexes.

Moment stability for a predator-prey model with parametric dichotomous noises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yan-Fei

2015-06-01

In this paper, we investigate the solution moment stability for a Harrison-type predator-prey model with parametric dichotomous noises. Using the Shapiro-Loginov formula, the equations for the first-order and second-order moments are obtained and the corresponding stable conditions are given. It is found that the solution moment stability depends on the noise intensity and correlation time of noise. The first-order and second-order moments become unstable with the decrease of correlation time. That is, the dichotomous noise can improve the solution moment stability with respect to Gaussian white noise. Finally, some numerical results are presented to verify the theoretical analyses. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11272051).

Using Optimal Dependency-Trees for Combinatorial Optimization: Learning the Structure of the Search Space.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

create a dependency tree containing an optimum set of n-1 first-order dependencies. To do this, first, we select an arbitrary bit Xroot to place at the...the root to an arbitrary bit Xroot -For all other bits Xi, set bestMatchingBitInTree[Xi] to Xroot . -While not all bits have been

Polymerizable 2(2-hydroxynaphthyl)2H-benzotriazole compounds

DOEpatents

Gomez, P.M.; Neidlinger, H.H.

1991-07-16

Benzotriazole compounds having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is H, Cl, or OCH.sub.3 ; R.sub.2 is a hydroxynaphthyl group; and R.sub.3 is a vinyl unsaturated polymerizable group. Homopolymers or copolymers thereof are effective as UV light stabilizers and absorbers.

Polymerizable 2(2-hydroxynaphthyl)2H-benzotriazole compounds

DOEpatents

Gomez, Peter M.; Neidlinger, Hermann H.

1991-01-01

Benzotriazole compounds having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is H, Cl, or OCH.sub.3 ; R.sub.2 is a hydroxynaphthyl group; and R.sub.3 is a vinyl unsaturated polymerizable group. Homopolymers or copolymers thereof are effective as UV light stabilizers and absorbers.

The Microquasar Cyg X-1: A Short Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nowak, M. A.; Wilms, J.; Hanke, M.; Pottschmidt, K.; Markoff, S.

2011-01-01

We review the spectral properties of the black hole candidate Cygnus X-I. Specifically, we discuss two recent sets of multi-satellite observations. One comprises a 0.5-500 keY spectrum, obtained with eve!)' flying X-ray satellite at that time, that is among the hardest Cyg X-I spectra observed to date. The second set is comprised of 0.5-40 keV Chandra-HETG plus RXTE-PCA spectra from a radio-quiet, spectrally soft state. We first discuss the "messy astrophysics" often neglected in the study of Cyg X-I, i.e., ionized absorption from the wind of the secondary and the foreground dust scattering halo. We then discuss components common to both state extremes: a low temperature accretion disk, and a relativistically broadened Fe line and reflection. Hard state spectral models indicate that the disk inner edge does not extend beyond > or approx.= 40 GM/sq c , and may even approach as close as approx. = 6GM/sq c. The soft state exhibits a much more prominent disk component; however, its very low normalization plausibly indicates a spinning black hole in the Cyg X-I system. Key words. accretion, accretion disks - black hole physics - X-rays:binaries

l-Arabinose Isomerase and d-Xylose Isomerase from Lactobacillus reuteri: Characterization, Coexpression in the Food Grade Host Lactobacillus plantarum, and Application in the Conversion of d-Galactose and d-Glucose

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The l-arabinose isomerase (l-AI) and the d-xylose isomerase (d-XI) encoding genes from Lactobacillus reuteri (DSMZ 17509) were cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The proteins were purified to homogeneity by one-step affinity chromatography and characterized biochemically. l-AI displayed maximum activity at 65 °C and pH 6.0, whereas d-XI showed maximum activity at 65 °C and pH 5.0. Both enzymes require divalent metal ions. The genes were also ligated into the inducible lactobacillal expression vectors pSIP409 and pSIP609, the latter containing a food grade auxotrophy marker instead of an antibiotic resistance marker, and the l-AI- and d-XI-encoding sequences/genes were coexpressed in the food grade host Lactobacillus plantarum. The recombinant enzymes were tested for applications in carbohydrate conversion reactions of industrial relevance. The purified l-AI converted d-galactose to d-tagatose with a maximum conversion rate of 35%, and the d-XI isomerized d-glucose to d-fructose with a maximum conversion rate of 48% at 60 °C. PMID:24443973

Regulation of organ straightening and plant posture by an actin-myosin XI cytoskeleton.

PubMed

Okamoto, Keishi; Ueda, Haruko; Shimada, Tomoo; Tamura, Kentaro; Kato, Takehide; Tasaka, Masao; Morita, Miyo Terao; Hara-Nishimura, Ikuko

2015-03-23

Plants are able to bend nearly every organ in response to environmental stimuli such as gravity and light(1,2). After this first phase, the responses to stimuli are restrained by an independent mechanism, or even reversed, so that the organ will stop bending and attain its desired posture. This phenomenon of organ straightening has been called autotropism(3) and autostraightening(4) and modelled as proprioception(5). However, the machinery that drives organ straightening and where it occurs are mostly unknown. Here, we show that the straightening of inflorescence stems is regulated by an actin-myosin XI cytoskeleton in specialized immature fibre cells that are parallel to the stem and encircle it in a thin band. Arabidopsis mutants defective in myosin XI (specifically XIf and XIk) or ACTIN8 exhibit hyperbending of stems in response to gravity, an effect independent of the physical properties of the shoots. The actin-myosin XI cytoskeleton enables organs to attain their new position more rapidly than would an oscillating series of diminishing overshoots in environmental stimuli. We propose that the long actin filaments in elongating fibre cells act as a bending tensile sensor to perceive the organ's posture and trigger the straightening system.

Efficacy of the treatments used for the control of Caligus rogercresseyi infecting Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in a new fish-farming location in Region XI, Chile.

PubMed

Bravo, S; Nuñez, M; Silva, M T

2013-03-01

Caligus rogercresseyi is the most important parasite affecting Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout farming in sea water in Chile. After the outbreaks of the infectious salmon anaemia recorded in Region X from 2007, the salmon industry has expanded southwards to Region XI, where 60% of Atlantic salmon in Chile is now produced. In parallel with the relocation of salmon production, sea lice infestation has also spread to Region XI, and today C. rogercresseyi is the most serious threat to the salmon-farming industry in this region. The results obtained through a year of monitoring between September 2007 and August 2008 on a farm located in the 'Las Guaitecas Archipelago' in Region XI (44°S; 74°W) showed that treatments with emamectin benzoate and deltamethrin did not give the expected control of Caligus. Failures of the treatments were associated with the loss of sensitivity recorded for C. rogercresseyi to emamectin benzoate in Region X. In addition, a major influence was the lack of delousing coordination measures with the neighbouring farms sharing the same area in that period. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

COMMUNICATION: Alternative splicing and genomic stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahill, Kevin

2004-06-01

Alternative splicing allows an organism to make different proteins in different cells at different times, all from the same gene. In a cell that uses alternative splicing, the total length of all the exons is much shorter than in a cell that encodes the same set of proteins without alternative splicing. This economical use of exons makes genes more stable during reproduction and development because a genome with a shorter exon length is more resistant to harmful mutations. Genomic stability may be the reason why higher vertebrates splice alternatively. For a broad class of alternatively spliced genes, a formula is given for the increase in their stability.

Distillation of multipartite entanglement by complementary stabilizer measurements.

PubMed

Miyake, Akimasa; Briegel, Hans J

2005-11-25

We propose a scheme of multipartite entanglement distillation driven by a complementary pair of stabilizer measurements to distill directly a wider range of states beyond the stabilizer code states (such as the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states). We make our idea explicit by constructing a recurrence protocol for the 3-qubit state [formula: see text]. Noisy states resulting from typical decoherence can be directly purified in a few steps, if their initial fidelity is larger than a threshold. For general input mixed states, we observe distillations to hierarchical fixed points, i.e., not only to the state but also to the 2-qubit Bell pair, depending on their initial entanglement.

Transoral robotic thyroidectomy: a preclinical feasibility study using the da Vinci Xi platform.

PubMed

Russell, Jonathon O; Noureldine, Salem I; Al Khadem, Mai G; Chaudhary, Hamad A; Day, Andrew T; Kim, Hoon Yub; Tufano, Ralph P; Richmon, Jeremy D

2017-09-01

Transoral thyroid surgery allows the surgeon to conceal incisions within the oral cavity without significantly increasing the amount of required dissection. TORT provides an ideal scarless, midline access to the thyroid gland and bilateral central neck compartments. This approach, however, presents multiple technical challenges. Herein, we present our experience using the latest generation robotic surgical system to accomplish transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT). In two human cadavers, the da Vinci Xi surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) was used to complete TORT. Total thyroidectomy and bilateral central neck dissection was successfully completed in both cadavers. The da Vinci Xi platform offered several technologic advantages over previous robotic generations including overhead docking, narrower arms, and improved range of motion allowing for improved execution of previously described TORT techniques.

Development of Mole Concept Module Based on Structured Inquiry with Interconection of Macro, Submicro, and Symbolic Representation for Grade X of Senior High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagita, R.; Azra, F.; Azhar, M.

2018-04-01

The research has created the module of mole concept based on structured inquiry with interconection of macro, submicro, and symbolic representation and determined the validity and practicality of the module. The research type was Research and Development (R&D). The development model was 4-D models that consist of four steps: define, design, develop, and disseminate. The research was limited on develop step. The instrument of the research was questionnaire form that consist of validity and practicality sheets. The module was validated by 5 validators. Practicality module was tested by 2 chemistry teachers and 28 students of grade XI MIA 5 at SMAN 4 of Padang. Validity and practicality data were analysed by using the kappa Cohen formula. The moment kappa average of 5 validators was 0,95 with highest validity category. The moment kappa average of teachers and students were 0,89 and 0,91 praticality with high category. The result of the research showed that the module of mole concept based on structured inquiry with interconection of macro, submicro, and symbolic representation was valid and practice to be used on the learning chemistry.

Origin of the incommensurate phase of quartz: I. Inelastic neutron scattering study of the high temperature β phase of quartz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolino, G.; Berge, B.; Vallade, M.; Moussa, F.

1992-07-01

The origin of the incommensurate phase of quartz is attributed to a gradient interaction between the optical soft mode of the α-β transition of quartz and a transverse acoustic mode. To test this model high resolution inelastic neutron scattering studies of the lattice dynamics of quartz have been performed. For the first time, a resolved zone center soft mode has been observed in the β phase of quartz at 1 THz at 1 250 K, confirming the displacive character of this transition. Along [xi 0 0] a strong interaction has been observed between this soft mode and the acoustic branch with u_{xy} shear strain. The softening of the two mixed branches produced by this interaction has been followed by decreasing temperature. Near the transition a dip appears in the lower frequency branch, which goes continuously to 0 near xi=0.035 at the incommensurate phase transition. Due to a large damping, the soft branch is overdamped near the transition leading to a quasielastic peak. Along [ xi xi 0] where the soft mode is coupled with the longitudinal acoustic mode, no dip is observed in the lower frequency mode. These results are in good agreement with the predictions of the gradient interaction model discussed in the following paper. L'existence de la phase incommensurable du quartz est attribuée à une interaction entre le gradient du mode mou optique de la transition α β et un mode acoustique transverse. Pour vérifier ce modèle, des mesures de diffusion inélastique des neutrons, de haute résolution, ont été faites. Un mode mou résolu en centre de zone a, pour la première fois, été observé vers 1 THz à 1 250 K, dans la phase β du quartz, confirmant le caractère displacif de cette transition. Le long de [ xi 0 0] , une forte interaction est observée entre ce mode mou et la branche acoustique ayant une déformation de cisaillement u_{xy}. L'amollissement des deux branches mixtes, résultant de cette interaction, a été suivi en fonction de la température. Près de la transition, un minimum apparaît sur la branche basse fréquence, qui décroît continuement jusqu'à 0 pour xi=0,035 à la transition incommensurable. En raison d'un amortissement important, la branche molle est suramortie près de la transition, ce qui produit un pic quasiélastique. Le long de [xi xi 0], où le mode mou est couplé avec le mode acoustique longitudinal, aucun minimum n'est observé. Ces résultats sont en bon accord avec les prédictions du modèle de couplage avec un gradient, dèveloppé dans l'article suivant.

Into the theory of the partial-filling affinity capillary electrophoresis and the determination of apparent stability constants of analyte-ligand complexes.

PubMed

Ansorge, Martin; Dubský, Pavel; Ušelová, Kateřina

2018-03-01

The partial-filling affinity capillary electrophoresis (pf-ACE) works with a ligand present in a background electrolyte that forms a weak complex with an analyte. In contrast to a more popular mobility-shift affinity capillary electrophoresis, only a short plug of the ligand is introduced into a capillary in the pf-ACE. Both methods can serve for determining apparent stability constants of the formed complexes but this task is hindered in the pf-ACE by the fact that the analyte spends only a part of its migration time in a contact with the ligand. In 1998, Amini and Westerlund published a linearization strategy that allows for extracting an effective mobility of an analyte in the presence of a neutral ligand out of the pf-ACE data. The main purpose of this paper is to show that the original formula is only approximate. We derive a new formula and demonstrate its applicability by means of computer simulations. We further inspect several strategies of data processing in the pf-ACE regarding a risk of an error propagation. This establishes a good practice of determining apparent stability constants of analyte-ligand complexes by means of the pf-ACE. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Spray-dried structured lipid containing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for use in infant formulas.

PubMed

Nagachinta, Supakana; Akoh, Casimir C

2013-10-01

Human milk fat (HMF) analogs are structured lipids (SLs) modified to have palmitic acid content at the sn-2 position of the triacylglycerol (TAG) and fatty acid composition comparable to HMF. Some of these SLs are also designed to incorporate long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) because of their important role in infant development. In this study, Maillard reaction products (MRPs), obtained from heated whey protein isolates and corn syrup solids (CSS) solution, were used as encapsulants for microencapsulation of 2 enzymatically synthesized SLs for infant formula applications. The encapsulated SL powders were obtained through spray-drying and evaluated in terms of their microencapsulation efficiency, chemical and physical properties, oxidative stability, and dispersibility. The microencapsulation efficiency of the SLs was 90%. Dispersibility test using particle size measurement demonstrated that these powders dispersed quickly into a homogeneous suspension. The encapsulated SL powders had low peroxide and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances values. Lower oxidative stability was obtained in the powder containing SL with a higher degree of unsaturation and a lower concentration of tocopherols. The results demonstrated that the degree of fatty acid unsaturation and concentration of endogenous antioxidant in starting oils influenced the oxidative stability of the encapsulated SLs. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Strange hadron (neutral kaon(short), lambda baryon and Xi baryon) production in deuteron+gold collisions at center of mass energy = 200 GeV at RHIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Hai

The study of identified particles from deuteron(d)+gold(Au) collisions provide a crucial reference to investigate nuclear effects observed in Au+Au collisions where a thermalized partonic state - Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) - is thought to have been created. The measurements of transverse mass (mT) and momentum (pT) spectra at mid-rapidity (| y| < 1) for the identified strange hadrons: K0S , Λ + Λ and xi- + xi+ from d+Au collisions are presented. The measured pT covers 0.4 < p T < 6.0 GeV/c for K0S and Λ + Λ and 0.6 < pT < 5.0 GeV/c for xi- + xi+. These particles were reconstructed from the topological characteristics of their weak decays in the STAR Time Projection Chamber (TPC). The mT spectra of these particles are well described by a double exponential function which can be understood by two component models: soft (thermal) hadron production at low mT and hard hadron production at high mT. The integrated yields (dN/dy) and mean pT (< pT >) of these particles are calculated from the fit functions for different centralities. The dN/dy normalized to the number of participants (Npart) increase with Npart. The Λ(Λ ) dN/dy values at the mid-rapidity and forward rapidity regions agree with the EPOS model calculations. The measured Λ/ K0S ratios show the greatest baryon enhancement at pT ˜ 2 GeV/c in d+Au collisions. The strangeness enhancement going from d+Au to Au+Au collisions grows with the number of strange quark in a hadron. The magnitude of the enhancement is in the same order as the SPS measurement. The nuclear modification factors RCP normalized to binary collisions indicate that the Cronin effect in d+Au collisions has a distinct particle type dependence. The RCP ratios show a distinct baryon versus meson dependence: the RCP for xi- + xi+ follows that for Λ + Λ while the R CP for the φ is close to that for the K0S . The mechanism based on initial hadron or parton multiple scattering is not sufficient to explain this particle type dependence. Hadronization processes through multi-parton dynamics such as coalescence and recombination models are likely to be important for explaining baryon enhancement and the Cronin effect in high-energy d+Au collisions.

Ternary rare earth-lanthanide sulfides

DOEpatents

Takeshita, Takuo; Gschneidner JR., Karl A.; Beaudry, Bernard J.

1987-01-06

A new ternary rare earth sulfur compound having the formula: where M is a rare earth element selected from the group europium, samarium and ytterbium and x=0.15 to 0.8. The compound has good high-temperature thermoelectric properties and exhibits long-term structural stability up to 1000.degree. C.

75 FR 64322 - Notice of Formula Allocations and Program Requirements for Neighborhood Stabilization Program...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-19

... notice also notes statutory issues affecting program design and implementation. Note: This notice is... gave HUD broad waiver and alternative requirement authority, which HUD used in designing NSP program... activity produces housing, how the design of the activity will ensure continued affordability; v. How the...

Institutional Research Needs for U. S. Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington State Board for Community Coll. Education, Seattle. Research and Planning Office.

Seven problem areas where research is needed critically at the two-year institution level are identified: (1) establish reliability and stability of MIS/data base; (2) find reliable predictive instruments and/or formulae; (3) analyze support services and academic assistance objectives; (4) develop research methods to evaluate curricula; (5)…

Artificial Oxide Heterostructures with Tunable Band Gap

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-20

PIs: Xiaoxing Xi 1, and Jon Spanier2 1. Department of Physics , Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA 2. Department of Materials Science...been summarized in the following. Our thin-film experimental group under the leadership of Prof. Xiaoxing Xi at physics department of Temple...theoretical group of Xifan Wu at physics department of Temple University. The first- principles calculations were performed by using density functional theory

Structural Integrity of Water Reactor Pressure Boundary Components.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code , Sec. Ill). Estimates of the upper shelf K level from small-specimen...from Appendix A of Section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code [11. Figure 9 shows this same data set, together with earlier data for...0969, NRL Memo- randum Report 4063, Sep. 1979. 11. Section XI - ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code , Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear

75 FR 44163 - Implementation of Regulations Required Under Title XI of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-28

... Under Title XI of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008; Conduct in Violation of the Act AGENCY... Act and provide for a fairer market place. DATES: We will consider comments we receive by November 22... clarify conditions for industry compliance with the P&S Act and provide for a fairer market place. We have...

Source contributions of fine particulate matter during one winter haze episodes in Xi'an, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, X.; Wu, Q.

2017-12-01

Long-term exposure to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is found to be associated with adverse effects on human health, ecological environment and climate change. Identification the major source regions of fine particulate matter are essential to proposing proper joint prevention and control strategies for heavy haze mitigation. In this work, the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) together with the Particulate Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) and the Weather Research and Forecast Model (WRF), have been applied to analyze the major source regions of PM2.5 in Xi'an during the heavy haze episodes in winter (29, December, 2016 - 5 January 2017), and the framework of the model system is shown in Fig. 1. Firstly, according to the model evaluation of the daily PM2.5 concentrations for the two months, the model has well performance, and the fraction of predictions within a factor of 2 of the observations (FAC2) is 84%, while the correlation coefficient (R) is 0.80 in Xi'an. By using the PSAT in CAMx model, a detailed source region contribution matrix is derived for all points within the Xi'an region and its six surrounding areas, and long-range regional transport. The results show that the local emission in Xi'an is the mainly sources at downtown area, which contributing 72.9% as shown in Fig.2, and the contribution rate of transportations between adjacent areas depends on wind direction. Meanwhile, three different suburban areas selected for detailed analysis in fine particles sources. Comparing to downtown area, the sources of suburban areas are more multiply, and the transportations make the contribution 40%-82%. In the suburban areas, regional inflows play an important role in the fine particles concentrations, indicating a strong need for regional joint emission control efforts. The results enhance the quantitative understanding of the PM2.5 source regions and provide a basis for policymaking to advance the control of pollution in Xi'an, China.

Observation of the {omega}{sub b}{sup -} baryon and measurement of the properties of the {xi}{sub b}{sup -} and {omega}{sub b}{sup -} baryons

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

Aaltonen, T.; Maki, T.; Mehtala, P.

We report the observation of the bottom, doubly-strange baryon {omega}{sub b}{sup -} through the decay chain {omega}{sub b}{sup -}{yields}J/{psi}{omega}{sup -}, where J/{psi}{yields}{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}, {omega}{sup -}{yields}{lambda}K{sup -}, and {lambda}{yields}p{pi}{sup -}, using 4.2 fb{sup -1} of data from pp collisions at {radical}(s)=1.96 TeV, and recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. A signal is observed whose probability of arising from a background fluctuation is 4.0x10{sup -8}, or 5.5 Gaussian standard deviations. The {omega}{sub b}{sup -} mass is measured to be 6054.4{+-}6.8(stat){+-}0.9(syst) MeV/c{sup 2}. The lifetime of the {omega}{sub b}{sup -} baryon is measured to be 1.13{sub -0.40}{sup +0.53}(stat){+-}0.02(syst) ps. In addition,more » for the {xi}{sub b}{sup -} baryon we measure a mass of 5790.9{+-}2.6(stat){+-}0.8(syst) MeV/c{sup 2} and a lifetime of 1.56{sub -0.25}{sup +0.27}(stat){+-}0.02(syst) ps. Under the assumption that the {xi}{sub b}{sup -} and {omega}{sub b}{sup -} are produced with similar kinematic distributions to the {lambda}{sub b}{sup 0} baryon, we find ({sigma}({xi}{sub b}{sup -})B({xi}{sub b}{sup -}{yields}J/{psi}{xi}{sup -})/{sigma}({lambda}{sub b}{sup 0})B({lambda}{sub b}{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}{lambda}))=0.167{sub -0.025}{sup +0.037}(stat){+-}0.012(syst) and ({sigma}({omega}{sub b}{sup -})B({omega}{sub b}{sup -}{yields}J/{psi}{omega}{sup -})/{sigma}({lambda}{sub b}{sup 0})B({lambda}{sub b}{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}{lambda}))=0.045{sub -0.012}{sup +0.017}(stat){+-} 0.004(syst) for baryons produced with transverse momentum in the range of 6-20 GeV/c.« less

Bifurcation analysis and global dynamics of a mathematical model of antibiotic resistance in hospitals.

PubMed

Cen, Xiuli; Feng, Zhilan; Zheng, Yiqiang; Zhao, Yulin

2017-12-01

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have posed a grave threat to public health by causing a number of nosocomial infections in hospitals. Mathematical models have been used to study transmission dynamics of antibiotic-resistant bacteria within a hospital and the measures to control antibiotic resistance in nosocomial pathogens. Studies presented in Lipstich et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci 97(4):1938-1943, 2000) and Lipstich and Bergstrom (Infection control in the ICU environment. Kluwer, Boston, 2002) have provided valuable insights in understanding the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a hospital. However, their results are limited to numerical simulations of a few different scenarios without analytical analyses of the models in broader parameter regions that are biologically feasible. Bifurcation analysis and identification of the global stability conditions can be very helpful for assessing interventions that are aimed at limiting nosocomial infections and stemming the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this paper we study the global dynamics of the mathematical model of antibiotic resistance in hospitals considered in Lipstich et al. (2000) and Lipstich and Bergstrom (2002). The invasion reproduction number [Formula: see text] of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is derived, and the relationship between [Formula: see text] and two control reproduction numbers of sensitive bacteria and resistant bacteria ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) is established. More importantly, we prove that a backward bifurcation may occur at [Formula: see text] when the model includes superinfection, which is not mentioned in Lipstich and Bergstrom (2002). More specifically, there exists a new threshold [Formula: see text], such that if [Formula: see text], then the system can have two positive interior equilibria, which leads to an interesting bistable phenomenon. This may have critical implications for controlling the antibiotic-resistance in a hospital.

Estimating PM2.5 in Xi'an , China Using Aerosol Optical Depth of Npp Viirs Data and Meteorological Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, K.; Yang, Z.; Zheng, J.; Jiao, J.; Gao, W.

2018-04-01

In recent years, the air pollution is becoming more and more serious, which not only causes the decrease of the visibility, but also affects the human health. As the most important pollutant particulate matter, remote sensing satellite measurements have been widely used to estimate PM2.5 concentration on the ground. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is one of the instruments which is taken in the National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. In this study, VIIRS was used to retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) with the way of dark pixels, and several other major meteorological variables (wind speed, relative humidity, NO2 concentration, ground surface relative humidity and planetary boundary layer height) were combined with AOD to construct a nonlinear multiple regression mode for establishing the relationship between AOD and PM2.5 concentration. The North Basin of Shaanxi province of China, which includes Xi'an, is located in the north of Qinling Mountains, south of the Loess Plateau, and in the central of Weihe basin, with special structure and other adverse weather conditions (static wind, less rain) to cause the frequent haze weather in Xi'an. Xi'an city was selected as the area of the experiment due to its particularity. This research obtained the AOD results from August 1, 2013 to October 30, 2013. The inversion results were compared with ground-based PM2.5 concentration date from air quality monitoring station of Xi'an. The result showed that there is a significant correlation between the two, and the correlation coefficient is 0.783. The inversion result verified that the model of VIIRS data agreed well AOD, which could be used to estimate the surface PM2.5 concentration and monitor the regional air quality.

Resolving the xi Boo Binary with Chandra, and Revealing the Spectral Type Dependence of the Coronal "Fip Effect"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Brian E.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.

2010-01-01

On 2008 May 2, Chandra observed the X-ray spectrum of xi Boo (G8 V+K4 V), resolving the binary for the first time in X-rays and allowing the coronae of the two stars to be studied separately. With the contributions of ξ Boo A and B to the system's total X-ray emission now observationally established (88.5% and 11.5% respectively), consideration of mass loss measurements for GK dwarfs of various activity levels (including one for xi Boo) leads to the surprising conclusion that xi Boo B may dominate the wind from the binary, with xi Boo A's wind being very weak despite its active corona. Emission measure (EM) distributions and coronal abundances are computed for both stars and compared with Chandra measurements of other moderately active stars with G8-K5 spectral types, all of which exhibit a narrow peak in EM near log T = 6.6, indicating that the coronal heating process in these stars has a strong preference for this temperature. As is the case for the Sun and many other stars, our sample of stars shows coronal abundance anomalies dependent on the first ionization potential (FIP) of the element. We see no dependence of the degree of FIP effect on activity, but there is a dependence on spectral type, a correlation that becomes more convincing when moderately active main-sequence stars with a broader range of spectral types are considered. This clear dependence of coronal abundances on spectral type weakens if the stellar sample is allowed to be contaminated by evolved stars, interacting binaries or extremely active stars with logLX 29, explaining why this correlation has not been recognized in the past.

[Estimation on value of water and soil conservation of agricultural ecosystems in Xi' an metropolitan, Northwest China].

PubMed

Yang, Wen-yan; Zhou, Zhong-xue

2014-12-01

With the urban eco-environment increasingly deteriorating, the ecosystem services provided by modern urban agriculture are exceedingly significant to maintain and build more suitable environment in a city. Taking Xi' an metropolitan as the study area, based on remote sensing data, DEM data and the economic and social statistics data, the water and soil conservation service of the agricultural ecosystems was valued employing the remote sensing and geographic information system method, covering the reduction values on land waste, soil fertility loss and sediment loss from 2000 to 2011, and analyzed its changes in time and space. The results showed that during the study period, the total value of water and soil conservation service provided by agricultural systems in Xi' an metropolitan was increased by 46,086 and 33.008 billion yuan respectively from period of 2000 to 2005 and from 2005 to 2011. The cultivated land (including grains, vegetables and other farming land), forest (including orchard) and grassland provided higher value on the water and soil conservation service than waters and other land use. Ecosystem service value of water and soil conserva- tion provided by agriculture was gradually decreasing from the southern to the northern in Xi' an metropolitan. There were significantly positive relationship between the ecosystem service value and the vegetation coverage. Forest, orchard and grassland distributed intensively in the southern which had higher vegetation coverage than in northern where covered by more cultivated land, sparse forest and scattered orchard. There were significantly negative correlation between the urbanization level and the value of water and soil conservation. The higher level of urbanization, the lower value there was from built-up area to suburban and to countryside within Xi' an metropolitan.

Molecular and genetic characterization of the Ry adg locus on chromosome XI from Andigena potatoes conferring extreme resistance to potato virus Y.

PubMed

Herrera, María Del Rosario; Vidalon, Laura Jara; Montenegro, Juan D; Riccio, Cinzia; Guzman, Frank; Bartolini, Ida; Ghislain, Marc

2018-05-31

We have elucidated the Andigena origin of the potato Ry adg gene on chromosome XI of CIP breeding lines and developed two marker assays to facilitate its introgression in potato by marker-assisted selection. Potato virus Y (PVY) is causing yield and quality losses forcing farmers to renew periodically their seeds from clean stocks. Two loci for extreme resistance to PVY, one on chromosome XI and the other on XII, have been identified and used in breeding. The latter corresponds to a well-known source of resistance (Solanum stoloniferum), whereas the one on chromosome XI was reported from S. stoloniferum and S. tuberosum group Andigena as well. To elucidate its taxonomic origin in our breeding lines, we analyzed the nucleotide sequences of tightly linked markers (M45, M6) and screened 251 landraces of S. tuberosum group Andigena for the presence of this gene. Our results indicate that the PVY resistance allele on chromosome XI in our breeding lines originated from S. tuberosum group Andigena. We have developed two marker assays to accelerate the introgression of Ry adg gene into breeding lines by marker-assisted selection (MAS). First, we have multiplexed RYSC3, M6 and M45 DNA markers flanking the Ry adg gene and validated it on potato varieties with known presence/absence of the Ry adg gene and a progeny of 6,521 individuals. Secondly, we developed an allele-dosage assay particularly useful to identify multiplex Ry adg progenitors. The assay based on high-resolution melting analysis at the M6 marker confirmed Ry adg plex level as nulliplex, simplex and duplex progenitors and few triplex progenies. These marker assays have been validated and can be used to facilitate MAS in potato breeding.

Effects of Dao De Xin Xi Exercise on Balance and Quality of Life in Thai Elderly Women

PubMed Central

Intarakamhang, Patrawut; Chintanaprawasee, Pantipa

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week Dao De Xin Xi exercise, modified short forms of Tai Chi, on balance and quality of life in Thai elderly population. Quasi-Experimental research, pretest-posttest one group design was done at Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Phramongkutklao Hospital. Thai healthy elderly women over the age of 60, requiring regular Dao De Xin Xi exercise were recruited from either patients or workers in the hospital. A 60-minute Dao De Xin Xi exercise class was set as 3 times per week for 12 weeks. At baseline and 12 weeks, participants were tested in their static balance (Single-Leg Stance Timed Test with eyes open and close), dynamic balance (Expanded Timed Up and Go (ETUG) Test). Quality of life was measured by the abbreviated Thai version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Fourteen females were studied with mean age of 62.8±4.3 years old. The Single-Leg Stance Timed Test with eyes open and close, Expanded Timed Up and Go (ETUG) Test improved significantly (before versus after exercises p <0.001). Significant improvement in quality of life were also found in each 4 domains, including physical health, psychological, social relationship, and environment (before versus after exercises p =0.001, 0.001, 0.004 and 0.005 respectively). No significant improvement was found only in the right Single-Leg Stance Timed Test with eyes close (p =0.091). A three times per week for 12-week Dao De Xin Xi exercise may help Thai elderly women improve both static, dynamic balance and quality of life. PMID:22980114

Activity-dependent branching ratios in stocks, solar x-ray flux, and the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile model.

PubMed

Martin, Elliot; Shreim, Amer; Paczuski, Maya

2010-01-01

We define an activity-dependent branching ratio that allows comparison of different time series X(t). The branching ratio b(x) is defined as b(x)=E[xi(x)/x]. The random variable xi(x) is the value of the next signal given that the previous one is equal to x, so xi(x)=[X(t+1) | X(t)=x]. If b(x)>1, the process is on average supercritical when the signal is equal to x, while if b(x)<1, it is subcritical. For stock prices we find b(x)=1 within statistical uncertainty, for all x, consistent with an "efficient market hypothesis." For stock volumes, solar x-ray flux intensities, and the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld (BTW) sandpile model, b(x) is supercritical for small values of activity and subcritical for the largest ones, indicating a tendency to return to a typical value. For stock volumes this tendency has an approximate power-law behavior. For solar x-ray flux and the BTW model, there is a broad regime of activity where b(x) approximately equal 1, which we interpret as an indicator of critical behavior. This is true despite different underlying probability distributions for X(t) and for xi(x). For the BTW model the distribution of xi(x) is Gaussian, for x sufficiently larger than 1, and its variance grows linearly with x. Hence, the activity in the BTW model obeys a central limit theorem when sampling over past histories. The broad region of activity where b(x) is close to one disappears once bulk dissipation is introduced in the BTW model-supporting our hypothesis that it is an indicator of criticality.

Effects of Dao De Xin Xi exercise on balance and quality of life in Thai elderly women.

PubMed

Intarakamhang, Patrawut; Chintanaprawasee, Pantipa

2011-12-29

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week Dao De Xin Xi exercise, modified short forms of Tai Chi, on balance and quality of life in Thai elderly population. Quasi-Experimental research, pretest-posttest one group design was done at Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Phramongkutklao Hospital. Thai healthy elderly women over the age of 60, requiring regular Dao De Xin Xi exercise were recruited from either patients or workers in the hospital. A 60-minute Dao De Xin Xi exercise class was set as 3 times per week for 12 weeks. At baseline and 12 weeks, participants were tested in their static balance (Single-Leg Stance Timed Test with eyes open and close), dynamic balance (Expanded Timed Up and Go (ETUG) Test). Quality of life was measured by the abbreviated Thai version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Fourteen females were studied with mean age of 62.8±4.3 years old. The Single-Leg Stance Timed Test with eyes open and close, Expanded Timed Up and Go (ETUG) Test improved significantly (before versus after exercises p <0.001). Significant improvement in quality of life were also found in each 4 domains, including physical health, psychological, social relationship, and environment (before versus after exercises p =0.001, 0.001, 0.004 and 0.005 respectively). No significant improvement was found only in the right Single-Leg Stance Timed Test with eyes close (p =0.091). A three times per week for 12-week Dao De Xin Xi exercise may help Thai elderly women improve both static, dynamic balance and quality of life.

Development of clay liquid detergent for Islamic cleansing and the stability study.

PubMed

Angkatavanich, J; Dahlan, W; Nimmannit, U; Sriprasert, V; Sulongkood, N

2009-04-01

Clay liquid detergents (CLDs) were developed for cleansing religiously-prohibited dirt ('najis') according to Islamic law. Four types of clay were selected: marl, kaolin, bentonite and veegum. After product development trials, five CLD formulations with varying combinations of clays were qualified for stability testing. Three exaggerated temperature conditions were considered: 4 degrees C for 24 h, 50 degrees C for 7 days, and 40 degrees C for 1 month. The CLDs were also evaluated at 30, 60 and 90 days after production, while being stored at room temperature (RT30, RT60 and RT90). Physical and chemical characteristics including pH, colour, viscosity, surface tension, foam tests and sensory liking scores were evaluated. Our results showed that the kaolin-based formula, F2, had an optimal pH (closest to skin pH) of 5.08. The other formulas ranged from pH 6 to 8. Colour shades of the CLDs ranged from white, to creamy white, to mildly greenish-white. The foaming properties of the CLDs, the means +/- SD of foam heights at 0 and 5 min, using the Ross-Miles test, were 19.13 +/- 0.25 to 20.88 +/- 0.45 cm at RT90 and were comparable with those of commercial detergents. Foam stability of all CLDs was high, as shown from the foam heights between 0 and 5 min being not significantly different (P > 0.05). The surface tensions, means +/- SD, of CLD solutions were between 27.94 +/- 0.08 and 28.72 +/- 0.04 mN m(-1), which were slightly better than the surface tension of 29.08 +/- 0.04 mN m(-1) for sodium lauryl sulphate. There was a weak negative relationship between surface activity and foam height, based on the pooled data of the CLDs (R(2) = 0.209, P < 0.01). The viscosity of four CLDs ranged from 16 317 to 49 036 mPa s. In conclusion, CLDs can be formulated with good stability. F2 (kaolin-based, with a white, creamy texture) was the best CLD formula. It had the highest surface activity, moderate lathering and pleasant physical appearance.

Effect of Different In Vitro Aging Methods on Color Stability of a Dental Resin-Based Composite Using CIELAB and CIEDE2000 Color-Difference Formulas.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Dayane Carvalho Ramos Salles; Ayres, Ana Paula Almeida; Rocha, Mateus Garcia; Giannini, Marcelo; Puppin Rontani, Regina Maria; Ferracane, Jack L; Sinhoreti, Mario Alexandre Coelho

2015-01-01

To evaluate the effect of different in vitro aging methods on color change (CC) of an experimental dental resin-based composite using CIELAB (ΔEab ) and CIEDE2000 (ΔE00 ) color-difference formulas. The CC was evaluated with a spectrophotometer (CM700d, Konica Minolta, Tokyo, Japan) according to the CIE chromatic space. Disk-shaped specimens (Φ = 5 × 1 mm thick) (N = 10) were submitted to different in vitro aging methods: 30 days of water aging (WA); 120 hours of ultraviolet light aging (UVA); or 300 hours of an accelerated artificial aging (AAA) method with cycles of 4 hours of UV-B light exposure and 4 hours of moisture condensation to induce CC. The temperature was standardized at 37°C for all aging methods. CC was evaluated with ΔEab and ΔE00 formulas. Differences in individual Lab coordinates were also calculated. Data for the individual color parameters were submitted to one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test for multiple comparisons (α = 0.05). All in vitro aging methods tested induced CC, in the following order: WA: ΔEab = 0.83 (0.1); ΔE00  = 1.15 (0.1) < AAA: ΔEab  = 5.64 (0.2); ΔE00  = 5.01 (0.1) < UVA: ΔEab  = 6.74 (0.2); ΔE00  = 6.03 (0.4). No changes in L* or a* coordinates were ≥1; the methods with UV aging showed a yellowing effect due a large positive change in b*. All in vitro aging methods tested induced a CC, but to different extents. Changes in color followed similar trends, but with different absolute values when calculated with the CIELAB and the CIEDE2000 formulas. Establishing the efficacy of different artificial aging methods and differences between color change using CIELAB and CIEDE2000 formulas are important to standardize color stability evaluations and facilitate the comparison of outcomes from different studies in the literature. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A new air quality monitoring and early warning system: Air quality assessment and air pollutant concentration prediction.

PubMed

Yang, Zhongshan; Wang, Jian

2017-10-01

Air pollution in many countries is worsening with industrialization and urbanization, resulting in climate change and affecting people's health, thus, making the work of policymakers more difficult. It is therefore both urgent and necessary to establish amore scientific air quality monitoring and early warning system to evaluate the degree of air pollution objectively, and predict pollutant concentrations accurately. However, the integration of air quality assessment and air pollutant concentration prediction to establish an air quality system is not common. In this paper, we propose a new air quality monitoring and early warning system, including an assessment module and forecasting module. In the air quality assessment module, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is used to determine the main pollutants and evaluate the degree of air pollution more scientifically. In the air pollutant concentration prediction module, a novel hybridization model combining complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition, a modified cuckoo search and differential evolution algorithm, and an Elman neural network, is proposed to improve the forecasting accuracy of six main air pollutant concentrations. To verify the effectiveness of this system, pollutant data for two cities in China are used. The result of the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation shows that the major air pollutants in Xi'an and Jinan are PM 10 and PM 2.5 respectively, and that the air quality of Xi'an is better than that of Jinan. The forecasting results indicate that the proposed hybrid model is remarkably superior to all benchmark models on account of its higher prediction accuracy and stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cultural Resources Survey of Smithville Lake, Missouri. Volume 1: Archeology

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-11-01

relationships of these families 99 4J C at U 00 o <u o o 43 u »J n o PÖ i-l JB H ^ «4-1 ^ O 3 n en <y U-l CO O 00 efl... HH MH m 4H MH ɜH m m IH MH <*H <W •W W M-l CO to oi co co CD m st CO o o o o o oo CM CM st CO CM IN st • f...cd •H CO CO • <u • • 00 0 0) CO • •u R XI X! 4-1 4J •H -H XI oi c 4J >-3 cd c) o 14H MH 01 R ß -H HH X! •H o o cd cd XI

Chip Scale Atomic Resonator Frequency Stabilization System With Ultra-Low Power Consumption for Optoelectronic Oscillators.

PubMed

Zhao, Jianye; Zhang, Yaolin; Lu, Haoyuan; Hou, Dong; Zhang, Shuangyou; Wang, Zhong

2016-07-01

We present a long-term chip scale stabilization scheme for optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs) based on a rubidium coherent population trapping (CPT) atomic resonator. By locking a single mode of an OEO to the (85)Rb 3.035-GHz CPT resonance utilizing an improved phase-locked loop (PLL) with a PID regulator, we achieved a chip scale frequency stabilization system for the OEO. The fractional frequency stability of the stabilized OEO by overlapping Allan deviation reaches 6.2 ×10(-11) (1 s) and  ∼ 1.45 ×10 (-11) (1000 s). This scheme avoids a decrease in the extra phase noise performance induced by the electronic connection between the OEO and the microwave reference in common injection locking schemes. The total physical package of the stabilization system is [Formula: see text] and the total power consumption is 400 mW, which provides a chip scale and portable frequency stabilization approach with ultra-low power consumption for OEOs.

Frequency stability improvement for piezoresistive micromechanical oscillators via synchronization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, Dong; Huan, Ronghua; Wei, Xueyong

2017-03-01

Synchronization phenomenon first discovered in Huygens' clock shows that the rhythms of oscillating objects can be adjusted via an interaction. Here we show that the frequency stability of a piezoresistive micromechanical oscillator can be enhanced via synchronization. The micromechanical clamped-clamped beam oscillator is built up using the electrostatic driving and piezoresistive sensing technique and the synchronization phenomenon is observed after coupling it to an external oscillator. An enhancement of frequency stability is obtained in the synchronization state. The influences of the synchronizing perturbation intensity and frequency detuning applied on the oscillator are studied experimentally. A theoretical analysis of phase noise leads to an analytical formula for predicting Allan deviation of the frequency output of the piezoresistive oscillator, which successfully explains the experimental observations and the mechanism of frequency stability enhancement via synchronization.

Stability and bifurcation analysis on a ratio-dependent predator-prey model with time delay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Rui; Gan, Qintao; Ma, Zhien

2009-08-01

A ratio-dependent predator-prey model with time delay due to the gestation of the predator is investigated. By analyzing the corresponding characteristic equations, the local stability of a positive equilibrium and a semi-trivial boundary equilibrium is discussed, respectively. Further, it is proved that the system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation at the positive equilibrium. Using the normal form theory and the center manifold reduction, explicit formulae are derived to determine the direction of bifurcations and the stability and other properties of bifurcating periodic solutions. By means of an iteration technique, sufficient conditions are obtained for the global attractiveness of the positive equilibrium. By comparison arguments, the global stability of the semi-trivial equilibrium is also addressed. Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the main results.

Stability of extemporaneous oral ribavirin liquid preparation.

PubMed

Chan, John P; Tong, Henry H Y; Chow, Albert H L

2004-01-01

Ribavirin is an antiviral agent commonly used in Hong Kong for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome. The choice of oral ribavirin therapeutic products available in the local market is currently limited to capsules. The present study investigated the chemical stability of an oral ribavirin suspension (200 mg/5mL) prepared extemporaneously from oral capsules using a sugar-free suspension formula. The suspension was subjected to stability testing at 4 deg C for up to 28 days. Employing a validated stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic method, the ribavirin content of the extemporaneous preparation has been demonstrated to exhibit negligible changes throughout the storage period. No degradation product was observable in all high-peroformance liquid chromatograms, suggesting that the suspension remained chermically stable under the stated conditions.

77 FR 29633 - Alta Wind VII, LLC, Alta Wind IX, LLC, Alta Wind X, LLC, Alta Wind XI, LLC, Alta Wind XII, LLC...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL12-68-000] Alta Wind VII, LLC, Alta Wind IX, LLC, Alta Wind X, LLC, Alta Wind XI, LLC, Alta Wind XII, LLC, Alta Wind XIII, LLC, Alta Wind XIV, LLC, Alta Wind XV, LLC, Alta Windpower Development, LLC, TGP Development Company, LLC...

The washout effects of rainfall on atmospheric particulate pollution in two Chinese cities.

PubMed

Guo, Ling-Chuan; Zhang, Yonghui; Lin, Hualiang; Zeng, Weilin; Liu, Tao; Xiao, Jianpeng; Rutherford, Shannon; You, Jing; Ma, Wenjun

2016-08-01

Though rainfall is recognized as one of the main mechanisms to reduce atmospheric particulate pollution, few studies have quantified this effect, particularly the corresponding lag effect and threshold. This study aimed to investigate the association between rainfall and air quality using a distributed lag non-linear model. Daily data on ambient PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm and from 2.5 to 10 μm) and meteorological factors were collected in Guangzhou and Xi'an from 2013 to 2014. A better washout effect was found for PM2.5-10 than for PM2.5, and the rainfall thresholds for both particle fractions were 7 mm in Guangzhou and 1 mm in Xi'an. The decrease in PM2.5 levels following rain lasted for 3 and 6 days in Guangzhou and Xi'an, respectively. Rainfall had a better washout effect in Xi'an compared with that in Guangzhou. Findings from this study contribute to a better understanding of the washout effects of rainfall on particulate pollution, which may help to understand the category and sustainability of dust-haze and enforce anthropogenic control measures in time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gravitational radiation from binary systems in alternative metric theories of gravity - Dipole radiation and the binary pulsar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Will, C. M.

1977-01-01

The generation of gravitational radiation in several currently viable metric theories of gravitation (Brans-Dicke, Rosen, Ni, and Lightman-Lee) is analyzed, and it is shown that these theories predict the emission of dipole gravitational radiation from systems containing gravitationally bound objects. In the binary system PSR 1913 + 16, this radiation results in a secular change in the orbital period of the system with a nominal magnitude of 3 parts in 100,000 per year. The size of the effect is proportional to the reduced mass of the system, to the square of the difference in (self-gravitational energy)/(mass) between the two components of the system, and to a parameter, xi, whose value varies from theory to theory. In general relativity xi equals 0, in Rosen's (1973) theory xi equals -20/3, and in Ni's (1973) theory xi equals -400/3. The current upper limit on such a secular period change is one part in 1 million per year. It is shown that further observations of the binary system that tighten this limit and that establish the masses of the components and the identity of the companion may provide a crucial test of otherwise viable alternatives to general relativity.

The Settings, Pros and Cons of the New Surgical Robot da Vinci Xi System for Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS): A Comparison With the Popular da Vinci Si System.

PubMed

Kim, Da Hee; Kim, Hwan; Kwak, Sanghyun; Baek, Kwangha; Na, Gina; Kim, Ji Hoon; Kim, Se Heon

2016-10-01

The da Vinci system (da Vinci Surgical System; Intuitive Surgical Inc.) has rapidly developed in several years from the S system to the Si system and now the Xi System. To investigate the surgical feasibility and to provide workflow guidance for the newly released system, we used the new da Vinci Xi system for transoral robotic surgery (TORS) on a cadaveric specimen. Bilateral supraglottic partial laryngectomy, hypopharyngectomy, lateral oropharyngectomy, and base of the tongue resection were serially performed in search of the optimal procedures with the new system. The new surgical robotic system has been upgraded in all respects. The telescope and camera were incorporated into one system, with a digital end-mounted camera. Overhead boom rotation allows multiquadrant access without axis limitation, the arms are now thinner and longer with grabbing movements for easy adjustments. The patient clearance button dramatically reduces external collisions. The new surgical robotic system has been optimized for improved anatomic access, with better-equipped appurtenances. This cadaveric study of TORS offers guidance on the best protocol for surgical workflow with the new Xi system leading to improvements in the functional results of TORS.

Full Robotic Colorectal Resections for Cancer Combined With Other Major Surgical Procedures: Early Experience With the da Vinci Xi.

PubMed

Morelli, Luca; Di Franco, Gregorio; Guadagni, Simone; Palmeri, Matteo; Gianardi, Desirée; Bianchini, Matteo; Moglia, Andrea; Ferrari, Vincenzo; Caprili, Giovanni; D'Isidoro, Cristiano; Melfi, Franca; Di Candio, Giulio; Mosca, Franco

2017-08-01

The da Vinci Xi has been developed to overcome some of the limitations of the previous platform, thereby increasing the acceptance of its use in robotic multiorgan surgery. Between January 2015 and October 2015, 10 patients with synchronous tumors of the colorectum and others abdominal organs underwent robotic combined resections with the da Vinci Xi. Trocar positions respected the Universal Port Placement Guidelines provided by Intuitive Surgical for "left lower quadrant," with trocars centered on the umbilical area, or shifted 2 to 3 cm to the right or to the left, depending on the type of combined surgical procedure. All procedures were completed with the full robotic technique. Simultaneous procedures in same quadrant or left quadrant and pelvis, or left/right and upper, were performed with a single docking/single targeting approach; in cases of left/right quadrant or right quadrant/pelvis, we performed a dual-targeting operation. No external collisions or problems related to trocar positions were noted. No patient experienced postoperative surgical complications and the mean hospital stay was 6 days. The high success rate of full robotic colorectal resection combined with other surgical interventions for synchronous tumors, suggest the efficacy of the da Vinci Xi in this setting.

Higher order moments of the matter distribution in scale-free cosmological simulations with large dynamic range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucchin, Francesco; Matarrese, Sabino; Melott, Adrian L.; Moscardini, Lauro

1994-01-01

We calculate reduced moments (xi bar)(sub q) of the matter density fluctuations, up to order q = 5, from counts in cells produced by particle-mesh numerical simulations with scale-free Gaussian initial conditions. We use power-law spectra P(k) proportional to k(exp n) with indices n = -3, -2, -1, 0, 1. Due to the supposed absence of characteristic times or scales in our models, all quantities are expected to depend on a single scaling variable. For each model, the moments at all times can be expressed in terms of the variance (xi bar)(sub 2), alone. We look for agreement with the hierarchical scaling ansatz, according to which ((xi bar)(sub q)) proportional to ((xi bar)(sub 2))(exp (q - 1)). For n less than or equal to -2 models, we find strong deviations from the hierarchy, which are mostly due to the presence of boundary problems in the simulations. A small, residual signal of deviation from the hierarchical scaling is however also found in n greater than or equal to -1 models. The wide range of spectra considered and the large dynamic range, with careful checks of scaling and shot-noise effects, allows us to reliably detect evolution away from the perturbation theory result.

Structural aspects of the inactive X chromosome.

PubMed

Bonora, Giancarlo; Disteche, Christine M

2017-11-05

A striking difference between male and female nuclei was recognized early on by the presence of a condensed chromatin body only in female cells. Mary Lyon proposed that X inactivation or silencing of one X chromosome at random in females caused this structural difference. Subsequent studies have shown that the inactive X chromosome (Xi) does indeed have a very distinctive structure compared to its active counterpart and all autosomes in female mammals. In this review, we will recap the discovery of this fascinating biological phenomenon and seminal studies in the field. We will summarize imaging studies using traditional microscopy and super-resolution technology, which revealed uneven compaction of the Xi. We will then discuss recent findings based on high-throughput sequencing techniques, which uncovered the distinct three-dimensional bipartite configuration of the Xi and the role of specific long non-coding RNAs in eliciting and maintaining this structure. The relative position of specific genomic elements, including genes that escape X inactivation, repeat elements and chromatin features, will be reviewed. Finally, we will discuss the position of the Xi, either near the nuclear periphery or the nucleolus, and the elements implicated in this positioning.This article is part of the themed issue 'X-chromosome inactivation: a tribute to Mary Lyon'. © 2017 The Authors.

Substituted Cyclohexene Endcaps for Polymers with Thermal-Oxidative Stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

This invention relates to polyimides having improved thermal-oxidative stability, to the process of preparing said polyimides, and the use of polyimide prepolymers in the preparation of prepregs and composites. The polyimides are particularly usefull in the preparation of fiber-reinforced, high-temperature composites for use in various engine parts including inlets, fan ducts, exit flaps and other parts of high speed aircraft. The polyimides are derived from the polymerization of effective amounts of at least one tetracarboxylic dianhydride, at least one polyamine and a novel dicarboxylic endcap having the formula presented.

SU-E-T-407: Evaluation of the Stopping Power and Imaging Visibility for Iodine Based Contrast in Proton Therapy

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

Singh, H; Zhao, L; Rana, S

2015-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between calculated and measured relative linear stopping power (RLSP) for contrast medium in proton therapy. Furthermore, the visibility for different concentrations in prostate phantom on orthogonal X-ray system was evaluated Methods and Materials: In prostate cancer patient, rectal balloon along with the contrast media was used to visualize the balloon position, thus facilitating the patient setup during each fraction of the uniform scanning proton treatment. There were no fiducial markers implanted in the prostate for this patient. A blue wax phantom with outer dimensions 10cm(H) x 14.5cm(L) x 10cm(W)more » was made in house. To hold iodine based contrast solution, a rectangular shaped hole with dimensions 7cm(H) x 8cm(L) x 4cm(W) was made inside the phantom. Organically bound 8.5% iodine based Cystografin Dilute contrast agent with molecular formula C11H9I3N2O4.C7H17NO5 was used in this study. Six solutions were prepared; each mixture of water and iodine based contrast agent at different concentrations as 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 50%. During computed tomographic(CT) simulation, solutions were placed together at the isocenter of CT and scanned at 120kVp using the same protocol as for prostate cancer patients. The treatment planning was done in CMS-XiO system. Multi-layer-ion-chamber (MLIC) was used to measure residual proton range. Results: The 50% concentration contrast solution was used during treatment for better visualization on orthogonal X-ray image. The measured RLSP for 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% & 50% solutions were 1.005, 1.010, 1.018, 1.023 & 1.033; and similarly calculated RLSP from XiO were 1.090, 1.135, 1.222, 1.299 & 1.448 respectively. Conclusion: The treatment planning system could overestimates the relative stopping power of contrast solution with high concentrations. It is recommended to override the contrast with measured RLSP for high atomic number based contrast solution in treatment planning for proton therapy.« less

Thermodynamic and Mechanic Consideration on the stability of Anti-symmetric Schaefer’s equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suriamihardja, D. A.; Amiruddin; Saaduddin

2018-03-01

Schaefer’s equation relates an interaction between population of fishes and the number of units of fishing effort. The population growth of fishes is reduced by the number of units of fishing effort, while the population growth of units of fishing effort depends on the existence of fishes. This paper aims to examine the stability of an anti-symmetric Schaefer’s equation through thermodynamic and mechanic procedure using a formula of entropy production near equilibrium which is recognized as Onsager’s relation. The results confirm that entropic approach (thermodynamics) and dissipative approach (mechanics) are usable to be applied as Lyapunov’s procedure in examining the stability of systems of differential equations.

Sirolimus formulation with improved pharmacokinetic properties produced by a continuous flow method.

PubMed

Solymosi, Tamás; Angi, Réka; Basa-Dénes, Orsolya; Ránky, Soma; Ötvös, Zsolt; Glavinas, Hristos; Filipcsei, Genovéva; Heltovics, Gábor

2015-08-01

The oral bioavailability of Sirolimus is limited by poor dissolution of the compound in the gastrointestinal tract resulting in a low bioavailability and large inter-individual differences in blood levels. Several different formulation approaches were applied to overcome these disadvantageous pharmacokinetic properties including the marketed oral solution and a tablet form containing wet milled nanocrystals. These approaches deliver improved pharmacokinetics, yet, they share the characteristics of complex production method and composition. We have developed a nanostructured Sirolimus formulation prepared by the controlled continuous flow precipitation of the compound from its solution in the presence of stabilizers. We have shown that contrary to the batch production the process could be easily intensified and scaled up; apparently the uniformity of the precipitation is heavily dependent on the production parameters, most likely the mixing of the solvent and antisolvent. We compared the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of the nanostructured formula with the marketed nanoformula. We found that our method produces particles in the size range of less than 100nm. The solid form redispersed instantaneously in water and in biorelevant media. Both the solid form and the redispersed colloid solution showed excellent stability even in accelerated test conditions. The oral administration of the nanostructured formula resulted in faster absorption, higher exposure and higher trough concentrations when compared to the marked form. These advantageous properties could allow the development of solid oral Sirolimus formulae with lower strength and gel based topical delivery systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Properties of r-process nuclei near N=82 shell closure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farhan, A. R.; Sharma, M. M.

2004-10-01

We have studied properties of nuclei in r-process region near N=82 shell closure with the RMF calculations in a deformed basis using the force NL-SV1 that includes vector self-coupling of w meson. It is shown that nuclei above N=82 in several isotopic chains in the r-process region exhibit an onset of deformation beyond the drip line. Consequently, induced by the deformation these nuclei show an extra stability above the shell closure. This stability of nuclei is expected to contribute to the r-process nucleosynthesis of nuclei below the abundance peak at A ˜130. A comparison with the mass formulae shows that our microscopic calculations with NL-SV1 show a decrease of shell strength with increase in isospin. This is in contrast to the strong shell effects shown by FRDM and ETF-SI in going to the drip line. The stiffness of the shell structure with FRDM and ETF-SI is known to lead to a shortfall in the r-process abundances. This shortcoming of the above mass formulae has inspired an ad-hoc inclusion of shell quenching in the mass formula ETF-SI(Q) with a view to better reproduce the r-process abundances. In comparison, our model shows a decrease of the shell strength in going from the r-process path to the drip line. Therefore, this represents a natural behaviour as required by r-process abundances. It may, however, be confirmed in network chain calculations using inputs from our microscopic model.

Decreasing Enterobacter sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) food contamination level with bacteriophages: prospects and problems

PubMed Central

Zuber, Sophie; Boissin‐Delaporte, Catherine; Michot, Lise; Iversen, Carol; Diep, Benjamin; Brüssow, Harald; Breeuwer, Pieter

2008-01-01

Summary Enterobacter sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) is an opportunistic pathogen, which can cause rare, but life‐threatening infections in neonates and infants through feeding of a contaminated milk formula. We isolated 67 phages from environmental samples and tested their lytic host range on a representative collection of 40 E. sakazakii strains. A cocktail of five phages prevented the outgrowth of 35 out of 40 test strains in artificially contaminated infant formula. Two E. sakazakii phages represented prolate head Myoviridae. Molecular tests identified them as close relatives of Escherichia coli phage T4. The remaining three phages represented isometric head Myoviridae with large genome size of 140 and 200 kb, respectively, which belonged to two different DNA hybridization groups. A high dose of 108 pfu ml−1 of phage could effectively sterilize a broth contaminated with both high and low pathogen counts (106 and 102 cfu ml−1). In contrast, broth inoculated with 104 phage and 102 bacteria per ml first showed normal bacterial growth until reaching a cell titre of 105 cfu ml−1. Only when crossing this threshold, phage replication started, but it could not reduce the contamination level below 100 cfu ml−1. Phages could be produced with titres of 1010 pfu ml−1 in broth culture, but they were not stable upon freeze‐drying. Addition of trehalose or milk formula stabilized the phage preparation, which then showed excellent storage stability even at elevated temperature. PMID:21261874

On the Stability of Rotated Factor Loadings: The Wexler Phenomenon.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennerich, Robert I.

The formulas which give the standard errors of factor loading estimates while available and computable are complicated, and our understanding of them is limited. A nontechnical description of their behavior under favorable and unfavorable conditions is given. Of particular interest is their behavior in the presence of singularities arising from…

Shape Control of Plates with Piezo Actuators and Collocated Position/Rate Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balakrishnan, A. V.

1994-01-01

This paper treats the control problem of shaping the surface deformation of a circular plate using embedded piezo-electric actuators and collocated rate sensors. An explicit Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimizer stability augmentation compensator is derived as well as the optimal feed-forward control. Corresponding performance evaluation formulas are also derived.

Shape Control of Plates with Piezo Actuators and Collocated Position/Rate Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balakrishnan, A. V.

1994-01-01

This paper treats the control problem of shaping the surface deformation of a circular plate using embedded piezo-electric actuator and collocated rate sensors. An explicit Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimizer stability augmentation compensator is derived as well as the optimal feed-forward control. Corresponding performance evaluation formulas are also derived.

Dust-acoustic waves and stability in the permeating dusty plasma. II. Power-law distributions

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

Gong Jingyu; Du Jiulin; Liu Zhipeng

2012-08-15

The dust-acoustic waves and the stability theory for the permeating dusty plasma with power-law distributions are studied by using nonextensive q-statistics. In two limiting physical cases, when the thermal velocity of the flowing dusty plasma is much larger than, and much smaller than the phase velocity of the waves, we derived the dust-acoustic wave frequency, the instability growth rate, and the instability critical flowing velocity. As compared with the formulae obtained in part I [Gong et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 043704 (2012)], all formulae of the present cases and the resulting plasma characteristics are q-dependent, and the power-law distribution ofmore » each plasma component of the permeating dusty plasma has a different q-parameter and thus has a different nonextensive effect. Further, we make numerical analyses of an example that a cometary plasma tail is passing through the interplanetary space dusty plasma and we show that these power-law distributions have significant effects on the plasma characteristics of this kind of plasma environment.« less

Enzymatic Synthesis of Refined Olive Oil-Based Structured Lipid Containing Omega -3 and -6 Fatty Acids for Potential Application in Infant Formula.

PubMed

Li, Ruoyu; Sabir, Jamal S M; Baeshen, Nabih A; Akoh, Casimir C

2015-11-01

Structured lipids (SLs) containing palmitic, docosahexaenoic (DHA), and gamma-linolenic (GLA) acids were produced using refined olive oil, tripalmitin, and ethyl esters of DHA single cell oil and GLA ethyl esters. Immobilized Lipozyme TL IM lipase was used as the biocatalyst. The SLs were characterized for fatty acid profile, triacylglycerol (TAG) molecular species, solid fat content, oxidative stability index, and melting and crystallization profiles and compared to physical blend of substrates, extracted fat from commercial infant formula (IFF), and milk fat. 49.28 mol% of palmitic acid was found at the sn-2 position of SL TAG and total DHA and GLA composition were 0.73 and 5.00 mol%, respectively. The total oleic acid content was 36.13 mol% which was very close to the 30.49% present in commercial IFF. Comparable solid fat content profiles were also found between SLs and IFF. The SLs produced have potential for use in infant formulas. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

JPRS Report, East Europe.

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-19

how maintainable a building is, really met until the invention of the internal combustion how modernizable. In the future these qualities must be...Academy of the GDR], 1. "Bericht des Zentralkomitees der SED an den XI. Bauakademie, Berlin, 1981, p 12. Parteitag der SED" [Report of the Central...by all-around brigades highly skilled in a number of trades, combinable small 3. Cf. "Bericht des Zentralkomitees der SED an den XI. units from Kreis

Charters, Constitutions and By-Laws of the Indian Tribes of North America. Part XI: The Basin-Plateau Tribes. Occasional Publications in Anthropology, Ethnology Series, No. 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fay, George E., Comp.

The Museum of Anthropology, University of Northern Colorado at Greeley, has assembled various American Indian tribal charters, constitutions, and by-laws to comprise a series of publications. The present volume, Part XI of the series, deals with the Indian tribes of Nevada: The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, the…

Assessment of compatibility among Armillaria cepistipes, A. sinapina, and North American biological species X and XI, using culture morphology and molecular biology

Treesearch

Mark T. Banik; Harold H. Burdsall

1998-01-01

Ten single-spore isolates each of Armillaria sinapina, A. cepistipes, and North American biological species (NABS)X and XI were paired in all combinations. A second set of ten single-spore isolates of each species was likewise paired. Each pairing was duplicated for a total of 3280 pairs. Using the standard morphological criteria (e.g., fluffy, crustose) to assess the...

3-D Acoustic Scattering from 2-D Rough Surfaces Using A Parabolic Equation Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

Frequency Acoustic Propagation in Shallow Water.” Journal of Oceanic Engineering, September 2011: 1–10. Liu, Jin Yuan, Chen Fen Huang, and Ping Chang...loss values at a constant depth. .............................52  xi LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS FD Finite Difference MMPE Monterey...2013). First, at each range step ( xi ), the 3-D field is transformed from cross-range spatial variable (y) to cross-range wavenumber variable (ky

Effects of Experiment Learning Strategy versus Expository and Cognitive Style for Physical Learning Result for Senior High School Student at Class XI of Senior High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prayekti

2016-01-01

The research was aimed to know Effects of Experiment Learning Strategy versus Expository and Cognitive Style for Physical Learning Result of Senior High School Student at Class XI of Senior High School. Data was collected by test and observation. It is processed by ANCOVA and different test (t-test). (1) The result showed that all learning system…

Metabolism of dimethylphthalate by Micrococcus sp. strain 12B.

PubMed Central

Eaton, R W; Ribbons, D W

1982-01-01

During growth of Micrococcus sp. strain 12B with dimethylphthalate, 4-carboxy-2-hydroxymuconate lactone (CHML, X) and 3,4-dihydroxyphthalate-2-methyl ester (XI) were isolated from culture filtrates. CHML is the lactone of intermediate 4-carboxy-2-hydroxymuconate (IX). Accumulation of XI which is not a substrate for 3,4-dihydroxyphthalate-2-decarboxylase in strain 12B afforded an easy access to the preparation of 3,4-dihydroxyphthalate. PMID:7085569

Breckinridge Project, initial effort. Report XI, Volume V. Critical review of the design basis. [Critical review

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

None

1982-01-01

Report XI, Technical Audit, is a compendium of research material used during the Initial Effort in making engineering comparisons and decisions. Volumes 4 and 5 of Report XI present those studies which provide a Critical Review of the Design Basis. The Critical Review Report, prepared by Intercontinental Econergy Associates, Inc., summarizes findings from an extensive review of the data base for the H-Coal process design. Volume 4 presents this review and assessment, and includes supporting material; specifically, Design Data Tabulation (Appendix A), Process Flow Sheets (Appendix B), and References (Appendix C). Volume 5 is a continuation of the references ofmore » Appendix C. Studies of a proprietary nature are noted and referenced, but are not included in these volumes. They are included in the Limited Access versions of these reports and may be reviewed by properly cleared personnel in the offices of Ashland Synthetic Fuels, Inc.« less

High-Throughput Screening of a Luciferase Reporter of Gene Silencing on the Inactive X Chromosome.

PubMed

Keegan, Alissa; Plath, Kathrin; Damoiseaux, Robert

2018-01-01

Assays of luciferase gene activity are a sensitive and quantitative reporter system suited to high-throughput screening. We adapted a luciferase assay to a screening strategy for identifying factors that reactivate epigenetically silenced genes. This epigenetic luciferase reporter is subject to endogenous gene silencing mechanisms on the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in primary mouse cells and thus captures the multilayered nature of chromatin silencing in development. Here, we describe the optimization of an Xi-linked luciferase reactivation assay in 384-well format and adaptation of the assay for high-throughput siRNA and chemical screening. Xi-luciferase reactivation screening has applications in stem cell biology and cancer therapy. We have used the approach described here to identify chromatin-modifying proteins and to identify drug combinations that enhance the gene reactivation activity of the DNA demethylating drug 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine.

Ecosystem Services Insights into Water Resources Management in China: A Case of Xi'an City.

PubMed

Liu, Jingya; Li, Jing; Gao, Ziyi; Yang, Min; Qin, Keyu; Yang, Xiaonan

2016-11-24

Global climate and environmental changes are endangering global water resources; and several approaches have been tested to manage and reduce the pressure on these decreasing resources. This study uses the case study of Xi'an City in China to test reasonable and effective methods to address water resource shortages. The study generated a framework combining ecosystem services and water resource management. Seven ecosystem indicators were classified as supply services, regulating services, or cultural services. Index values for each indicator were calculated, and based on questionnaire results, each index's weight was calculated. Using the Likert method, we calculated ecosystem service supplies in every region of the city. We found that the ecosystem's service capability is closely related to water resources, providing a method for managing water resources. Using Xi'an City as an example, we apply the ecosystem services concept to water resources management, providing a method for decision makers.

Future prospects for contact factors as therapeutic targets

PubMed Central

Gailani, David

2015-01-01

Anticoagulants currently used in clinical practice to treat or prevent thromboembolic disease are effective, but place patients at increased risk for serious bleeding because they interfere with plasma enzymes (thrombin and factor Xa) that are essential for hemostasis. In the past 10 years, work with genetically altered mice and studies in baboons and rabbits have demonstrated that the plasma contact proteases factor XI, factor XII, and prekallikrein contribute to the formation of occlusive thrombi despite having limited roles in hemostasis. In the case of factor XI, epidemiologic data from human populations indicate that elevated levels of this protein increase risk for stroke and venous thromboembolism and may also influence risk for myocardial infarction. These findings suggest that inhibiting contact activation may produce an antithrombotic effect without significantly compromising hemostasis. This chapter reviews strategies that are being developed for therapeutic targeting of factor XI and factor XII and their performances in preclinical and early human trials. PMID:25696834

Role of high-spin hyperon resonances in the reaction of $$\\gamma p \\to K^+ K^+ \\Xi^-$$

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

J. Ka Shing Man, Yongseok Oh, K. Nakayama

The recent data taken by the CLAS Collaboration at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility for the reaction ofmore » $$\\gamma p \\to K^+ K^+ \\Xi^-$$ are reanalyzed within a relativistic meson-exchange model of hadronic interactions. The present model is an extension of the one developed in an earlier work by Nakayama, Oh, and Haberzettl [Phys. Rev. C 74, 035205 (2006)]. In particular, the role of the spin-5/2 and -7/2 hyperon resonances, which were not included in the previous model, is investigated in the present study. It is shown that the contribution of the $$\\Sigma(2030)$$ hyperon having spin-7/2 and positive parity has a key role to bring the model predictions into a fair agreement with the measured data for the $$K^+\\Xi^-$$ invariant mass distribution.« less

Role of high-spin hyperon resonances in the reaction of {gamma}p{yields}K{sup +}K{sup +}{Xi}{sup -}

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

Man, J. Ka Shing; Oh, Yongseok; Excited Baryon Analysis Center, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Virginia 23606

The recent data taken by the CLAS Collaboration at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility for the reaction of {gamma}p{yields}K{sup +}K{sup +}{Xi}{sup -} are reanalyzed within a relativistic meson-exchange model of hadronic interactions. The present model is an extension of the one developed in an earlier work by Nakayama, Oh, and Haberzettl [Phys. Rev. C 74, 035205 (2006)]. In particular, the role of the spin-5/2 and -7/2 hyperon resonances, which were not included in the previous model, is investigated in the present study. It is shown that the contribution of the {Sigma}(2030) hyperon having spin-7/2 and positive parity has amore » key role to bring the model predictions into a fair agreement with the measured data for the K{sup +}{Xi}{sup -} invariant mass distribution.« less

Calculation of the {pi}{sup +}{Sigma}{sup +} and {pi}{sup +}{Xi}{sup 0} Scattering Lengths in Lattice QCD

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

Torok, Aaron

The {pi}{sup +}{Sigma}{sup +} and {pi}{sup +}{Xi}{sup 0} scattering lengths were calculated in mixed-action Lattice QCD with domain-wall valence quarks on the asqtad-improved coarse MILC configurations at four light-quark masses, and at two light-quark masses on the fine MILC configurations. Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory with two and three flavors of light quarks was used to perform the chiral extrapolations. To NNLO in the three-flavor chiral expansion, the kaon-baryon processes that were investigated show no signs of convergence. Using the two-flavor chiral expansion for extrapolation, the pion-hyperon scattering lengths are found to be a{sub {pi}}{sup +}{sub {Sigma}}{sup +} = -0.197{+-}0.017more » fm, and a{sub {pi}}{sup +}{sub {Xi}}{sup 0} = -0.098{+-}0.017 fm, where the comprehensive error includes statistical and systematic uncertainties.« less

Formulation and performance test of palm-based foaming agent concentrate for fire extinguisher application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivai, M.; Hambali, E.; Suryani, A.; Fitria, R.; Firmansyah, S.; Pramuhadi, G.

2018-03-01

The utilization of foaming agent for fire extinguisher application improves the efficiency of water as a fire extinguishing agent, lowers surface tension, and acts as a foaming agent. The formed foam cools the fire down and covers the burned material to avoid it from further contact with oxygen which may reignite the fire. This study aimed to produce and assess the performance of foaming agent concentrate from palm oil as a fire extinguisher agent. In the performance test, measurements were taken on foam stability, foaming ability, surface tension, interfacial tension, viscosity, contact angle, density, and specific gravity. The formulation was conducted by using the best produced potassium palmitate, potassium methyl ester, and sodium lauric combined with diluents, chelating agent, and other additives at various composition comparisons. The produced foaming agent concentrate was found to be in a rather paste and liquid form with viscosity of 2.34 – 253 cP. It was also found that the resulted foaming agent concentrate dissolved in water at the concentration rate of 1% had a foam stability level of 30-91%, foaming ability of 288 – 503%, surface tension of 19.68 – 25.05 dyne/cm, interfacial tension of 0.54 – 4,20 dyne/cm, viscosity of 1.00 – 1.05 cP, contact angles of 53.75 – 63.79° at 0 minute and 11.84 – 22.42 ° at minute 10, density of 0.99586 – 0.99612 g/cm3, and a specific gravity of 1.00021 – 1.00046. Based on foam stability, foaming ability, and surface tension parameters, it was concluded that NF5 and NF17 were the best formulas.Compared to the other formulas, NF5 formula had the best droplet diameter (minimum 0.14 mm) and droplet density (maximum 3056 droplets/cm2).

The role of ultrasonography in examination of the stability of Tile-B2 pelvic fractures: 7 case reports and a literature review.

PubMed

Zhang, Bin-Fei; Zhang, Hong; Wang, Peng-Fei; Wang, Hu; Lei, Jin-Lai; Fu, Ya-Hui; Cong, Yu-Xuan; Huang, Hai; Huo, Xiao-Ming; Zhuang, Yan; Zhang, Kun

2017-09-01

Determining whether a Tile-B2 pelvic fracture is stable is very challenging. We sought to identify the role of ultrasonography in determining the stability of Tile-B2 pelvic fractures. We collected the clinical data of patients with Tile-B2 pelvic fractures who presented at Xi'an Hong-Hui Hospital between June 1, 2016, and August 5, 2016. The treatment strategy of each patient was determined by a team of senior surgeons in the department. A single sinologist observed the movement of the fracture sites in patients during rest, under compression, and during separation to determine fracture stability. According to the pelvic fracture stability assessment, an appropriate treatment strategy was redetermined. Overall, 7 patients, including 5 women and 2 men, with Tile-B2 pelvic fractures were included in this case series. During the initial examination, senior surgeons recommended that 2 patients should undergo internal fixation and 4 patients, conservative treatment; treatment was undecided for 1 patient. After ultrasonography examination, 4 patients underwent surgery via the Stoppa (n = 2) or ilioinguinal approach (n = 1) or cannulated screw fixation (n = 1). The rest of the patients (n = 3) received conventional treatment. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 10 months. Most of the patients showed excellent functions based on their last Majeed grading scores. There were no complications during the follow-up. Using ultrasonography examination, the preoperative treatment plan in 1 patient was changed, and the uncertain preoperative plan in 1 patient was identified. Preoperative assessment of stability using ultrasonography may assist surgeons in making appropriate treatment choices for patients with Tile-B2 pelvic fractures.

[Geographical characteristics of single nucleotide polymorphism of candidate genes associated with coronary artery disease in Chinese Han population].

PubMed

Wang, Sheng-Huang; Cui, Han-Bin; Wang, Dong-Qi; Chen, Xiao-Min; Zhang, Hong-Kao; Cui, Chang-Cong; Chen, Xin-Yi; Liu, Xin-Hong; Zhang, Zheng; Bai, Feng; Jb, Muhlestein

2008-01-01

To investigate the geographical characteristics of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of candidate genes associated with coronary artery disease in Chinese Han population. Study population were Chinese Han nationality recruited from Xi'an, Shiyan and Ningbo districts. Patients with coronary artery disease were defined by coronary angiography with stenosis >or= 50% and control subjects with stenosis < 10%, respectively. The DNA was extracted from peripheral white blood cell by approach comprised proteinase K digestion, phenol and chloroform extraction as well as isopropanol precipitation. The SNP of ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1)-G596A, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)-Taq1B, Lipoprotein lipase (LPL)-Hind III and LPL-Pvu II were genotyped by PCR-RFLPs, and verified by gene sequencing. A Total of 615 patients undertaken coronary angiography were recruited from cardiac center in Xi'an (220), Ningbo (209) and Shiyan district (186), China (mean age 60 +/- 10 years, 75.9% males). Diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in Xi'an Cohort population than Shiyan and Ningbo cohort (P < 0.01). Plasma total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in Xi'an Cohort population were significantly higher, and HDL-C siginificantly lower than in Shiyan and Ningbo cohort population [HDL-C: (1.17 +/- 0.48) mmol/L vs. (1.25 +/- 0.33) mmol/L and (1.29 +/- 0.44) mmol/L, P < 0.05]. Distribution differences for ABCA1-G596A and CETP-Taq1B genotypes were found in Xi'an Cohort population compared to Ningbo and Shiyan cohorts (for ABCA1, Xi'an: 0.24, 0.53, 0.23 and Shiyan: 0.17, 0.62, 0.21 and Ningbo: 0.34, 0.37, 0.29, for GG, AG, AA, respectively, P < 0.01; and for CETP, Xi'an: 0.29, 0.54, 0.17 and Shiyan: 0.38, 0.40, 0.22 and Ningbo: 0.39, 0.49, 0.12 for B1B1, B1B2, B2B2, respectively, P < 0.01), but not for LPL variants. ABCA1-G596A variant predicted HDL-C [Xi'an: (1.2 +/- 0.3) mmol/L, (1.3 +/- 0.2) mmol/L and (1.4 +/- 0.4) mmol/L, P = 0.01; Shiyan: (1.1 +/- 0.4) mmol/L: (1.2 +/- 0.3) mmol/L and (1.3 +/- 0.4) mmol/L, P = 0.03; Ningbo, (1.2 +/- 0.3) mmol/L, (1.3 +/- 0.4) mmol/L and (1.4 +/- 0.3) mmol/L, across GG, GA to AA genotype, respectively, P = 0.01] and TG levels [Xi'an: (2.4 +/- 1.3) mmol/L, (1.9 +/- 0.9) mmol/L and (1.6 +/- 0.8) mmol/L, P < 0.01; Shiyan: (2.1 +/- 1.0) mmol/L, (1.9 +/- 0.8) mmol/L and (1.8 +/- 0.7) mmol/L, P = 0.03; Ningbo: (1.9 +/- 1.1) mmol/L, (1.8 +/- 0.9) mmol/L and (1.6 +/- 0.7) mmol/L, across GG, GA to AA genotype, P = 0.05] with dose-dependent relationship. LPL-Hind III (+) carriers had higher triglycerides in three cohort population [Xi'an: (2.2 +/- 1.0) mmol/L, (1.8 +/- 0.9) mmol/L, (1.6 +/- 0.7) mmol/L, P = 0.01; Shiyan: (2.1 +/- 0.7) mmol/L, (1.9 +/- 1.0) mmol/L, (1.7 +/- 0.6) mmol/L, P = 0.01; Ningbo: (1.8 +/- 1.0) mmol/L, (1.6 +/- 0.6) mmol/L and (1.4 +/- 0.5) mmol/L, for +/+, +/- and -/- genotypes, respectively, P = 0.001]. SNP of CETP-Taq1B, LPL-Hind III and LPL-Pvu II predicted HDL-C and/or TG levels in different cohort population with different manners. All these SNP were not significantly associated with the development of coronary artery disease (all P > 0.05). A geographical heterogeneity of environmental and genetic risk factors related to the development of coronary artery disease exists in Chinese Han population. Irrespective of the different geographical cohort of Chinese Han population, the SNP of candidate genes can partly predict the differences in risk-related plasma HDL-C and/or TG levels rather than angiographic coronary artery disease.

Nitrifying bio-cord reactor: performance optimization and effects of substratum and air scouring.

PubMed

Tian, Xin; Ahmed, Warsama; Delatolla, Robert

2017-11-20

Ammonia removal kinetics and solids' production performance of the bio-cord technology are studied in this research. Three nitrifying reactors housing different bio-cord substratum were operated at five different ammonia loading rates. All of the bio-cord substrata demonstrated stable and high ammonia-nitrogen removal efficiencies of 96.8 ± 0.9%, 97.0 ± 0.6% and 92.0 ± 0.4% at loading rates of 0.8, 1.6 and 1.8 g [Formula: see text]-N/m 2  d, respectively. At these same loading rates, the bio-cord reactors housing the three substrata also showed low solids' production rates of 0.19 ± 0.03, 0.23 ± 0.02, 0.25 ± 0.03 g total suspended solids/d. A reduction of system stability, identified via fluctuating ammonia removal rates, was however observed for all substrata at loading rates of 2.1 and 2.4 g [Formula: see text]-N/m 2  d. Further, the solids' production rates at these higher loading conditions were also observed to fluctuate for all substrata, likely indicating intermediate sloughing events. The effects of enhancing the air scouring of the bio-cord on the ammonia removal rate was shown to be dependent upon the substratum, while enhanced air scouring of the bio-cord was shown to stabilize the production of solids for all substrata. This study represents the first performance and optimization study of the bio-cord technology for low-carbon nitrification and shows that air scouring of the substratum reduces sloughing events at elevated loading and that the bio-cord technology achieves stable kinetics above conventional rates of 1 g [Formula: see text]-N/m 2  d to values of 1.8 g [Formula: see text]-N/m 2  d.

Maximizing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Imatinib Mesylate-Loaded Niosomes on Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Using Box-Behnken Design.

PubMed

Kassem, Mohammed A; El-Sawy, Hossam S; Abd-Allah, Fathy I; Abdelghany, Tamer M; El-Say, Khalid M

2017-01-01

This research purposed to formulate an optimized imatinib mesylate (IM)-loaded niosomes to improve its chemotherapeutic efficacy. The influence of 3 formulation factors on niosomal vesicular size (Y 1 ), zeta potential (Y 2 ), entrapment capacity percentage (Y 3 ), the percentage of initial drug release after 2 h (Y 4 ), and the percentage of cumulative drug release after 24 h (Y 5 ) were studied and optimized using Box-Behnken design. Optimum desirability was specified and the optimized formula was prepared, stability tested, morphologically examined, checked for vesicular bilayer formation and evaluated for its in vitro cytotoxicity on 3 different cancer cell lines namely MCF-7, HCT-116, and HepG-2 in addition to 1 normal cell line to ensure its selectivity against cancer cells. The actual responses of the optimized IM formulation were 425.36 nm, -62.4 mV, 82.96%, 18.93%, and 89.45% for Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 , and Y 5 , respectively. The optimized IM-loaded niosomes confirmed the spherical vesicular shape imaged by both light and electron microscopes and further proven by differential scanning calorimetry. Moreover, the optimized formula exhibited improved stability on storage at 4 ± 2°C and superior efficacy on MCF7, HCT-116, and HepG2 as IC 50 values were 6.7, 16.4, and 7.3 folds less than those of free drug, respectively. Interestingly, IC 50 of the optimized formula against normal cell line was ranged from 3 to 11 folds higher than in different cancer cells indicating a higher selectivity of the optimized formula to cancer cells. In conclusion, the incorporation of IM in niosomes enhanced its efficacy and selectivity toward cancer cells, presenting a promising tool to fight cancer using this approach. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

pth moment exponential stability of stochastic memristor-based bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with time delays.

PubMed

Wang, Fen; Chen, Yuanlong; Liu, Meichun

2018-02-01

Stochastic memristor-based bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with time delays play an increasingly important role in the design and implementation of neural network systems. Under the framework of Filippov solutions, the issues of the pth moment exponential stability of stochastic memristor-based BAM neural networks are investigated. By using the stochastic stability theory, Itô's differential formula and Young inequality, the criteria are derived. Meanwhile, with Lyapunov approach and Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, we derive some sufficient conditions for the mean square exponential stability of the above systems. The obtained results improve and extend previous works on memristor-based or usual neural networks dynamical systems. Four numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of snowpack matching ground-truth data and MODIS satellite-based observations by using regression kriging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juan Collados-Lara, Antonio; Pardo-Iguzquiza, Eulogio; Pulido-Velazquez, David

2016-04-01

The estimation of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is essential for an appropriate assessment of the available water resources in Alpine catchment. The hydrologic regime in these areas is dominated by the storage of water in the snowpack, which is discharged to rivers throughout the melt season. An accurate estimation of the resources will be necessary for an appropriate analysis of the system operation alternatives using basin scale management models. In order to obtain an appropriate estimation of the SWE we need to know the spatial distribution snowpack and snow density within the Snow Cover Area (SCA). Data for these snow variables can be extracted from in-situ point measurements and air-borne/space-borne remote sensing observations. Different interpolation and simulation techniques have been employed for the estimation of the cited variables. In this paper we propose to estimate snowpack from a reduced number of ground-truth data (1 or 2 campaigns per year with 23 observation point from 2000-2014) and MODIS satellite-based observations in the Sierra Nevada Mountain (Southern Spain). Regression based methodologies has been used to study snowpack distribution using different kind of explicative variables: geographic, topographic, climatic. 40 explicative variables were considered: the longitude, latitude, altitude, slope, eastness, northness, radiation, maximum upwind slope and some mathematical transformation of each of them [Ln(v), (v)^-1; (v)^2; (v)^0.5). Eight different structure of regression models have been tested (combining 1, 2, 3 or 4 explicative variables). Y=B0+B1Xi (1); Y=B0+B1XiXj (2); Y=B0+B1Xi+B2Xj (3); Y=B0+B1Xi+B2XjXl (4); Y=B0+B1XiXk+B2XjXl (5); Y=B0+B1Xi+B2Xj+B3Xl (6); Y=B0+B1Xi+B2Xj+B3XlXk (7); Y=B0+B1Xi+B2Xj+B3Xl+B4Xk (8). Where: Y is the snow depth; (Xi, Xj, Xl, Xk) are the prediction variables (any of the 40 variables); (B0, B1, B2, B3) are the coefficients to be estimated. The ground data are employed to calibrate the multiple regressions. In order to assess the goodness of fit for the models (from 1 to 8) for each of the possible variables (from 1 to 40) the next indices have been selected: negative log-likelohood function; Correlation Coefficient; Adjusted Correlation Coefficient; Akaike information criterion; Bayesian information criterion; Kashyap information criterion. The last five of them take into account the parsimony of the models. A multi-objective analysis has been employed in order to identify the bets models and predictive variables in accordance with those indices. The "inferior" models in terms of goodness of fit were identified (dominated solutions, using the terminology of multi-objective analysis) and eliminated. A kriging of the residual has been also performed. The snow domain is constrained in accordance with the snow cover area deduced from MODIS data. The Results obtained show that the model 7 is the only one that is not eliminated in any campaign. The main explicative variables in these models are: altitude (used in 91% of campaigns), northness (used in 72% of campaigns), latitude (used in 45% of campaigns) and longitude (used in 45% of campaigns). Acknowledgments: This research has been partially supported by the GESINHIMPADAPT project (CGL2013-48424-C2-2-R) with Spanish MINECO funds. We would also like to thank ERHIN program and NASA DAAC for the data provided for this study.

The Effect of Buzz Group Technique and Clustering Technique in Teaching Writing at the First Class of SMA HKBP I Tarutung

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pangaribuan, Tagor; Manik, Sondang

2018-01-01

This research held at SMA HKBP 1 Tarutung North Sumatra on the research result of test XI[superscript 2] and XI[superscript 2] students, after they got treatment in teaching writing in recount text by using buzz group and clustering technique. The average score (X) was 67.7 and the total score buzz group the average score (X) was 77.2 and in…

Doubly Strange Hypernuclei Physics with antiprotons at PANDA

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

Szymanska, K.; Iazzi, F.

2010-04-26

The study of the double hypernuclei will be possible inside the future facility FAIR. A new technique for their production was recently proposed, based on high intensity antiproton beams in connection with a two-target set-up, for the future PANDA experiment at HESR. In particular, the production technique and optimized parameters for the primary target where the hyperon XI{sup -} is produced as well as the expected rates for the stoped XI{sup -} will be discussed.

Inhalation Toxicology. 11. The Effect of Elevated Temperature on Carbon Monoxide Toxicity

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

DOT/FAA/AM-90/16 Inhalation Toxicology : XI. The Effect of Elevated Temperature on Carbon Office of Aviation Medicine Washington, D.C. 20591 M onoxide...Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. DOT/FAA/AM-90/16 4. Title and Subtitie S. Report Date INHALATION TOXICOLOGY : XI. THE EFFECT OF ELEVATED December...Statement Combustion toxicology , carbon monoxide, This document is available to the public heat, thermal effects, time-to- through the National Technical

[Operation and interaction peculiarities of diagnostic laboratories involved in providing protection from infectious diseases during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi].

PubMed

Onishenko, G G; Popova, A Iu; Bragina, I V; Kuz'kin, B P; Ezhlova, E B; Demina, Iu V; Gus'kov, A S; Ivanov, G E; Chikina, L V; Klindukhova, V P; Grechanaia, T V; Tesheva, S Ch; Kulichenko, A N; Efremenko, D B; Manin, E A; Kuznetsova, I V; Parkhomenko, V V; Kulichenko, O A; Rafeenko, G K; Shcherbina, L I; Zavora, D L; Briukhanov, A F; Eldinova, V E; Iunicheva, Iu V; Derliatko, S K; Komarov, N S

2015-01-01

The experience of the organization and functioning of the laboratory network during the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi is considered. Efforts to establish an effective system of laboratory support, the order of work and interaction of diagnostic laboratories involved in diseases control of population during the Olympic Games are analyzed.

Delta-Complete Analysis for Bounded Reachability of Hybrid Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-16

framework makes bounded reachability of hybrid systems a much more mathematically tractable problem and show that our practical implementation can handle...step i in the hybrid trajectory to an appropriate discrete mode in H , and make sure that the flow, jump, inv, init conditions are satisfied...trajectories start with some initial state satisfying initq(x0) for some q. In each step, it follows flowq(xi,xti, t) and makes a continuous flow from xi to x t

Chondrogenic properties of collagen type XI, a component of cartilage extracellular matrix.

PubMed

Li, Ang; Wei, Yiyong; Hung, Clark; Vunjak-Novakovic, Gordana

2018-08-01

Cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) has been used for promoting tissue engineering. However, the exact effects of ECM on chondrogenesis and the acting mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the chondrogenic effects of cartilage ECM on human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and identified the contributing molecular components. To this end, a preparation of articular cartilage ECM was supplemented to pellets of chondrogenically differentiating MSCs, pellets of human chondrocytes, and bovine articular cartilage explants to evaluate the effects on cell proliferation and the production of cartilaginous matrix. Selective enzymatic digestion and screening of ECM components were conducted to identify matrix molecules with chondrogenic properties. Cartilage ECM promoted MSC proliferation, production of cartilaginous matrix, and maturity of chondrogenic differentiation, and inhibited the hypertrophic differentiation of MSC-derived chondrocytes. Selective digestion of ECM components revealed a contributory role of collagens in promoting chondrogenesis. The screening of various collagen subtypes revealed strong chondrogenic effect of collagen type XI. Finally, collagen XI was found to promote production and inhibit degradation of cartilage matrix in human articular chondrocyte pellets and bovine articular cartilage explants. Our results indicate that cartilage ECM promotes chondrogenesis and inhibits hypertrophic differentiation in MSCs. Collagen type XI is the ECM component that has the strongest effects on enhancing the production and inhibiting the degradation of cartilage matrix. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurable characteristics of lysozyme crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorti, Sridhar; Forsythe, Elizabeth L.; Pusey, Marc L.

2005-01-01

The behavior of protein crystal growth is estimated from measurements performed at both the microscopic and molecular levels. In the absence of solutal flow, it was determined that a model that balances the macromolecular flux toward the crystal surface with the flux of the crystal surface well characterizes crystal growth observed using microscopic methods. Namely, it was determined that the model provides accurate estimates for the crystal-growth velocities upon evaluation of crystal-growth measurements obtained in time. Growth velocities thus determined as a function of solution supersaturation were further interpreted using established deterministic models. From analyses of crystal-growth velocities, it was found that the mode of crystal growth varies with respect to increasing solution supersaturation, possibly owing to kinetic roughening. To verify further the hypothesis of kinetic roughening, crystal growth at the molecular level was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). From the AFM measurements, it was found that the magnitude of surface-height fluctuations, h(x), increases with increasing solution supersaturation. In contrast, the estimated characteristic length, xi, decreases rapidly upon increasing solution supersaturation. It was conjectured that the magnitude of both h(x) and xi could possibly determine the mode of crystal growth. Although the data precede any exact theory, the non-critical divergence of h(x) and xi with respect to increasing solution supersaturation was nevertheless preliminarily established. Moreover, approximate models to account for behavior of both h(x) and xi are also presented.

Stochastic modelling of a single ion channel: an alternating renewal approach with application to limited time resolution.

PubMed

Milne, R K; Yeo, G F; Edeson, R O; Madsen, B W

1988-04-22

Stochastic models of ion channels have been based largely on Markov theory where individual states and transition rates must be specified, and sojourn-time densities for each state are constrained to be exponential. This study presents an approach based on random-sum methods and alternating-renewal theory, allowing individual states to be grouped into classes provided the successive sojourn times in a given class are independent and identically distributed. Under these conditions Markov models form a special case. The utility of the approach is illustrated by considering the effects of limited time resolution (modelled by using a discrete detection limit, xi) on the properties of observable events, with emphasis on the observed open-time (xi-open-time). The cumulants and Laplace transform for a xi-open-time are derived for a range of Markov and non-Markov models; several useful approximations to the xi-open-time density function are presented. Numerical studies show that the effects of limited time resolution can be extreme, and also highlight the relative importance of the various model parameters. The theory could form a basis for future inferential studies in which parameter estimation takes account of limited time resolution in single channel records. Appendixes include relevant results concerning random sums and a discussion of the role of exponential distributions in Markov models.

From Ξb→Λbπ to Ξc→Λcπ

DOE PAGES

Gronau, Michael; Rosner, Jonathan L.

2016-04-11

Using a successful framework for describing S-wave hadronic decays of light hyperons induced by a subprocess s -> u((u) over bard), we presented recently a model-independent calculation of the amplitude and branching ratio for Xi(-)(b) -> Lambda(b)pi(-) in agreement with a LHCb measurement. The same quark process contributes to Xi(0)(c) -> Lambda(c)pi(-), while a second term from the subprocess cs -> cd has been related by Voloshin to differences among total decay rates of charmed baryons. We calculate this term and find it to have a magnitude approximately equal to the s -> u((u) over bard) term. We argue formore » a negligible relative phase between these two contributions, potentially due to final state interactions. However, we do not know whether they interfere destructively or constructively. For constructive interference one predicts B(Xi(0)(c) -> Lambda(c)pi(-)) = (1.94 +/- 0.70) x 10(-3) and B(Xi(+)(c) -> Lambda(c)pi(0)) = (3.86 +/- 1.35) x 10(-3). For destructive interference, the respective branching fractions are expected to be less than about 10(-4) and 2 x 10(-4). (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP(3).« less

From Ξb→Λbπ to Ξc→Λcπ

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

Gronau, Michael; Rosner, Jonathan L.

Using a successful framework for describing S-wave hadronic decays of light hyperons induced by a subprocess s -> u((u) over bard), we presented recently a model-independent calculation of the amplitude and branching ratio for Xi(-)(b) -> Lambda(b)pi(-) in agreement with a LHCb measurement. The same quark process contributes to Xi(0)(c) -> Lambda(c)pi(-), while a second term from the subprocess cs -> cd has been related by Voloshin to differences among total decay rates of charmed baryons. We calculate this term and find it to have a magnitude approximately equal to the s -> u((u) over bard) term. We argue formore » a negligible relative phase between these two contributions, potentially due to final state interactions. However, we do not know whether they interfere destructively or constructively. For constructive interference one predicts B(Xi(0)(c) -> Lambda(c)pi(-)) = (1.94 +/- 0.70) x 10(-3) and B(Xi(+)(c) -> Lambda(c)pi(0)) = (3.86 +/- 1.35) x 10(-3). For destructive interference, the respective branching fractions are expected to be less than about 10(-4) and 2 x 10(-4). (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Funded by SCOAP(3).« less

Monogamy inequalities for certifiers of continuous-variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement without the assumption of Gaussianity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosales-Zárate, L.; Teh, R. Y.; Opanchuk, B.; Reid, M. D.

2017-08-01

We consider three modes A , B , and C and derive monogamy inequalities that constrain the distribution of bipartite continuous variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement amongst the three modes. The inequalities hold without the assumption of Gaussian states, and are based on measurements of the quadrature phase amplitudes Xi and Pi at each mode i =A ,B ,C . The first monogamy inequality involves the well-known quantity DI J defined by Duan-Giedke-Cirac-Zoller as the sum of the variances of (XI-XJ)/2 and (PI+PJ)/2 where [XI,PJ] =δI J . Entanglement between I and J is certified if DI J<1 . A second monogamy inequality involves the more general entanglement certifier EntIJ defined as the normalized product of the variances of XI-g XJ and PI+g PJ , where g is a real constant. The monogamy inequalities give a lower bound on the values of DB C and EntBC for one pair, given the values DB A and EntBA for the first pair. This lower bound changes in the absence of two-mode Gaussian steering of B . We illustrate for a range of tripartite entangled states, identifying regimes of saturation of the inequalities. The monogamy relations explain without the assumption of Gaussianity the experimentally observed saturation at DA B=0.5 where there is symmetry between modes A and C .

Stability and Change in One Adult's Second Language English Negation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauser, Eric

2013-01-01

This article reports on how, against a background of relatively stable patterns of second language negation, a Japanese-speaking adult learning English made use of a negative formula, "I don't know," and how, in and through interaction, analyzed it into its component parts and began using "don't" more productively.…

Ternary rare earth-lanthanide sulfides. [Re = Eu, Sm or Yb

DOEpatents

Takeshita, Takuo; Gschneidner, K.A. Jr.; Beaudry, B.J.

1986-03-06

Disclosed is a new ternary rare earth sulfur compound having the formula La/sub 3-x/M/sub x/S/sub 4/, where M is europium, samarium, or ytterbium, with x = 0.15 to 0.8. The compound has good high-temperature thermoelectric properties and exhibits long-term structural stability up to 1000/sup 0/C.

On the Role of Linguistic Contextual Factors for Morphosyntactic Stabilization in High-Level L2 French

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartning, Inge; Lundell, Fanny Forsberg; Hancock, Victorine

2012-01-01

The purpose of this article is to offer contextual linguistic explanations for morphosyntactic deviances (MSDs) in high-level second language (L2) French (30 nonnative speakers vs. 10 native speakers). It is hypothesized that the distribution of formulaic sequences (FSs) and the complexity of information structure will influence the occurrence of…

76 FR 59074 - State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program and Discretionary and Other Formula Grant Programs

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-23

... assessment type, is provided by States as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 34 CFR Subtitle B, Chapter II [Docket ID ED-2011-OS-0005] RIN 1894-AA02...: Department of Education. ACTION: Notice of proposed revisions to certain data collection and reporting...

Ternary rare earth-lanthanide sulfides

DOEpatents

Takeshita, Takuo; Gschneidner, Jr., Karl A.; Beaudry, Bernard J.

1987-01-06

A new ternary rare earth sulfur compound having the formula: La.sub.3-x M.sub.x S.sub.4 where M is a rare earth element selected from the group europium, samarium and ytterbium and x=0.15 to 0.8. The compound has good high-temperature thermoelectric properties and exhibits long-term structural stability up to 1000.degree. C.

Modified Runge-Kutta methods for solving ODES. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanvu, T.

1981-01-01

A class of Runge-Kutta formulas is examined which permit the calculation of an accurate solution anywhere in the interval of integration. This is used in a code which seldom has to reject a step; rather it takes a reduced step if the estimated error is too large. The absolute stability implications of this are examined.

Shell Corrections Stabilizing Superheavy Nuclei and Semi-spheroidal Atomic Clusters

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

Poenaru, Dorin N.

2008-01-24

The macroscopic-microscopic method is used to illustrate the shell effect stabilizing superheavy nuclei and to study the stability of semi-spheroidal clusters deposited on planar surfaces. The alpha decay of superheavy nuclei is calculated using three models: the analytical superasymmetric fission model; the universal curve, and the semiempirical formula taking into account the shell effects. Analytical relationships are obtained for the energy levels of the new semi-spheroidal harmonic oscillator (SSHO) single-particle model and for the surface and curvature energies of the semi-spheroidal clusters. The maximum degeneracy of the SSHO is reached at a super-deformed prolate shape for which the minimum ofmore » the liquid drop model energy is also attained.« less

Ultrabass Sounds of the Giant Star xi Hya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-05-01

First Observations of Solar-type Oscillations in a Star Very Different from the Sun Summary About 30 years ago, astronomers realised that the Sun resonates like a giant musical instrument with well-defined periods (frequencies). It forms a sort of large, spherical organ pipe. The energy that excites these sound waves comes from the turbulent region just below the Sun's visible surface. Observations of the solar sound waves (known as " helioseismology ") have resulted in enormous progress in the exploration of the interior of the Sun, otherwise hidden from view. As is the case on Earth, seismic techniques can be applied and the detailed interpretation of the observed oscillation periods has provided quite accurate information about the structure and motions inside the Sun, our central star. It has now also become possible to apply this technique to some solar-type stars. The first observations concerned the northern star eta Bootis (cf. ESO PR 16/94 ). Last year, extensive and much more accurate observations with the 1.2-m Swiss telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory proved that Alpha Centauri , a solar "twin", behaves very much like the Sun (cf. ESO PR 15/01 ), and that some of the periods are quite similar to those in the Sun. These new observational data were of a superb quality, and that study marked a true break-through in the new research field of " asteroseismology " (seismology of the stars) for solar-type stars. But what about other types of stars, for instance those that are much larger than the Sun? Based on an extremely intensive observing project with the same telescope, an international group of astronomers [1] has found that the giant star xi Hya ("xi" is the small greek letter [2]; "Hya" is an abbreviation of "Hydrae") behaves like a giant sub-ultra-bass instrument . This star is located in the constellation Hydra (the Water-Monster) at a distance of 130 light-years, it has a radius about 10 times that of the Sun and its luminosity is about 60 times larger. The new observations demonstrate that xi Hya oscillates with several periods of around 3 hours. xi Hya is now approaching the end of its life - it is about to expand its outer envelope and to become a "red giant star" . It is quite different from stars like the Sun, which are only halfway through their active life. xi Hya is considerably more massive than any other star in which solar-like oscillations have so far been detected. This observational feat allows to study for the first time with seismic techniques the interior of such a highly evolved star. It paves the way for similar studies of different types of stars. A new chapter of stellar astrophysics is now opening as asteroseismology establishes itself as an ingenious method that is able to revolutionise our detailed understanding of stellar interiors and the overall evolution of stars . PR Photo 13a/02 : Oscillation frequencies in the Giant Star xi Hya PR Photo 13b/02 : Non-radial oscillations of xi Hya (computer graphics) PR Audio Clip 01/02 : Listen to the sound of xi Hya (RealMedia and MP3) The difficult art of asteroseismology Helioseismology (seismology of the Sun) is based on measurements of the changing radial velocity of the solar upper atmospheric layers (the "surface") by means of the well-known Doppler effect, as this surface moves up and down during acoustic oscillations. The corresponding amplitudes are very small, with velocities of up to 15 - 20 cm/sec, and the typical period is around 5 minutes. Therefore the phenomenon was first known as the "five-minute oscillations". Intensity measurements have also been tried, but the noise level is larger than for velocity data due to the presence of "granulation" (moving cells of hot gas) on the solar surface. In the case of larger and brighter stars like the giant stars, the corresponding amplitudes and periods increase. For instance, theoretical predictions for the giant star xi Hya have indicated that velocity amplitudes of about 7 m/sec and periods of the order of 3 - 4 hours could be expected. Observations of such oscillations are much more difficult, because the demands on the performance of the spectrograph increase dramatically, as this timescale is similar to that of variations of conditions in the Earth's atmosphere during the observing night. Spurious instrumental effects, like mechanical flexure, would be detrimental to such demanding observations. However, the experience from the search for exoplanets orbiting other stars - by observing the periodic change in velocity of the parent star due to the weak pull of the orbiting planet over even longer timescales - has proven to be very useful. Indeed, asteroseismology has benefitted greatly from the development of accurate techniques now employed in the search for exoplanets . The observations of the giant star xi Hya An international team of astronomers [1] observed xi Hya with the Swiss 1.2-m Euler telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile). They used the CORALIE spectrograph, which is well known for numerous discoveries of exoplanets (cf. PR 07/01 ), and recently for the detection of 7-min acoustic oscillations in the solar-twin star Alpha Centauri A (cf. PR 15/01 ). The same technique that delivered superb observations of Alpha Centauri A was employed to investigate the oscillations of xi Hya . The sound waves make the surface of the star oscillate periodically in and out, and the CORALIE spectrograph measures the velocities of the up-down motion. As xi Hya is a giant, these waves need more time to propagate through the stellar interior up to the stellar surface than they do in a solar-like star. Thus, the generated oscillations of the surface are slower. An observing campaign lasting no less than one full month, taking about two measurements every hour was necessary to detect the tiny movements of the surface of xi Hya . The detected oscillations have periods of about 3 hours, and have speeds of only up to 2 metres per second . This is somewhat smaller than expected, but the predictions for these amplitudes were very uncertain as the conditions in xi Hya are so very different from those in the Sun. First results for xi Hya ESO PR Photo 13a/02 ESO PR Photo 13a/02 [Preview - JPEG: 492 x 400 pix - 68k] [Normal - JPEG: 983 x 800 pix - 168k] Caption : PR Photo 13a/02 shows the "frequency spectrum" of the giant star xi Hya , as deduced on the basis of extensive velocity measurements with the 1.2-m Leonhard Euler telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile). The abscissa unit is microHertz; 100 µHz corresponds to a period of 10,000 seconds (2.78 hours). PR Audio Clip 01/02 : Listen to the sound of xi Hya ! This 15-sec audio clip was produced by mixing the 16 strongest frequencies in the observed sound spectrum ( PR Photo 13a/02 ) with the correct, relative amplitudes. In order to render the signal audible, all frequencies were multiplied by a factor of one million. Note that quality loudspeakers are required to fully appreciate this rich and complex signal, especially the underlying bass tones. Several beat frequencies are obviously present. Available in RealMedia (requires RealPlayer software) and MP3 (264k) formats. PR Photo 13a/02 shows the frequency spectrum of xi Hya , based on these extensive observations. The "power peaks" indicate the frequencies of the oscillation of the stellar atmosphere. The broad distribution means that several different sound waves are clearly present. This is the first time such a spectrum has ever been obtained for a giant star. A first analysis showed the presence of about one dozen significant frequencies and correspondingly, periods . Among those, four have amplitudes above 1 metre per second. In addition to these twelve frequencies, others appear to have been detected as well, but with less certainty and their reality must be confirmed by a subsequent, more detailed study. The "sound of xi Hya" has been synthesized in PR Audio Clip 01/02 . Stellar models A good model of the star is necessary before the observed oscillation frequencies (periods) can be properly interpreted. Current models of the Sun are accurate and represent a typical main-sequence star at midlife, and the oscillations are well understood. The sound spectrum corresponding to the full disk - i.e., what we would observe if the Sun were as distant as other stars and we would therefore see it as a light point in the sky - shows a regular pattern in which the observed frequencies are separated by two different and constant intervals, the "large" and the "small" separations. It is much more difficult to "model" the interior of a giant star as the core has changed a lot during the evolution of the star. The nuclear fuel has been exhausted, the stellar core has contracted and the envelope has expanded substantially [3]. The resulting sound spectrum has therefore also changed considerably. Now there is only a small group of oscillating modes that display the same regular pattern as seen in the Sun. They are the radial modes , pressure modes that correspond to a radial expansion and contraction of the star (up and down motion of the surface). The modes in the Sun are sound waves for which most of the oscillation energy is concentrated in the outer parts of the Sun. In stars as highly evolved as xi Hya , they partly take on the character of gravity modes in the interior of the star. Gravity modes are oscillations that move matter up and down in the gravity field, under the influence of buoyancy, with only small changes of the pressure. This is the same effect that makes an air-filled ball pop to the surface when released under water. Gravity modes are normally trapped in the stable interior inside the upper (convective) envelope of a star. So far gravity modes have not been detected in the Sun. In a giant star, however, there is a chance to see some, because some of the oscillations have a mixed character : they behave like gravity modes in the interior and like sound waves in the envelope. The nature of the oscillations observed in xi Hya ESO PR Photo 13b/02 ESO PR Photo 13b/02 [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 461 pix - 112k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 922 pix - 232k] Caption : PR Photo 13b/02 is a computer-generated illustration of one possible non-radial oscillation mode in the giant star xi Hya . The blue parts contain particles in the upper stellar atmosphere moving away from the stellar centre, hence they cause a "blue-shift" (towards shorter wavelengths) in the spectrum for the observer. At the same time, particles in the red parts move towards the stellar centre and cause a "red-shift" (towards longer wavelengths). Particles in the white regions do not move during the oscillation cycle. Half an oscillation cycle later, the red parts will have become blue and vice versa. The high-resolution spectra of xi Hya were also used to determine improved values of the fundamental parameters of this star: its temperature is 4950 ± 100 K, the mass is 3.31 ± 0.17 times that of the Sun, and the age is 276 ± 21 million years [3]. These values may be refined in a subsequent, more extensive analysis. With this improved model for xi Hya , the astronomers calculated the frequencies of all oscillations likely to be observed. As in the Sun, the radial modes are expected to be the dominating ones. In fact, three out of the four modes actually observed in xi Hya coincide within the errors with the predicted radial modes. The fourth mode seems not to be radial, but agrees with a non-radial mode with 2 or 3 wave peaks and valleys over the surface. PR Photo 13b/02 provides a graphical illustration of this in the case of a star seen almost equator-on. Some of the observed lower-amplitude modes must be mixed non-radial modes , since more modes are detected than can be accounted for by the radial modes of the models alone. Future plans Moving directly from stars of about one solar mass to the giant star xi Hya is a rather great leap. With the CORALIE and HARPS instruments (the latter soon to be installed on the ESO 3.6-m telescope at La Silla), an entire sequence of stars at different evolutionary stages will be observed next: from newly born to middle-aged stars like the Sun, and also old ones that are near retirement. The new observations of xi Hya show that this is now technically feasible. Once more stars have been observed, changes in the interior structure and composition can be followed and current theories of the internal stellar structure can be verified and improved. Clearly, asteroseismology is bound to have a major impact on the understanding of stellar evolution . The detection of oscillations in the giant star xi Hya also has implications for the target selection of several space missions aiming at seismic measurements: the Canadian MOST mission, the French-led European COROT mission (with launch expected in 2005), and some that are still under consideration, as the Danish Rømer mission (now in the detailed design phase) and the ESA Eddington mission. The present observations have proven that these space missions will be able to observe oscillations in a wide range of stars, and thus will constitute a major new source of detailed information about the interior of stars, not accessible from the ground. More information The results described in this Press Release are about to be submitted to the research journal Astronomy & Astrophysics (Letters) by the present team. Notes [1]: The team consists of Conny Aerts and Thomas Maas (Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium), Fabien Carrier, Michel Burnet, Jose de Medeiros and Francois Bouchy (Geneva Observatory, Switzerland), Søren Frandsen, Dennis Stello, Hans Kjeldsen, Teresa C. Teixeira, Frank Pijpers, Jørgen Christensen-Dalsgaard and Hans Bruntt (Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University; and Theoretical Astrophysics Center, Aarhus University, Denmark). [2]: Some HTML-browsers support character entities for greek letters - "xi" is then represented by "ξ" . [3]: In astrophysical terms, xi Hya is currently in the hydrogen shell-burning phase, having left the main sequence some time ago and now near the sub-giant/giant border.

Oxygen stabilized zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy

DOEpatents

Mendelsohn, Marshall H.; Gruen, Dieter M.

1982-01-01

An oxygen stabilized intermetallic compound having the formula (Zr.sub.1-x Ti.sub.x).sub.2-u (V.sub.1-y Fe.sub.y)O.sub.z where x=0.0 to 0.9, y=0.01 to 0.9, z=0.25 to 0.5 and u=0 to 1. The compound is capable of reversibly sorbing hydrogen at temperatures from -196.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. at pressures down to 10.sup.-6 torr. The compound is suitable for use as a hydrogen getter in low pressure, high temperature applications such as magnetic confinement fusion devices.

New tetradentate Schiff bases of 2-amino-3,5-dibromobenzaldehyde with aliphatic diamines and their metal complexes: synthesis, characterization and thermal stability.

PubMed

Mohammadi, Khosro; Azad, Seyyedeh Sedigheh; Amoozegar, Ameneh

2015-07-05

The tetradentate Schiff base ligands (L(1)-L(4)), were synthesized by reaction between 2-amino-3,5-dibromobenzaldehyde and aliphatic diamines. Then, nickel and oxovanadium(IV) complexes of these ligands were synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, Mass, IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. The kinetic parameters of oxovanadium(IV) complexes were calculated from thermal studies. According to the results of thermogravimetric data, the thermal stability of oxovanadium(IV) complexes is as follow: [Formula: see text]. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxygen-stabilized zirconium-vanadium-iron alloy

DOEpatents

Mendelsohn, M.H.; Gruen, D.M.

1981-06-16

An oxygen stabilized intermetallic compound is described which has the formula (Zr/sub 1-x/Ti/sub x/)/sub 2-u/(V/sub 1-y/Fe/sub y/)O/sub z/ where x = 0.0 to 0.9, y = 0.01 to 0.9, z = 0.25 to 0.5 and u = 0 to 1. The compound is capable of reversibly sorbing hydrogen at temperatures from -196/sup 0/C to 200/sup 0/C at pressures down to 10/sup -6/ torr. The compound is suitable for use as a hydrogen getter in low pressure, high temperature applications such as magnetic confinement fusion devices.

Protective Effects of Selenium, Vitamin E, and Purple Carrot Anthocyanins on D-Galactose-Induced Oxidative Damage in Blood, Liver, Heart and Kidney Rats.

PubMed

Li, Xia; Zhang, Yunlong; Yuan, Yuan; Sun, Yong; Qin, Yan; Deng, Zeyuan; Li, Hongyan

2016-10-01

The present study was performed to investigate the protective effects of selenium (Se), vitamin E (Vit E) and anthocyanins from purple carrots and their combination against the oxidative stress induced by D-galactose in rats. A total of 80 male rats were equally divided into 11 groups, one of which acted as control (I) just receiving intraperitoneal injections of physiological saline. The remaining ten groups (II-XI) were intraperitoneally injected with D-galactose at a dose of 400 mg kg(-1) body weight (BW) per day for 42 consecutive days. Rats in groups III-XI were treated with antioxidants via gavage per day as follows: group III: Se-methylselenocysteine (SeMSC), IV: Se as sodium selenite (Na2SeO3), V: Se-enriched yeast (SeY), VI: Vit E as α-tocopherol acetate, VII: anthocyanin from purple carrots (APC), VIII: APC + Vit E, IX: SeMSC + APC+ Vit E, X: Na2SeO3 + APC + Vit E, XI: SeY + Ant + Vit E. The results showed that the rats treated with antioxidants (III-XI) showed significant decreases in the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl protein (PCO) compared with the D-galactose-treated group (II) in the heart, liver, kidneys, and blood. Moreover, there were significant increases in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione (GSH) concentration, and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the heart, liver, kidneys, and blood of antioxidant-treated animals (III-XI) than those in control group (I). In addition, the combined treatments of two or three antioxidants showed greater antioxidant activities than those of individual treatments, suggesting the synergistic antioxidant effects of Se, Vit E, and APC. In conclusion, all the antioxidants exhibited protective effects against D-galactose-induced oxidative damage in rats, and these antioxidants showed a synergistic effect.

Study on the adult physique with the Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype in the Han of Xi'an, China.

PubMed

Yang, Li-Tao; Wang, Ning; Li, Zeng-Xian; Liu, Cui; He, Xin; Zhang, Jian-Fei; Han, Hua; Wen, You-Feng; Qian, Yi-Hua; Xi, Huan-Jiu

2016-03-01

The study of somatotypes has important significance for medical and physical anthropology as well as sports science. The aim of this study was to understand the somatotype components of the Han population in Xi'an and compare the somatotypes of the Han and five other nationalities in China. The study sample consisted of 429 people of Han nationality (207 males, 222 females) from Xi'an, China, aged ≥20 years old. The Heath-Carter anthropometric method was employed. We evaluated the differences in age and sex by one-way ANOVA and t test. A comparison of somatotypes between the Han and other nationalities was made using the U test. The results showed that the male and female samples all could be classified as having a mesomorphic endomorph profile. The difference in endomorphy was strongest between sexes in all age groups (P < 0.01). There were prominent differences in mesomorphy and ectomorphy between males and females in the 50-59- and ≥60-year-old age groups. In females, the differences in somatotype components appeared to be distinguished between ages (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). However, in males, there were prominent differences in somatotype components between the 20-29 year olds and all other age groups (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) except for between those 20-29 and ≥60 years old in endomorphy. Compared with the other five nationalities, there were prominent differences in somatotype components between males and females. These results suggest that the somatotype of the Han population in Xi'an, China, has a predominantly mesomorphic endomorph profile. The endomorphic component shows distinct differences between ages and genders, respectively. Additionally, there are distinct differences in the somatotype components between Xi'an Han and five other nationalities in China in males and females.

Prevalence of diverse complications and its association with karyotypes in Japanese adult women with Turner syndrome-a questionnaire survey by the Foundation for Growth Science.

PubMed

Hanew, Kunihiko; Tanaka, Toshiaki; Horikawa, Reiko; Hasegawa, Tomonobu; Yokoya, Susumu

2018-05-28

The reported prevalence of complications in Turner Syndrome (TS) was highly variable because of the rarity and the limited numbers analyzed. Again, possible presence of other complications that are not described as specific for TS, is also speculated. To resolve these issues, a questionnaire survey was conducted in hGH treated 492 patients with adult TS (17-42 years). The possible association with these complications and karyotypes were also analyzed. The complications and their prevalence were as follows: chronic thyroiditis (25.2%), inflammatory bowel disease (1.8%), congenital cardiovascular anomaly (11.8%), urinary tract malformation (11.8%), low bone mineral density (BMD) (42.9%), scoliosis (8.4%), hearing loss (6.2%), epilepsy (2.8%) and schizophrenia (0.9%). The majority of prevalence of these diseases in TS was higher than in the general population. In distribution, the most frequent karyotype was 45,X monosomy (28.9%), followed by 45,X/46,X,Xi (16.9%), 46,X,Xi (9.1%), and 45,X/46,XX (6.3%), while other mosaic 45,X was noted in 29.9%. Regarding the karyotype, cardiovascular anomaly was more frequent in the 45,X group and less in the 46,X,Xi group. Urinary tract malformation and epilepsy were frequently associated with the chromosome 45,X. The prevalence of low BMD was noticed more in the chromosome 46,X,Xi and 45,X/46,X,Xi, and less in other mosaic 45,X. In conclusion, the more exact prevalence of diverse complications was clarified and it exceeded the prevalence of the majority of complications in general population. As novel findings, it was observed that the prevalence of epilepsy was significantly high, and epilepsy and low BMD were frequently associated with the specific karyotypes.

Chromosomal Aneuploidy Improves the Brewing Characteristics of Sake Yeast.

PubMed

Kadowaki, Masafumi; Fujimaru, Yuki; Taguchi, Seiga; Ferdouse, Jannatul; Sawada, Kazutaka; Kimura, Yuta; Terasawa, Yohei; Agrimi, Gennaro; Anai, Toyoaki; Noguchi, Hideki; Toyoda, Atsushi; Fujiyama, Asao; Akao, Takeshi; Kitagaki, Hiroshi

2017-12-15

The effect of chromosomal aneuploidy on the brewing characteristics of brewery yeasts has not been studied. Here we report that chromosomal aneuploidy in sake brewery yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) leads to the development of favorable brewing characteristics. We found that pyruvate-underproducing sake yeast, which produces less off-flavor diacetyl, is aneuploid and trisomic for chromosomes XI and XIV. To confirm that this phenotype is due to aneuploidy, we obtained 45 haploids with various chromosomal additions and investigated their brewing profiles. A greater number of chromosomes correlated with a decrease in pyruvate production. Especially, sake yeast haploids with extra chromosomes in addition to chromosome XI produced less pyruvate than euploids. Mitochondrion-related metabolites and intracellular oxygen species in chromosome XI aneuploids were higher than those in euploids, and this effect was canceled in their "petite" strains, suggesting that an increase in chromosomes upregulated mitochondrial activity and decreased pyruvate levels. These findings suggested that an increase in chromosome number, including chromosome XI, in sake yeast haploids leads to pyruvate underproduction through the augmentation of mitochondrial activity. This is the first report proposing that aneuploidy in brewery yeasts improves their brewing profile. IMPORTANCE Chromosomal aneuploidy has not been evaluated in development of sake brewing yeast strains. This study shows the relationship between chromosomal aneuploidy and brewing characteristics of brewery yeast strains. High concentrations of pyruvate during sake storage give rise to α-acetolactate and, in turn, to high concentrations of diacetyl, which is considered an off-flavor. It was demonstrated that pyruvate-underproducing sake yeast is trisomic for chromosome XI and XIV. Furthermore, sake yeast haploids with extra chromosomes produced reduced levels of pyruvate and showed metabolic processes characteristic of increased mitochondrial activity. This novel discovery will enable the selection of favorable brewery yeasts by monitoring the copy numbers of specific chromosomes through a process that does not involve generation/use of genetically modified organisms. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Chromosomal Aneuploidy Improves the Brewing Characteristics of Sake Yeast

PubMed Central

Kadowaki, Masafumi; Fujimaru, Yuki; Taguchi, Seiga; Ferdouse, Jannatul; Sawada, Kazutaka; Kimura, Yuta; Terasawa, Yohei; Agrimi, Gennaro; Anai, Toyoaki; Noguchi, Hideki; Toyoda, Atsushi; Fujiyama, Asao; Akao, Takeshi

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The effect of chromosomal aneuploidy on the brewing characteristics of brewery yeasts has not been studied. Here we report that chromosomal aneuploidy in sake brewery yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) leads to the development of favorable brewing characteristics. We found that pyruvate-underproducing sake yeast, which produces less off-flavor diacetyl, is aneuploid and trisomic for chromosomes XI and XIV. To confirm that this phenotype is due to aneuploidy, we obtained 45 haploids with various chromosomal additions and investigated their brewing profiles. A greater number of chromosomes correlated with a decrease in pyruvate production. Especially, sake yeast haploids with extra chromosomes in addition to chromosome XI produced less pyruvate than euploids. Mitochondrion-related metabolites and intracellular oxygen species in chromosome XI aneuploids were higher than those in euploids, and this effect was canceled in their “petite” strains, suggesting that an increase in chromosomes upregulated mitochondrial activity and decreased pyruvate levels. These findings suggested that an increase in chromosome number, including chromosome XI, in sake yeast haploids leads to pyruvate underproduction through the augmentation of mitochondrial activity. This is the first report proposing that aneuploidy in brewery yeasts improves their brewing profile. IMPORTANCE Chromosomal aneuploidy has not been evaluated in development of sake brewing yeast strains. This study shows the relationship between chromosomal aneuploidy and brewing characteristics of brewery yeast strains. High concentrations of pyruvate during sake storage give rise to α-acetolactate and, in turn, to high concentrations of diacetyl, which is considered an off-flavor. It was demonstrated that pyruvate-underproducing sake yeast is trisomic for chromosome XI and XIV. Furthermore, sake yeast haploids with extra chromosomes produced reduced levels of pyruvate and showed metabolic processes characteristic of increased mitochondrial activity. This novel discovery will enable the selection of favorable brewery yeasts by monitoring the copy numbers of specific chromosomes through a process that does not involve generation/use of genetically modified organisms. PMID:28986374

Shell Analysis Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1968-04-01

1.34-8) ax 2 X=0 2 A A 9 1 •z t/2 V2 = ii 1/ 1~ e1 +2 2 + 12 121 91 0 -t/2•1 2 e r" + e- 0 + T e aa 1 td +2 121a d•, 2 d (1.34-9) The strain and stress...Rk sin2 01 -24Rksin2 0 1 Et 2Et tD 0 1 - i To obtain N,, Ne0 Q10 Mo, M enter C 1 and C2 in the preceding general formulas. Table 2. 64-1 presents a...Formulas for the Elastic Constants of Plates with Integral Waffle-Like Stiffening. NACA RM L53 El3a (1953). 3-27 Gerard, G. "Compressive Stability of

Irreversibility and entropy production in transport phenomena, IV: Symmetry, integrated intermediate processes and separated variational principles for multi-currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Masuo

2013-10-01

The mechanism of entropy production in transport phenomena is discussed again by emphasizing the role of symmetry of non-equilibrium states and also by reformulating Einstein’s theory of Brownian motion to derive entropy production from it. This yields conceptual reviews of the previous papers [M. Suzuki, Physica A 390 (2011) 1904; 391 (2012) 1074; 392 (2013) 314]. Separated variational principles of steady states for multi external fields {Xi} and induced currents {Ji} are proposed by extending the principle of minimum integrated entropy production found by the present author for a single external field. The basic strategy of our theory on steady states is to take in all the intermediate processes from the equilibrium state to the final possible steady states in order to study the irreversible physics even in the steady states. As an application of this principle, Gransdorff-Prigogine’s evolution criterion inequality (or stability condition) dXP≡∫dr∑iJidXi≤0 is derived in the stronger form dQi≡∫drJidXi≤0 for individual force Xi and current Ji even in nonlinear responses which depend on all the external forces {Xk} nonlinearly. This is called “separated evolution criterion”. Some explicit demonstrations of the present general theory to simple electric circuits with multi external fields are given in order to clarify the physical essence of our new theory and to realize the condition of its validity concerning the existence of the solutions of the simultaneous equations obtained by the separated variational principles. It is also instructive to compare the two results obtained by the new variational theory and by the old scheme based on the instantaneous entropy production. This seems to be suggestive even to the energy problem in the world.

Asymmetric Lévy flight in financial ratios

PubMed Central

Valentinčič, Aljoša; Horvatić, Davor; Stanley, H. Eugene

2011-01-01

Because financial crises are characterized by dangerous rare events that occur more frequently than those predicted by models with finite variances, we investigate the underlying stochastic process generating these events. In the 1960s Mandelbrot [Mandelbrot B (1963) J Bus 36:394–419] and Fama [Fama EF (1965) J Bus 38:34–105] proposed a symmetric Lévy probability distribution function (PDF) to describe the stochastic properties of commodity changes and price changes. We find that an asymmetric Lévy PDF, , characterized by infinite variance, models several multiple credit ratios used in financial accounting to quantify a firm’s financial health, such as the Altman [Altman EI (1968) J Financ 23:589–609] Z score and the Zmijewski [Zmijewski ME (1984) J Accounting Res 22:59–82] score, and models changes of individual financial ratios, ΔXi. We thus find that Lévy PDFs describe both the static and dynamics of credit ratings. We find that for the majority of ratios, ΔXi scales with the Lévy parameter α ≈ 1, even though only a few of the individual ratios are characterized by a PDF with power-law tails with infinite variance. We also find that α exhibits a striking stability over time. A key element in estimating credit losses is the distribution of credit rating changes, the functional form of which is unknown for alphabetical ratings. For continuous credit ratings, the Altman Z score, we find that P(ΔZ) follows a Lévy PDF with power-law exponent α ≈ 1, consistent with changes of individual financial ratios. Estimating the conditional P(ΔZ|Z) versus Z, we demonstrate how this continuous credit rating approach and its dynamics can be used to evaluate credit risk. PMID:22006296

Chinese Military Reform in the Age of Xi Jinping: Drivers, Challenges, and Implications

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

refused to obey commands, Xi has em - phasized it in a way that his immediate predecessors did not. For instance, loyalty to the Party was a major...disposal and appears to be em - ploying them in a reasonably strategic fashion to promote the military reforms. However, some of these tools require his...exercise operational control over units. ■■ Rocket Force C2 and scope of authority. Although authoritative Chinese sources em - phasize consistency in the

Implementation of "Marginalism" in Day to Day Life.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-06-01

1985. 4. Golden, B.L., E.A Wasil and P.T. Harker, The Analytic Hierarchy Process, Spring-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, 1989. 5. Agor , Weston H , The...A. H . Maslow was a psychologist whose work on human motivation has been influential in fields such as organization development and industrial...benefit from Xi is the partial derivative of the objective function, 50/aXi. Consider a constraint function: < H >(X1,X2, ,Xn)=0 The marginal cost of

Reconstruction Error and Principal Component Based Anomaly Detection in Hyperspectral Imagery

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

2003), and (Jackson D. A., 1993). In 1933, Hotelling ( Hotelling , 1933), who coined the term ‘principal components,’ surmised that there was a...goodness of fit and multivariate quality control with the statistic Qi = (Xi(1×p) − X̂i(1×p) )(Xi(1×p) − X̂i(1×p) ) T (20) where, under the...sparsely targeted scenes through SNR or other methods. 5) Customize sorting and histogram construction methods in Multiple PCA to avoid redundancy

Quantum Information Processing with Ferroelectrically Coupled Quantum Dots

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-05

on a chip applications. (a) Papers published in peer-reviewed journals (N/A for none) Y. Xi, Y. S. Jung , and H. K. Kim, “Interaction of light with a...metal wedge: the role of diffraction in shaping energy flow”, Optics Express 18, 2588-2600 (2010). Y. S. Jung , J. Wuenschell, H. K. Kim, P. Kaur, and D...H. Waldeck, “Blue-shift of surface plasmon resonance in a metal nanoslit array structure”, Optics Express 17, 16081-16091 (2009). Y. S. Jung , Y. Xi

Feeding methods, sleep arrangement, and infant sleep patterns: a Chinese population-based study.

PubMed

Huang, Xiao-Na; Wang, Hui-Shan; Chang, Jen-Jen; Wang, Lin-Hong; Liu, Xi-Cheng; Jiang, Jing-Xiong; An, Lin

2016-02-01

Findings from prior research into the effect of feeding methods on infant sleep are inconsistent. The objectives of this study were to examine infants' sleep patterns by feeding methods and sleep arrangement from birth to eight months old. This longitudinal cohort study enrolled 524 pregnant women at 34-41 weeks of gestation and their infants after delivery in 2006 and followed up until eight months postpartum. The study subjects were recruited from nine women and children hospitals in nine cities in China (Beijing, Chongqing, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanning, Xiamen, Xi'an, Jinan, and Hailin). Participating infants were followed up weekly during the first month and monthly from the second to the eighth month after birth. Twenty-four hour sleep diaries recording infants' sleeping and feeding methods were administered based on caregiver's self-report. Multivariable mixed growth curve models were fitted to estimate the effects of feeding methods and sleep arrangement on infants' sleep patterns over time, controlling for maternal and paternal age, maternal and paternal education level, household income, supplementation of complementary food, and infant birth weight and length. Exclusively formula fed infants had the greatest sleep percentage/24 h, followed by exclusively breast milk fed infants and partially breast milk fed infants (P<0.01). Night waking followed a similar pattern. However, the differences in sleep percentage and night waking frequency between exclusively formula and exclusively breast milk fed infants weakened over time as infants developed. In addition, compared to infants with bed-sharing sleep arrangement, those with room sharing sleep arrangement had greater daytime and 24-hour infant sleep percentage, whereas those with sleeping alone sleep arrangement had greater nighttime sleep percentage. Our data based on caregiver's self-report suggested that partial breastfeeding and bed-sharing may be associated with less sleep in infants. Health care professionals need to work with parents of newborns to develop coping strategies that will help prevent early weaning of breastfeeding.

[Spatio-temporal characteristics of agricultural drought in Shaanxi Province, China based on integrated disaster risk index].

PubMed

He, Bin; Wang, Quan Jiu; Wu, Di; Zhou, Bei Bei

2016-10-01

With the change of climate, agricultural drought has directly threatened the food security. Based on the natural disaster risk theory, we analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics of agricultural drought in Shanxi Province from 2009 to 2013. Four risk factors (hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and drought resistance ability) were selected with the consideration of influence factors of drought disasters. Subsequently, the index weight was determined by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the aggregative indicator of natural disaster risk was established. The results showed that during the study period, the agricultural drought risk slightly declined in the northern Shaanxi, but increased sharply in the southern Shaanxi, especially in Shangluo City. While for the central part of Shaanxi Province, it maintained good stability, which was the highest in Xianyang City and the lowest in Xi'an City. Generally, the agricultural drought risk in Shaanxi Province gradually increased from south to north.

Ab initio characterization of ClOOH - Implications for atmospheric chemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Timothy J.; Rendell, Alistair P.

1993-01-01

The equilibrium structure, dipole moment, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and infrared intensities of ClOOH are determined using the CCSD(T) (singles and doubles coupled-cluster theory plus a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations) electronic structure method in conjunction with a TZ2P (triple xi plus double polarization) basis set. The heat of formation of CIOOH is determined (using two different isodesmic reactions) to be +1.5 +/- 1 kcal/mol at 0 K or +0.2 +/- 1 kcal/mol at 298.15 K. Using the computed heat of formation, we examined the stability of ClOOH with respect to the ClO + OH, ClOO + H, and HOO + Cl dissociation limits. Since ClOOH is found to be quite stable, it is argued that the chemistry of ClOOH should be included in any accurate modeling of the stratosphere.

Decentralized Feedback Controllers for Robust Stabilization of Periodic Orbits of Hybrid Systems: Application to Bipedal Walking.

PubMed

Hamed, Kaveh Akbari; Gregg, Robert D

2017-07-01

This paper presents a systematic algorithm to design time-invariant decentralized feedback controllers to exponentially and robustly stabilize periodic orbits for hybrid dynamical systems against possible uncertainties in discrete-time phases. The algorithm assumes a family of parameterized and decentralized nonlinear controllers to coordinate interconnected hybrid subsystems based on a common phasing variable. The exponential and [Formula: see text] robust stabilization problems of periodic orbits are translated into an iterative sequence of optimization problems involving bilinear and linear matrix inequalities. By investigating the properties of the Poincaré map, some sufficient conditions for the convergence of the iterative algorithm are presented. The power of the algorithm is finally demonstrated through designing a set of robust stabilizing local nonlinear controllers for walking of an underactuated 3D autonomous bipedal robot with 9 degrees of freedom, impact model uncertainties, and a decentralization scheme motivated by amputee locomotion with a transpelvic prosthetic leg.

Determination of unknown coefficient in a non-linear elliptic problem related to the elastoplastic torsion of a bar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasanov, Alemdar; Erdem, Arzu

2008-08-01

The inverse problem of determining the unknown coefficient of the non-linear differential equation of torsional creep is studied. The unknown coefficient g = g({xi}2) depends on the gradient{xi} : = |{nabla}u| of the solution u(x), x [isin] {Omega} [sub] Rn, of the direct problem. It is proved that this gradient is bounded in C-norm. This permits one to choose the natural class of admissible coefficients for the considered inverse problem. The continuity in the norm of the Sobolev space H1({Omega}) of the solution u(x;g) of the direct problem with respect to the unknown coefficient g = g({xi}2) is obtained in the following sense: ||u(x;g) - u(x;gm)||1 [->] 0 when gm({eta}) [->] g({eta}) point-wise as m [->] {infty}. Based on these results, the existence of a quasi-solution of the inverse problem in the considered class of admissible coefficients is obtained. Numerical examples related to determination of the unknown coefficient are presented.

Coronal Abundances In Xi Boo A, Abundances in the Corona of FK Aqr and the Origin of Cosmic Ray

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Jeremy; Oliversen, Ronald J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Both Xi Boo A and FK Agr observations have been acquired, reduced and analysed. The results of the Xi Boo A study were published in ApJ (Drake, J.J., Kashyap, V., 2001, Up, 547, 428). Work is ongoing to determine the coronet metallicity of FK Aqr based on EUVE spectra and DO photometer data, using the techniques developed in the Drake & Kashyap paper. Preliminary synthetic spectra for FK Aqr have been developed, and further work to heap define the hot plasma emission measure distribution is underway. Progress on spectral analysis has been hampered following the post-doctoral scientist, Vinay Kashyap, taking up new position. A suitable replacement has been difficult to find, but new hire is expected shortly. However, good progress has been made on analysis of DO photometric variations in FK Age, with a publication now ready (Kashyap, V., Drake, J.J., Guedel, M., Audard, M.) for submission to a mainstream astrophysical journal.

Asymmetry Studies in the Production of $$\\Lambda^0/\\bar \\Lambda^0$$, $$\\Xi^-/\\bar{\\Xi}^+$$ and $$\\Omega^-/\\bar{\\Omega}^+$$ Hyperons in 500 GeV/c $$\\pi^-$$ - Nucleon Interactions (in Portuguese)

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

Solano Salinas, Carlos Javier

Using data from fprmilab fixed-target experiment E791, we have measmed for the first time particle/antiparticle production asymmetries formore » $$\\Lambda^0 \\Xi^-$$ and $$\\Omega^-$$ hyperons in $$\\pi^-$$nucleon interactions at 500 GeV /c as joint functions of $$x_F$$ and $$p^2_{\\tau}$$ over the ranges $$-0.12 \\le x_F \\le 0.12$$ and $$0 \\le p^2_{\\tau} \\le 4 (GeV/c)^2$$. There is now direct evidence of a basic asymmetry, even at $$x_F$$ = 0.0, which may be due to associated production. In addition, there are leading-particle-type effects which are qualitativrly like what one would expect from rrcmnbination models or their alternatives. WP used the Dnal Parton Model (DPM) to cakulate the asymmetry for the $$\\Lambda^0$$ and compared with the Lund model (PYTHIA /JETSET) predictions and with om experimental results.« less

Dissipative MHD solutions for resonant Alfven waves in 1-dimensional magnetic flux tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goossens, Marcel; Ruderman, Michail S.; Hollweg, Joseph V.

1995-01-01

The present paper extends the analysis by Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg (1991) on resonant Alfven waves in nonuniform magnetic flux tubes. It proves that the fundamental conservation law for resonant Alfven waves found in ideal MHD by Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg remains valid in dissipative MHD. This guarantees that the jump conditions of Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg, that connect the ideal MHD solutions for xi(sub r), and P' across the dissipative layer, are correct. In addition, the present paper replaces the complicated dissipative MHD solutions obtained by Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg for xi(sub r), and P' in terms of double integrals of Hankel functions of complex argument of order 1/3 with compact analytical solutions that allow a straight- forward mathematical and physical interpretation. Finally, it presents an analytical dissipative MHD solution for the component of the Lagrangian displacement in the magnetic surfaces perpen- dicular to the magnetic field lines xi(sub perpendicular) which enables us to determine the dominant dynamics of resonant Alfven waves in dissipative MHD.

A complete characterization of all-versus-nothing arguments for stabilizer states.

PubMed

Abramsky, Samson; Barbosa, Rui Soares; Carù, Giovanni; Perdrix, Simon

2017-11-13

An important class of contextuality arguments in quantum foundations are the all-versus-nothing (AvN) proofs, generalizing a construction originally due to Mermin. We present a general formulation of AvN arguments and a complete characterization of all such arguments that arise from stabilizer states. We show that every AvN argument for an n -qubit stabilizer state can be reduced to an AvN proof for a three-qubit state that is local Clifford-equivalent to the tripartite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. This is achieved through a combinatorial characterization of AvN arguments, the AvN triple theorem, whose proof makes use of the theory of graph states. This result enables the development of a computational method to generate all the AvN arguments in [Formula: see text] on n -qubit stabilizer states. We also present new insights into the stabilizer formalism and its connections with logic.This article is part of the themed issue 'Second quantum revolution: foundational questions'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Convergence and stability of the exponential Euler method for semi-linear stochastic delay differential equations.

PubMed

Zhang, Ling

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the strong convergence and exponential stability in mean square of the exponential Euler method to semi-linear stochastic delay differential equations (SLSDDEs). It is proved that the exponential Euler approximation solution converges to the analytic solution with the strong order [Formula: see text] to SLSDDEs. On the one hand, the classical stability theorem to SLSDDEs is given by the Lyapunov functions. However, in this paper we study the exponential stability in mean square of the exact solution to SLSDDEs by using the definition of logarithmic norm. On the other hand, the implicit Euler scheme to SLSDDEs is known to be exponentially stable in mean square for any step size. However, in this article we propose an explicit method to show that the exponential Euler method to SLSDDEs is proved to share the same stability for any step size by the property of logarithmic norm.

Stability of Thin-Walled Tubes Under Torsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donnell, L H

1935-01-01

In this report a theoretical solution is developed for the torsion on a round thin-walled tube for which the walls become unstable. The results of this theory are given by a few simple formulas and curves which cover all cases. The differential equations of equilibrium are derived in a simpler form than previously found, it being shown that many items can be neglected.

On spectral techniques in analysis of Boolean networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kesseli, Juha; Rämö, Pauli; Yli-Harja, Olli

2005-06-01

In this work we present results that can be used for analysis of Boolean networks. The results utilize Fourier spectra of the functions in the network. An accurate formula is given for Derrida plots of networks of finite size N based on a result on Boolean functions presented in another context. Derrida plots are widely used to examine the stability issues of Boolean networks. For the limit N→∞, we give a computationally simple form that can be used as a good approximation for rather small networks as well. A formula for Derrida plots of random Boolean networks (RBNs) presented earlier in the literature is given an alternative derivation. It is shown that the information contained in the Derrida plot is equal to the average Fourier spectrum of the functions in the network. In the case of random networks the mean Derrida plot can be obtained from the mean spectrum of the functions. The method is applied to real data by using the Boolean functions found in genetic regulatory networks of eukaryotic cells in an earlier study. Conventionally, Derrida plots and stability analysis have been computed with statistical sampling resulting in poorer accuracy.

Generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation adapted to the U (5 ) ⊃ SO (5 ) ⊃ SO (3 ) symmetry for spin-2 condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Y. Z.; Liu, Y. M.; Bao, C. G.

2015-03-01

A generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation adapted to the U(5 )⊃SO(5 )⊃SO(3 ) symmetry has been derived and solved for the spin-2 condensates. The spin-textile and the degeneracy of the ground state (g.s.) together with the factors affecting the stability of the g.s., such as the gap and the level density in the neighborhood of the g.s., have been studied. Based on a rigorous treatment of the spin-degrees of freedom, the spin-textiles can be understood in an N -body language. In addition to the ferro, polar, and cyclic phases, the g.s. might in a mixture of them when |M | is not equal to 0 and 2 N (M is the total magnetization). The great difference in the stability and degeneracy of the g.s. caused by varying φ (which marks the features of the interaction) and M is notable. Since the root-mean-square radius Rrms is an observable, efforts have been made to derive a set of formulas to relate Rrms and N ,ω (frequency of the trap), and φ . These formulas provide a way to check the theories with experimental data.

Optimization of pectinase immobilization on grafted alginate-agar gel beads by 24 full factorial CCD and thermodynamic profiling for evaluating of operational covalent immobilization.

PubMed

Abdel Wahab, Walaa A; Karam, Eman A; Hassan, Mohamed E; Kansoh, Amany L; Esawy, Mona A; Awad, Ghada E A

2018-07-01

Pectinase produced by a honey derived from the fungus Aspergillus awamori KX943614 was covalently immobilized onto gel beads made of alginate and agar. Polyethyleneimine, glutaraldehyde, loading time and enzyme's units were optimized by 2 4 full factorial central composite design (CCD). The immobilization process increased the optimal working pH for the free pectinase from 5 to a broader range of pH4.5-5.5 and the optimum operational temperature from 55°C to a higher temperature, of 60°C, which is favored to reduce the enzyme's microbial contamination. The thermodynamics studies showed a thermal stability enhancement against high temperature for the immobilized formula. Moreover, an increase in half-lives and D-values was achieved. The thermodynamic studies proved that immobilization of pectinase made a remarkable increase in enthalpy and free energy because of enzyme stability enhancement. The reusability test revealed that 60% of pectinase's original activity was retained after 8 successive cycles. This gel formula may be convenient for immobilization of other industrial enzymes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PyCMSXiO: an external interface to script treatment plans for the Elekta® CMS XiO treatment planning system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Aitang; Arumugam, Sankar; Holloway, Lois; Goozee, Gary

2014-03-01

Scripting in radiotherapy treatment planning systems not only simplifies routine planning tasks but can also be used for clinical research. Treatment planning scripting can only be utilized in a system that has a built-in scripting interface. Among the commercially available treatment planning systems, Pinnacle (Philips) and Raystation (Raysearch Lab.) have inherent scripting functionality. CMS XiO (Elekta) is a widely used treatment planning system in radiotherapy centres around the world, but it does not have an interface that allows the user to script radiotherapy plans. In this study an external scripting interface, PyCMSXiO, was developed for XiO using the Python programming language. The interface was implemented as a python package/library using a modern object-oriented programming methodology. The package was organized as a hierarchy of different classes (objects). Each class (object) corresponds to a plan object such as the beam of a clinical radiotherapy plan. The interface of classes was implemented as object functions. Scripting in XiO using PyCMSXiO is comparable with Pinnacle scripting. This scripting package has been used in several research projects including commissioning of a beam model, independent three-dimensional dose verification for IMRT plans and a setup-uncertainty study. Ease of use and high-level functions provided in the package achieve a useful research tool. It was released as an open-source tool that may benefit the medical physics community.

Vibrational properties of Ni-Mn-Ga shape memory alloy in the martensite phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ener, Semih; Mehaddene, Tarik; Pedersen, Björn; Leitner, Michael; Neuhaus, Jürgen; Petry, Winfried

2013-12-01

Studying the phonon dispersion of the ferromagnetic shape memory alloy system Ni-Mn-Ga gives insight into the mechanism of the martensite transition and the forces driving the transition. Transformation of austenite single crystals under uniaxial stress results in the coexistence of two martensitic variants with perpendicular modulation vector. Here we report on inelastic neutron scattering studies of martensite crystals with off-stoichiometric compositions, varying from non-modulated (NM) to five- (5M) and seven- (7M) layer modulated martensite phases. Both the 5M and 7M crystals show fully commensurate satellite peaks along [\\xi \\bar {\\xi } 0], corresponding to the five- and seven-layer modulation. These superstructure peaks become Γ-points of the modulated structure. Due to the coexistence of two variants within the (001) plane, both new acoustic phonons reflecting the modulation vector [\\xi \\bar {\\xi } 0] and acoustic TA2[ξξ0] phonons corresponding to the non-modulated direction are observed. The latter display a pronounced softening around ξ = 0.2-0.4 when approaching the martensite-austenite transition from above and below, i.e. this soft mode has lowest frequency at the transition temperature. Overall the phonon dispersion of the austenite and martensite phase resemble each other very much. The coexistence of two martensitic variants after uniaxial transformation explains the particular behaviour of the low-energy excitations, in contrast to previous interpretations involving charge-density waves and associated phason modes.

Factor XI and XII as antithrombotic targets.

PubMed

Müller, Felicitas; Gailani, David; Renné, Thomas

2011-09-01

Arterial and venous thrombosis are major causes of morbidity and mortality, and the incidence of thromboembolic diseases increases as a population ages. Thrombi are formed by activated platelets and fibrin. The latter is a product of the plasma coagulation system. Currently available anticoagulants such as heparins, vitamin K antagonists and inhibitors of thrombin or factor Xa target enzymes of the coagulation cascade that are critical for fibrin formation. However, fibrin is also necessary for terminating blood loss at sites of vascular injury. As a result, anticoagulants currently in clinical use increase the risk of bleeding, partially offsetting the benefits of reduced thrombosis. This review focuses on new targets for anticoagulation that are associated with minimal or no therapy-associated increased bleeding. Data from experimental models using mice and clinical studies of patients with hereditary deficiencies of coagulation factors XI or XII have shown that both of these clotting factors are important for thrombosis, while having minor or no apparent roles in processes that terminate blood loss (hemostasis). Hereditary deficiency of factor XII (Hageman factor) or factor XI, plasma proteases that initiate the intrinsic pathway of coagulation, impairs thrombus formation and provides protection from vascular occlusive events, while having a minimal impact on hemostasis. As the factor XII-factor XI pathway contributes to thrombus formation to a greater extent than to normal hemostasis, pharmacological inhibition of these coagulation factors may offer the exciting possibility of anticoagulation therapies with minimal or no bleeding risk.

Independent calculation-based verification of IMRT plans using a 3D dose-calculation engine.

PubMed

Arumugam, Sankar; Xing, Aitang; Goozee, Gary; Holloway, Lois

2013-01-01

Independent monitor unit verification of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans requires detailed 3-dimensional (3D) dose verification. The aim of this study was to investigate using a 3D dose engine in a second commercial treatment planning system (TPS) for this task, facilitated by in-house software. Our department has XiO and Pinnacle TPSs, both with IMRT planning capability and modeled for an Elekta-Synergy 6MV photon beam. These systems allow the transfer of computed tomography (CT) data and RT structures between them but do not allow IMRT plans to be transferred. To provide this connectivity, an in-house computer programme was developed to convert radiation therapy prescription (RTP) files as generated by many planning systems into either XiO or Pinnacle IMRT file formats. Utilization of the technique and software was assessed by transferring 14 IMRT plans from XiO and Pinnacle onto the other system and performing 3D dose verification. The accuracy of the conversion process was checked by comparing the 3D dose matrices and dose volume histograms (DVHs) of structures for the recalculated plan on the same system. The developed software successfully transferred IMRT plans generated by 1 planning system into the other. Comparison of planning target volume (TV) DVHs for the original and recalculated plans showed good agreement; a maximum difference of 2% in mean dose, - 2.5% in D95, and 2.9% in V95 was observed. Similarly, a DVH comparison of organs at risk showed a maximum difference of +7.7% between the original and recalculated plans for structures in both high- and medium-dose regions. However, for structures in low-dose regions (less than 15% of prescription dose) a difference in mean dose up to +21.1% was observed between XiO and Pinnacle calculations. A dose matrix comparison of original and recalculated plans in XiO and Pinnacle TPSs was performed using gamma analysis with 3%/3mm criteria. The mean and standard deviation of pixels passing gamma tolerance for XiO-generated IMRT plans was 96.1 ± 1.3, 96.6 ± 1.2, and 96.0 ± 1.5 in axial, coronal, and sagittal planes respectively. Corresponding results for Pinnacle-generated IMRT plans were 97.1 ± 1.5, 96.4 ± 1.2, and 96.5 ± 1.3 in axial, coronal, and sagittal planes respectively. © 2013 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists.

Stabilization and Amorphization of Lovastatin Using Different Types of Silica.

PubMed

Khanfar, Mai; Al-Nimry, Suhair

2017-08-01

Lovastatin (LOV), an antihyperlipidimic agent, is characterized by low solubility/poor dissolution and, thus, low bioavailability (<5%). A beneficial effect on its bioavailability could result from improving its dissolution. One of the most common methods used to enhance dissolution is the preparation of solid dispersions. Solid dispersions of LOV and silica with different surface areas were prepared. The effects of the type of silica, ratio of drug/silica, incubation period with silica, and the effect of surface area were all studied. Characterization of the prepared formulae for possible interaction between drug and polymer was carried out using differential scanning calorimetery, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, surface area determination, and scanning electron microscopy. The dissolution profiles of all prepared formulae were constructed and evaluated. It was found that the formula made of LOV and Sylysia 350 FCP in a ratio of 1:5 after an incubation period of 48 h resulted in the best release, and it was stable after 3 months storage at 75% RH and 40°C.

Synthesis of structured lipid enriched with omega fatty acids and sn-2 palmitic acid by enzymatic esterification and its incorporation in powdered infant formula.

PubMed

Nagachinta, Supakana; Akoh, Casimir C

2013-05-08

Structured lipid (SL) enriched with arachidonic (ARA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids was produced from tripalmitin using Lipozyme TL IM. The effects of acyl donors, that is, free fatty acids vs fatty acid ethyl esters, on the reactions were compared. The highest total incorporation of ARA and DHA was obtained when the reaction continued for 24 h, at a substrate mole ratio of 9, using free fatty acids as acyl donors (acidolysis). The SL prepared by a large-scale acidolysis reaction contained 17.69 ± 0.09% total ARA, 10.75 ± 0.15% total DHA, and 48.53 ± 1.40% sn-2 palmitic acid. SL thermograms exhibited multiple peaks indicating complexity of the triacylglycerol (TAG) distribution. RP-HPLC analysis of SL revealed nine of 26 TAG molecular species that were similar to those of human milk fat. Powdered infant formulas containing the SL were prepared by wet-mixing/spray-drying and dry-blending methods. Formula prepared with microencapsulated SL and the dry-blending method had better oxidative stability and color quality.

Stabilization of nucleic acids by unusual polyamines produced by an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

Extreme thermophiles produce two types of unusual polyamine: long linear polyamines such as caldopentamine and caldohexamine, and branched polyamines such as quaternary ammonium compounds [e.g. tetrakis(3-aminopropyl)ammonium]. To clarify the physiological roles of long linear and branched polyamines in thermophiles, we synthesized them chemically and tested their effects on the stability of ds (double-stranded) and ss (single-stranded) DNAs and tRNA in response to thermal denaturation, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Linear polyamines stabilized dsDNA in proportion to the number of amino nitrogen atoms within their molecular structure. We used the empirical results to derive formulae that estimate the melting temperature of dsDNA in the presence of polyamines of a particular molecular composition. ssDNA and tRNA were stabilized more effectively by tetrakis(3-aminopropyl)ammonium than any of the other polyamines tested. We propose that long linear polyamines are effective to stabilize DNA, and tetrakis(3-aminopropyl)ammonium plays important roles in stabilizing RNAs in thermophile cells. PMID:15673283

M-Polynomials and topological indices of V-Phenylenic Nanotubes and Nanotori.

PubMed

Kwun, Young Chel; Munir, Mobeen; Nazeer, Waqas; Rafique, Shazia; Min Kang, Shin

2017-08-18

V-Phenylenic nanotubes and nanotori are most comprehensively studied nanostructures due to widespread applications in the production of catalytic, gas-sensing and corrosion-resistant materials. Representing chemical compounds with M-polynomial is a recent idea and it produces nice formulas of degree-based topological indices which correlate chemical properties of the material under investigation. These indices are used in the development of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) in which the biological activity and other properties of molecules like boiling point, stability, strain energy etc. are correlated with their structures. In this paper, we determine general closed formulae for M-polynomials of V-Phylenic nanotubes and nanotori. We recover important topological degree-based indices. We also give different graphs of topological indices and their relations with the parameters of structures.

The leading term of the Plancherel-Rotach asymptotic formula for solutions of recurrence relations

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

Aptekarev, A I; Tulyakov, D N

Recurrence relations generating Padé and Hermite-Padé polynomials are considered. Their coefficients increase with the index of the relation, but after dividing by an appropriate power of the scaling function they tend to a finite limit. As a result, after scaling the polynomials 'stabilize' for large indices; this type of asymptotic behaviour is called Plancherel-Rotach asymptotics. An explicit expression for the leading term of the asymptotic formula, which is valid outside sets containing the zeros of the polynomials, is obtained for wide classes of three- and four-term relations. For three-term recurrence relations this result generalizes a theorem Van Assche obtained for recurrence relations withmore » 'regularly' growing coefficients. Bibliography: 19 titles.« less

[Chemical constituents of Cocculus orbiculatus var. mollis root].

PubMed

Liao, Jing; Lei, Yu; Wang, Jian-Zhong

2014-02-01

To study the chemical constituents in the root of Cocculus orbiculatus var. mollis. The compounds were isolated by silica gel chromatography, their structures were established by spectroscopic methods. Eleven compounds were isolated and identified as wattisine A (I), O-methylcocsoline (II), (+) cocsoline (III), (+) cocsuline (IV), magnoflorine (V), sino-coculine (VI), isosinococuline (VII), (-) coclaurine (VIII), daucosterol (IX), beta-sitosterol (X) and 1-oleioyl-3-(9Z, 12Z-arachoyl) glycerol (XI). Compound I is isolated from this genus for the first time,and compound II - XI are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Models for Aircrew Safety Assessment: Uses, Limitations and Requirements (la Modelisation des conditions de securite des equipages: applications, limitations et cahiers des charges)

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-08-01

immediately, re- ducing venous return artifacts during the first beat of the simulation. tn+1 - W+ on c+ / \\ W_ on c_ t 1 Xi-l Xi+1 Figure 4...s) Figure 5: The effect of network complexity. The aortic pressure is shown in Figure 5 during the fifth beat for the networks with one and three...Mechanical Engineering Department, Uni- versity of Victoria. [19] Huyghe J.M., 1986, "Nonlinear Finite Element Models of The Beating Left

Dark energy and the BOOMERANG data.

PubMed

Amendola, L

2001-01-08

The recent high-quality BOOMERANG data allow the testing of many competing cosmological models. Here I present a seven-parameter likelihood analysis of dark energy models with exponential potential and explicit coupling to dark matter. The BOOMERANG data constrain the dimensionless coupling beta to be smaller than 0.1, an order of magnitude better than previous limits. In terms of the constant xi of nonminimally coupled theories, this amounts to xi<0.01. On the other hand, BOOMERANG does not have enough sensitivity to put constraints on the potential slope.

Revisiting the Complexity of Stability of Continuous and Hybrid Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-16

encode a wide range of dynamical systems and properties. In Section IV, we study the complexity of stability of continuous systems. In Section V , we study...formulas t ≥ 0 with −t > 0, switches ∧ and ∨, and switches ∀ and ∃. Definition 3.2 (Bounded LRF -Sentences). We define the bounded quantifiers ∃ [u, v ] and...u, v ] as ∃[u, v ]x.ϕ =d f ∃x.(u≤ x∧ x≤ v ∧ϕ) ∀[u, v ]x.ϕ =d f ∀x.((u≤ x∧ x≤ v )→ ϕ) where u and v denote LRF terms, whose variables only contain free

Mechanism and energetics of 〈c + a〉 dislocation cross-slip in hcp metals.

PubMed

Wu, Zhaoxuan; Curtin, W A

2016-10-04

Hexagonal close-packed (hcp) metals such as Mg, Ti, and Zr are lightweight and/or durable metals with critical structural applications in the automotive (Mg), aerospace (Ti), and nuclear (Zr) industries. The hcp structure, however, brings significant complications in the mechanisms of plastic deformation, strengthening, and ductility, and these complications pose significant challenges in advancing the science and engineering of these metals. In hcp metals, generalized plasticity requires the activation of slip on pyramidal planes, but the structure, motion, and cross-slip of the associated [Formula: see text] dislocations are not well established even though they determine ductility and influence strengthening. Here, atomistic simulations in Mg reveal the unusual mechanism of [Formula: see text] dislocation cross-slip between pyramidal I and II planes, which occurs by cross-slip of the individual partial dislocations. The energy barrier is controlled by a fundamental step/jog energy and the near-core energy difference between pyramidal [Formula: see text] dislocations. The near-core energy difference can be changed by nonglide stresses, leading to tension-compression asymmetry and even a switch in absolute stability from one glide plane to the other, both features observed experimentally in Mg, Ti, and their alloys. The unique cross-slip mechanism is governed by common features of the generalized stacking fault energy surfaces of hcp pyramidal planes and is thus expected to be generic to all hcp metals. An analytical model is developed to predict the cross-slip barrier as a function of the near-core energy difference and applied stresses and quantifies the controlling features of cross-slip and pyramidal I/II stability across the family of hcp metals.

Caesarean section rate and cost control effectiveness of case payment reform in the new cooperative medical scheme for delivery: evidence from Xi County, China.

PubMed

Liu, Shuang; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Liang; Zhang, Xiang

2018-03-09

In China, increases in both the caesarean section (CS) rates and delivery costs have raised questions regarding the reform of the medical insurance payment system. Case payment is useful for regulating the behaviour of health providers and for controlling the CS rates and excessive increases in medical expenses. New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) agencies in Xi County in Henan Province piloted a case payment reform (CPR) in delivery for inpatients. We aimed to observe the changes in the CS rates, compare the changes in delivery-related variables, and identify variables related to delivery costs before and after the CPR in Xi County. Overall, 28,314 cases were selected from the Xi County NCMS agency from 2009 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2015. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to compare the distributions of CS and vaginal delivery (VD) before and after the CPR under different indicators. We applied multivariate linear regressions for the total medical cost of the VD and CS groups and total samples to identify the relationships between medical expenses and variables. The CS rates in Xi County increased from 26.1% to 32.5% after the CPR. The length of stay (LOS), total medical cost, and proportion of county hospitals increased in the CS and VD groups after the CPR, which had significant differences. The total medical cost in the CS and VD groups as well as the total samples was significantly influenced by inpatient age, LOS, and hospital type, and had a significant correlation with the CPR in the VD group and the total samples. The CPR might fail to control the growth of unreasonable medical expenses and regulate the behaviour of providers, which possibly resulted from the unreasonable compensation standard of case payments, prolonged LOS, and the increasing proportion of county hospitals. The NCMS should modify the case payment standard of delivery to inhibit providers' motivation to render CS services. The LOS should be controlled by implementing clinical guidelines, and a reference system should be established to guide patients in choosing reasonable hospitals.

Environmentally stable perovskite film for active material of high stability solid state solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahtiar, A.; Putri, M.; Nurazizah, E. S.; Risdiana; Furukawa, Y.

2018-05-01

We studied new perovskite material lead (II) thiocyanate [Pb(SCN)2] in ambient air with humidity above 90%. We prepared perovskite film by use of two-step method combination of spin-coating and dip-coating technique. The Pb(SCN)2 film was first spin-coated either on bare glass or TiO2 coated glass and then followed by dipping it into methylammonium iodide (MAI) solution. The UV-Vis spectrum of Pb(SCN)2 film shows absorption at wavelength shorter than 400 nm. Meanwhile, perovskite MAPb(SCN)xI3-x film absorps light ranging from 300 nm to 760 nm, which shows that the perovskite film can absorp more light to be converted into free charge carrier for generating electricity in solar cells. The XRD patterns shows that perovskite peaks are clearly observed which confirms that perovskite is already well formed. We also observe no significant changes in XRD pattern of perovskite films after stored for five days at ambient air with humidity exceed 90%. This result shows that perovskite MAPb(SCN)XI3-X film is environmentally stable, therefore high stability perovskite solar cells is expected to be produced in ambient air with high humidity. This is in accordance with the SEM images of surface morphology that shows no “pin-hole”.