Onion Routing for Anonymous and Private Internet Connections

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-28

Onion Routing for Anonymous and Private Internet Connections David Goldschlag Michael Reedy Paul Syversony January 28, 1999 1 Introduction...Onion Routing operates by dynamically building anonymous connections within a network of real-time Chaum Mixes [3]. A Mix is a store and forward device...Commerce Workshop , August 1998. [3] D. Chaum . \\Untraceable Electronic Mail, Return Addresses, and Digital Pseudonyms", Communications of the ACM , v. 24

Fourth NASA Langley Formal Methods Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. Michael (Compiler); Hayhurst, Kelly J. (Compiler)

1997-01-01

This publication consists of papers presented at NASA Langley Research Center's fourth workshop on the application of formal methods to the design and verification of life-critical systems. Topic considered include: Proving properties of accident; modeling and validating SAFER in VDM-SL; requirement analysis of real-time control systems using PVS; a tabular language for system design; automated deductive verification of parallel systems. Also included is a fundamental hardware design in PVS.

Global Phenomena from Local Rules: Peer-to-Peer Networks and Crystal Steps

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

2005. http://www.cachelogic.com, August 2005. [43] Vern Paxson and Sally Floyd. Wide area traffic: The failure of poisson modeling. IEEE/ACM...International Workshop on Peer-to-Peer Systems (IPTPS), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, March 2002. [45] Stefan Saroiu, Krishna P. Gummadi, Richard J...Implementation (ODSI), Boston, Mas- sachusetts, USA, December 2002. [46] Stefan Saroiu, P. Krishna Gummadi, and Steven D. Gribble. A measurement study of peer

RENDEZVOUS: Self-Organizing Services in an Active Network

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-02-01

http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/networking/ants/, and http://www.cs.utah.edu/flux/janos/ants.html, 2001. [2] Krishna P. Gummadi, “King...Proceedings of the Tenth ACM SIGOPS European Workshop, September 2002. [9] Stefan Saroiu, P. Krishna Gummadi, Steven D. Gribble: A Measurement Study...Davis, Eric Lemar, and Brian Bershad. “Migration for Pervasive Applications.” Submitted to OSDI, June 2002. Gummadi, P. Krishna , Stefan Saroiu, and

From a Trickle to a Flood: Active Attacks on Several Mix Types

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

out potential weaknesses in existing designs, and suggest improvements. 1 Introduction Many modern anonymity systems are based on mixes. Chaum first...Enhancing Technologies: Proceedings of the International Workshop on the Design Issues in Anonymity and Observability, pages 10–29, July 2000. 2. David ... Chaum . Untraceable electronic mail, return addresses and digital pseudonyms. Communications of the ACM, 24(2):84–88, 1981. 3. L. Cottrell. Mixmaster

Editorial Introduction: Fourth Planetary Dunes Workshop Special Issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chojnacki, Matthew; Telfer, Matt W.

2017-06-01

The Fourth International Planetary Dunes Workshop: Integrating Models, Remote Sensing, and Field Data was held May 19-22, 2015 in Boise, Idaho (see Final Announcement). More than 60 researchers and students participated in two and a half days of presentations and lively discussion, plus a full day field trip to Bruneau Dunes State Park. The workshop focused on the many landforms and deposits created by the dynamic interactions between granular material and airflow (aeolian processes). These processes are known to occur on several planetary bodies, including Earth, Mars, Titan, Venus, and possibly, cometary surfaces. The overarching purpose of this workshop was to provide a forum for discussion and the exchange of new ideas and approaches to gaining new insights into planetary aeolian processes. Meeting programs, abstracts, and E-Posters are all available at the workshop website (http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/dunes2015/)

Workshop proceedings: management of western forests and grasslands for nongame birds

Treesearch

USDA Forest Service

1980-01-01

Contains proceedings of the fourth and last regional workshop sponsored by the National Nongame Bird Steering Committee. The workshop, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 11-14, 1980, presented information on management of western forests and grasslands for nongame birds.

Summaries of the 4th Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop. Volume 1: AVIRIS Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Robert O. (Editor)

1993-01-01

This publication contains the summaries for the Fourth Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop, held in Washington, D. C. October 25-29, 1993 The main workshop is divided into three smaller workshops as follows: The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) workshop, October 25-26 (the summaries for this workshop appear in this volume, Volume 1); The Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TMIS) workshop, on October 27 (the summaries for this workshop appear in Volume 2); and The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) workshop, October 28-29 (the summaries for this workshop appear in Volume 3).

Summaries of the 4th Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop. Volume 3: AIRSAR Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanzyl, Jakob (Editor)

1993-01-01

This publication contains the summaries for the Fourth Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop, held in Washington, D.C. on October 25-29, 1993. The main workshop is divided into three smaller workshops as follows: The Airborne Visible/Infrared Spectrometer (AVIRIS) workshop, on October 25-26, whose summaries appear in Volume 1; The Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) workshop, on October 27, whose summaries appear in Volume 2; and The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) workshop, on October 28-29, whose summaries appear in this volume, Volume 3.

SEIZURE PREDICTION: THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

PubMed Central

Zaveri, Hitten P.; Frei, Mark G.; Arthurs, Susan; Osorio, Ivan

2010-01-01

The recently convened Fourth International Workshop on Seizure Prediction (IWSP4) brought together a diverse international group of investigators, from academia and industry, including epileptologists, neurosurgeons, neuroscientists, computer scientists, engineers, physicists, and mathematicians who are conducting interdisciplinary research on the prediction and control of seizures. IWSP4 allowed the presentation and discussion of results, an exchange of ideas, an assessment of the status of seizure prediction, control and related fields and the fostering of collaborative projects. PMID:20674508

Summaries of the 4th Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop. Volume 2: TIMS Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Realmuto, Vincent J. (Editor)

1993-01-01

This is volume 2 of a three volume set of publications that contain the summaries for the Fourth Annual JPL Airborne Geoscience Workshop, held in Washington, D.C. on October 25-29, 1993. The main workshop is divided into three smaller workshops as follows: The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) workshop, on October 25-26. The summaries for this workshop appear in Volume 1. The Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) workshop, on October 27. The summaries for this workshop appear in Volume 2. The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) workshop, on October 28-29. The summaries for this workshop appear in Volume 3.

Implementing the Victory Access Control Framework in a Military Ground Vehicle

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

Protocol ( SOAP ) message body, but lacked the ability to encrypt individual XML elements within the SOAP body. Several attempts were made to augment the C...Service and both use SOAP and provide freely available WSDLs with similarly defined operations. TS3 even leverages the same XACML engine that is...Characterizing the Performance of SOAP Toolkits”, Fifth IEEE/ACM International Workshop on Grid Computing, pages 365- 372, November 2004. [8] J.A

Efficient Server-Aided Secure Two-Party Function Evaluation with Applications to Genomic Computation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-14

of the important properties of secure computation . In particular, it is known that full fairness cannot be achieved in the case of two-party com...Jakobsen, J. Nielsen, and C. Orlandi. A framework for outsourcing of secure computation . In ACM Workshop on Cloud Computing Security (CCSW), pages...Function Evaluation with Applications to Genomic Computation Abstract: Computation based on genomic data is becoming increasingly popular today, be it

Report of the Fourth International Workshop on human X chromosome mapping 1993

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

Schlessinger, D.; Mandel, J.L.; Monaco, A.P.

1993-12-31

Vigorous interactive efforts by the X chromosome community have led to accelerated mapping in the last six months. Seventy-five participants from 12 countries around the globe contributed progress reports to the Fourth International X Chromosome Workshop, at St. Louis, MO, May 9-12, 1993. It became clear that well over half the chromosome is now covered by YAC contigs that are being extended, verified, and aligned by their content of STSs and other markers placed by cytogenetic or linkage mapping techniques. The major aim of the workshop was to assemble the consensus map that appears in this report, summarizing both consensusmore » order and YAC contig information.« less

Continuing to Build a Community Consensus on the Future of Human Space Flight: Report of the Fourth Community Workshop on Achievability and Sustainability of Human Exploration of Mars (AM IV)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley A.; Baker, John; Beaty, David; Carberry, Chris; Craig, Mark; Davis, Richard M.; Drake, Bret G.; Cassady, Joseph; Hays, Lindsay; Hoffman, Stephen J.;

Fourth international circumpolar arctic vegetation mapping workshop

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raynolds, Martha K.; Markon, C.J.

2002-01-01

During the week of April 10, 2001, the Fourth International Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Mapping Workshop was held in Moscow, Russia. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together the vegetation scientists working on the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM) to (1) review the progress of current mapping activities, (2) discuss and agree upon a standard set of arctic tundra subzones, (3) plan for the production and dissemination of a draft map, and (4) begin work on a legend for the final map.

TREC Microblog 2012 Track: Real-Time Algorithm for Microblog Ranking Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

such as information about the tweet and the user profile. We collected those tweets by means of web crawler and extract several features from the raw...Mining Text Data. 2012. [5] D. Feltoni. Twittersa: un sistema per l’analisi del sentimento nelle reti sociali. Master’s thesis, Roma Tre University...Morris. Twittersearch: a comparison of microblog search and web search. Proceedings of the fourth ACM international conference on Web search, 2011

Asian-American Communications: In-School Staff Workshops, 1991-92. Final Evaluation Report. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Zenin

The In-School Staff Workshops project run by Asian-American Communications was evaluated in its fourth year. The project provided various workshops for staff on Asian American and Asian cultures, intercultural communications, and strategies for helping Asian American students adjust to their new social and educational environments. The project…

The First NASA Aerospace Pyrotechnic Systems Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

St.cyr, William W. (Compiler)

1993-01-01

Papers from the conference proceedings are presented, and they are grouped by the following sessions: pyrotechnically actuated systems, laser initiation, and modeling and analysis. A fourth session, a panel discussion and open forum, concluded the workshop.

Mitigating Distributed Denial of Service Attacks in an Anonymous Routing Environment: Client Puzzles and Tor

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

Technologies: Workshop on Design Issues in Anonymity and Unobservability, 30–45. Springer-Verlag, LNCS 2009, July 2000. 10. Chaum , David . “Untraceable...electronic mail, return addresses, and digital pseudonyms”. Communications of the ACM, 4(2), February 1981. 11. Chaum , David . “The Dining Cryptographers...Proceedings of Eurocrypt, 294–311. 2003. 4. Andersen, David G. “Mayday: Distributed Filtering for Internet Services”. 4th Usenix Symposium on Internet

Fourth User Workshop on High-Power Lasers at the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE PAGES

Bolme, Cindy Anne; Mackinnon, Andy; Glenzer, Siegfried

2017-05-30

The fourth international user workshop focusing on high-power lasers at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) was held in Menlo Park, CA, USA, on October 3–4, 2016. The workshop was co-organized by Los Alamos National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), and garnered the attendance of more than 110 scientists. Participants discussed the warm dense matter and high-pressure science that is being conducted using high-power lasers at the LCLS Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) endstation. During the past year, there have been seven journal articles published from research at the MEC instrument. Here, the specific topics discussed at thismore » workshop were experimental highlights from the past year, current status and future commissioning of MEC capabilities, and future facility upgrades that will enable the expanded science reach of the facility.« less

Fourth User Workshop on High-Power Lasers at the Linac Coherent Light Source

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

Bolme, Cindy Anne; Mackinnon, Andy; Glenzer, Siegfried

The fourth international user workshop focusing on high-power lasers at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) was held in Menlo Park, CA, USA, on October 3–4, 2016. The workshop was co-organized by Los Alamos National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), and garnered the attendance of more than 110 scientists. Participants discussed the warm dense matter and high-pressure science that is being conducted using high-power lasers at the LCLS Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) endstation. During the past year, there have been seven journal articles published from research at the MEC instrument. Here, the specific topics discussed at thismore » workshop were experimental highlights from the past year, current status and future commissioning of MEC capabilities, and future facility upgrades that will enable the expanded science reach of the facility.« less

Developmental toxicity testing for safety assessment: new approaches and technologies

EPA Science Inventory

The ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute's Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Technical Committee held a 2-day workshop entitled "Developmental Toxicology-New Directions" in April 2009. The fourth session of this workshop focused on new approaches and technolog...

Appendix D of the Final Report of the Mid-Atlantic Marine Wildlife Surveys, Modeling, and Data. Workshop to Establish Coordination and Communication

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

None

The Wind Program hosted a two-day workshop on July 24-25, 2012 with scientists and regulators engaged in marine ecological survey, modeling, and database efforts pertaining to the waters of the Mid-Atlantic region. This is the fourth appendix to the report, the presentations from the workshop.

Dynamic Information Management and Exchange for Command and Control Applications, Modelling and Enforcing Category-Based Access Control via Term Rewriting

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

a hotel and a hospital. 2. Event handler for emergency policies (item 2 above): this has been implemented in two UG projects, one project developed a...Workshop on Logical and Se- mantic Frameworks, with Applications, Brasilia, Brazil , September 2014. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (to...Brasilia, Brazil , September 2014, 2015. [3] S. Barker. The next 700 access control models or a unifying meta-model? In SACMAT 2009, 14th ACM Symposium on

ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on ML and Its Applications Held in San Francisco, California on June 20-21, 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-01

Technical report, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, July 1991. [Del9l] V. Delacour. Gestion m6moire automatique pour langages de programmation de ...proved transitions. Fundamenta Informaticae , 11(4):433-452, 1988. [21 P. Degano, R. De Nicola, and U. Montanari. CCS is an (augmented) contact free C/E...defined values, here), in which case the de - phic. However we must check the following points. fault value is returned. The membership test might be

Stennis hosts educators

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-11-04

Steve Culivan, aerospace education specialist at Stennis Space Center, conducts a professional development workshop for fourth- through ninth-grade educators. During the Nov. 4 'Learning with the Stars' workshop, educators spent time learning about different aspects of the universe and enjoying a presentation of Stennis' portable planetarium.

Highlights from the Air Sensors 2014 Workshop

EPA Science Inventory

In June 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted its fourth next-generation air monitoring workshop to discuss the current state of the science in air sensor technologies and their applications for environmental monitoring, Air Sensors 2014: A New Frontier. Th...

Fourth Annual Workshop on Space Operations Applications and Research (SOAR 90)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savely, Robert T. (Editor)

1991-01-01

The proceedings of the SOAR workshop are presented. The technical areas included are as follows: Automation and Robotics; Environmental Interactions; Human Factors; Intelligent Systems; and Life Sciences. NASA and Air Force programmatic overviews and panel sessions were also held in each technical area.

Merging Two Futures Concepts: Issues Management and Policy Impact Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renfro, William L.; Morrison, James L.

1982-01-01

Describes a workshop held during the 1982 World Future Society's Fourth General Assembly on the combined application of issues management and policy impact analysis. The workshop participants applied futures research, forecasting, goal-setting, and policy development techniques to future problems in educational policy. (AM)

EMERGING MOLECULAR AND COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES FOR CROSS-SPECIES EXTRAPLATIONS: A WORKSHOP SUMMARY REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

Benson, W.H., R.T. Di Giulio, J.C. Cook, J. Freedman, R.L. Malek, C. Thompson and D. Versteeg. In press. Emerging Molecular and Computational Approaches for Cross-Species Extrapolations: A Workshop Summary Report (Abstract). To be presented at the SETAC Fourth World Congress, 14-...

Children's Television Workshop. Progress Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooney, Joan Ganz

During the third quarter of 1973 (July through September) the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) evaluated old material and planned new programing. The fourth season of Sesame Street and the second season of The Electric Company were rerun through the summer by most of the public and commercial television stations that carried the shows…

Proceedings of the 4th Annual SCOLE Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Lawrence W., Jr. (Compiler)

1988-01-01

This publication is a collection of papers presented at the Fourth Annual Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) Workshop held at the U.S.A.F. Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 16, 1987. The papers address the modeling, systems identification, and control synthesis for the Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) configuration.

Proceedings of the fourth annual geothermal conference and workshop

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

Not Available

1980-12-01

Thirty-eight papers are included. One was indexed previously for EDB. Separate abstracts were prepared for thirty-three papers and two were listed by title. Reports of two workshop discussion groups on Achieving Technical Performance and Obtaining a License and Protecting the Environment were not abstracted for EDB. (MHR)

Fourth Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA) Workshop on Benchmark Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dahl, Milo D. (Editor)

2004-01-01

This publication contains the proceedings of the Fourth Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA) Workshop on Benchmark Problems. In this workshop, as in previous workshops, the problems were devised to gauge the technological advancement of computational techniques to calculate all aspects of sound generation and propagation in air directly from the fundamental governing equations. A variety of benchmark problems have been previously solved ranging from simple geometries with idealized acoustic conditions to test the accuracy and effectiveness of computational algorithms and numerical boundary conditions; to sound radiation from a duct; to gust interaction with a cascade of airfoils; to the sound generated by a separating, turbulent viscous flow. By solving these and similar problems, workshop participants have shown the technical progress from the basic challenges to accurate CAA calculations to the solution of CAA problems of increasing complexity and difficulty. The fourth CAA workshop emphasized the application of CAA methods to the solution of realistic problems. The workshop was held at the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20 to 22, 2003. At that time, workshop participants presented their solutions to problems in one or more of five categories. Their solutions are presented in this proceedings along with the comparisons of their solutions to the benchmark solutions or experimental data. The five categories for the benchmark problems were as follows: Category 1:Basic Methods. The numerical computation of sound is affected by, among other issues, the choice of grid used and by the boundary conditions. Category 2:Complex Geometry. The ability to compute the sound in the presence of complex geometric surfaces is important in practical applications of CAA. Category 3:Sound Generation by Interacting With a Gust. The practical application of CAA for computing noise generated by turbomachinery involves the modeling of the noise source mechanism as a vortical gust interacting with an airfoil. Category 4:Sound Transmission and Radiation. Category 5:Sound Generation in Viscous Problems. Sound is generated under certain conditions by a viscous flow as the flow passes an object or a cavity.

CONTROVERSIES IN EPILEPSY – DEBATES HELD DURING THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON SEIZURE PREDICTION

PubMed Central

Frei, Mark G.; Zaveri, Hitten P.; Arthurs, Susan; Bergey, Gregory K.; Jouny, Christophe; Lehnertz, Klaus; Gotman, Jean; Osorio, Ivan; Netoff, Theoden I.; Freeman, Walter J.; Jefferys, John; Worrell, Gregory; Le Van Quyen, Michel; Schiff, Steven J.; Mormann, Florian

2010-01-01

Debates on 6 controversial topics were held during the Fourth International Workshop on Seizure Prediction (IWSP4) convened in Kansas City (July 4–7, 2009). The topics were 1) Ictogenesis: focus vs. network? 2) Spikes and seizures: step-relatives or siblings? 3) Ictogenesis: a result of hyposynchrony? 4) Can focal seizures be caused by excessive inhibition? 5) Do high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) provide relevant independent information? and 6) Phase synchronization – is it worthwhile as measured? This manuscript, written by the IWSP4 organizing committee and the debaters, summarizes the arguments presented during the debates. PMID:20708976

Staff Manual for Instructional Material Centers. Fourth Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrucci, Martha

For media center volunteers or inexperienced technicians, a workshop training guide provides reference and assistance in everyday problems and situations that arise in an instructional material center (IMC). Two five-hour days of instruction and participation, using the guide, are suggested for workshops. Step-by-step processing of book materials,…

Notebook Connections: Strategies for the Reader's Notebook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckner, Aimee

2009-01-01

In "Notebook Know-How", Aimee Buckner demonstrated the power of notebooks to spark and capture students' ideas in the writing workshop. In "Notebook Connections", she turns her focus to the reading workshop, showing how to transform those "couch-potato" readers into deep thinkers. Buckner's fourth-grade students use reader's notebooks as a place…

Bringing Image and Language Together: A Workshop at the Lehman College Art Gallery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wexler, Alice

2001-01-01

Discusses a ten day workshop for kindergarten and fourth grade students that centered around the art exhibit "Contemporary Chinese Art and the Literary Culture of China" held at the Lehman College Art Gallery (Bronx, New York). Explains that students created accordion books based on Xing Fei's "Red Book." (CMK)

The Essential Parent Workshop Resource. The Teacher's Idea Book 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Michelle

Fourth in a series designed to provide early childhood educators with ideas and strategies for applying High/Scope principles, this idea book focuses on working with the parents of young children and presents 30 one-hour parent workshops in five areas. The book's introduction presents guiding principles for working with adult learners, discusses…

Fourth Airborne Geoscience Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The focus of the workshop was on how the airborne community can assist in achieving the goals of the Global Change Research Program. The many activities that employ airborne platforms and sensors were discussed: platforms and instrument development; airborne oceanography; lidar research; SAR measurements; Doppler radar; laser measurements; cloud physics; airborne experiments; airborne microwave measurements; and airborne data collection.

Third International Workshop on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, D. (Editor); Kim, Y. S. (Editor); Rubin, Morton H. (Editor); Shih, Yan-Hua (Editor); Zachary, Woodford W. (Editor)

1994-01-01

The purpose of these workshops is to bring together an international selection of scientists to discuss the latest developments in Squeezed States in various branches of physics, and in the understanding of the foundations of quantum mechanics. At the third workshop, special attention was given to the influence that quantum optics is having on our understanding of quantum measurement theory. The fourth meeting in this series will be held in the People's Republic of China.

Indigenous Education around the World. Workshop Papers from the World Indigenous People's Conference: Education (Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 15-22, 1996).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnhardt, Ray, Comp.

This proceedings contains 35 reports, presentations, and workshop summaries from the fourth triennial World Indigenous People's Conference: Education, held in June 1996. The papers are organized around six broad headings: research papers and reports, tertiary program descriptions, teacher education, community initiatives, language, and health…

Chemistry Science Investigation: Dognapping Workshop, an Outreach Program Designed to Introduce Students to Science through a Hands-On Mystery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Timothy J.; Sears, Jeremiah M.; Hernandez-Sanchez, Bernadette A.; Casillas, Maddison R.; Nguyen, Thao H.

2017-01-01

The Chemistry Science Investigation: Dognapping Workshop was designed to (i) target and inspire fourth grade students to view themselves as "Junior Scientists" before their career decisions are solidified; (ii) enable hands-on experience in fundamental scientific concepts; (iii) increase public interaction with science, technology,…

Structure and Flow: Toward an Organic Approach to Critical Multiliteracies in a Writing Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaenen, Inda

2010-01-01

This qualitative case study reports on a three-year writing enrichment program among second, third, and fourth graders at a public urban elementary school in a medium-sized midwestern city. Designed as teacher research, the inquiry is a phenomenological examination of the experience of the workshop for its participants, including more than one…

Low Dissipative High Order Shock-Capturing Methods Using Characteristic-Based Filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Sandham, N. D.; Djomehri, M. J.

1998-01-01

An approach which closely maintains the non-dissipative nature of classical fourth or higher- order spatial differencing away from shock waves and steep gradient regions while being capable of accurately capturing discontinuities, steep gradient and fine scale turbulent structures in a stable and efficient manner is described. The approach is a generalization of the method of Gustafsson and Oisson and the artificial compression method (ACM) of Harten. Spatially non-dissipative fourth or higher-order compact and non-compact spatial differencings are used as the base schemes. Instead of applying a scalar filter as in Gustafsson and Olsson, an ACM like term is used to signal the appropriate amount of second or third-order TVD or ENO types of characteristic based numerical dissipation. This term acts as a characteristic filter to minimize numerical dissipation for the overall scheme. For time-accurate computations, time discretizations with low dissipation are used. Numerical experiments on 2-D vortical flows, vortex-shock interactions and compressible spatially and temporally evolving mixing layers showed that the proposed schemes have the desired property with only a 10% increase in operations count over standard second-order TVD schemes. Aside from the ability to accurately capture shock-turbulence interaction flows, this approach is also capable of accurately preserving vortex convection. Higher accuracy is achieved with fewer grid points when compared to that of standard second-order TVD or ENO schemes. To demonstrate the applicability of these schemes in sustaining turbulence where shock waves are absent, a simulation of 3-D compressible turbulent channel flow in a small domain is conducted.

Low Dissipative High Order Shock-Capturing Methods using Characteristic-Based Filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Sandham, N. D.; Djomehri, M. J.

1998-01-01

An approach which closely maintains the non-dissipative nature of classical fourth or higher- order spatial differencing away from shock waves and steep gradient regions while being capable of accurately capturing discontinuities, steep gradient and fine scale turbulent structures in a stable and efficient manner is described. The approach is a generalization of the method of Gustafsson and Olsson and the artificial compression method (ACM) of Harten. Spatially non-dissipative fourth or higher-order compact and non-compact spatial differencings are used as the base schemes. Instead of applying a scalar filter as in Gustafsson and Olsson, an ACM like term is used to signal the appropriate amount of second or third-order TVD or ENO types of characteristic based numerical dissipation. This term acts as a characteristic filter to minimize numerical dissipation for the overall scheme. For time-accurate computations, time discretizations with low dissipation are used. Numerical experiments on 2-D vortical flows, vortex-shock interactions and compressible spatially and temporally evolving mixing layers showed that the proposed schemes have the desired property with only a 10% increase in operations count over standard second-order TVD schemes. Aside from the ability to accurately capture shock-turbulence interaction flows, this approach is also capable of accurately preserving vortex convection. Higher accuracy is achieved with fewer grid points when compared to that of standard second-order TVD or ENO schemes. To demonstrate the applicability of these schemes in sustaining turbulence where shock waves are absent, a simulation of 3-D compressible turbulent channel flow in a small domain is conducted.

Advancing research and applications with lightning detection and mapping systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacGorman, Donald R.; Goodman, Steven J.

2011-11-01

Southern Thunder 2011 Workshop; Norman, Oklahoma, 11-14 July 2011 The Southern Thunder 2011 (ST11) Workshop was the fourth in a series intended to accelerate research and operational applications made possible by the expanding availability of ground-based and satellite systems that detect and map all types of lightning (in-cloud and cloud-to-ground). This community workshop, first held in 2004, brings together lightning data providers, algorithm developers, and operational users in government, academia, and industry.

Design, building, and testing of the postlanding systems for the assured crew return vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosterman, Kenneth C.; Anderson, Loren A.

1991-01-01

The design, building, and testing of the postlanding support systems for a water-landing Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) are presented. One ACRV will be permanently docked to Space Station Freedom, fulfilling NASA's commitment to Assured Crew Return Capability in the event of an accident or illness. The configuration of the ACRV is based on an Apollo Command Module (ACM) derivative. The 1990-1991 effort concentrated on the design, building, and testing of a one-fifth scale model of the egress and stabilization systems. The objective was to determine the feasibility of (1) stabilizing the ACM out of the range of motions that cause seasickness and (2) the safe and rapid removal of a sick or injured crew member from the ACRV. The development of the ACRV postlanding systems model was performed at the University of Central Florida with guidance from the Kennedy Space Center ACRV program managers. Emphasis was placed on four major areas. First was design and construction of a one-fifth scale model of the ACM derivative to accommodate the egress and stabilization systems for testing. Second was the identification of a water test facility suitable for testing the model in all possible configurations. Third was the construction of the rapid egress mechanism designed in the previous academic year for incorporation into the ACRV model. The fourth area was construction and motion response testing of the attitude ring and underwater parachute systems.

Health Literacy in Transitions of Care: An Innovative Objective Structured Clinical Examination for Fourth-Year Medical Students in an Internship Preparation Course.

PubMed

Bloom-Feshbach, Kimberly; Casey, Dana; Schulson, Lucy; Gliatto, Peter; Giftos, Jonathan; Karani, Reena

2016-02-01

Low health literacy is associated with adverse health outcomes, especially during transitions of care. Competency-based assessments may improve communication during this time. To develop an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for medical students to demonstrate communication skills to be used during the hospital discharge process with patients of low health literacy. The OSCE was integrated into the curriculum of an internship preparatory clerkship. One hundred and one fourth-year medical students participated. Students received a skills-based health literacy workshop. In the OSCE, learners counseled standardized patients regarding initiation of anticoagulation at discharge and wrote discharge instructions. Fifty-seven students completed the workshop prior to the OSCE, and 44 participated in the workshop after the completing the OSCE. Participants who completed the workshop first outperformed their peers on the checklist (15.1 vs. 13.4, p < 0.0001) and on the reading level of their written instructions (9.9 vs. 10.6, p = 0.01); 82% felt confident communicating with patients of low health literacy after the workshop and OSCE. This OSCE is a tool to train and evaluate future interns' ability to communicate with patients of limited health literacy levels at hospital discharge. Such innovations may make this period of time safer for patients, improving health outcomes.

Proceedings of the 4th Annual Workshop: Advances in Smart Materials for Aerospace Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardy, Robin C. (Editor); Simpson, Joycelyn O. (Editor)

1996-01-01

The objective of the Fourth Annual Conference on Advances in Smart Materials for Aerospace Applications was to provide a forum for technical dialogue on numerous topics in the area of smart materials. The proceedings presented herein represent the technical contributions of the participants of the workshop. Topics addressed include shape memory alloys, ferroelectrics, fiber optics, finite element simulation, and active control.

Inner-City Energy and Environmental Education Consortium: Student`s Standing Committee workshop. Appendix 13.8

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

Not Available

1992-10-23

This report is the fourth working document produced by the Inner-City Energy and Environmental Education Consortium under a Department of Energy planning grant to the Weston Institute. It was prepared in a Student`s Standing Committee workshop held at the Johns Hopkins School of Continuing Studies Downtown Center, 1 Charles Plaza in Baltimore, Maryland. Twenty two participants representing Consortium institutions attended the workshop. Weston Institute provided staff support for the conduct of the workshop and prepared this report. Workshop participants addressed the question What will be the most effective methods to excite and empower students to enter and to succeed inmore » energy and environmental careers? The results of the workshop are presented in the order of importance attached to each proposed method, or grouping of methods, by the participants.« less

The use of staggered scheme and an absorbing buffer zone for computational aeroacoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nark, Douglas M.

1995-01-01

Various problems from those proposed for the Computational Aeroacoustics (CAA) workshop were studied using second and fourth order staggered spatial discretizations in conjunction with fourth order Runge-Kutta time integration. In addition, an absorbing buffer zone was used at the outflow boundaries. Promising results were obtained and provide a basis for application of these techniques to a wider variety of problems.

Proceedings of the U.S. Geological Survey Fourth Biennial Geographic Information Science Workshop: Denver, Colorado, April 23-27, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sieverling, Jennifer B.; Char, Stephen J.; San Juan, Carma A.

2005-01-01

Introduction: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fourth Biennial Geographic Information Science (GIS) Workshop (USGS-GIS 2001) was held April 23-27, 2001, at the Denver Federal Center in Denver, Colorado. The workshop provided an environment for participants to improve their knowledge about GIS and GIS-related applications that are used within the USGS. Two major topics of USGS-GIS 2001 were the application of GIS technology to interdisciplinary science and the distribution and sharing of USGS GIS products. Additionally, several presentations included GIS technology and tools, project applications of GIS, and GIS data management. USGS-GIS 2001 included user and vendor presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on technical workshops. Presentation abstracts that were submitted for publication are included in these proceedings. The keynote speaker was Karen Siderelis, the USGS Associate Director for Information (Geographic Information Officer). In addition to the USGS, other Federal agencies, GIS-related companies, and university researchers presented lectures or demonstrations or conducted hands-on sessions. USGS employees and contractors from every discipline and region attended the workshop. To facilitate the interaction between the Federal agencies, each of the presenting Federal agencies was invited to send a representative to the workshop. One of the most beneficial activities of USGS-GIS 2001, as identified by an informal poll of attendees, was the Monday evening poster session in which more than 75 poster presentations gave attendees a chance to learn of work being performed throughout the USGS. A feature new to USGS-GIS 2001 was internet participation of USGS personnel through cyber seminars of the morning plenary sessions.

Exposure characteristics of positive tone electron beam resist containing p-chloro-α-methylstyrene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochiai, Shunsuke; Takayama, Tomohiro; Kishimura, Yukiko; Asada, Hironori; Sonoda, Manae; Iwakuma, Minako; Hoshino, Ryoichi

2017-07-01

The positive tone resist consisted of methyl-α-chloroacrylate (ACM) and α-methylstyrene (MS) has higher sensitivity and higher dry etching resistance than poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) due to the presence of a chlorine atom and a phenyl group. Copolymers consisted of ACM and p-chloro-α-methylstyrene (PCMS), where the additional chlorine atom is introduced in phenyl group compared with ACM-MS resist are synthesized and their exposure characteristics are investigated. ACM-PCMS resist with the ACM:PCMS composition ratio of 49:51 indicates the high solubility for amyl acetate developer. As the ACM composition ratio increases, the solubility of ACM-PCMS resist is suppressed. In both ACM-PCMS and ACM-MS resists, the sensitivity decreases while the contrast increases with increasing ACM ratio. When the composition ratio of ACM:PCMS is 69:31, 100/100 nm line and space pattern having a good shape is obtained at 120 μC/cm2 which is comparable to the required exposure dose for conventional ACM-MS resist with ACM:MS=50:50. Dry etching resistance of ACM:PCMS resists for Ar gas is also presented.

Teacher training

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-14

Mississippi educators participated in a variety of hands-on activities, including rocketry, robotics, and NASA's BEST (Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology) during a pair of during a pair of professional development workshops conducted by Stennis Space Center educators in June. On June 14, Stennis educators presented workshops to 96 kindergarten-through-12th-grade science teachers and eight Jackson State University faculty, as part of JSU's Project MAST (Mississippi Academy for Science Teaching) Project. On June 21, educators presented workshops in Starkville to 43 fourth-through-eighth-grade science teachers as part of Mississippi State University's Advancing Teachers of Middle School Science initiative.

Technology Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Repucci, George

1996-01-01

This is the fourth report of a series of semi-annual reports that describe the technology areas being advanced under this contract and the progress achieved to date. The most significant technical event this period was the successful completion of the Lewis spacecraft in 2 years (contract award date was June 1994). In August of 1996 we held a program-wide Technology Workshop which covered all aspects of the Lewis payload. A copy of the Workshop proceedings is attached.

Fourth Annual International Acquisitions Workshop: Access to Multiple Media Worldwide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Topics discussed during the workshop include: (1) Multinational-Multiple media collections and activities spanning many countries; (2) Multiple media in North American trade and commerce; (3) African spotlight; (4) Europe-Multiple media in national libraries and services; (5) Scandinavian spotlight; (6) Internet update; (7) Multiple media in US federal agencies; (8) Open-source multiple media in US federal agencies; and (9) Multiple media at US federal technical agencies-NIST and NOAA.

The Growth Edge: Creative Use of Computers for Facilitating Learning and Enhancing Personal Development. Papers from the Workshop (Ann Arbor, Michigan, June 27-30, 1986).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walz, Garry R., Ed.; Bleuer, Jeanne C., Ed.

This document is the fourth publication in a series devoted to the use of computers in counseling. The outgrowth of the 1986 ERIC/CAPS workshop, it contains four of the major presentations made at the conference. "The Impact of Computers on the Future of Counseling: Boom or Boomerang" (Edwin L. Herr) examines the effect of technology…

Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on a Research Agenda for Maintenance and Evolution of Service-Oriented Systems (MESOA 2010)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

service -oriented systems • Software -as-a- Service ( SaaS ) • social network infrastructures • Internet marketing • mobile computing • context awareness...Maintenance and Evolution of Service -Oriented Systems (MESOA 2010), organized by members of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s...CMU/SEI-2011-SR-008 | 1 1 Workshop Introduction The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) started developing a service -oriented architecture

Novel derivatives of aclacinomycin A block cancer cell migration through inhibition of farnesyl transferase.

PubMed

Magi, Shigeyuki; Shitara, Tetsuo; Takemoto, Yasushi; Sawada, Masato; Kitagawa, Mitsuhiro; Tashiro, Etsu; Takahashi, Yoshikazu; Imoto, Masaya

2013-03-01

In the course of screening for an inhibitor of farnesyl transferase (FTase), we identified two compounds, N-benzyl-aclacinomycin A (ACM) and N-allyl-ACM, which are new derivatives of ACM. N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM inhibited FTase activity with IC50 values of 0.86 and 2.93 μM, respectively. Not only ACM but also C-10 epimers of each ACM derivative failed to inhibit FTase. The inhibition of FTase by N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM seems to be specific, because these two compounds did not inhibit geranylgeranyltransferase or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) synthase up to 100 μM. In cultured A431 cells, N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM also blocked both the membrane localization of H-Ras and activation of the H-Ras-dependent PI3K/Akt pathway. In addition, they inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced migration of A431 cells. Thus, N-benzyl-ACM and N-allyl-ACM inhibited EGF-induced migration of A431 cells by inhibiting the farnesylation of H-Ras and subsequent H-Ras-dependent activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Meeting Report: The Fourth Artificial Pancreas Workshop: Testing and Adoption of Current and Emerging Technologies

PubMed Central

Ginsberg, Barry H.; Klonoff, David C.; Crabtree, Vincent P.

2017-01-01

On July 6 and 7, 2016 the Fourth Artificial Pancreas Workshop: Testing and Adoption of Current and Emerging Technologies was held on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Campus at the Lister Hill Auditorium. The meeting was sponsored by a group of governmental organizations and NGOs, listed in Appendix A. This was a very timely meeting as the artificial pancreas appears to be growing from academic studies to commercial projects. The first artificial pancreas may be marketed within 12 months and a few may be approved within 24 months. The NIH, the FDA, the JDRF, Helmsley Trust, Diabetes Technology Society, and other agencies, funders, and organizations have been strongly supportive of advancing artificial pancreas technology and usability, and thus the proceedings from this conference should be of exceptional interest to the diabetes technology community. PMID:28349709

Joint Labeling Of Multiple Regions of Interest (Rois) By Enhanced Auto Context Models.

PubMed

Kim, Minjeong; Wu, Guorong; Guo, Yanrong; Shen, Dinggang

2015-04-01

Accurate segmentation of a set of regions of interest (ROIs) in the brain images is a key step in many neuroscience studies. Due to the complexity of image patterns, many learning-based segmentation methods have been proposed, including auto context model (ACM) that can capture high-level contextual information for guiding segmentation. However, since current ACM can only handle one ROI at a time, neighboring ROIs have to be labeled separately with different ACMs that are trained independently without communicating each other. To address this, we enhance the current single-ROI learning ACM to multi-ROI learning ACM for joint labeling of multiple neighboring ROIs (called e ACM). First, we extend current independently-trained single-ROI ACMs to a set of jointly-trained cross-ROI ACMs, by simultaneous training of ACMs for all spatially-connected ROIs to let them to share their respective intermediate outputs for coordinated labeling of each image point. Then, the context features in each ACM can capture the cross-ROI dependence information from the outputs of other ACMs that are designed for neighboring ROIs. Second, we upgrade the output labeling map of each ACM with the multi-scale representation, thus both local and global context information can be effectively used to increase the robustness in characterizing geometric relationship among neighboring ROIs. Third, we integrate ACM into a multi-atlases segmentation paradigm, for encompassing high variations among subjects. Experiments on LONI LPBA40 dataset show much better performance by our e ACM, compared to the conventional ACM.

Acemetacin cocrystals and salts: structure solution from powder X-ray data and form selection of the piperazine salt.

PubMed

Sanphui, Palash; Bolla, Geetha; Nangia, Ashwini; Chernyshev, Vladimir

2014-03-01

Acemetacin (ACM) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which causes reduced gastric damage compared with indomethacin. However, acemetacin has a tendency to form a less soluble hydrate in the aqueous medium. We noted difficulties in the preparation of cocrystals and salts of acemetacin by mechanochemical methods, because this drug tends to form a hydrate during any kind of solution-based processing. With the objective to discover a solid form of acemetacin that is stable in the aqueous medium, binary adducts were prepared by the melt method to avoid hydration. The coformers/salt formers reported are pyridine carboxamides [nicotinamide (NAM), isonicotinamide (INA), and picolinamide (PAM)], caprolactam (CPR), p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and piperazine (PPZ). The structures of an ACM-INA cocrystal and a binary adduct ACM-PABA were solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Other ACM cocrystals, ACM-PAM and ACM-CPR, and the piperazine salt ACM-PPZ were solved from high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction data. The ACM-INA cocrystal is sustained by the acid⋯pyridine heterosynthon and N-H⋯O catemer hydrogen bonds involving the amide group. The acid⋯amide heterosynthon is present in the ACM-PAM cocrystal, while ACM-CPR contains carboxamide dimers of caprolactam along with acid-carbonyl (ACM) hydrogen bonds. The cocrystals ACM-INA, ACM-PAM and ACM-CPR are three-dimensional isostructural. The carboxyl⋯carboxyl synthon in ACM-PABA posed difficulty in assigning the position of the H atom, which may indicate proton disorder. In terms of stability, the salts were found to be relatively stable in pH 7 buffer medium over 24 h, but the cocrystals dissociated to give ACM hydrate during the same time period. The ACM-PPZ salt and ACM-nicotinamide cocrystal dissolve five times faster than the stable hydrate form, whereas the ACM-PABA adduct has 2.5 times faster dissolution rate. The pharmaceutically acceptable piperazine salt of acemetacin exhibits superior stability, faster dissolution rate and is able to overcome the hydration tendency of the reference drug.

Porosity of porcine bladder acellular matrix: impact of ACM thickness.

PubMed

Farhat, Walid; Chen, Jun; Erdeljan, Petar; Shemtov, Oren; Courtman, David; Khoury, Antoine; Yeger, Herman

2003-12-01

The objectives of this study are to examine the porosity of bladder acellular matrix (ACM) using deionized (DI) water as the model fluid and dextran as the indicator macromolecule, and to correlate the porosity to the ACM thickness. Porcine urinary bladders from pigs weighing 20-50 kg were sequentially extracted in detergent containing solutions, and to modify the ACM thickness, stretched bladders were acellularized in the same manner. Luminal and abluminal ACM specimens were subjected to fixed static DI water pressure (10 cm); and water passing through the specimens was collected at specific time interval. While for the macromolecule porosity testing, the diffusion rate and direction of 10,000 MW fluoroescein-labeled dextrans across the ACM specimens mounted in Ussing's chambers were measured. Both experiments were repeated on the thin stretched ACM. In both ACM types, the fluid porosity in both directions did not decrease with increased test duration (3 h); in addition, the abluminal surface was more porous to fluid than the luminal surface. On the other hand, when comparing thin to thick ACM, the porosity in either direction was higher in the thick ACM. Macromolecule porosity, as measured by absorbance, was higher for the abluminal thick ACM than the luminal side, but this characteristic was reversed in the thin ACM. Comparing thin to thick ACM, the luminal side in the thin ACM was more porous to dextran than in the thick ACM, but this characteristic was reversed for the abluminal side. The porcine bladder ACM possesses directional porosity and acellularizing stretched urinary bladders may increase structural density and alter fluid and macromolecule porosity. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 67A: 970-974, 2003

Self-assembled albumin nanoparticles as a nanocarrier for aclacinomycin A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Guangming; Liu, Wenya; Wang, Shudong

2016-11-01

This study aimed to reduce the cytotoxicity and improve the targeting of aclacinomycin (ACM) by covalently coupling it with amino-oxyacetic acid (AOA) to generate an active intermediate, AOA-ACM. AOA-ACM was conjugated with self-assembled human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles constructed using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) as disulfide bond breaking molecules in an ‘opening stage-intermediate-closing stage’ route, in which the hydrophobic interaction, interchange of sulfhydryl and hydrogen bond may be the key factors in the assembling process. Conjugation between ACM and albumin nanoparticles was found to occur at an ACM ketone site using 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass analysis indicated that the drug loading efficiency of ACM conjugated with HSA nanoparticles (NPs-ACM) was 7.4% (molar ratio = 6:1). The release of NPs-ACM was pH dependent. In vivo studies indicated that NPs-ACM exhibited fourfold higher tumor targeting capability on S180-tumor-bearing mice compared with the free ACM (p < 0.05). The cytotoxictiy and cardiotoxicity of NPs-ACM was reduced compared with the free ACM. Albumin carrier altered the blood pharmacokinetics and distribution of ACM. Hence, the NPs-ACM prodrug is ideal tumor targeting drug carriers for ACM, and the easy approach developed in this study for active intermediate and prodrug preparation can be applied to other pharmacological substances containing ketone groups. The method of preparing HSA-blank nanoparticles through TCEP reduction could be adopted to improve the water solubility of lipophilic drugs and their tumor-targeting specificity by fabricating HSA-lipophilic drug nanoparticles.

Three Cheers for a New Attitude.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, L. Diane; Labrano, Maureen B.

1992-01-01

Inservice workshop trained fourth- and fifth-grade science specialists and their students organized science demonstrations presented by students from each grade level. Describes demonstrations involving liquid bubbles, magnets, measurement, sound, aerodynamics, environmental protection, and air pollution. (MDH)

EDITORIAL: The Fourth International Workshop on Microfactories (IWMF'04)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Jiaru; Maeda, Ryutaro

2005-10-01

This special section of Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering is devoted to the fourth International Workshop on Microfactories. After the first three successful Workshops, which took place in Tsukuba, Japan in 1998, Fribourg, Switzerland in 2000 and Minneapolis, USA in 2002, the fourth (IWMF'04) was held in Shanghai, China on 15-17 October 2004. The concept of the `microfactory' and miniaturized production systems was first proposed by the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory in Japan who demonstrated the feasibility of downsizing energy-saving, distributed and eventually environmentally conscious manufacturing systems. There is incredible potential in reducing the physical scale of numerous processes related to the manufacture of many forms of future dense `mechatronic' products and in the manipulation of microscopic and nanoscopic objects and materials for the benefit of mankind. Small systems capable of these operations can be referred to as `microfactories'. A worldwide effort is currently underway to bring such microfactories to fruition. MEMS, MST and micromachines are regarded as synonyms, but they do not necessarily have the same meaning. In particular, differences can be found in their technological approaches. Roughly speaking, research and development in the USA is based primarily on surface or bulk silicon micromachining processes, and the ideal realization of MEMS seems to be the monolithic device. The European approach also focuses on integration between electronics and mechanics but, especially in connection with the development of `µTAS', it also demands the integration of non-mechanical components into the system. In Japan the approaches for MST are said to be rather less focused. Besides the above-mentioned `classical' microsystem technologies, down-scaling of conventional manufacturing methods, or non-silicon based device processing within this field, completely new technological methods are also considered as `microsystem technologies'. Out of more than 150 submitted abstracts, 138 papers were accepted for presentation at the workshop. Of these, a selection of seven high-quality papers have been chosen for presentation in this special section. We would like to express our appreciation of the outstanding efforts made by all involved in the workshop, especially the local committee for all the detailed planning required to make it an interesting meeting.

MiR-320a as a Potential Novel Circulating Biomarker of Arrhythmogenic CardioMyopathy.

PubMed

Sommariva, Elena; D'Alessandra, Yuri; Farina, Floriana Maria; Casella, Michela; Cattaneo, Fabio; Catto, Valentina; Chiesa, Mattia; Stadiotti, Ilaria; Brambilla, Silvia; Dello Russo, Antonio; Carbucicchio, Corrado; Vettor, Giulia; Riggio, Daniela; Sandri, Maria Teresa; Barbuti, Andrea; Vernillo, Gianluca; Muratori, Manuela; Dal Ferro, Matteo; Sinagra, Gianfranco; Moimas, Silvia; Giacca, Mauro; Colombo, Gualtiero Ivanoe; Pompilio, Giulio; Tondo, Claudio

2017-07-06

Diagnosis of Arrhythmogenic CardioMyopathy (ACM) is challenging and often late after disease onset. No circulating biomarkers are available to date. Given their involvement in several cardiovascular diseases, plasma microRNAs warranted investigation as potential non-invasive diagnostic tools in ACM. We sought to identify circulating microRNAs differentially expressed in ACM with respect to Healthy Controls (HC) and Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia patients (IVT), often in differential diagnosis. ACM and HC subjects were screened for plasmatic expression of 377 microRNAs and validation was performed in 36 ACM, 53 HC, 21 IVT. Variable importance in data partition was estimated through Random Forest analysis and accuracy by Receiver Operating Curves. Plasmatic miR-320a showed 0.53 ± 0.04 fold expression difference in ACM vs. HC (p < 0.01). A similar trend was observed when comparing ACM (n = 13) and HC (n = 17) with athletic lifestyle, a ACM precipitating factor. Importantly, ACM patients miR-320a showed 0.78 ± 0.05 fold expression change vs. IVT (p = 0.03). When compared to non-invasive ACM diagnostic parameters, miR-320a ranked highly in discriminating ACM vs. IVT and it increased their accuracy. Finally, miR-320a expression did not correlate with ACM severity. Our data suggest that miR-320a may be considered a novel potential biomarker of ACM, specifically useful in ACM vs. IVT differentiation.

Clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium exhibit strain-specific collagen binding mediated by Acm, a new member of the MSCRAMM family.

PubMed

Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Weinstock, George M; Murray, Barbara E

2003-03-01

A collagen-binding adhesin of Enterococcus faecium, Acm, was identified. Acm shows 62% similarity to the Staphylococcus aureus collagen adhesin Cna over the entire protein and is more similar to Cna (60% and 75% similarity with Cna A and B domains respectively) than to the Enterococcus faecalis collagen-binding adhesin, Ace, which shares homology with Acm only in the A domain. Despite the detection of acm in 32 out of 32 E. faecium isolates, only 11 of these (all clinical isolates, including four vancomycin-resistant endocarditis isolates and seven other isolates) exhibited binding to collagen type I (CI). Although acm from three CI-binding vancomycin-resistant E. faecium clinical isolates showed 100% identity, analysis of acm genes and their promoter regions from six non-CI-binding strains identified deletions or mutations that introduced stop codons and/or IS elements within the gene or the promoter region in five out of six strains, suggesting that the presence of an intact functional acm gene is necessary for binding of E. faecium strains to CI. Recombinant Acm A domain showed specific and concentration-dependent binding to collagen, and this protein competed with E. faecium binding to immobilized CI. Consistent with the adherence phenotype and sequence data, probing with Acm-specific IgGs purified from anti-recombinant Acm A polyclonal rabbit serum confirmed the surface expression of Acm in three out of three collagen-binding clinical isolates of E. faecium tested, but in none of the strains with a non-functional pseudo acm gene. Introduction of a functional acm gene into two non-CI-binding natural acm mutant strains conferred a CI-binding phenotype, further confirming that native Acm is sufficient for the binding of E. faecium to CI. These results demonstrate that acm, which encodes a potential virulence factor, is functional only in certain infection-derived clinical isolates of E. faecium, and suggest that Acm is the primary adhesin responsible for the ability of E. faecium to bind collagen.

Analysis of role-play in medical communication training using a theatrical device the fourth wall

PubMed Central

Jacobsen, Torild; Baerheim, Anders; Lepp, Margret Rose; Schei, Edvin

2006-01-01

Background Communication training is a central part of medical education. The aim of this article is to explore the positions and didactic functions of the fourth wall in medical communication training, using a role-play model basically similar to a theatrical performance. Method The empirical data stem from a communication training model demonstrated at an international workshop for medical teachers and course organizers. The model involves an actress playing a patient, students alternating in the role of the doctor, and a teacher who moderates. The workshop was videotaped and analyzed qualitatively. Results The analysis of the empirical material revealed three main locations of the fourth wall as it moved and changed qualities during the learning session: 1) A traditional theatre location, where the wall was transparent for the audience, but opaque for the participants in the fiction. 2) A "timeout/reflection" location, where the wall was doubly opaque, for the patient on the one side and the moderator, the doctor and the audience on the other side and 3) an "interviewing the character" location where the wall enclosed everybody in the room. All three locations may contribute to the learning process. Conclusion The theatrical concept 'the fourth wall' may present an additional tool for new understanding of fiction based communication training. Increased understanding of such an activity may help medical teachers/course organizers in planning and evaluating communication training courses. PMID:17040575

Incorporating a Weight Management Skills Workshop in Pharmacy Curricula in Australia

PubMed Central

Krass, Ines; Armour, Carol; Gill, Timothy; Chaar, Betty B.

2016-01-01

Objective. To develop, implement, and evaluate a competency-based weight management skills workshop for undergraduate pharmacy students in an Australian university. Design. A 3-hour workshop titled “Weight Management in Pharmacy” was implemented with a cohort of fourth-year undergraduate pharmacy students (n=180). Learning activities used included case-based learning, hands-on experience, role-play, and group discussion. Assessment. A 22-item attitudinal survey instrument and the validated Obesity Risk Knowledge (ORK-10) scale were administered at baseline and postworkshop to evaluate the impact of this educational workshop. There was significant improvement in the students’ ORK scores and students’ perceived level of self-confidence in performing weight management skills. Conclusion. An educational workshop designed to enhance professional competencies in weight management ensured graduates were “service-ready” and had the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attributes to deliver patient-centered pharmacy-based weight management services. PMID:27293236

Incorporating a Weight Management Skills Workshop in Pharmacy Curricula in Australia.

PubMed

Um, Irene S; Krass, Ines; Armour, Carol; Gill, Timothy; Chaar, Betty B

2016-05-25

Objective. To develop, implement, and evaluate a competency-based weight management skills workshop for undergraduate pharmacy students in an Australian university. Design. A 3-hour workshop titled "Weight Management in Pharmacy" was implemented with a cohort of fourth-year undergraduate pharmacy students (n=180). Learning activities used included case-based learning, hands-on experience, role-play, and group discussion. Assessment. A 22-item attitudinal survey instrument and the validated Obesity Risk Knowledge (ORK-10) scale were administered at baseline and postworkshop to evaluate the impact of this educational workshop. There was significant improvement in the students' ORK scores and students' perceived level of self-confidence in performing weight management skills. Conclusion. An educational workshop designed to enhance professional competencies in weight management ensured graduates were "service-ready" and had the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attributes to deliver patient-centered pharmacy-based weight management services.

Self-assembled albumin nanoparticles as a nanocarrier for aclacinomycin A.

PubMed

Gong, Guangming; Liu, Wenya; Wang, Shudong

2016-11-18

This study aimed to reduce the cytotoxicity and improve the targeting of aclacinomycin (ACM) by covalently coupling it with amino-oxyacetic acid (AOA) to generate an active intermediate, AOA-ACM. AOA-ACM was conjugated with self-assembled human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles constructed using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) as disulfide bond breaking molecules in an 'opening stage-intermediate-closing stage' route, in which the hydrophobic interaction, interchange of sulfhydryl and hydrogen bond may be the key factors in the assembling process. Conjugation between ACM and albumin nanoparticles was found to occur at an ACM ketone site using 1 H-NMR and 13 C-NMR matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass analysis indicated that the drug loading efficiency of ACM conjugated with HSA nanoparticles (NPs-ACM) was 7.4% (molar ratio = 6:1). The release of NPs-ACM was pH dependent. In vivo studies indicated that NPs-ACM exhibited fourfold higher tumor targeting capability on S180-tumor-bearing mice compared with the free ACM (p < 0.05). The cytotoxictiy and cardiotoxicity of NPs-ACM was reduced compared with the free ACM. Albumin carrier altered the blood pharmacokinetics and distribution of ACM. Hence, the NPs-ACM prodrug is ideal tumor targeting drug carriers for ACM, and the easy approach developed in this study for active intermediate and prodrug preparation can be applied to other pharmacological substances containing ketone groups. The method of preparing HSA-blank nanoparticles through TCEP reduction could be adopted to improve the water solubility of lipophilic drugs and their tumor-targeting specificity by fabricating HSA-lipophilic drug nanoparticles.

Workshop on Transition and Unsteady Aspects of Turbomachinery Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaGraff, John E.

2004-01-01

A workshop was organized on the topic of the title and held on August 17-20, 2003 at the Syracuse University Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. Attendance was by invitation only, 47 guests attended and 30 presentations were made. Support was received from NASA Glenn Research Center, the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the European Office of Aeronautical Research and Development, the Asian Office of Aeronautical Research and Development and Syracuse University. This workshop was the fourth in a trienniel series beginning in 1993. A publication under a NASA CP 2004-212913 will be issued and include all abstracts. No full written papers were required. This report includes a list of attendees and the program of presentations. The next workshop is scheduled for August 20-23, 2006.

Fault Tolerant Real-Time Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-30

Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, editors Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control. Fourth International Workshop (HSCC󈧅, Rome, Italy, March 2001...average dwell time by solving optimization problems. In Ashish Tiwari and Joao P. Hespanha, editors, Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC 06

Distribution of the ACME-arcA gene among meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus and identification of a novel ccr allotype in ACME-arcA-positive isolates.

PubMed

Pi, Borui; Yu, Meihong; Chen, Yagang; Yu, Yunsong; Li, Lanjuan

2009-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of ACME (arginine catabolic mobile element)-arcA-positive isolates among meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus (MRSH). ACME-arcA, native arcA and SCCmec elements were detected by PCR. Susceptibilities to 10 antimicrobial agents were compared between ACME-arcA-positive and -negative isolates by chi-square test. PFGE was used to investigate the clonal relatedness of ACME-arcA-positive isolates. The phylogenetic relationships of ACME-arcA and native arcA were analysed using the neighbour-joining methods of mega software. A total of 42 (47.7 %) of 88 isolates distributed in 13 PFGE types were positive for the ACME-arcA gene. There were no significant differences in antimicrobial susceptibility between ACME-arcA-positive and -negative isolates. A novel ccr allotype (ccrAB(SHP)) was identified in ACME-arcA-positive isolates. Among 42 ACME-arcA-positive isolates: 8 isolates harboured SCCmec V, 8 isolates harboured class C1 mec complex and ccrAB(SHP); 22 isolates harbouring class C1 mec complex and 4 isolates harbouring class C2 mec complex were negative for all known ccr allotypes. The ACME-arcA-positive isolates were first found in MRSH with high prevalence and clonal diversity, which suggests a mobility of ACME within MRSH. The results from this study revealed that MRSH is likely to be one of the potential reservoirs of ACME for Staphylococcus aureus.

Summary of the Fourth AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vassberg, John C.; Tinoco, Edward N.; Mani, Mori; Rider, Ben; Zickuhr, Tom; Levy, David W.; Brodersen, Olaf P.; Eisfeld, Bernhard; Crippa, Simone; Wahls, Richard A.;

Human factors in computing systems: focus on patient-centered health communication at the ACM SIGCHI conference.

PubMed

Wilcox, Lauren; Patel, Rupa; Chen, Yunan; Shachak, Aviv

2013-12-01

Health Information Technologies, such as electronic health records (EHR) and secure messaging, have already transformed interactions among patients and clinicians. In addition, technologies supporting asynchronous communication outside of clinical encounters, such as email, SMS, and patient portals, are being increasingly used for follow-up, education, and data reporting. Meanwhile, patients are increasingly adopting personal tools to track various aspects of health status and therapeutic progress, wishing to review these data with clinicians during consultations. These issues have drawn increasing interest from the human-computer interaction (HCI) community, with special focus on critical challenges in patient-centered interactions and design opportunities that can address these challenges. We saw this community presenting and interacting at the ACM SIGCHI 2013, Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (also known as CHI), held April 27-May 2nd, 2013 at the Palais de Congrès de Paris in France. CHI 2013 featured many formal avenues to pursue patient-centered health communication: a well-attended workshop, tracks of original research, and a lively panel discussion. In this report, we highlight these events and the main themes we identified. We hope that it will help bring the health care communication and the HCI communities closer together. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM): protein expression, mechanical properties.

PubMed

Farhat, Walid A; Chen, Jun; Haig, Jennifer; Antoon, Roula; Litman, Jessica; Sherman, Christopher; Derwin, Kathleen; Yeger, Herman

2008-06-01

Experimentally, porcine bladder acellular matrix (ACM) that mimics extracellular matrix has excellent potential as a bladder substitute. Herein we investigated the spatial localization and expression of different key cellular and extracellular proteins in the ACM; furthermore, we evaluated the inherent mechanical properties of the resultant ACM prior to implantation. Using a proprietary decellularization method, the DNA contents in both ACM and normal bladder were measured; in addition we used immunohistochemistry and western blots to quantify and localize the different cellular and extracellular components, and finally the mechanical testing was performed using a uniaxial mechanical testing machine. The mean DNA content in the ACM was significantly lower in the ACM compared to the bladder. Furthermore, the immunohistochemical and western blot analyses showed that collagen I and IV were preserved in the ACM, but possibly denatured collagen III in the ACM. Furthermore, elastin, laminin and fibronectin were mildly reduced in the ACM. Although the ACM did not exhibit nucleated cells, residual cellular components (actin, myosin, vimentin and others) were still present. There was, on the other hand, no significant difference in the mean stiffness between the ACM and the bladder. Although our decellularization method is effective in removing nuclear material from the bladder while maintaining its inherent mechanical properties, further work is mandatory to determine whether these residual DNA and cellular remnants would lead to any immune reaction, or if the mechanical properties of the ACM are preserved upon implantation and cellularization.

Ethics in the computer age. Conference proceedings

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

Kizza, J.M.

1994-12-31

These proceedings contain the papers presented at the Ethics in the Computer Age conference held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, November 11-13, 1994. The conference was sponsored by ACM SIGCAS (Computers and Society) to which I am very grateful. The Ethics in the Computer Age conference sequence started in 1991 with the first conference at the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The second was help at the same location a year later. These two conferences were limited to only invited speakers, but their success was overwhelming. This is the third in the sequence and the first truly international one.more » Plans are already under way for the fourth in 1996.« less

Rekindling the Flame.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohanian, Susan

1985-01-01

An elementary school teacher developed renewed interest in both teaching and learning after enrolling in an American Heart Association workshop. This article discusses how a science unit on the heart was taught in a creative and interesting way to fourth-grade students. (DF)

Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells are a source of adipocytes in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Sommariva, E.; Brambilla, S.; Carbucicchio, C.; Gambini, E.; Meraviglia, V.; Dello Russo, A.; Farina, F.M.; Casella, M.; Catto, V.; Pontone, G.; Chiesa, M.; Stadiotti, I.; Cogliati, E.; Paolin, A.; Ouali Alami, N.; Preziuso, C.; d'Amati, G.; Colombo, G.I.; Rossini, A.; Capogrossi, M.C.; Tondo, C.; Pompilio, G.

2016-01-01

Abstract Aim Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a genetic disorder mainly due to mutations in desmosomal genes, characterized by progressive fibro-adipose replacement of the myocardium, arrhythmias, and sudden death. It is still unclear which cell type is responsible for fibro-adipose substitution and which molecular mechanisms lead to this structural change. Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells (C-MSC) are the most abundant cells in the heart, with propensity to differentiate into several cell types, including adipocytes, and their role in ACM is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether C-MSC contributed to excess adipocytes in patients with ACM. Methods and results We found that, in ACM patients' explanted heart sections, cells actively differentiating into adipocytes are of mesenchymal origin. Therefore, we isolated C-MSC from endomyocardial biopsies of ACM and from not affected by arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (NON-ACM) (control) patients. We found that both ACM and control C-MSC express desmosomal genes, with ACM C-MSC showing lower expression of plakophilin (PKP2) protein vs. controls. Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy C-MSC cultured in adipogenic medium accumulated more lipid droplets than controls. Accordingly, the expression of adipogenic genes was higher in ACM vs. NON-ACM C-MSC, while expression of cell cycle and anti-adipogenic genes was lower. Both lipid accumulation and transcription reprogramming were dependent on PKP2 deficiency. Conclusions Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells contribute to the adipogenic substitution observed in ACM patients' hearts. Moreover, C-MSC from ACM patients recapitulate the features of ACM adipogenesis, representing a novel, scalable, patient-specific in vitro tool for future mechanistic studies. PMID:26590176

Asbestos-containing materials and airborne asbestos levels in industrial buildings in Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Sangjun; Suk, Mee-Hee; Paik, Nam Won

2010-03-01

Recently in Korea, the treatment of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in building has emerged as one of the most important environmental health issues. This study was conducted to identify the distribution and characteristics of ACM and airborne asbestos concentrations in industrial buildings in Korea. A total of 1285 presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM) samples were collected from 80 workplaces across the nation, and 40% of the PACMs contained more than 1% of asbestos. Overall, 94% of the surveyed workplaces contained ACM. The distribution of ACM did not show a significant difference by region, employment size, or industry. The total ACM area in the buildings surveyed was 436,710 m2. Ceiling tile ACM accounted for 61% (267,093 m2) of the total ACM area, followed by roof ACM (32%), surfacing ACM (6.1%), and thermal system insulation (TSI). In terms of asbestos type, 98% of total ACM was chrysotile, while crocidolite was not detected. A comparison of building material types showed that the material with the highest priority for regular management is ceiling tile, followed by roof, TSI, and surfacing material. The average airborne concentration of asbestos sampled without disturbing in-place ACM was 0.0028 fibers/cc by PCM, with all measurements below the standard of recommendation for indoor air quality in Korea (0.01 fibers/cc).

Achievable Human Exploration of Mars: Highlights from The Fourth Community Workshop (AM IV)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley; Cassady, Joseph

2017-01-01

About a half decade ago, several professionals working mainly in industry on scenarios for initial human exploration of Mars together recognized that, under generally similar assumptions, there was a fair degree of similarity among these scenarios. Moreover, opportunities should be sought for greater community input into NASA's own scenario-building for the future of human space flight. A series of focused community workshops were considered to be effective to assess these scenarios and involve more directly the science community, including planetary protection, with industry. Four workshops to date each involve about sixty professional scientists, engineers, technologists, and strategists from NASA, academia, aerospace corporations, the National Academies, consulting organizations, and potential international partners.

Results of the 4th scientific workshop of the ECCO (Group II): markers of intestinal fibrosis in inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Rieder, Florian; de Bruyn, Jessica R; Pham, Bao Tung; Katsanos, Konstantinos; Annese, Vito; Higgins, Peter D R; Magro, Fernando; Dotan, Iris

2014-10-01

The fourth scientific workshop of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) focused on intestinal fibrosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The objective was to better understand basic mechanisms and markers of intestinal fibrosis as well as to suggest new therapeutic targets to prevent or treat fibrosis. The results of this workshop are presented in three separate manuscripts. This section describes markers of fibrosis in IBD, identifies unanswered questions in the field and provides a framework for future studies addressing the unmet needs in the field of intestinal fibrosis. Copyright © 2014 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The 1994 Space and Earth Science Data Compression Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilton, James C. (Editor)

1994-01-01

This document is the proceedings from the fourth annual 'Space and Earth Science Data Compression Workshop,' which was held on April 2, 1994, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. This workshop was held in cooperation with the 1994 Data Compression Conference, which was held at Snowbird, Utah, March 29-31 1994. The Workshop explored opportunities for data compression to enhance the collection and analysis of space and Earth science data. It consisted of 13 papers presented in 4 sessions. The papers focus on data compression research that is integrated into, or has the potential to be integrated into, a particular space and/or Earth science data information system. Presenters were encouraged to take into account the scientist's data requirements, and the constraints imposed by the data collection, transmission, distribution, and archival system.

Achieving And Sustaining Human Exploration of Mars The Fourth Community Workshop (AM IV)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley; Beaty, David; Carberry, Chris; Drake, Bret; Hays, Lindsay

2017-01-01

About a half decade ago, several professionals working mainly in industry on scenarios for initial human exploration of Mars exploration together recognized that, under generally similar assumptions, there was a fair degree of similarity among these scenarios. Moreover, opportunities should be sought for greater community input into NASAs own scenario-building for the future of human space flight. A series of focused community workshops were considered to be effective to critically assess the increasingly sophisticated scenarios. Explore Mars, Inc. the American Astronautical Society agreed to support them. Four workshops to date each involve about sixty professional scientists, engineers, technologists, and strategists from NASA, academia, aerospace corporations, the National Academies, consulting organizations, and potential international partners. Each workshop produced a series of presentations and reports briefed to NASA leadership and other stakeholders.

Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells are a source of adipocytes in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Sommariva, E; Brambilla, S; Carbucicchio, C; Gambini, E; Meraviglia, V; Dello Russo, A; Farina, F M; Casella, M; Catto, V; Pontone, G; Chiesa, M; Stadiotti, I; Cogliati, E; Paolin, A; Ouali Alami, N; Preziuso, C; d'Amati, G; Colombo, G I; Rossini, A; Capogrossi, M C; Tondo, C; Pompilio, G

2016-06-14

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a genetic disorder mainly due to mutations in desmosomal genes, characterized by progressive fibro-adipose replacement of the myocardium, arrhythmias, and sudden death. It is still unclear which cell type is responsible for fibro-adipose substitution and which molecular mechanisms lead to this structural change. Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells (C-MSC) are the most abundant cells in the heart, with propensity to differentiate into several cell types, including adipocytes, and their role in ACM is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether C-MSC contributed to excess adipocytes in patients with ACM. We found that, in ACM patients' explanted heart sections, cells actively differentiating into adipocytes are of mesenchymal origin. Therefore, we isolated C-MSC from endomyocardial biopsies of ACM and from not affected by arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (NON-ACM) (control) patients. We found that both ACM and control C-MSC express desmosomal genes, with ACM C-MSC showing lower expression of plakophilin (PKP2) protein vs. Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy C-MSC cultured in adipogenic medium accumulated more lipid droplets than controls. Accordingly, the expression of adipogenic genes was higher in ACM vs. NON-ACM C-MSC, while expression of cell cycle and anti-adipogenic genes was lower. Both lipid accumulation and transcription reprogramming were dependent on PKP2 deficiency. Cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells contribute to the adipogenic substitution observed in ACM patients' hearts. Moreover, C-MSC from ACM patients recapitulate the features of ACM adipogenesis, representing a novel, scalable, patient-specific in vitro tool for future mechanistic studies. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

[Effect of lead-exposed astrocytes on neuronal synaptic formation].

PubMed

Cui, Yan; Li, Tingting; Yu, Haiyang; Liao, Yingjun; Jin, Yaping

2014-09-01

To investigate the effect of lead-exposed astrocyte conditioned medium (ACM) on the synaptic formation of neurons and to provide reference for the mechanism of lead neurotoxicity. Astrocytes were cultured in the medium containing 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 µmol/L lead acetate for 72 h. Alamar Blue was used to assess the cell viability of astrocytes, and then ACM was collected. Primarily cultured neurons were divided into six groups: pure culture group, non-glutamic acid (Glu)-induced ACM treatment group, Glu-induced lead-free ACM treatment group, and Glu-induced 50, 100, and 200 µmol/L lead acetate-exposed ACM treatment groups. Neurons were collected after being cultured in ACM for 24, 48, or 72 h. The content of synaptophysin (SYP) in neurons was determined by Western blot. The SYP expression in neurons was measured by immunofluorescence after being cultured in ACMfor 72 h. In all lead-exposed groups, the cell viability of astrocytes declined with increasing concentration of lead (P < 0.05). The Western blot showed that compared with the pure culture group, the non-Glu-induced ACM treatment group and Glu-induced lead- free ACM treatment group had significantly increased content of SYP in neurons (P < 0.01); compared with the non-Glu-induced ACM treatment group, the Glu-induced ACM treatment groups had significantly reduced SYP expression in neurons (P < 0.05); compared with the Glu-induced lead-free ACM treatment group, all lead-exposed ACM treatment groups had the content of SYP in neurons significantly reduced with increasing concentration of lead after 72-h culture (P < 0.01), the 200 µmol/L lead-exposed ACM treatment group had significantly reduced content of SYP in neurons after 48-h culture (P < 0.01), and all lead-exposed ACM treatment groups showed no significant changes in the content of SYP in neurons after 24-h culture. Double-labeling immunofluorescence of SYP showed that all lead-exposed ACM treatment groups had a significant decrease in the number of SYP-fluorescent particles after 72-h culture (P < 0.05). Astrocytes promote synaptic formation of neurons, which may be inhibited during lead exposure.

Assessment of pesticide residues in army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxiliaris) from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and their potential consequences to foraging grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis).

PubMed

Robison, Hillary L; Schwartz, Charles C; Petty, Jim D; Brussard, Peter F

2006-09-01

During summer, a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) (USA) can excavate and consume millions of army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxiliaris) (ACMs) that aggregate in high elevation talus. Grizzly bears in the GYE were listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1975 and were proposed for delisting in 2005. However, questions remain about key bear foods. For example, ACMs are agricultural pests and concern exists about whether they contain pesticides that could be toxic to bears. Consequently, we investigated whether ACMs contain and transport pesticides to bear foraging sites and, if so, whether these levels could be toxic to bears. In 1999 we collected and analyzed ACMs from six bear foraging sites. ACMs were screened for 32 pesticides with gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Because gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) can be more sensitive than GC-ECD for certain pesticides, we revisited one site in 2001 and analyzed these ACMs with GC-MS/MS. ACMs contained trace or undetectable levels of pesticides in 1999 and 2001, respectively. Based on chemical levels in ACMs and numbers of ACMs a bear can consume, we calculated the potential of chemicals to reach physiological toxicity. These calculations indicate bears do not consume physiologically toxic levels of pesticides and allay concerns they are at risk from pesticides transported by ACMs. If chemical control of ACMs changes in the future, screening new ACM samples taken from bear foraging sites may be warranted.

Utility of adaptive control processing for the interpretation of digital mammograms.

PubMed

Jinnouchi, Mikako; Yabuuchi, Hidetake; Kubo, Makoto; Tokunaga, Eriko; Yamamoto, Hidetaka; Honda, Hiroshi

2016-11-01

Background Adaptive control processing for mammography (ACM) is a novel program that automatically sets up appropriate image-processing parameters for individual mammograms (MMGs) by analyzing the focal and whole breast histogram. Purpose To investigate whether ACM improves the image contrast of digital MMGs and whether it improves radiologists' diagnostic performance in reading of MMGs. Material and Methods One hundred normal cases for image quality assessment and another 100 cases (50 normal and 50 cancers) for observer performance assessment were enrolled. All mammograms were examined with and without ACM. Five radiologists assessed the intra- and extra-mammary contrast of 100 normal MMGs, and the mean scores of the intra- and extra-mammary contrast were compared between MMGs with and without ACM in both the dense and non-dense group. They classified 100 MMGs into BI-RADS categories 1-5, and were asked to rate the images on a scale of 0 to 100 for the likelihood of the presence of category 3-5 lesions in each breast. Detectability of breast cancer, reading time, and frequency of window adjustment were compared between MMGs with and without ACM. Results ACM improved the intra-mammary contrast in both the dense and non-dense group but degraded extra-mammary contrast in the dense group. There was no significant difference in detectability of breast cancer between MMGs with and without ACM. Frequency of window adjustment without ACM was significantly higher than that with ACM. Reading time without ACM was significantly longer than that with ACM. Conclusion ACM improves the image contrast of MMGs and shortens reading time.

Ketonization of Proline Residues in the Peptide Chains of Actinomycins by a 4-Oxoproline Synthase.

PubMed

Semsary, Siamak; Crnovčić, Ivana; Driller, Ronja; Vater, Joachim; Loll, Bernhard; Keller, Ullrich

2018-04-04

X-type actinomycins (Acms) contain 4-hydroxyproline (Acm X 0 ) or 4-oxoproline (Acm X 2 ) in their β-pentapeptide lactone rings, whereas their α ring contains proline. We demonstrate that these Acms are formed through asymmetric condensation of Acm half molecules (Acm halves) containing proline with 4-hydroxyproline- or 4-oxoproline-containing Acm halves. In turn, we show-using an artificial Acm half analogue (PPL 1) with proline in its peptide chain-their conversion into the 4-hydroxyproline- and 4-oxoproline-containing Acm halves, PPL 0 and PPL 2, in mycelial suspensions of Streptomyces antibioticus. Two responsible genes of the Acm X biosynthetic gene cluster of S. antibioticus, saacmM and saacmN, encoding a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (Cyp) and a ferredoxin were identified. After coexpression in Escherichia coli, their gene products converted PPL 1 into PPL 0 and PPL 2 in vivo as well as in situ in permeabilized cell of the transformed E. coli strain in conjunction with the host-encoded ferredoxin reductase in a NADH (NADPH)-dependent manner. saAcmM has high sequence similarity to the Cyp107Z (Ema) family of Cyps, which can convert avermectin B1 into its keto derivative, 4''-oxoavermectin B1. Determination of the structure of saAcmM reveals high similarity to the Ema structure but with significant differences in residues decorating their active sites, which defines saAcmM and its orthologues as a distinct new family of peptidylprolineketonizing Cyp. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of miscibility phenomenon on crystalline polymorph transition in poly(vinylidene fluoride)/acrylic rubber/clay nanocomposite hybrid.

PubMed

Abolhasani, Mohammad Mahdi; Naebe, Minoo; Jalali-Arani, Azam; Guo, Qipeng

2014-01-01

In this paper, intercalation of nanoclay in the miscible polymer blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and acrylic rubber(ACM) was studied. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the formation of nanoscale polymer blend/clay hybrid. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray analysis revealed the coexistence of β and γ crystalline forms in PVDF/Clay nanocomposite while α crystalline form was found to be dominant in PVDF/ACM/Clay miscible hybrids. Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (B) was used to further explain the miscibility phenomenon observed. The B parameter was determined by combining the melting point depression and the binary interaction model. The estimated B values for the ternary PVDF/ACM/Clay and PVDF/ACM pairs were all negative, showing both proper intercalation of the polymer melt into the nanoclay galleries and the good miscibility of PVDF and ACM blend. The B value for the PVDF/ACM blend was almost the same as that measured for the PVDF/ACM/Clay hybrid, suggesting that PVDF chains in nanocomposite hybrids interact with ACM chains and that nanoclay in hybrid systems is wrapped by ACM molecules.

Fourth Aircraft Interior Noise Workshop

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-07-01

the occupational desease "Noise Deafness" in the aviation sector The development of the occupational noise deafness disease and the costs involved...compensation of a pension which is granted to sufferers of the occupational desease known as noise deafness. 235 , „. In summary, the statistics

Southwest Washington coastal erosion workshop report 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gelfenbaum, Guy; Kaminsky, George M.

2002-01-01

This report is a compilation of abstracts that correspond to oral presentations and posters presented at the fifth principal investigators workshop of the Southwest Washington Coastal Erosion Study. The workshop was held November 15 - 17, 2000 at the Department of Ecology headquarters building in Olympia, WA. For the fourth consecutive year in November, the workshop convened the entire multi-disciplinary group of scientists and engineers working on the Study or on related projects within the Columbia River littoral cell (CRLC) (Figures 1 and 2). The workshop participants are listed in the List of Attendees section towards the end of this report. The purpose of this workshop was to bring all Study investigators and associated engineers and scientists together to discuss recent work, ongoing tasks, and future research plans in the CRLC. Investigators were asked to present recent data, preliminary interpretations, and research results to invoke discussion and correlation with parallel scientific efforts. The abstracts compiled in this report represent a wealth of information on the CRLC, but because much of the work is in progress, the reader is advised that the information provided herein is preliminary and subject to change.

Inhibition of Enterococcus faecium adherence to collagen by antibodies against high-affinity binding subdomains of Acm.

PubMed

Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Sillanpää, Jouko; Ganesh, Vannakambadi K; Höök, Magnus; Murray, Barbara E

2007-06-01

Strains of Enterococcus faecium express a cell wall-anchored protein, Acm, which mediates adherence to collagen. Here, we (i) identify the minimal and high-affinity binding subsegments of Acm and (ii) show that anti-Acm immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) purified against these subsegments reduced E. faecium TX2535 strain collagen adherence up to 73 and 50%, respectively, significantly more than the total IgGs against the full-length Acm A domain (28%) (P < 0.0001). Blocking Acm adherence with functional subsegment-specific antibodies raises the possibility of their use as therapeutic or prophylactic agents.

40 CFR 763.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on interior structural members or... question may also indicate damage. Damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM means thermal system insulation ACM on pipes, boilers, tanks, ducts, and other thermal system insulation...

40 CFR 763.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on interior structural members or... question may also indicate damage. Damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM means thermal system insulation ACM on pipes, boilers, tanks, ducts, and other thermal system insulation...

40 CFR 763.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on interior structural members or... question may also indicate damage. Damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM means thermal system insulation ACM on pipes, boilers, tanks, ducts, and other thermal system insulation...

40 CFR 763.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on interior structural members or... question may also indicate damage. Damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM means thermal system insulation ACM on pipes, boilers, tanks, ducts, and other thermal system insulation...

40 CFR 763.83 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on interior structural members or... question may also indicate damage. Damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM means thermal system insulation ACM on pipes, boilers, tanks, ducts, and other thermal system insulation...

Assessment of pesticide residues in army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxiliaris) from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and their potential consequences to foraging grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robison, H.L.; Schwartz, C.C.; Petty, J.D.; Brussard, P.F.

2006-01-01

During summer, a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) (USA) can excavate and consume millions of army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxiliaris) (ACMs) that aggregate in high elevation talus. Grizzly bears in the GYE were listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1975 and were proposed for delisting in 2005. However, questions remain about key bear foods. For example, ACMs are agricultural pests and concern exists about whether they contain pesticides that could be toxic to bears. Consequently, we investigated whether ACMs contain and transport pesticides to bear foraging sites and, if so, whether these levels could be toxic to bears. In 1999 we collected and analyzed ACMs from six bear foraging sites. ACMs were screened for 32 pesticides with gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Because gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) can be more sensitive than GC-ECD for certain pesticides, we revisited one site in 2001 and analyzed these ACMs with GC-MS/MS. ACMs contained trace or undetectable levels of pesticides in 1999 and 2001, respectively. Based on chemical levels in ACMs and numbers of ACMs a bear can consume, we calculated the potential of chemicals to reach physiological toxicity. These calculations indicate bears do not consume physiologically toxic levels of pesticides and allay concerns they are at risk from pesticides transported by ACMs. If chemical control of ACMs changes in the future, screening new ACM samples taken from bear foraging sites may be warranted. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CNTF-ACM promotes mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress in cortical neurons through upregulating L-type calcium channel activity.

PubMed

Sun, Meiqun; Liu, Hongli; Xu, Huanbai; Wang, Hongtao; Wang, Xiaojing

2016-09-01

A specialized culture medium termed ciliary neurotrophic factor-treated astrocyte-conditioned medium (CNTF-ACM) allows investigators to assess the peripheral effects of CNTF-induced activated astrocytes upon cultured neurons. CNTF-ACM has been shown to upregulate neuronal L-type calcium channel current activity, which has been previously linked to changes in mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate CNTF-ACM's effects upon mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress in rat cortical neurons. Cortical neurons, CNTF-ACM, and untreated control astrocyte-conditioned medium (UC-ACM) were prepared from neonatal Sprague-Dawley rat cortical tissue. Neurons were cultured in either CNTF-ACM or UC-ACM for a 48-h period. Changes in the following parameters before and after treatment with the L-type calcium channel blocker isradipine were assessed: (i) intracellular calcium levels, (ii) mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), (iii) oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) formation, (iv) intracellular nitric oxide (NO) levels, (v) mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and (vi) susceptibility to the mitochondrial complex I toxin rotenone. CNTF-ACM neurons displayed the following significant changes relative to UC-ACM neurons: (i) increased intracellular calcium levels (p < 0.05), (ii) elevation in ΔΨm (p < 0.05), (iii) increased OCR and ATP formation (p < 0.05), (iv) increased intracellular NO levels (p < 0.05), (v) increased mitochondrial ROS production (p < 0.05), and (vi) increased susceptibility to rotenone (p < 0.05). Treatment with isradipine was able to partially rescue these negative effects of CNTF-ACM (p < 0.05). CNTF-ACM promotes mitochondrial respiration and oxidative stress in cortical neurons through elevating L-type calcium channel activity.

Contribution of the collagen adhesin Acm to pathogenesis of Enterococcus faecium in experimental endocarditis.

PubMed

Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Singh, Kavindra V; Murray, Barbara E

2008-09-01

Enterococcus faecium is a multidrug-resistant opportunist causing difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections, including endocarditis, but there are no reports experimentally demonstrating E. faecium virulence determinants. Our previous studies showed that some clinical E. faecium isolates produce a cell wall-anchored collagen adhesin, Acm, and that an isogenic acm deletion mutant of the endocarditis-derived strain TX0082 lost collagen adherence. In this study, we show with a rat endocarditis model that TX0082 Deltaacm::cat is highly attenuated versus wild-type TX0082, both in established (72 h) vegetations (P < 0.0001) and for valve colonization 1 and 3 hours after infection (P or=50-fold reduction relative to an Acm producer) were found in three of these five nonadherent isolates, including the sequenced strain TX0016, by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, indicating that acm transcription is downregulated in vitro in these isolates. However, examination of TX0016 cells obtained directly from infected rat vegetations by flow cytometry showed that Acm was present on 40% of cells grown during infection. Finally, we demonstrated a significant reduction in E. faecium collagen adherence by affinity-purified anti-Acm antibodies from E. faecium endocarditis patient sera, suggesting that Acm may be a potential immunotarget for strategies to control this emerging pathogen.

Growth and acid production of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC 11842 in the fermentation of algal carcass.

PubMed

Li, C; Zhang, G F; Mao, X; Wang, J Y; Duan, C Y; Wang, Z J; Liu, L B

2016-06-01

Algal carcass is a low-value byproduct of algae after its conversion to biodiesel. Dried algal carcass is rich in protein, carbohydrate, and multiple amino acids, and it is typically well suited for growth and acid production of lactic acid bacteria. In this study, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ATCC 11842 was used to ferment different algal carcass media (ACM), including 2% ACM, 2% ACM with 1.9% glucose (ACM-G), and 2% ACM with 1.9% glucose and 2g/L amino acid mixture (ACM-GA). Concentrations of organic acids (lactic acid and acetic acid), acetyl-CoA, and ATP were analyzed by HPLC, and activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), acetokinase (ACK), pyruvate kinase (PK), and phosphofructokinase (PFK) were determined by using a chemical approach. The growth of L. bulgaricus cells in ACM-GA was close to that in the control medium (de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe). Lactic acid and acetic acid contents were greatly reduced when L. bulgaricus cells were grown in ACM compared with the control medium. Acetyl-CoA content varied with organic acid content and was increased in cells grown in different ACM compared with the control medium. The ATP content of L. bulgaricus cells in ACM was reduced compared with that of cells grown in the control medium. Activities of PFK and ACK of L. bulgaricus cells grown in ACM were higher and those of PK and LDH were lower compared with the control. Thus, ACM rich in nutrients may serve as an excellent substrate for growth by lactic acid bacteria, and addition of appropriate amounts of glucose and amino acids can improve growth and acid production. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dedifferentiation, Proliferation, and Redifferentiation of Adult Mammalian Cardiomyocytes After Ischemic Injury.

PubMed

Wang, Wei Eric; Li, Liangpeng; Xia, Xuewei; Fu, Wenbin; Liao, Qiao; Lan, Cong; Yang, Dezhong; Chen, Hongmei; Yue, Rongchuan; Zeng, Cindy; Zhou, Lin; Zhou, Bin; Duan, Dayue Darrel; Chen, Xiongwen; Houser, Steven R; Zeng, Chunyu

2017-08-29

Adult mammalian hearts have a limited ability to generate new cardiomyocytes. Proliferation of existing adult cardiomyocytes (ACMs) is a potential source of new cardiomyocytes. Understanding the fundamental biology of ACM proliferation could be of great clinical significance for treating myocardial infarction (MI). We aim to understand the process and regulation of ACM proliferation and its role in new cardiomyocyte formation of post-MI mouse hearts. β-Actin-green fluorescent protein transgenic mice and fate-mapping Myh6-MerCreMer-tdTomato/lacZ mice were used to trace the fate of ACMs. In a coculture system with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, ACM proliferation was documented with clear evidence of cytokinesis observed with time-lapse imaging. Cardiomyocyte proliferation in the adult mouse post-MI heart was detected by cell cycle markers and 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine incorporation analysis. Echocardiography was used to measure cardiac function, and histology was performed to determine infarction size. In vitro, mononucleated and bi/multinucleated ACMs were able to proliferate at a similar rate (7.0%) in the coculture. Dedifferentiation proceeded ACM proliferation, which was followed by redifferentiation. Redifferentiation was essential to endow the daughter cells with cardiomyocyte contractile function. Intercellular propagation of Ca 2+ from contracting neonatal rat ventricular myocytes into ACM daughter cells was required to activate the Ca 2+ -dependent calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T-cell signaling pathway to induce ACM redifferentiation. The properties of neonatal rat ventricular myocyte Ca 2+ transients influenced the rate of ACM redifferentiation. Hypoxia impaired the function of gap junctions by dephosphorylating its component protein connexin 43, the major mediator of intercellular Ca 2+ propagation between cardiomyocytes, thereby impairing ACM redifferentiation. In vivo, ACM proliferation was found primarily in the MI border zone. An ischemia-resistant connexin 43 mutant enhanced the redifferentiation of ACM-derived new cardiomyocytes after MI and improved cardiac function. Mature ACMs can reenter the cell cycle and form new cardiomyocytes through a 3-step process: dedifferentiation, proliferation, and redifferentiation. Intercellular Ca 2+ signal from neighboring functioning cardiomyocytes through gap junctions induces the redifferentiation process. This novel mechanism contributes to new cardiomyocyte formation in post-MI hearts in mammals. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Interactive Video.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, Carol

1992-01-01

A workshop on interactive video was designed for fourth and fifth grade students, with the goals of familiarizing students with laser disc technology, developing a cadre of trained students to train other students and staff, and challenging able learners to utilize higher level thinking skills while conducting a research project. (JDD)

Influence of Miscibility Phenomenon on Crystalline Polymorph Transition in Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride)/Acrylic Rubber/Clay Nanocomposite Hybrid

PubMed Central

Abolhasani, Mohammad Mahdi; Naebe, Minoo; Jalali-Arani, Azam; Guo, Qipeng

2014-01-01

In this paper, intercalation of nanoclay in the miscible polymer blend of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and acrylic rubber(ACM) was studied. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the formation of nanoscale polymer blend/clay hybrid. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray analysis revealed the coexistence of β and γ crystalline forms in PVDF/Clay nanocomposite while α crystalline form was found to be dominant in PVDF/ACM/Clay miscible hybrids. Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (B) was used to further explain the miscibility phenomenon observed. The B parameter was determined by combining the melting point depression and the binary interaction model. The estimated B values for the ternary PVDF/ACM/Clay and PVDF/ACM pairs were all negative, showing both proper intercalation of the polymer melt into the nanoclay galleries and the good miscibility of PVDF and ACM blend. The B value for the PVDF/ACM blend was almost the same as that measured for the PVDF/ACM/Clay hybrid, suggesting that PVDF chains in nanocomposite hybrids interact with ACM chains and that nanoclay in hybrid systems is wrapped by ACM molecules. PMID:24551141

Genetic basis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Karmouch, Jennifer; Protonotarios, Alexandros; Syrris, Petros

2018-05-01

To date 16 genes have been associated with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Mutations in these genes can lead to a broad spectrum of phenotypic expression ranging from disease affecting predominantly the right or left ventricle, to biventricular subtypes. Understanding the genetic causes of ACM is important in diagnosis and management of the disorder. This review summarizes recent advances in molecular genetics and discusses the application of next-generation sequencing technology in genetic testing in ACM. Use of next-generation sequencing methods has resulted in the identification of novel causative variants and genes for ACM. The involvement of filamin C in ACM demonstrates the genetic overlap between ACM and other types of cardiomyopathy. Putative pathogenic variants have been detected in cadherin 2 gene, a protein involved in cell adhesion. Large genomic rearrangements in desmosome genes have been systematically investigated in a cohort of ACM patients. Recent studies have identified novel causes of ACM providing new insights into the genetic spectrum of the disease and highlighting an overlapping phenotype between ACM and dilated cardiomyopathy. Next-generation sequencing is a useful tool for research and genetic diagnostic screening but interpretation of identified sequence variants requires caution and should be performed in specialized centres.

Characterization of Biosynthetic Genes of Ascamycin/Dealanylascamycin Featuring a 5′-O-Sulfonamide Moiety in Streptomyces sp. JCM9888

PubMed Central

Zhao, Chunhua; Qi, Jianzhao; Tao, Weixing; He, Lei; Xu, Wei; Chan, Jason; Deng, Zixin

2014-01-01

Ascamycin (ACM) and dealanylascamycin (DACM) are nucleoside antibiotics elaborated by Streptomyces sp. JCM9888. The later shows broad spectrum inhibition activity to various gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, eukaryotic Trypanosoma and is also toxic to mice, while ascamycin is active against very limited microorganisms, such as Xanthomonas. Both compounds share an unusual 5′-O-sulfonamide moiety which is attached to an adenosine nucleoside. In this paper, we first report on the 30 kb gene cluster (23 genes, acmA to acmW) involved in the biosynthesis of these two antibiotics and a biosynthetic assembly line was proposed. Of them, six genes (AcmABGKIW) are hypothetical genes involved in 5′-O-sulfonamide formation. Two flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent chlorinase genes acmX and acmY were characterized which are significantly remote from acmA-W and postulated to be required for adenine C2-halogenation. Notably gene disruption of acmE resulted in a mutant which could only produce dealanylascamycin but was blocked in its ability to biosynthesize ascamycin, revealing its key role of conversion of dealanylascamycin to ascamycin. PMID:25479601

ACM CCS 2013-2015 Student Travel Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-29

ACM CCS 2013-2015 Student Travel Support Under the ARO funded effort titled “ACM CCS 2013-2015 Student Travel Support,” from 2013 to 2015, George...Mason University awarded 10 students travel awards every year. These grants enabled the students to offset the cost to attend the ACM Conference on...AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) U.S. Army Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 travel grant, acm ccs REPORT

Acemetacin cocrystal structures by powder X-ray diffraction.

PubMed

Bolla, Geetha; Chernyshev, Vladimir; Nangia, Ashwini

2017-05-01

Cocrystals of acemetacin drug (ACM) with nicotinamide (NAM), p -aminobenzoic acid (PABA), valerolactam (VLM) and 2-pyridone (2HP) were prepared by melt crystallization and their X-ray crystal structures determined by high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction. The powerful technique of structure determination from powder data (SDPD) provided details of molecular packing and hydrogen bonding in pharmaceutical cocrystals of acemetacin. ACM-NAM occurs in anhydrate and hydrate forms, whereas the other structures crystallized in a single crystalline form. The carboxylic acid group of ACM forms theacid-amide dimer three-point synthon R 3 2 (9) R 2 2 (8) R 3 2 (9) with three different syn amides (VLM, 2HP and caprolactam). The conformations of the ACM molecule observed in the crystal structures differ mainly in the mutual orientation of chlorobenzene fragment and the neighboring methyl group, being anti (type I) or syn (type II). ACM hydrate, ACM-NAM, ACM-NAM-hydrate and the piperazine salt of ACM exhibit the type I conformation, whereas ACM polymorphs and other cocrystals adopt the ACM type II conformation. Hydrogen-bond interactions in all the crystal structures were quantified by calculating their molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surfaces. Hirshfeld surface analysis of the cocrystal surfaces shows that about 50% of the contribution is due to a combination of strong and weak O⋯H, N⋯H, Cl⋯H and C⋯H interactions. The physicochemical properties of these cocrystals are under study.

Fourth International Workshop on Grid Simulator Testing of Wind Turbine

Science.gov Websites

, United Kingdom Smart Reconfiguration and Protection in Advanced Electric Distribution Grids - Mayank Capabilities in Kinectrics - Nicolas Wrathall, Kinectrics, Canada Discussion Day 2: April 26, 2017 Advanced Grid Emulation Methods Advanced PHIL Interface for Multi-MW Scale Inverter Testing - Przemyslaw

76 FR 64943 - Proposed Cercla Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-19

... Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located in Cascade County, MT AGENCY: Environmental Protection... projected future response costs concerning the ACM Smelter and Refinery NPL Site (Site), Operable Unit 1..., Helena, MT 59626. Mr. Sturn can be reached at (406) 457-5027. Comments should reference the ACM Smelter...

77 FR 30005 - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Statement of Organization, Functions, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-21

... Office of the Director (ACM21) Recruitment Branch (ACM22) Assignments & Career Management Branch (ACM23... & Career Management Branch (ACM23). (1) Addresses short- and long-term force management of Corps officers... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary Office of the Assistant Secretary...

Human acellular cartilage matrix powders as a biological scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering with synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

PubMed

Chang, Chih-Hung; Chen, Chia-Chun; Liao, Cheng-Hao; Lin, Feng-Huei; Hsu, Yuan-Ming; Fang, Hsu-Wei

2014-07-01

In our previous study, we found that cartilage fragments from osteoarthritic knee promoted chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells. In this study, we further transformed the cartilage tissues into acellular cartilage matrix (ACM) and explored the feasibility of using ACM as a biological scaffold. Nonworn parts of cartilage tissues were obtained during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery and were successfully fabricated into ACM powders. The ACM powders and human synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) were mixed into collagen gel for in vitro culture. Histological results showed a synergistic effect of ACM powders and chondrogenic growth factors in the formation of engineered cartilage. The findings of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) suggested that ACM powders had the potential of promoting type II collagen gene expression in the growth factors-absent environment. Moreover, with growth factors induction, the ACM powders could reduce the hypertrophy in chondrogenesis of SMSCs. In summary, ACM powders could serve as a functional scaffold that benefited the chondrogenesis of SMSCs for cartilage tissue engineering. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cancer recurrence and mortality after pediatric heart transplantation for anthracycline cardiomyopathy: A report from the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study (PHTS) group.

PubMed

Bock, Matthew J; Pahl, Elfriede; Rusconi, Paolo G; Boyle, Gerard J; Parent, John J; Twist, Clare J; Kirklin, James K; Pruitt, Elizabeth; Bernstein, Daniel

2017-08-01

We aimed to determine whether malignancy after pediatric HTx for ACM affects overall post-HTx survival. Patients <18y listed for HTx for ACM in the PHTS database between 1993 and 2014 were compared to those with DCM. A 2:1 matched DCM cohort was also compared. Wait-list and post-HTx survival, along with freedom from common HTx complications, were compared. Eighty subjects were listed due to ACM, whereas 1985 were listed for DCM. Although wait-list survival was higher in the ACM group, post-HTx survival was lower for the ACM cohort. Neither difference persisted in the matched cohort analysis. Primary cause of death in the ACM group was infection, which was higher than the DCM group. Malignancy rates were not different. All ACM malignancies were due to PTLD without primary cancer recurrence or SMN. Long-term graft survival after pediatric HTx for ACM is no different than for matched DCM peers, nor is there an increased risk of any malignancy. However, risk of infection and death from infection after HTx are higher in the ACM group. Further studies are needed to assess the effects of prior chemotherapy on susceptibility to infection in this group. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Malignant ventricular arrhythmias in alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Guzzo-Merello, Gonzalo; Dominguez, Fernando; González-López, Esther; Cobo-Marcos, Marta; Gomez-Bueno, Manuel; Fernandez-Lozano, Ignacio; Millan, Isabel; Segovia, Javier; Alonso-Pulpon, Luis; Garcia-Pavia, Pablo

2015-11-15

Excessive alcohol consumption is a well-known aetiology of atrial arrhythmias but there is little information concerning the prevalence or incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). This study sought to investigate incidence and predictive factors of ventricular arrhythmias in ACM. Retrospective observational study of the clinical characteristics and long-term arrhythmic events in 282 consecutive patients with ACM (94 individuals) and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) (188 individuals) evaluated between 1993 and 2011. During a median follow-up of 38months (IQR:12-77), 42 patients died and 79 underwent heart transplantation [31 (33%) with ACM vs 90 (48%) with IDCM; p=0.017]. A total of 37 (13%) patients [18 (19%) ACM vs 20 (11%) IDCM; p=0.048] suffered malignant ventricular arrhythmias. On multivariate analysis, left bundle branch block (LBBB) (OR 2.4; CI95%: 1.2-5; p=0.015) and alcoholic aetiology (OR 2.3; CI95%: 1.1-4.5; p=0.026) were the only independent predictors of malignant ventricular arrhythmic events. A total of 18 (19%) ACM patients experienced 20 malignant ventricular arrhythmic events (4 aborted SCD, 8 SCD and 8 appropriate ICD therapies). At baseline evaluation, the only independent predictor of malignant ventricular arrhythmias in ACM patients was LBBB (OR 11.2; CI95%: 2.6-50; p=0.001). No malignant ventricular arrhythmias were recorded during follow-up in ACM patients if left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) had increased or remained ≥40%. Malignant ventricular arrhythmias are more frequent in ACM than in IDCM. LBBB identifies ACM patients with increased risk of SCD. No malignant ventricular arrhythmias were found during follow-up in ACM patients when LVEF was ≥40%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distribution of the ACME-arcA gene among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from England and Wales.

PubMed

Ellington, Matthew J; Yearwood, Lianne; Ganner, Mark; East, Claire; Kearns, Angela M

2008-01-01

The ST8-SCCmecIVa (USA300) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone can harbour the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME). The arc gene cluster within the ACME may function as a virulence or strain survival factor. We determined the distribution of the ACME-associated arcA gene among genetically diverse MRSA from around England and Wales. MRSA isolates (n = 203) of diverse genetic types, referred to the England and Wales Staphylococcus reference laboratory, were tested for the presence of the ACME-arcA gene. ACME-arcA-positive isolates were characterized by toxin gene profiling, PFGE and spa sequence typing. MICs of a range of antimicrobials were also determined. The ACME-arcA gene was detected in 17 isolates. Twelve were related to known ST8-MRSA-SCCmecIVa isolates of the USA300 lineage by pulsotype and were resistant to oxacillin, with variable ciprofloxacin and erythromycin resistance. Outside the USA300 lineage, four of the remaining five ACME-arcA isolates were closely related ST97-MRSA-SCCmecV, Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-negative, resistant to oxacillin and variously resistant to erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, gentamicin, tetracycline and fusidic acid. The remaining isolate was ST1, PVL-positive and resistant to fusidic acid as well as oxacillin. Thirteen out of the 17 isolates were associated with skin and soft tissue infections. The detection of ACME-arcA in diverse MRSA types highlights the mobility of the elements encoding ACME-arcA genes. The diversity of strain types and resistance profiles among ACME-arcA-encoding MRSA is a cause for public-health concern and demands continued surveillance and close monitoring.

Optimal arrangement of magnetic coils for functional magnetic stimulation of the inspiratory muscles in dogs.

PubMed

Lin, Vernon Weh-Hau; Zhu, Ercheng; Sasse, Scott A; Sassoon, Catherine; Hsiao, Ian N

2005-12-01

In an attempt to maximize inspiratory pressure and volume, the optimal position of a single or of dual magnetic coils during functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) of the inspiratory muscles was evaluated in twenty-three dogs. Unilateral phrenic magnetic stimulation (UPMS) or bilateral phrenic magnetic stimulation (BPMS), posterior cervical magnetic stimulation (PCMS), anterior cervical magnetic stimulation (ACMS) as well as a combination of PCMS and ACMS were performed. Trans-diaphragmatic pressure (Pdi), flow, and lung volume changes with an open airway were measured. Transdiaphragmatic pressure was also measured with an occluded airway. Changes in inspiratory parameters during FMS were compared with 1) electrical stimulation of surgically exposed bilateral phrenic nerves (BPES) and 2) ventral root electrical stimulation at C5-C7 (VRES C5-C7). Relative to the Pdi generated by BPES of 36.3 +/- 4.5 cm H2O (Mean +/- SEM), occluded Pdi(s) produced by UPMS, BPMS, PCMS, ACMS, and a combined PCMS + ACMS were 51.7%, 61.5%, 22.4%, 100.3%, and 104.5% of the maximal Pdi, respectively. Pdi(s) produced by UPMS, BPMS, PCMS, ACMS, and combined ACMS + PCMS were 38.0%, 45.2%, 16.5%, 73.8%, and 76.8%, respectively, of the Pdi induced by VRES (C5-C7) (48.0 +/- 3.9 cm H2O). The maximal Pdi(s) generated during ACMS and combined PCMS + ACMS were higher than the maximal Pdi(s) generated during UPMS, BPMS, or PCMS (p < 0.05). ACMS alone induced 129.8% of the inspiratory flow (73.0 +/- 9.4 L/ min) and 77.5% of the volume (626 +/- 556 ml) induced by BPES. ACMS and combined PCMS + ACMS produce a greater inspiratory pressure than UPMS, BPMS or PCMS. ACMS can be used to generate sufficient inspiratory pressure, flow, and volume for activation of the inspiratory muscles.

Genetic interrelations in the actinomycin biosynthetic gene clusters of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720 and Streptomyces chrysomallus ATCC11523, producers of actinomycin X and actinomycin C

PubMed Central

Crnovčić, Ivana; Rückert, Christian; Semsary, Siamak; Lang, Manuel; Kalinowski, Jörn; Keller, Ullrich

2017-01-01

Sequencing the actinomycin (acm) biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720, which produces actinomycin X (Acm X), revealed 20 genes organized into a highly similar framework as in the bi-armed acm C biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces chrysomallus but without an attached additional extra arm of orthologues as in the latter. Curiously, the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus gene cluster turned out to perfectly match the single arm of the S. antibioticus gene cluster in the same order of orthologues including the the presence of two pseudogenes, scacmM and scacmN, encoding a cytochrome P450 and its ferredoxin, respectively. Orthologues of the latter genes were both missing in the principal arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster. All orthologues of the extra arm showed a G +C-contents different from that of their counterparts in the principal arm. Moreover, the similarities of translation products from the extra arm were all higher to the corresponding translation products of orthologue genes from the S. antibioticus acm X gene cluster than to those encoded by the principal arm of their own gene cluster. This suggests that the duplicated structure of the S. chrysomallus acm C biosynthetic gene cluster evolved from previous fusion between two one-armed acm gene clusters each from a different genetic background. However, while scacmM and scacmN in the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster are mutated and therefore are non-functional, their orthologues saacmM and saacmN in the S. antibioticus acm C gene cluster show no defects seemingly encoding active enzymes with functions specific for Acm X biosynthesis. Both acm biosynthetic gene clusters lack a kynurenine-3-monooxygenase gene necessary for biosynthesis of 3-hydroxy-4-methylanthranilic acid, the building block of the Acm chromophore, which suggests participation of a genome-encoded relevant monooxygenase during Acm biosynthesis in both S. chrysomallus and S. antibioticus. PMID:28435299

Genetic interrelations in the actinomycin biosynthetic gene clusters of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720 and Streptomyces chrysomallus ATCC11523, producers of actinomycin X and actinomycin C.

PubMed

Crnovčić, Ivana; Rückert, Christian; Semsary, Siamak; Lang, Manuel; Kalinowski, Jörn; Keller, Ullrich

2017-01-01

Sequencing the actinomycin ( acm ) biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU 3720, which produces actinomycin X (Acm X), revealed 20 genes organized into a highly similar framework as in the bi-armed acm C biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces chrysomallus but without an attached additional extra arm of orthologues as in the latter. Curiously, the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus gene cluster turned out to perfectly match the single arm of the S. antibioticus gene cluster in the same order of orthologues including the the presence of two pseudogenes, scacmM and scacmN , encoding a cytochrome P450 and its ferredoxin, respectively. Orthologues of the latter genes were both missing in the principal arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster. All orthologues of the extra arm showed a G +C-contents different from that of their counterparts in the principal arm. Moreover, the similarities of translation products from the extra arm were all higher to the corresponding translation products of orthologue genes from the S. antibioticus acm X gene cluster than to those encoded by the principal arm of their own gene cluster. This suggests that the duplicated structure of the S. chrysomallus acm C biosynthetic gene cluster evolved from previous fusion between two one-armed acm gene clusters each from a different genetic background. However, while scacmM and scacmN in the extra arm of the S. chrysomallus acm C gene cluster are mutated and therefore are non-functional, their orthologues saacmM and saacmN in the S. antibioticus acm C gene cluster show no defects seemingly encoding active enzymes with functions specific for Acm X biosynthesis. Both acm biosynthetic gene clusters lack a kynurenine-3-monooxygenase gene necessary for biosynthesis of 3-hydroxy-4-methylanthranilic acid, the building block of the Acm chromophore, which suggests participation of a genome-encoded relevant monooxygenase during Acm biosynthesis in both S. chrysomallus and S. antibioticus .

Design and implementation of GaAs HBT circuits with ACME

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutchings, Brad L.; Carter, Tony M.

1993-01-01

GaAs HBT circuits offer high performance (5-20 GHz) and radiation hardness (500 Mrad) that is attractive for space applications. ACME is a CAD tool specifically developed for HBT circuits. ACME implements a novel physical schematic-capture design technique where designers simultaneously view the structure and physical organization of a circuit. ACME's design interface is similar to schematic capture; however, unlike conventional schematic capture, designers can directly control the physical placement of both function and interconnect at the schematic level. In addition, ACME provides design-time parasitic extraction, complex wire models, and extensions to Multi-Chip Modules (MCM's). A GaAs HBT gate-array and semi-custom circuits have been developed with ACME; several circuits have been fabricated and found to be fully functional .

Planning for Your Second Accounting Job

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mucenski-Keck, Lynn; Hintz, Arthur F.; Fedoryshyn, Michael W.

2012-01-01

For many accounting students the focus of their fourth or fifth years is finding a job to start them on an exciting and financially rewarding career. Colleges provide significant guidance and direction to these students in the form of internship assistance, resume writing workshops, interview practice, networking events and career guidance. At…

Our Town Integrated Studies: A Resource.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Education, Raleigh.

This integrated state curriculum guide was developed by North Carolina fourth grade teachers, principals, and supervisors during a workshop which explored methods of integrating curriculum objectives from multiple instructional areas by using the community as both a resource and a subject of study and by introducing the concept of webbing, an…

Technology 2003: The Fourth National Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hackett, Michael (Compiler)

1994-01-01

Proceedings from symposia of the Technology 2003 Conference and Exposition, December 7-9, 1993, Anaheim, CA, was discussed. Volume 1 features the Plenary Session and the Plenary Workshop, plus papers presented in Advanced Manufacturing, Biotechnology/Medical Technology, Environmental Technology, Materials Science, and Power and Energy.

Graft survival after cardiac transplantation for alcohol cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Brinkley, D Marshall; Novak, Eric; Topkara, Veli K; Geltman, Edward M

2014-08-27

Alcohol cardiomyopathy (ACM) constitutes up to 40% of patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Transplant-free survival is worse for patients with ACM versus idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) with continued exposure. The prognosis for patients with ACM after cardiac transplantation is unknown. We evaluated adults who underwent single-organ, cardiac transplantation from 1994 to 2009 with a diagnosis of ACM (n=134) or IDCM (n=10,243) in the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network registry. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated by cohort for time until graft failure, cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and hospitalization for rejection. A Cox proportional hazards model was created to determine factors associated with each outcome. Patients with ACM were more likely to be males (P<0.0001), minorities (P<0.0001), and smokers (P=0.0310) compared with IDCM. Overall graft survival was lower for the ACM cohort (P=0.0001). After multivariate analysis, ACM was not independently associated with graft survival (HR 1.341, 95% CI 0.944-1.906, P=0.1017). Creatinine, total bilirubin, minority ethnicity, graft under-sizing, life support, diabetes, and donor age were independent predictors of graft failure. There were no significant differences between primary cause of death, vasculopathy, or rejection. There was no association between ACM and graft survival in this large registry study, but poorer overall survival in the ACM cohort was associated with other recipient characteristics.

Design of ACM system based on non-greedy punctured LDPC codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zijun; Jiang, Zihong; Zhou, Lin; He, Yucheng

2017-08-01

In this paper, an adaptive coded modulation (ACM) scheme based on rate-compatible LDPC (RC-LDPC) codes was designed. The RC-LDPC codes were constructed by a non-greedy puncturing method which showed good performance in high code rate region. Moreover, the incremental redundancy scheme of LDPC-based ACM system over AWGN channel was proposed. By this scheme, code rates vary from 2/3 to 5/6 and the complication of the ACM system is lowered. Simulations show that more and more obvious coding gain can be obtained by the proposed ACM system with higher throughput.

Proceedings: Fourth Workshop on Mining Scientific Datasets

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

Kamath, C

Commercial applications of data mining in areas such as e-commerce, market-basket analysis, text-mining, and web-mining have taken on a central focus in the JCDD community. However, there is a significant amount of innovative data mining work taking place in the context of scientific and engineering applications that is not well represented in the mainstream KDD conferences. For example, scientific data mining techniques are being developed and applied to diverse fields such as remote sensing, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, structural mechanics, computational fluid dynamics etc. In these areas, data mining frequently complements and enhances existing analysis methods based on statistics, exploratorymore » data analysis, and domain-specific approaches. On the surface, it may appear that data from one scientific field, say genomics, is very different from another field, such as physics. However, despite their diversity, there is much that is common across the mining of scientific and engineering data. For example, techniques used to identify objects in images are very similar, regardless of whether the images came from a remote sensing application, a physics experiment, an astronomy observation, or a medical study. Further, with data mining being applied to new types of data, such as mesh data from scientific simulations, there is the opportunity to apply and extend data mining to new scientific domains. This one-day workshop brings together data miners analyzing science data and scientists from diverse fields to share their experiences, learn how techniques developed in one field can be applied in another, and better understand some of the newer techniques being developed in the KDD community. This is the fourth workshop on the topic of Mining Scientific Data sets; for information on earlier workshops, see http://www.ahpcrc.org/conferences/. This workshop continues the tradition of addressing challenging problems in a field where the diversity of applications is matched only by the opportunities that await a practitioner.« less

EDITORIAL: The Fourth International Workshop on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS 2004)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Shuji; Toriyama, Toshiyuki

2005-09-01

This special issue of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering features papers selected from the Fourth International Workshop on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS 2004). The workshop was held in Kyoto, Japan, on 28-30 November 2004, by The Ritsumeikan Research Institute of Micro System Technology in cooperation with The Global Emerging Technology Institute, The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, The Sensors and Micromachines Society, The Micromachine Center and The Kyoto Nanotech Cluster. Power MEMS is one of the newest categories of MEMS, which encompasses microdevices and microsystems for power generation, energy conversion and propulsion. The first concept of power MEMS was proposed in the late 1990s by Epstein's group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they continue to study MEMS-based gas turbine generators. Since then, the research and development of power MEMS have been promoted by the need for compact power sources with high energy and power density. Since its inception, power MEMS has expanded to include not only various MEMS-based power generators but also small energy machines and microdevices for macro power generators. At the last workshop, various devices and systems, such as portable fuel cells and their peripherals, micro and small turbo machinery, energy harvesting microdevices, and microthrusters, were presented. Their power levels vary from ten nanowatts to hundreds of watts, spanning ten orders of magnitude. The first PowerMEMS workshop was held in 2000 in Sendai, Japan, and consisted of only seven invited presentations. The workshop has grown since then, and in 2004 there were 5 invited, 20 oral and 29 poster presentations. From the 54 papers in the proceedings, 12 papers have been selected for this special issue. I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the Organizing Committee and Technical Program Committee. This special issue was edited in collaboration with Professor Toshiyuki Toriyama (Ritsumeikan University), Co-chair of the Technical Program Committee, and the Institute of Physics Publishing staff.

Aclacinomycin A Sensitizes K562 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells to Imatinib through p38MAPK-Mediated Erythroid Differentiation

PubMed Central

Liu, Fu-Hwa; Huang, Yu-Wen; Huang, Huei-Mei

2013-01-01

Expression of oncogenic Bcr-Abl inhibits cell differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Differentiation therapy is considered to be a new strategy for treating this type of leukemia. Aclacinomycin A (ACM) is an antitumor antibiotic. Previous studies have shown that ACM induced erythroid differentiation of CML cells. In this study, we investigate the effect of ACM on the sensitivity of human CML cell line K562 to Bcr-Abl specific inhibitor imatinib (STI571, Gleevec). We first determined the optimal concentration of ACM for erythroid differentiation but not growth inhibition and apoptosis in K562 cells. Then, pretreatment with this optimal concentration of ACM followed by a minimally toxic concentration of imatinib strongly induced growth inhibition and apoptosis compared to that with simultaneous co-treatment, indicating that ACM-induced erythroid differentiation sensitizes K562 cells to imatinib. Sequential treatment with ACM and imatinib induced Bcr-Abl down-regulation, cytochrome c release into the cytosol, and caspase-3 activation, as well as decreased Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL expressions, but did not affect Fas ligand/Fas death receptor and procaspase-8 expressions. ACM/imatinib sequential treatment-induced apoptosis was suppressed by a caspase-9 inhibitor and a caspase-3 inhibitor, indicating that the caspase cascade is involved in this apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ACM induced erythroid differentiation through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The inhibition of erythroid differentiation by p38MAPK inhibitor SB202190, p38MAPK dominant negative mutant or p38MAPK shRNA knockdown, reduced the ACM/imatinib sequential treatment-mediated growth inhibition and apoptosis. These results suggest that differentiated K562 cells induced by ACM-mediated p38MAPK pathway become more sensitive to imatinib and result in down-regulations of Bcr-Abl and anti-apoptotic proteins, growth inhibition and apoptosis. These results provided a potential management by which ACM might have a crucial impact on increasing sensitivity of CML cells to imatinib in the differentiation therapeutic approaches. PMID:23613979

Changing outcomes after heart transplantation in patients with amyloid cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Davis, Margot K; Lee, Peter H U; Witteles, Ronald M

2015-05-01

Amyloid cardiomyopathy (ACM) is associated with a poor prognosis. Previous reports have suggested unfavorable post-heart transplant (HT) survival in this population compared with other HT recipients. Data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry were used to study outcomes among ACM patients undergoing HT in the modern era (Era 2, 2008 to 2013) as compared with the historical era (Era 1, 1987 to 2007). One hundred eighty-eight ACM patients underwent primary single-organ HT. Ninety-seven patients (51.6%) were transplanted in Era 1 and 91 (48.4%) in Era 2. ACM patients undergoing HT in Era 2 were older (p < 0.0001), had higher body mass index (p = 0.008) and longer ischemic times (p = 0.02), and were more likely to be African-American (p < 0.0001), UNOS Status 1A (p < 0.0001), male (p = 0.01) and highly sensitized (p < 0.0001) compared with those in Era 1. Compared with patients with other etiologies of restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM; n = 339 in Era 1, n = 164 in Era 2), adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for post-HT mortality of ACM were 2.08 (p < 0.0001) in Era 1 and 1.22 (p = not statistically significant) in Era 2. Adjusted HRs for mortality of ACM vs all other diagnoses (n = 36,334 in Era 1, n = 9,225 in Era 2) were 1.84 (p < 0.0001) in Era 1 and 1.38 (p = NS) in Era 2. Although post-HT survival did not change with time among non-ACM RCM patients, post-HT mortality was lower in Era 2 compared with Era 1 among ACM patients (HR 0.49, p = 0.03). Although historically associated with inferior survival, post-HT outcomes in ACM patients in the modern era are now approaching those of non-ACM patients. Changes in patients' demographics suggest that this may be related to improved patient selection, including an increased proportion of patients with transthyretin ACM. HT should be considered for appropriate candidates with ACM. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aclacinomycin A sensitizes K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cells to imatinib through p38MAPK-mediated erythroid differentiation.

PubMed

Lee, Yueh-Lun; Chen, Chih-Wei; Liu, Fu-Hwa; Huang, Yu-Wen; Huang, Huei-Mei

2013-01-01

Expression of oncogenic Bcr-Abl inhibits cell differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Differentiation therapy is considered to be a new strategy for treating this type of leukemia. Aclacinomycin A (ACM) is an antitumor antibiotic. Previous studies have shown that ACM induced erythroid differentiation of CML cells. In this study, we investigate the effect of ACM on the sensitivity of human CML cell line K562 to Bcr-Abl specific inhibitor imatinib (STI571, Gleevec). We first determined the optimal concentration of ACM for erythroid differentiation but not growth inhibition and apoptosis in K562 cells. Then, pretreatment with this optimal concentration of ACM followed by a minimally toxic concentration of imatinib strongly induced growth inhibition and apoptosis compared to that with simultaneous co-treatment, indicating that ACM-induced erythroid differentiation sensitizes K562 cells to imatinib. Sequential treatment with ACM and imatinib induced Bcr-Abl down-regulation, cytochrome c release into the cytosol, and caspase-3 activation, as well as decreased Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL expressions, but did not affect Fas ligand/Fas death receptor and procaspase-8 expressions. ACM/imatinib sequential treatment-induced apoptosis was suppressed by a caspase-9 inhibitor and a caspase-3 inhibitor, indicating that the caspase cascade is involved in this apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ACM induced erythroid differentiation through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The inhibition of erythroid differentiation by p38MAPK inhibitor SB202190, p38MAPK dominant negative mutant or p38MAPK shRNA knockdown, reduced the ACM/imatinib sequential treatment-mediated growth inhibition and apoptosis. These results suggest that differentiated K562 cells induced by ACM-mediated p38MAPK pathway become more sensitive to imatinib and result in down-regulations of Bcr-Abl and anti-apoptotic proteins, growth inhibition and apoptosis. These results provided a potential management by which ACM might have a crucial impact on increasing sensitivity of CML cells to imatinib in the differentiation therapeutic approaches.

Asbestos release from whole-building demolition of buildings with asbestos-containing material.

PubMed

Perkins, Robert A; Hargesheimer, John; Fourie, Walter

2007-12-01

The whole-building demolition method, which entails one-or two-story buildings pushed down by heavy equipment, loaded into trucks, and hauled away, is generally the most cost-effective means to remove small buildings. For taller buildings, a crane and wrecking ball may be used initially to reduce the height of the building. Demolitions might release asbestos fibers from friable asbestos-containing material (ACM). Fibers also might be released from nominally nonfriable ACM (Categories I and II nonfriable ACM) if it becomes friable after rough handling throughout the whole-building demolition process. This paper reports on asbestos air monitoring from two demolition projects involving ACM. In one building, Category II nonfriable ACM was present because it could not be removed safely prior to demolition. Both projects had large quantities of gypsum wallboard with ACM joint compound and ACM flooring. One building had large quantities of ACM spray-on ceiling material. During the demolitions personal air monitoring of the workers and area air monitoring downwind and around the sites were conducted. The monitoring found the concentrations of fibers detected by phase contrast microscopy were generally well below the permissible exposure limits (PEL) of workers. Electron microcopy analysis of samples at or near the PEL indicated most of the fibers were not asbestos, and the actual asbestos exposure was often below the detection limit of the procedure. The buildings were kept wet with fire hoses during the demolition and that required large quantities of water, 20,000-60,000 gal/day (75-225 m(3)/day). Earlier studies found little asbestos release from buildings containing only nonfriable ACM demolished by this method. This project found a negligible release of asbestos fibers, despite the presence of nonfriable materials that might become friable, such as ACM joint compound and spray-on ACM ceiling coating.

Modulation of visceral fat adipokine secretion by dietary fatty acids and ensuing changes in skeletal muscle inflammation.

PubMed

Tishinsky, Justine M; De Boer, Anna A; Dyck, David J; Robinson, Lindsay E

2014-01-01

Given the link between obesity and insulin resistance, the role of adipose-derived factors in communicating with skeletal muscle to affect its function is important. We sought to determine if high fat diets modulate visceral adipose tissue (VAT) adipokines with subsequent effects on skeletal muscle inflammation and insulin sensitivity. Rats were fed (i) low fat (LF), (ii) high saturated fatty acid (SFA), or (iii) high SFA with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (SFA/n-3 PUFA) diets for 4 weeks. VAT-derived adipokines were measured in adipose conditioned medium (ACM) after 72 h. Next, skeletal muscles from LF-fed rats were incubated for 8 h in (i) control buffer (CON), (ii) CON with 2 mmol·L(-1) palmitate (PALM, positive control), (iii) ACM from LF, (iv) ACM from SFA, or (v) ACM from SFA/n-3 PUFA. ACM from rats fed SFA and SFA/n-3 PUFA had increased (P ≤ 0.05) interleukin-6 (IL-6) (+31%) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (+30%). Adiponectin was decreased (-29%, P ≤ 0.05) in ACM from SFA, and this was prevented in SFA/n-3 PUFA ACM. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene expression was increased (P ≤ 0.05) in PALM soleus muscle (+356%) and all ACM groups (+175%-191%). MCP-1 gene expression was elevated (P ≤ 0.05) in PALM soleus muscle (+163%) and soleus muscle incubated in ACM from animals fed SFA (+159%) and SFA/n-3 PUFA (+151%). Glucose transport was impaired (P ≤ 0.05) in PALM muscles but preserved in ACM groups. Acute exposure of muscle to fatty acid modulated adipokines affects skeletal muscle inflammatory gene expression but not insulin sensitivity.

RGD-modified liposomes enhance efficiency of aclacinomycin A delivery: evaluation of their effect in lung cancer.

PubMed

Feng, Chan; Li, Xiaoyan; Dong, Chunyan; Zhang, Xuemei; Zhang, Xie; Gao, Yong

2015-01-01

In this study, long-circulating Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified aclacinomycin A (ACM) liposomes were prepared by thin film hydration method. Their morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release were investigated. The RGD-ACM liposomes was about 160 nm in size and had the visual appearance of a yellowish suspension. The zeta potential was -22.2 mV and the encapsulation efficiency was more than 93%. The drug-release behavior of the RGD-ACM liposomes showed a biphasic pattern, with an initial burst release and followed by sustained release at a constant rate. After being dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) and kept at 4°C for one month, the liposomes did not aggregate and still had the appearance of a milky white colloidal solution. In a pharmacokinetic study, rats treated with RGD-ACM liposomes showed slightly higher plasma concentrations than those treated with ACM liposomes. Maximum plasma concentrations of RGD-ACM liposomes and ACM liposomes were 4,532 and 3,425 ng/mL, respectively. RGD-ACM liposomes had a higher AUC0-∞ (1.54-fold), mean residence time (2.09-fold), and elimination half-life (1.2-fold) when compared with ACM liposomes. In an in vivo study in mice, both types of liposomes inhibited growth of human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells and markedly decreased tumor size when compared with the control group. There were no obvious pathological tissue changes in any of the treatment groups. Our results indicate that RGD-modified ACM liposomes have a better antitumor effect in vivo than their unmodified counterparts.

Effectiveness of assertive community management in Singapore.

PubMed

Low, Lambert; Tan, Yu Yuan; Lim, Boon Leng; Poon, Weng Cheong; Lee, Cheng

2013-03-01

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) was introduced in the 1970s as a comprehensive and assertive approach to community-based case management of patients with chronic and serious mental illness. Launched in Singapore in 2003, the Assertive Community Management (ACM) was modelled after the ACT, but with the main difference of 24 hour availability for the latter only. In line with the move towards de-institutionalisation of psychiatric patients, ACM was introduced to provide a mobile community-based multidisciplinary team approach to manage patients with severe chronic psychiatric illness. This article aims to evaluate and provide an update on this service programme in Singapore following an earlier study by Fam Johnson in 2007. A naturalistic and retrospective study was conducted. One hundred and fifty-five patients recruited into ACM from 1 September 2008 to 1 September 2009 and had completed 1 year of ACM were included in our study. Outcomes were defined as number of admissions (NOA) and length of stay (LOS) one year before and one year following induction into the programme. Baseline socio-demographic factors were also investigated to see if they predicted outcome with ACM. The mean NOA was 1.9 pre-ACM and 0.6 post-ACM, with mean reduction in NOA of 1.3 (P <0.01). The mean LOS was 72.2 days pre-ACM and 17.1 days post ACM, mean reduction in LOS 55.1 days (P <0.01). In addition, it was found that gender, diagnoses and ethnicity were not predictive of the outcome measures of NOA or LOS. ACM in Singapore had been well established since its inception and continued to show effectiveness in reducing inpatient hospitalisation among the chronically mentally ill.

RGD-modified liposomes enhance efficiency of aclacinomycin A delivery: evaluation of their effect in lung cancer

PubMed Central

Feng, Chan; Li, Xiaoyan; Dong, Chunyan; Zhang, Xuemei; Zhang, Xie; Gao, Yong

2015-01-01

In this study, long-circulating Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified aclacinomycin A (ACM) liposomes were prepared by thin film hydration method. Their morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release were investigated. The RGD-ACM liposomes was about 160 nm in size and had the visual appearance of a yellowish suspension. The zeta potential was −22.2 mV and the encapsulation efficiency was more than 93%. The drug-release behavior of the RGD-ACM liposomes showed a biphasic pattern, with an initial burst release and followed by sustained release at a constant rate. After being dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) and kept at 4°C for one month, the liposomes did not aggregate and still had the appearance of a milky white colloidal solution. In a pharmacokinetic study, rats treated with RGD-ACM liposomes showed slightly higher plasma concentrations than those treated with ACM liposomes. Maximum plasma concentrations of RGD-ACM liposomes and ACM liposomes were 4,532 and 3,425 ng/mL, respectively. RGD-ACM liposomes had a higher AUC0–∞ (1.54-fold), mean residence time (2.09-fold), and elimination half-life (1.2-fold) when compared with ACM liposomes. In an in vivo study in mice, both types of liposomes inhibited growth of human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells and markedly decreased tumor size when compared with the control group. There were no obvious pathological tissue changes in any of the treatment groups. Our results indicate that RGD-modified ACM liposomes have a better antitumor effect in vivo than their unmodified counterparts. PMID:26316700

Central role for GSK3β in the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Chelko, Stephen P.; Asimaki, Angeliki; Andersen, Peter; Bedja, Djahida; Amat-Alarcon, Nuria; DeMazumder, Deeptankar; Jasti, Ravirasmi; Leber, Remo; Kleber, Andre G.; Saffitz, Jeffrey E.

2016-01-01

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by redistribution of junctional proteins, arrhythmias, and progressive myocardial injury. We previously reported that SB216763 (SB2), annotated as a GSK3β inhibitor, reverses disease phenotypes in a zebrafish model of ACM. Here, we show that SB2 prevents myocyte injury and cardiac dysfunction in vivo in two murine models of ACM at baseline and in response to exercise. SB2-treated mice with desmosome mutations showed improvements in ventricular ectopy and myocardial fibrosis/inflammation as compared with vehicle-treated (Veh-treated) mice. GSK3β inhibition improved left ventricle function and survival in sedentary and exercised Dsg2mut/mut mice compared with Veh-treated Dsg2mut/mut mice and normalized intercalated disc (ID) protein distribution in both mutant mice. GSK3β showed diffuse cytoplasmic localization in control myocytes but ID redistribution in ACM mice. Identical GSK3β redistribution is present in ACM patient myocardium but not in normal hearts or other cardiomyopathies. SB2 reduced total GSK3β protein levels but not phosphorylated Ser 9–GSK3β in ACM mice. Constitutively active GSK3β worsens ACM in mutant mice, while GSK3β shRNA silencing in ACM cardiomyocytes prevents abnormal ID protein distribution. These results highlight a central role for GSKβ in the complex phenotype of ACM and provide further evidence that pharmacologic GSKβ inhibition improves cardiomyopathies due to desmosome mutations. PMID:27170944

Central role for GSK3β in the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Chelko, Stephen P; Asimaki, Angeliki; Andersen, Peter; Bedja, Djahida; Amat-Alarcon, Nuria; DeMazumder, Deeptankar; Jasti, Ravirasmi; MacRae, Calum A; Leber, Remo; Kleber, Andre G; Saffitz, Jeffrey E; Judge, Daniel P

2016-04-21

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by redistribution of junctional proteins, arrhythmias, and progressive myocardial injury. We previously reported that SB216763 (SB2), annotated as a GSK3β inhibitor, reverses disease phenotypes in a zebrafish model of ACM. Here, we show that SB2 prevents myocyte injury and cardiac dysfunction in vivo in two murine models of ACM at baseline and in response to exercise. SB2-treated mice with desmosome mutations showed improvements in ventricular ectopy and myocardial fibrosis/inflammation as compared with vehicle-treated (Veh-treated) mice. GSK3β inhibition improved left ventricle function and survival in sedentary and exercised Dsg2 mut/mut mice compared with Veh-treated Dsg2 mut/mut mice and normalized intercalated disc (ID) protein distribution in both mutant mice. GSK3β showed diffuse cytoplasmic localization in control myocytes but ID redistribution in ACM mice. Identical GSK3β redistribution is present in ACM patient myocardium but not in normal hearts or other cardiomyopathies. SB2 reduced total GSK3β protein levels but not phosphorylated Ser 9-GSK3β in ACM mice. Constitutively active GSK3β worsens ACM in mutant mice, while GSK3β shRNA silencing in ACM cardiomyocytes prevents abnormal ID protein distribution. These results highlight a central role for GSKβ in the complex phenotype of ACM and provide further evidence that pharmacologic GSKβ inhibition improves cardiomyopathies due to desmosome mutations.

Impact of a Resident-as-Teacher Workshop on Teaching Behavior of Interns and Learning Outcomes of Medical Students

PubMed Central

Hill, Andrew G.; Srinivasa, Sanket; Hawken, Susan J.; Barrow, Mark; Farrell, Susan E.; Hattie, John; Yu, Tzu-Chieh

2012-01-01

Background Residents and interns are recognized as important clinical teachers and mentors. Resident-as-teacher training programs are known to improve resident attitudes and perceptions toward teaching, as well as their theoretical knowledge, skills, and teaching behavior. The effect of resident-as-teacher programs on learning outcomes of medical students, however, remains unknown. An intervention cohort study was conducted to prospectively investigate the effects of a teacher-training workshop on teaching behavior of participating interns and on the clerkship learning outcomes of instructed fourth-year medical students. Methods The House Officer-as-Teacher Training Workshop was implemented in November 2009 over 1.5 days and attended by all 34 interns from one teaching hospital. Subsequently, between February and August 2010, 124 fourth-year medical students rated the observable teaching behavior of interns during 6-week general surgery clerkships at this intervention hospital as well as at 2 comparable hospitals serving as control sites. Ratings were collected using an anonymous 15-item Intern Clinical Teaching Effectiveness Instrument. Student achievement of clerkship learning outcomes during this period was evaluated using a validated and centralized objective structured clinical examination. Results Medical students completed 101 intern clinical teaching effectiveness instruments. Intern teaching behavior at the intervention hospital was found to be significantly more positive, compared with observed behavior at the control hospitals. Objective structured clinical examination results, however, did not demonstrate any significant intersite differences in student achievement of general surgery clerkship learning outcomes. Conclusions The House Officer-as-Teacher Training Workshop noticeably improved teaching behavior of surgical interns during general surgery clerkships. This improvement did not, however, translate into improved achievement of clerkship learning outcomes by medical students during the study period. PMID:23451304

Source localization of intermittent rhythmic delta activity in a patient with acute confusional migraine: cross-spectral analysis using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA).

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Eun; Shin, Jung-Hyun; Kim, Young-Hoon; Eom, Tae-Hoon; Kim, Sung-Hun; Kim, Jung-Min

2016-01-01

Acute confusional migraine (ACM) shows typical electroencephalography (EEG) patterns of diffuse delta slowing and frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity (FIRDA). The pathophysiology of ACM is still unclear but these patterns suggest neuronal dysfunction in specific brain areas. We performed source localization analysis of IRDA (in the frequency band of 1-3.5 Hz) to better understand the ACM mechanism. Typical IRDA EEG patterns were recorded in a patient with ACM during the acute stage. A second EEG was obtained after recovery from ACM. To identify source localization of IRDA, statistical non-parametric mapping using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography was performed for the delta frequency band comparisons between ACM attack and non-attack periods. A difference in the current density maximum was found in the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex (ACC). The significant differences were widely distributed over the frontal, parietal, temporal and limbic lobe, paracentral lobule and insula and were predominant in the left hemisphere. Dorsal ACC dysfunction was demonstrated for the first time in a patient with ACM in this source localization analysis of IRDA. The ACC plays an important role in the frontal attentional control system and acute confusion. This dysfunction of the dorsal ACC might represent an important ACM pathophysiology.

Smart Home Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing

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

Pratt, Annabelle

This presentation provides a high-level overview of NREL's smart home hardware-in-the-loop testing. It was presented at the Fourth International Workshop on Grid Simulator Testing of Energy Systems and Wind Turbine Powertrains, held April 25-26, 2017, hosted by NREL and Clemson University at the Energy Systems Integration Facility in Golden, Colorado.

Perceived Uncertainty Sources in Wind Power Plant Design

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

Damiani, Rick R

This presentation for the Fourth Wind Energy Systems Engineering Workshop covers some of the uncertainties that still impact turbulent wind operation and how these affect design and structural reliability; identifies key sources and prioritization for R and D; and summarizes an analysis of current procedures, industry best practice, standards, and expert opinions.

Army Management Views: Report of the 4th Biennial Management Instructors' Seminar July 21-26, 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hancock, Chester H.; And Others

The report of the Fourth Biennial Management Instructors' Seminar (July 21-26, 1968) which deals with the improvement of management education in the Army, contains presentations of guest speakers and reports of seminar workshops. The former presents the components of management -- planning, decision-making, productivity, communication, and…

Annual Progress Report, 1977. Southern Rural Development Center, Mississippi State University. SRDC Series No. 23.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linder, William W.

Summarizing Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) activities and achievements during the October 1976-September 1977 fiscal year, this fourth annual report indicates that SRDC has been able to support rural development programs at land-grant institutions through sponsorship of workshops; issuance of publications, bibliographies, and a quarterly…

Back to the Basics: Birmingham, Alabama, Measurement and Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handley, Lawrence R.; Lockwood, Catherine M.; Handley, Nathan

2005-01-01

"Back to the Basics: Birmingham, Alabama" is the fourth in a series of workshops that focus on teaching foundational map reading and spatial differentiation skills. It is the second published exercise from the Back to the Basics series developed by the Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography (WETMAAP) Program (see…

U.S. Army Research Laboratory Meteorological Measurements for Joint Urban 2003

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

identical system operated by Arizona State University south to southeast of the CBD. The ARL Lidar system was set up atop a four-story parking garage ... Stereo Height and Motion Analysis: Applications, Fourth Winds Workshop, WMO, 1998. Chang, S. S.; Huynh, G. D.; Klipp, C. L.; Williamson, C. C

Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Workshop on the Use of Digital Computers in Process Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Cecil L., Ed.

Contents: Computer hardware testing (results of vendor-user interaction); CODIL (a new language for process control programing); the design and implementation of control systems utilizing CRT display consoles; the systems contractor - valuable professional or unnecessary middle man; power station digital computer applications; from inspiration to…

Internal Quality Assurance--Enhancing Quality Culture. ENQA Workshop Report 16

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), 2010

2010-01-01

The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), in cooperation with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA, UK), organised a seminar on theme "Internal Quality Assurance--Enhancing quality culture" which was held on 8-9 June, 2010 in London, United Kingdom. The seminar marked the fourth annual meeting of the ENQA…

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors

PubMed Central

Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

2017-01-01

Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m2/g and a pore volume 0.366 cm3/g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs. PMID:28074847

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

2017-01-01

Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m2/g and a pore volume 0.366 cm3/g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs.

Quark ACM with topologically generated gluon mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhury, Ishita Dutta; Lahiri, Amitabha

2016-03-01

We investigate the effect of a small, gauge-invariant mass of the gluon on the anomalous chromomagnetic moment (ACM) of quarks by perturbative calculations at one-loop level. The mass of the gluon is taken to have been generated via a topological mass generation mechanism, in which the gluon acquires a mass through its interaction with an antisymmetric tensor field Bμν. For a small gluon mass ( < 10 MeV), we calculate the ACM at momentum transfer q2 = -M Z2. We compare those with the ACM calculated for the gluon mass arising from a Proca mass term. We find that the ACM of up, down, strange and charm quarks vary significantly with the gluon mass, while the ACM of top and bottom quarks show negligible gluon mass dependence. The mechanism of gluon mass generation is most important for the strange quarks ACM, but not so much for the other quarks. We also show the results at q2 = -m t2. We find that the dependence on gluon mass at q2 = -m t2 is much less than at q2 = -M Z2 for all quarks.

Effect of carbonization temperature on the physical and electrochemical properties of supercapacitor electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

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

Ishak, M. M.; Deraman, M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Talib, I. A.

Self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG) was prepared from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches. The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N{sub 2} environment at 400, 500, 600 and 700°C to produce carbon monoliths labeled as CM1, CM2, CM3 and CM4 respectively. The CMs were activated in CO{sub 2} surrounding at 800°C for 1 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM1, ACM2, ACM3 and ACM4). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitormore » cells and the cells’ performances were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical and electrochemical properties of the ACM electrodes by analyzing the influence of the carbonization temperature on these properties.« less

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon monoliths from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbon nanotubes as electrodes for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Wang, Yanqing; Fugetsu, Bunshi; Wang, Zhipeng; Gong, Wei; Sakata, Ichiro; Morimoto, Shingo; Hashimoto, Yoshio; Endo, Morinobu; Dresselhaus, Mildred; Terrones, Mauricio

2017-01-11

Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon monoliths (NDP-ACMs) have long been the most desirable materials for supercapacitors. Unique to the conventional template based Lewis acid/base activation methods, herein, we report on a simple yet practicable novel approach to production of the three-dimensional NDP-ACMs (3D-NDP-ACMs). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) contained carbon nanotubes (CNTs), being pre-dispersed into a tubular level of dispersions, were used as the starting material and the 3D-NDP-ACMs were obtained via a template-free process. First, a continuous mesoporous PAN/CNT based 3D monolith was established by using a template-free temperature-induced phase separation (TTPS). Second, a nitrogen-doped 3D-ACM with a surface area of 613.8 m 2 /g and a pore volume 0.366 cm 3 /g was obtained. A typical supercapacitor with our 3D-NDP-ACMs as the functioning electrodes gave a specific capacitance stabilized at 216 F/g even after 3000 cycles, demonstrating the advantageous performance of the PAN/CNT based 3D-NDP-ACMs.

Validation of the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM): evidence from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

PubMed

Ang, Rebecca P; Chong, Wan Har; Huan, Vivien S; Yeo, Lay See

2007-01-01

This article reports the development and initial validation of scores obtained from the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM), a scale which assesses concerns of Asian adolescent students. In Study 1, findings from exploratory factor analysis using 619 adolescents suggested a 24-item scale with four correlated factors--Family Concerns (9 items), Peer Concerns (5 items), Personal Concerns (6 items), and School Concerns (4 items). Initial estimates of convergent validity for ACM scores were also reported. The four-factor structure of ACM scores derived from Study 1 was confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 using a two-fold cross-validation procedure with a separate sample of 811 adolescents. Support was found for both the multidimensional and hierarchical models of adolescent concerns using the ACM. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates were adequate for research purposes. ACM scores show promise as a reliable and potentially valid measure of Asian adolescents' concerns.

Fourth Generation Light Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winick, Herman

1997-05-01

Concepts and designs are now being developed at laboratories around the world for light sources with performance levels that exceed present sources, including the very powerful and successful third generation synchrotron radiation sources that have come on line in the past few years. Workshops (M. Cornacchia and H. Winick (eds), Workshop on Fourth Generation Light Sources, Feb. 24-27, 1992, SSRL Report 92/02) (J.-L. Laclare (ed), ICFA Workshop on Fourth Generation Light Sources, Jan. 22-25, 1996, ESRF Report) have been held to review directions for future sources. A main thrust is to increase the brightness and coherence of the radiation using storage rings with lower electron-beam emittance or free-electron lasers (FELs). In the infra-red part of the spectrum very high brightness and coherence is already provided by FEL user facilities driven by linacs and storage rings. It now appears possible to extend FEL operation to the VUV, soft X-ray and even hard X-ray spectral range, to wavelengths down to the angstrom range, using high energy linacs equipped with high-brightness rf photoinjectors and bunch-length compressors. R&D to develop such sources is in progress at BNL, DESY, KEK, SLAC and other laboratories. In the absence of mirrors to form optical cavities, short wavelengths are reached in FEL systems in which a high peak current, low-emittance electron beam becomes bunch-density modulated at the optical wavelength in a single pass through a long undulator by self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE); i.e.; startup from noise. A proposal to use the last kilometer of the three kilometer SLAC linac (the first two kilometers will be used for injection to the PEP II B-Factory) to provide 15 GeV electron beams to reach 1.5 Angstroms by SASE in a 100 m long undulator is in preparation.

Glutamate promotes neural stem cell proliferation by increasing the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor of astrocytes in vitro.

PubMed

Liu, C X; Xu, X; Chen, X L; Yang, P B; Zhang, J S; Liu, Y

2015-09-20

The high levels of glutamate might involve in neurogenesis after brain injuries. However, the mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of glutamate on the proliferation of rat embryonic neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) through regulating the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression of astrocytes (ASTs) in vitro, and the cyclin D1 expression of NSCs. The results showed that glutamate promoted the expression and secretion of VEGF of rat astrocytes by activating group I mGluRs. Astrocyte conditioned medium-containing Glu [ACM (30%)] promoted the proliferation of embryonic NSCs compared with normal astrocyte conditioned medium+Glu [N-ACM (30%)+Glu (30 μM)] by increasing cell activity, diameter of neurospheres, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and cell division; while ACM+VEGF neutralizing antibody [ACM (30%)+VEGF NAb (15 μg/ml)] significantly inhibited the proliferation of embryonic NSCs compared with ACM (30%). ACM (30%) increased the expressions of cyclin D1 and decreased cell death compared with N-ACM (30%)+Glu (30 μM). ACM (30%)+VEGF NAb (15 μg/ml) decreased the expressions of cyclin D1 and increased cell death compared with ACM (30%). These results demonstrated that glutamate could also indirectly promote the proliferation of rat embryonic NSCs through inducing the VEGF expression of ASTs in vitro, and VEGF may increase the expression of cyclin D1. These finding suggest that glutamate may be a major molecule for regulating embryonic NSC proliferation and facilitate neural repair in the process of NSC transplants after brain injuries.

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 is a possible mediator of neurodevelopmental impairment due to polyI:C-induced innate immune activation of astrocytes.

PubMed

Yamada, Shinnosuke; Nagai, Taku; Nakai, Tsuyoshi; Ibi, Daisuke; Nakajima, Akira; Yamada, Kiyofumi

2014-05-01

Increasing epidemiological evidence indicates that prenatal infection and childhood central nervous system infection with various viral pathogens enhance the risk for several neuropsychiatric disorders. Polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid (polyI:C) is known to induce strong innate immune responses that mimic immune activation by viral infections. Our previous findings suggested that activation of the innate immune system in astrocytes results in impairments of neurite outgrowth and spine formation, which lead to behavioral abnormalities in adulthood. To identify candidates of astrocyte-derived humoral factors that affect neuronal development, we analyzed astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) from murine astrocyte cultures treated with polyI:C (polyI:C-ACM) by two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Through a quantitative proteomic screen, we found that 13 protein spots were differentially expressed compared with ACM from vehicle-treated astrocytes (control-ACM), and characterized one of the candidates, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (Mmp3). PolyI:C treatment significantly increased the expression levels of Mmp3 mRNA and protein in astrocytes, but not microglia. PolyI:C-ACM was associated with significantly higher Mmp3 protein level and enzyme activity than control-ACM. The addition of recombinant Mmp3 into control-ACM impaired dendritic elongation of primary cultured hippocampal neurons, while the deleterious effect of polyI:C-ACM on neurite elongation was attenuated by knockdown of Mmp3 in astrocytes. These results suggest that Mmp3 is a possible mediator of polyI:C-ACM-induced neurodevelopmental impairment. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Porous Mullite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsiung, Chwan-Hai Harold

Mullite (3 Al2O3 : 2 SiO2) is a technologically important ceramic due to its thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and mechanical robustness. One variant, porous acicular mullite (ACM), has a unique needle-like microstructure and is the material platform for The Dow Chemical Company's diesel particulate filter AERIFY(TM). The investigation described herein focuses on the microstructure-mechanical property relationships in acicular mullites as well as those with traditional porous microstructures with the goal of illuminating the critical factors in determining their modulus, strength, and toughness. Mullites with traditional pore morphologies were made to serve as references via slipcasting of a kaolinite-alumina-starch slurry. The starch was burned out to leave behind a pore network, and the calcined body was then reaction-sintered at 1600C to form mullite. The samples had porosities of approximately 60%. Pore size and shape were altered by using different starch templates, and pore size was found to influence the stiffness and toughness. The ACM microstructure was varied along three parameters: total porosity, pore size, and needle size. Total porosity was found to dominate the mechanical behavior of ACM, while increases in needle and pore size increased the toughness at lower porosities. ACM was found to have much improved (˜130%) mechanical properties relative to its non-acicular counterpart at the same porosity. A second set of investigations studied the role of the intergranular glassy phase which wets the needle intersections of ACM. Removal of the glassy phase via an HF etch reduced the mechanical properties by ˜30%, highlighting the intergranular phase's importance to the enhanced mechanical properties of ACM. The composition of the glassy phase was altered by doping the ACM precursor with magnesium and neodymium. Magnesium doping resulted in ACM with greatly reduced fracture strength and toughness. Studies showed that the mechanical properties of the two doped intergranular glasses and their interfaces with mullite were quite similar. The reductions in strength and toughness were traced to differences in the ACM network structure and mass-distribution that are hypothesized to result from dopant-altered ACM nucleation and growth kinetics. X-ray computed tomography, a non-destructive 3-D imaging technique, played a key role in this work, enabling the measurement of needle diameters, quantification of the ACM structural network, and finite element analysis of ACM's mechanical response.

Back to the basics: Birmingham, Alabama, measurement and scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Handley, L.R.; Lockwood, C.M.; Handley, N.

2005-01-01

Back to the Basics: Birmingham, Alabama is the fourth in a series of workshops that focus on teaching foundational map reading and spatial differentiation skills. It is the second published exercise from the Back to the Basics series developed by the Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography (WETMAAP) Program (see Journal of Geography 103, 5: 226-230). Like its predecessor, the current exercise is modified from the Birmingham Back to the Basics workshop offered during the annual National Council for Geographic Education meeting. The focus of this exercise is on scale and measurement, foundational skills for spatial thinking and analysis. ?? 2005 National Council for Geographic Education.

[Development and assessment of a workshop on repair of third and fourth degree obstetric tears].

PubMed

Emmanuelli, V; Lucot, J-P; Closset, E; Cosson, M; Deruelle, P

2013-04-01

To evaluate the educational interest of a workshop on diagnosis and repair of obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS). To evaluate the theoretical and anatomical knowledge of OASIS repair by French residents in obstetrics and gynecology. The workshop was composed of slides, video of repair and training using cadaveric sow's anal sphincters. All subjects were tested with a questionnaire before and after the course. Thirty residents participated. Classification of OASIS was known by 13.3% of the residents before the training versus 93.3% after the workshop (P<0.001). Initially, only 6.7% correctly classified operative procedures of OASIS versus 86.7% after the workshop (P<0.001). Per pre-test, 90% of residents did not know how to identify the internal anal sphincter (IAS) versus 3% at post-test (P<0.001). Seventy percent of trainees correctly identified the external anal sphincter (EAS) at the beginning of training. Before the course, no resident knew the repair of the IAS and only one third knew the technical repair of the EAS. After the workshop, the theoretical knowledge of EAS and IAS repair were acquired by all (P<0.001). Structured hands-on training improves significantly the knowledge of OASIS diagnosis and repair. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Novel Acetone Metabolism in a Propane-Utilizing Bacterium, Gordonia sp. Strain TY-5▿

PubMed Central

Kotani, Tetsuya; Yurimoto, Hiroya; Kato, Nobuo; Sakai, Yasuyoshi

2007-01-01

In the propane-utilizing bacterium Gordonia sp. strain TY-5, propane was shown to be oxidized to 2-propanol and then further oxidized to acetone. In this study, the subsequent metabolism of acetone was studied. Acetone-induced proteins were found in extracts of cells induced by acetone, and a gene cluster designated acmAB was cloned on the basis of the N-terminal amino acid sequences of acetone-induced proteins. The acmA and acmB genes encode a Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase (BVMO) and esterase, respectively. The BVMO encoded by acmA was purified from acetone-induced cells of Gordonia sp. strain TY-5 and characterized. The BVMO exhibited NADPH-dependent oxidation activity for linear ketones (C3 to C10) and cyclic ketones (C4 to C8). Escherichia coli expressing the acmA gene oxidized acetone to methyl acetate, and E. coli expressing the acmB gene hydrolyzed methyl acetate. Northern blot analyses revealed that polycistronic transcription of the acmAB gene cluster was induced by propane, 2-propanol, and acetone. These results indicate that the acmAB gene products play an important role in the metabolism of acetone derived from propane oxidation and clarify the propane metabolism pathway of strain TY-5 (propane → 2-propanol → acetone → methyl acetate → acetic acid + methanol). This paper provides the first evidence for BVMO-dependent acetone metabolism. PMID:17071761

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of aqueous extract of Centipeda minima.

PubMed

Huang, Shyh-Shyun; Chiu, Chuan-Sung; Lin, Tsung-Hui; Lee, Min-Min; Lee, Chao-Ying; Chang, Shu-Jen; Hou, Wen-Chi; Huang, Guan-Jhong; Deng, Jeng-Shyan

2013-05-20

Centipeda minima (L.) is traditionally used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatments of rhinitis, sinusitis, relieving pain, reducing swelling, and treating cancer for a long history in Taiwan. However, there is no scientific evidence which supports the use in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extract of Centipeda minima (ACM). The following activities were investigated: antioxidant activities [2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl)], and anti-inflammatory [lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 macrophages and paw-edema induced by λ-carrageenan (Carr)]. We also investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of ACM via studies of the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the edema paw. Serum NO, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were also measured in vivo. In HPLC analysis, the fingerprint chromatogram of ACM was established. ACM showed the highest TEAC and DPPH radical scavenging activities, respectively. ACM also had highest contents of polyphenol and flavonoid contents. We evaluated that ACM and the reference compound of protocatechualdehyde and caffeic acid decreased the LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells. Administration of ACM showed a concentration dependent inhibition on paw edema development after Carr treatment in mice. The anti-inflammatory effects of ACM could be via NO, TNF-α, and IL-1β suppressions and associated with the increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Western blotting revealed that ACM decreased Carr-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions. Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of ACM might be correlated to the decrease in the level of Malondialdehyde (MDA), iNOS, and COX-2 via increasing the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx in the edema paw. Overall, the results showed that ACM demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, which supports previous claims of the traditional use for inflammation and pain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating adaptive co-management as conservation conflict resolution: Learning from seals and salmon.

PubMed

Butler, J R A; Young, J C; McMyn, I A G; Leyshon, B; Graham, I M; Walker, I; Baxter, J M; Dodd, J; Warburton, C

2015-09-01

By linking iterative learning and knowledge generation with power-sharing, adaptive co-management (ACM) provides a potential solution to resolving complex social-ecological problems. In this paper we evaluate ACM as a mechanism for resolving conservation conflict using a case study in Scotland, where seal and salmon fishery stakeholders have opposing and entrenched objectives. ACM emerged in 2002, successfully resolving this long-standing conflict. Applying evaluation approaches from the literature, in 2011 we interviewed stakeholders to characterise the evolution of ACM, and factors associated with its success over 10 years. In common with other ACM cases, triggers for the process were shifts in slow variables controlling the system (seal and salmon abundance, public perceptions of seal shooting), and exogenous shocks (changes in legal mandates, a seal disease outbreak). Also typical of ACM, three phases of evolution were evident: emerging local leadership preparing the system for change, a policy window of opportunity, and stakeholder partnerships building the resilience of the system. Parameters maintaining ACM were legal mechanisms and structures, legal power held by government, and the willingness of all stakeholders to reach a compromise and experiment with an alternative governance approach. Results highlighted the critical role of government power and support in resolving conservation conflict, which may constrain the extent of local stakeholder-driven ACM. The evaluation also demonstrated how, following perceived success, the trajectory of ACM has shifted to a 'stakeholder apathy' phase, with declining leadership, knowledge exchange, stakeholder engagement, and system resilience. We discuss remedial actions required to revive the process, and the importance of long term government resourcing and alternative financing schemes for successful conflict resolution. Based on the results we present a generic indicator framework and participatory method for the longitudinal evaluation of ACM applied to conservation conflict resolution. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The acellular matrix (ACM) for bladder tissue engineering: A quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Cheng, Hai-Ling Margaret; Loai, Yasir; Beaumont, Marine; Farhat, Walid A

2010-08-01

Bladder acellular matrices (ACMs) derived from natural tissue are gaining increasing attention for their role in tissue engineering and regeneration. Unlike conventional scaffolds based on biodegradable polymers or gels, ACMs possess native biomechanical and many acquired biologic properties. Efforts to optimize ACM-based scaffolds are ongoing and would be greatly assisted by a noninvasive means to characterize scaffold properties and monitor interaction with cells. MRI is well suited to this role, but research with MRI for scaffold characterization has been limited. This study presents initial results from quantitative MRI measurements for bladder ACM characterization and investigates the effects of incorporating hyaluronic acid, a natural biomaterial useful in tissue-engineering and regeneration. Measured MR relaxation times (T(1), T(2)) and diffusion coefficient were consistent with increased water uptake and glycosaminoglycan content observed on biochemistry in hyaluronic acid ACMs. Multicomponent MRI provided greater specificity, with diffusion data showing an acellular environment and T(2) components distinguishing the separate effects of increased glycosaminoglycans and hydration. These results suggest that quantitative MRI may provide useful information on matrix composition and structure, which is valuable in guiding further development using bladder ACMs for organ regeneration and in strategies involving the use of hyaluronic acid.

Orion Launch Abort Vehicle Attitude Control Motor Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Kelly J.; Brauckmann, Gregory J.; Paschal, Keith B.; Chan, David T.; Walker, Eric L.; Foley, Robert; Mayfield, David; Cross, Jared

2011-01-01

Current Orion Launch Abort Vehicle (LAV) configurations use an eight-jet, solid-fueled Attitude Control Motor (ACM) to provide required vehicle control for all proposed abort trajectories. Due to the forward position of the ACM on the LAV, it is necessary to assess the effects of jet-interactions (JI) between the various ACM nozzle plumes and the external flow along the outside surfaces of the vehicle. These JI-induced changes in flight control characteristics must be accounted for in developing ACM operations and LAV flight characteristics. A test program to generate jet interaction aerodynamic increment data for multiple LAV configurations was conducted in the NASA Ames and NASA Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnels from August 2007 through December 2009. Using cold air as the simulant gas, powered subscale models were used to generate interaction data at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic test conditions. This paper presents an overview of the complete ACM JI experimental test program for Orion LAV configurations, highlighting ACM system modeling, nozzle scaling assumptions, experimental test techniques, and data reduction methodologies. Lessons learned are discussed, and sample jet interaction data are shown. These data, in conjunction with computational predictions, were used to create the ACM JI increments for all relevant flight databases.

Peer-teaching of evidence-based medicine.

PubMed

Rees, Eliot; Sinha, Yashashwi; Chitnis, Abhishek; Archer, James; Fotheringham, Victoria; Renwick, Stephen

2014-07-01

Many medical schools teach the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) as part of their undergraduate curriculum. Medical students perceive that EBM is valuable to their undergraduate and postgraduate career. Students may experience barriers to applying EBM principles, especially when searching for evidence or identifying high-quality resources. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Evidence Search is a service that enables access to authoritative clinical and non-clinical evidence and best practice through a web-based portal. Evidence-based medicine workshops were organised and delivered by fourth-year medical students, having first received training from NICE to become NICE student champions. The workshops covered the basic principles of EBM and focused on retrieving EBM resources for study through the NICE Evidence Search portal. The scheme was evaluated using a pre-workshop survey and an 8-12 week post-workshop survey. Self-reported confidence in searching for evidence-based resources increased from 29 per cent before the workshop to 87 per cent after the workshop. Only 1 per cent of students rated evidence-based resources as their first preference pre-workshop, compared with 31 per cent post-workshop. The results show that although many students were aware of evidence-based resources, they tended not to use them as their preferred resource. Despite appreciating the value of evidence-based resources, few students were confident in accessing and using such resources for pre-clinical study. A peer-taught workshop in EBM improved students' confidence with, and use of, evidence-based resources. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

United Nations/European Space Agency Workshops on Basic Space Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haubold, H. J.; Ocampo, A.; Torres, S.; Wamsteker, W.

1995-01-01

In 1958, the United Nations (UN) formally recognized a new potential for international cooperation by establishing an ad hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). A year later the Committee became a permanent body, and by 1983 membership had expanded to 53 states, with more than half of the members coming from the developing world. In 1970, COPUOS established the UN Program on Space Applications in order to strengthen cooperation in space science and technology between non-industrialized and industrialized countries. In the last few years, the UN and its COPUOS have paid increasing attention to education and research in space science and technology, including basic space science. In 1991 the UN, in cooperation with ESA, initiated the organization of annual Workshops in Basic Space Science for developing countries. These Workshops are designed to be held in one of the following major regions: Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Western Asia, and Europe. Accordingly, Basic Space Science Workshops have already been held in India (1991), Costa Rica andColombia (1992), and Nigeria (1993). The fourth Workshop was held from 27 June to 1 July 1994 at the Cairo University, in Egypt, for Western Asia.

40 CFR 61.150 - Standard for waste disposal for manufacturing, fabricating, demolition, renovation, and spraying...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... apply to Category I nonfriable ACM waste and Category II nonfriable ACM waste that did not become...) The requirements of paragraph (b) of this section do not apply to Category I nonfriable ACM that is...

CompGC: Efficient Offline/Online Semi-Honest Two-Party Computation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-06

negligible function µ(·) such that for every κ ∈ N : Pr [ ExptprivA,S(κ) = 1 ] ≤ 12 + µ(κ) 4.1 Component-Based Secure Two-Party Computation We now...automating secure two-party computations. In Ehab Al-Shaer, Angelos D. Keromytis, and Vitaly Shmatikov, editors, ACM CCS 10, pages 451–462. ACM Press...computation. In Yan Chen, George Danezis, and Vitaly Shmatikov, editors, ACM CCS 11, pages 715–724. ACM Press, October 2011. [MGBF14] Benjamin Mood, Debayan

Poetry in the Classroom: Finding New Roads. Poetry and Children Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1997

This 20-minute videotape program presents poet and Columbia University professor Kenneth Koch conducting a poetry workshop with a small group of fourth and fifth graders. The program's notes explain that Koch believes that students should be allowed to write poetry in the same way that they are allowed to dance and sing--with freedom,…

A Community Terrain-Following Ocean Modeling System (ROMS/TOMS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

next user workshop will be held in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, October 22-24, 2012. A special fourth day (October 25) has been added to focus modern...grid_extract.m is used to extract the Delaware Bay refinement grid (58 x 142) and Delaware River composite grid (42 x 55). Similarly, grid_extract.m is

AUTOMATION--THE THREAT AND THE PROMISE, THE ROLE OF THE COUNSELOR IN THE MANPOWER REVOLUTION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DIEBOLD, JOHN; AND OTHERS

THREE OF THE PRESENTATIONS AT THE ASSOCIATION'S 1963 WORKSHOP, IN ADDITION TO A FOURTH PAPER COMMISSIONED TO ROUND OUT THE DISCUSSION, WERE SELECTED FOR PUBLICATION. THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH AUTOMATION AS A FORCE INFLUENCING WORK AND MANPOWER. THE PRESENTATIONS WERE (1) "IMPLICATIONS OF CYBERNETICS," BY JOHN DIEBOLD, IN WHICH THE AUTHOR…

Selection of loblolly pine varieties resistant to fusiform rust for commercial deployment

Treesearch

Andy Benowicz; Robert J. Weir

2012-01-01

Benowicz, Andy; Weir, Robert J. 2013. Selection of loblolly pine varieties resistant to fusiform rust for commercial deployment . In: Sniezko, Richard A.; Yanchuk, Alvin D.; Kliejunas, John T.; Palmieri, Katharine M.; Alexander, Janice M.; Frankel, Susan J., tech. coords. Proceedings of the fourth international workshop on the genetics of host-parasite interactions in...

Early Fungicidal Activity as a Candidate Surrogate Endpoint for All-Cause Mortality in Cryptococcal Meningitis: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.

PubMed

Montezuma-Rusca, Jairo M; Powers, John H; Follmann, Dean; Wang, Jing; Sullivan, Brigit; Williamson, Peter R

2016-01-01

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a leading cause of HIV-associated mortality. In clinical trials evaluating treatments for CM, biomarkers of early fungicidal activity (EFA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been proposed as candidate surrogate endpoints for all- cause mortality (ACM). However, there has been no systematic evaluation of the group-level or trial-level evidence for EFA as a candidate surrogate endpoint for ACM. We conducted a systematic review of randomized trials in treatment of CM to evaluate available evidence for EFA measured as culture negativity at 2 weeks/10 weeks and slope of EFA as candidate surrogate endpoints for ACM. We performed sensitivity analysis on superiority trials and high quality trials as determined by Cochrane measures of trial bias. Twenty-seven trials including 2854 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean ACM was 15.8% at 2 weeks and 27.0% at 10 weeks with no overall significant difference between test and control groups. There was a statistically significant group-level correlation between average EFA and ACM at 10 weeks but not at 2 weeks. There was also no statistically significant group-level correlation between CFU culture negativity at 2weeks/10weeks or average EFA slope at 10 weeks. A statistically significant trial-level correlation was identified between EFA slope and ACM at 2 weeks, but is likely misleading, as there was no treatment effect on ACM. Mortality remains high in short time periods in CM clinical trials. Using published data and Institute of Medicine criteria, evidence for use of EFA as a surrogate endpoint for ACM is insufficient and could provide misleading results from clinical trials. ACM should be used as a primary endpoint evaluating treatments for cryptococcal meningitis.

National, regional and global mortality due to alcoholic cardiomyopathy in 2015.

PubMed

Manthey, Jakob; Probst, Charlotte; Rylett, Margaret; Rehm, Jürgen

2018-03-13

(1) A comprehensive mortality assessment of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and (2) examination of under-reporting using vital statistics data. A modelling study estimated sex-specific mortality rates for each country, which were subsequently aggregated by region and globally. Input data on ACM mortality were obtained from death registries for n=91 countries. For n=99 countries, mortality estimates were predicted using aggregate alcohol data from WHO publications. Descriptive additional analyses illustrated the scope of under-reporting. In 2015, there were an estimated 25 997 (95% CI 17 385 to 49 096) global deaths from ACM. This translates into 6.3% (95% CI 4.2% to 11.9%) of all global deaths from cardiomyopathy being caused by alcohol. There were large regional variations with regard to mortality burden. While the majority of ACM deaths were found in Russia (19 749 deaths, 76.0% of all ACM deaths), for about one-third of countries (n=57) less than one ACM death was found. Under-reporting was identified for nearly every second country with civil registration data. Overall, two out of three global ACM deaths might be misclassified. The variation of ACM mortality burden is greater than for other alcohol-attributable diseases, and partly may be the result of stigma and lack of detection. Misclassification of ACM fatalities is a systematic phenomenon, which may be caused by low resources, lacking standards and stigma associated with alcohol-use disorders. Clinical management may be improved by including routine alcohol assessments. This could contribute to decrease misclassifications and to provide the best available treatment for affected patients. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

A functional collagen adhesin gene, acm, in clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium correlates with the recent success of this emerging nosocomial pathogen.

PubMed

Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Singh, Kavindra V; Okhuysen, Pablo C; Murray, Barbara E

2008-09-01

Enterococcus faecium recently evolved from a generally avirulent commensal into a multidrug-resistant health care-associated pathogen causing difficult-to-treat infections, but little is known about the factors responsible for this change. We previously showed that some E. faecium strains express a cell wall-anchored collagen adhesin, Acm. Here we analyzed 90 E. faecium isolates (99% acm(+)) and found that the Acm protein was detected predominantly in clinically derived isolates, while the acm gene was present as a transposon-interrupted pseudogene in 12 of 47 isolates of nonclinical origin. A highly significant association between clinical (versus fecal or food) origin and collagen adherence (P

Genetic Etiology for Alcohol-Induced Cardiac Toxicity.

PubMed

Ware, James S; Amor-Salamanca, Almudena; Tayal, Upasana; Govind, Risha; Serrano, Isabel; Salazar-Mendiguchía, Joel; García-Pinilla, Jose Manuel; Pascual-Figal, Domingo A; Nuñez, Julio; Guzzo-Merello, Gonzalo; Gonzalez-Vioque, Emiliano; Bardaji, Alfredo; Manito, Nicolas; López-Garrido, Miguel A; Padron-Barthe, Laura; Edwards, Elizabeth; Whiffin, Nicola; Walsh, Roddy; Buchan, Rachel J; Midwinter, William; Wilk, Alicja; Prasad, Sanjay; Pantazis, Antonis; Baski, John; O'Regan, Declan P; Alonso-Pulpon, Luis; Cook, Stuart A; Lara-Pezzi, Enrique; Barton, Paul J; Garcia-Pavia, Pablo

2018-05-22

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is defined by a dilated and impaired left ventricle due to chronic excess alcohol consumption. It is largely unknown which factors determine cardiac toxicity on exposure to alcohol. This study sought to evaluate the role of variation in cardiomyopathy-associated genes in the pathophysiology of ACM, and to examine the effects of alcohol intake and genotype on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) severity. The authors characterized 141 ACM cases, 716 DCM cases, and 445 healthy volunteers. The authors compared the prevalence of rare, protein-altering variants in 9 genes associated with inherited DCM. They evaluated the effect of genotype and alcohol consumption on phenotype in DCM. Variants in well-characterized DCM-causing genes were more prevalent in patients with ACM than control subjects (13.5% vs. 2.9%; p = 1.2 ×10 -5 ), but similar between patients with ACM and DCM (19.4%; p = 0.12) and with a predominant burden of titin truncating variants (TTNtv) (9.9%). Separately, we identified an interaction between TTN genotype and excess alcohol consumption in a cohort of DCM patients not meeting ACM criteria. On multivariate analysis, DCM patients with a TTNtv who consumed excess alcohol had an 8.7% absolute reduction in ejection fraction (95% confidence interval: -2.3% to -15.1%; p < 0.007) compared with those without TTNtv and excess alcohol consumption. The presence of TTNtv did not predict phenotype, outcome, or functional recovery on treatment in ACM patients. TTNtv represent a prevalent genetic predisposition for ACM, and are also associated with a worse left ventricular ejection fraction in DCM patients who consume alcohol above recommended levels. Familial evaluation and genetic testing should be considered in patients presenting with ACM. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cross-linked xenogenic collagen implantation in the sheep model for vaginal surgery.

PubMed

Endo, Masayuki; Urbankova, Iva; Vlacil, Jaromir; Sengupta, Siddarth; Deprest, Thomas; Klosterhalfen, Bernd; Feola, Andrew; Deprest, Jan

The properties of meshes used in reconstructive surgery affect the host response and biomechanical characteristics of the grafted tissue. Whereas durable synthetics induce a chronic inflammation, biological grafts are usually considered as more biocompatible. The location of implantation is another determinant of the host response: the vagina is a different environment with specific function and anatomy. Herein, we evaluated a cross-linked acellular collagen matrix (ACM), pretreated by the anti-calcification procedure ADAPT® in a sheep model for vaginal surgery. Ten sheep were implanted with a cross-linked ACM, and six controls were implanted with a polypropylene (PP; 56 g/m 2 ) control. One implant was inserted in the lower rectovaginal septum, and one was used for abdominal wall defect reconstruction. Grafts were removed after 180 days; all graft-related complications were recorded, and explants underwent bi-axial tensiometry and contractility testing. Half of ACM-implanted animals had palpable induration in the vaginal implantation area, two of these also on the abdominal implant. One animal had a vaginal exposure. Vaginal ACMs were 63 % less stiff compared to abdominal ACM explants ( p  = 0.01) but comparable to vaginal PP explants. Seven anterior vaginal ACM explants showed areas of graft degradation on histology. There was no overall difference in vaginal contractility. Considering histologic degradation in the anterior vaginal implant as representative for the host, posterior ACM explants of animals with degradation had a 60 % reduced contractility as compared to PP ( p  = 0.048). Three abdominal implants showed histologic degradation; those were more compliant than non-degraded implants. Vaginal implantation with ACM was associated with graft-related complications (GRCs) and biomechanical properties comparable to PP. Partially degraded ACM had a decreased vaginal contractility.

Report on the Aseismic Slip, Tremor, and Earthquakes Workshop

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, Joan; Roeloffs, Evelyn; Trehu, Anne; Dragert, Herb; Meertens, Charles

2008-01-01

This report summarizes the discussions and information presented during the workshop on Aseismic Slip, Tremor, and Earthquakes. Workshop goals included improving coordination among those involved in conducting research related to these phenomena, assessing the implications for earthquake hazard assessment, and identifying ways to capitalize on the education and outreach opportunities presented by these phenomena. Research activities of focus included making, disseminating, and analyzing relevant measurements; the relationships among tremor, aseismic or 'slow-slip', and earthquakes; and discovering the underlying causative physical processes. More than 52 participants contributed to the workshop, held February 25-28, 2008 in Sidney, British Columbia. The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation?s Earthscope Program and UNAVCO Consortium, and the Geological Survey of Canada. This report has five parts. In the first part, we integrate the information exchanged at the workshop as it relates to advancing our understanding of earthquake generation and hazard. In the second part, we summarize the ideas and concerns discussed in workshop working groups on Opportunities for Education and Outreach, Data and Instrumentation, User and Public Needs, and Research Coordination. The third part presents summaries of the oral presentations. The oral presentations are grouped as they were at the workshop in the categories of phenomenology, underlying physical processes, and implications for earthquake hazards. The fourth part contains the meeting program and the fifth part lists the workshop participants. References noted in parentheses refer to the authors of presentations made at the workshop, and published references are noted in square brackets and listed in the Reference section. Appendix A contains abstracts of all participant presentations and posters, which also have been posted online, along with presentations and author contact information at http://www.earthscope.org/science/cascadia.

Representation of deforestation impacts on climate, water, and nutrient cycles in the ACME earth system model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, X.; Riley, W. J.; Zhu, Q.

2017-12-01

Deforestation causes a series of changes to the climate, water, and nutrient cycles. Employing a state-of-the-art earth system model—ACME (Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy), we comprehensively investigate the impacts of deforestation on these processes. We first assess the performance of the ACME Land Model (ALM) in simulating runoff, evapotranspiration, albedo, and plant productivity at 42 FLUXNET sites. The single column mode of ACME is then used to examine climate effects (temperature cooling/warming) and responses of runoff, evapotranspiration, and nutrient fluxes to deforestation. This approach separates local effects of deforestation from global circulation effects. To better understand the deforestation effects in a global context, we use the coupled (atmosphere, land, and slab ocean) mode of ACME to demonstrate the impacts of deforestation on global climate, water, and nutrient fluxes. Preliminary results showed that the land component of ACME has advantages in simulating these processes and that local deforestation has potentially large impacts on runoff and atmospheric processes.

On-resin conversion of Cys(Acm)-containing peptides to their corresponding Cys(Scm) congeners.

PubMed

Mullen, Daniel G; Weigel, Benjamin; Barany, George; Distefano, Mark D

2010-05-01

The Acm protecting group for the thiol functionality of cysteine is removed under conditions (Hg(2+)) that are orthogonal to the acidic milieu used for global deprotection in Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis. This use of a toxic heavy metal for deprotection has limited the usefulness of Acm in peptide synthesis. The Acm group may be converted to the Scm derivative that can then be used as a reactive intermediate for unsymmetrical disulfide formation. It may also be removed by mild reductive conditions to generate unprotected cysteine. Conversion of Cys(Acm)-containing peptides to their corresponding Cys(Scm) derivatives in solution is often problematic because the sulfenyl chloride reagent used for this conversion may react with the sensitive amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan. In this protocol, we report a method for on-resin Acm to Scm conversion that allows the preparation of Cys(Scm)-containing peptides under conditions that do not modify other amino acids. (c) 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Skin derived precursor Schwann cell-generated acellular matrix modified chitosan/silk scaffolds for bridging rat sciatic nerve gap.

PubMed

Zhu, Changlai; Huang, Jing; Xue, Chengbin; Wang, Yaxian; Wang, Shengran; Bao, Shuangxi; Chen, Ruyue; Li, Yuan; Gu, Yun

2017-12-27

Extracellular/acellular matrix has been attracted much research interests for its unique biological characteristics, and ACM modified neural scaffolds shows the remarkable role of promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. In this study, skin-derived precursors pre-differentiated into Schwann cells (SKP-SCs) were used as parent cells to generate acellular(ACM) for constructing a ACM-modified neural scaffold. SKP-SCs were co-cultured with chitosan nerve guidance conduits (NGC) and silk fibroin filamentous fillers, followed by decellularization to stimulate ACM deposition. This NGC-based, SKP-SC-derived ACM-modified neural scaffold was used for bridging a 10 mm long rat sciatic nerve gap. Histological and functional evaluation after grafting demonstrated that regenerative outcomes achieved by this engineered neural scaffold were better than those achieved by a plain chitosan-silk fibroin scaffold, and suggested the benefits of SKP-SC-derived ACM for peripheral nerve repair. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Atrial remodeling and metabolic dysfunction in idiopathic isolated fibrotic atrial cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Cui, Chang; Jiang, Xiaohong; Ju, Weizhu; Wang, Jiaxian; Wang, Daowu; Sun, Zheng; Chen, Minglong

2018-08-15

Idiopathic isolated fibrotic atrial cardiomyopathy (IIF-ACM) is a novel subtype of cardiomyopathy characterized by atrial fibrosis that does not involve the ventricular myocardium and is associated with significant atrial tachyarrhythmia. The mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis are unknown. Atrium samples were obtained from 3 patients with IIF-ACM via surgical intervention. Control samples were consisted of 3 atrium biopsies from patients with congenital heart disease and normal sinus rhythm, matched for gender, age and basic clinical characteristics. Comparative histology, immunofluorescence staining, electron microscopy and proteomics analyses were carried out to explore the unique pathogenesis of IIF-ACM. IIF-ACM atria displayed disordered myofibrils, profound fibrosis and mitochondrial damages compared to the control atria. Proteomics profiling identified metabolic pathways as the most profound changes in IIF-ACM. Our study suggested that metabolic changes in the atrial myocardium caused mitochondrial oxidative stress and potential cell damage, which further led to atrial fibrosis and myofibril disorganization, the characteristic phenotype of IIF-ACM. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel active contour model based on multi-variate local Gaussian distribution for local segmentation of MR brain images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Qiang; Li, Honglun; Fan, Baode; Wu, Shuanhu; Xu, Jindong

2017-12-01

Active contour model (ACM) has been one of the most widely utilized methods in magnetic resonance (MR) brain image segmentation because of its ability of capturing topology changes. However, most of the existing ACMs only consider single-slice information in MR brain image data, i.e., the information used in ACMs based segmentation method is extracted only from one slice of MR brain image, which cannot take full advantage of the adjacent slice images' information, and cannot satisfy the local segmentation of MR brain images. In this paper, a novel ACM is proposed to solve the problem discussed above, which is based on multi-variate local Gaussian distribution and combines the adjacent slice images' information in MR brain image data to satisfy segmentation. The segmentation is finally achieved through maximizing the likelihood estimation. Experiments demonstrate the advantages of the proposed ACM over the single-slice ACM in local segmentation of MR brain image series.

Probability workshop to be better in probability topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asmat, Aszila; Ujang, Suriyati; Wahid, Sharifah Norhuda Syed

2015-02-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether statistics anxiety and attitudes towards probability topic among students in higher education level have an effect on their performance. 62 fourth semester science students were given statistics anxiety questionnaires about their perception towards probability topic. Result indicated that students' performance in probability topic is not related to anxiety level, which means that the higher level in statistics anxiety will not cause lower score in probability topic performance. The study also revealed that motivated students gained from probability workshop ensure that their performance in probability topic shows a positive improvement compared before the workshop. In addition there exists a significance difference in students' performance between genders with better achievement among female students compared to male students. Thus, more initiatives in learning programs with different teaching approaches is needed to provide useful information in improving student learning outcome in higher learning institution.

Fourth Airborne Geoscience Workshop: Summary Minutes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The general theme for the workshop revolved around global environmental change. Over 170 individuals participated in the presentations and ensuing discussions about the many agency activities using airborne platforms and sensors in support of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (GCRP). The U.S. GCRP was developed as a central component of the U.S. Government's approach to global change and its contribution to worldwide efforts. An all-encompassing U.S. plan was developed by the Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES), which continues as the interagency coordinating group for the program. The U.S. GCRP was established as a Presidential initiative in the FY90 budget, making it a particularly relevant topic for the workshop. The following are presented in the appendices: (1) final agenda and list of registrants; (2) final list of poster presenters; (3) steering group luncheon participants; (4) the draft resolution; and (5) selected handouts.

[Synergistic lethal effect of combined treatment of arsenic trioxide and aclacinomycin on human acute myeloid leukemia cell line KG-1a].

PubMed

Ye, Y B; Xu, X J; Chen, Y H; Zhang, M W; Qiu, D F; Guo, Z W; He, H Q

2017-04-23

Objective: To investigate the synergistic lethal effect and mechanism of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and aclacinomycin (ACM) on human acute myeloid leukemia cell line KG-1a. Methods: Colony-forming assay was used to detect the proliferation of KG-1a cells treated with different concentration of ATO and ACM. Compusyn software was used to analyze the synergistic effect of ATO and ACM. Flow cytometry and Wright's staining were used to analyze the apoptotic rate of KG-1a cells induced by combined treatment of ATO and ACM. Western blot was used to determine the expression of proteins associated with apoptosis. Results: The cytotoxicity of arsenic trioxide or aclacinomycin alone was in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the apoptotic rate of KG-1a cells treated with both 0.4 μmol/L ATO and 10 nmol/L ACM was (34.5±3.1)%, significantly higher than (7.6±1.1)% of 0.4 μmol/L ATO treatment or (18.7±2.3) % of 10 nmol/L ACM treatment alone ( P <0.05). The apoptotic rate of KG-1a cells treated with both 1.5 μmol/L ATO and 37.5 nmol/L ACM was (52.5±4.7)%, significantly higher than (19.1±3.2)% of 1.5 μmol/L ATO treatment or (27.7±2.2)% of 37.5 nmol/L ACM treatment alone ( P <0.05). The apoptotic rate of KG-1a cells treated with both 3.0 μmol/L ATO and 75 nmol/L ACM was (61.3±4.5)%, significantly higher than (29.5±2.5)% of 3.0 μmol/L ATO treatment or (28.6±3.4) % of 75 nmol/L ACM treatment alone ( P <0.05). In addition, the result of Wright's staining showed that combined treatment of ATO and ACM induced a more apparent phenotype of apoptosis when compared with single agent treatment. Compusyn software analysis showed that the combination index (CI) value of combined treatment group was less than 1, which indicated the synergistic effect of these two agents. Conclusions: Combined treatment of ATO and ACM shows a synergistic lethal effect on human acute myeloid leukemia cell line KG-1a via activating the apoptotic pathway, which inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis.

Prion protein- and cardiac troponin T-marked interstitial cells from the adult myocardium spontaneously develop into beating cardiomyocytes

PubMed Central

Omatsu-Kanbe, Mariko; Nishino, Yuka; Nozuchi, Nozomi; Sugihara, Hiroyuki; Matsuura, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Atypically-shaped cardiomyocytes (ACMs) constitute a novel subpopulation of beating heart cells found in the cultures of cardiac myocyte-removed crude fraction cells obtained from adult mouse cardiac ventricles. Although ~500 beating ACMs are observed under microscope in the cell cultures obtained from the hearts of either male or female mice, the origin of these cells in cardiac tissue has yet to be elucidated due to the lack of exclusive markers. In the present study, we demonstrate the efficacy of cellular prion protein (PrP) as a surface marker of ACMs. Cells expressing PrP at the plasma membrane in the culture of the crude fraction cells were found to develop into beating ACMs by themselves or fuse with each other to become larger multinuclear beating ACMs. Combining PrP with a cardiac-specific contractile protein cardiac troponin T (cTnT) allowed us to identify native ACMs in the mouse cardiac ventricles as either clustered or solitary cells. PrP- and cTnT-marked cells were also found in the adult, even aged, human cardiac ventricles. These findings suggest that interstitial cells marked by PrP and cTnT, native ACMs, exhibit life-long survival in the cardiac ventricles of both mice and humans. PMID:25466571

Diagnostic implications of magnetic resonance feature tracking derived myocardial strain parameters in acute myocarditis.

PubMed

Baeßler, Bettina; Schaarschmidt, Frank; Dick, Anastasia; Michels, Guido; Maintz, David; Bunck, Alexander C

2016-01-01

The present study aims to evaluate the diagnostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT) derived strain-analysis of both ventricles in patients with acute myocarditis (ACM) in order to improve its currently still challenging non-invasive diagnosis. CMR cine data of 31 patients with clinically suspected ACM and confirmation of diagnosis by CMR according to the Lake Louise criteria as well as 14 patients with clinically diagnosed ACM but inconspicuous CMR were retrospectively analyzed. 20 healthy volunteers (HV) served as a control. Analysis of global longitudinal, circumferential and radial strain and strain rate of both ventricles was performed in one long-axis and three short-axis slices using a dedicated FT-software (TomTec Imaging Systems). Patients with ACM showed significantly reduced LV longitudinal strain (-12.7 ± 6.5 vs. -16.8 ± 5.9%, p=0.021) and LV circumferential strain (LVCirStrain; -22.9 ± 5.7 vs. -27.8 ± 4.4 %, p<0.001) compared to HV. Conversely, they showed improved basal RV circumferential strain rate (BasalRVCirSR; -0.70 ± 0.23 vs. -0.47 ± 0.31s(-1), p=0.009). In ACM patients with preserved EF, BasalRVCirSR was significantly increased compared to HV while LV strain was not significantly different between both groups. In multinominal logistic regression analysis, LVCirStrain and BasalRVCirSR proved to be the best independent predictors of ACM with preserved EF. A combined cut-off of -0.53s(-1) for BasalRVCirSR and of -29.0% for LVCirStrain allowed a classification of ACM patients with preserved EF with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 80%. Also patients with clinical ACM but inconspicuous CMR showed a significantly improved BasalRVCirSR and a cut-off of -0.77s(-1) allowed a classification of ACM patients with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 90%, while all other CMR parameters were normal. The defined cut-offs for LVCirStrain and BasalRVCirSR allow a prediction of ACM with high sensitivity and specificity, even in patients with preserved EF and in patients with otherwise completely inconspicuous CMR. Our results point to a discriminative power especially of RV strain analysis in the CMR-based diagnosis of ACM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Outpatients in Northern Japan: Increasing Tendency of ST5/ST764 MRSA-IIa with Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element.

PubMed

Aung, Meiji Soe; Kawaguchiya, Mitsuyo; Urushibara, Noriko; Sumi, Ayako; Ito, Masahiko; Kudo, Kenji; Morimoto, Shigeo; Hosoya, Shino; Kobayashi, Nobumichi

2017-07-01

Arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) is a genomic island of staphylococcus and is considered to confer enhanced ability to survive and growth on host bacterial cells. ACME has been typically identified in Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL)-positive ST8 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with SCCmec type IVa (USA300 clone), and it is also found in other lineages at low frequency. Prevalence and molecular characteristics of PVL + and/or ACME + MRSA were investigated for 624 clinical isolates collected from outpatients in northern Japan from 2013 to 2014. Both PVL genes and ACME type I were detected in nine isolates (1.4%), which were ST8-MRSA-SCCmec IVa/spa type t008/agr-I; whereas solely PVL genes were positive in two isolates, ST30-MRSA-SCCmec IV and ST59-MRSA-SCCmec V. ACME type II' (previously referred to as ACME ΔII) was detected in 36 isolates (5.8%) with SCCmec II and V (32 and 4 isolates, respectively), exhibiting an increased rate within SCCmec II-MRSA (7.1%) compared with our previous studies (0.86-4.5%, 2008-2011). ACME II'-positive MRSA strains were classified into ST5-SCCmec IIa/V or ST764-SCCmec IIa belonging to five different spa types, with t002 being dominant. They harbored mostly enterotoxin gene clusters (seg-sei-sem-sen-seo-seu) and some more enterotoxin genes (seb1, seb2, sec3, sel, sep), showing resistance to more antimicrobials than ST8-MRSA-SCCmec IVa. ACME-SCCmec composite island (CI) of the 36 ACME II'-positive MRSA was classified into five types (ii)-(vi), among which type (ii) (orfX-ΨSCC ΔJ1 SCCmec I -ACME II'-SCCmec II) was dominant and subdivided into the A3 variant and the less common A2 variant. CI types (v) and (vi) were considered novel genetic organizations having speG (acetyltransferase genes for polyamines) in inserted SCC4610/SCC266-like genetic elements. The present study revealed increased prevalence and genetic diversity of the ST5/ST764-MRSA-SCCmec II with ACME II' in northern Japan.

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

Willard, H.F.; Cremers, F.; Mandel, J.L.

A high-quality integrated genetic and physical map of the X chromosome from telomere to telomere, based primarily on YACs formatted with probes and STSs, is increasingly close to reality. At the Fifth International X Chromosome Workshop, organized by A.M. Poustka and D. Schlessinger in Heidelberg, Germany, April 24--27, 1994, substantial progress was recorded on extension and refinement of the physical map, on the integration of genetic and cytogenetic data, on attempts to use the map to direct gene searches, and on nascent large-scale sequencing efforts. This report summarizes physical and genetic mapping information presented at the workshop and/or published sincemore » the reports of the fourth International X Chromosome Workshop. The principle aim of the workshop was to derive a consensus map of the chromosome, in terms of physical contigs emphasizing the location of genes and microsatellite markers. The resulting map is presented and updates previous versions. This report also updates the list of highly informative microsatellites. The text highlights the working state of the map, the genes known to reside on the X, and the progress toward integration of various types of data.« less

Structural and functional changes of carotid wall properties in patients with acromegaly are not restored after 1 year of GH/IGF1 normalization.

PubMed

Găloiu, S; Jurcuţ, R; Vlădaia, A; Florian, A; Purice, M; Popescu, B A; Ginghină, C; Coculescu, M

2012-04-01

Vascular changes are common in acromegaly (ACM). Current therapies can normalise the levels of both growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF1). To establish whether the ACM vascular changes in patients with effectively managed disease are different from those in patients with an active condition. 64 ACM patients were tested for serum GH (random and during an oral glucose tolerance test) and IGF1. Ultrasonography of the right common carotid (RCC) explored structural (the carotid diameter and intima-media thickness index (IMT)) and functional (the augmentation index (AIx), elastic modulus (Ep), and local pulse wave velocity (PWV)) arterial parameters in the ACM patients (groups A and B) and an age- and sex-matched control group of 21 patients without acromegaly (group C). The ACM patients were divided into 2 subgroups that had similar cardiovascular risk factor profiles: A (n=10, with controlled ACM), and B (n=54, with active ACM). The AIx was higher in groups A (27.7% [2.2-54.3]) and B (20.0% [ - 38.2-97.1]) than in group C (3.5% [ - 11.3-31.1]), p=0.01 and 0.002, respectively. The group B patients presented with poorer functional carotid wall parameters than the control subjects: Ep-95.5 [33-280] KPa vs. 77.5 [39-146] KPa, p=0.01; and PWV-6 [3.6-10.4] m/s vs. 5.4 [3.9-7.2] m/s, p=0.03.The ACM patients had greater RCC diameters (6.4 ± 0.6 mm vs. 5.7 ± 0.6 mm, p<0.001) and IMT values (0.72 ± 0.13 mm vs. 0.58 ± 0.08 mm, p<0.001) than the subjects in group C. Both the controlled and active ACM patients showed structural arterial changes. After 1 year of disease control, the patients with controlled ACM showed improvements in the functional, but not the structural, arterial parameters compared with the patients with an active condition. © J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Space debris, asteroids and satellite orbits; Proceedings of the Fourth and Thirteenth Workshops, Graz, Austria, June 25-July 7, 1984

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kessler, D. J.; Gruen, E.; Sehnal, L.

1985-01-01

The workshops covered a variety of topics relevant to the identification, characterization and monitoring of near-earth solar system debris. Attention was given to man-made and naturally occurring microparticles, their hazards to present and future spacecraft, and ground- and space-based techniques for tracking both large and small debris. The studies are extended to solid fuel particulates in circular space. Asteroid rendezvous missions are discussed, including propulsion and instrumentation options, the possibility of encountering asteroids during Hohman transfer flights to Venus and/or Mars, and the benefits of multiple encounters by one spacecraft. Finally, equipment and analytical models for generating precise satellite orbits are reviewed.

NASA Metrology and Calibration, 1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The proceedings of the fourth annual NASA Metrology and Calibration Workshop are presented. This workshop covered (1) review and assessment of NASA metrology and calibration activities by NASA Headquarters, (2) results of audits by the Office of Inspector General, (3) review of a proposed NASA Equipment Management System, (4) current and planned field center activities, (5) National Bureau of Standards (NBS) calibration services for NASA, (6) review of NBS's Precision Measurement and Test Equipment Project activities, (7) NASA instrument loan pool operations at two centers, (8) mobile cart calibration systems at two centers, (9) calibration intervals and decals, (10) NASA Calibration Capabilities Catalog, and (11) development of plans and objectives for FY 1981. Several papers in this proceedings are slide presentations only.

Proceedings of the Fourth Integrated Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference and Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fujikawa, Gene (Compiler)

2004-01-01

The Integrated Communications, Navigational and Surveillance (ICNS) Technologies Conference and Workshop provides a forum for Government, industry, and academic communities performing research and technology development for advanced digital communications, navigation, and surveillance security systems and associated applications supporting the national and global air transportation systems. The event's goals are to understand current efforts and recent results in near-and far-term research and technology demonstration; identify integrated digital communications, navigation and surveillance research requirements necessary for a safe, high-capacity, advanced air transportation system; foster collaboration and coordination among all stakeholders; and discuss critical issues and develop recommendations to achieve the future integrated CNS vision for the national and global air transportation system.

Center for Information Services Fourth Quarterly Progress Report, Phase IIB; Detailed Design and Prototype Development, 1 October 1971 to 31 December 1971.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kehl, W. B.; And Others

The administrative activity, including organization, staff, budget and external contacts, and the technical progress of IPS development, experimental service, workshops, documentation and related activities of the Center for Information Services (at the University of California, Los Angeles) are reported upon in this document. Pages 9 and 10 may…

Report on the 2009 ESO Fellows Symposium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emsellem, Eric; West, Michael; Leibundgut, Bruno

2009-09-01

The fourth ESO Fellows Symposium took place in Garching from 8-10 June 2009. This year's symposium brought together 28 ESO Fellows from Chile and Germany to meet their colleagues from across the ocean, discuss their research and provide feedback on ESO's Fellowship programme. This year's symposium also included training workshops to enhance the practical skills of ESO Fellows in today's competitive job market.

Wind Turbine Optimization with WISDEM

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

Dykes, Katherine L; Damiani, Rick R; Graf, Peter A

This presentation for the Fourth Wind Energy Systems Engineering Workshop explains the NREL wind energy systems engineering initiative-developed analysis platform and research capability to capture important system interactions to achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost reductions. Topics include Wind-Plant Integrated System Design and Engineering Model (WISDEM) and multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization.

Datasets of Odontocete Sounds Annotated for Developing Automatic Detection Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

Passive acoustic detection of Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) off the West Coast of Kauai, HI. Book of abstracts, Fourth International...Workshop on Detection , Classification and Localization of Marine Mammals using Passive Acoustics , Pavia, Italy, Sept. 10- 13, 2009, p. 57. Roch, M., Y...Mellinger, and D. Gillespie. 2010. Comparison of beaked whale detection algorithms. Applied Acoustics 71:1043-1049. 8 References

Fourth workshop on Experiments and Detectors for a Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fatyga, M. (Editor); Moskowitz, B. (Editor)

1992-01-01

We present a description of an experiment which can be used to search for effects of strong electromagnetic fields on the production of e(sup +) e(sup -) pairs in the elastic scattering of two heavy ions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). A very brief discussion of other possible studies of electromagnetic phenomena at RHIC is also presented.

A NEW COMBINED LOCAL AND NON-LOCAL PBL MODEL FOR METEOROLOGY AND AIR QUALITY MODELING

EPA Science Inventory

A new version of the Asymmetric Convective Model (ACM) has been developed to describe sub-grid vertical turbulent transport in both meteorology models and air quality models. The new version (ACM2) combines the non-local convective mixing of the original ACM with local eddy diff...

Responses of Mixed-Phase Cloud Condensates and Cloud Radiative Effects to Ice Nucleating Particle Concentrations in NCAR CAM5 and DOE ACME Climate Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Shi, Y.; Wu, M.; Zhang, K.

2017-12-01

Mixed-phase clouds frequently observed in the Arctic and mid-latitude storm tracks have the substantial impacts on the surface energy budget, precipitation and climate. In this study, we first implement the two empirical parameterizations (Niemand et al. 2012 and DeMott et al. 2015) of heterogeneous ice nucleation for mixed-phase clouds in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (CAM5) and DOE Accelerated Climate Model for Energy Version 1 (ACME1). Model simulated ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations based on Niemand et al. and DeMott et al. are compared with those from the default ice nucleation parameterization based on the classical nucleation theory (CNT) in CAM5 and ACME, and with in situ observations. Significantly higher INP concentrations (by up to a factor of 5) are simulated from Niemand et al. than DeMott et al. and CNT especially over the dust source regions in both CAM5 and ACME. Interestingly the ACME model simulates higher INP concentrations than CAM5, especially in the Polar regions. This is also the case when we nudge the two models' winds and temperature towards the same reanalysis, indicating more efficient transport of aerosols (dust) to the Polar regions in ACME. Next, we examine the responses of model simulated cloud liquid water and ice water contents to different INP concentrations from three ice nucleation parameterizations (Niemand et al., DeMott et al., and CNT) in CAM5 and ACME. Changes in liquid water path (LWP) reach as much as 20% in the Arctic regions in ACME between the three parameterizations while the LWP changes are smaller and limited in the Northern Hemispheric mid-latitudes in CAM5. Finally, the impacts on cloud radiative forcing and dust indirect effects on mixed-phase clouds are quantified with the three ice nucleation parameterizations in CAM5 and ACME.

Quantifying subtle changes in cardiovascular mechanics in acromegaly: a Doppler myocardial imaging study.

PubMed

Jurcut, R; Găloiu, S; Florian, A; Vlădaia, A; Ioniţă, O R; Amzulescu, M S; Baciu, I; Popescu, B A; Coculescu, M; Ginghina, C

2014-11-01

To describe morphological and functional cardiovascular changes in acromegaly (ACM) patients, as well as to investigate the ability of Doppler-based myocardial deformation imaging (DMI) to characterize subtle dysfunction in ACM. 69 patients (pts) with ACM (mean age 47 ± 10 years, 27 men) and 31 controls (mean age 43 ± 16 years, matched for age and gender) were recruited. Standard echocardiography and DMI data were obtained for all patients. Peak systolic longitudinal strain values (S) were determined for the left and right ventricles. Radial S was measured at the level of the mid inferolateral segment. Using a high-resolution echo-tracking system, the main indices of arterial stiffness were measured. Of the ACM subjects, 57 had active disease (group A), and 12 controlled ACM (group B). All pts with ACM presented structural changes: a higher LV indexed mass (112 ± 36, 118 ± 23 vs 74 ± 18 g/m(2), p < 0.001) and a higher relative wall thickness (0.45 ± 0.09, 0.50 ± 0.07 vs 0.40 ± 0.07, p = 0.003) compared to controls. Also, ACM pts had functional changes: reduced LV ejection fraction (57 ± 5, 55 ± 5 vs 64 ± 4%, p < 0.001) and altered diastolic function (E/A 1.0 ± 0.4, 1.1 ± 0.1 vs 1.3 ± 0.3, p = 0.005) compared to controls. Both longitudinal and radial LV S values were lower in ACM compared to controls: -16.5 ± 3.5, -16.8 ± 4.3 vs -21.5 ± 3.8%, p < 0.001 for longitudinal and 38.3 ± 12.3, 35.6 ± 11.8 vs 52.2 ± 11.7%, p = 0.002 for radial strain. ACM pts present LV concentric hypertrophy and LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction, even in controlled disease. Altered global LV systolic function appears to be due both to longitudinal and radial dysfunction.

Natural history and prognostic factors in alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Guzzo-Merello, Gonzalo; Segovia, Javier; Dominguez, Fernando; Cobo-Marcos, Marta; Gomez-Bueno, Manuel; Avellana, Patricia; Millan, Isabel; Alonso-Pulpon, Luis; Garcia-Pavia, Pablo

2015-01-01

This study sought to determine the natural history of contemporary alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM), to compare it with that of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM), and to identify risk factors for poor outcome. ACM is a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), but little is known about its natural history or the effect of reducing alcohol intake on disease progression. We studied the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 94 consecutive patients with ACM and 188 with IDCM, evaluated over the period between 1993 and 2011. After a median follow-up of 59 months (interquartile range: 25 to 107 months), 14 ACM patients (15%) had died from cardiovascular causes (6 from heart failure and 8 from sudden cardiac death), 14 (15%) underwent heart transplantation, 35 (37%) experienced recovery in left ventricular function, and 31 (33%) remained clinically stable without improvement in systolic function. Transplantation-free survival was higher in ACM patients than in IDCM patients (p = 0.002), and ACM was associated with a favorable outcome on multiple analysis of the entire cohort (odds ratio [OR]: 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2 to 0.8; p = 0.01). Independent predictors of death or heart transplantation in ACM identified by multiple logistic regression analysis were atrial fibrillation (OR: 9.7; 95% CI: 2.56 to 36.79; p = 0.001); QRS duration >120 ms (OR: 7.2; 95% CI: 2.02 to 26; p = 0.002), and lack of beta-blocker therapy (OR: 4.4; 95% CI: 1.35 to 14.49; p = 0.014). ACM patients who reduced their alcohol intake to moderate levels exhibited similar survival (p = 0.22) and cardiac function recovery (p = 0.8) as abstainers. ACM has a better prognosis than IDCM. Atrial fibrillation, QRS width >120 ms, and the absence of beta-blocker therapy identify patients with a poor outcome. Alcohol abstainers and those who reduce intake to a moderate degree show similar clinical outcomes. Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Testing Mediators of Reduced Drinking for Veterans in Alcohol Care Management.

PubMed

Moskal, Dezarie; Maisto, Stephen A; Possemato, Kyle; Lynch, Kevin G; Oslin, David W

2018-03-26

Alcohol Care Management (ACM) is a manualized treatment provided by behavioral health providers working in a primary care team aimed at increasing patients' treatment engagement and decreasing their alcohol use. Research has shown that ACM is effective in reducing alcohol consumption; however, the mechanisms of ACM are unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms of change in ACM in the context of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of ACM. This study performed secondary data analysis of existing data from a larger study that involved a sample of U.S. veterans (N = 163) who met criteria for current alcohol dependence. Upon enrollment into the study, participants were randomized to receive either ACM or standard care. ACM was delivered in-person or by telephone within the primary care clinic and focused on the use of oral naltrexone and manualized psychosocial support. According to theory, we hypothesized several ACM treatment components that would mediate alcohol consumption outcomes: engagement in addiction treatment, reduced craving, and increased readiness to change. Parallel mediation models were performed by the PROCESS macro Model 4 in SPSS to test study hypotheses. The institutional review boards at each of the participating facilities approved all study procedures before data collection. As hypothesized, results showed that treatment engagement mediated the relation between treatment and both measures of alcohol consumption outcomes, the percentage of alcohol abstinent days, and the percentage of heavy drinking days. Neither craving nor readiness to change mediated the treatment effect on either alcohol consumption outcome. Findings suggest that ACM may be effective in changing drinking patterns partially due to an increase in treatment engagement. Future research may benefit from evaluating the specific factors that underlie increased treatment engagement. The current study provides evidence that alcohol use disorder interventions should aim to increase treatment engagement and reduce barriers to care.

Evaluation of rotor-bearing system dynamic response to unbalance. [air conditioning equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thaller, R. E.; Ozimek, D. W.

1979-01-01

The vibration environment within air conditioner rotating machinery referred to as an air cycle machine (ACM) was investigated to effectively increase ACM reliability. To assist in the selection of design changes which would result in improved ACM performance, various design modifications were incorporated into a baseline ACM configuration. For each design change, testing was conducted with the best balance achieveable (baseline) and with various degrees of unbalance. Relationships between unbalance (within the context of design changes) and the parameters associated with design goals were established. The results of rotor dynamics tests used to establish these relationships are presented.

Acemetacin cocrystal structures by powder X-ray diffraction

PubMed Central

Bolla, Geetha

2017-01-01

Cocrystals of acemetacin drug (ACM) with nicotinamide (NAM), p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), valerolactam (VLM) and 2-pyridone (2HP) were prepared by melt crystallization and their X-ray crystal structures determined by high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction. The powerful technique of structure determination from powder data (SDPD) provided details of molecular packing and hydrogen bonding in pharmaceutical cocrystals of acemetacin. ACM–NAM occurs in anhydrate and hydrate forms, whereas the other structures crystallized in a single crystalline form. The carboxylic acid group of ACM forms theacid–amide dimer three-point synthon R 3 2(9)R 2 2(8)R 3 2(9) with three different syn amides (VLM, 2HP and caprolactam). The conformations of the ACM molecule observed in the crystal structures differ mainly in the mutual orientation of chlorobenzene fragment and the neighboring methyl group, being anti (type I) or syn (type II). ACM hydrate, ACM—NAM, ACM–NAM-hydrate and the piperazine salt of ACM exhibit the type I conformation, whereas ACM polymorphs and other cocrystals adopt the ACM type II conformation. Hydrogen-bond interactions in all the crystal structures were quantified by calculating their molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surfaces. Hirshfeld surface analysis of the cocrystal surfaces shows that about 50% of the contribution is due to a combination of strong and weak O⋯H, N⋯H, Cl⋯H and C⋯H interactions. The physicochemical properties of these cocrystals are under study. PMID:28512568

The anaemia control model: Does it help nephrologists in therapeutic decision-making in the management of anaemia?

PubMed

Bucalo, María Laura; Barbieri, Carlo; Roca, Susana; Ion Titapiccolo, Jasmine; Ros Romero, Maria Soledad; Ramos, Rosa; Albaladejo, Mercedes; Manzano, Diana; Mari, Flavio; Molina, Manuel

2018-06-03

Anaemia is common in haemodialysis patients and treating it with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) is complex due to many factors. To assess the usefulness of the Anaemia Control Model (ACM) in the treatment of anaemia in haemodialysis. ACM is a software that predicts the optimal dose of darbepoetin and iron sucrose to achieve target haemoglobin (Hb) and ferritin levels, and makes prescription suggestions. Study conducted in dialysis clinics lasting 18months with two intervention phases (IPs) with ACM (IP1, n:213; IP2, n:218) separated by a control phase (CP, n:219). The primary outcome was the percentage of Hb in range and the median dose of ESAs, and the secondary outcomes were transfusion, hospitalisation and cardiovascular events. Clinical and patient analyses were performed. Hb variability was assessed by the standard deviation (SD) of the Hb. We also analysed the patients with most of the suggestions confirmed (ACM compliant group). ACM increased the percentage of Hb in range: 80.9% in IP2, compared with 72.7% in the CP and reduced the intake of darbepoetin (IP1: 20 [70]; CP 30 [80] μg P=0.032) with less Hb fluctuation (0.91±0.49 in the CP to 0.82±0.37g/dl in IP2, P<0.05), improving in the ACM compliant group. The secondary outcomes decreased with the use of ACM. ACM helps to obtain better anaemia results in haemodialysis patients, minimising the risks of treatment with ESAs and reducing costs. Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Nefrología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of amplitude control ablation and bipolar ablation in creating linear lesion and discrete lesions for treating atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Yan, Shengjie; Wu, Xiaomei; Wang, Weiqi

2017-09-01

Radiofrequency (RF) energy is often used to create a linear lesion or discrete lesions for blocking the accessory conduction pathways for treating atrial fibrillation. By using finite element analysis, we study the ablation effect of amplitude control ablation mode (AcM) and bipolar ablation mode (BiM) in creating a linear lesion and discrete lesions in a 5-mm-thick atrial wall; particularly, the characteristic of lesion shape has been investigated in amplitude control ablation. Computer models of multipolar catheter were developed to study the lesion dimensions in atrial walls created through AcM, BiM and special electrodes activated ablation methods in AcM and BiM. To validate the theoretical results in this study, an in vitro experiment with porcine cardiac tissue was performed. At 40 V/20 V root mean squared (RMS) of the RF voltage for AcM, the continuous and transmural lesion was created by AcM-15s, AcM-5s and AcM-ad-20V ablation in 5-mm-thick atrial wall. At 20 V RMS for BiM, the continuous but not transmural lesion was created. AcM ablation yielded asymmetrical and discrete lesions shape, whereas the lesion shape turned to more symmetrical and continuous as the electrodes alternative activated period decreased from 15 s to 5 s. Two discrete lesions were created when using AcM, AcM-ad-40V, BiM-ad-20V and BiM-ad-40V. The experimental and computational thermal lesion shapes created in cardiac tissue were in agreement. Amplitude control ablation technology and bipolar ablation technology are feasible methods to create continuous lesion or discrete for pulmonary veins isolation.

A Prediction of the Damping Properties of Hindered Phenol AO-60/polyacrylate Rubber (AO-60/ACM) Composites through Molecular Dynamics Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Da-Wei; Zhao, Xiu-Ying; Zhang, Geng; Li, Qiang-Guo; Wu, Si-Zhu

2016-05-01

Molecule dynamics (MD) simulation, a molecular-level method, was applied to predict the damping properties of AO-60/polyacrylate rubber (AO-60/ACM) composites before experimental measures were performed. MD simulation results revealed that two types of hydrogen bond, namely, type A (AO-60) -OH•••O=C- (ACM), type B (AO-60) - OH•••O=C- (AO-60) were formed. Then, the AO-60/ACM composites were fabricated and tested to verify the accuracy of the MD simulation through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). DMTA results showed that the introduction of AO-60 could remarkably improve the damping properties of the composites, including the increase of glass transition temperature (Tg) alongside with the loss factor (tan δ), also indicating the AO-60/ACM(98/100) had the best damping performance amongst the composites which verified by the experimental.

Molecular characteristics of clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius harboring arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) from dogs and cats.

PubMed

Yang, Ching; Wan, Min-Tao; Lauderdale, Tsai-Ling; Yeh, Kuang-Sheng; Chen, Charles; Hsiao, Yun-Hsia; Chou, Chin-Cheng

2017-06-01

This study aimed to investigate the presence of arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) and its associated molecular characteristics in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP). Among the 72 S. pseudintermedius recovered from various infection sites of dogs and cats, 52 (72.2%) were MRSP. ACME-arcA was detected commonly (69.2%) in these MRSP isolates, and was more frequently detected in those from the skin than from other body sites (P=0.047). There was a wide genetic diversity among the ACME-arcA-positive MRSP isolates, which comprised three SCCmec types (II-III, III and V) and 15 dru types with two predominant clusters (9a and 11a). Most MRSP isolates were multidrug-resistant. Since S. pseudintermedius could serve as a reservoir of ACME, further research on this putative virulence factor is recommended. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Present Status of the Field of Digital Computer Based Industrial Control Systems and the Work of the International Purdue Workshop in Helping to Promote this Field

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-09-01

Strategy for a Class of Static Systems", IEEE Trans, on Auto. Cont., AC-17, 7-15 (1972). 14. Findeisen , W., and Lefkowitz, I., "Design and Applications...of Multilayer Control", Proc. Fourth IFAC Congress, Warsaw, 1969. 15. Findeisen , W., Multilevel Control Systems, Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe

Association of fluorescein anterior corneal mosaic and corneal K-structures by in vivo laser confocal microscopy in patients with keratoconus.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Akira; Yokogawa, Hideaki; Mori, Natsuko; Masaki, Toshinori; Sugiyama, Kazuhisa

2017-01-01

To report the in vivo laser confocal microscopy findings of corneas with keratoconus, with special attention to abnormality of Bowman's layer and sub-Bowman's fibrous structures (Kobayashi-structures [K-structures]). Sixteen keratoconic eyes in 8 consecutive patients with keratoconus (4 males, 4 females, mean age, 41.1 years) were included in this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopic photos were taken with or without fluorescein staining. The existence of anterior corneal mosaic (ACM) after eyelid rubbing under fluorescein staining was documented. In vivo laser confocal microscopic examinations were performed for all patients in both the central cone and the peripheral cornea to examine the existence of K-structures. According to the Amsler-Krumeich scale, the eyes were graded as follows: stage 1 (n=3), stage 2 (n=1), stage 3 (n=1), and stage 4 (n=11). ACM was observed in 7 eyes (61.1%) in the cone area and 16 eyes (100%) in the peripheral cornea among all keratoconic eyes enrolled in this study. In addition, K-structures were observed in the 7 eyes (61.1%) and 16 eyes (100%) in the peripheral cornea among all keratoconic eyes. The presence of the K-structures was completely matched (100%) with the presence of ACM in both the central cone and the peripheral cornea. In 11 eyes with stage 4 keratoconus, ACM and K-structure was absent in 9 eyes (81.8%) in the cone area. On the contrary, in 5 eyes with mild-to-moderate keratoconus (grade 1 to 3), ACM and K-structure was present in all eyes (100%) in the cone area. The absent ratio of ACM and K-structures in the cone area was significantly higher in stage 4 severe keratoconus compared to mild-to-moderate keratoconus (grade 1 to 3) (Fisher, P =0.005). The existence of ACM and K-structures in both the central cone and the peripheral cornea showed perfect accord in patients with keratoconus, indicating a strong association of ACM and K-structures in patients with keratoconus. With the progress of the keratoconus, it seemed that ACM and K-structure progressively disappeared, suggesting Bowman's layer abnormalities due to keratoconus. Further study in larger groups of patients with keratoconus is required to fully understand the significance of ACM/K-structures in keratoconic eyes and their association with Bowman's layer.

Sensitivity of two Iberian lakes to North Atlantic atmospheric circulation modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Armand; Trigo, Ricardo M.; Pla-Rabes, Sergi; Valero-Garcés, Blas L.; Jerez, Sonia; Rico-Herrero, Mayte; Vega, José C.; Jambrina-Enríquez, Margarita; Giralt, Santiago

2015-12-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) exerts a major influence on the climate of the North Atlantic region. However, other atmospheric circulation modes (ACMs), such as the East Atlantic (EA) and Scandinavian (SCAND) patterns, also play significant roles. The dynamics of lakes on the Iberian Peninsula are greatly controlled by climatic parameters, but their relationship with these various ACMs has not been investigated in detail. In this paper, we analyze monthly meteorological and limnological long-term datasets (1950-2011 and 1992-2011, respectively) from two lakes on the northern and central Iberian Peninsula (Sanabria and Las Madres) to develop an understanding of the seasonal sensitivity of these freshwater systems to the NAO, EA and SCAND circulation modes. The limnological variability within Lake Sanabria is primarily controlled by fluctuations in the seasonal precipitation and wind, and the primary ACMs associated with the winter limnological processes are the NAO and the SCAND modes, whereas only the EA mode appears to weakly influence processes during the summer. However, Lake Las Madres is affected by precipitation, wind and, to a lesser extent, temperature, whereas the ACMs have less influence. Therefore, we aim to show that the lakes of the Iberian Peninsula are sensitive to these ACMs. The results presented here indicate that the lake dynamics, in some cases, have a higher sensitivity to variations in the ACMs than single local meteorological variables. However, certain local features, such as geography, lake morphology and anthropic influences, are crucial to properly record the signals of these ACMs.

Cassini atmospheric chemistry mapper. Volume 1. Investigation and technical plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, William Hayden; Baines, Kevin Hays; Drossart, Pierre; Fegley, Bruce; Orton, Glenn; Noll, Keith; Reitsema, Harold; Bjoraker, Gordon L.

1990-01-01

The Cassini Atmospheric Chemistry Mapper (ACM) enables a broad range of atmospheric science investigations for Saturn and Titan by providing high spectral and spatial resolution mapping and occultation capabilities at 3 and 5 microns. ACM can directly address the major atmospheric science objectives for Saturn and for Titan, as defined by the Announcement of Opportunity, with pivotal diagnostic measurements not accessible to any other proposed Cassini instrument. ACM determines mixing ratios for atmospheric molecules from spectral line profiles for an important and extensive volume of the atmosphere of Saturn (and Jupiter). Spatial and vertical profiles of disequilibrium species abundances define Saturn's deep atmosphere, its chemistry, and its vertical transport phenomena. ACM spectral maps provide a unique means to interpret atmospheric conditions in the deep (approximately 1000 bar) atmosphere of Saturn. Deep chemistry and vertical transport is inferred from the vertical and horizontal distribution of a series of disequilibrium species. Solar occultations provide a method to bridge the altitude range in Saturn's (and Titan's) atmosphere that is not accessible to radio science, thermal infrared, and UV spectroscopy with temperature measurements to plus or minus 2K from the analysis of molecular line ratios and to attain an high sensitivity for low-abundance chemical species in the very large column densities that may be achieved during occultations for Saturn. For Titan, ACM solar occultations yield very well resolved (1/6 scale height) vertical mixing ratios column abundances for atmospheric molecular constituents. Occultations also provide for detecting abundant species very high in the upper atmosphere, while at greater depths, detecting the isotopes of C and O, constraining the production mechanisms, and/or sources for the above species. ACM measures the vertical and horizontal distribution of aerosols via their opacity at 3 microns and, particularly, at 5 microns. ACM recovers spatially-resolved atmospheric temperatures in Titan's troposphere via 3- and 5-microns spectral transitions. Together, the mixing ratio profiles and the aerosol distributions are utilized to investigate the photochemistry of the stratosphere and consequent formation processes for aerosols. Finally, ring opacities, observed during solar occultations and in reflected sunlight, provide a measurement of the particle size and distribution of ring material. ACM will be the first high spectral resolution mapping spectrometer on an outer planet mission for atmospheric studies while retaining a high resolution spatial mapping capability. ACM, thus, opens an entirely new range of orbital scientific studies of the origin, physio-chemical evolution and structure of the Saturn and Titan atmospheres. ACM provides high angular resolution spectral maps, viewing nadir and near-limb thermal radiation and reflected sunlight; sounds planetary limbs, spatially resolving vertical profiles to several atmospheric scale heights; and measures solar occultations, mapping both atmospheres and rings. ACM's high spectral and spatial resolution mapping capability is achieved with a simplified Fourier Transform spectrometer with a no-moving parts, physically compact design. ACM's simplicity guarantees an inherent stability essential for reliable performance throughout the lengthy Cassini Orbiter mission.

Rotordynamic Instability Problems in High-Performance Turbomachinery 1996

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The first rotordynamics workshop proceedings emphasized a feeling of uncertainty in predicting the stability of characteristics of high-performance turbomachinery. In the second workshop proceedings these uncertainties were reduced through programs established to systematically resolve problems, with emphasis on experimental validation of the forces that influence rotordynamics. In the third proceedings many programs for predicting or measuring forces and force coefficients in high-performance turbomachinery produced results. Data became available for designing new machines with enhanced stability characteristics or for upgrading existing machines. In the fourth proceedings there emerged trends towards a more unified view of rotordynamic instability problems and several encouraging new analytical developments. The fifth workshop supported the continuing trend toward a unified view with several new developments in the design and manufacture of new turbomachineries with enhanced stability characteristics along with new data and associated numerical/theoretical results. The sixth workshop report provided field experience and experimental results, and expanded the use of computational and control techniques with integration of damper, bearing, and eccentric seal operation results. The seventh workshop report provided field experiences, numerical, theoretical, and experimental results and control methods for seals, bearings, and dampers with some attention given to variable thermophysical properties and turbulence measurements, and introduction of two-phase flow results. In the present workshop, active magnetic bearings (AMB's) evolve into a new method of measuring rotordynamic coefficients with discussions on honeycomb seals, drop of magnetically supported rotors, seals, bearings and dampers with new data being reported. The intent of the workshop and this proceedings is to provide a continuing impetus for an understanding and resolution of these problems.

Whole exome sequencing with genomic triangulation implicates CDH2-encoded N-cadherin as a novel pathogenic substrate for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Turkowski, Kari L; Tester, David J; Bos, J Martijn; Haugaa, Kristina H; Ackerman, Michael J

2017-03-01

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a heritable disease characterized by fibrofatty replacement of cardiomyocytes, has a prevalence of approximately 1 in 5000 individuals, and accounts for approximately 20% of sudden cardiac death in the young (≤35 years). ACM is most often inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with incomplete penetrance and variable expression. While mutations in several genes that encode key desmosomal proteins underlie about half of all ACM, the remainder is elusive genetically. Here, whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed with genomic triangulation in an effort to identify a novel explanation for a phenotype-positive, genotype-negative multi-generational pedigree with a presumed autosomal dominant, maternal inheritance of ACM. WES and genomic triangulation was performed on a symptomatic 14-year-old female proband, her affected mother and affected sister, and her unaffected father to elucidate a novel ACM-susceptibility gene for this pedigree. Following variant filtering using Ingenuity® Variant Analysis, gene priority ranking was performed on the candidate genes using ToppGene and Endeavour. The phylogenetic and physiochemical properties of candidate mutations were assessed further by 6 in silico prediction tools. Species alignment and amino acid conservation analysis was performed using the Uniprot Consortium. Tissue expression data was abstracted from Expression Atlas. Following WES and genomic triangulation, CDH2 emerged as a novel, autosomal dominant, ACM-susceptibility gene. The CDH2-encoded N-cadherin is a cell-cell adhesion protein predominately expressed in the heart. Cardiac dysfunction has been demonstrated in prior CDH2 knockout and over-expression animal studies. Further in silico mutation prediction, species conservation, and protein expression analysis supported the ultra-rare (minor allele frequency <0.005%) p.Asp407Asn-CDH2 variant as a likely pathogenic variant. Herein, it is demonstrated that genetic mutations in CDH2-encoded N-cadherin may represent a novel pathogenetic basis for ACM in humans. The prevalence of CDH2-mediated ACM in heretofore genetically elusive ACM remains to be determined. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Validation of an ambulatory capacity measure in Parkinson disease: a construct derived from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

PubMed

Parashos, Sotirios A; Elm, Jordan; Boyd, James T; Chou, Kelvin L; Dai, Lin; Mari, Zoltan; Morgan, John C; Sudarsky, Lewis; Wielinski, Catherine L

2015-01-01

A construct calculated as the sum of items 13-15, 29, 30 of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) has been used as an "Ambulatory Capacity Measure" (ACM) in Parkinson disease (PD). Its construct validity has never been examined. A similar construct, consisting of the mean value of the same UPDRS items has been used under the acronym PIGD as a measure of postural instability and gait disorder in PD. To examine the construct validity of the ACM and PIGD in PD. We analyzed data in an existing database of 340 PD patients, Hoehn and Yahr stages (HYS) 1-5 who participated in a study of falls. Number of falls (NOF) was recorded over 4 weeks, and UPDRS (mental, ADL, and motor subscales), HYS, Activities Based Confidence Scale (ABC), Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG), Five Times Sit-to-Stand (FTSS), Timed Up-and Go (TUG), Gait Velocity (GV), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) evaluations were performed. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through correlations of the ACM and PIGD to these measures and to their summed-ranks. A coefficient of determination was calculated through linear regression. Mean age was 71.4, mean age at diagnosis 61.4 years; 46% were women; mean UPDRS subscale scores were: Mental 3.7; ADL 15.7; motor: 27.1; mean ACM was 6.51, and mean PIGD 1.30. Cronbach's alpha was 0.78 for both ACM and PIGD. Spearman correlation coefficients between the ACM/PIGD and ABC, FOG, TUG, GV and BBS were 0.69, 0.72, 0.67, 0.58, and 0.70 respectively. Correlation between the ACM/PIGD and summed-ranks of HYS, NOF, ABC, FOG, FTSS, TUG, GV and BBS was high (Spearman r = 0.823, p < 0.0001); 68% of the variability in the summed-ranks was explained by ACM/PIGD. The ACM and the PIGD are valid global measures and accurately reflect the combined effects of the various components of ambulatory capacity in PD patients with HY stages 1-4.

Industrial minerals of the Midcontinent: Proceedings of the Midcontinent industrial minerals workshop

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bush, Alfred Lerner; Hayes, Timothy Scott; Bush, Alfred Lerner; Hayes, Timothy Scott

1995-01-01

The Midcontinent Industrial Minerals Workshop, in St. Louis, Missouri, September 16-17, 1991, was the fourth U.S. Geological Survey-sponsored meeting on the essential role of industrial rocks and minerals in the Nation's social and economic framework. The meeting was organized, supported, and the agenda was determined by a group from the USGS, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the State geological surveys of Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, with early assistance in planning from the Iowa and Tennessee surveys. As the major industrial rocks and minerals used in the nine-State area of the Midcontinent are construction materials, the Workshop focused on sand and gravel and limestone-dolomite resources and the extraction industry for those materials. Because active audience participation was considered vital, representatives from industry, universities, geological surveys, planning groups, regulatory agencies, and State legislatures were invited. The audience consisted of 87 attendees out of 120 invited participants (no legislators attended).

Introduction and Highlights of the Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, Ahmed K.; Venneri, Samuel L.

1997-01-01

Four generations of CAD/CAM systems can be identified, corresponding to changes in both modeling functionality and software architecture. The systems evolved from 2D and wireframes to solid modeling, to parametric/variational modelers to the current simulation-embedded systems. Recent developments have enabled design engineers to perform many of the complex analysis tasks, typically performed by analysis experts. Some of the characteristics of the current and emerging CAD/CAM/CAE systems are described in subsequent presentations. The focus of the workshop is on the potential of CAD/CAM/CAE systems for use in simulating the entire mission and life-cycle of future aerospace systems, and the needed development to realize this potential. First, the major features of the emerging computing, communication and networking environment are outlined; second, the characteristics and design drivers of future aerospace systems are identified; third, the concept of intelligent synthesis environment being planned by NASA, the UVA ACT Center and JPL is presented; and fourth, the objectives and format of the workshop are outlined.

African American infant mortality and the Genesee County, MI REACH 2010 initiative: an evaluation of the Undoing Racism Workshop.

PubMed

Shultz, Cameron; Skorcz, Stephen

2012-01-01

The authors examine African American African American and White socioeconomic and infant mortality outcomes in Genesee County, Michigan, assess the stated effects of the Undoing Racism Workshop (URW) on its participants and the greater-Genesee County community, and introduce the ecological approach to the cycle of socialization as a tool to help identify sources of racially linked tension and sites for ameliorative intervention. Findings show that African Americans in Flint are geographically and socioeconomically isolated, have fewer resources to sustain health, and experience higher rates of infant mortality when compared to Whites in Flint's surrounding suburbs. Between two thirds and three fourths of URW follow-up survey respondents endorse the belief that the URW can help reduce infant mortality, and results suggest the workshop helps elicit individual and institutional/policy-related changes intended to lessen the disparity. Authors assert the URW offers a common language and framework for discussing racism as a structural phenomenon rather than merely racial prejudice within individuals.

Transportation Beyond 2000: Technologies Needed for Engineering Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huebner, Lawrence D. (Compiler); Asbury, Scott C. (Compiler); Lamar, John E. (Compiler); McKinley, Robert E., Jr. (Compiler); Scott, Robert C. (Compiler); Small, William J. (Compiler); Torres, Abel O. (Compiler)

1996-01-01

The purpose of the workshop was to acquaint the staff of the NASA Langley Research Center with the broad spectrum of transportation challenges and concepts foreseen within the next 20 years. The hope is that material presented at the workshop and contained in this document will stimulate innovative high-payoff research directed towards the efficiency of future transportation systems. The workshop included five sessions designed to stress the factors that will lead to a revolution in the way we will travel in the 21st century. The first session provides the historical background and a general perspective for future transportation, including emerging transportation alternatives such as working at a distance. Personal travel is the subject of Session Two. The third session looks at mass transportation, including advanced rail vehicles, advanced commuter aircraft, and advanced transport aircraft. The fourth session addresses some of the technologies required for the above revolutionary transportation systems to evolve. The workshop concluded with a wrap-up panel discussion, Session Five. The topics presented herein all have viable technical components and are at a stage in their development that, with sufficient engineering research, one or more of these could make a significant impact on transportation and our social structure.

Transportation Beyond 2000: Technologies Needed for Engineering Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huebner, Lawrence D. (Compiler); Asbury, Scott C. (Compiler); Lamar, John E. (Compiler); McKinley, Robert E., Jr. (Compiler); Scott, Robert C. (Compiler); Small, William J. (Compiler); Torres, Abel O. (Compiler)

1996-01-01

The purpose of the workshop was to acquaint the staff of the NASA Langley Research Center with the broad spectrum of transportation challenges and concepts foreseen within the next 20 years. The hope is that the material presented at the workshop and contained in this document will stimulate innovative high-payoff research directed towards the efficiency of future transportation systems. The workshop included five sessions designed to stress the factors that will lead to a revolution in the way we will travel in the 21st century. The first session provides the historical background and a general perspective for future transportation, including emerging transportation alternatives such as working at a distance. Personal travel is the subject of Session Two. The third session looks at mass transportation, including advanced rail vehicles, advanced commuter aircraft, and advanced transport aircraft. The fourth session addresses some of the technologies required for the above revolutionary transportation systems to evolve. The workshop concluded with a wrap-up panel discussion, Session Five. The topics presented herein all have viable technical components and are at a stage in their development that, with sufficient engineering research, one or more of these could make a significant impact on transportation and our social structure.

Effect of electrolyte concentration on performance of supercapacitor carbon electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

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

Farma, R.; Awitdrus,; Taer, E.

Fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches were used to produce self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N{sub 2} environment at 800°C to produce carbon monoliths (CM) and the CM was CO{sub 2} activated at 800°C for 4 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells which used H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} electrolyte at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 M were investigated usingmore » electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical properties of the ACM electrodes and the effect of electrolyte concentration on the electrochemical properties the ACM electrodes.« less

Comparative study of numerical schemes of TVD3, UNO3-ACM and optimized compact scheme

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Duck-Joo; Hwang, Chang-Jeon; Ko, Duck-Kon; Kim, Jae-Wook

1995-01-01

Three different schemes are employed to solve the benchmark problem. The first one is a conventional TVD-MUSCL (Monotone Upwind Schemes for Conservation Laws) scheme. The second scheme is a UNO3-ACM (Uniformly Non-Oscillatory Artificial Compression Method) scheme. The third scheme is an optimized compact finite difference scheme modified by us: the 4th order Runge Kutta time stepping, the 4th order pentadiagonal compact spatial discretization with the maximum resolution characteristics. The problems of category 1 are solved by using the second (UNO3-ACM) and third (Optimized Compact) schemes. The problems of category 2 are solved by using the first (TVD3) and second (UNO3-ACM) schemes. The problem of category 5 is solved by using the first (TVD3) scheme. It can be concluded from the present calculations that the Optimized Compact scheme and the UN03-ACM show good resolutions for category 1 and category 2 respectively.

Mechanisms of pseudosubstrate inhibition of the anaphase promoting complex by Acm1

PubMed Central

Burton, Janet L; Xiong, Yong; Solomon, Mark J

2011-01-01

The anaphase promoting complex (APC) is a ubiquitin ligase that promotes the degradation of cell-cycle regulators by the 26S proteasome. Cdc20 and Cdh1 are WD40-containing APC co-activators that bind destruction boxes (DB) and KEN boxes within substrates to recruit them to the APC for ubiquitination. Acm1 is an APCCdh1 inhibitor that utilizes a DB and a KEN box to bind Cdh1 and prevent substrate binding, although Acm1 itself is not a substrate. We investigated what differentiates an APC substrate from an inhibitor. We identified the Acm1 A-motif that interacts with Cdh1 and together with the DB and KEN box is required for APCCdh1 inhibition. A genetic screen identified Cdh1 WD40 domain residues important for Acm1 A-motif interaction and inhibition that appears to reside near Cdh1 residues important for DB recognition. Specific lysine insertion mutations within Acm1 promoted its ubiquitination by APCCdh1 whereas lysine removal from the APC substrate Hsl1 converted it into a potent APCCdh1 inhibitor. These findings suggest that tight Cdh1 binding combined with the inaccessibility of ubiquitinatable lysines contributes to pseudosubstrate inhibition of APCCdh1. PMID:21460798

An improved method for growing neurons: Comparison with standard protocols.

PubMed

Pozzi, Diletta; Ban, Jelena; Iseppon, Federico; Torre, Vincent

2017-03-15

Since different culturing parameters - such as media composition or cell density - lead to different experimental results, it is important to define the protocol used for neuronal cultures. The vital role of astrocytes in maintaining homeostasis of neurons - both in vivo and in vitro - is well established: the majority of improved culturing conditions for primary dissociated neuronal cultures rely on astrocytes. Our culturing protocol is based on a novel serum-free preparation of astrocyte - conditioned medium (ACM). We compared the proposed ACM culturing method with other two commonly used methods Neurobasal/B27- and FBS- based media. We performed morphometric characterization by immunocytochemistry and functional analysis by calcium imaging for all three culture methods at 1, 7, 14 and 60days in vitro (DIV). ACM-based cultures gave the best results for all tested criteria, i.e. growth cone's size and shape, neuronal outgrowth and branching, network activity and synchronization, maturation and long-term survival. The differences were more pronounced when compared with FBS-based medium. Neurobasal/B27 cultures were comparable to ACM for young cultures (DIV1), but not for culturing times longer than DIV7. ACM-based cultures showed more robust neuronal outgrowth at DIV1. At DIV7 and 60, the activity of neuronal network grown in ACM had a more vigorous spontaneous electrical activity and a higher degree of synchronization. We propose our ACM-based culture protocol as an improved and more suitable method for both short- and long-term neuronal cultures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of occupational exposure to asbestos fibers: Contribution of analytical transmission electron microscopy analysis and comparison with phase-contrast microscopy.

PubMed

Eypert-Blaison, Céline; Romero-Hariot, Anita; Clerc, Frédéric; Vincent, Raymond

2018-03-01

From November 2009 to October 2010, the French general directorate for labor organized a large field-study using analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) to characterize occupational exposure to asbestos fibers during work on asbestos containing materials (ACM). The primary objective of this study was to establish a method and to validate the feasibility of using ATEM for the analysis of airborne asbestos of individual filters sampled in various occupational environments. For each sampling event, ATEM data were compared to those obtained by phase-contrast optical microscopy (PCOM), the WHO-recommended reference technique. A total of 265 results were obtained from 29 construction sites where workers were in contact with ACM. Data were sorted depending on the combination of the ACM type and the removal technique. For each "ACM-removal technique" combination, ATEM data were used to compute statistical indicators on short, fine and WHO asbestos fibers. Moreover, exposure was assessed taking into account the use of respiratory protective devices (RPD). As in previous studies, no simple relationship was found between results by PCOM and ATEM counting methods. Some ACM, such as asbestos-containing plasters, generated very high dust levels, and some techniques generated considerable levels of dust whatever the ACM treated. On the basis of these observations, recommendations were made to measure and control the occupational exposure limit. General prevention measures to be taken during work with ACM are also suggested. Finally, it is necessary to continue acquiring knowledge, in particular regarding RPD and the dust levels measured by ATEM for the activities not evaluated during this study.

Reactive oxygen species trigger motoneuron death in non-cell-autonomous models of ALS through activation of c-Abl signaling.

PubMed

Rojas, Fabiola; Gonzalez, David; Cortes, Nicole; Ampuero, Estibaliz; Hernández, Diego E; Fritz, Elsa; Abarzua, Sebastián; Martinez, Alexis; Elorza, Alvaro A; Alvarez, Alejandra; Court, Felipe; van Zundert, Brigitte

2015-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which pathogenesis and death of motor neurons are triggered by non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. We showed earlier that exposing primary rat spinal cord cultures to conditioned media derived from primary mouse astrocyte conditioned media (ACM) that express human SOD1(G93A) (ACM-hSOD1(G93A)) quickly enhances Nav channel-mediated excitability and calcium influx, generates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and leads to death of motoneurons within days. Here we examined the role of mitochondrial structure and physiology and of the activation of c-Abl, a tyrosine kinase that induces apoptosis. We show that ACM-hSOD1(G93A), but not ACM-hSOD1(WT), increases c-Abl activity in motoneurons, interneurons and glial cells, starting at 60 min; the c-Abl inhibitor STI571 (imatinib) prevents this ACM-hSOD1(G93A)-mediated motoneuron death. Interestingly, similar results were obtained with ACM derived from astrocytes expressing SOD1(G86R) or TDP43(A315T). We further find that co-application of ACM-SOD1(G93A) with blockers of Nav channels (spermidine, mexiletine, or riluzole) or anti-oxidants (Trolox, esculetin, or tiron) effectively prevent c-Abl activation and motoneuron death. In addition, ACM-SOD1(G93A) induces alterations in the morphology of neuronal mitochondria that are related with their membrane depolarization. Finally, we find that blocking the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore with cyclosporine A, or inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uptake with Ru360, reduces ROS production and c-Abl activation. Together, our data point to a sequence of events in which a toxic factor(s) released by ALS-expressing astrocytes rapidly induces hyper-excitability, which in turn increases calcium influx and affects mitochondrial structure and physiology. ROS production, mediated at least in part through mitochondrial alterations, trigger c-Abl signaling and lead to motoneuron death.

Conditioned medium from human amniotic epithelial cells may induce the differentiation of human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells into dopaminergic neuron-like cells.

PubMed

Yang, Shu; Sun, Hai-Mei; Yan, Ji-Hong; Xue, Hong; Wu, Bo; Dong, Fang; Li, Wen-Shuai; Ji, Feng-Qing; Zhou, De-Shan

2013-07-01

Dopaminergic (DA) neuron therapy has been established as a new clinical tool for treating Parkinson's disease (PD). Prior to cell transplantation, there are two primary issues that must be resolved: one is the appropriate seed cell origin, and the other is the efficient inducing technique. In the present study, human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) were used as the available seed cells, and conditioned medium from human amniotic epithelial cells (ACM) was used as the inducing reagent. Results showed that the proportion of DA neuron-like cells from hUCB-MSCs was significantly increased after cultured in ACM, suggested by the upregulation of DAT, TH, Nurr1, and Pitx3. To identify the process by which ACM induces DA neuron differentiation, we pretreated hUCB-MSCs with k252a, the Trk receptor inhibitor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF), and found that the proportion of DA neuron-like cells was significantly decreased compared with ACM-treated hUCB-MSCs, suggesting that NGF and BDNF in ACM were involved in the differentiation process. However, we could not rule out the involvement of other unidentified factors in the ACM, because ACM + k252a treatment does not fully block DA neuron-like cell differentiation compared with control. The transplantation of ACM-induced hUCB-MSCs could ameliorate behavioral deficits in PD rats, which may be associated with the survival of engrafted DA neuron-like cells. In conclusion, we propose that hUCB-MSCs are a good source of DA neuron-like cells and that ACM is a potential inducer to obtain DA neuron-like cells from hUCB-MSCs in vitro for an ethical and legal cell therapy for PD. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Risk prediction in stable cardiovascular disease using a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T single biomarker strategy compared to the ESC-SCORE.

PubMed

Biener, Moritz; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Kuhner, Manuel; Zelniker, Thomas; Mueller-Hennessen, Matthias; Vafaie, Mehrshad; Stoyanov, Kiril M; Neumann, Franz-Josef; Katus, Hugo A; Hochholzer, Willibald; Valina, Christian Marc

2018-01-01

To evaluate the prognostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) compared with the ESC-SCORE. We included low-risk outpatients with stable cardiovascular (CV) disease categorised into need for non-secondary and secondary prevention. The prognostication of hs-cTnT at index visit was compared with the European Society of Cardiology-Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (ESC-SCORE) with respect to all-cause mortality (ACM) and two composite endpoints (ACM, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke and ACM, AMI, stroke and rehospitalisation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and decompensated heart failure (DHF)). Within a median follow-up of 796 days, a total of 16 deaths, 32 composite endpoints of ACM, AMI and stroke and 83 composite endpoints of ACM, AMI, stroke, rehospitalisation for ACS and DHF were observed among 693 stable low-risk outpatients. Using C-statistics, measurement of hs-cTnT alone outperformed the ESC-SCORE for the prediction of ACM in the entire study population (Δarea under the curve (AUC) 0.221, p=0.0039) and both prevention groups (non-secondary: ΔAUC 0.164, p=0.0208; secondary: ΔAUC 0.264, p=0.0134). For the prediction of all other secondary endpoints, hs-cTnT was at least as effective as the ESC-SCORE, both in secondary and non-secondary prevention. Using continuous and categorical net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement, hs-cTnT significantly improved reclassification regarding all endpoints in the entire population and in the secondary prevention cohort. In non-secondary prevention, hs-cTnT improved reclassification only for ACM. The results were confirmed in an independent external cohort on 2046 patients. Hs-cTnT is superior to the multivariable ESC-SCORE for the prediction of ACM and a composite endpoint in stable outpatients with and without relevant CV disease. NCT01954303; Pre-results.

GtfA and GtfB Are Both Required for Protein O-Glycosylation in Lactobacillus plantarum

PubMed Central

Lee, I-Chiao; van Swam, Iris I.; Tomita, Satoru; Morsomme, Pierre; Rolain, Thomas; Hols, Pascal; Bron, Peter A.

2014-01-01

Acm2, the major autolysin of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1, was recently found to be O-glycosylated with N-acetylhexosamine, likely N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). In this study, we set out to identify the glycosylation machinery by employing a comparative genomics approach to identify Gtf1 homologues, which are involved in fimbria-associated protein 1 (Fap1) glycosylation in Streptococcus parasanguinis. This in silico approach resulted in the identification of 6 candidate L. plantarum WCFS1 genes with significant homology to Gtf1, namely, tagE1 to tagE6. These candidate genes were targeted by systematic gene deletion, followed by assessment of the consequences on glycosylation of Acm2. We observed a changed mobility of Acm2 on SDS-PAGE in the tagE5E6 deletion strain, while deletion of other tagE genes resulted in Acm2 mobility comparable to that of the wild type. Subsequent mass spectrometry analysis of excised and in-gel-digested Acm2 confirmed the loss of glycosylation on Acm2 in the tagE5E6 deletion mutant, whereas a lectin blot using GlcNAc-specific succinylated wheat germ agglutinin (sWGA) revealed that besides Acm2, tagE5E6 deletion also abolished all but one other sWGA-reactive, protease-sensitive signal. Only complementation of both tagE5 and tagE6 restored those sWGA lectin signals, establishing that TagE5 and TagE6 are both required for the glycosylation of Acm2 as well as the vast majority of other sWGA-reactive proteins. Finally, sWGA lectin blotting experiments using a panel of 8 other L. plantarum strains revealed that protein glycosylation is a common feature in L. plantarum strains. With the establishment of these enzymes as protein glycosyltransferases, we propose to rename TagE5 and TagE6 as GtfA and GtfB, respectively. PMID:24532775

Association of fluorescein anterior corneal mosaic and corneal K-structures by in vivo laser confocal microscopy in patients with keratoconus

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Akira; Yokogawa, Hideaki; Mori, Natsuko; Masaki, Toshinori; Sugiyama, Kazuhisa

2017-01-01

Objective To report the in vivo laser confocal microscopy findings of corneas with keratoconus, with special attention to abnormality of Bowman’s layer and sub-Bowman’s fibrous structures (Kobayashi-structures [K-structures]). Methods Sixteen keratoconic eyes in 8 consecutive patients with keratoconus (4 males, 4 females, mean age, 41.1 years) were included in this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopic photos were taken with or without fluorescein staining. The existence of anterior corneal mosaic (ACM) after eyelid rubbing under fluorescein staining was documented. In vivo laser confocal microscopic examinations were performed for all patients in both the central cone and the peripheral cornea to examine the existence of K-structures. Results According to the Amsler–Krumeich scale, the eyes were graded as follows: stage 1 (n=3), stage 2 (n=1), stage 3 (n=1), and stage 4 (n=11). ACM was observed in 7 eyes (61.1%) in the cone area and 16 eyes (100%) in the peripheral cornea among all keratoconic eyes enrolled in this study. In addition, K-structures were observed in the 7 eyes (61.1%) and 16 eyes (100%) in the peripheral cornea among all keratoconic eyes. The presence of the K-structures was completely matched (100%) with the presence of ACM in both the central cone and the peripheral cornea. In 11 eyes with stage 4 keratoconus, ACM and K-structure was absent in 9 eyes (81.8%) in the cone area. On the contrary, in 5 eyes with mild-to-moderate keratoconus (grade 1 to 3), ACM and K-structure was present in all eyes (100%) in the cone area. The absent ratio of ACM and K-structures in the cone area was significantly higher in stage 4 severe keratoconus compared to mild-to-moderate keratoconus (grade 1 to 3) (Fisher, P=0.005). Conclusion The existence of ACM and K-structures in both the central cone and the peripheral cornea showed perfect accord in patients with keratoconus, indicating a strong association of ACM and K-structures in patients with keratoconus. With the progress of the keratoconus, it seemed that ACM and K-structure progressively disappeared, suggesting Bowman’s layer abnormalities due to keratoconus. Further study in larger groups of patients with keratoconus is required to fully understand the significance of ACM/K-structures in keratoconic eyes and their association with Bowman’s layer. PMID:28794613

Proceedings: Fourth Annual Workshop on Meteorological and Environmental Inputs to Aviation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, Walter (Editor); Camp, Dennis W. (Editor)

1980-01-01

The proceedings of a workshop on meteorological and environmental inputs to aviation systems held at The University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma, Tennessee, March 25-27, 1980, are reported. The workshop was jointly sponsored by NASA, NOAA, and FAA and brought together many disciplines of the aviation communities in round table discussions. The major objectives of the workshop are to satisfy such needs of the sponsoring agencies as the expansion of our understanding and knowledge of the interaction of the atmosphere with aviation systems, the better definition and implementation of services to operators, and the collection and interpretation of data for establishing operational criteria relating the total meteorological inputs from the atmospheric sciences to the needs of aviation communities. The unique aspects of the workshop were the diversity of the participants and the achievement of communication across the interface of the boundaries between pilots, meteorologists, training personnel, accident investigators, traffic controllers, flight operation personnel from military, civil, general aviation, and commercial interests alike. Representatives were in attendance from government, airlines, private agencies, aircraft manufacturers, Department of Defense, industries, research institutes, and universities. Full-length papers from invited speakers addressed topics on icing, turbulence, wind and wind shear, ceilings and visibility, lightning, and atmospheric electricity. These papers are contained in the proceedings together with the committee chairmen's reports on the results and conclusions of their efforts on similar subjects.

PREFACE: Fourth International Workshop on Inelastic Ion-Surface Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigmund, Peter

1983-01-01

The Fourth International Workshop on Inelastic Ion-Surface Collisions was held at Hindsgavl Manor near Middelfart, Denmark from 21 to 24 September 1982, following previous workshops held in Murray Hill, New Jersey (1976), Hamilton, Ontario (1978) and Feldkirchen-Westerham, Bavaria (1980). Like in the previous meetings, the underlying idea was to gather a moderately small group of researchers to discuss fundamental physical and chemical problems in a number of areas that are related, but are normally represented at separate conferences focusing on different aspects. The area of inelastic ion-surface collisions has a wide diversity of applications ranging from surface analysis by particle impact through microelectronic and controlled thermonuclear fusion devices to biomolecule identification and solar wind effects in planetary space. There are strong links to surface science and atomic collision physics and their respective applications. The present series of workshops is an attempt to focus on fundamental problems common to all these areas and thus to provide a forum for fruitful interaction. At Middelfart, we were lucky to have an exceptional number of well-presented and stimulating summary talks covering a rather broad range of fundamental processes with the emphasis shifting back and forth between collisional and surface aspects. Moreover, there was a wealth of short contributions on current research, of which many were submitted to the present proceedings. Thanks to the speakers, an active audience, and considerate session chairmen, we had extensive and lively but friendly discussions in an always stimulating atmosphere. This volume contains 11 of 13 invited papers and 15 of the 30 contributions presented orally at the workshop. It should, like the proceedings of the previous workshops, give a balanced survey of the current status of the field, with a slight bias toward recent developments like those in the theory of charge states of sputtered atoms, and others. All papers have undergone a normal, and occasionally extensive, refereeing procedure. In the midst of the editing process, I received the news that one of the invited speakers, Morton Traum of Bell Laboratories, had died at age 41 on 1 December, 1982 in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Mort had delivered a superb talk on Desorption and Sputtering by Electronic Processes and had been one of the most active participants and perhaps the most broadly oriented one of the workshop. His intense curiosity and serene charm, combined with a solid background in all parts of surface science, contributed stimulating ideas to most of the topics discussed. In preparing the workshop, I got much useful advice and constructive criticism from the members of the international committee. The assistance of the members of the local committee, Nils Andersen, Flemming Besenbacher, Jens Nørskov and Jens Onsgaard, as well as Erling Hartmann, Tove Nyberg and my wife Pia was instrumental at various stages before, during and after the workshop. Generous funding was received from the Office of Naval Research, the Danish Natural Science Research Council, NORDITA, the Nordic Accelerator Committee, the Research Foundation of Odense University and the Danish Provincial Bank. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the professional service of the Hindsgavl Conference Center and the smooth cooperation with Dr N R Nilsson, executive editor of Physica Scripta.

Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, John

2015-01-01

The Additive Construction with Mobile Emplacement (ACME) project is developing technology to build structures on planetary surfaces using in-situ resources. The project focuses on the construction of both 2D (landing pads, roads, and structure foundations) and 3D (habitats, garages, radiation shelters, and other structures) infrastructure needs for planetary surface missions. The ACME project seeks to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of two components needed for planetary surface habitation and exploration: 3D additive construction (e.g., contour crafting), and excavation and handling technologies (to effectively and continuously produce in-situ feedstock). Additionally, the ACME project supports the research and development of new materials for planetary surface construction, with the goal of reducing the amount of material to be launched from Earth.

Not Your Typical Simulation Workshop: Using LEGOs to Train Medical Students on the Practice of Effective Communication.

PubMed

Papanagnou, Dimitrios; Lee, Hyunjoo; Rodriguez, Carlos; Zhang, Xiao Chi C; Rudner, Joshua

2018-01-21

As students in the health professions transition from the classroom into the clinical environment, they will be expected to effectively communicate with their team members and their patients. Effective communication skills are essential to their ability to effectively contribute to their clinical team and the patient care they deliver. The authors propose an interactive workshop that can support students' deliberate practice of communication skills. The authors designed a simulation workshop that affords students the opportunity to practice their communication and peer-to-peer coaching skills. Using LEGOs, a one-hour workshop was conducted with medical students. Students were divided into groups of two. Each student took on a different role: teacher or builder. Teachers were tasked with instructing builders on how to construct a pre-made LEGO structure, not allowing builders to look at the structure. A group debriefing followed to evaluate the activity and explore the themes that emerged. Twenty first-year medical students and 25 fourth-year medical students participated in this activity. Most groups were successful in reproducing the pre-made structure. Groups that pre-briefed before building were most successful. Unsuccessful groups did not define orientation or direction in mutually understood terms, resulting in the creation of an incorrect mirror image of the structure - a common phenomenon seen during the teaching of procedures in the clinical learning environment. The workshop was well received. Students made requests to have similar sessions throughout their training to better support the development of effective communication skills. The workshop can easily be applied to other specialties to assist with procedural skills instruction or in workshops focusing on effective communication.

Not Your Typical Simulation Workshop: Using LEGOs to Train Medical Students on the Practice of Effective Communication

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyunjoo; Rodriguez, Carlos; Zhang, Xiao Chi C; Rudner, Joshua

2018-01-01

As students in the health professions transition from the classroom into the clinical environment, they will be expected to effectively communicate with their team members and their patients. Effective communication skills are essential to their ability to effectively contribute to their clinical team and the patient care they deliver. The authors propose an interactive workshop that can support students’ deliberate practice of communication skills. The authors designed a simulation workshop that affords students the opportunity to practice their communication and peer-to-peer coaching skills. Using LEGOs, a one-hour workshop was conducted with medical students. Students were divided into groups of two. Each student took on a different role: teacher or builder. Teachers were tasked with instructing builders on how to construct a pre-made LEGO structure, not allowing builders to look at the structure. A group debriefing followed to evaluate the activity and explore the themes that emerged. Twenty first-year medical students and 25 fourth-year medical students participated in this activity. Most groups were successful in reproducing the pre-made structure. Groups that pre-briefed before building were most successful. Unsuccessful groups did not define orientation or direction in mutually understood terms, resulting in the creation of an incorrect mirror image of the structure – a common phenomenon seen during the teaching of procedures in the clinical learning environment. The workshop was well received. Students made requests to have similar sessions throughout their training to better support the development of effective communication skills. The workshop can easily be applied to other specialties to assist with procedural skills instruction or in workshops focusing on effective communication. PMID:29568715

Cost-benefit analysis of avian influenza control in Nepal.

PubMed

Karki, S; Lupiani, B; Budke, C M; Karki, N P S; Rushton, J; Ivanek, R

2015-12-01

Numerous outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza A strain H5N1 have occurred in Nepal since 2009 despite implementation of a national programme to control the disease through surveillance and culling of infected poultry flocks. The objective of the study was to use cost-benefit analysis to compare the current control programme (CCP) with the possible alternatives of: i) no intervention (i.e., absence of control measures [ACM]) and ii) vaccinating 60% of the national poultry flock twice a year. In terms of the benefit-cost ratio, findings indicate a return of US $1.94 for every dollar spent in the CCP compared with ACM. The net present value of the CCP versus ACM, i.e., the amount of money saved by implementing the CCP rather than ACM, is US $861,507 (the benefits of CCP [prevented losses which would have occurred under ACM] minus the cost of CCP). The vaccination programme yields a return of US $2.32 for every dollar spent when compared with the CCR The net present value of vaccination versus the CCP is approximately US $12 million. Sensitivity analysis indicated thatthe findings were robust to different rates of discounting, whereas results were sensitive to the assumed market loss and the number of birds affected in the outbreaks under the ACM and vaccination options. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that the CCP is economically superior to ACM, but that vaccination could give greater economic returns and may be a better control strategy. Future research should be directed towards evaluating the financial feasibility and social acceptability of the CCP and of vaccination, with an emphasis on evaluating market reaction to the presence of H5N1 infection in the country.

Validation of chronic kidney disease risk categorization system in Chinese patients with kidney disease: A cohort study.

PubMed

Liu, Qingyan; Lv, Jicheng; Li, Haixia; Jiao, Lili; Yang, Hongyun; Song, Yinan; Xu, Guobin

2015-12-01

To validate the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines risk stratification system based on the combination of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria. This was a cohort study. A total of 1219 study population were recruited. Estimated GFR and proteinuria measured by using 24 h urine protein excretion rate (PER) were predictors. Adverse outcomes included all-cause mortality (ACM) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Follow-up was done by regular visit, telephone interview and electronic medical records. Over a median follow-up of 4.6 years, 153 (12.6%) and 43 (3.5%) patients experienced ESRD and ACM, respectively. On multivariable analysis, the adjusted hazard ratio for ESRD and ACM (compared with patients with eGFR > 60 mL/min per 1.7  m²) was of 29.8 and 3.6 for those with eGFR of 15-29 mL/min per 1.73 m², respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio for ESRD and ACM (compared with patients with PER < 150 mg/24h) was of 15.9 and 3.9 for those with PER > 500 mg/24h. Higher KDIGO guidelines risk categories (indicating lower eGFR or higher proteinuria) were associated with a graded increase in the risk for the ESRD (P < 0.001) and ACM (P < 0.001). Reclassification of KDIGO guidelines risk categories yielded net reclassification improvements for those with ESRD or ACM event (NRIevents ) of 33.3% or 30.2%. Lower eGFR and higher proteinuria are risk factors for ESRD and ACM in Chinese patients. The KDIGO guidelines risk categorization system assigned patients who went on to have the event to more appropriate CKD risk categories. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

Effect of PR Interval on Outcomes Following Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: A Secondary Analysis of the COMPANION Trial.

PubMed

Lin, Jeffrey; Buhr, Kevin A; Kipp, Ryan

2017-02-01

Prolonged PR intervals may impair atrioventricular mechanical coupling and adversely affect cardiac performance. We hypothesize that patients with advanced systolic heart failure, wide QRS complexes, and prolonged PR intervals will have improved survival from CRT-D regardless of whether left bundle branch block (LBBB) or non-LBBB is present. A total of 308 patients enrolled in the optimal pharmacologic therapy (OPT) and 595 patients in the cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillation (CRT-D) arms of the Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing, and Defibrillation in Heart Failure trial were stratified according to normal (≤230 ms) or prolonged PR interval (>230 ms). The incidence of all-cause mortality (ACM) or hospitalization (primary endpoint) and ACM (secondary endpoint) was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazards models for the primary and secondary endpoints were fit with LBBB status and baseline PR interval. CRT-D treatment reduced both hospitalization/ACM (P = 0.002) and ACM (P = 0.003) compared to OPT. However, CRT-D was increasingly more effective in reducing ACM hazard in patients with longer baseline PR intervals (P = 0.002) regardless of LBBB status. In particular, in the prolonged baseline PR interval subgroup, ACM was reduced with CRT-D compared to OPT (P = 0.001) with little evidence of ACM reduction in the normal PR subgroup (P = 0.07). In patients with advanced systolic heart failure, wide QRS complexes, and prolonged PR intervals, restoration of atrioventricular mechanical coupling with CRT-D may improve survival regardless of LBBB status. In patients with non-LBBB, a benefit from CRT-D may occur with prolonged PR intervals. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Secondary Progressive and Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Leads to Motor-Related Decreased Anatomical Connectivity

PubMed Central

Lyksborg, Mark; Siebner, Hartwig R.; Sørensen, Per S.; Blinkenberg, Morten; Parker, Geoff J. M.; Dogonowski, Anne-Marie; Garde, Ellen; Larsen, Rasmus; Dyrby, Tim B.

2014-01-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) damages central white matter pathways which has considerable impact on disease-related disability. To identify disease-related alterations in anatomical connectivity, 34 patients (19 with relapsing remitting MS (RR-MS), 15 with secondary progressive MS (SP-MS) and 20 healthy subjects underwent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) of the brain. Based on the dMRI, anatomical connectivity mapping (ACM) yielded a voxel-based metric reflecting the connectivity shared between each individual voxel and all other brain voxels. To avoid biases caused by inter-individual brain-shape differences, they were estimated in a spatially normalized space. Voxel-based statistical analyses using ACM were compared with analyses based on the localized microstructural indices of fractional anisotropy (FA). In both RR-MS and SP-MS patients, considerable portions of the motor-related white matter revealed decreases in ACM and FA when compared with healthy subjects. Patients with SP-MS exhibited reduced ACM values relative to RR-MS in the motor-related tracts, whereas there were no consistent decreases in FA between SP-MS and RR-MS patients. Regional ACM statistics exhibited moderate correlation with clinical disability as reflected by the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). The correlation between these statistics and EDSS was either similar to or stronger than the correlation between FA statistics and the EDSS. Together, the results reveal an improved relationship between ACM, the clinical phenotype, and impairment. This highlights the potential of the ACM connectivity indices to be used as a marker which can identify disease related-alterations due to MS which may not be seen using localized microstructural indices. PMID:24748023

Requirement of Autolytic Activity for Bacteriocin-Induced Lysis

PubMed Central

Martínez-Cuesta, M. Carmen; Kok, Jan; Herranz, Elisabet; Peláez, Carmen; Requena, Teresa; Buist, Girbe

2000-01-01

The bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis IFPL105 is bactericidal against several Lactococcus and Lactobacillus strains. Addition of the bacteriocin to exponential-growth-phase cells resulted in all cases in bacteriolysis. The bacteriolytic response of the strains was not related to differences in sensitivity to the bacteriocin and was strongly reduced in the presence of autolysin inhibitors (Co2+ and sodium dodecyl sulfate). When L. lactis MG1363 and its derivative deficient in the production of the major autolysin AcmA (MG1363acmAΔ1) were incubated with the bacteriocin, the latter did not lyse and no intracellular proteins were released into the medium. Incubation of cell wall fragments of L. lactis MG1363, or of L. lactis MG1363acmAΔ1 to which extracellular AcmA was added, in the presence or absence of the bacteriocin had no effect on the speed of cell wall degradation. This result indicates that the bacteriocin does not degrade cell walls, nor does it directly activate the autolysin AcmA. The autolysin was also responsible for the observed lysis of L. lactis MG1363 cells during incubation with nisin or the mixture of lactococcins A, B, and M. The results presented here show that lysis of L. lactis after addition of the bacteriocins is caused by the resulting cell damage, which promotes uncontrolled degradation of the cell walls by AcmA. PMID:10919766

Eighteen-deoxyaldosterone and other less polar forms of 18-hydroxycorticosterone as aldosterone precursors in rat adrenals.

PubMed

Cozza, E N; Burton, G; Ceballos, N R; Lantos, C P; Harnik, M; Scott, A I

1985-05-01

Samples containing as precursors either 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH-B) in its M form, or this converted to less polar forms at pH 2 (ACM), or M or ACM enclosed in liposomes from adrenal lipids were incubated at pH 7.4, 4.8 or 3.3 in the presence or absence of quartered rat adrenals for 1 and 2 h. Optimal (10%) yields of aldosterone were obtained when (a) ACM was incubated at pH 4.8 and (b) M enclosed in liposomes was suspended in buffer and shaken without enzyme at pH 3.3. When conditions (a) were supplemented with malate and NADP, 16% of ACM was converted to aldosterone. ACM contained 80% of a fraction which, according to 13C NMR spectroscopy, was identical to 18-deoxyaldosterone (18-DAL). Experiments in which radioactivity from corticosterone (B) or M was trapped by radioinert M or 18-DAL disclosed a pathway comprising sequentially B, 18-OH-B, 18-DAL and aldosterone, and the combined evidence of this work, an enzymatic hydroxylation of 18-DAL to aldosterone.

ISMCR 1994: Topical Workshop on Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Measurement and Control in Robotics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This symposium on measurement and control in robotics included sessions on: (1) rendering, including tactile perception and applied virtual reality; (2) applications in simulated medical procedures and telerobotics; (3) tracking sensors in a virtual environment; (4) displays for virtual reality applications; (5) sensory feedback including a virtual environment application with partial gravity simulation; and (6) applications in education, entertainment, technical writing, and animation.

Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) and Demolition

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

There are specific federal regulatory requirements that require the identification of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in many of the residential buildings that are being demolished or renovated by a municipality.

Trocar anterior chamber maintainer: Improvised infusion technique.

PubMed

Agarwal, Amar; Narang, Priya; Kumar, Dhivya A; Agarwal, Ashvin

2016-02-01

We present an improvised technique of infusion that uses a trocar cannula as an anterior chamber maintainer (ACM). Although routinely used in posterior segment surgery, the trocar cannula has been infrequently used in complex anterior segment procedures. The trocar ACM creates a transconjunctival biplanar wound of appropriate size that is self-sealing and overcomes the shortcomings of an ACM, such as spontaneous extrusion and forced introduction into the eye from variability in the size of the corneal paracentesis incision. Constant infusion inflow through the trocar ACM is used to maintain positive intraocular pressure through a self-sealing sclerotomy incision at the limbus. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2016 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acme Foundry, Inc. - Clean Water Act Public Notice

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EPA is providing notice of a proposed Administrative Penalty Assessment against Acme Foundry, Inc., for alleged violations at its facility located at 1502 South Spruce Street, Coffeyville, Kansas 67337

Quantification of mitral regurgitation by automated cardiac output measurement: experimental and clinical validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, J. P.; Yang, X. S.; Qin, J. X.; Greenberg, N. L.; Zhou, J.; Vazquez, C. J.; Griffin, B. P.; Stewart, W. J.; Thomas, J. D.

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate an automated noninvasive method to quantify mitral regurgitation. BACKGROUND: Automated cardiac output measurement (ACM), which integrates digital color Doppler velocities in space and in time, has been validated for the left ventricular (LV) outflow tract but has not been tested for the LV inflow tract or to assess mitral regurgitation (MR). METHODS: First, to validate ACM against a gold standard (ultrasonic flow meter), 8 dogs were studied at 40 different stages of cardiac output (CO). Second, to compare ACM to the LV outflow (ACMa) and inflow (ACMm) tracts, 50 normal volunteers without MR or aortic regurgitation (44+/-5 years, 31 male) were studied. Third, to compare ACM with the standard pulsed Doppler-two-dimensional echocardiographic (PD-2D) method for quantification of MR, 51 patients (61+/-14 years, 30 male) with MR were studied. RESULTS: In the canine studies, CO by ACM (1.32+/-0.3 liter/min, y) and flow meter (1.35+/-0.3 liter/min, x) showed good correlation (r=0.95, y=0.89x+0.11) and agreement (deltaCO(y-x)=0.03+/-0.08 [mean+/-SD] liter/min). In the normal subjects, CO measured by ACMm agreed with CO by ACMa (r=0.90, p < 0.0001, deltaCO=-0.09+/-0.42 liter/min), PD (r=0.87, p < 0.0001, deltaCO=0.12+/-0.49 liter/min) and 2D (r=0.84, p < 0.0001, deltaCO=-0.16+/-0.48 liter/min). In the patients, mitral regurgitant volume (MRV) by ACMm-ACMa agreed with PD-2D (r= 0.88, y=0.88x+6.6, p < 0.0001, deltaMRV=2.68+/-9.7 ml). CONCLUSIONS: We determined that ACM is a feasible new method for quantifying LV outflow and inflow volume to measure MRV and that ACM automatically performs calculations that are equivalent to more time-consuming Doppler and 2D measurements. Additionally, ACM should improve MR quantification in routine clinical practice.

Reactive oxygen species trigger motoneuron death in non-cell-autonomous models of ALS through activation of c-Abl signaling

PubMed Central

Rojas, Fabiola; Gonzalez, David; Cortes, Nicole; Ampuero, Estibaliz; Hernández, Diego E.; Fritz, Elsa; Abarzua, Sebastián; Martinez, Alexis; Elorza, Alvaro A.; Alvarez, Alejandra; Court, Felipe; van Zundert, Brigitte

2015-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which pathogenesis and death of motor neurons are triggered by non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. We showed earlier that exposing primary rat spinal cord cultures to conditioned media derived from primary mouse astrocyte conditioned media (ACM) that express human SOD1G93A (ACM-hSOD1G93A) quickly enhances Nav channel-mediated excitability and calcium influx, generates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and leads to death of motoneurons within days. Here we examined the role of mitochondrial structure and physiology and of the activation of c-Abl, a tyrosine kinase that induces apoptosis. We show that ACM-hSOD1G93A, but not ACM-hSOD1WT, increases c-Abl activity in motoneurons, interneurons and glial cells, starting at 60 min; the c-Abl inhibitor STI571 (imatinib) prevents this ACM-hSOD1G93A-mediated motoneuron death. Interestingly, similar results were obtained with ACM derived from astrocytes expressing SOD1G86R or TDP43A315T. We further find that co-application of ACM-SOD1G93A with blockers of Nav channels (spermidine, mexiletine, or riluzole) or anti-oxidants (Trolox, esculetin, or tiron) effectively prevent c-Abl activation and motoneuron death. In addition, ACM-SOD1G93A induces alterations in the morphology of neuronal mitochondria that are related with their membrane depolarization. Finally, we find that blocking the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore with cyclosporine A, or inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uptake with Ru360, reduces ROS production and c-Abl activation. Together, our data point to a sequence of events in which a toxic factor(s) released by ALS-expressing astrocytes rapidly induces hyper-excitability, which in turn increases calcium influx and affects mitochondrial structure and physiology. ROS production, mediated at least in part through mitochondrial alterations, trigger c-Abl signaling and lead to motoneuron death. PMID:26106294

A case for the use of Q-methodology in disability research: lessons learned from a training workshop.

PubMed

McKenzie, Judith; Braswell, Bob; Jelsma, Jennifer; Naidoo, Nirmala

2011-01-01

Q-methodology was developed to analyse subjective responses to a range of items dealing with specific topics. This article describes the use of Q-methodology and presents the results of a Q-study on perspectives on disability carried out in a training workshop as evidence for its usefulness in disability research. A Q-sort was administered in the context of a training workshop on Q-method. The Q-sort consisted of statements related to the topic of disability. The responses were analysed using specifically developed software to identify factors that represent patterns of responses. Twenty-two of the 23 respondents loaded on four factors. These factors appeared to represent different paradigms relating to the social, medical and disability rights models of disability. The fourth factor appeared to be that of a family perspective. These are all models evident in the disability research literature and provide evidence for the validity of Q-method in disability research. Based on this opportunistic study, it would appear that Q-methodology is a useful tool for identifying different view points related to disability.

Highlights of the Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, Ahmed K.

1997-01-01

Economic stresses are forcing many industries to reduce cost and time-to-market, and to insert emerging technologies into their products. Engineers are asked to design faster, ever more complex systems. Hence, there is a need for novel design paradigms and effective design tools to reduce the design and development times. Several computational tools and facilities have been developed to support the design process. Some of these are described in subsequent presentations. The focus of the workshop is on the computational tools and facilities which have high potential for use in future design environment for aerospace systems. The outline for the introductory remarks is given. First, the characteristics and design drivers for future aerospace systems are outlined; second, simulation-based design environment, and some of its key modules are described; third, the vision for the next-generation design environment being planned by NASA, the UVA ACT Center and JPL is presented. The anticipated major benefits of the planned environment are listed; fourth, some of the government-supported programs related to simulation-based design are listed; and fifth, the objectives and format of the workshop are presented.

Elements of an Asbestos Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Links to descriptions of Elements of an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program: Training, Occupant Notification, Monitoring ACM, Job-Site Controls for Work Involving ACM, Safe Work Practices, Recordkeeping, Worker Protection.

ACM-based automatic liver segmentation from 3-D CT images by combining multiple atlases and improved mean-shift techniques.

PubMed

Ji, Hongwei; He, Jiangping; Yang, Xin; Deklerck, Rudi; Cornelis, Jan

2013-05-01

In this paper, we present an autocontext model(ACM)-based automatic liver segmentation algorithm, which combines ACM, multiatlases, and mean-shift techniques to segment liver from 3-D CT images. Our algorithm is a learning-based method and can be divided into two stages. At the first stage, i.e., the training stage, ACM is performed to learn a sequence of classifiers in each atlas space (based on each atlas and other aligned atlases). With the use of multiple atlases, multiple sequences of ACM-based classifiers are obtained. At the second stage, i.e., the segmentation stage, the test image will be segmented in each atlas space by applying each sequence of ACM-based classifiers. The final segmentation result will be obtained by fusing segmentation results from all atlas spaces via a multiclassifier fusion technique. Specially, in order to speed up segmentation, given a test image, we first use an improved mean-shift algorithm to perform over-segmentation and then implement the region-based image labeling instead of the original inefficient pixel-based image labeling. The proposed method is evaluated on the datasets of MICCAI 2007 liver segmentation challenge. The experimental results show that the average volume overlap error and the average surface distance achieved by our method are 8.3% and 1.5 m, respectively, which are comparable to the results reported in the existing state-of-the-art work on liver segmentation.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study of carbon electrodes prepared from date pits and fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamdan, E.; Deraman, M.; Suleman, M.; Nor, N. S. M.; Basri, N. H.; Hanappi, M. F. Y. M.; Sazali, N. E. S.; Tajuddin, N. S. M.; Omar, R.; Othman, M. A. R.; Shamsudin, S. A.

2016-11-01

In this study, we produced pre-carbonized date pits (PDP) and self-adhesive carbon grains (SACGs) from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) by a low temperature (200°C for DP and 280°C for SACGs, respectively) carbonization method followed by KOH treatment to obtain KOH treated PDP (T-PDP) and KOH treated SACGs (T-SACGs). Four sets of green monolith (GMs) denoted as GM-A, GM-B, GM-C and GM-D were prepared respectively from SACGs (100 wt. %), mixture of PDP and SACGs (50:50 wt. %), T-SACGs (100 wt. %), and mixture of T-SACGs and T-PDP (50:50 wt. %), respectively. From these GMs the respective activated carbon monolith (ACMs) electrodes namely ACM-A, ACM-B, ACM-C and ACM-D were prepared via carbonization (N2 carbonization) and activation (CO2 environment). These ACMs electrodes were used to fabricate the corresponding EDLC cells: Cell-A, Cell-B, Cell-C and Cell-D, respectively. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests conducted on the cells found that the Cell-D showed the maximum value of specific capacitance, Csp (˜ 135 F g-1) whereas the Cell-A showed the minimum values of ESR and characteristic response time, respectively, ˜ 2.14 Ω and ˜ 46 s. Therefore, it can be concluded that the KOH treatment can improve the capacitance but caused the increase in the ESR and response time.

Exploring digenic inheritance in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

König, Eva; Volpato, Claudia Béu; Motta, Benedetta Maria; Blankenburg, Hagen; Picard, Anne; Pramstaller, Peter; Casella, Michela; Rauhe, Werner; Pompilio, Giulio; Meraviglia, Viviana; Domingues, Francisco S; Sommariva, Elena; Rossini, Alessandra

2017-12-08

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited genetic disorder, characterized by the substitution of heart muscle with fibro-fatty tissue and severe ventricular arrhythmias, often leading to heart failure and sudden cardiac death. ACM is considered a monogenic disorder, but the low penetrance of mutations identified in patients suggests the involvement of additional genetic or environmental factors. We used whole exome sequencing to investigate digenic inheritance in two ACM families where previous diagnostic tests have revealed a PKP2 mutation in all affected and some healthy individuals. In family members with PKP2 mutations we determined all genes that harbor variants in affected but not in healthy carriers or vice versa. We computationally prioritized the most likely candidates, focusing on known ACM genes and genes related to PKP2 through protein interactions, functional relationships, or shared biological processes. We identified four candidate genes in family 1, namely DAG1, DAB2IP, CTBP2 and TCF25, and eleven candidate genes in family 2. The most promising gene in the second family is TTN, a gene previously associated with ACM, in which the affected individual harbors two rare deleterious-predicted missense variants, one of which is located in the protein's only serine kinase domain. In this study we report genes that might act as digenic players in ACM pathogenesis, on the basis of co-segregation with PKP2 mutations. Validation in larger cohorts is still required to prove the utility of this model.

An international observational study suggests that artificial intelligence for clinical decision support optimizes anemia management in hemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Barbieri, Carlo; Molina, Manuel; Ponce, Pedro; Tothova, Monika; Cattinelli, Isabella; Ion Titapiccolo, Jasmine; Mari, Flavio; Amato, Claudia; Leipold, Frank; Wehmeyer, Wolfgang; Stuard, Stefano; Stopper, Andrea; Canaud, Bernard

2016-08-01

Managing anemia in hemodialysis patients can be challenging because of competing therapeutic targets and individual variability. Because therapy recommendations provided by a decision support system can benefit both patients and doctors, we evaluated the impact of an artificial intelligence decision support system, the Anemia Control Model (ACM), on anemia outcomes. Based on patient profiles, the ACM was built to recommend suitable erythropoietic-stimulating agent doses. Our retrospective study consisted of a 12-month control phase (standard anemia care), followed by a 12-month observation phase (ACM-guided care) encompassing 752 patients undergoing hemodialysis therapy in 3 NephroCare clinics located in separate countries. The percentage of hemoglobin values on target, the median darbepoetin dose, and individual hemoglobin fluctuation (estimated from the intrapatient hemoglobin standard deviation) were deemed primary outcomes. In the observation phase, median darbepoetin consumption significantly decreased from 0.63 to 0.46 μg/kg/month, whereas on-target hemoglobin values significantly increased from 70.6% to 76.6%, reaching 83.2% when the ACM suggestions were implemented. Moreover, ACM introduction led to a significant decrease in hemoglobin fluctuation (intrapatient standard deviation decreased from 0.95 g/dl to 0.83 g/dl). Thus, ACM support helped improve anemia outcomes of hemodialysis patients, minimizing erythropoietic-stimulating agent use with the potential to reduce the cost of treatment. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AcmB Is an S-Layer-Associated β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase and Functional Autolysin in Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM

PubMed Central

Johnson, Brant R.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Autolysins, also known as peptidoglycan hydrolases, are enzymes that hydrolyze specific bonds within bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan during cell division and daughter cell separation. Within the genome of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, there are 11 genes encoding proteins with peptidoglycan hydrolase catalytic domains, 9 of which are predicted to be functional. Notably, 5 of the 9 putative autolysins in L. acidophilus NCFM are S-layer-associated proteins (SLAPs) noncovalently colocalized along with the surface (S)-layer at the cell surface. One of these SLAPs, AcmB, a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase encoded by the gene lba0176 (acmB), was selected for functional analysis. In silico analysis revealed that acmB orthologs are found exclusively in S-layer- forming species of Lactobacillus. Chromosomal deletion of acmB resulted in aberrant cell division, autolysis, and autoaggregation. Complementation of acmB in the ΔacmB mutant restored the wild-type phenotype, confirming the role of this SLAP in cell division. The absence of AcmB within the exoproteome had a pleiotropic effect on the extracellular proteins covalently and noncovalently bound to the peptidoglycan, which likely led to the observed decrease in the binding capacity of the ΔacmB strain for mucin and extracellular matrices fibronectin, laminin, and collagen in vitro. These data suggest a functional association between the S-layer and the multiple autolysins noncovalently colocalized at the cell surface of L. acidophilus NCFM and other S-layer-producing Lactobacillus species. IMPORTANCE Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most widely used probiotic microbes incorporated in many dairy foods and dietary supplements. This organism produces a surface (S)-layer, which is a self-assembling crystalline array found as the outermost layer of the cell wall. The S-layer, along with colocalized associated proteins, is an important mediator of probiotic activity through intestinal adhesion and modulation of the mucosal immune system. However, there is still a dearth of information regarding the basic cellular and evolutionary function of S-layers. Here, we demonstrate that multiple autolysins, responsible for breaking down the cell wall during cell division, are associated with the S-layer. Deletion of the gene encoding one of these S-layer-associated autolysins confirmed its autolytic role and resulted in reduced binding capacity to mucin and intestinal extracellular matrices. These data suggest a functional association between the S-layer and autolytic activity through the extracellular presentation of autolysins. PMID:27422832

AcmB Is an S-Layer-Associated β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase and Functional Autolysin in Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM.

PubMed

Johnson, Brant R; Klaenhammer, Todd R

2016-09-15

Autolysins, also known as peptidoglycan hydrolases, are enzymes that hydrolyze specific bonds within bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan during cell division and daughter cell separation. Within the genome of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, there are 11 genes encoding proteins with peptidoglycan hydrolase catalytic domains, 9 of which are predicted to be functional. Notably, 5 of the 9 putative autolysins in L. acidophilus NCFM are S-layer-associated proteins (SLAPs) noncovalently colocalized along with the surface (S)-layer at the cell surface. One of these SLAPs, AcmB, a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase encoded by the gene lba0176 (acmB), was selected for functional analysis. In silico analysis revealed that acmB orthologs are found exclusively in S-layer- forming species of Lactobacillus Chromosomal deletion of acmB resulted in aberrant cell division, autolysis, and autoaggregation. Complementation of acmB in the ΔacmB mutant restored the wild-type phenotype, confirming the role of this SLAP in cell division. The absence of AcmB within the exoproteome had a pleiotropic effect on the extracellular proteins covalently and noncovalently bound to the peptidoglycan, which likely led to the observed decrease in the binding capacity of the ΔacmB strain for mucin and extracellular matrices fibronectin, laminin, and collagen in vitro These data suggest a functional association between the S-layer and the multiple autolysins noncovalently colocalized at the cell surface of L. acidophilus NCFM and other S-layer-producing Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most widely used probiotic microbes incorporated in many dairy foods and dietary supplements. This organism produces a surface (S)-layer, which is a self-assembling crystalline array found as the outermost layer of the cell wall. The S-layer, along with colocalized associated proteins, is an important mediator of probiotic activity through intestinal adhesion and modulation of the mucosal immune system. However, there is still a dearth of information regarding the basic cellular and evolutionary function of S-layers. Here, we demonstrate that multiple autolysins, responsible for breaking down the cell wall during cell division, are associated with the S-layer. Deletion of the gene encoding one of these S-layer-associated autolysins confirmed its autolytic role and resulted in reduced binding capacity to mucin and intestinal extracellular matrices. These data suggest a functional association between the S-layer and autolytic activity through the extracellular presentation of autolysins. Copyright © 2016 Johnson and Klaenhammer.

Proposing an International Collaboration on Lightweight Autonomous Vehicles to Conduct Scientific Traverses and Surveys over Antarctica and the Surrounding Sea Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carsey, Frank; Behar, Alberto

2004-01-01

We have continued to develop a concept for use of autonomous rovers, originally developed for use in planetary exploration, in polar science on Earth; the concept was the subject of a workshop, and this report summarizes and extends that workshop. The workshop on Antarctic Autonomous Scientific Vehicles and Traverses met at the National Geographic Society on February 14 and 15, 2001 to discuss scientific objectives and benefits of the use of autonomous rovers. The participants enthusiastically viewed rovers as being uniquely valuable for such tasks as data taking on tedious or repetitive routes, traverses in polar night, difficult or hazardous routes, extremely remote regions, routes requiring only simple instrumentation, traverses that must be conducted at low speed, augments of manned traverses, and scientific procedures not compatible with human presence or combustion engines. The workshop has concluded that instrumented autonomous vehicles, of the type being developed for planetary exploration, have the potential to contribute significantly to the way science in conducted in Antarctica while also aiding planetary technology development, and engaging the public's interest. Specific objectives can be supported in understanding ice sheet mass balance, sea ice heat and momentum exchange, and surface air chemistry processes. In the interval since the workshop, we have concluded that organized program to employ such rovers to perform scientific tasks in the Fourth International Polar Year would serve the objectives of that program well.

Activated carbon electrode from banana-peel waste for supercapacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taer, E.; Taslim, R.; Aini, Z.; Hartati, S. D.; Mustika, W. S.

2017-01-01

Seven types of activated carbon electrode (ACM) have been produced from the banana peel waste for supercapacitor application. The difference type of the electrode was synthesized by the various conditions of carbonization and activation. The production of the ACM was begun by the milling process and molded by a solution casting technique. The next step was followed by drying, carbonization and activation process. Physical properties of the ACM were studied by the N2 gas absorption-desorption method to characterize the specific surface area of the sample. On the other side, the electrochemical properties such as specific capacitance (Csp), specific energy (E) and specific power (P) were resulted by calculating the current (I) and voltage (V) data from the cyclic voltammetry testing. Based on the data obtained the surface area of the ACM has a significant relationship with the electrochemical properties. The specific surface area (SBET), Csp, E and P were found the maximum value as high as 581m2 / g, 68 F/g, 0.75 Wh/kg and 31 W/kg, respectively. Further more, this paper were also analyzed the relationship between electrochemical properties of supercapacitor with the degree of crystallization of the ACM.

An audience-channel-message-evaluation (ACME) framework for health communication campaigns.

PubMed

Noar, Seth M

2012-07-01

Recent reviews of the literature have indicated that a number of health communication campaigns continue to fail to adhere to principles of effective campaign design. The lack of an integrated, organizing framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of health communication campaigns may contribute to this state of affairs. The current article introduces an audience-channel-message-evaluation (ACME) framework that organizes the major principles of health campaign design, implementation, and evaluation. ACME also explicates the relationships and linkages between the varying principles. Insights from ACME include the following: The choice of audience segment(s) to focus on in a campaign affects all other campaign design choices, including message strategy and channel/component options. Although channel selection influences options for message design, choice of message design also influences channel options. Evaluation should not be thought of as a separate activity, but rather should be infused and integrated throughout the campaign design and implementation process, including formative, process, and outcome evaluation activities. Overall, health communication campaigns that adhere to this integrated set of principles of effective campaign design will have a greater chance of success than those using principles idiosyncratically. These design, implementation, and evaluation principles are embodied in the ACME framework.

Concept, Challenge, Conundrum: From Library Skills to Information Literacy. Proceedings of the National Information Literacy Conference Conducted by the University of South Australia Library and the Australian Library and Information Association Information Literacy Special Interest Group (4th, Adelaide, Australia, December 3-5, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booker, Di, Ed.

These proceedings from the fourth National Information Literacy Conference (Decemeber 1999) include the keynote addresses and the papers presented in workshop sessions throughout the conference. Acknowledgements by Irene Doskatsch, conference convener, that precedes the introductory piece by Alan Bundy, "Journey Without End..." is…

Fourth Indo-US Workshop on Mathematical Chemistry Held in Pune, Maharastra, India on 8-12 January 2005

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-12

Designing of less toxic to non target organophosphorus pesticide through multiple correlation analysis (MRA), a part of QSAR Rini Roy, Aditi Nag...of Organophosphorus Pesticide (OPs) in biological system and environment have implicated wide use of these types of pesticides in agriculture in...having minimal effect on any part of mammalian brain. In our study, we have dealt with the effects of phosphorothionate pesticides like methyl parathion

Absence of a primary role for TTN missense variants in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: From a clinical and pathological perspective.

PubMed

Chen, Kai; Song, Jiangping; Wang, Zhen; Rao, Man; Chen, Liang; Hu, Shengshou

2018-05-01

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inheritable heart disease characterized by fibro-fatty replacement of the myocardium. TTN missense variants were previously reported as a pathogenic factor for ACM. TTN missense variants are commonly identified in ACM, but have limited effect on the phenotype of ACM. We sequenced 15 ACM-related genes in 35 patients who had a heart transplantation and quantified myocardium, and fibrous and adipose tissue in blocks of the explanted heart. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between patients with TTN variants and others. Pedigree analysis was performed in 3 families with TTN variants. TTN variants were detected in 11 patients (all missense, 9 heterozygous and 2 oligogenic form). The TTN truncating variant was absent in the cohort. Patients with TTN variants had late onset age of the disease (31 ±13 years vs 17 ±3 years, P = 0.049) and age of heart transplantation (41 ±14 years vs 24 ±9 years, P = 0.027), larger left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (62 ±10 mm vs 45 ±10 mm, P = 0.019), smaller right ventricular outflow tract (34 ±14 mm vs 50 ±15 mm, P = 0.046), more myocardium (40.8% ±29.4% vs 13.8% ±11.0%, P = 0.017), and less adipose tissue (43.0% ±30.9% vs 66.9% ±18.5%, P = 0.036) in right ventricle than those with desmosomal variants. There was few difference between patients with TTN variants and those without variants. Pedigrees showed none of the family members with TTN missense variants had a disease phenotype, indicating a very low penetrance. TTN missense variants was commonly identified in ACM patients in this cohort, but hardly played a primary role in ACM as causative variants. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mapping tissue inhomogeneity in acute myocarditis: a novel analytical approach to quantitative myocardial edema imaging by T2-mapping.

PubMed

Baeßler, Bettina; Schaarschmidt, Frank; Dick, Anastasia; Stehning, Christian; Schnackenburg, Bernhard; Michels, Guido; Maintz, David; Bunck, Alexander C

2015-12-23

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic value of T2-mapping in acute myocarditis (ACM) and to define cut-off values for edema detection. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data of 31 patients with ACM were retrospectively analyzed. 30 healthy volunteers (HV) served as a control. Additionally to the routine CMR protocol, T2-mapping data were acquired at 1.5 T using a breathhold Gradient-Spin-Echo T2-mapping sequence in six short axis slices. T2-maps were segmented according to the 16-segments AHA-model and segmental T2 values as well as the segmental pixel-standard deviation (SD) were analyzed. Mean differences of global myocardial T2 or pixel-SD between HV and ACM patients were only small, lying in the normal range of HV. In contrast, variation of segmental T2 values and pixel-SD was much larger in ACM patients compared to HV. In random forests and multiple logistic regression analyses, the combination of the highest segmental T2 value within each patient (maxT2) and the mean absolute deviation (MAD) of log-transformed pixel-SD (madSD) over all 16 segments within each patient proved to be the best discriminators between HV and ACM patients with an AUC of 0.85 in ROC-analysis. In classification trees, a combined cut-off of 0.22 for madSD and of 68 ms for maxT2 resulted in 83% specificity and 81% sensitivity for detection of ACM. The proposed cut-off values for maxT2 and madSD in the setting of ACM allow edema detection with high sensitivity and specificity and therefore have the potential to overcome the hurdles of T2-mapping for its integration into clinical routine.

The prognostic value of sST2 and galectin-3 considering different aetiologies in non-ischaemic heart failure.

PubMed

Binas, David; Daniel, Hanna; Richter, Anette; Ruppert, Volker; Schlüter, Klaus-Dieter; Schieffer, Bernhard; Pankuweit, Sabine

2018-01-01

Several studies indicate a prognostic value of sST2 and galectin-3 in heart failure (HF). While previous studies focused on ischaemic cause of HF, we investigated the role of sST2 and galectin-3 in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). sST2 and galectin-3 serum concentrations were measured in 262 subjects with DCM. Survival rates were determined for all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiac mortality (CM). In a univariate model, sST2 as a continuous variable was a predictor of ACM (HR 1.05; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.07, P<0.001) and CM (HR 1.03; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.06, P=0.040). In the subgroup of patients with inflammatory and/or viral DCM (DCMi⋎viral), the endpoints ACM (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.17, P<0.001) and CM (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.18, P=0.013) were significant. In the subgroup of patients with idiopathic DCM, the endpoint ACM (HR 1.04; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07, P=0.019) was significant. In a multivariate model, the prognostic value of the sST2 main group remained intact for ACM (HR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.07, P=0.003).Univariate and multivariate analysis of galectin-3 as continuous variable did not show any significant result. However, in a quartile model, intermediate values of galectin-3 were significantly associated with a lower event rate of ACM and CM. The study revealed that sST2 predicts ACM and CM in patients with non-ischaemic HF and could be useful especially in patients with inflammatory background. Our findings that intermediate levels of galectin-3 allow for better prognosis were new and different to other investigations. NCT03090425; Results.

Participation of the arcRACME protein in self-activation of the arc operon located in the arginine catabolism mobile element in pandemic clone USA300.

PubMed

Rozo, Zayda Lorena Corredor; Márquez-Ortiz, Ricaurte Alejandro; Castro, Betsy Esperanza; Gómez, Natasha Vanegas; Escobar-Pérez, Javier

2017-07-01

Staphylococcus aureus pandemic clone USA300 has, in addition to its constitutive arginine catabolism (arc) gene cluster, an arginine catabolism mobile element (ACME) carrying another such cluster, which gives this clone advantages in colonisation and infection. Gene arcR, which encodes an oxygen-sensitive transcriptional regulator, is inside ACME and downstream of the constitutive arc gene cluster, and this situation may have an impact on its activation. Different relative expression behaviours are proven here for arcRACME and the arcACME operon compared to the constitutive ones. We also show that the artificially expressed recombinant ArcRACME protein binds to the promoter region of the arcACME operon; this mechanism can be related to a positive feedback model, which may be responsible for increased anaerobic survival of the USA300 clone during infection-related processes.

Efficient operation scheduling for adsorption chillers using predictive optimization-based control methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bürger, Adrian; Sawant, Parantapa; Bohlayer, Markus; Altmann-Dieses, Angelika; Braun, Marco; Diehl, Moritz

2017-10-01

Within this work, the benefits of using predictive control methods for the operation of Adsorption Cooling Machines (ACMs) are shown on a simulation study. Since the internal control decisions of series-manufactured ACMs often cannot be influenced, the work focuses on optimized scheduling of an ACM considering its internal functioning as well as forecasts for load and driving energy occurrence. For illustration, an assumed solar thermal climate system is introduced and a system model suitable for use within gradient-based optimization methods is developed. The results of a system simulation using a conventional scheme for ACM scheduling are compared to the results of a predictive, optimization-based scheduling approach for the same exemplary scenario of load and driving energy occurrence. The benefits of the latter approach are shown and future actions for application of these methods for system control are addressed.

Psychosis risk syndrome comorbid with panic attack disorder in a cannabis-abusing patient affected by Arnold-Chiari malformation type I.

PubMed

Del Casale, Antonio; Serata, Daniele; Rapinesi, Chiara; Simonetti, Alessio; Tamorri, Stefano Maria; Comparelli, Anna; De Carolis, Antonella; Savoja, Valeria; Kotzalidis, Georgios D; Sani, Gabriele; Tatarelli, Roberto; Girardi, Paolo

2012-01-01

An 18-year-old man with Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM) type I developed sudden panic attacks. He also manifested sleep disorder, cannabis abuse, and psychosis-risk syndrome (PRS). Although with average-superior intelligence, he had executive dysfunction. This prompted us to explore the relation between ACM, cannabis abuse, PRS and panic disorder. We report the case and briefly review the literature focusing on ACM and psychiatric disorders. Behavior therapy led to gradual abstinence from cannabis with disappearance of anxiety symptoms. The patient is currently well and maintained on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Locus coeruleus compression and cannabis abuse may have triggered the symptoms, and the latter might also be PRS-related. PRS and anxiety symptoms should be explored in ACM patients to allow better prevention of psychosis and anxiety disorders. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Twelve-fold increase in the number of usable ThO molecules for the ACME electron electric dipole measurement through STIRAP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, C. D.; O'Leary, B. R.; Lasner, Z.; Petrik, E. S.; West, A. D.; Demille, D.; Doyle, J. M.; Gabrielse, G.

2016-05-01

The ACME Collaboration recently reported an order of magnitude improved limit on the electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM), setting more stringent constraints on many time reversal (T) violating extensions to the Standard Model. The experiment was performed using spin precession measurements in a molecular beam of thorium oxide. We report here on a new method of preparing the coherent spin superposition state that serves as the initial state of the spin precession measurement using STImulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP). We demonstrate a transfer efficiency of 75 % , giving a twelve-fold increase in signal. We discuss the particularities of implementing STIRAP in the ACME measurement and the methods we have used to overcome various challenges. This work was performed as part of the ACME Collaboration, to whom we are grateful for its contributions, and was supported by the NSF.

High-throughput Screening Identifies Aclacinomycin as a Radiosensitizer of EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer1

PubMed Central

Bennett, Daniel C; Charest, Jonathan; Sebolt, Katrina; Lehrman, Mark; Rehemtulla, Alnawaz; Contessa, Joseph N

2013-01-01

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) provides a specialized environment for the folding and modification of trans-membrane proteins, including receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), which are vital for the growth and survival of malignancies. To identify compounds which disrupt the function of the ER and thus could potentially impair cancer cell survival signaling, we adapted a set of glycosylation-sensitive luciferase reporters for the development and optimization of a cell-based high-throughput screen (HTS). Secondary screens for false-positive luciferase activation and tertiary lectin-based and biochemical analyses were also devised for compound triage. Through a pilot screen of 2802 compounds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) chemical libraries, we identified aclacinomycin (Acm) as a compound that preferentially affects ER function. We report that Acm reduces plasma membrane expression of glycoproteins including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Met but does not inhibit N-linked glycosylation or generalized protein translation. Fluorescence microscopy co-localization experiments were also performed and demonstrated Acm accumulation in the ER in further support of the overall HTS design. The consequences of Acm treatment on cell survival were analyzed through clonogenic survival analysis. Consistent with the reduction of EGFR levels, pretreatment with Acm sensitizes the EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines HCC827 and HCC2935 to ionizing radiation and did not affect the sensitivity of the RTK-independent and KRAS-mutant A549 NSCLC cell line. Thus, Acm and similar compounds targeting the ER may represent a novel approach for radiosensitizing tumor cells dependent on RTK function. PMID:23730419

Orofacial clinical features in Arnold Chiari type I malformation: A case series.

PubMed

de Arruda, José-Alcides; Figueiredo, Eugênia; Monteiro, João-Luiz; Barbosa, Livia-Mirelle; Rodrigues, Cleomar; Vasconcelos, Belmiro

2018-04-01

Arnold Chiari malformation (ACM) is characterized by an anatomical defect at the base of the skull where the cerebellum and the spinal cord herniate through the foramen magnum into the cervical spinal canal. Among the subtypes of the condition, ACM type I (ACM-I) is particularly outstanding because of the severity of symptoms. This study aimed to analyze the orofacial clinical manifestations of patients with ACM-I, and discuss their demographic distribution and clinical features in light of the literature. A case series with patients with ACM-I treated between 2012 and 2015 was described. The sample consisted of patients who were referred by the Department of Neurosurgery to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service of Hospital da Restauração in Brazil for the assessment of facial symptomatology. A questionnaire was applied to evaluate the presence of painful orofacial findings. Data are reported using descriptive statistical methods. Mean patient age was 39.3 years and the sample consisted mostly of male patients. A high prevalence of headache (50%) and pain in the neck (66.7%) and masticatory muscles (50%) was found. Only one patient reported difficulty in performing mandibular movements and two reported jaw clicking sounds. Mean mouth opening was 40.83 mm. ACM-I patients may exhibit orofacial symptoms which may mimic temporomandibular joint disorders. This study brings interesting information that could help clinicians and oral and maxillofacial surgeons to understand this uncommon condition and also help with the diagnosis of patients with similar physical characteristics by referring them to a neurosurgeon. Key words: Arnold-Chiari malformation, facial pain, diagnosis, orofacial.

Acquired Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia Secondary to Space-Occupying Lesions: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Wang, Justin; Alotaibi, Naif M; Samuel, Nardin; Ibrahim, George M; Fallah, Aria; Cusimano, Michael D

2017-02-01

Acquired Chiari malformations (ACM) and associated syringomyelia secondary to space-occupying lesions can cause neurologic deficits independent of or in combination with the offending mass. Although type I Chiari malformations are traditionally treated with posterior fossa decompression, optimal surgical management of ACM and associated syringomyelia remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to review the current literature surrounding the management of ACM. A systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Using the relevant keywords, articles were identified through multiple databases from inception to April 2016. Our primary outcome was postoperative resolution of tonsillar herniation, syringomyelia, and clinical symptoms and signs. Thirty studies (27 case reports and 3 case series), encompassing 44 patients, were included in the review. Meningiomas (36%) and arachnoid cysts (32%) were the lesions most commonly associated with ACM. Offending lesions were usually large (85%) and almost all were found in the posterior fossa (89%). Syringomyelia was present in 82% of cases. Overall, all but 1 patient had improvement or resolution of their syringomyelia after surgery and none required a syrinx shunt. Rates of tonsillar ascent, syrinx resolution, and neurologic recovery were similar in patients who underwent lesion removal alone versus those who underwent posterior fossa decompression and lesion removal. Space-occupying lesions in the posterior fossa are a rare cause of ACM and syringomyelia. Surgical management of the underlying lesion improves ACM and associated syringomyelia without the need for syrinx shunting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

13. View northeast of boiler plant (Building 39), engineering work ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. View northeast of boiler plant (Building 39), engineering work order building/former tin shop (Building 129), laundry MAT workshop (Building 28), pipe shop/former water softening plant (Building 81), paint spray shop/former blacksmith shop (Building 95), fuel oil storage tank building (Building 103), mason's shop (Building 77), and carpenter shop (Building 97) with steel water tank (Building 124) in background - National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Western Branch, 4101 South Fourth Street, Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, KS

Fourth Annual Workshop on Space Operations Applications and Research (SOAR 90)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savely, Robert T. (Editor)

1991-01-01

The papers from the symposium are presented. Emphasis is placed on human factors engineering and space environment interactions. The technical areas covered in the human factors section include: satellite monitoring and control, man-computer interfaces, expert systems, AI/robotics interfaces, crew system dynamics, and display devices. The space environment interactions section presents the following topics: space plasma interaction, spacecraft contamination, space debris, and atomic oxygen interaction with materials. Some of the above topics are discussed in relation to the space station and space shuttle.

An overview of ecological and evolutionary research on disease in natural systems: an annotated reference list

Treesearch

Helen M. Alexander

2012-01-01

The Fourth International Workshop on the Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions in Forestry (July 31-August 5, 2011) included a session on “Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of Resistance and Tolerance, Natural Systems.” Within this session, I gave a talk entitled “An overview of ecological and evolutionary research on disease in ‘natural’ systems” that reviewed...

Concentrating Solar Power Projects - ACME Solar Tower | Concentrating Solar

Science.gov Websites

: 2.5 MW Gross: 2.5 MW Status: Operational Start Year: 2011 Do you have more information, corrections Contact(s): SolarPACES Start Production: April 2011 Participants Developer(s): ACME Group ; eSolar Owner(s

Enabling Chemistry of Gases and Aerosols for Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Forcers: Improving Solar Radiation Modeling in the DOE-ACME and CESM models

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

Prather, Michael

This proposal seeks to maintain the DOE-ACME (offshoot of CESM) as one of the leading CCMs to evaluate near-term climate mitigation. It will implement, test, and optimize the new UCI photolysis codes within CESM CAM5 and new CAM versions in ACME. Fast-J is a high-order-accuracy (8 stream) code for calculating solar scattering and absorption in a single column atmosphere containing clouds, aerosols, and gases that was developed at UCI and implemented in CAM5 under the previous BER/SciDAC grant.

Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) for who grade I anterior clinoid meningiomas (ACM).

PubMed

Demiral, Selcuk; Dincoglan, Ferrat; Sager, Omer; Gamsiz, Hakan; Uysal, Bora; Gundem, Esin; Elcim, Yelda; Dirican, Bahar; Beyzadeoglu, Murat

2016-11-01

While microsurgical resection plays a central role in the management of ACMs, extensive surgery may be associated with substantial morbidity particularly for tumors in intimate association with critical structures. In this study, we evaluated the use of HFSRT in the management of ACM. A total of 22 patients with ACM were treated using HFSRT. Frameless image guided volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) was performed with a 6 MV linear accelerator (LINAC). The total dose was 25 Gy delivered in five fractions over five consecutive treatment days. Local control (LC) and progression free survival (PFS) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0 was used in toxicity grading. Out of the total 22 patients, outcomes of 19 patients with at least 36 months of periodic follow-up were assessed. Median patient age was 40 years old (range 24-77 years old). Median follow-up time was 53 months (range 36-63 months). LC and PFS rates were 100 and 89.4 % at 1 and 3 years, respectively. Only two patients (10.5 %) experienced clinical deterioration during the follow-up period. LINAC-based HFSRT offers high rates of LC and PFS for patients with ACMs.

Periodontal Responses to Augmented Corticotomy with Collagen Membrane Application during Orthodontic Buccal Tipping in Dogs

PubMed Central

Herr, Yeek; Kwon, Young-Hyuk; Kim, Seong-Hun; Kim, Eun-Cheol

2014-01-01

This prospective randomized split-mouth study was performed to examine the effects of absorbable collagen membrane (ACM) application in augmented corticotomy using deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM), during orthodontic buccal tipping movement in the dog. After buccal circumscribing corticotomy and DBBM grafting into the decorticated area, flaps were repositioned and sutured on control sides. ACM was overlaid and secured with membrane tacks, on test sides only, and the flaps were repositioned and sutured. Closed coil springs were used to apply 200 g orthodontic force in the buccolingual direction on the second and third premolars, immediately after primary flap closure. The buccal tipping angles were 31.19 ± 14.60° and 28.12 ± 11.48° on the control and test sides, respectively. A mean of 79.5 ± 16.0% of the buccal bone wall was replaced by new bone on the control side, and on the test side 78.9 ± 19.5% was replaced. ACM application promoted an even bone surface. In conclusion, ACM application in augmented corticotomy using DBBM might stimulate periodontal tissue reestablishment, which is useful for rapid orthodontic treatment or guided bone regeneration. In particular, ACM could control the formation of mesenchymal matrix, facilitating an even bone surface. PMID:25276824

On the Relationship between Variational Level Set-Based and SOM-Based Active Contours

PubMed Central

Abdelsamea, Mohammed M.; Gnecco, Giorgio; Gaber, Mohamed Medhat; Elyan, Eyad

2015-01-01

Most Active Contour Models (ACMs) deal with the image segmentation problem as a functional optimization problem, as they work on dividing an image into several regions by optimizing a suitable functional. Among ACMs, variational level set methods have been used to build an active contour with the aim of modeling arbitrarily complex shapes. Moreover, they can handle also topological changes of the contours. Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) have attracted the attention of many computer vision scientists, particularly in modeling an active contour based on the idea of utilizing the prototypes (weights) of a SOM to control the evolution of the contour. SOM-based models have been proposed in general with the aim of exploiting the specific ability of SOMs to learn the edge-map information via their topology preservation property and overcoming some drawbacks of other ACMs, such as trapping into local minima of the image energy functional to be minimized in such models. In this survey, we illustrate the main concepts of variational level set-based ACMs, SOM-based ACMs, and their relationship and review in a comprehensive fashion the development of their state-of-the-art models from a machine learning perspective, with a focus on their strengths and weaknesses. PMID:25960736

Estimating the Additional Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Korea: Focused on Demolition of Asbestos Containing Materials in Building

PubMed Central

Kim, Young-Chan; Hong, Won-Hwa; Zhang, Yuan-Long; Son, Byeung-Hun; Seo, Youn-Kyu; Choi, Jun-Ho

2016-01-01

When asbestos containing materials (ACM) must be removed from the building before demolition, additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are generated. However, precedent studies have not considered the removal of ACM from the building. The present study aimed to develop a model for estimating GHG emissions created by the ACM removal processes, specifically the removal of asbestos cement slates (ACS). The second objective was to use the new model to predict the total GHG emission produced by ACM removal in the entire country of Korea. First, an input-equipment inventory was established for each step of the ACS removal process. Second, an energy consumption database for each equipment type was established. Third, the total GHG emission contributed by each step of the process was calculated. The GHG emissions generated from the 1,142,688 ACS-containing buildings in Korea was estimated to total 23,778 tonCO2eq to 132,141 tonCO2eq. This study was meaningful in that the emissions generated by ACS removal have not been studied before. Furthermore, the study deals with additional problems that can be triggered by the presence of asbestos in building materials. The method provided in this study is expected to contribute greatly to the calculation of GHG emissions caused by ACM worldwide. PMID:27626433

Reaching Beijing to the grassroots.

PubMed

1996-01-01

India's Working Women's Forum (WWF) adopted a training strategy that allows participants to share their own experiences, identify the obstacles to their development, and devise strategies to overcome these obstacles. In order to improve the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW), the WWF established communication links throughout its vast membership to facilitate the quick transmission of issues and ideas during the FWCW preparatory process and the postconference implementation process. To solidify these links, the WWF holds participatory workshops to foster interaction, disseminate ideas, and develop traditional communication materials to increase awareness and change attitudes in grassroots communities. Issues of concern aired at a recent workshop include the commercialization of the fishing industry that has eroded the livelihood of fisher women, the government policy of direct exportation of yarn needed by the traditional hand-loom sector, the status of the girl child, and prevention of female infanticide.

Management of parturients in active labor with Arnold Chiari malformation, tonsillar herniation, and syringomyelia

PubMed Central

Ghaly, Ramsis F.; Tverdohleb, Tatiana; Candido, Kenneth D.; Knezevic, Nebojsa Nick

2017-01-01

Background: Arnold-Chiari malformation Type 1 (ACM-1) in parturients is a topic of ongoing discussion between obstetricians and anesthesiologists. The primary unanswered question remains; How should the anesthesia provider proceed with labor analgesia and anesthesia for cesarean section when confronted with an advanced, asymptomatic, or minimally symptomatic case of ACM-1 during labor? Case Description: A 24-year-old, ASA II, G1P0 full-term parturient presented to Labor and Delivery for vaginal delivery. A diagnosis of ACM-1 was made 12 years ago when a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for right-sided numbness following a rear-end motor vehicle collision. The patient had been asymptomatic since then and had been seen by an outside neurologist frequently for the past 10 years. During the anesthesia evaluation, it was noted that she had an exaggerated patellar reflex, and a questionable left-sided Babinski; subsequently, an MRI study was requested. Review of a brain MRI demonstrated an advanced form of ACM with a 1.7 cm transtonsillar herniation and a large syrinx extending from C1 down to C5. Following a discussion with the patient, family, and primary OB team, a plan for elective cesarean section was made per neurosurgical recommendations. This was conducted uneventfully under general anesthesia. The patient had no complaints in the post-anesthesia care unit. Conclusion: Unfamiliarity of health care providers with regards to ACM-1 parturients can be countered by increasing awareness of this condition throughout medical specialties involved in their care. The Ghaly Obstetric Guide to Arnold-Chiari malformation Type 1, along with proper training of anesthesia care providers regarding the specificities of ACM-1 parturients aids in better management and understanding of this complex condition. PMID:28217389

Management of parturients in active labor with Arnold Chiari malformation, tonsillar herniation, and syringomyelia.

PubMed

Ghaly, Ramsis F; Tverdohleb, Tatiana; Candido, Kenneth D; Knezevic, Nebojsa Nick

2017-01-01

Arnold-Chiari malformation Type 1 (ACM-1) in parturients is a topic of ongoing discussion between obstetricians and anesthesiologists. The primary unanswered question remains; How should the anesthesia provider proceed with labor analgesia and anesthesia for cesarean section when confronted with an advanced, asymptomatic, or minimally symptomatic case of ACM-1 during labor? A 24-year-old, ASA II, G1P0 full-term parturient presented to Labor and Delivery for vaginal delivery. A diagnosis of ACM-1 was made 12 years ago when a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for right-sided numbness following a rear-end motor vehicle collision. The patient had been asymptomatic since then and had been seen by an outside neurologist frequently for the past 10 years. During the anesthesia evaluation, it was noted that she had an exaggerated patellar reflex, and a questionable left-sided Babinski; subsequently, an MRI study was requested. Review of a brain MRI demonstrated an advanced form of ACM with a 1.7 cm transtonsillar herniation and a large syrinx extending from C1 down to C5. Following a discussion with the patient, family, and primary OB team, a plan for elective cesarean section was made per neurosurgical recommendations. This was conducted uneventfully under general anesthesia. The patient had no complaints in the post-anesthesia care unit. Unfamiliarity of health care providers with regards to ACM-1 parturients can be countered by increasing awareness of this condition throughout medical specialties involved in their care. The Ghaly Obstetric Guide to Arnold-Chiari malformation Type 1, along with proper training of anesthesia care providers regarding the specificities of ACM-1 parturients aids in better management and understanding of this complex condition.

Structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades : SE 265 Final Project.

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

Barkley, W. C.; Jacobs, Laura D.; Rutherford, A. C.

2006-03-23

ACME Wind Turbine Corporation has contacted our dynamic analysis firm regarding structural health monitoring of their wind turbine blades. ACME has had several failures in previous years. Examples are shown in Figure 1. These failures have resulted in economic loss for the company due to down time of the turbines (lost revenue) and repair costs. Blade failures can occur in several modes, which may depend on the type of construction and load history. Cracking and delamination are some typical modes of blade failure. ACME warranties its turbines and wishes to decrease the number of blade failures they have to repairmore » and replace. The company wishes to implement a real time structural health monitoring system in order to better understand when blade replacement is necessary. Because of warranty costs incurred to date, ACME is interested in either changing the warranty period for the blades in question or predicting imminent failure before it occurs. ACME's current practice is to increase the number of physical inspections when blades are approaching the end of their fatigue lives. Implementation of an in situ monitoring system would eliminate or greatly reduce the need for such physical inspections. Another benefit of such a monitoring system is that the life of any given component could be extended since real conditions would be monitored. The SHM system designed for ACME must be able to operate while the wind turbine is in service. This means that wireless communication options will likely be implemented. Because blade failures occur due to cyclic stresses in the blade material, the sensing system will focus on monitoring strain at various points.« less

[Arnold-Chiari malformation in Noonan syndrome and other syndromes of the RAS/MAPK pathway].

PubMed

Ejarque, Ismael; Millán-Salvador, José M; Oltra, Silvestre; Pesudo-Martínez, José V; Beneyto, Magdalena; Pérez-Aytés, Antonio

2015-05-01

Noonan syndrome (NS) and other syndromes with a similar phenotype, such as LEOPARD, cardiofaciocutaneous, Costello and Legius, are associated to mutations in genes included in the RAS/MAPK pathway (RASopathies), which is an important signalling pathway related to cell proliferation. Tonsillar descent into the upper cervical spinal canal, known as Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM), has been reported in patients with NS and this has led some researchers to suggest that ACM could be part of the phenotypic spectrum of NS. We report two cases of NS and ACM. Case 1: 29-year-old female with Noonan phenotype who underwent surgery at the age of nine years due to pulmonary valve stenosis. At the age of 27, she presented symptomatic ACM that required surgical decompression. She presented the c.922A>G (N308D) mutation in the gene PTPN that belongs to the RAS/MAPK pathway. Case 2: a 10-year-old female with Noonan phenotype and asymptomatic ACM detected in magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. She was a carrier of the c.923A>G (N308S) mutation in gene PTPN11. Six patients with this association have been found in the literature, four with the Noonan phenotype and two with LEOPARD. Our two patients provide supplementary evidence that backs up the hypothesis by which ACM would be part of the phenotypic spectrum of NS. The small number of reported cases of patients with this association does not allow us to draw up recommendations about when and how often neuroimaging studies should be performed; a careful neurological examination, however, should be included in the anticipatory health guidelines in syndromes involving the RAS/MAPK pathway.

SUPERFUND TREATABILITY CLEARINGHOUSE: FINAL REPORT, PHASE I - IMMEDIATE ASSESSMENT, ACME SOLVENTS SITE

EPA Science Inventory

This is a site assessment and feasibility study of incineration alternatives at the ACME Solvents Site at Rockford, Illinois. The document contains laboratory results that are reported to simulate incineration conditions but no details on test methods were provided. The d...

A Type System For Certified Runtime Type Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

1999 ACM SIGPLAN International Conf. on Functional Pro- gramming (ICFP’99), pages 183–196. ACM Press, September 1999. [Min97] Yasuhiko Minamide. Full...lifting of type parameters. Technical report, RIMS, Kyoto University, 1997. [MMH96] Yasuhiko Minamide, Greg Morrisett, and Robert Harper. Typed

Security of statistical data bases: invasion of privacy through attribute correlational modeling

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

Palley, M.A.

This study develops, defines, and applies a statistical technique for the compromise of confidential information in a statistical data base. Attribute Correlational Modeling (ACM) recognizes that the information contained in a statistical data base represents real world statistical phenomena. As such, ACM assumes correlational behavior among the database attributes. ACM proceeds to compromise confidential information through creation of a regression model, where the confidential attribute is treated as the dependent variable. The typical statistical data base may preclude the direct application of regression. In this scenario, the research introduces the notion of a synthetic data base, created through legitimate queriesmore » of the actual data base, and through proportional random variation of responses to these queries. The synthetic data base is constructed to resemble the actual data base as closely as possible in a statistical sense. ACM then applies regression analysis to the synthetic data base, and utilizes the derived model to estimate confidential information in the actual database.« less

Effects of activated ACM on expression of signal transducers in cerebral cortical neurons of rats.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaojing; Li, Zhengli; Zhu, Changgeng; Li, Zhongyu

2007-06-01

To explore the roles of astrocytes in the epileptogenesis, astrocytes and neurons were isolated, purified and cultured in vitro from cerebral cortex of rats. The astrocytes were activated by ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and astrocytic conditioned medium (ACM) was collected to treat neurons for 4, 8 and 12 h. By using Western blot, the expression of calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMK II), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and adenylate cyclase (AC) was detected in neurons. The results showed that the expression of CaMK II, iNOS and AC was increased significantly in the neurons treated with ACM from 4 h to 12 h (P<0.05), and that of iNOS and AC peaked at 8 h and 12 h respectively. It was suggested that there might be some epileptogenic factors in the ACM and such signal pathways as NOS-NO-cGMP, Ca2+/CaM-CaMK II and AC-cAMP-PKA might take part in the signal transduction of epileptogenesis.

In vivo laser confocal microscopic analysis of corneal K-structures after keratorefractive surgery (LASIK and epi-LASIK).

PubMed

Yokogawa, Hideaki; Kobayashi, Akira; Tagawa, Kosaku; Sugiyama, Kazuhisa

2010-01-01

To demonstrate alterations of corneal K-structures (sub-Bowman's fibrous structures) after keratorefractive surgery by in vivo laser confocal microscopy and to look for association of K-structures with fluorescein-stained anterior corneal mosaic (ACM). Five patients (nine eyes) participated in this study. For four patients, one eye was evaluated after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and the other after epipolis-laser in situ keratomileusis (epi-LASIK). For one patient, the left eye was evaluated after epithelial debridement. A photograph of the ACM was obtained. Central corneal regions were scanned by Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 2 Rostock Cornea Module (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany). The ACM and K-structures disappeared in all corneas after epi-LASIK, but not after LASIK and epithelial debridement cornea. The presence of K-structures and ACM may be an index to identify eyes that had a previous refractive surgical procedure (surface ablation or LASIK) and be a health index of Bowman layer and adjacent anterior stroma. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Automated software system for checking the structure and format of ACM SIG documents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirza, Arsalan Rahman; Sah, Melike

2017-04-01

Microsoft (MS) Office Word is one of the most commonly used software tools for creating documents. MS Word 2007 and above uses XML to represent the structure of MS Word documents. Metadata about the documents are automatically created using Office Open XML (OOXML) syntax. We develop a new framework, which is called ADFCS (Automated Document Format Checking System) that takes the advantage of the OOXML metadata, in order to extract semantic information from MS Office Word documents. In particular, we develop a new ontology for Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interested Group (SIG) documents for representing the structure and format of these documents by using OWL (Web Ontology Language). Then, the metadata is extracted automatically in RDF (Resource Description Framework) according to this ontology using the developed software. Finally, we generate extensive rules in order to infer whether the documents are formatted according to ACM SIG standards. This paper, introduces ACM SIG ontology, metadata extraction process, inference engine, ADFCS online user interface, system evaluation and user study evaluations.

Fixing the Problem With Empathy: Development and Validation of the Affective and Cognitive Measure of Empathy.

PubMed

Vachon, David D; Lynam, Donald R

2016-04-01

Low empathy is a criterion for most externalizing disorders, and empathy training is a regular component of treatment for aggressive people, from school bullies to sex offenders. However, recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that current measures of empathy explain only 1% of the variance in aggressive behavior. A new assessment of empathy was developed to more fully represent the empathy construct and better predict important outcomes--particularly aggressive behavior and externalizing psychopathology. Across three independent samples (N = 210-708), the 36-item Affective and Cognitive measure of Empathy (ACME) was internally consistent, structurally reliable, and invariant across sex. The ACME bore significant associations to important outcomes, which were incremental relative to other measures of empathy and generalizable across sex. Importantly, the affective scales of the ACME-particularly a new "Affective Dissonance" scale--yielded moderate to strong associations with aggressive behavior and externalizing disorders. The ACME is a short, reliable, and useful measure of empathy. © The Author(s) 2015.

Quantitative analysis of aortic regurgitation: real-time 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional color Doppler echocardiographic method--a clinical and a chronic animal study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiota, Takahiro; Jones, Michael; Tsujino, Hiroyuki; Qin, Jian Xin; Zetts, Arthur D.; Greenberg, Neil L.; Cardon, Lisa A.; Panza, Julio A.; Thomas, James D.

2002-01-01

BACKGROUND: For evaluating patients with aortic regurgitation (AR), regurgitant volumes, left ventricular (LV) stroke volumes (SV), and absolute LV volumes are valuable indices. AIM: The aim of this study was to validate the combination of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and semiautomated digital color Doppler cardiac flow measurement (ACM) for quantifying absolute LV volumes, LVSV, and AR volumes using an animal model of chronic AR and to investigate its clinical applicability. METHODS: In 8 sheep, a total of 26 hemodynamic states were obtained pharmacologically 20 weeks after the aortic valve noncoronary (n = 4) or right coronary (n = 4) leaflet was incised to produce AR. Reference standard LVSV and AR volume were determined using the electromagnetic flow method (EM). Simultaneous epicardial real-time 3DE studies were performed to obtain LV end-diastolic volumes (LVEDV), end-systolic volumes (LVESV), and LVSV by subtracting LVESV from LVEDV. Simultaneous ACM was performed to obtain LVSV and transmitral flows; AR volume was calculated by subtracting transmitral flow volume from LVSV. In a total of 19 patients with AR, real-time 3DE and ACM were used to obtain LVSVs and these were compared with each other. RESULTS: A strong relationship was found between LVSV derived from EM and those from the real-time 3DE (r = 0.93, P <.001, mean difference (3D - EM) = -1.0 +/- 9.8 mL). A good relationship between LVSV and AR volumes derived from EM and those by ACM was found (r = 0.88, P <.001). A good relationship between LVSV derived from real-time 3DE and that from ACM was observed (r = 0.73, P <.01, mean difference = 2.5 +/- 7.9 mL). In patients, a good relationship between LVSV obtained by real-time 3DE and ACM was found (r = 0.90, P <.001, mean difference = 0.6 +/- 9.8 mL). CONCLUSION: The combination of ACM and real-time 3DE for quantifying LV volumes, LVSV, and AR volumes was validated by the chronic animal study and was shown to be clinically applicable.

Construction of improved temperature-sensitive and mobilizable vectors and their use for constructing mutations in the adhesin-encoding acm gene of poorly transformable clinical Enterococcus faecium strains.

PubMed

Nallapareddy, Sreedhar R; Singh, Kavindra V; Murray, Barbara E

2006-01-01

Inactivation by allelic exchange in clinical isolates of the emerging nosocomial pathogen Enterococcus faecium has been hindered by lack of efficient tools, and, in this study, transformation of clinical isolates was found to be particularly problematic. For this reason, a vector for allelic replacement (pTEX5500ts) was constructed that includes (i) the pWV01-based gram-positive repAts replication region, which is known to confer a high degree of temperature intolerance, (ii) Escherichia coli oriR from pUC18, (iii) two extended multiple-cloning sites located upstream and downstream of one of the marker genes for efficient cloning of flanking regions for double-crossover mutagenesis, (iv) transcriptional terminator sites to terminate undesired readthrough, and (v) a synthetic extended promoter region containing the cat gene for allelic exchange and a high-level gentamicin resistance gene, aph(2'')-Id, to distinguish double-crossover recombination, both of which are functional in gram-positive and gram-negative backgrounds. To demonstrate the functionality of this vector, the vector was used to construct an acm (encoding an adhesin to collagen from E. faecium) deletion mutant of a poorly transformable multidrug-resistant E. faecium endocarditis isolate, TX0082. The acm-deleted strain, TX6051 (TX0082Deltaacm), was shown to lack Acm on its surface, which resulted in the abolishment of the collagen adherence phenotype observed in TX0082. A mobilizable derivative (pTEX5501ts) that contains oriT of Tn916 to facilitate conjugative transfer from the transformable E. faecalis strain JH2Sm::Tn916 to E. faecium was also constructed. Using this vector, the acm gene of a nonelectroporable E. faecium wound isolate was successfully interrupted. Thus, pTEX5500ts and its mobilizable derivative demonstrated their roles as important tools by helping to create the first reported allelic replacement in E. faecium; the constructed this acm deletion mutant will be useful for assessing the role of acm in E. faecium pathogenesis using animal models.

Science for Kids Outreach Programs: College Students Teaching Science to Elementary Students and Their Parents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehler, Birgit G.; Park, Lee Y.; Kaplan, Lawrence J.

1999-11-01

For a number of years we have been organizing and teaching a special outreach course during our Winter Study Program (the month of January). College students plan, develop, and present hands-on workshops to fourth-grade students and their parents, with faculty providing logistical support and pedagogical advice. Recent topics have been "Forensic Science", "Electricity and Magnetism", "Chemistry and Cooking", "Waves", "Natural Disasters", "Liquids", "Pressure", "Color and Light", "Momentum and Inertia", "Illusions", and "The Senses". The two-hour workshops, held one weekend on campus, emphasize hands-on experiments involving both the kids and the parents. Handouts for each workshop give instructions for doing several experiments at home. This program has been a great success for all involved: the college students gain insight into an aspect of science and what it takes to develop and teach that topic, the elementary school students participate in an exciting and challenging scientific exploration, and the parents have a chance to learn some science while spending time working on projects with their children. We provide an overview of the pedagogical aims of our current approach and a sense of the time-line for putting together such a program in a month.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Guzzo-Merello, Gonzalo; Cobo-Marcos, Marta; Gallego-Delgado, Maria; Garcia-Pavia, Pablo

2014-01-01

Alcohol is the most frequently consumed toxic substance in the world. Low to moderate daily intake of alcohol has been shown to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. In contrast, exposure to high levels of alcohol for a long period could lead to progressive cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Cardiac dysfunction associated with chronic and excessive alcohol intake is a specific cardiac disease known as alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). In spite of its clinical importance, data on ACM and how alcohol damages the heart are limited. In this review, we evaluate available evidence linking excessive alcohol consumption with heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy. Additionally, we discuss the clinical presentation, prognosis and treatment of ACM. PMID:25228956

78 FR 18533 - Airworthiness Directives; Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd Appliances

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-27

... Airworthiness Directives; Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd Appliances AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration... Hot Air Balloons Ltd female ACME threaded hose connectors, part numbers HS6139 and HS6144, installed... follows: * * * * * (c) Applicability This AD applies to Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd female ACME...

29 CFR 1915.1001 - Asbestos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ACM from straight runs of piping and elbows and other connections with the following specifications... or other device used to prevent collapse of bag during removal shall run continually during the... pressure glove box systems. Negative pressure glove boxes may be used to remove ACM or PACM from pipe runs...

29 CFR 1915.1001 - Asbestos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... ACM from straight runs of piping and elbows and other connections with the following specifications... or other device used to prevent collapse of bag during removal shall run continually during the... pressure glove box systems. Negative pressure glove boxes may be used to remove ACM or PACM from pipe runs...

29 CFR 1915.1001 - Asbestos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ACM from straight runs of piping and elbows and other connections with the following specifications... or other device used to prevent collapse of bag during removal shall run continually during the... pressure glove box systems. Negative pressure glove boxes may be used to remove ACM or PACM from pipe runs...

29 CFR 1915.1001 - Asbestos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ACM from straight runs of piping and elbows and other connections with the following specifications... or other device used to prevent collapse of bag during removal shall run continually during the... pressure glove box systems. Negative pressure glove boxes may be used to remove ACM or PACM from pipe runs...

29 CFR 1915.1001 - Asbestos.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ACM from straight runs of piping and elbows and other connections with the following specifications... or other device used to prevent collapse of bag during removal shall run continually during the... pressure glove box systems. Negative pressure glove boxes may be used to remove ACM or PACM from pipe runs...

Framework for Uncertainty Assessment - Hanford Site-Wide Groundwater Flow and Transport Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, M. P.; Cole, C. R.; Murray, C. J.; Thorne, P. D.; Wurstner, S. K.

2002-05-01

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is in the process of development and implementation of an uncertainty estimation methodology for use in future site assessments that addresses parameter uncertainty as well as uncertainties related to the groundwater conceptual model. The long-term goals of the effort are development and implementation of an uncertainty estimation methodology for use in future assessments and analyses being made with the Hanford site-wide groundwater model. The basic approach in the framework developed for uncertainty assessment consists of: 1) Alternate conceptual model (ACM) identification to identify and document the major features and assumptions of each conceptual model. The process must also include a periodic review of the existing and proposed new conceptual models as data or understanding become available. 2) ACM development of each identified conceptual model through inverse modeling with historical site data. 3) ACM evaluation to identify which of conceptual models are plausible and should be included in any subsequent uncertainty assessments. 4) ACM uncertainty assessments will only be carried out for those ACMs determined to be plausible through comparison with historical observations and model structure identification measures. The parameter uncertainty assessment process generally involves: a) Model Complexity Optimization - to identify the important or relevant parameters for the uncertainty analysis; b) Characterization of Parameter Uncertainty - to develop the pdfs for the important uncertain parameters including identification of any correlations among parameters; c) Propagation of Uncertainty - to propagate parameter uncertainties (e.g., by first order second moment methods if applicable or by a Monte Carlo approach) through the model to determine the uncertainty in the model predictions of interest. 5)Estimation of combined ACM and scenario uncertainty by a double sum with each component of the inner sum (an individual CCDF) representing parameter uncertainty associated with a particular scenario and ACM and the outer sum enumerating the various plausible ACM and scenario combinations in order to represent the combined estimate of uncertainty (a family of CCDFs). A final important part of the framework includes identification, enumeration, and documentation of all the assumptions, which include those made during conceptual model development, required by the mathematical model, required by the numerical model, made during the spatial and temporal descretization process, needed to assign the statistical model and associated parameters that describe the uncertainty in the relevant input parameters, and finally those assumptions required by the propagation method. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC06-76RL01830.

PREFACE: PASREG 2003: International Workshop on Processing and Applications of Superconducting (RE)BCO Large Grain Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Masato; Cardwell, David; Salama, Kamel; Krabbes, Gernot; Habisreuther, Tobias; Gawalek, Wolfgang

2005-02-01

Superconducting melt-textured bulk (RE)BCO large grain materials are one of the most promising materials for power applications of high temperature superconductivity at the liquid nitrogen temperature range. Industrial applications are expected in high-speed low-loss magnetic bearings for flywheel energy storage devices, high-dynamic high-torque electric reluctance motors, and MAGLEV transportation systems. The material has high magnetic field trapping capability and therefore a new class of high-field superconducting permanent magnets will soon appear. However, there is still the need to improve the magnetic and mechanical material properties, as well as to increase the single domain size. This special issue contains papers concerning these topics presented at the International Workshop on the Processing and Applications of Superconducting (RE)BCO Large Grain Materials. The workshop was held on the 30 June-2 July 2003 in Jena, Germany, and was organized by the Institut fuer Physikalische Hochtechnologie, Jena. It was the fourth in the series of PASREG workshops after Cambridge, UK (1997), Morioka, Japan (1999), and Seattle, USA (2001). Sixty two contributions were presented at the workshop, 38 oral presentations and 24 poster presentations. This special issue contains 42 papers. The editors are grateful for the support of many colleagues who reviewed the manuscripts to guarantee their high technical quality. The editors also wish to thank Doris Litzkendorf and Tobias Habisreuther from Institut fuer Physikalische Hochtechnologie, Jena, for their assistance with the organization and handling of the manuscripts. Many thanks to the workshop co-chairman Gernot Krabbes from Leibniz-Institut fuer Festkoerper und Werkstoffforschung, Dresden, for hosting the workshop participants in Dresden. Finally, all attendees wish to acknowledge the efforts of Wolfgang Gawalek, Tobias Habisreuther, Doris Litzkendorf and the Team of Department Magnetics from the Institut fuer Physikalische Hochtechnologie, Jena, for being generous hosts during the workshop. The International PASREG Board selected the following distinguished researchers as recipients of the 2003 PASREG Award for Excellence to acknowledge their contribution to the development of bulk high-temperature superconductors: Masato Murakami, ISTEC Tokyo; Günter Fuchs, IFW Dresden; Uichiro Mitzutani, Nagoya University; Bernhard Oswald, OSWALD Electric Motors Co. Miltenberg; Anna E Carillo, Teresa Puig and Xavier Obradors, ICMAB Barcelona.

Learning micro incision surgery without the learning curve

PubMed Central

Navin, Shoba; Parikh, Rajul

2008-01-01

We describe a method of learning micro incision cataract surgery painlessly with the minimum of learning curves. A large-bore or standard anterior chamber maintainer (ACM) facilitates learning without change of machine or preferred surgical technique. Experience with the use of an ACM during phacoemulsification is desirable. PMID:18292624

Guidance Manual: Asbestos Operations & Maintenance Work Practices. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of Building Sciences, Washington, DC.

This technical manual provides detailed guidance to building owners, asbestos program managers, and operations and maintenance (O&M) workers for managing asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in buildings. The manual addresses four different types of ACM found in buildings and three different levels of precaution which may be warranted by…

Adaptive Patterns of Stress Responsivity: A Preliminary Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Del Giudice, Marco; Hinnant, J. Benjamin; Ellis, Bruce J.; El-Sheikh, Mona

2012-01-01

The adaptive calibration model (ACM) is an evolutionary-developmental theory of individual differences in stress responsivity. In this article, we tested some key predictions of the ACM in a middle childhood sample (N = 256). Measures of autonomic nervous system activity across the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches validated the 4-pattern…

Assessment of Competencies for Computer Information Systems Curricula.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Womble, Myra N.

1993-01-01

In a survey of 80 managerial and 130 entry-level computer professionals, most entry workers believed they possessed competencies identified in Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) curricula; most managers did not agree. Most managers rated 28% of ACM competencies moderately to not important; 63% were so rated by entry workers. (SK)

OJPOT: Online Judge & Practice Oriented Teaching Idea in Programming Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Gui Ping; Chen, Shu Yu; Yang, Xin; Feng, Rui

2016-01-01

Practical abilities are important for students from majors including Computer Science and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Along with the popularity of ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC) and other programming contests, online judge (OJ) websites achieve rapid development, thus providing a new kind of programming…

Partial Bibliography of Work on Expert Systems,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

Bibliography: AAAI American Association for Artificial Intelligence ACM Association for Computing Machinery AFIPS American Federation of Information...Processing Societies ECAI European Conference on Artificial Intelligence IEEE Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers IFIPS International...Federation of Information Processing Societies IJCAI International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence SIGPLAN ACM Special Interest Group on

Second Annual Transformative Vertical Flight Concepts Workshop: Enabling New Flight Concepts Through Novel Propulsion and Energy Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dudley, Michael R. (Editor); Duffy, Michael; Hirschberg, Michael; Moore, Mark; German, Brian; Goodrich, Ken; Gunnarson, Tom; Petermaier,Korbinian; Stoll, Alex; Fredericks, Bill;

EarthServer: Cross-Disciplinary Earth Science Through Data Cube Analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumann, P.; Rossi, A. P.

2016-12-01

The unprecedented increase of imagery, in-situ measurements, and simulation data produced by Earth (and Planetary) Science observations missions bears a rich, yet not leveraged potential for getting insights from integrating such diverse datasets and transform scientific questions into actual queries to data, formulated in a standardized way.The intercontinental EarthServer [1] initiative is demonstrating new directions for flexible, scalable Earth Science services based on innovative NoSQL technology. Researchers from Europe, the US and Australia have teamed up to rigorously implement the concept of the datacube. Such a datacube may have spatial and temporal dimensions (such as a satellite image time series) and may unite an unlimited number of scenes. Independently from whatever efficient data structuring a server network may perform internally, users (scientist, planners, decision makers) will always see just a few datacubes they can slice and dice.EarthServer has established client [2] and server technology for such spatio-temporal datacubes. The underlying scalable array engine, rasdaman [3,4], enables direct interaction, including 3-D visualization, common EO data processing, and general analytics. Services exclusively rely on the open OGC "Big Geo Data" standards suite, the Web Coverage Service (WCS). Conversely, EarthServer has shaped and advanced WCS based on the experience gained. The first phase of EarthServer has advanced scalable array database technology into 150+ TB services. Currently, Petabyte datacubes are being built for ad-hoc and cross-disciplinary querying, e.g. using climate, Earth observation and ocean data.We will present the EarthServer approach, its impact on OGC / ISO / INSPIRE standardization, and its platform technology, rasdaman.References: [1] Baumann, et al. (2015) DOI: 10.1080/17538947.2014.1003106 [2] Hogan, P., (2011) NASA World Wind, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Computing for Geospatial Research & Applications ACM. [3] Baumann, Peter, et al. (2014) In Proc. 10th ICDM, 194-201. [4] Dumitru, A. et al. (2014) In Proc ACM SIGMOD Workshop on Data Analytics in the Cloud (DanaC'2014), 1-4.

3D object retrieval using salient views

PubMed Central

Shapiro, Linda G.

2013-01-01

This paper presents a method for selecting salient 2D views to describe 3D objects for the purpose of retrieval. The views are obtained by first identifying salient points via a learning approach that uses shape characteristics of the 3D points (Atmosukarto and Shapiro in International workshop on structural, syntactic, and statistical pattern recognition, 2008; Atmosukarto and Shapiro in ACM multimedia information retrieval, 2008). The salient views are selected by choosing views with multiple salient points on the silhouette of the object. Silhouette-based similarity measures from Chen et al. (Comput Graph Forum 22(3):223–232, 2003) are then used to calculate the similarity between two 3D objects. Retrieval experiments were performed on three datasets: the Heads dataset, the SHREC2008 dataset, and the Princeton dataset. Experimental results show that the retrieval results using the salient views are comparable to the existing light field descriptor method (Chen et al. in Comput Graph Forum 22(3):223–232, 2003), and our method achieves a 15-fold speedup in the feature extraction computation time. PMID:23833704

Theoretical interpretation of the nuclear structure of 88Se within the ACM and the QPM models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gratchev, I. N.; Thiamova, G.; Alexa, P.; Simpson, G. S.; Ramdhane, M.

2018-02-01

The four-parameter algebraic collective model (ACM) Hamiltonian is used to describe the nuclear structure of 88Se. It is shown that the ACM is capable of providing a reasonable description of the excitation energies and relative positions of the ground-state band and γ band. The most probable interpretation of the nuclear structure of 88Se is that of a transitional nucleus. The Quasiparticle-plus-Phonon Model (QPM) was also applied to describe the nuclear motion in 88Se. Preliminarily calculations show that the collectivity of second excited state {2}2+ is weak and that this state contains a strong two-quasiparticle component.

Miniature Electron Sources for Tomorrow’s Vacuum THz Devices (MiPRI)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-01

Microwaves, Proceedings of the Fourth Workshop on High Power RF, 22 V. L. Bratman, N. S . Ginzburg, N. F. Kovalev, G. S . Nusinovich, and M. edited by R. M...3Po Kalynov, N. G. Kolganov, V. N. Manuilov, F. S . Rusin, S . V. Samsonov, and A. V. Savilov, in High Energy Density and High Power RF: 7th When this...showed that this will enable the design of future THz sources operating with relatively high efficiency at high power levels. 15. SUBJECT TERMS THz

Middle Atmosphere Program. Handbook for MAP, volume 28

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, C. H. (Editor); Edwards, Belva (Editor)

1989-01-01

Extended abstracts from the fourth workshop on the technical and scientific aspects of MST (mesosphere stratosphere troposphere) radar are presented. Individual sessions addressed the following topics: meteorological applications of MST and ST radars, networks, and campaigns; dynamics of the equatorial middle atmosphere; interpretation of radar returns from clear air; techniques for studying gravity waves and turbulence; intercomparison and calibration of wind and wave measurements at various frequencies; progress in existing and planned MST and ST radars; hardware design for MST and ST radars and boundary layer/lower troposphere profilers; signal processing; and data management.

Insite. Fourth Annual Report to the Ford Foundation (July 1, 1966-June 30, 1967). Part II, Student Enrollment and Records, Student Counseling, Resident Teaching Placement, Resident Teaching, Seminar on the Implications of the Social Sciences, Seminar on the Role of the Humanities, Creative Arts Workshop.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, John R.; And Others

This 2nd part of a 4-part report on the 3rd year of the Instructional Systems in Teacher Education (Insite) Project consists of several reports by the project staff, including "Student Enrollment and Records, Counseling, Resident Teaching Placement," by John R. Beck; "Resident Teaching," by R. Bruce McQuigg; "Seminar on…

Adaptive Numerical Dissipative Control in High Order Schemes for Multi-D Non-Ideal MHD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Sjoegreen, B.

2004-01-01

The goal is to extend our adaptive numerical dissipation control in high order filter schemes and our new divergence-free methods for ideal MHD to non-ideal MHD that include viscosity and resistivity. The key idea consists of automatic detection of different flow features as distinct sensors to signal the appropriate type and amount of numerical dissipation/filter where needed and leave the rest of the region free of numerical dissipation contamination. These scheme-independent detectors are capable of distinguishing shocks/shears, flame sheets, turbulent fluctuations and spurious high-frequency oscillations. The detection algorithm is based on an artificial compression method (ACM) (for shocks/shears), and redundant multi-resolution wavelets (WAV) (for the above types of flow feature). These filter approaches also provide a natural and efficient way for the minimization of Div(B) numerical error. The filter scheme consists of spatially sixth order or higher non-dissipative spatial difference operators as the base scheme for the inviscid flux derivatives. If necessary, a small amount of high order linear dissipation is used to remove spurious high frequency oscillations. For example, an eighth-order centered linear dissipation (AD8) might be included in conjunction with a spatially sixth-order base scheme. The inviscid difference operator is applied twice for the viscous flux derivatives. After the completion of a full time step of the base scheme step, the solution is adaptively filtered by the product of a 'flow detector' and the 'nonlinear dissipative portion' of a high-resolution shock-capturing scheme. In addition, the scheme independent wavelet flow detector can be used in conjunction with spatially compact, spectral or spectral element type of base schemes. The ACM and wavelet filter schemes using the dissipative portion of a second-order shock-capturing scheme with sixth-order spatial central base scheme for both the inviscid and viscous MHD flux derivatives and a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method are denoted.

Multiresolution Wavelet Based Adaptive Numerical Dissipation Control for Shock-Turbulence Computations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sjoegreen, B.; Yee, H. C.

2001-01-01

The recently developed essentially fourth-order or higher low dissipative shock-capturing scheme of Yee, Sandham and Djomehri (1999) aimed at minimizing nu- merical dissipations for high speed compressible viscous flows containing shocks, shears and turbulence. To detect non smooth behavior and control the amount of numerical dissipation to be added, Yee et al. employed an artificial compression method (ACM) of Harten (1978) but utilize it in an entirely different context than Harten originally intended. The ACM sensor consists of two tuning parameters and is highly physical problem dependent. To minimize the tuning of parameters and physical problem dependence, new sensors with improved detection properties are proposed. The new sensors are derived from utilizing appropriate non-orthogonal wavelet basis functions and they can be used to completely switch to the extra numerical dissipation outside shock layers. The non-dissipative spatial base scheme of arbitrarily high order of accuracy can be maintained without compromising its stability at all parts of the domain where the solution is smooth. Two types of redundant non-orthogonal wavelet basis functions are considered. One is the B-spline wavelet (Mallat & Zhong 1992) used by Gerritsen and Olsson (1996) in an adaptive mesh refinement method, to determine regions where re nement should be done. The other is the modification of the multiresolution method of Harten (1995) by converting it to a new, redundant, non-orthogonal wavelet. The wavelet sensor is then obtained by computing the estimated Lipschitz exponent of a chosen physical quantity (or vector) to be sensed on a chosen wavelet basis function. Both wavelet sensors can be viewed as dual purpose adaptive methods leading to dynamic numerical dissipation control and improved grid adaptation indicators. Consequently, they are useful not only for shock-turbulence computations but also for computational aeroacoustics and numerical combustion. In addition, these sensors are scheme independent and can be stand alone options for numerical algorithm other than the Yee et al. scheme.

The Snackbot: Documenting the Design of a Robot for Long-term Human-Robot Interaction

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

distributed robots. Proceedings of the Computer Supported Cooperative Work Conference’02. NY: ACM Press. [18] Kanda, T., Takayuki , H., Eaton, D., and...humanoid robots. Proceedings of HRI’06. New York, NY: ACM Press, 351-352. [23] Nabe, S., Kanda, T., Hiraki , K., Ishiguro, H., Kogure, K., and Hagita

Emergence of the Epidemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strain USA300 Coincides with Horizontal Transfer of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element and speG-mediated Adaptations for Survival on Skin

PubMed Central

Planet, Paul J.; LaRussa, Samuel J.; Dana, Ali; Smith, Hannah; Xu, Amy; Ryan, Chanelle; Uhlemann, Anne-Catrin; Boundy, Sam; Goldberg, Julia; Narechania, Apurva; Kulkarni, Ritwij; Ratner, Adam J.; Geoghegan, Joan A.; Kolokotronis, Sergios-Orestis; Prince, Alice

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT The arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) is the largest genomic region distinguishing epidemic USA300 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from other S. aureus strains. However, the functional relevance of ACME to infection and disease has remained unclear. Using phylogenetic analysis, we have shown that the modular segments of ACME were assembled into a single genetic locus in Staphylococcus epidermidis and then horizontally transferred to the common ancestor of USA300 strains in an extremely recent event. Acquisition of one ACME gene, speG, allowed USA300 strains to withstand levels of polyamines (e.g., spermidine) produced in skin that are toxic to other closely related S. aureus strains. speG-mediated polyamine tolerance also enhanced biofilm formation, adherence to fibrinogen/fibronectin, and resistance to antibiotic and keratinocyte-mediated killing. We suggest that these properties gave USA300 a major selective advantage during skin infection and colonization, contributing to the extraordinary evolutionary success of this clone. PMID:24345744

Identification of a New Modulator of the Intercalated Disc in a Zebrafish Model of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Asimaki, Angeliki; Kapoor, Sudhir; Plovie, Eva; Arndt, Anne Karin; Adams, Edward; Liu, ZhenZhen; James, Cynthia A.; Judge, Daniel P.; Calkins, Hugh; Churko, Jared; Wu, Joseph C.; MacRae, Calum A.; Kléber, André G.; Saffitz, Jeffrey E.

2015-01-01

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by frequent cardiac arrhythmias. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms and discover potential chemical modifiers, we created a zebrafish model of ACM with cardiac myocyte–specific expression of the human 2057del2 mutation in the gene encoding plakoglobin. A high-throughput screen identified SB216763 as a suppressor of the disease phenotype. Early SB216763 therapy prevented heart failure and reduced mortality in the fish model. Zebrafish ventricular myocytes that expressed 2057del2 plakoglobin exhibited 70 to 80% reductions in INa and IK1 current densities, which were normalized by SB216763. Neonatal rat ventricular myocytes that expressed 2057del2 plakoglobin recapitulated pathobiological features seen in patients with ACM, all of which were reversed or prevented by SB216763. The reverse remodeling observed with SB216763 involved marked subcellular redistribution of plakoglobin, connexin 43, and Nav1.5, but without changes in their total cellular content, implicating a defect in protein trafficking to intercalated discs. In further support of this mechanism, we observed SB216763-reversible, abnormal subcellular distribution of SAP97 (a protein known to mediate forward trafficking of Nav1.5 and Kir2.1) in rat cardiac myocytes expressing 2057del2 plakoglobin and in cardiac myocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells from two ACM probands with plakophilin-2 mutations. These observations pinpoint aberrant trafficking of intercalated disc proteins as a central mechanism in ACM myocyte injury and electrical abnormalities. PMID:24920660

Molecular heterogeneity assessment by next-generation sequencing and response to gefitinib of EGFR mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma

PubMed Central

Amato, Eliana; Fassan, Matteo; Novello, Silvia; Peretti, Umberto; Vavalà, Tiziana; Kinspergher, Stefania; Righi, Luisella; Santo, Antonio; Brunelli, Matteo; Corbo, Vincenzo; Giglioli, Eliana; Sperduti, Isabella; Milella, Michele; Chilosi, Marco; Scarpa, Aldo; Tortora, Giampaolo

2015-01-01

Cancer molecular heterogeneity might explain the variable response of EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinomas to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). We assessed the mutational status of 22 cancer genes by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in poor, intermediate or good responders to first-line gefitinib. Clinical outcome was correlated with Additional Coexisting Mutations (ACMs) and the EGFR Proportion of Mutated Alleles (PMA). Thirteen ACMs were found in 10/17 patients: TP53 (n=6), KRAS (n=2), CTNNB1 (n=2), PIK3CA, SMAD4 and MET (n=1 each). TP53 mutations were exclusive of poor/intermediate responders (66.7% versus 0, p=0.009). Presence of ACMs significantly affected both PFS (median 3.0 versus 12.3 months, p=0.03) and survival (3.6 months versus not reached, p=0.03). TP53 mutation was the strongest negative modifier (median PFS 4.0 versus 14.0 months). Higher EGFR PMA was present in good versus poor/intermediate responders. Median PFS and survival were longer in patients with EGFR PMA ≥0.36 (12.0 versus 4.0 months, p=0.31; not reached versus 18.0 months, p=0.59). Patients with an EGFR PMA ≥0.36 and no ACMs fared significantly better (p=0.03), with a trend towards increased survival (p=0.06). Our exploratory data suggest that a quantitative (PMA) and qualitative (ACMs) molecular heterogeneity assessment using NGS might be useful for a better selection of patients. PMID:25904052

Estimation of the economic and health impact of complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the autonomous community of Madrid (Spain).

PubMed

Arrieta, Francisco; Rubio-Terrés, Carlos; Rubio-Rodríguez, Darío; Magaña, Ana; Piñera, Marbella; Iglesias, Pedro; Nogales, Pedro; Calañas, Alfonso; Novella, Blanca; Botella-Carretero, José Ignacio; Debán, Carlos; Zamarrón, Isabel; Mora, Gustavo; Balsa, José Antonio; Vázquez, Clotilde

2014-04-01

To estimate the economic and health impact of chronic complications (macrovascular and microvascular) of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the autonomous community of Madrid (Spain) (ACM). The number of expected complications was obtained from a descriptive, cross-sectional study on a cohort of 3,268 patients with T2DM from the ACM. Cost of complications (€, 2012) was assessed both at hospitals and in primary care. The number of medical visits in primary care and drug treatment for complications were collected by a panel of 21 physicians experienced in treatment of T2DM. Population and epidemiological data and healthcare costs were obtained from Spanish sources. Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed. It is estimated that there are 390,944 patients with T2DM in the ACM, and that they experience 172,406 and 212,283 macrovascular and microvascular complications respectively during their lifetimes. Mean cost of T2DM complications per patient is estimated at € 4,121.54 (66% due to macrovascular complications). The economic impact of T2DM complications in the ACM would be € 1,611 million (1,065 and 545 millions from macrovascular and microvascular complications respectively). The economic impact would range from € 1,249 and 2.509 million euro depending on T2DM prevalence. Complications of T2DM have a great health and economic impact in ACM. Copyright © 2013 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Brain Endothelial Cells: Possible Role during Metastatic Extravasation

PubMed Central

Krizbai, István A.; Gasparics, Ákos; Nagyőszi, Péter; Fazakas, Csilla; Molnár, Judit; Wilhelm, Imola; Bencs, Rita; Rosivall, László; Sebe, Attila

2015-01-01

Cancer progression towards metastasis follows a defined sequence of events described as the metastatic cascade. For extravasation and transendothelial migration metastatic cells interact first with endothelial cells. Yet the role of endothelial cells during the process of metastasis formation and extravasation is still unclear, and the interaction between metastatic and endothelial cells during transendothelial migration is poorly understood. Since tumor cells are well known to express TGF-β, and the compact endothelial layer undergoes a series of changes during metastatic extravasation (cell contact disruption, cytoskeletal reorganization, enhanced contractility), we hypothesized that an EndMT may be necessary for metastatic extravasation. We demonstrate that primary cultured rat brain endothelial cells (BEC) undergo EndMT upon TGF-β1 treatment, characterized by the loss of tight and adherens junction proteins, expression of fibronectin, β1-integrin, calponin and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA). B16/F10 cell line conditioned and activated medium (ACM) had similar effects: claudin-5 down-regulation, fibronectin and SMA expression. Inhibition of TGF-β signaling during B16/F10 ACM stimulation using SB-431542 maintained claudin-5 levels and mitigated fibronectin and SMA expression. B16/F10 ACM stimulation of BECs led to phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. SB-431542 prevented SMA up-regulation upon stimulation of BECs with A2058, MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 ACM as well. Moreover, B16/F10 ACM caused a reduction in transendothelial electrical resistance, enhanced the number of melanoma cells adhering to and transmigrating through the endothelial layer, in a TGF-β-dependent manner. These effects were not confined to BECs: HUVECs showed TGF-β-dependent SMA expression when stimulated with breast cancer cell line ACM. Our results indicate that an EndMT may be necessary for metastatic transendothelial migration, and this transition may be one of the potential mechanisms occurring during the complex phenomenon known as metastatic extravasation. PMID:25742314

Astrocytes expressing mutant SOD1 and TDP43 trigger motoneuron death that is mediated via sodium channels and nitroxidative stress

PubMed Central

Rojas, Fabiola; Cortes, Nicole; Abarzua, Sebastian; Dyrda, Agnieszka; van Zundert, Brigitte

2013-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal paralytic disorder caused by dysfunction and degeneration of motor neurons. Multiple disease-causing mutations, including in the genes for SOD1 and TDP-43, have been identified in ALS. Astrocytes expressing mutant SOD1 are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of ALS: we have shown that media conditioned by astrocytes carrying mutant SOD1G93A contains toxic factor(s) that kill motoneurons by activating voltage-sensitive sodium (Nav) channels. In contrast, a recent study suggests that astrocytes expressing mutated TDP43 contribute to ALS pathology, but do so via cell-autonomous processes and lack non-cell-autonomous toxicity. Here we investigate whether astrocytes that express diverse ALS-causing mutations release toxic factor(s) that induce motoneuron death, and if so, whether they do so via a common pathogenic pathway. We exposed primary cultures of wild-type spinal cord cells to conditioned medium derived from astrocytes (ACM) that express SOD1 (ACM-SOD1G93A and ACM-SOD1G86R) or TDP43 (ACM-TDP43A315T) mutants; we show that such exposure rapidly (within 30–60 min) increases dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence (indicative of nitroxidative stress) and leads to extensive motoneuron-specific death within a few days. Co-application of the diverse ACMs with anti-oxidants Trolox or esculetin (but not with resveratrol) strongly improves motoneuron survival. We also find that co-incubation of the cultures in the ACMs with Nav channel blockers (including mexiletine, spermidine, or riluzole) prevents both intracellular nitroxidative stress and motoneuron death. Together, our data document that two completely unrelated ALS models lead to the death of motoneuron via non-cell-autonomous processes, and show that astrocytes expressing mutations in SOD1 and TDP43 trigger such cell death through a common pathogenic pathway that involves nitroxidative stress, induced at least in part by Nav channel activity. PMID:24570655

Cardiovascular Comorbidity and Mortality in Men With Prostate Cancer Treated With Brachytherapy-Based Radiation With or Without Hormonal Therapy

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

Nanda, Akash, E-mail: akash.nanda@orlandohealth.com; Chen, Ming-Hui; Moran, Brian J.

Purpose: To assess the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors and sequelae on the risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) in men treated for prostate cancer (PC). Methods and Materials: The study cohort comprised 5077 men with PC consecutively treated with curative intent between 1997 and 2006 at the Chicago Prostate Cancer Center. Cox and Fine and Gray's competing risks regression multivariable analyses were performed, assessing whether cardiovascular comorbidity impacted the risk of ACM and PC-specific mortality, respectively, adjusting for CAD risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, or hypertension) and sequelae (congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction), age, year andmore » type of treatment, and known PC prognostic factors. Results: When compared with men with no comorbidity there was a significantly increased risk of ACM in men with congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.96, P<.001) and in men with diabetes mellitus (AHR 1.60, P=.03) and hypertension (AHR 1.25, P=.04). In contrast, men with hypercholesterolemia had a similar risk of ACM (AHR 0.68, P=.17) when compared with men with no comorbidity. Other factors associated with a significantly increased risk of ACM included age (AHR 1.09, P<.001), prostate-specific antigen level (AHR 1.25, P=.008), and Gleason score 8-10 disease (AHR 1.71, P=.003). Cardiovascular comorbidity did not impact the risk of PC-specific mortality. Conclusions: In addition to age and unfavorable PC prognostic factors, select CAD risk factors and sequelae are associated with an increased risk of ACM in men treated for PC. These comorbidity prognostic factors predict time courses of mortality from competing causes, which may be factored into the decision-making process when considering management options for PC in a given individual.« less

Fish Oil-Derived Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduce Expression of M1-Associated Macrophage Markers in an ex vivo Adipose Tissue Culture Model, in Part through Adiponectin.

PubMed

De Boer, Anna A; Monk, Jennifer M; Liddle, Danyelle M; Power, Krista A; Ma, David W L; Robinson, Lindsay E

2015-01-01

Adipose tissue (AT) macrophages (ATM) play a key role in obesity-associated pathologies, and their phenotype can be influenced by the local tissue microenvironment. Interestingly, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and the LC n-3 PUFA-upregulated adipokine, adiponectin (Ad), may mitigate excessive ATM inflammatory M1-polarization responses. However, to what extent LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to affect macrophage phenotype has not been examined. Thus, we used an established ex vivo AT organ culture model using visceral AT from mice fed a control (CON; 10% w/w safflower oil) n-6 PUFA-rich diet or an isocaloric fish oil (FO; 3% w/w menhaden oil + 7% w/w safflower oil)-derived LC n-3 PUFA-rich diet to generate AT conditioned media (ACM). We then evaluated if CON or FO ACM affected macrophage polarization markers in a model designed to mimic acute [18 h ACM plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the last 6 h] or chronic (macrophages treated with LPS-challenged CON or FO ACM for 24 h) inflammation ± Ad-neutralizing antibody and the LPS-neutralizing agent, polymyxin B. In the acute inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased lipid uptake and mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Nfκb, Il6, Il18, Ccl2, and Ccl5) compared with CON ACM (p ≤ 0.05); however, these effects were largely attenuated when Ad was neutralized (p > 0.05). Furthermore, in the chronic inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Tnfα, Ccl2, and Il1β) and IL-6 and CCL2 secretion (p ≤ 0.05); however, some of these effects were lost when Ad was neutralized, and were further exacerbated when both Ad and LPS were neutralized. Taken together, this work shows that LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to suppress certain M1 macrophage responses. Thus, future strategies to modulate the ATM phenotype should consider the role of both LC n-3 PUFA and Ad in mitigating obese AT inflammation.

Fish Oil-Derived Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduce Expression of M1-Associated Macrophage Markers in an ex vivo Adipose Tissue Culture Model, in Part through Adiponectin

PubMed Central

De Boer, Anna A.; Monk, Jennifer M.; Liddle, Danyelle M.; Power, Krista A.; Ma, David W. L.; Robinson, Lindsay E.

2015-01-01

Adipose tissue (AT) macrophages (ATM) play a key role in obesity-associated pathologies, and their phenotype can be influenced by the local tissue microenvironment. Interestingly, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and the LC n-3 PUFA-upregulated adipokine, adiponectin (Ad), may mitigate excessive ATM inflammatory M1-polarization responses. However, to what extent LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to affect macrophage phenotype has not been examined. Thus, we used an established ex vivo AT organ culture model using visceral AT from mice fed a control (CON; 10% w/w safflower oil) n-6 PUFA-rich diet or an isocaloric fish oil (FO; 3% w/w menhaden oil + 7% w/w safflower oil)-derived LC n-3 PUFA-rich diet to generate AT conditioned media (ACM). We then evaluated if CON or FO ACM affected macrophage polarization markers in a model designed to mimic acute [18 h ACM plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the last 6 h] or chronic (macrophages treated with LPS-challenged CON or FO ACM for 24 h) inflammation ± Ad-neutralizing antibody and the LPS-neutralizing agent, polymyxin B. In the acute inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased lipid uptake and mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Nfκb, Il6, Il18, Ccl2, and Ccl5) compared with CON ACM (p ≤ 0.05); however, these effects were largely attenuated when Ad was neutralized (p > 0.05). Furthermore, in the chronic inflammation model, macrophages treated with FO ACM had decreased mRNA expression of M1 markers (Nos2, Tnfα, Ccl2, and Il1β) and IL-6 and CCL2 secretion (p ≤ 0.05); however, some of these effects were lost when Ad was neutralized, and were further exacerbated when both Ad and LPS were neutralized. Taken together, this work shows that LC n-3 PUFA and Ad work in concert to suppress certain M1 macrophage responses. Thus, future strategies to modulate the ATM phenotype should consider the role of both LC n-3 PUFA and Ad in mitigating obese AT inflammation. PMID:26528480

Design of an Information Technology Undergraduate Program to Produce IT Versatilists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koohang, Alex; Riley, Liz; Smith, Terry; Floyd, Kevin

2010-01-01

This paper attempts to present a model for designing an IT undergraduate program that is based on the recommendations of the Association for Computer Machinery/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers--Information Technology (ACM/IEEE--IT) Curriculum Model. The main intent is to use the ACM/IEEE--IT Curriculum Model's recommendations as a…

Interaction and Critical Inquiry in Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Conferencing: A Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopkins, Joseph; Gibson, Will; Ros i. Sole, Cristina; Savvides, Nicola; Starkey, Hugh

2008-01-01

This paper reviews research on learner and tutor interaction in asynchronous computer-mediated (ACM) conferences used in distance learning. The authors note claims made for the potential of ACM conferences to promote higher-order critical inquiry and the social construction of knowledge, and argue that there is a general lack of evidence regarding…

Validation of the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM): Evidence from Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ang, Rebecca P.; Chong, Wan Har; Huan, Vivien S.; Yeo, Lay See

2007-01-01

This article reports the development and initial validation of scores obtained from the Adolescent Concerns Measure (ACM), a scale which assesses concerns of Asian adolescent students. In Study 1, findings from exploratory factor analysis using 619 adolescents suggested a 24-item scale with four correlated factors--Family Concerns (9 items), Peer…

Asteroids, comets, meteors, and their interrelations. Part II: Editorial review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muinonen, Karri; Granvik, Mikael; Penttilä, Antti; Gritsevich, Maria

2016-04-01

The Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 2014 (ACM 2014) conference was organized in Helsinki in June 30-July 4, 2014, with the first collection of the peer-reviewed papers published in December 2015 in the Special Issue of Planetary and Space Science (Muinonen et al., 2015). The present issue contains the second collection of papers from ACM 2014.

Proceeding of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (1st, Roanoke, Virginia, June 24-28, 2001).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY.

Papers in this Proceedings of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (Roanoke, Virginia, June 24-28, 2001) discuss: automatic genre analysis; text categorization; automated name authority control; automatic event generation; linked active content; designing e-books for legal research; metadata harvesting; mapping the…

iss053e098185

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-12

iss053e098185 (Oct. 12, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli works inside the Harmony module to configure the Combustion Integrated Rack and enable the Advanced Combustion Microgravity Experiment (ACME). The primary and secondary goals of ACME are the improved fuel efficiency and reduced pollutant production in practical combustion on Earth, and spacecraft fire prevention through innovative research focused on materials flammability.

Climate Modeling: Ocean Cavities below Ice Shelves

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

Petersen, Mark Roger

The Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME), a new initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy, includes unstructured-mesh ocean, land-ice, and sea-ice components using the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) framework. The ability to run coupled high-resolution global simulations efficiently on large, high-performance computers is a priority for ACME. Sub-ice shelf ocean cavities are a significant new capability in ACME, and will be used to better understand how changing ocean temperature and currents influence glacial melting and retreat. These simulations take advantage of the horizontal variable-resolution mesh and adaptive vertical coordinate in MPAS-Ocean, in order to place high resolutionmore » below ice shelves and near grounding lines.« less

Modeling aerosol emissions from the combustion of composite materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roop, J. A.; Caldwell, D. J.; Kuhlmann, K. J.

1994-01-01

The use of advanced composite materials (ACM) in the B-2 bomber, composite armored vehicle, and F-22 advanced tactical fighter has rekindled interest concerning the health risk of burned or burning ACM. The objective of this work was to determine smoke production from burning ACM and its toxicity. A commercial version of the UPITT II combustion toxicity method developed at the University of Pittsburgh, and subsequently refined through a US Army-funded basic research project, was used to established controlled combustion conditions which were selected to evaluate real-world exposure scenarios. Production and yield of toxic species varied with the combustion conditions. Previous work with this method showed that the combustion conditions directly influenced the toxicity of the decomposition products from a variety of materials.

Benchmark Problems Used to Assess Computational Aeroacoustics Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dahl, Milo D.; Envia, Edmane

2005-01-01

The field of computational aeroacoustics (CAA) encompasses numerical techniques for calculating all aspects of sound generation and propagation in air directly from fundamental governing equations. Aeroacoustic problems typically involve flow-generated noise, with and without the presence of a solid surface, and the propagation of the sound to a receiver far away from the noise source. It is a challenge to obtain accurate numerical solutions to these problems. The NASA Glenn Research Center has been at the forefront in developing and promoting the development of CAA techniques and methodologies for computing the noise generated by aircraft propulsion systems. To assess the technological advancement of CAA, Glenn, in cooperation with the Ohio Aerospace Institute and the AeroAcoustics Research Consortium, organized and hosted the Fourth CAA Workshop on Benchmark Problems. Participants from industry and academia from both the United States and abroad joined to present and discuss solutions to benchmark problems. These demonstrated technical progress ranging from the basic challenges to accurate CAA calculations to the solution of CAA problems of increasing complexity and difficulty. The results are documented in the proceedings of the workshop. Problems were solved in five categories. In three of the five categories, exact solutions were available for comparison with CAA results. A fourth category of problems representing sound generation from either a single airfoil or a blade row interacting with a gust (i.e., problems relevant to fan noise) had approximate analytical or completely numerical solutions. The fifth category of problems involved sound generation in a viscous flow. In this case, the CAA results were compared with experimental data.

Webcasts promote in-class active participation and learning in an engineering elective course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freguia, Stefano

2017-09-01

This paper describes the design and outcomes of an educational intervention undertaken to improve the quality of delivery of a fourth-year engineering elective course - Industrial Wastewater and Solid Waste Management at the University of Queensland. The objective was to increase the level of active participation of students in planned active-learning classroom activities, including whole-class discussions and small group project-type work. According to a flipped classroom model, new online material in the form of webcasts was proposed to students before class. Students reacted very positively to the webcasts: the percentage of students viewing the webcast before planned workshop sessions ranged between 80% and 92% over the five weeks of the intervention. Enhanced engagement led also to increased attendance (85-92% at workshop sessions), and remarkable active participation in class (half of observed teams were ∼80% active). Remarkably, team performance as quantified by their report marks linearly correlated with the level of active participation in class.

Reciprocal benefit to senior and junior peers: An outcome of a pilot research workshop at medical university.

PubMed

Ahsin, Sadia; Abbas, Seyyeda; Zaidi, Noshin; Azad, Nadia; Kaleem, Fatima

2015-08-01

A study was planned to explore and evaluate the role of senior peers in the learning process of their juniors during a Research Methodology workshop, and to assess educational advantages for seniors in leading roles. Twenty medical students participated with 15 juniors (1st to 3rd year) and 5 seniors (final/fourth year) divided into 5 groups with one senior student each at Foundation University Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan. The seniors supervised and engaged the groups to develop research questions, formulate objectives, review literature, outline study designs, develop study tools/questionnaire and finally shape their projects in synopsis. Overall advantages to both juniors and seniors through this peer-assisted learning model were assessed by feedback proformas with open and closed-ended questions. Senior peers' facilitation was effective in the learning process of junior peers. Senior peers also gained academic benefit by exercising their leadership qualities through teaching and maintaining group dynamics.

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

Not Available

This volume contains the proceedings of the fourth Contractor-Grantee Workshop for the Department of Energy (DOE) Human Genome Program. Of the 204 abstracts in this book, some 200 describe the genome research of DOE-funded grantees and contractors located at the multidisciplinary centers at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory; other DOE-supported laboratories; and more than 54 universities, research organizations, and companies in the United States and abroad. Included are 16 abstracts from ongoing projects in the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) component, an area that continues to attract considerable attention from a widemore » variety of interested parties. Three abstracts summarize work in the new Microbial Genome Initiative launched this year by the Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) to provide genome sequence and mapping data on industrially important microorganisms and those that live under extreme conditions. Many of the projects will be discussed at plenary sessions held throughout the workshop, and all are represented in the poster sessions.« less

Four years of HELAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, M.; Lühe, O. v. d.; Aerts, C.; Christensen-Dalsgaard, J.; Corbard, T.; Daszyńska-Daszkiewicz, J.; Di Mauro, M. P.; Gizon, L.; Jiménez-Reyes, S.; Monteiro, M. J. P. F. G.; Pallé, P. L.; Thompson, M. J.

2010-12-01

The European Coordination Action on HELio- and ASteroseismology (HELAS) has completed its fourth and final year of initial funding by the European Commission. Set up as a network which combines solar and stellar physics communities in the important and vigorously evolving field of seismology, HELAS has been able to coordinate the efforts of European astronomers with remarkable success. Four large international conferences including the HELAS-IV conference on Lanzarote as well as many workshops were organized with a substantial contribution from HELAS. About a dozen workshops, addressing specialized questions in global and local helioseismology and asteroseismology were entirely organized by HELAS. Data analysis tools to prepare the European communities for the upcoming influx of data from new missions have been prepared, tested and demonstrated. Lecture notes and outreach material have been assembled and prepared for general access. As a result, HELAS has an important impact on the scientific output of the astrophysics seismology communities and significantly increased the visibility of European research in this field. This paper summarizes the activities and accomplishments of HELAS.

Developing IEC prototypes for adolescents. IEC workshop.

PubMed

1997-01-01

Participants of the IEC Workshop for the Production of OHP Material on Reproductive Health for Adolescents and Young Adults held November 25-30 in Japan developed innovative, visually appealing overhead projector (OHP) transparencies to serve as prototype information, education, and communication (IEC) materials for the Asian Region. The materials cover a wide range of topics from early marriage to unwanted pregnancy. This paper briefly describes the prototypes. One group focused upon early marriage, an issue of considerable importance to the health and welfare of young women in countries such as Bhutan, India, and Nepal. Participants from China, Laos, Malaysia, and Thailand focused upon the issue of gender equality, while a third group developed OHP material to teach a range of issues related to young people's sexual and reproductive health. Finally, the fourth group, drawn from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, focused upon the topic of menstruation with a prototype targeted to boys and girls aged 9-14 years. Boys were included to foster their understanding of menstruation as a natural phenomenon.

NOX2 amplifies acetaldehyde-mediated cardiomyocyte mitochondrial dysfunction in alcoholic cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Brandt, Moritz; Garlapati, Venkata; Oelze, Matthias; Sotiriou, Efthymios; Knorr, Maike; Kröller-Schön, Swenja; Kossmann, Sabine; Schönfelder, Tanja; Morawietz, Henning; Schulz, Eberhard; Schultheiss, Heinz-Peter; Daiber, Andreas; Münzel, Thomas; Wenzel, Philip

2016-01-01

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) resulting from excess alcohol consumption is an important cause of heart failure (HF). Although it is assumed that the cardiotoxicity of the ethanol (EtOH)-metabolite acetaldehyde (ACA) is central for its development and progression, the exact mechanisms remain obscure. Murine cardiomyocytes (CMs) exposed to ACA or EtOH showed increased superoxide (O2•−) levels and decreased mitochondrial polarization, both being normalized by NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibition. C57BL/6 mice and mice deficient for the ACA-degrading enzyme mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2−/−) were fed a 2% EtOH diet for 5 weeks creating an ACA-overload. 2% EtOH-fed ALDH-2−/− mice exhibited a decreased cardiac function, increased heart-to-body and lung-to-body weight ratios, increased cardiac levels of the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as increased NOX activity and NOX2/glycoprotein 91phox (NOX2/gp91phox) subunit expression compared to 2% EtOH-fed C57BL/6 mice. Echocardiography revealed that ALDH-2−/−/gp91phox−/− mice were protected from ACA-overload-induced HF after 5 weeks of 2% EtOH-diet, demonstrating that NOX2-derived O2•− contributes to the development of ACM. Translated to human pathophysiology, we found increased gp91phox expression in endomyocardial biopsies of ACM patients. In conclusion, ACM is promoted by ACA-driven mitochondrial dysfunction and can be improved by ablation of NOX2/gp91phox. NOX2/gp91phox therefore might be a potential pharmacological target to treat ACM. PMID:27624556

Modulatory potentials of aqueous leaf and unripe fruit extracts of Carica papaya Linn. (Caricaceae) against carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

PubMed

Awodele, Olufunsho; Yemitan, Omoniyi; Ise, Peter Uduak; Ikumawoyi, Victor Olabowale

2016-01-01

Carica papaya Linn is used in a traditional medicine for hepatobiliary disorders. This study investigated the hepatomodulatory effects of aqueous extracts of C. papaya leaf (CPL) and unripe fruit (CPF) at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and acetaminophen (ACM)-induced liver toxicities in rats. Rats were administered CCl4 (3 ml/kg in olive oil, i.p.) followed by oral administration of CPL and CPF at 2, 6 and 10 h intervals. The ACM model proceeded with the same method but inclusive of animals treated with N-acetyl cysteine (3 ml/kg i.p). At the end of the study, serum levels of liver biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes were assessed and histology of the liver tissues determined. There was a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in CCl4 and ACM-induced increases in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and direct bilirubin at 100 and 300 mg/kg, respectively. The levels of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase and reduced GSH were decreased in both models with corresponding significantly (P < 0.05) elevated level of malondialdehyde. However, these antioxidant enzymes were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in CPL and CPF-treated rats. Histopathological assessment of the liver confirmed the protective effects of CPL and CPF on CCl4 and ACM-induced hepatic damage evidenced by the normal presentation of liver tissue architecture. These results indicate that aqueous extracts of C. papaya may be useful in preventing CCl4 and ACM-induced liver toxicities.

Integrating Information Assurance and Security into IT Education: A Look at the Model Curriculum and Emerging Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dark, Melissa Jane; Ekstrom, Joseph J.; Lunt, Barry M.

2006-01-01

In December 2001 a meeting of interested parties from fifteen four-year IT programs from the US along with representatives from IEEE, ACM, and ABET (CITC-1) began work on the formalization of Information Technology as an accredited academic discipline. The effort has evolved into SIGITE, the ACM SIG for Information Technology Education. During…

Detection of subtle nocturnal motor activity from 3-D accelerometry recordings in epilepsy patients.

PubMed

Nijsen, Tamara M E; Cluitmans, Pierre J M; Arends, Johan B A M; Griep, Paul A M

2007-11-01

This paper presents a first step towards reliable detection of nocturnal epileptic seizures based on 3-D accelerometry (ACM) recordings. The main goal is to distinguish between data with and without subtle nocturnal motor activity, thus reducing the amount of data that needs further (more complex) analysis for seizure detection. From 15 ACM signals (measured on five positions on the body), two features are computed, the variance and the jerk. In the resulting 2-D feature space, a linear threshold function is used for classification. For training and testing, the algorithm ACM data along with video data is used from nocturnal registrations in seven mentally retarded patients with severe epilepsy. Per patient, the algorithm detected 100% of the periods of motor activity that are marked in video recordings and the ACM signals by experts. From all the detections, 43%-89% was correct (mean =65%). We were able to reduce the amount of data that need to be analyzed considerably. The results show that our approach can be used for detection of subtle nocturnal motor activity. Furthermore, our results indicate that our algorithm is robust for fluctuations across patients. Consequently, there is no need for training the algorithm for each new patient.

Insights from Modeling the Integrated Climate, Biogeochemical Cycles, Human Activities and Their Interactions in the ACME Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, L. R.; Thornton, P. E.; Riley, W. J.; Calvin, K. V.

2017-12-01

Towards the goal of understanding the contributions from natural and managed systems to current and future greenhouse gas fluxes and carbon-climate and carbon-CO2 feedbacks, efforts have been underway to improve representations of the terrestrial, river, and human components of the ACME earth system model. Broadly, our efforts include implementation and comparison of approaches to represent the nutrient cycles and nutrient limitations on ecosystem production, extending the river transport model to represent sediment and riverine biogeochemistry, and coupling of human systems such as irrigation, reservoir operations, and energy and land use with the ACME land and river components. Numerical experiments have been designed to understand how terrestrial carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles regulate climate system feedbacks and the sensitivity of the feedbacks to different model treatments, examine key processes governing sediment and biogeochemistry in the rivers and their role in the carbon cycle, and exploring the impacts of human systems in perturbing the hydrological and carbon cycles and their interactions. This presentation will briefly introduce the ACME modeling approaches and discuss preliminary results and insights from numerical experiments that lay the foundation for improving understanding of the integrated climate-biogeochemistry-human system.

Study on nitrogen load reduction efficiency of agricultural conservation management in a small agricultural watershed.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoli; Chen, Qiuwen; Zeng, Zhaoxia

2014-01-01

Different crops can generate different non-point source (NPS) loads because of their spatial topography heterogeneity and variable fertilization application rates. The objective of this study was to assess nitrogen NPS load reduction efficiency by spatially adjusting crop plantings as an agricultural conservation management (ACM) measure in a typical small agricultural watershed in the black soil region in northeast China. The assessment was undertaken using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Results showed that lowland crops produce higher nitrogen NPS loads than those in highlands. It was also found that corn gave a comparatively larger NPS load than soybeans due to its larger fertilization demand. The ACM assessed was the conversion of lowland corn crops into soybean crops and highland soybean crops into corn crops. The verified SWAT model was used to evaluate the impact of the ACM action on nitrogen loads. The results revealed that the ACM could reduce NO3-N and total nitrogen loads by 9.5 and 10.7%, respectively, without changing the area of crops. Spatially optimized regulation of crop planting according to fertilizer demand and geological landscapes can effectively decrease NPS nitrogen exports from agricultural watersheds.

More Than the Win: The Relation between Appetitive Competition Motivation, Socialization, and Gender Role Orientation in Women's Football.

PubMed

Meyer-Parlapanis, Danie; Siefert, Sabrina; Weierstall, Roland

2017-01-01

The ability to produce peak performance plays a decisive role in the success of athletes in competitive contest situations. Levels of appetitive competition motivation (ACM), i.e., the desire to defeat an opponent independent of secondary reinforcing factors, were assessed in professional female football/soccer players in the premier and regional leagues, using club level as the measurement of sport success. Furthermore, the influence of social environments predominantly encouraging masculine and competitive play behavior and the players' perceptions of their own gender role orientations were investigated. Ninety female football players from the German premier league (44) and regional leagues (46) participated (age: M = 24, SD = 5 years). Questionnaires ascertaining ACM and self-perceptions of gender via gender-role stereotypes, childhood play behavior and style of upbringing were utilized. Premier league athletes showed a significantly greater inclination toward direct sporting confrontations. Almost 50% of the variance in ACM between the premier and regional league athletes was determined by modern upbringing style and the development of gender roles not corresponding to classic female gender stereotypes. The results emphasize the significance of ACM as an important facet in competitive sports and illustrate the influence of socialization on athletic performance.

Evaluation of asbestos-containing products and released fibers in home appliances.

PubMed

Hwang, Sung Ho; Park, Wha Me

2016-09-01

The purpose of this study was to detect asbestos-containing products and released asbestos fibers from home appliances. The authors investigated a total of 414 appliances manufactured between 1986 and 2007. Appliances were divided into three categories: large-sized electric appliances, small-sized electric appliances, and household items. Analysis for asbestos-containing material (ACM) was performed using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and stereoscopic microscopy. Air sampling was performed to measure airborne concentration of asbestos using a phase-contrast microscope (PCM). The results of the analysis for ACM in appliances show that large-sized electric appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, kimchi-refrigerators) and household items (bicycles, motorcycles, gas boilers) contain asbestos material and small-sized electric appliances do not contain asbestos material. All appliances with detected asbestos material showed typical characteristics of chrysotile (7-50%) and tremolite (7-10%). No released fibers of ACM were detected from the tested appliances when the appliances were operating. This study gives the basic information on asbestos risk to people who use home appliances. All appliances with detected asbestos material showed typical characteristics of chrysotile (7-50%) and tremolite (7-10%). No released fibers of ACM were detected from the tested appliances when the appliances were operating.

Role of astrocytes in reproduction and neuroprotection.

PubMed

Mahesh, Virendra B; Dhandapani, Krishnan M; Brann, Darrell W

2006-02-26

Hypothalamic astrocytes secrete TGF-beta and 3 alpha,5 alpha-tetrahydro progesterone (3 alpha,5 alpha-THP) in culture. When the astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) was incubated with the hypothalamic cell line GT1-7, it resulted in the secretion of GnRH. Immunoneutralization with TGF-beta antibody or ultra-filteration with a 10 kDa cut off filter resulted in attenuation of the GnRH releasing ability of ACM, indicating that TGF-beta was a major factor involved with GnRH release. Treatment with estrogens increases TGF-beta secretion. These observations indicate a significant role of astrocytes in GnRH secretion. Serum-deprivation results in the death of GT1-7 neurons in culture and addition of ACM or TGF-beta to the culture, attenuates cell death. The mechanism of protection from cell death appears to involve phosphorylation of MKK4, JNK, c-Jun(Ser63), and enhancement of AP-1 binding. Co-administration of JNK inhibitors, but not MEK inhibitors attenuated ACM or TGF-beta-induced c-Jun(Ser63) phosphorylation and their neuroprotective effects. These studies suggest that astrocytes can protect neurons, at least in part, by the release of TGF-beta and activation of a c-Jun/AP-1 protective pathway.

Interactive effects of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention

PubMed Central

Hur, Juyoen; Miller, Gregory A.; McDavitt, Jenika R.B.; Spielberg, Jeffrey M.; Crocker, Laura D.; Infantolino, Zachary P.; Towers, David N.; Warren, Stacie L.

2015-01-01

Few studies have investigated how attentional control is affected by transient affective states while taking individual differences in affective traits into consideration. In this study, participants completed a color-word Stroop task immediately after undergoing a positive, neutral or negative affective context manipulation (ACM). Behavioral performance was unaffected by any ACM considered in isolation. For individuals high in trait negative affect (NA), performance was impaired by the negative but not the positive or neutral ACM. Neuroimaging results indicate that activity in primarily top-down control regions of the brain (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) was suppressed in the presence of emotional arousal (both negative and positive ACMs). This effect appears to have been exacerbated or offset by co-occurring activity in other top-down control regions (parietal) and emotion processing regions (orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens) as a function of the valence of state affect (positive or negative) and trait affect (trait NA or trait PA). Neuroimaging results are consistent with behavioral findings. In combination, they indicate both additive and interactive influences of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention. PMID:25556211

Breaking the current density threshold in spin-orbit-torque magnetic random access memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yin; Yuan, H. Y.; Wang, X. S.; Wang, X. R.

2018-04-01

Spin-orbit-torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) is a promising technology for the next generation of data storage devices. The main bottleneck of this technology is the high reversal current density threshold. This outstanding problem is now solved by a new strategy in which the magnitude of the driven current density is fixed while the current direction varies with time. The theoretical limit of minimal reversal current density is only a fraction (the Gilbert damping coefficient) of the threshold current density of the conventional strategy. The Euler-Lagrange equation for the fastest magnetization reversal path and the optimal current pulse is derived for an arbitrary magnetic cell and arbitrary spin-orbit torque. The theoretical limit of minimal reversal current density and current density for a GHz switching rate of the new reversal strategy for CoFeB/Ta SOT-MRAMs are, respectively, of the order of 105 A/cm 2 and 106 A/cm 2 far below 107 A/cm 2 and 108 A/cm 2 in the conventional strategy. Furthermore, no external magnetic field is needed for a deterministic reversal in the new strategy.

Critical current density of TlBa 2Ca 2Cu 3O 9 thin films on MgO (100) in magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piehler, A.; Ströbel, J. P.; Reschauer, N.; Löw, R.; Schönberger, R.; Renk, K. F.; Kraus, M.; Daniel, J.; Saemann-Ischenko, G.

1994-04-01

We report on the critical current density of TlBa 2Ca 2Cu 3O 9 thin films on (100) MgO substrates in magnetic fields. Single- phase and highly c-axis oriented thin films were prepared by laser ablation in combination with thermal evaporation of Tl 2O 3. Scanning electron microscope investigations indicated a flat plate-like microstructure and DC magnetization measurements showed the onset of superconductivity at ∼ 115 K. The critical current density jc was determined from magnetization cycles. Typical values of jc were 9 × 10 5 A/cm 2 at 6 K and 2.5 × 10 5 A/cm 2 at 77 K. In a magnetic field to 1 T applied parallel to the c-axis the critical current densities were 3 × 10 5 A/cm 2 at 6 K and 3 × 10 3 A/cm 2 at 77 K. The decrease of jc at higher magnetic fields is discussed and attributed to the microstructure of the TlBa 2Ca 2Cu 3O 9 thin films.

Antenna Calibration and Measurement Equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rochblatt, David J.; Cortes, Manuel Vazquez

2012-01-01

A document describes the Antenna Calibration & Measurement Equipment (ACME) system that will provide the Deep Space Network (DSN) with instrumentation enabling a trained RF engineer at each complex to perform antenna calibration measurements and to generate antenna calibration data. This data includes continuous-scan auto-bore-based data acquisition with all-sky data gathering in support of 4th order pointing model generation requirements. Other data includes antenna subreflector focus, system noise temperature and tipping curves, antenna efficiency, reports system linearity, and instrument calibration. The ACME system design is based on the on-the-fly (OTF) mapping technique and architecture. ACME has contributed to the improved RF performance of the DSN by approximately a factor of two. It improved the pointing performances of the DSN antennas and productivity of its personnel and calibration engineers.

PREFACE: 4th International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-06-01

Fourth International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics 2010 The Fourth International Workshop & Summer School on Plasma Physics (IWSSPP'10) is organized by St. Kliment Ohridsky University of Sofia, with co-organizers TCPA Foundation, Association EURATOM/IRNRE, The Union of the Physicists in Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. It was held in Kiten, Bulgaria, at the Black Sea Coast, from July 5 to July 10, 2010. The scientific programme covers the topics Fusion Plasma and Materials; Plasma Modeling and Fundamentals; Plasma Sources, Diagnostics and Technology. As the previous issues of this scientific meeting (IWSSPP'05, J. Phys.: Conf. Series 44 (2006) and IWSSPP'06, J. Phys.: Conf. Series 63 (2007), IWSSPP'08, J. Phys.: Conf. Series 207 (2010), its aim was to stimulate the creation and support of a new generation of young scientists for further development of plasma physics fundamentals and applications, as well as to ensure an interdisciplinary exchange of views and initiate possible collaborations by bringing together scientists from various branches of plasma physics. This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series includes 34 papers (invited lectures, contributed talks and posters) devoted to various branches of plasma physics, among them fusion plasma and materials, dc and microwave discharge modelling, transport phenomena in gas discharge plasmas, plasma diagnostics, cross sections and rate constants of elementary processes, material processing, plasma-chemistry and technology. Some of them have been presented by internationally known and recognized specialists in their fields; others are MSc or PhD students' first steps in science. In both cases, we believe they will raise readers' interest. We would like to thank the members of both the International Advisory Committee and the Local Organizing Committee, the participants who sent their manuscripts and passed through the (sometimes heavy and troublesome) refereeing and editing procedure and our referees for their patience and considerable effort to improve the manuscripts. We would like to express our gratitude to the invited lecturers who were willing to pay the participation fee. In this way, in addition to the intellectual support they provided by means of their excellent lectures, they also supported the school financially. E. Benova

Development and first application of an Aerosol Collection Module (ACM) for quasi online compound specific aerosol measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohaus, Thorsten; Kiendler-Scharr, Astrid; Trimborn, Dagmar; Jayne, John; Wahner, Andreas; Worsnop, Doug

2010-05-01

Atmospheric aerosols influence climate and human health on regional and global scales (IPCC, 2007). In many environments organics are a major fraction of the aerosol influencing its properties. Due to the huge variety of organic compounds present in atmospheric aerosol current measurement techniques are far from providing a full speciation of organic aerosol (Hallquist et al., 2009). The development of new techniques for compound specific measurements with high time resolution is a timely issue in organic aerosol research. Here we present first laboratory characterisations of an aerosol collection module (ACM) which was developed to allow for the sampling and transfer of atmospheric PM1 aerosol. The system consists of an aerodynamic lens system focussing particles on a beam. This beam is directed to a 3.4 mm in diameter surface which is cooled to -30 °C with liquid nitrogen. After collection the aerosol sample can be evaporated from the surface by heating it to up to 270 °C. The sample is transferred through a 60cm long line with a carrier gas. In order to test the ACM for linearity and sensitivity we combined it with a GC-MS system. The tests were performed with octadecane aerosol. The octadecane mass as measured with the ACM-GC-MS was compared versus the mass as calculated from SMPS derived total volume. The data correlate well (R2 0.99, slope of linear fit 1.1) indicating 100 % collection efficiency. From 150 °C to 270 °C no effect of desorption temperature on transfer efficiency could be observed. The ACM-GC-MS system was proven to be linear over the mass range 2-100 ng and has a detection limit of ~ 2 ng. First experiments applying the ACM-GC-MS system were conducted at the Jülich Aerosol Chamber. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was formed from ozonolysis of 600 ppbv of b-pinene. The major oxidation product nopinone was detected in the aerosol and could be shown to decrease from 2 % of the total aerosol to 0.5 % of the aerosol over the 48 hours of experiment course. The SOA was simultaneously characterized by an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). The ACM-GC-MS results will be compared with PMF analysis of the AMS organic aerosol. The correlation of specific compounds with PMF factors will be discussed together with future applications of the ACM-GC-MS system for ambient aerosol measurements. Acknowledgement This work was supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Grant No. RD-83107701-0) and the Department of Energy (DOE SBIR Grant No. DE-FG02-05ER84269). References Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Climate Change 2007, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2007 Hallquist et al., The formation, properties and impact of secondary organic aerosol: current and emerging issues, Atmos. Chem. Phys, Vol.9, 5155-5236, 2009

The development of a science process assessment for fourth-grade students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Kathleen A.; Welliver, Paul W.

In this study, a multiple-choice test entitled the Science Process Assessment was developed to measure the science process skills of students in grade four. Based on the Recommended Science Competency Continuum for Grades K to 6 for Pennsylvania Schools, this instrument measured the skills of (1) observing, (2) classifying, (3) inferring, (4) predicting, (5) measuring, (6) communicating, (7) using space/time relations, (8) defining operationally, (9) formulating hypotheses, (10) experimenting, (11) recognizing variables, (12) interpreting data, and (13) formulating models. To prepare the instrument, classroom teachers and science educators were invited to participate in two science education workshops designed to develop an item bank of test questions applicable to measuring process skill learning. Participants formed writing teams and generated 65 test items representing the 13 process skills. After a comprehensive group critique of each item, 61 items were identified for inclusion into the Science Process Assessment item bank. To establish content validity, the item bank was submitted to a select panel of science educators for the purpose of judging item acceptability. This analysis yielded 55 acceptable test items and produced the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 1. Pilot 1 was administered to 184 fourth-grade students. Students were given a copy of the test booklet; teachers read each test aloud to the students. Upon completion of this first administration, data from the item analysis yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.73. Subsequently, 40 test items were identified for the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2. Using the test-retest method, the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2 (Test 1 and Test 2) was administered to 113 fourth-grade students. Reliability coefficients of 0.80 and 0.82, respectively, were ascertained. The correlation between Test 1 and Test 2 was 0.77. The results of this study indicate that (1) the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2, is a valid and reliable instrument applicable to measuring the science process skills of students in grade four, (2) using educational workshops as a means of developing item banks of test questions is viable and productive in the test development process, and (3) involving classroom teachers and science educators in the test development process is educationally efficient and effective.

Micro-Stirling Active Cooling Module (MS/ACM) for DoD Electronics Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

MS/ACM uses miniaturized versions of components we have already developed for space-based cryocoolers for the MDA, AFRL, and NASA. Stirling...overcoming the technical challenges. Finally we describe the wide range of applications for Stirling-cycle coolers, cryocoolers , and generators...Applications: Figure 5 indicates the wide range of applications can benefit from our Stirling-cycle cooler, cryocooler , and generator technologies

Replication in the Harp File System

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

Shrira Michael Williams iadly 1991 © Massachusetts Institute of Technology (To appear In the Proceedings of the Thirteenth ACM Symposium on Operating...S., Spector, A. Z., and Thompson, D. S. Distributed Logging for Transaction Processing. ACM Special Interest Group on Management of Data 1987 Annual ...System. USENIX Conference Proceedings , June, 1990, pp. 63-71. 15. Hagmann, R. Reimplementing the Cedar File System Using Logging and Group Commit

A Novel Observation-Guided Approach for Evaluating Mesoscale Convective Systems Simulated by the DOE ACME Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Z.; Ma, P. L.; Hardin, J. C.; Houze, R.

2017-12-01

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are the largest type of convective storms that develop when convection aggregates and induces mesoscale circulation features. Over North America, MCSs contribute over 60% of the total warm-season precipitation and over half of the extreme daily precipitation in the central U.S. Our recent study (Feng et al. 2016) found that the observed increases in springtime total and extreme rainfall in this region are dominated by increased frequency and intensity of long-lived MCSs*. To date, global climate models typically do not run at a resolution high enough to explicitly simulate individual convective elements and may not have adequate process representations for MCSs, resulting in a large deficiency in projecting changes of the frequency of extreme precipitation events in future climate. In this study, we developed a novel observation-guided approach specifically designed to evaluate simulated MCSs in the Department of Energy's climate model, Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME). The ACME model has advanced treatments for convection and subgrid variability and for this study is run at 25 km and 100 km grid spacings. We constructed a robust MCS database consisting of over 500 MCSs from 3 warm-season observations by applying a feature-tracking algorithm to 4-km resolution merged geostationary satellite and 3-D NEXRAD radar network data over the Continental US. This high-resolution MCS database is then down-sampled to the 25 and 100 km ACME grids to re-characterize key MCS properties. The feature-tracking algorithm is adapted with the adjusted characteristics to identify MCSs from ACME model simulations. We demonstrate that this new analysis framework is useful for evaluating ACME's warm-season precipitation statistics associated with MCSs, and provides insights into the model process representations related to extreme precipitation events for future improvement. *Feng, Z., L. R. Leung, S. Hagos, R. A. Houze, C. D. Burleyson, and K. Balaguru (2016), More frequent intense and long-lived storms dominate the springtime trend in central US rainfall, Nat Commun, 7, 13429, doi: 10.1038/ncomms13429.

MO-F-CAMPUS-I-04: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of An in Vitro 3D Tumor Model

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

Veiga, C; Long, T; Siow, B

Purpose: To investigate the use of an in vitro 3D tumor model (tumoroid) as a bio-phantom for repetitive and sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Methods: The tissue engineered tumoroid comprised an artificial cancer mass (ACM) containing 30 million HT29 cancer cells seeded in a collagen type I matrix, whose density was increased by plastic compression (dry/wet weight=40%). The ACM was embedded in an uncompressed collagen gel that mimicked the tumor stroma, and the tumoroid was incubated for 24h before imaging. Images were acquired using the 1T ICON™ (Bruker Corporation, Billerica, MA) MRI scanner. T1 maps were calculated using anmore » IR-RARE sequence (TE=12ms, TR=10000ms, 7 inversion times), while for T2 maps a MSME technique (TR=6000ms, 16 echoes) was used. T1 and T2 fittings were performed using a pixel-wise approach to produce relaxometric parametric maps. Results: The images acquired and corresponding T1 and T2 maps indicate contrast between the ACM and the stroma. T1 was 2500 and 2800ms, while T2 was 520 and 760ms, for the ACM and stroma respectively. The ACM construct was not homogenous and internal features were visible, which can be explained by local gradients of cell and/or collagen density. The viability of the cells was confirmed via confocal microscopy for several days after the imaging session, demonstrating the suitability of the tumoroid for sequential imaging studies. Conclusions: We have engineered a tumor model compatible with repetitive and sequential MRI. We found T1 and T2 contrast between the ACM and stroma using a pre-clinical MRI scanner. The model, which enables controllable cell and matrix densities, has potential for a wide range of applications in radiotherapy, such as to study tumor progression and to validate imaging biomarkers. Further work is necessary to understand the mechanisms behind the contrast achieved, and to correlate findings with biology and histology data.« less

Model Diagnostics for the Department of Energy's Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, B.

2015-12-01

In 2014, eight Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, four academic institutions, one company, and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research combined forces in a project called Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) with the goal to speed Earth system model development for climate and energy. Over the planned 10-year span, the project will conduct simulations and modeling on DOE's most powerful high-performance computing systems at Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Lawrence Berkeley Leadership Compute Facilities. A key component of the ACME project is the development of an interactive test bed for the advanced Earth system model. Its execution infrastructure will accelerate model development and testing cycles. The ACME Workflow Group is leading the efforts to automate labor-intensive tasks, provide intelligent support for complex tasks and reduce duplication of effort through collaboration support. As part of this new workflow environment, we have created a diagnostic, metric, and intercomparison Python framework, called UVCMetrics, to aid in the testing-to-production execution of the ACME model. The framework exploits similarities among different diagnostics to compactly support diagnosis of new models. It presently focuses on atmosphere and land but is designed to support ocean and sea ice model components as well. This framework is built on top of the existing open-source software framework known as the Ultrascale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT). Because of its flexible framework design, scientists and modelers now can generate thousands of possible diagnostic outputs. These diagnostics can compare model runs, compare model vs. observation, or simply verify a model is physically realistic. Additional diagnostics are easily integrated into the framework, and our users have already added several. Diagnostics can be generated, viewed, and manipulated from the UV-CDAT graphical user interface, Python command line scripts and programs, and web browsers. The framework is designed to be scalable to large datasets, yet easy to use and familiar to scientists using previous tools. Integration in the ACME overall user interface facilitates data publication, further analysis, and quick feedback to model developers and scientists making component or coupled model runs.

Validating An Analytic Completeness Model for Kepler Target Stars Based on Flux-level Transit Injection Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catanzarite, Joseph; Burke, Christopher J.; Li, Jie; Seader, Shawn; Haas, Michael R.; Batalha, Natalie; Henze, Christopher; Christiansen, Jessie; Kepler Project, NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division

2016-06-01

The Kepler Mission is developing an Analytic Completeness Model (ACM) to estimate detection completeness contours as a function of exoplanet radius and period for each target star. Accurate completeness contours are necessary for robust estimation of exoplanet occurrence rates.The main components of the ACM for a target star are: detection efficiency as a function of SNR, the window function (WF) and the one-sigma depth function (OSDF). (Ref. Burke et al. 2015). The WF captures the falloff in transit detection probability at long periods that is determined by the observation window (the duration over which the target star has been observed). The OSDF is the transit depth (in parts per million) that yields SNR of unity for the full transit train. It is a function of period, and accounts for the time-varying properties of the noise and for missing or deweighted data.We are performing flux-level transit injection (FLTI) experiments on selected Kepler target stars with the goal of refining and validating the ACM. “Flux-level” injection machinery inserts exoplanet transit signatures directly into the flux time series, as opposed to “pixel-level” injection, which inserts transit signatures into the individual pixels using the pixel response function. See Jie Li's poster: ID #2493668, "Flux-level transit injection experiments with the NASA Pleiades Supercomputer" for details, including performance statistics.Since FLTI is affordable for only a small subset of the Kepler targets, the ACM is designed to apply to most Kepler target stars. We validate this model using “deep” FLTI experiments, with ~500,000 injection realizations on each of a small number of targets and “shallow” FLTI experiments with ~2000 injection realizations on each of many targets. From the results of these experiments, we identify anomalous targets, model their behavior and refine the ACM accordingly.In this presentation, we discuss progress in validating and refining the ACM, and we compare our detection efficiency curves with those derived from the associated pixel-level transit injection experiments.Kepler was selected as the 10th mission of the Discovery Program. Funding for this mission is provided by NASA, Science Mission Directorate.

Impact of liming and drying municipal sewage sludge on the amount and availability of (14)C-acetyl sulfamethoxazole and (14)C-acetaminophen residues.

PubMed

Geng, Chunnu; Bergheaud, Valérie; Garnier, Patricia; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Haudin, Claire-Sophie

2016-01-01

Acetyl Sulfamethoxazole (AC-SMX) and acetaminophen (ACM) can be found in municipal sewage sludge, and their content and availability may be influenced by sludge treatments, such as drying and liming. A sludge similarly centrifuged with/without a flocculant was spiked with (14)C-labelled AC-SMX or ACM. Then, it was either limed (20% CaO) or/and dried under different laboratory conditions (1 week at ambient temperature; and 48 h at 40 or 80 °C). The total amount and distribution of the (14)C-compounds among several chemical fractions, based on the sludge floc definition, were assessed at the end of the treatments. All the (14)C-activity brought initially was recovered in the limed and/or dried sludges for AC-SMX but only between 44.4 and 84.9% for ACM, with the highest rate obtained for the limed sludge. Drying at 80 °C or liming increased the percentage of the sludge total organic carbon recovered in the extracts containing soluble extracellular polymeric substances (S-EPS) and the percentage of the total (14)C-activity extracted simultaneously. The non-extractable residues represented only 3.9-11.6% of the total (14)C-activity measured in the treated sludges for AC-SMX and 16.9-21.8% for ACM. The presence of AC-SMX and ACM residues in the treated sludges, after liming and drying under different conditions, was shown using some (14)C-labelled molecules. At this time scale and according to the extraction method selected, most of the (14)C-residues remained soluble and easily extractable for both compounds. This result implies that certain precautions should be taken when storing sludges before being spread on the field. Sludge piles, particularly the limed sludge, should be protected from rain to limit the production of lixiviates, which may contain residues of AC-SMX and ACM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prognostic Impact and Predictors of Ejection Fraction Recovery in Patients With Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Amor-Salamanca, Almudena; Guzzo-Merello, Gonzalo; González-López, Esther; Domínguez, Fernando; Restrepo-Córdoba, Alejandra; Cobo-Marcos, Marta; Gómez-Bueno, Manuel; Segovia-Cubero, Javier; Alonso-Pulpón, Luis; García-Pavía, Pablo

2018-04-09

Recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been described in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) after a period of alcohol withdrawal. Nevertheless, the prognostic impact of LVEF recovery in ACM and its determinants have not been studied. We sought to define the role of LVEF improvement in the long-term outcome of ACM and to identify predictors of LVEF recovery in these patients. We evaluated 101 ACM patients during a median follow-up period of 82 months [interquartile range 36-134]. At latest follow-up, 42 patients (42%) showed substantial LVEF recovery defined as an absolute increase in LVEF ≥ 10% to a final value of ≥ 40%. Patients who recovered LVEF had better outcomes than patients who did not (heart transplant or cardiovascular death 1% vs 30%; P <.001). A QRS with <120ms (OR, 6.68; 95%CI, 2.30-19.41), beta-blocker therapy (OR, 3.01; 95%CI, 1.09-8.28), and the absence of diuretics (OR, 3.35; 95%CI, 1.08-10.42) predicted LVEF recovery in multivariate analysis. Although alcohol cessation did not predict LVEF recovery, none of the patients (n=6) who persisted with heavy alcohol consumption recovered LVEF. The rate of patients who recovered LVEF did not differ between abstainers and moderate drinkers (44% vs 45%; P=.9). The LVEF recovery is associated with an excellent prognosis in ACM. Beta-blocker treatment, QRS <120ms and absence of diuretics are independent predictors of LVEF recovery. LVEF recovery is similar in moderate drinkers and abstainers. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Modulatory potentials of aqueous leaf and unripe fruit extracts of Carica papaya Linn. (Caricaceae) against carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

PubMed Central

Awodele, Olufunsho; Yemitan, Omoniyi; Ise, Peter Uduak; Ikumawoyi, Victor Olabowale

2016-01-01

Introduction: Carica papaya Linn is used in a traditional medicine for hepatobiliary disorders. This study investigated the hepatomodulatory effects of aqueous extracts of C. papaya leaf (CPL) and unripe fruit (CPF) at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and acetaminophen (ACM)-induced liver toxicities in rats. Materials and Methods: Rats were administered CCl4 (3 ml/kg in olive oil, i.p.) followed by oral administration of CPL and CPF at 2, 6 and 10 h intervals. The ACM model proceeded with the same method but inclusive of animals treated with N-acetyl cysteine (3 ml/kg i.p). At the end of the study, serum levels of liver biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes were assessed and histology of the liver tissues determined. Results: There was a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in CCl4 and ACM-induced increases in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and direct bilirubin at 100 and 300 mg/kg, respectively. The levels of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase and reduced GSH were decreased in both models with corresponding significantly (P < 0.05) elevated level of malondialdehyde. However, these antioxidant enzymes were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in CPL and CPF-treated rats. Histopathological assessment of the liver confirmed the protective effects of CPL and CPF on CCl4 and ACM-induced hepatic damage evidenced by the normal presentation of liver tissue architecture. Conclusion: These results indicate that aqueous extracts of C. papaya may be useful in preventing CCl4 and ACM-induced liver toxicities. PMID:27069723

Relationship between calcium channel blocker class and mortality in dialysis.

PubMed

Wetmore, James B; Mahnken, Jonathan D; Phadnis, Milind A; Ellerbeck, Edward F; Shireman, Theresa I

2015-12-01

The comparative effectiveness of dihydropyridine (DHP) and non-DHP calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in maintenance dialysis patients has not been well-studied. A retrospective cohort of hypertensive patients initiating dialysis was created. New CCB initiators, defined as individual who had no evidence of CCB use in the first 90 days of dialysis but who were initiated by day 180, were followed from their first day of medication exposure until event or censoring; events consisted of all-cause mortality (ACM) and a combined endpoint of cardiovascular morbidity or mortality (CVMM). Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) comparing the effect of DHPs vs. non-DHPs. There were 2900 and 2704 new initiators of CCBs in the ACM and CVMM models, respectively. Adjusted for other factors, use of DHPs, compared to non-DHPs, was associated with an AHR of 0.77 (99% confidence intervals, 0.64 - 0.93, P = 0.0004) for ACM and 0.86 (0.72 - 1.02, P = 0.024) for CVMM. Results were similar when individuals who initiated therapy at any point after the cohort inception were included, with AHRs of 0.60 (0.53 - 0.69, P < 0.0001) and 0.77 (0.67 - 0.89, P < 0.0001) for ACM and CVMM, respectively. Further, elimination of individuals with chronic atrial fibrillation resulted in AHRs of 0.71 and 0.70 for ACM and CVVM, respectively. DHPs, as compared to non-DHPs, were associated with reduced hazard of death or cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; potential mechanisms of action require further study. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relationship between calcium channel blocker class and mortality in dialysis

PubMed Central

Wetmore, James B.; Mahnken, Jonathan D.; Phadnis, Milind A.; Ellerbeck, Edward F.; Shireman, Theresa I.

2015-01-01

Background and objective The comparative effectiveness of dihydropyridine (DHP) and non-DHP alcium channel blockers (CCBs) in maintenance dialysis patients has not been well-studied Methods A retrospective cohort of hypertensive patients initiating dialysis was created. New CCB initiators, defined as individual who had no evidence of CCB use in the first 90 days of dialysis but who were initiated by day 180, were followed from their first day of medication exposure until event or censoring; events consisted of all-cause mortality (ACM) and a combined endpoint of cardiovascular morbidity or mortality (CVMM). Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) comparing the effect of DHPs vs. non-DHPs. Results There were 2900 and 2704 new initiators of CCBs in the ACM and CVMM models, respectively. Adjusted for other factors, use of DHPs, compared to non-DHPs, was associated with an AHR of 0.77 (99% confidence intervals, 0.64 – 0.93, P = 0.0004) for ACM and 0.86 (0.72 – 1.02, P = 0.024) for CVMM. Results were similar when individuals who initiated therapy at any point after the cohort inception were included, with AHRs of 0.60 (0.53 – 0.69, P < 0.0001) and 0.77 (0.67 – 0.89, P < 0.0001) for ACM and CVMM, respectively. Further, elimination of individuals with chronic atrial fibrillation resulted in AHRs of 0.71 and 0.70 for ACM and CVVM, respectively. Conclusion DHPs, as compared to non-DHPs, were associated with reduced hazard of death or cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; potential mechanisms of action require further study. PMID:26371369

Active Care Management Supported by Home Telemonitoring in Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Stone, Roslyn A.; Rao, R. Harsha; Sevick, Mary Ann; Cheng, Chunrong; Hough, Linda J.; Macpherson, David S.; Franko, Carol M.; Anglin, Rebecca A.; Obrosky, D. Scott; DeRubertis, Frederick R.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE We compared the short-term efficacy of home telemonitoring coupled with active medication management by a nurse practitioner with a monthly care coordination telephone call on glycemic control in veterans with type 2 diabetes and entry A1C ≥7.5%. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Veterans who received primary care at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System from June 2004 to December 2005, who were taking oral hypoglycemic agents and/or insulin for ≥1 year, and who had A1C ≥7.5% at enrollment were randomly assigned to either active care management with home telemonitoring (ACM+HT group, n = 73) or a monthly care coordination telephone call (CC group, n = 77). Both groups received monthly calls for diabetes education and self-management review. ACM+HT group participants transmitted blood glucose, blood pressure, and weight to a nurse practitioner using the Viterion 100 TeleHealth Monitor; the nurse practitioner adjusted medications for glucose, blood pressure, and lipid control based on established American Diabetes Association targets. Measures were obtained at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month visits. RESULTS Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups, with mean A1C of 9.4% (CC group) and 9.6% (ACM+HT group). Compared with the CC group, the ACM+HT group demonstrated significantly larger decreases in A1C at 3 months (1.7 vs. 0.7%) and 6 months (1.7 vs. 0.8%; P < 0.001 for each), with most improvement occurring by 3 months. CONCLUSIONS Compared with the CC group, the ACM+HT group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in A1C by 3 and 6 months. However, both interventions improved glycemic control in primary care patients with previously inadequate control. PMID:20009091

Ingenious Snake: An Adaptive Multi-Class Contours Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Baolin; Zhou, Shoujun

2018-04-01

Active contour model (ACM) plays an important role in computer vision and medical image application. The traditional ACMs were used to extract single-class of object contours. While, simultaneous extraction of multi-class of interesting contours (i.e., various contours with closed- or open-ended) have not been solved so far. Therefore, a novel ACM model named “Ingenious Snake” is proposed to adaptively extract these interesting contours. In the first place, the ridge-points are extracted based on the local phase measurement of gradient vector flow field; the consequential ridgelines initialization are automated with high speed. Secondly, the contours’ deformation and evolvement are implemented with the ingenious snake. In the experiments, the result from initialization, deformation and evolvement are compared with the existing methods. The quantitative evaluation of the structure extraction is satisfying with respect of effectiveness and accuracy.

Hybrid thermal link-wise artificial compressibility method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obrecht, Christian; Kuznik, Frédéric

2015-10-01

Thermal flow prediction is a subject of interest from a scientific and engineering points of view. Our motivation is to develop an accurate, easy to implement and highly scalable method for convective flows simulation. To this end, we present an extension to the link-wise artificial compressibility method (LW-ACM) for thermal simulation of weakly compressible flows. The novel hybrid formulation uses second-order finite difference operators of the energy equation based on the same stencils as the LW-ACM. For validation purposes, the differentially heated cubic cavity was simulated. The simulations remained stable for Rayleigh numbers up to Ra =108. The Nusselt numbers at isothermal walls and dynamics quantities are in good agreement with reference values from the literature. Our results show that the hybrid thermal LW-ACM is an effective and easy-to-use solution to solve convective flows.

Efficient adsorption of Hg (II) ions in water by activated carbon modified with melamine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Hangdao; Meng, Jingling; Chen, Jing

2018-04-01

Removal of Hg (II) ions from industrial wastewater is important for the water treatment, and adsorption is an efficient treatment process. Activated carbon (AC) was modified with melamine, which introduced nitrogen-containing functional groups onto AC surface. Original AC and melamine modified activated carbon (ACM) were characterized by elemental analysis, N2 adsorption-desorption, determination of the pH of the point of zero charge (pHpzc) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and their performance in the adsorption of Hg(II) ions was investigated. Langmuir model fitted the experimental data of equilibrium isotherms well. ACM showed the higher Hg (II) ions adsorption capacity, increasing more than more than 1.8 times compared to the original one. Moreover, ACM showed a wider pH range for the maximum adsorption than the parent AC.

Air cycle machine for an aircraft environmental control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decrisantis, Angelo A. (Inventor); O'Coin, James R. (Inventor); Taddey, Edmund P. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

An ECS system includes an ACM mounted adjacent an air-liquid heat exchanger through a diffuser that contains a diffuser plate. The diffuser plate receives airflow from the ACM which strikes the diffuser plate and flows radially outward and around the diffuser plate and into the air-liquid heat exchanger to provide minimal pressure loss and proper flow distribution into the air-liquid heat exchanger with significantly less packaging space.

Advanced Numerical Techniques of Performance Evaluation. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

multiprocessor environment. This factor is determined by the overhead of the primitives available in the system ( semaphore , monitor , or message... semaphore , monitor , or message passing primitives ) and U the programming ability of the user who implements the simulation. " t,: the sequential...Warp Operating System . i Pro" lftevcnth ACM Symposum on Operating Systems Princlplcs, pages 77 9:3, Auslin, TX, Nov wicr 1987. ACM. [121 D.R. Jefferson

Do adaptive comanagement processes lead to adaptive comanagement outcomes? A multicase study of long-term outcomes associated with the national riparian service team's place-based riparian assistance

Treesearch

Jill A. Smedstad; Hannah Gosnell

2013-01-01

Adaptive comanagement (ACM) is a novel approach to environmental governance that combines the dynamic learning features of adaptive management with the linking and network features of collaborative management. There is growing interest in the potential for ACM to resolve conflicts around natural resource management and contribute to greater social and ecological...

A Model of Onion Routing With Provable Anonymity

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-30

Lysyanskaya. “A Formal Treatment of Onion Routing.” CRYPTO 2005, pp. 169.187, 2005. [4] David Chaum . “The dining cryptographers problem...1988. [5] David Chaum . “Untraceable Electronic Mail, Return Addresses, and Digital Pseudonyms.” Communi- cations of the ACM, 24(2), pp. 84-88, 1981...network layer.” ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, pp. 193-206, 2002. [11] David Goldschlag, Michael Reed, and Paul Syverson

DESPIC: Detecting Early Signatures of Persuasion in Information Cascades

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-27

over NoSQL Databases, Proceedings of the 14th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud and Grid Computing (CCGrid 2014). 26-MAY-14, . : , P...over NoSQL Databases. Proceedings of the 14th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud and Grid Computing (CCGrid 2014). Chicago, IL, USA...distributed NoSQL databases including HBase and Riak, we finalized the requirements of the optimal computational architecture to support our framework

ACM TOMS replicated computational results initiative

DOE PAGES

Heroux, Michael Allen

2015-06-03

In this study, the scientific community relies on the peer review process for assuring the quality of published material, the goal of which is to build a body of work we can trust. Computational journals such as The ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS) use this process for rigorously promoting the clarity and completeness of content, and citation of prior work. At the same time, it is unusual to independently confirm computational results.

Effect of membrane flux and dialyzer biocompatibility on survival in end-stage diabetic nephropathy.

PubMed

Götz, Angela K; Böger, Carsten A; Popal, Massoud; Banas, Bernhard; Krämer, Bernhard K

2008-01-01

We examined the effects of dialyzer membrane flux and biocompatibility on mortality in diabetic dialysis patients. We enrolled 402 prevalent chronic hemodialysis patients from 30 centers in Germany in 1999 for a prospective observational study until 2003. We compared 2 groups in post hoc analysis: high-flux (HF, n = 166) versus low-flux (LF, n = 236) membrane, and high biocompatibility (HB, n = 300) versus low biocompatibility (LB, n = 102). All-cause mortality (ACM) was the primary endpoint. Death causes were the secondary endpoints. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed no significant difference in risk for ACM with respect to flux (hazard ratio, HR, 0.79; p = 0.08; ACM 63% in HF vs. 70% in LF dialysis) and biocompatibility level (HR 1.00; p = 0.98; ACM 67% for HB vs. 66% for LB). The multivariate analysis of different causes of death did not reveal any outcome differences dependent on flux and biocompatibility level apart from a slightly better cumulative survival regarding the death cause 'infectious' in our HF dialysis group (HR 0.48; p = 0.07, Kaplan-Meier analysis p = 0.03). Our data indicate that mortality of hemodialysis patients with type-2 diabetic nephropathy is influenced neither by dialyzer flux level nor by biocompatibility. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Segmentation of solid subregion of high grade gliomas in MRI images based on active contour model (ACM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seow, P.; Win, M. T.; Wong, J. H. D.; Abdullah, N. A.; Ramli, N.

2016-03-01

Gliomas are tumours arising from the interstitial tissue of the brain which are heterogeneous, infiltrative and possess ill-defined borders. Tumour subregions (e.g. solid enhancing part, edema and necrosis) are often used for tumour characterisation. Tumour demarcation into substructures facilitates glioma staging and provides essential information. Manual segmentation had several drawbacks that include laborious, time consuming, subjected to intra and inter-rater variability and hindered by diversity in the appearance of tumour tissues. In this work, active contour model (ACM) was used to segment the solid enhancing subregion of the tumour. 2D brain image acquisition data using 3T MRI fast spoiled gradient echo sequence in post gadolinium of four histologically proven high-grade glioma patients were obtained. Preprocessing of the images which includes subtraction and skull stripping were performed and then followed by ACM segmentation. The results of the automatic segmentation method were compared against the manual delineation of the tumour by a trainee radiologist. Both results were further validated by an experienced neuroradiologist and a brief quantitative evaluations (pixel area and difference ratio) were performed. Preliminary results of the clinical data showed the potential of ACM model in the application of fast and large scale tumour segmentation in medical imaging.

Precipitation collector bias and its effects on temporal trends and spatial variability in National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wetherbee, Gregory A.

2017-01-01

Precipitation samples have been collected by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program's (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) using the Aerochem Metrics Model 301 (ACM) collector since 1978. Approximately one-third of the NTN ACM collectors have been replaced with N-CON Systems, Inc. Model ADS 00-120 (NCON) collectors. Concurrent data were collected over 6 years at 12 NTN sites using colocated ACM and NCON collectors in various precipitation regimes. Linear regression models of the colocated data were used to adjust for relative bias between the collectors. Replacement of ACM collectors with NCON collectors resulted in shifts in 10-year seasonal precipitation-weighted mean concentration (PWMC) trend slopes for: cations (−0.001 to −0.007 mgL−1yr−1), anions (−0.009 to −0.028 mgL−1yr−1), and hydrogen ion (+0.689 meqL-1yr−1). Larger shifts in NO3− and SO4−2 seasonal PWMC trend slopes were observed in the Midwest and Northeast US, where concentrations are generally higher than in other regions. Geospatial analysis of interpolated concentration rasters indicated regions of accentuated variability introduced by incorporation of NCON collectors into the NTN.

More Than the Win: The Relation between Appetitive Competition Motivation, Socialization, and Gender Role Orientation in Women's Football

PubMed Central

Meyer-Parlapanis, Danie; Siefert, Sabrina; Weierstall, Roland

2017-01-01

The ability to produce peak performance plays a decisive role in the success of athletes in competitive contest situations. Levels of appetitive competition motivation (ACM), i.e., the desire to defeat an opponent independent of secondary reinforcing factors, were assessed in professional female football/soccer players in the premier and regional leagues, using club level as the measurement of sport success. Furthermore, the influence of social environments predominantly encouraging masculine and competitive play behavior and the players' perceptions of their own gender role orientations were investigated. Ninety female football players from the German premier league (44) and regional leagues (46) participated (age: M = 24, SD = 5 years). Questionnaires ascertaining ACM and self-perceptions of gender via gender-role stereotypes, childhood play behavior and style of upbringing were utilized. Premier league athletes showed a significantly greater inclination toward direct sporting confrontations. Almost 50% of the variance in ACM between the premier and regional league athletes was determined by modern upbringing style and the development of gender roles not corresponding to classic female gender stereotypes. The results emphasize the significance of ACM as an important facet in competitive sports and illustrate the influence of socialization on athletic performance. PMID:28450840

Design and reliability analysis of high-speed and continuous data recording system based on disk array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Changlong; Ma, Cheng; He, Ning; Zhang, Xugang; Wang, Chongyang; Jia, Huibo

2002-12-01

In many real-time fields the sustained high-speed data recording system is required. This paper proposes a high-speed and sustained data recording system based on the complex-RAID 3+0. The system consists of Array Controller Module (ACM), String Controller Module (SCM) and Main Controller Module (MCM). ACM implemented by an FPGA chip is used to split the high-speed incoming data stream into several lower-speed streams and generate one parity code stream synchronously. It also can inversely recover the original data stream while reading. SCMs record lower-speed streams from the ACM into the SCSI disk drivers. In the SCM, the dual-page buffer technology is adopted to implement speed-matching function and satisfy the need of sustainable recording. MCM monitors the whole system, controls ACM and SCMs to realize the data stripping, reconstruction, and recovery functions. The method of how to determine the system scale is presented. At the end, two new ways Floating Parity Group (FPG) and full 2D-Parity Group (full 2D-PG) are proposed to improve the system reliability and compared with the Traditional Parity Group (TPG). This recording system can be used conveniently in many areas of data recording, storing, playback and remote backup with its high-reliability.

Interactive effects of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention.

PubMed

Hur, Juyoen; Miller, Gregory A; McDavitt, Jenika R B; Spielberg, Jeffrey M; Crocker, Laura D; Infantolino, Zachary P; Towers, David N; Warren, Stacie L; Heller, Wendy

2015-08-01

Few studies have investigated how attentional control is affected by transient affective states while taking individual differences in affective traits into consideration. In this study, participants completed a color-word Stroop task immediately after undergoing a positive, neutral or negative affective context manipulation (ACM). Behavioral performance was unaffected by any ACM considered in isolation. For individuals high in trait negative affect (NA), performance was impaired by the negative but not the positive or neutral ACM. Neuroimaging results indicate that activity in primarily top-down control regions of the brain (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) was suppressed in the presence of emotional arousal (both negative and positive ACMs). This effect appears to have been exacerbated or offset by co-occurring activity in other top-down control regions (parietal) and emotion processing regions (orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens) as a function of the valence of state affect (positive or negative) and trait affect (trait NA or trait PA). Neuroimaging results are consistent with behavioral findings. In combination, they indicate both additive and interactive influences of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Advanced X-ray Optics Metrology for Nanofocusing and Coherence Preservation

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

Goldberg, Kenneth A.; Yashchuk, Valeriy

2007-12-01

What is the point of developing new high-brightness light sources if beamline optics won't be available to realize the goals of nano-focusing and coherence preservation? That was one of the central questions raised during a workshop at the 2007 Advanced Light Source Users Meeting. Titled, 'Advanced X-Ray Optics Metrology for Nano-focusing and Coherence Preservation', the workshop was organized by Kenneth Goldberg and Valeriy Yashchuk (both of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, LBNL), and it brought together industry representatives and researchers from Japan, Europe, and the US to discuss the state of the art and to outline the optics requirements of newmore » light sources. Many of the presentations are viewable on the workshop website http://goldberg.lbl.gov/MetrologyWorkshop07/. Many speakers shared the same view of one of the most significant challenges facing the development of new high-brightness third and fourth generation x-ray, soft x-ray, and EUV light sources: these sources place extremely high demands on the surface quality of beamline optics. In many cases, the 1-2-nm surface error specs that define the outer bounds of 'diffraction-limited' quality are beyond the reach of leading facilities and optics vendors. To focus light to 50-nm focal spots, or smaller, from reflective optics and to preserve the high coherent flux that new sources make possible, the optical surface quality and alignment tolerances must be measured in nano-meters and nano-radians. Without a significant, well-supported research effort, including the development of new metrology techniques for use both on and off the beamline, these goals will likely not be met. The scant attention this issue has garnered is evident in the stretched budgets and limited manpower currently dedicated to metrology. With many of the world's leading groups represented at the workshop, it became clear that Japan and Europe are several steps ahead of the US in this critical area. But the situation isn't all dire: several leading groups are blazing a trail forward, and the recognition of this issue is increasing. The workshop featured eleven invited talks whose presenters came from Japan, Europe, and the US.« less

Continuing and developing the engagement with Mediterranean stakeholders in the CLIM-RUN project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodess, Clare

2013-04-01

The CLIM-RUN case studies provide a real-world and Mediterranean context for bringing together experts on the demand and supply side of climate services. They are essential to the CLIM-RUN objective of using iterative and bottom-up (i.e., stakeholder led) approaches for optimizing the two-way information transfer between climate experts and stakeholders - and focus on specific locations and sectors (such as tourism and renewable energy). Stakeholder involvement has been critical from the start of the project in March 2011, with an early series of targeted workshops used to define the framework for each case study as well as the needs of stakeholders. Following these workshops, the user needs were translated into specific requirements from climate observations and models and areas identified where additional modelling and analysis are required. The first set of new products and tools produced by the CLIM-RUN modelling and observational experts are presented in a series of short briefing notes. A second round of CLIM-RUN stakeholder workshops will be held for each of the case studies in Spring 2013 as an essential part of the fourth CLIM-RUN key stage: Consolidation and collective review/assessment. During these workshops the process of interaction between CLIM-RUN scientists and case-study stakeholders will be reviewed, as well as the utility of the products and information developed in CLIM-RUN. Review questions will include: How far have we got? How successful have we been? What are the remaining problems/gaps? How to sustain and extend the interactions? The process of planning for and running these second workshops will be outlined and emerging outcomes presented, focusing on common messages which are relevant for development of the CLIM-RUN protocol for providing improved climate services to stakeholders together with the identification of best practices and policy recommendations for climate services development.

Investigation of Zero Knowledge Proof Approaches Based on Graph Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

that appears frequently in the literature is a metaheuristic algorithm called the Pilot Method. The Pilot Method improves upon another heuristic...Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms . Miami: ACM, 2006. 1-10. Voß, S., and C. Duin. "Look Ahead Features in Metaheuristics ." MIC2003...The Fifth Metaheuristics International Conference, 2003: 79-1 - 79-7. Woeginger, G.J. "Exact Algorithms for NP-Hard Problems: A Survey." Lecture

Mineralogical conversion of asbestos containing materials

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

Pulsford, S.K.; Foltz, A.D.; Ek, R.B.

The principal objective of the Technical Task Plan (TTP) is to demonstrate a thermal-chemical mineralogical asbestos conversion unit at the Hanford Site, which converts non-radiological asbestos containing materials (ACMs) into an asbestos-free material. The permanent thermal-chemical mineralogical conversion of ACMs to a non-toxic, non-hazardous, potentially marketable end product should not only significantly reduce the waste stream volumes but terminate the {open_quotes}cradle to grave{close_quotes} ownership liabilities.

Test Area C-62 Final Range Environmental Assessment at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-05

requirements to submit with EPCRA reports. Federal agencies must comply. Air Armament Center Plan 32-3; January 2004; Asbestos Management Plan; This...plan establishes procedures for the Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) facility asbestos management program. It contains the policies and procedures used in...controlling the health hazards created by asbestos containing materials (ACM), and the procedures used in ACM removal required to protect the health

Multi-modal Social Networks: A MRF Learning Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-20

number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. University of Texas at Austin 101 East 27th Street Suite 5.300 Austin , TX 78712 -1532...Proceedings of ACM Sigmetrics, Austin , TX June 2014. (17% acceptance) “Topic Modeling from Network Spread,” A. Ray, S. Sanghavi and S. Shakkottai...Proceedings of ACM Sigmetrics (poster paper), Austin , TX June 2014. Conclusions: Our approach based on hypothesis testing on graphs provides a

Geologic, geotechnical, and geophysical properties of core from the Acme Fire-Pit-1 drill hole, Sheridan County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collins, Donley S.

1983-01-01

A preliminary core study from the Acme Fire-Pit-1 drill hole, Sheridan County, Wyoming, revealed that the upper portion of the core had been baked by a fire confined to the underlying Monarch coal bed. The baked (clinkered) sediment above the Monarch coal bed was determined to have higher point-load strength values (greater than 2 MPa) than the sediment under the burned coal

Databases in Healthcare.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

34; Proc. ACM Pacific 75 Conference, Boole and Babbage , Palo Alto, CA., 1975. Giebin75 Giebink, G.A., et al: "Current Status of Ambulatory Health Care...13, pp. 36-49, 1978. Stimso78 Stimson, D.H. and G. Charles : "A Computer-Based Information System in an Ambulatory Care System and Case Study" Proc...Base Management Systems" Proc. ACM Pacific 75 Conference, Boole and Babbage , Palo Alto, CA, 1975. Szolov78 Szolovits, P. and S.G. Pauker: "Categorical

Ancient Chinese medical ethics and the four principles of biomedical ethics.

PubMed Central

Tsai, D F

1999-01-01

The four principles approach to biomedical ethics (4PBE) has, since the 1970s, been increasingly developed as a universal bioethics method. Despite its wide acceptance and popularity, the 4PBE has received many challenges to its cross-cultural plausibility. This paper first specifies the principles and characteristics of ancient Chinese medical ethics (ACME), then makes a comparison between ACME and the 4PBE with a view to testing out the 4PBE's cross-cultural plausibility when applied to one particular but very extensive and prominent cultural context. The result shows that the concepts of respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice are clearly identifiable in ACME. Yet, being influenced by certain socio-cultural factors, those applying the 4PBE in Chinese society may tend to adopt a "beneficence-oriented", rather than an "autonomy-oriented" approach, which, in general, is dissimilar to the practice of contemporary Western bioethics, where "autonomy often triumphs". PMID:10461594

Characterization of Protein Flexibility Using Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering and Amplified Collective Motion Simulations

PubMed Central

Wen, Bin; Peng, Junhui; Zuo, Xiaobing; Gong, Qingguo; Zhang, Zhiyong

2014-01-01

Large-scale flexibility within a multidomain protein often plays an important role in its biological function. Despite its inherent low resolution, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) is well suited to investigate protein flexibility and determine, with the help of computational modeling, what kinds of protein conformations would coexist in solution. In this article, we develop a tool that combines SAXS data with a previously developed sampling technique called amplified collective motions (ACM) to elucidate structures of highly dynamic multidomain proteins in solution. We demonstrate the use of this tool in two proteins, bacteriophage T4 lysozyme and tandem WW domains of the formin-binding protein 21. The ACM simulations can sample the conformational space of proteins much more extensively than standard molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Therefore, conformations generated by ACM are significantly better at reproducing the SAXS data than are those from MD simulations. PMID:25140431

Fourth International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, D. (Editor); Peng, Kunchi (Editor); Kim, Y. S. (Editor); Manko, V. I. (Editor)

1996-01-01

The fourth International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations was held at Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, on June 5 - 9, 1995. This conference was jointly organized by Shanxi University, the University of Maryland (U.S.A.), and the Lebedev Physical Institute (Russia). The first meeting of this series was called the Workshop on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations, and was held in 1991 at College Park, Maryland. The second and third meetings in this series were hosted in 1992 by the Lebedev Institute in Moscow, and in 1993 by the University of Maryland Baltimore County, respectively. The scientific purpose of this series was initially to discuss squeezed states of light, but in recent years, the scope is becoming broad enough to include studies of uncertainty relations and squeeze transformations in all branches of physics, including, of course, quantum optics and foundations of quantum mechanics. Quantum optics will continue playing the pivotal role in the future, but the future meetings will include all branches of physics where squeeze transformations are basic transformation. This transition took place at the fourth meeting of this series held at Shanxi University in 1995. The fifth meeting in this series will be held in Budapest (Hungary) in 1997, and the principal organizer will be Jozsef Janszky of the Laboratory of Crystal Physics, P.O. Box 132, H-1052. Budapest, Hungary.

Impact of a Revised Curriculum Focusing on Clinical Neurology and Musculoskeletal Care on a Required Fourth-Year Medical Student Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkship

PubMed Central

Faulk, Clinton E.; Harrell, Kelly M.; Lawson, Luan E.; Moore, Daniel P.

2016-01-01

Background. A Required Fourth-Year Medical Student Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Clerkship was found to increase students' knowledge of PM&R; however the students' overall rotation evaluations were consistently lower than the other 8 required clerkships at the medical school. Objective. To describe the impact of a revised curriculum based upon Entrustable Professional Activities and focusing on basic pain management, musculoskeletal care, and neurology. Setting. Academic Medical Center. Participants. 73 fourth-year medical students. Methods. The curriculum changes included a shift in the required readings from rehabilitation specific topics toward more general content in the areas of clinical neurology and musculoskeletal care. Hands-on workshops on neurological and musculoskeletal physical examination techniques, small group case-based learning, an anatomy clinical correlation lecture, and a lecture on pain management were integrated into the curriculum. Main Outcome Measurements. Student evaluations of the clerkship. Results. Statistically significant improvements were found in the students' evaluations of usefulness of lecturers, development of patient interviewing skills, and diagnostic and patient management skills (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions. This study suggests that students have a greater satisfaction with a required PM&R clerkship when lecturers utilize a variety of pedagogic methods to teach basic pain, neurology and musculoskeletal care skills in the rehabilitation setting rather than rehabilitation specific content. PMID:28025624

Impact of a Revised Curriculum Focusing on Clinical Neurology and Musculoskeletal Care on a Required Fourth-Year Medical Student Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkship.

PubMed

Norbury, John W; Faulk, Clinton E; Harrell, Kelly M; Lawson, Luan E; Moore, Daniel P

2016-01-01

Background . A Required Fourth-Year Medical Student Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Clerkship was found to increase students' knowledge of PM&R; however the students' overall rotation evaluations were consistently lower than the other 8 required clerkships at the medical school. Objective . To describe the impact of a revised curriculum based upon Entrustable Professional Activities and focusing on basic pain management, musculoskeletal care, and neurology. Setting . Academic Medical Center. Participants . 73 fourth-year medical students. Methods . The curriculum changes included a shift in the required readings from rehabilitation specific topics toward more general content in the areas of clinical neurology and musculoskeletal care. Hands-on workshops on neurological and musculoskeletal physical examination techniques, small group case-based learning, an anatomy clinical correlation lecture, and a lecture on pain management were integrated into the curriculum. Main Outcome Measurements . Student evaluations of the clerkship. Results . Statistically significant improvements were found in the students' evaluations of usefulness of lecturers, development of patient interviewing skills, and diagnostic and patient management skills ( p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions . This study suggests that students have a greater satisfaction with a required PM&R clerkship when lecturers utilize a variety of pedagogic methods to teach basic pain, neurology and musculoskeletal care skills in the rehabilitation setting rather than rehabilitation specific content.

Diving into the analysis of time-depth recorder and behavioural data records: A workshop summary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Womble, Jamie N.; Horning, Markus; Lea, Mary-Anne; Rehberg, Michael J.

2013-04-01

Directly observing the foraging behavior of animals in the marine environment can be extremely challenging, if not impossible, as such behavior often takes place beneath the surface of the ocean and in extremely remote areas. In lieu of directly observing foraging behavior, data from time-depth recorders and other types of behavioral data recording devices are commonly used to describe and quantify the behavior of fish, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, pinnipeds, and cetaceans. Often the definitions of actual behavioral units and analytical approaches may vary substantially which may influence results and limit our ability to compare behaviors of interest across taxonomic groups and geographic regions. A workshop was convened in association with the Fourth International Symposium on Bio-logging in Hobart, Tasmania on 8 March 2011, with the goal of providing a forum for the presentation, review, and discussion of various methods and approaches that are used to describe and analyze time-depth recorder and associated behavioral data records. The international meeting brought together 36 participants from 14 countries from a diversity of backgrounds including scientists from academia and government, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and developers of electronic tagging technology and analysis software. The specific objectives of the workshop were to host a series of invited presentations followed by discussion sessions focused on (1) identifying behavioral units and metrics that are suitable for empirical studies, (2) reviewing analytical approaches and techniques that can be used to objectively classify behavior, and (3) identifying cases when temporal autocorrelation structure is useful for identifying behaviors of interest. Outcomes of the workshop included highlighting the need to better define behavioral units and to devise more standardized processing and analytical techniques in order to ensure that results are comparable across studies and taxonomic groups.

Preparing faculty to teach in a problem-based learning curriculum: the Sherbrooke experience.

PubMed

Grand'Maison, P; Des Marchais, J E

1991-03-01

Over the last 6 years Sherbrooke Medical School has undertaken a major reform of its undergraduate curriculum. A new student-centred, community-oriented curriculum was implemented in September 1987. Problem-based learning (PBL) is now the main educational method. To adequately prepare teachers for the curriculum a series of faculty development programs in pedagogy were offered: first, a 2-day introductory workshop to initiate teachers into educational principles and their application in the new program; second, a 1-year basic training program in medical pedagogy; third, a 1-day workshop on PBL; and fourth, a comprehensive 3-day training program in PBL tutoring. Over 60% of all full-time teachers attended the introductory program and 80% the tutor training program. The 1-year basic training program was completed by 33% of the faculty members. The implementation of these programs, coupled with a high participation rate, resulted in a more student-centred educational philosophy and a greater interest in medical education. This had a significant impact when the new curriculum was instituted. Lessons learned from the experience are discussed.

[Core competencies in public health: a regional framework for the Americas].

PubMed

Conejero, Juana Suárez; Godue, Charles; Gutiérrez, José Francisco García; Valladares, Laura Magaña; Rabionet, Silvia; Concha, José; Valdés, Manuel Vázquez; Gómez, Rubén Darío; Mujica, Oscar J; Cabezas, César; Lucano, Lindaura Liendo; Castellanos, Jorge

2013-07-01

The response is described to the 2010 call from the Pan American Health Organization to develop a Regional Framework on Core Competencies in Public Health, with a view to supporting the efforts of the countries in the Americas to build public health systems capacity as a strategy for optimal performance of the Essential Public Health Functions. The methodological process for the response was divided into four phases. In the first, a team of experts was convened who defined the methodology to be used during a workshop at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico in 2010. The second phase involved formation of the working groups, using two criteria: experience and multidisciplinary membership, which resulted in a regional team with 225 members from 12 countries. This team prepared an initial proposal with 88 competencies. In the third phase, the competencies were cross-validated and their number reduced to 64. During the fourth phase, which included two workshops, in March 2011 (Medellín, Colombia) and June 2011 (Lima, Peru), discussions centered on analyzing the association between the results and the methodology.

4. International reservoir characterization technical conference

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

NONE

1997-04-01

This volume contains the Proceedings of the Fourth International Reservoir Characterization Technical Conference held March 2-4, 1997 in Houston, Texas. The theme for the conference was Advances in Reservoir Characterization for Effective Reservoir Management. On March 2, 1997, the DOE Class Workshop kicked off with tutorials by Dr. Steve Begg (BP Exploration) and Dr. Ganesh Thakur (Chevron). Tutorial presentations are not included in these Proceedings but may be available from the authors. The conference consisted of the following topics: data acquisition; reservoir modeling; scaling reservoir properties; and managing uncertainty. Selected papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the Energymore » Science and Technology database.« less

Contract W911NF-09-1-0488 (Rush University Medical Center)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-23

algorithm. In Proceedings of the 1993 ACM/IEEE Conference on Supercomputing, pages 12�21, New York, 1993. ACM. [8] R. Yokota, T. Hamada, J. P. Bardhan , M...computing gravity anom- alies. Geophysical Journal International, 2011. to appear. [13] R. Yokota, T. Hamada, J. P. Bardhan , M. G. Knepley, and L. A. Barba...extension of the petfmm a fast multipole library. Presentation at WCCM 2010, Sydney Australia, 2010. [15] J. P. Bardhan . Interpreting the Coulomb

Restoration and Humanitarian Aid Delivery on Interdependent Transportation and Communication Networks After an Extreme Event

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

Transportation and Communication network Restoration and Distribution (TCRD) problem. In Chapter 4, we conduct computational tests on realistic networks using a...speed and overall demand fulfillment when deciding how many machines to dispatch. We found that there exist certain key communciation entities and...ACM symposium on Theory of Computing . ACM. 16. Holgúın-Veras, José, Jaller, Miguel, Van Wassenhove, Luk N, Pérez, Noel, & Wachtendorf, Tricia. 2012

Relationship between atorvastatin dose and the harm caused by torcetrapib.

PubMed

Barter, Philip J; Rye, Kerry-Anne; Beltangady, Mohan S; Ports, William C; Duggan, William T; Boekholdt, S Matthijs; DeMicco, David A; Kastelein, John J P; Shear, Charles L

2012-11-01

Development of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, torcetrapib, was halted after the ILLUMINATE trial revealed an increase in both all-cause mortality (ACM) and major cardiovascular events (MCVEs) associated with its use. We now report that the harm caused by torcetrapib was confined to those in the 10 mg atorvastatin subgroup for both ACM [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.68, 95% CI (1.58, 4.54), P < 0.0001] and MCVEs [HR = 1.41, 95% CI (1.14, 1.74), P = 0.002], with no evidence of harm when torcetrapib was coadministered with higher doses of atorvastatin. In the atorvastatin 10 mg subgroup, age, prior heart failure and stroke were significantly associated with ACM, independent of torcetrapib treatment, whereas low apoA-I, smoking, hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke were independently associated with MCVEs. After adjusting for these factors, the HR associated with torcetrapib treatment in the 10 mg atorvastatin subgroup remained elevated for both ACM [HR = 2.67, 95% CI (1.57, 4.54), P < 0.001] and MCVE [HR = 1.36, 95% CI (1.10, 1.69), P = 0.005]. Thus, the harm caused by torcetrapib was confined to individuals taking atorvastatin 10 mg. The harm could not be explained by torcetrapib-induced changes in lipid levels, blood pressure, or electrolytes. It is conceivable that higher doses of atorvastatin protected against the harm caused by torcetrapib.

The effect of marital status on stage and survival of prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy: a population-based study.

PubMed

Abdollah, Firas; Sun, Maxine; Thuret, Rodolphe; Abdo, Al'a; Morgan, Monica; Jeldres, Claudio; Shariat, Shahrokh F; Perrotte, Paul; Montorsi, Francesco; Karakiewicz, Pierre I

2011-08-01

The detrimental effect of unmarried marital status on stage and survival has been confirmed in several malignancies. We set to test whether this applied to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). We identified 163,697 non-metastatic PCa patients treated with RP, within 17 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. Logistic regression analyses focused on the rate of locally advanced stage (pT3-4/pN1) at RP. Cox regression analyses tested the relationship between marital status and cancer-specific (CSM), as well as all-cause mortality (ACM). Respectively, 9.1 and 7.8% of individuals were separated/divorced/widowed (SDW) and never married. SDW men had more advanced stage at surgery (odds ratio: 1.1; p < 0.001), higher CSM and ACM (both hazard ratio [HR]: 1.3; p < 0.001) than married men. Similarly, never married marital status portended to a higher ACM rate (HR:1.2, p = 0.001). These findings were consistent when analyses were stratified according to organ confined vs. locally advanced stages. Being SDW significantly increased the risk of more advanced stage at RP. Following surgery, SDW men portended to a higher CSM and ACM rate than married men. Consequently, these individuals may benefit from a more focused health care throughout the natural history of their disease.

Electron beam initiated modification of acrylic elastomer in presence of polyfunctional monomers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayabaskar, V.; Bhattacharya, S.; Tikku, V. K.; Bhowmick, Anil K.

2004-12-01

The structural changes of an acrylic rubber (ACM) in presence and absence of polyfunctional monomers like trimethylolpropane triacrylate, tripropyleneglycol diacrylate, trimethylolmethane tetraacrylate and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate at different doses of electron beam (EB) irradiations were investigated with the help of FTIR spectroscopy (in the attenuated total reflectance mode) and sol-gel analysis. As the radiation dose increases, the concentration of carbonyl group increases in the ACM rubber due to aerial oxidation. This is corroborated from the increase in the absorbance values at 1734 and 1160 cm -1, which are due to carbonyl and C-O-C stretching frequencies, respectively. The increase in crosslinking is revealed by the increase in percentage gel content with radiation dose. The lifetime of spurs formed and the critical dose, an important criterion for overlapping of spurs have been determined for both grafted and ungrafted ACM rubber using a mathematical model. The predominance of crosslinking by electronic stopping with energetic EB projectile and the increase in effective radius of crosslinking have also been verified by this model. The doses at which the synergistic occurrence of both dislinking and endlinking steps originate have been calculated using linear energy transfer of EB. The ratio of scissioning to crosslinking for ACM rubber has been determined by using Charlesby-Pinner equation. The mechanical properties have been studied for different modified and unmodified systems and the tensile strength is found to increase with grafting of polyfunctional monomers.

Comparative Effectiveness of Renin-Angiotensin System Antagonists in Maintenance Dialysis Patients

PubMed Central

Shireman, Theresa I.; Mahnken, Jonathan D.; Phadnis, Milind A.; Ellerbeck, Edward F.; Wetmore, James B.

2017-01-01

Background/Aims Whether angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are differentially associated with reductions in cardiovascular events and mortality in patients receiving maintenance dialysis is uncertain. We compared outcomes between ACE and ARB users among hypertensive, maintenance dialysis patients. Methods National retrospective cohort study of hypertensive, Medicare-Medicaid eligible patients initiating chronic dialysis between 1/1/2000 to 12/31/2005. The exposure of interest was new use of either an ACEI or ARB. Outcomes were all-cause mortality (ACM) and combined cardiovascular hospitalization or death (CV-endpoint). Cox proportion hazards models were used to compare the effect of ACEI vs ARB use on ACM and, separately, CV-endpoint. Results ACM models were based on 3,555 ACEI and 1,442 ARB new users, while CV-endpoint models included 3,289 ACEI and 1,346 ARB new users. After statistical adjustments, ACEI users had higher hazard ratios for ACM (AHR = 1.22, 99% CI 1.05–1.42) and CV-endpoint (AHR = 1.12, 99% CI 0.99–1.27). Conclusions Patients initiating maintenance dialysis who received an ACEI faced an increased risk for mortality and a trend towards an increased risk for CV-endpoints when compared to patients who received an ARB. Validation of these results in a rigorous clinical trial is warranted. PMID:27871075

Comparative Effectiveness of Renin-Angiotensin System Antagonists in Maintenance Dialysis Patients.

PubMed

Shireman, Theresa I; Mahnken, Jonathan D; Phadnis, Milind A; Ellerbeck, Edward F; Wetmore, James B

2016-01-01

Whether angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are differentially associated with reductions in cardiovascular events and mortality in patients receiving maintenance dialysis is uncertain. We compared outcomes between ACE and ARB users among hypertensive, maintenance dialysis patients. National retrospective cohort study of hypertensive, Medicare-Medicaid eligible patients initiating chronic dialysis between 1/1/2000 to 12/31/2005. The exposure of interest was new use of either an ACEI or ARB. Outcomes were all-cause mortality (ACM) and combined cardiovascular hospitalization or death (CV-endpoint). Cox proportion hazards models were used to compare the effect of ACEI vs ARB use on ACM and, separately, CV-endpoint. ACM models were based on 3,555 ACEI and 1,442 ARB new users, while CV-endpoint models included 3,289 ACEI and 1,346 ARB new users. After statistical adjustments, ACEI users had higher hazard ratios for ACM (AHR = 1.22, 99% CI 1.05-1.42) and CV-endpoint (AHR = 1.12, 99% CI 0.99-1.27). Patients initiating maintenance dialysis who received an ACEI faced an increased risk for mortality and a trend towards an increased risk for CV-endpoints when compared to patients who received an ARB. Validation of these results in a rigorous clinical trial is warranted. © 2016 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Extracts of Artocarpus communis Decrease α-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone-Induced Melanogenesis through Activation of ERK and JNK Signaling Pathways

PubMed Central

Fu, Yi-Tzu; Lee, Chiang-Wen; Ko, Horng-Huey; Yen, Feng-Lin

2014-01-01

Artocarpus communis is an agricultural plant that is also used in folk medicine to prevent skin diseases, including acne and dermatitis. Extracts of A. communis have been used to effectively inhibit melanogenesis; however, the antimelanogenesis mechanism of these extracts has not yet been investigated. The present study utilized a cell-free tyrosinase assay as well as α-melanocyte stimulating hormone- (-MSH-) induced tyrosinase assay conducted in B16F10 cells, performed a cytotoxicity assay, and determined cellular melanin content to examine the effects of a methanolic extract of A. communis (ACM) and various organic partition fractions of A. communis on melanogenesis. In addition, we performed western blot analysis to elucidate the mechanism of their antimelanogenesis effect. Our results indicated that, except for the n-hexane extract, ACM and the various partition extracts at noncytotoxic concentrations effectively decreased melanin content and tyrosinase activity by downregulating microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB). Moreover, ACM and the partition fractions activated phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) to inhibit the synthesis of MITF and finally to decrease melanin production. In conclusion, we suggest that noncytotoxic concentrations of ACM and the various partition fractions may be useful as references for developing skin-lighting agents for use in medicines or cosmetics. PMID:24737988

On the theoretical link between LLL-reduction and Lambda-decorrelation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lannes, A.

2013-04-01

The LLL algorithm, introduced by Lenstra et al. (Math Ann 261:515-534, 1982), plays a key role in many fields of applied mathematics. In particular, it is used as an effective numerical tool for preconditioning the integer least-squares problems arising in high-precision geodetic positioning and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In 1992, Teunissen developed a method for solving these nearest-lattice point (NLP) problems. This method is referred to as Lambda (for Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment). The preconditioning stage of Lambda corresponds to its decorrelation algorithm. From an epistemological point of view, the latter was devised through an innovative statistical approach completely independent of the LLL algorithm. Recent papers pointed out some similarities between the LLL algorithm and the Lambda-decorrelation algorithm. We try to clarify this point in the paper. We first introduce a parameter measuring the orthogonality defect of the integer basis in which the NLP problem is solved, the LLL-reduced basis of the LLL algorithm, or the Λ -basis of the Lambda method. With regard to this problem, the potential qualities of these bases can then be compared. The Λ -basis is built by working at the level of the variance-covariance matrix of the float solution, while the LLL-reduced basis is built by working at the level of its inverse. As a general rule, the orthogonality defect of the Λ -basis is greater than that of the corresponding LLL-reduced basis; these bases are however very close to one another. To specify this tight relationship, we present a method that provides the dual LLL-reduced basis of a given Λ -basis. As a consequence of this basic link, all the recent developments made on the LLL algorithm can be applied to the Lambda-decorrelation algorithm. This point is illustrated in a concrete manner: we present a parallel Λ -type decorrelation algorithm derived from the parallel LLL algorithm of Luo and Qiao (Proceedings of the fourth international C^* conference on computer science and software engineering. ACM Int Conf P Series. ACM Press, pp 93-101, 2012).

Beneficial reuse `96: The fourth annual conference on the recycle and reuse of radioactive scrap metal

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

NONE

1997-02-01

From October 22-24, 1996 the University of Tennessee`s Energy, Environment and Resources Center and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s Center for Risk Management cosponsored Beneficial Reuse `96: The Fourth Annual Conference on the Recycle and Reuse of Radioactive Materials. Along with the traditional focus on radioactive scrap metals, this year`s conference included a wide range of topics pertaining to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), and contaminated concrete reuse applications. As with previous Beneficial Reuse conferences, the primary goal of this year`s conference was to bring together stakeholder representatives for presentations, panel sessions and workshops on significant waste minimization issues surroundingmore » the recycle and reuse of contaminated metals and other materials. A wide range of industry, government and public stakeholder groups participated in this year`s conference. An international presence from Canada, Germany and Korea helped to make Beneficial Reuse `96 a well-rounded affair. Selected papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.« less

How to recycle asbestos containing materials (ACM)

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

Jantzen, C.M.

The current disposal of asbestos containing materials (ACM) in the private sector consists of sealing asbestos wetted with water in plastic for safe transportation and burial in regulated land fills. This disposal methodology requires large disposal volumes especially for asbestos covered pipe and asbestos/fiberglass adhering to metal framework, e.g. filters. This wrap and bury technology precludes recycle of the asbestos, the pipe and/or the metal frameworks. Safe disposal of ACM at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites, likewise, requires large disposal volumes in landfills for non-radioactive ACM and large disposal volumes in radioactive burial grounds for radioactive and suspect contaminatedmore » ACM. The availability of regulated disposal sites is rapidly diminishing causing recycle to be a more attractive option. Asbestos adhering to metal (e.g., pipes) can be recycled by safely removing the asbestos from the metal in a patented hot caustic bath which prevents airborne contamination /inhalation of asbestos fibers. The dissolution residue (caustic and asbestos) can be wet slurry fed to a melter and vitrified into a glass or glass-ceramic. Palex glasses, which are commercially manufactured, are shown to be preferred over conventional borosilicate glasses. The Palex glasses are alkali magnesium silicate glasses derived by substituting MgO for B{sub 2}O{sub 3} in borosilicate type glasses. Palex glasses are very tolerant of the high MgO and high CaO content of the fillers used in forming asbestos coverings for pipes and found in boiler lashing, e.g., hydromagnesite (3MgCO{sub 3} Mg(OH){sub 2} 3H{sub 2}O) and plaster of paris, gypsum (CaSO{sub 4}). The high temperate of the vitrification process destroys the asbestos fibers and renders the asbestos non-hazardous, e.g., a glass or glass-ceramic. In this manner the glass or glass-ceramic produced can be recycled, e.g., glassphalt or glasscrete, as can the clean metal pipe or metal framework.« less

Foreword

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazovskii, Serguei; Monceau, Pierre; Kirova, Natacha

2005-12-01

The International Workshop on ELECTRONIC CRYSTALS, ECRYS-2005, was the fourth in the series of such meetings held in France: following ECRYS-93 in Carry-le-Rouet, ECRYS-99, in La Colle-surLoup, and ECRYS-02 in Saint-Flour. The Workshop brought together nearly 100 researchers, chemists and physicists, from 11 countries; it was hosted by the Institut d'Études Scientifiques of the CNRS, at Cargèse, Corsica, France. The Workshop was supported by the European Physical Society, the Office of Naval Research Global of US, the Department of Mathematics and Physics of the CNRS, France. ECRYS Workshops are intended to provide a cross-link between various communities engaged in parallel studies of static and dynamic properties of superstructures formed by electrons and vortices. Representatives of such electronic crystals are charge and spin density waves in low dimensional materials, Wigner crystals of electrons in bulks, at 2D interfaces and in wires, stripe phases in conducting oxides including the family of high Tc superconductors, various forms of charge order in organic quasi 1D one- and two-dimensional materials, charged colloidal crystals. ECRYS Workshops consider also related systems like vortex lattices in superconductors, domain walls in magnetic and ferroelectric materials. While microscopic physical mechanisms are diverse and specific to each system, the general phenomena are quite universal: a depinning above a threshold, collective transport properties due to the sliding phenomena, non-stationary and memory effects, glassy properties due to numerous metastable states, aging dynamics and rejuvenation phenomena, etc. In recent years, much of experimental progress has been achieved in fields covered by ECRYS Workshops with the use of advanced techniques: focused ion beam and reactive ion etching for fabrication of CDW submicronic devices, atomic resolution in UHV STM, point contact spectroscopy, electron photoemission, microbeam diffraction, coherent X-ray diffraction, pulse laser light excitation, etc. The present proceedings highlight the state-of-art in this field. The topics discussed at the Workshop were related to microscopic mechanisms and quantum effects, charge ordering and charge disproportionation, ferroelectricity, collective effects in pinning and sliding, glassy behavior, tunneling, high magnetic fields and field induced density wave, two dimensional electron solids at heterojunctions, meso- and nanostructures of charge density wave materials. A short session was also devoted to charges in soft matter. Theoretical aspects ranged from the phenomenology of the collective sliding to microscopics of strongly correlated electrons. The discussion forum opened by the Workshop ECRYS-05, as well as the preceding ones, fills the need of an international meeting with a cross-disciplinary nature for a review of new developments and results in the field of spontaneous superstructures. The present ECRYS-05 Workshop Proceedings demonstrates, we believe, the lively research activity in this field and will serve as a useful reference document. We are grateful to all participants of the Workshop for their active contribution. Serguei Brazovskii, Pierre Monceau and Natacha Kirova

Selective desulfurization of cysteine in the presence of Cys(Acm) in polypeptides obtained by native chemical ligation.

PubMed

Pentelute, Brad L; Kent, Stephen B H

2007-02-15

Increased versatility for the synthesis of proteins and peptides by native chemical ligation requires the ability to ligate at positions other than Cys. Here, we report that Raney nickel can be used under standard conditions for the selective desulfurization of Cys in the presence of Cys(Acm). This simple and practical tactic enables the more common Xaa-Ala junctions to be used as ligation sites for the chemical synthesis of Cys-containing peptides and proteins. [reaction: see text].

Study of a very low cost air combat maneuvering trainer aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, G. C.; Bowles, J. V.

1976-01-01

A very low cost aircraft for performing Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) training was studied using the BD-5J sport plane as a point of departure. The installation of a larger engine and increased fuel capacity were required to meet the performance and mission objectives. Reduced wing area increased the simulation of the ACM engagement, and a comparison with current tactical aircraft is presented. Other factors affecting the training transfer are considered analytically, but a flight evaluation is recommended to determine the concept utility.

Evaluation of Malware Target Recognition Deployed in a Cloud-Based Fileserver Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

many of these detection techniques could be evaded with simple obfuscation. Kolter and Maloof extend Schultz’s research in [KM04] and [KM06]. Their...69 [KM04] Jeremy Z. Kolter and Marcus A. Maloof. Learning to detect malicious executables in the wild. In Proceedings of the tenth ACM SIGKDD...international conference on Knowledge discovery and data mining, KDD ’04, pages 470–478, New York, NY, USA, 2004. ACM. [KM06] J.Z. Kolter and M.A. Maloof

ACME Priority Metrics (A-PRIME)

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

Evans, Katherine J; Zender, Charlie; Van Roekel, Luke

A-PRIME, is a collection of scripts designed to provide Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME) model developers and analysts with a variety of analysis of the model needed to determine if the model is producing the desired results, depending on the goals of the simulation. The software is csh scripts based at the top level to enable scientist to provide the input parameters. Within the scripts, the csh scripts calls code to perform the postprocessing of the raw data analysis and create plots for visual assessment.

CLIVAR Mode Water Dynamics Experiment (CLIMODE), Fall 2006 R/V Oceanus Voyage 434, November 16, 2006-December 3, 2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

except for the dive zero time which needed to be programmed during the cruise when the deployment schedule dates were confirmed. _ ACM - Aanderaa ACM...guards bolted on to complete the frame prior to deployment. Sound Source - Sound sources were scheduled to be redeployed. Sound sources were originally...battery voltages and a vacuum. A +27 second time drift was noted and the time was reset. The sound source was scheduled to go to full power on November

The Science and Issues of Human DNA Polymorphisms: A Training Workshop for High School Biology Teachers

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

Micklos, David A.

2006-10-30

This project achieved its goal of implementing a nationwide training program to introduce high school biology teachers to the key uses and societal implications of human DNA polymorphisms. The 2.5-day workshop introduced high school biology faculty to a laboratory-based unit on human DNA polymorphisms â which provides a uniquely personal perspective on the science and Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of the Human Genome Project. As proposed, 12 workshops were conducted at venues across the United States. The workshops were attended by 256 high school faculty, exceeding proposed attendance of 240 by 7%. Each workshop mixed theoretical, laboratory, andmore » computer work with practical and ethical implications. Program participants learned simplified lab techniques for amplifying three types of chromosomal polymorphisms: an Alu insertion (PV92), a VNTR (pMCT118/D1S80), and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the mitochondrial control region. These polymorphisms illustrate the use of DNA variations in disease diagnosis, forensic biology, and identity testing - and provide a starting point for discussing the uses and potential abuses of genetic technology. Participants also learned how to use their Alu and mitochondrial data as an entrée to human population genetics and evolution. Our work to simplify lab techniques for amplifying human DNA polymorphisms in educational settings culminated with the release in 1998 of three Advanced Technology (AT) PCR kits by Carolina Biological Supply Company, the nationâÂÂs oldest educational science supplier. The kits use a simple 30-minute method to isolate template DNA from hair sheaths or buccal cells and streamlined PCR chemistry based on Pharmacia Ready-To-Go Beads, which incorporate Taq polymerase, deoxynucleotide triphosphates, and buffer in a freeze-dried pellet. These kits have greatly simplified teacher implementation of human PCR labs, and their use is growing at a rapid pace. Sales of human polymorphism kits by Carolina Biological rose from 700 units in 1999 to 1,132 in 2000 â a 62% increase. Competing kits using the Alu system, and based substantially on our earlier work, are also marketed by Biorad and Edvotek. In parallel with the lab experiments, we developed a suite of database/statistical applications and easy-to-use interfaces that allow students to use their own DNA data to explore human population genetics and to test theories of human evolution. Database searches and statistical analyses are launched from a centralized workspace. Workshop participants were introduced to these and other resources available at the DNALC WWW site (http://vector.cshl.org/bioserver/): 1) Allele Server tests Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and statistically compares PV92 data from world populations. 2) Sequence Server uses DNA sequence data to search Genbank using BLASTN, compare sequences using CLUSTALW, and create phylogenetic trees using PHYLIP. 3) Simulation Server uses a Monte Carlo generator to model the long-term effects of drift, selection, and population bottlenecks. By targeting motivated and innovative biology faculty, we believe that this project offered a cost-effective means to bring high school biology education up-to-the-minute with genomic biology. The workshop reached a target audience of highly professional faculty who have already implemented hands-on labs in molecular genetics and many of whom offer laboratory electives in biotechnology. Many attend professional meetings, develop curriculum, collaborate with scientists, teach faculty workshops, and manage equipment-sharing programs. These individuals are life-long learners, anxious for deeper insight and additional training to further extend their leadership. This contention was supported by data from a mail survey, conducted in February-March 2000 and 2001, of 256 faculty who participated in workshops conducted during the current term of DOE support. Seventy percent of participants responded, providing direct reports on how their teaching behavior had changed since taking the DOE workshop. About nine of ten respondents said they had provided new classroom materials and first-hand accounts of DNA typing, sequencing, or PCR. Three-fourths had introduced new units on human molecular genetics. Most strikingly, half had students use PCR to amplify their own insertion polymorphisms (PV92), and better than one-fourth amplified a VNTR polymorphism and the mitochondrial control region. One in five had mitochondrial DNA sequenced by the DNALC Sequencing Service. A majority (58%) used online materials at the DNALC WWW site, and 28% analyzed student polymorphism data with Bioservers at the DNALC site. A majority (58%) assisted other faculty with student labs on polymorphisms, reaching an additional 786 teachers.« less

The Science and Issues of Human DNA Polymoprhisms: A Training Workshop for High School Biology Teachers

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

David. A Micklos

2006-10-30

This project achieved its goal of implementing a nationwide training program to introduce high school biology teachers to the key uses and societal implications of human DNA polymorphisms. The 2.5-day workshop introduced high school biology faculty to a laboratory-based unit on human DNA polymorphisms – which provides a uniquely personal perspective on the science and Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of the Human Genome Project. As proposed, 12 workshops were conducted at venues across the United States. The workshops were attended by 256 high school faculty, exceeding proposed attendance of 240 by 7%. Each workshop mixed theoretical, laboratory, andmore » computer work with practical and ethical implications. Program participants learned simplified lab techniques for amplifying three types of chromosomal polymorphisms: an Alu insertion (PV92), a VNTR (pMCT118/D1S80), and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the mitochondrial control region. These polymorphisms illustrate the use of DNA variations in disease diagnosis, forensic biology, and identity testing - and provide a starting point for discussing the uses and potential abuses of genetic technology. Participants also learned how to use their Alu and mitochondrial data as an entrée to human population genetics and evolution. Our work to simplify lab techniques for amplifying human DNA polymorphisms in educational settings culminated with the release in 1998 of three Advanced Technology (AT) PCR kits by Carolina Biological Supply Company, the nation’s oldest educational science supplier. The kits use a simple 30-minute method to isolate template DNA from hair sheaths or buccal cells and streamlined PCR chemistry based on Pharmacia Ready-To-Go Beads, which incorporate Taq polymerase, deoxynucleotide triphosphates, and buffer in a freeze-dried pellet. These kits have greatly simplified teacher implementation of human PCR labs, and their use is growing at a rapid pace. Sales of human polymorphism kits by Carolina Biological rose from 700 units in 1999 to 1,132 in 2000 – a 62% increase. Competing kits using the Alu system, and based substantially on our earlier work, are also marketed by Biorad and Edvotek. In parallel with the lab experiments, we developed a suite of database/statistical applications and easy-to-use interfaces that allow students to use their own DNA data to explore human population genetics and to test theories of human evolution. Database searches and statistical analyses are launched from a centralized workspace. Workshop participants were introduced to these and other resources available at the DNALC WWW site (http://vector.cshl.org/bioserver/): 1) Allele Server tests Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and statistically compares PV92 data from world populations. 2) Sequence Server uses DNA sequence data to search Genbank using BLASTN, compare sequences using CLUSTALW, and create phylogenetic trees using PHYLIP. 3) Simulation Server uses a Monte Carlo generator to model the long-term effects of drift, selection, and population bottlenecks. By targeting motivated and innovative biology faculty, we believe that this project offered a cost-effective means to bring high school biology education up-to-the-minute with genomic biology. The workshop reached a target audience of highly professional faculty who have already implemented hands-on labs in molecular genetics and many of whom offer laboratory electives in biotechnology. Many attend professional meetings, develop curriculum, collaborate with scientists, teach faculty workshops, and manage equipment-sharing programs. These individuals are life-long learners, anxious for deeper insight and additional training to further extend their leadership. This contention was supported by data from a mail survey, conducted in February-March 2000 and 2001, of 256 faculty who participated in workshops conducted during the current term of DOE support. Seventy percent of participants responded, providing direct reports on how their teaching behavior had changed since taking the DOE workshop. About nine of ten respondents said they had provided new classroom materials and first-hand accounts of DNA typing, sequencing, or PCR. Three-fourths had introduced new units on human molecular genetics. Most strikingly, half had students use PCR to amplify their own insertion polymorphisms (PV92), and better than one-fourth amplified a VNTR polymorphism and the mitochondrial control region. One in five had mitochondrial DNA sequenced by the DNALC Sequencing Service. A majority (58%) used online materials at the DNALC WWW site, and 28% analyzed student polymorphism data with Bioservers at the DNALC site. A majority (58%) assisted other faculty with student labs on polymorphisms, reaching an additional 786 teachers.« less

Relativistic high-current electron-beam stopping-power characterization in solids and plasmas: collisional versus resistive effects.

PubMed

Vauzour, B; Santos, J J; Debayle, A; Hulin, S; Schlenvoigt, H-P; Vaisseau, X; Batani, D; Baton, S D; Honrubia, J J; Nicolaï, Ph; Beg, F N; Benocci, R; Chawla, S; Coury, M; Dorchies, F; Fourment, C; d'Humières, E; Jarrot, L C; McKenna, P; Rhee, Y J; Tikhonchuk, V T; Volpe, L; Yahia, V

2012-12-21

We present experimental and numerical results on intense-laser-pulse-produced fast electron beams transport through aluminum samples, either solid or compressed and heated by laser-induced planar shock propagation. Thanks to absolute K(α) yield measurements and its very good agreement with results from numerical simulations, we quantify the collisional and resistive fast electron stopping powers: for electron current densities of ≈ 8 × 10(10) A/cm(2) they reach 1.5 keV/μm and 0.8 keV/μm, respectively. For higher current densities up to 10(12)A/cm(2), numerical simulations show resistive and collisional energy losses at comparable levels. Analytical estimations predict the resistive stopping power will be kept on the level of 1 keV/μm for electron current densities of 10(14)A/cm(2), representative of the full-scale conditions in the fast ignition of inertially confined fusion targets.

MPAS-Ocean NESAP Status Report

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

Petersen, Mark Roger; Arndt, William; Keen, Noel

NESAP performance improvements on MPAS-Ocean have resulted in a 5% to 7% speed-up on each of the examined systems including Cori-KNL, Cori-Haswell, and Edison. These tests were configured to emulate a production workload by using 128 nodes and a high-resolution ocean domain. Overall, the gap between standard and many-core architecture performance has been narrowed, but Cori-KNL remains considerably under-performing relative to Edison. NESAP code alterations affected 600 lines of code, and most of these improvements will benefit other MPAS codes (sea ice, land ice) that are also components within ACME. Modifications are fully tested within MPAS. Testing in ACME acrossmore » many platforms is underway, and must be completed before the code is merged. In addition, a ten-year production ACME global simulation was conducted on Cori-KNL in late 2016 with the pre-NESAP code in order to test readiness and configurations for scientific studies. Next steps include assessing performance across a range of nodes, threads per node, and ocean resolutions on Cori-KNL.« less

Pathogenesis of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy

PubMed Central

Asimaki, Angeliki; Kleber, Andre G.; Saffitz, Jeffrey E.

2015-01-01

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a primary myocardial disease. It is characterized by frequent ventricular arrhythmias and increased risk of sudden cardiac death typically arising as an early manifestation before the onset of significant myocardial remodeling. Myocardial degeneration, often confined to the right ventricular free wall, with replacement by fibrofatty scar tissue, develops in many patients. ACM is a familial disease but genetic penetrance can be low and disease expression is highly variable. Inflammation may promote disease progression. It also appears that exercise increases disease penetrance and accelerates its development. More than 60% of probands harbor mutations in genes encoding desmosomal proteins, which has raised the possibility that defective cell-cell adhesion may play a role in disease pathogenesis. Recent advances have implicated changes in the canonical Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo signaling pathways and defects in forwarding trafficking of ion channels and other proteins to the intercalated disk in cardiac myocytes. This review summarizes current understanding of the pathogenesis of ACM and highlights future research directions. PMID:26199027

Design of ET(B) receptor agonists: NMR spectroscopic and conformational studies of ET7-21[Leu7, Aib11, Cys(Acm)15].

PubMed

Hewage, Chandralal M; Jiang, Lu; Parkinson, John A; Ramage, Robert; Sadler, Ian H

2002-03-01

In a previous report we have shown that the endothelin-B receptor-selective linear endothelin peptide, ET-1[Cys (Acm)1,15, Ala3, Leu7, Aib11], folds into an alpha-helical conformation in a methanol-d3/water co-solvent [Hewage et al. (1998) FEBS Lett., 425, 234-238]. To study the requirements for the structure-activity relationships, truncated analogues of this peptide were subjected to further studies. Here we report the solution conformation of ET7-21[Leu7, Aib11, Cys(Acm)15], in a methanol-d3/water co-solvent at pH 3.6, by NMR spectroscopic and molecular modelling studies. Further truncation of this short peptide results in it displaying poor agonist activity. The modelled structure shows that the peptide folds into an alpha-helical conformation between residues Lys9-His16, whereas the C-terminus prefers no fixed conformation. This truncated linear endothelin analogue is pivotal for designing endothelin-B receptor agonists.

[Thermoacidophilic micirobial community oxidizing the gold-bearing flotation concentrate of a pyrite-arsenopyrite ore].

PubMed

Paniushkina, A E; Tsaplina, I A; Grigor'eva, N V; Kondrat'eva, T F

2014-01-01

An aboriginal community of thermophilic acidophilic chemolithotrophic microorganisms (ACM) was isolated from a sample of pyrite gold-bearing flotation concentrateat 45-47 degrees C and pH 1.8-2.0. Compared to an experimental thermoacidophilic microbial consortium formed in the course of cultivation in parallel bioreactors, it had lower rates of iron leaching and oxidation, while its rate of sulfur oxidation was higher. A new thermophilic acidophilic microbial community was obtained by mutual enrichment with the micioorganisms from thie experimental and aboriginal communities during oxidation of sulfide ore flotation concentrate at 47 degrees C. The dominant bacteria of this new ACM community were Acidithiobacillus caldus strains (the most active sulfur oxidizers) and Sulfobacillus thermotolerans strains (active oxidizers of both iron and sulfur), while iron-oxidizing archaea of the family Ferroplasmaceae and heterotrophic bacteria Alicyclobacillus tolerans were the minor components. The new ACM community showed promise for leaching/oxidation of sulfides from flotation concentrates at high pulp density (S:L = 1:4).

The Importance of Simulation Workflow and Data Management in the Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bader, D. C.

2015-12-01

The Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) Project is concluding its first year. Supported by the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), its vision is to be "an ongoing, state-of-the-science Earth system modeling, modeling simulation and prediction project that optimizes the use of DOE laboratory resources to meet the science needs of the nation and the mission needs of DOE." Included in the "laboratory resources," is a large investment in computational, network and information technologies that will be utilized to both build better and more accurate climate models and broadly disseminate the data they generate. Current model diagnostic analysis and data dissemination technologies will not scale to the size of the simulations and the complexity of the models envisioned by ACME and other top tier international modeling centers. In this talk, the ACME Workflow component plans to meet these future needs will be described and early implementation examples will be highlighted.

Toward domain-specific design environments: Some representation ideas from the telecommunications domain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenspan, Sol; Feblowitz, Mark

1992-01-01

ACME is an experimental environment for investigating new approaches to modeling and analysis of system requirements and designs. ACME is built on and extends object-oriented conceptual modeling techniques and knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR) tools. The most immediate intended use for ACME is to help represent, understand, and communicate system designs during the early stages of system planning and requirements engineering. While our research is ostensibly aimed at software systems in general, we are particularly motivated to make an impact in the telecommunications domain, especially in the area referred to as Intelligent Networks (IN's). IN systems contain the software to provide services to users of a telecommunications network (e.g., call processing services, information services, etc.) as well as the software that provides the internal infrastructure for providing the services (e.g., resource management, billing, etc.). The software includes not only systems developed by the network proprietors but also by a growing group of independent service software providers.

Time Accurate CFD Simulations of the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle in the Transonic Regime

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruf, Joseph; Rojahn, Josh

2011-01-01

Significant asymmetries in the fluid dynamics were calculated for some cases in the CFD simulations of the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle through its abort trajectories. The CFD simulations were performed steady state with symmetric boundary conditions and geometries. The trajectory points at issue were in the transonic regime, at 0 and 5 angles of attack with the Abort Motors with and without the Attitude Control Motors (ACM) firing. In some of the cases the asymmetric fluid dynamics resulted in aerodynamic side forces that were large enough that would overcome the control authority of the ACMs. MSFC s Fluid Dynamics Group supported the investigation into the cause of the flow asymmetries with time accurate CFD simulations, utilizing a hybrid RANS-LES turbulence model. The results show that the flow over the vehicle and the subsequent interaction with the AB and ACM motor plumes were unsteady. The resulting instantaneous aerodynamic forces were oscillatory with fairly large magnitudes. Time averaged aerodynamic forces were essentially symmetric.

Time Accurate CFD Simulations of the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle in the Transonic Regime

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rojahn, Josh; Ruf, Joe

2011-01-01

Significant asymmetries in the fluid dynamics were calculated for some cases in the CFD simulations of the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle through its abort trajectories. The CFD simulations were performed steady state and in three dimensions with symmetric geometries, no freestream sideslip angle, and motors firing. The trajectory points at issue were in the transonic regime, at 0 and +/- 5 angles of attack with the Abort Motors with and without the Attitude Control Motors (ACM) firing. In some of the cases the asymmetric fluid dynamics resulted in aerodynamic side forces that were large enough that would overcome the control authority of the ACMs. MSFC's Fluid Dynamics Group supported the investigation into the cause of the flow asymmetries with time accurate CFD simulations, utilizing a hybrid RANS-LES turbulence model. The results show that the flow over the vehicle and the subsequent interaction with the AB and ACM motor plumes were unsteady. The resulting instantaneous aerodynamic forces were oscillatory with fairly large magnitudes. Time averaged aerodynamic forces were essentially symmetric.

Sentinel-3 for Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benveniste, J.; Regner, P.; Desnos, Y. L.

2015-12-01

The Scientific Exploitation of Operational Mission (SEOM) programme element (http://seom.esa.int/) is part of the ESA's Fourth Earth Observation Envelope Programme (2013-2017). The prime objective is to federate, support and expand the international research community that the ERS, ENVISAT and the Envelope programmes have built up over the last 25 years. It aims to further strengthen the leadership of the European Earth Observation research community by enabling them to extensively exploit future European operational EO missions. SEOM is enabling the science community to address new scientific research that are opened by free and open access to data from operational EO missions. The Programme is based on community-wide recommendations for actions on key research issues, gathered through a series of international thematic workshops and scientific user consultation meetings such as the Sentinel-3 for Science Workshop held last June in Venice, Italy (see http://seom.esa.int/S3forScience2015). The 2015 SEOM work plan includes the launch of new R&D studies for scientific exploitation of the Sentinels, the development of open-source multi-mission scientific toolboxes, the organization of advanced international training courses, summer schools and educational materials, as well as activities for promoting the scientific use of EO data, also via the organization of Workshops. This paper will report the recommendations from the International Scientific Community concerning the Sentinel-3 Scientific Exploitation, as expressed in Venice, keeping in mind that Sentinel-3 is an operational mission to provide operational services (see http://www.copernicus.eu).

Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

On December 1 and 2, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL), a consortium composed of NASA/Goddard, the University of Maryland, and CSC, held the 24th Software Engineering Workshop (SEW), the last of the millennium. Approximately 240 people attended the 2-day workshop. Day 1 was composed of four sessions: International Influence of the Software Engineering Laboratory; Object Oriented Testing and Reading; Software Process Improvement; and Space Software. For the first session, three internationally known software process experts discussed the influence of the SEL with respect to software engineering research. In the Space Software session, prominent representatives from three different NASA sites- GSFC's Marti Szczur, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Rick Doyle, and the Ames Research Center IV&V Facility's Lou Blazy- discussed the future of space software in their respective centers. At the end of the first day, the SEW sponsored a reception at the GSFC Visitors' Center. Day 2 also provided four sessions: Using the Experience Factory; A panel discussion entitled "Software Past, Present, and Future: Views from Government, Industry, and Academia"; Inspections; and COTS. The day started with an excellent talk by CSC's Frank McGarry on "Attaining Level 5 in CMM Process Maturity." Session 2, the panel discussion on software, featured NASA Chief Information Officer Lee Holcomb (Government), our own Jerry Page (Industry), and Mike Evangelist of the National Science Foundation (Academia). Each presented his perspective on the most important developments in software in the past 10 years, in the present, and in the future.

DLTS Analysis and Interface Engineering of Solution Route Fabricated Zirconia Based MIS Devices Using Plasma Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Arvind; Mondal, Sandip; Koteswara Rao, K. S. R.

2018-02-01

In this work, we have fabricated low-temperature sol-gel spin-coated and oxygen (O2) plasma treated ZrO2 thin film-based metal-insulator-semiconductor devices. To understand the impact of plasma treatment on the Si/ZrO2 interface, deep level transient spectroscopy measurements were performed. It is reported that the interface state density ( D it) comes down to 7.1 × 1010 eV-1 cm-2 from 4 × 1011 eV-1 cm-2, after plasma treatment. The reduction in D it is around five times and can be attributed to the passivation of oxygen vacancies near the Si/ZrO2 interface, as they try to relocate near the interface. The energy level position ( E T) of interfacial traps is estimated to be 0.36 eV below the conduction band edge. The untreated ZrO2 film displayed poor leakage behavior due to the presence of several traps within the film and at the interface; O2 plasma treated films show improved leakage current density as they have been reduced from 5.4 × 10-8 A/cm2 to 1.98 × 10-9 A/cm2 for gate injection mode and 6.4 × 10-8 A/cm2 to 6.3 × 10-10 A/cm2 for substrate injection mode at 1 V. Hence, we suggest that plasma treatment might be useful in future device fabrication technology.

Astrocytes expressing ALS‐linked mutant FUS induce motor neuron death through release of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha

PubMed Central

Kia, Azadeh; McAvoy, Kevin; Krishnamurthy, Karthik; Trotti, Davide

2018-01-01

Mutations in fused in sarcoma (FUS) are linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons. While it is established that astrocytes contribute to the death of motor neurons in ALS, the specific contribution of mutant FUS (mutFUS) through astrocytes has not yet been studied. Here, we used primary astrocytes expressing a N‐terminally GFP tagged R521G mutant or wild‐type FUS (WTFUS) and show that mutFUS‐expressing astrocytes undergo astrogliosis, damage co‐cultured motor neurons via activation of an inflammatory response and produce conditioned medium (ACM) that is toxic to motor neurons in isolation. Time lapse imaging shows that motor neuron cultures exposed to mutFUS ACM, but not WTFUS ACM, undergo significant cell loss, which is preceded by progressive degeneration of neurites. We found that Tumor Necrosis Factor‐Alpha (TNFα) is secreted into ACM of mutFUS‐expressing astrocytes. Accordingly, mutFUS astrocyte‐mediated motor neuron toxicity is blocked by targeting soluble TNFα with neutralizing antibodies. We also found that mutant astrocytes trigger changes to motor neuron AMPA receptors (AMPAR) that render them susceptible to excitotoxicity and AMPAR‐mediated cell death. Our data provide the first evidence of astrocytic involvement in FUS‐ALS, identify TNFα as a mediator of this toxicity, and provide several potential therapeutic targets to protect motor neurons in FUS‐linked ALS. PMID:29380416

Asymmetric supercapacitor based on NiO and activated carbon monolith from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basri, N. H.; Deraman, M.; Suleman, Md.; Khiew, P. S.; Yatim, B.; Nor, N. S. M.; Sazali, N. E. S.; Hamdan, E.; Hanappi, M. F. Y. M.; Bakri, W. F. W.; Tajuddin, N. S. M.

2016-11-01

Hybrid supercapacitor or asymmetric cell made of composite electrode consists of nanoparticles NiO (75, 80, 85 wt.%), activated carbon powder (ACP) and PTFE binder (5 wt.%) as cathode paired with porous KOH treated activated carbon monolith (ACM) electrode from oil palm empty fruit bunches as anode have been fabricated. The physical characteristics of composite electrodes have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The density and resistivity of the composite electrodes have been measured and found to be increased with percentage of NiO composition. The supercapacitor performance of both symmetric and asymmetric configuration have been investigated in 6 M KOH electrolyte medium using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) techniques. The CV results at 1 mV s-1 for the asymmetric cell demonstrate that the presence of ACM as an anode can improve the supercapacitor cell performance, as shown by the cell composed of composite electrode that consist 75 wt.% of NiO, which optimally exhibits 164 % increase in the value of Csp. The same trend is observed by the GCD results. The GCD results show that the presence of porous ACM electrodes has increase the specific energy value from 0.14 Wh kg-1 (without ACM) to 0.24, 0.51 and 0.66 W h kg-1, and the specific power from 94.9 to 122.0 W kg-1 corresponding to asymmetric cell consist of 75, 80, 85 wt.% of NiO, respectively.

Human NK Cell Subset Functions Are Differentially Affected by Adipokines

PubMed Central

Huebner, Lena; Engeli, Stefan; Wrann, Christiane D.; Goudeva, Lilia; Laue, Tobias; Kielstein, Heike

2013-01-01

Background Obesity is a risk factor for various types of infectious diseases and cancer. The increase in adipose tissue causes alterations in both adipogenesis and the production of adipocyte-secreted proteins (adipokines). Since natural killer (NK) cells are the host’s primary defense against virus-infected and tumor cells, we investigated how adipocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) affects functions of two distinct human NK cell subsets. Methods Isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured with various concentrations of human and murine ACM harvested on two different days during adipogenesis and analyzed by fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS). Results FACS analyses showed that the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), granzyme A (GzmA) and interferon (IFN)-γ in NK cells was regulated in a subset-specific manner. ACM treatment altered IFN-γ expression in CD56dim NK cells. The production of GzmA in CD56bright NK cells was differentially affected by the distinct adipokine compositions harvested at different states of adipogenesis. Comparison of the treatment with either human or murine ACM revealed that adipokine-induced effects on NK cell expression of the leptin receptor (Ob-R), TRAIL and IFN-γ were species-specific. Conclusion Considering the growing prevalence of obesity and the various disorders related to it, the present study provides further insights into the roles human NK cell subsets play in the obesity-associated state of chronic low-grade inflammation. PMID:24098717

Cenomanian-Turonian biostratigraphy of the Jardas Al Abid area, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, northeast Libya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Qot, Gamal M.; Abdulsamad, Esam O.

2016-09-01

The Upper Cenomanian-Turonian succession exposed at Jardas al'Abid area consists mainly of carbonates with siliciclastic intercalations. This succession is subdivided lithostratigraphically into: Qasr al'Abid (Late Cenomanian) and Al Baniyah (Late Cenomanian-Coniacian) formations. This sequence is relatively rich in macrofossil assemblages especially bivalves, gastropods, and echinoids with rare ammonites. Based on the first occurrence (FO) and last occurrence (LO) of some index species of these macrofossil groups, an integrated biostratigraphic framework has been constructed. The studied Cenomanian-Turonian sequence is subdivided biostratigraphically into three ammonite biozones; Pseudaspidoceras pseudonodosoides Total Range Zone, Choffaticeras segne Total Range Zone, and Coilopoceras requienianum Total Range Zone. Based on the rest of macrofossil assemblages other than the ammonites, eight biozones were recognized; Mecaster batnensis Total Range Zone, Ceratostreon flabellatum-Neithea dutrugei Acme Zone, Costagyra olisiponensis Acme Zone, Pycnodonte (Phygraea) vesicularis vesiculosa Acme Zone, Mytiloides labiatus Total Range Zone = Mecaster turonensis Acme Zone, Rachiosoma rectilineatum-Curvostrea rouvillei-Tylostoma (T.) globosum Assemblage Zone, Radiolites sp.-Apricardia? matheroni Total Range Zone, and Nerinea requieniana Total Range Zone. Most of the proposed biozones are recorded for the first time from Libya. The integration among these biozones as well as local and inter-regional correlation of the biozones have been discussed. The stage boundaries of the studied stratigraphic intervals are discussed, where the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary is delineated at the last occurrence (LO) of Pseudaspidoceras pseudonodosoides (Choffat), while the Turonian/Coniacian boundary is delineated arbitrary being agree with the LO of the Turonian fauna.

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

Nguyen, Paul L., E-mail: E-pnguyen@LROC.harvard.ed; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Chen, Ming H.

Background: Brachytherapy for prostate cancer can be technically challenging in men with small prostates ({<=}20 cc), but it is unknown whether their outcomes are different than those of men with larger prostates. Methods and Materials: We studied 6,416 men treated with brachytherapy in one of 21 community-based practices. Cox regression and Fine and Gray's regression were used to determine whether volume {<=}20 cc was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (ACM) or prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM), respectively, after adjustment for other known prognostic factors. Results: 443 patients (6.9%) had a prostate volume {<=}20 cc. After a median follow-upmore » of 2.91 years (interquartile range, 1.06-4.79), volume {<=}20 cc was associated with a significantly higher risk of ACM (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.33 [95% CI 1.08-1.65], p = 0.0085) with 3-year estimates of ACM for {<=}20 cc vs. >20 cc of 13.0% vs. 6.9% (p = 0.028). Only 23 men (0.36%) have died of prostate cancer, and no difference was seen in PCSM by volume (p = 0.4). Conclusion: Men with small prostates at the time of implant had a 33% higher risk of ACM, and the underlying cause of this remains uncertain. No increase in PCSM was observed in men with volume {<=}20cc, suggesting that a small prostate should not in itself be a contraindication for brachytherapy, but inasmuch as absolute rates of PCSM were small, further follow-up will be needed to confirm this finding.« less

Characterization and impact of "dead-zone" eddies in the tropical Northeast Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuette, Florian; Karstensen, Johannes; Krahmann, Gerd; Hauss, Helena; Fiedler, Björn; Brandt, Peter; Visbeck, Martin; Körtzinger, Arne

2016-04-01

Localized open-ocean low-oxygen dead-zones in the tropical Northeast Atlantic are recently discovered ocean features that can develop in dynamically isolated water masses within cyclonic eddies (CE) and anticyclonic modewater eddies (ACME). Analysis of a comprehensive oxygen dataset obtained from gliders, moorings, research vessels and Argo floats shows that eddies with low oxygen concentrations at 50-150 m depths can be found in surprisingly high numbers and in a large area (from about 5°N to 20°N, from the shelf at the eastern boundary to 30°W). Minimum oxygen concentrations of about 9 μmol/kg in CEs and close to anoxic concentrations (< 1 μmol/kg) in ACMEs were observed. In total, 495 profiles with oxygen concentrations below the minimum background concentration of 40 μmol/kg could be associated with 27 independent "dead-zone" eddies (10 CEs; 17 ACMEs). The low oxygen concentration right beneath the mixed layer has been attributed to the combination of high productivity in the surface waters of the eddies and the isolation of the eddies' cores. Indeed eddies of both types feature a cold sea surface temperature anomaly and enhanced chlorophyll concentrations in their center. The oxygen minimum is located in the eddy core beneath the mixed layer at around 80 m depth. The mean oxygen anomaly between 50 to 150 m depth for CEs (ACMEs) is -49 (-81) μmol/kg. Eddies south of 12°N carry weak hydrographic anomalies in their cores and seem to be generated in the open ocean away from the boundary. North of 12°N, eddies of both types carry anomalously low salinity water of South Atlantic Central Water origin from the eastern boundary upwelling region into the open ocean. This points to an eddy generation near the eastern boundary. A conservative estimate yields that around 5 dead-zone eddies (4 CEs; 1 ACME) per year entering the area north of 12°N between the Cap Verde Islands and 19°W. The associated contribution to the oxygen budget of the shallow oxygen minimum zone in that area is about -10.3 (-3.0) μmol/kg/yr for CEs (ACMEs). The consumption within these eddies represents an essential part of the total consumption in the open tropical Northeast Atlantic Ocean and might be partly responsible for the formation of the shallow oxygen minimum zone.

Handbook for MAP, volume 32. Part 1: MAP summary. Part 2: MAPSC minutes, reading, August 1989. MAP summaries from nations. Part 3: MAP data catalogue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vincent, R. A. (Editor); Edwards, B. (Editor); Hirota, I. (Editor)

1991-01-01

Extended abstracts from the fourth workshop on the technical and scientific aspects of mesosphere stratosphere troposphere (MST) radar are presented. Individual sessions addressed the following topics: meteorological applications of MST and ST radars, networks, and campaigns; the dynamics of the equatorial middle atmosphere; interpretation of radar returns from clear air; techniques for studying gravity waves and turbulence, intercomparison and calibration of wind and wave measurements at various frequencies; progress in existing and planned MST and ST radars; hardware design for MST and ST radars and boundary layer/lower troposphere profilers; signal processing; and data management.

Enhancement of Pyrometallurgical Teaching Using Excel Simulation Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimsey, Eric J.

Steady state Excel models for a copper flash smelter and an iron blast furnace are used to enhance the teaching of pyrometallurgical smelting principles within a fourth year level process engineering unit delivered at the Western Australian School of Mines. A lecture/workshop approach has been adopted in which student teams undertake process simulation assignments that illustrate the multifaceted responses of process outputs to variation of inputs, the objectives being to reinforce their understanding of smelting principles. The approach has proven to be popular with students, as evidenced by the consistently high ratings the unit has received through student feedback. This paper provides an overview of the teaching approach and process models used.

Experimental investigation of electron guns for THz microwave vacuum amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burtsev, A. A.; Grigor'ev, Yu. A.; Navrotsky, I. A.; Rogovin, V. I.; Sakhadzhi, G. V.; Shumikhin, K. V.

2016-05-01

Single-sheet and multiple beam electron emitters based on thermionic minicathodes for terahertz traveling-wave tubes have been studied. Data are presented for impregnated blade thermionic cathode with dimensions 0.1 × 0.7 mm and a maximum current density of 114 A/cm2 in a pulsed mode. A variant of the five-beam electron gun with 0.25-mm-diameter cylindrical minicathodes in cells of a control grid is proposed that provides a current density of 85.5 A/cm2 at a grid potential of 900-1000 V.

Fuel Efficient Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Modeling and Development

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

Stewart, Mark L.; Gallant, Thomas R.; Kim, Do Heui

The project described in this report seeks to promote effective diesel particulate filter technology with minimum fuel penalty by enhancing fundamental understanding of filtration mechanisms through targeted experiments and computer simulations. The overall backpressure of a filtration system depends upon complex interactions of particulate matter and ash with the microscopic pores in filter media. Better characterization of these phenomena is essential for exhaust system optimization. The acicular mullite (ACM) diesel particulate filter substrate is under continuing development by Dow Automotive. ACM is made up of long mullite crystals which intersect to form filter wall framework and protrude from the wallmore » surface into the DPF channels. ACM filters have been demonstrated to effectively remove diesel exhaust particles while maintaining relatively low backpressure. Modeling approaches developed for more conventional ceramic filter materials, such as silicon carbide and cordierite, have been difficult to apply to ACM because of properties arising from its unique microstructure. Penetration of soot into the high-porosity region of projecting crystal structures leads to a somewhat extended depth filtration mode, but with less dramatic increases in pressure drop than are normally observed during depth filtration in cordierite or silicon carbide filters. Another consequence is greater contact between the soot and solid surfaces, which may enhance the action of some catalyst coatings in filter regeneration. The projecting crystals appear to provide a two-fold benefit for maintaining low backpressures during filter loading: they help prevent soot from being forced into the throats of pores in the lower porosity region of the filter wall, and they also tend to support the forming filter cake, resulting in lower average cake density and higher permeability. Other simulations suggest that soot deposits may also tend to form at the tips of projecting crystals due to the axial velocity component of exhaust moving down the filter inlet channel. Soot mass collected in this way would have a smaller impact on backpressure than soot forced into the flow restrictions deeper in the porous wall structure. This project has focused on the development of computational, analytical, and experimental techniques that are generally applicable to a wide variety of exhaust aftertreatment technologies. By helping to develop improved fundamental understanding pore-scale phenomena affecting filtration, soot oxidation, and NOX abatement, this cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) has also assisted Dow Automotive in continuing development and commercialization of the ACM filter substrate. Over the course of this research project, ACM filters were successfully deployed on the Audi R10 TDI racecar which won the 24 Hours of LeMans endurance race in 2006, 2007, and 2008; and the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race in 2006 and 2007. It would not have been possible for the R10 to compete in these traditionally gasoline-dominated events without reliable and effective exhaust particulate filtration. These successes demonstrated not only the performance of automotive diesel engines, but the efficacy of DPF technology as it was being deployed around the world to meet new emissions standards on consumer vehicles. During the course of this CRADA project, Dow Automotive commercialized their ACM DPF technology under the AERIFYTM DPF brand.« less

EDITORIAL: Selected papers from the 16th Workshop on MHD Stability Control: Optimizing and Understanding the Role of Coils for Mode Control Selected papers from the 16th Workshop on MHD Stability Control: Optimizing and Understanding the Role of Coils for Mode Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Haye, Rob

2012-09-01

The Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Control Workshop with the theme 'Optimizing and Understanding the Role of Coils for Mode Control' was held at General Atomics (20-22 November 2011) following the 2011 APS-DPP Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah (14-18 November). This was the 16th in the annual series and was organized jointly by Columbia University, General Atomics, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Program committee participation included representatives from the EU and Japan along with other US laboratory and university institutions. This workshop highlighted the role of applied non-axisymmetric magnetic fields from both internal and external coils for control of MHD stability to achieve high performance fusion plasmas. The application of 3D magnetic field offers control of important elements of equilibrium, stability, and transport. The use of active 3D fields to stabilize global instabilities and to correct magnetic field errors is an established tool for achieving high beta configurations. 3D fields also affect transport and plasma momentum, and are shown to be important for the control of edge localized modes (ELMs), resistive wall modes, and optimized stellarator configurations. The format was similar to previous workshops, including 13 invited talks, 21 contributed talks, and this year there were 2 panel discussions ('Error Field Correction' led by Andrew Cole of Columbia University and 'Application of Coils in General' led by Richard Buttery of General Atomics). Ted Strait of General Atomics also gave a summary of the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) MHD meeting in Padua, a group for which he is now the leader. In this special section of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) is a sample of the presentations at the workshop, which have been subject to the normal refereeing procedures of the journal. They include a review (A Boozer) and an invited talk (R Fitzpatrick) on error fields, an invited on control of neoclassical tearing modes (H van den Brand), and an invited talk (P Zanca) and a contributed talk (E Oloffson) on control of the resistive wall mode kink. These are just representative of the broad spectrum of recent work on stability found posted at the web site (https://fusion.gat.com/conferences/mhd11/). We thank PPCF for continuing to have this special issue section. This was the third time the workshop was held at General Atomics. We thank General Atomics for making the site available for an internationally represented workshop in the new era of heightened security and controls. The next workshop (17th) will be held at Columbia University for the (fourth time) (https://fusion.gat.com/conferences/mhd12/) with the theme of 'Addressing the Disruption Challenge for ITER' to be combined with the Joint US-Japan MHD Workshop with a special session on: 'Fundamentals of 3D Perturbed Equilibrium Control: Present & Beyond'.

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

Gardiner, K.

Tremendous progress has been made in the construction of physical and genetic maps of the human chromosomes. The next step in the solving of disease related problems, and in understanding the human genome as a whole, is the systematic isolation of transcribed sequences. Many investigators have already embarked upon comprehensive gene searches, and many more are considering the best strategies for undertaking such searches. Because these are likely to be costly and time consuming endeavors, it is important to determine the most efficient approaches. As a result, it is critical that investigators involved in the construction of transcriptional maps havemore » the opportunity to discuss their experiences and their successes with both old and new technologies. This document contains the proceedings of the Fourth Annual Workshop on the Identification of Transcribed Sequences, held in Montreal, Quebec, October 16-18, 1994. Included are the workshop notebook, containing the agenda, abstracts presented and list of attendees. Topics included: Progress in the application of the hybridization based approaches and exon trapping; Progress in transcriptional map construction of selected genomic regions; Computer assisted analysis of genomic and protein coding sequences and additional new approaches; and, Sequencing and mapping of random cDNAs.« less

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, Cardiovascular Events and Mortality Across Age Groups Among Individuals Older Than 60 Years in Southern Europe.

PubMed

Salvador-González, Betlem; Gil-Terrón, Neus; Cerain-Herrero, M Jesús; Subirana, Isaac; Güell-Miró, Roser; Rodríguez-Latre, Luisa M; Cunillera-Puértolas, Oriol; Elosua, Roberto; Grau, Maria; Vila, Joan; Pascual-Benito, Luisa; Mestre-Ferrer, Jordi; Ramos, Rafel; Baena-Díez, José Miguel; Soler-Vila, Maria; Alonso-Bes, Eva; Ruipérez-Guijarro, Laura; Álvarez-Funes, Virtudes; Freixes-Villaró, Esther; Rodríguez-Pascual, Mercedes; Martínez-Castelao, Alberto

2018-06-01

Individuals with a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are at increased risk of all-cause (ACM) and cardiovascular mortality; there is ongoing debate about whether older individuals with eGFR 45 to 59mL/min/1.73 m 2 are also at increased risk. We evaluated the association between eGFR and ACM and cardiovascular events (CVE) in people aged 60 to 74 and ≥ 75 years in a population with a low coronary disease incidence. We conducted a retrospective cohort study by using primary care and hospital electronic records. We included 130 233 individuals aged ≥ 60 years with creatinine measurement between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011; eGFR was estimated by using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine equation. The independent association between eGFR and the risk of ACM and hospital admission due to CVE were determined with Cox and Fine-Gray regressions, respectively. The median was age 70 years, and 56.1% were women; 13.5% had eGFR < 60 (69.7% eGFR 45-59). During a median follow-up of 38.2 months, 6474 participants died and 3746 had a CVE. For ACM and CVE, the HR in older individuals became significant at eGFR < 60. Fully adjusted HR for ACM in the eGFR 45 to 59 category were 1.61; 95%CI, 1.37-1.89 and 1.19; 95%CI, 1.10-1.28 in 60- to 74-year-olds and ≥ 75-year-olds, respectively; for CVE HR were 1.28; 95%CI, 1.08-1.51 and 1.12; 95%CI, 0.99-1.26. In a region with low coronary disease incidence, the risk of death and CVE increased with decreasing eGFR. In ≥ 75-year-olds, the eGFR 45 to 59 category, which had borderline risk for CVE, included many individuals without significant additional risk. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Astrocyte-Secreted Factors Selectively Alter Neural Stem and Progenitor Cell Proliferation in the Fragile X Mouse

PubMed Central

Sourial, Mary; Doering, Laurie C.

2016-01-01

An increasing body of evidence indicates that astrocytes contribute to the governance and fine tuning of stem and progenitor cell production during brain development. The effect of astrocyte function in cell production in neurodevelopmental disorders is unknown. We used the Neural Colony Forming Cell assay to determine the effect of astrocyte conditioned media (ACM) on the generation of neurospheres originating from either progenitor cells or functional stem cells in the knock out (KO) Fragile X mouse model. ACM from both normal and Fmr1-KO mice generated higher percentages of smaller neurospheres indicative of restricted proliferation of the progenitor cell population in Fmr1-KO brains. Wild type (WT) neurospheres, but not KO neurospheres, showed enhanced responses to ACM from the Fmr1-KO mice. In particular, Fmr1-KO ACM increased the percentage of large neurospheres generated, representative of spheres produced from neural stem cells. We also used 2D DIGE to initiate identification of the astrocyte-secreted proteins with differential expression between Fmr1-KO and WT cortices and hippocampi. The results further support the critical role of astrocytes in governing neural cell production in brain development and point to significant alterations in neural cell proliferation due to astrocyte secreted factors from the Fragile X brain. Highlights: • We studied the proliferation of neural stem and progenitor cells in Fragile X. • We examined the role of astrocyte-secreted factors in neural precursor cell biology. • Astrocyte-secreted factors with differential expression in Fragile X identified. PMID:27242437

Clinical evaluation of pacemaker automatic capture management and atrioventricular interval extension algorithm.

PubMed

Chen, Ke-ping; Xu, Geng; Wu, Shulin; Tang, Baopeng; Wang, Li; Zhang, Shu

2013-03-01

The present study was to assess the accuracy of automatic atrial and ventricular capture management (ACM and VCM) in determining pacing threshold and the performance of a second-generation automatic atrioventricular (AV) interval extension algorithm for reducing unnecessary ventricular pacing. A total of 398 patients at 32 centres who received an EnPulse dual-chamber pacing/dual-chamber adaptive rate pacing pacemaker (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) were enrolled. The last amplitude thresholds as measured by ACM and VCM prior to the 6-month follow-up were compared with manually measured thresholds. Device diagnostics were used to evaluate ACM and VCM and the percentage of ventricular pacing with and without the AV extension algorithm. Modelling was performed to assess longevity gains relating to the use of automaticity features. Atrial and ventricular capture management performed accurately and reliably provided complete capture management in 97% of studied patients. The AV interval extension algorithm reduced the median per cent of right ventricular pacing in patients with sinus node dysfunction from 99.7 to 1.5% at 6-month follow-up and in patients with intermittent AV block (excluding persistent 3° AV block) from 99.9 to 50.2%. On the basis of validated modelling, estimated device longevity could potentially be extended by 1.9 years through the use of the capture management and AV interval extension features. Both ACM and VCM features reliably measured thresholds in nearly all patients; the AV extension algorithm significantly reduced ventricular pacing; and the use of pacemaker automaticity features potentially extends device longevity.

Fifth International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, D. (Editor); Janszky, J. (Editor); Kim, Y. S. (Editor); Man'ko, V. I. (Editor)

1998-01-01

The Fifth International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations was held at Balatonfured, Hungary, on 27-31 May 1997. This series was initiated in 1991 at the College Park Campus of the University of Maryland as the Workshop on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations. The scientific purpose of this series was to discuss squeezed states of light, but in recent years the scope is becoming broad enough to include studies of uncertainty relations and squeeze transformations in all branches of physics including quantum optics and foundations of quantum mechanics. Quantum optics will continue playing the pivotal role in the future, but the future meetings will include all branches of physics where squeeze transformations are basic. As the meeting attracted more participants and started covering more diversified subjects, the fourth meeting was called an international conference. The Fourth International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations was held in 1995 was hosted by Shanxi University in Taiyuan, China. The fifth meeting of this series, which was held at Balatonfured, Hungary, was also supported by the IUPAP. In 1999, the Sixth International Conference will be hosted by the University of Naples in 1999. The meeting will take place in Ravello near Naples.

Virtual reality: new method of teaching anorectal and pelvic floor anatomy.

PubMed

Dobson, Howard D; Pearl, Russell K; Orsay, Charles P; Rasmussen, Mary; Evenhouse, Ray; Ai, Zhuming; Blew, Gregory; Dech, Fred; Edison, Marcia I; Silverstein, Jonathan C; Abcarian, Herand

2003-03-01

A clear understanding of the intricate spatial relationships among the structures of the pelvic floor, rectum, and anal canal is essential for the treatment of numerous pathologic conditions. Virtual-reality technology allows improved visualization of three-dimensional structures over conventional media because it supports stereoscopic-vision, viewer-centered perspective, large angles of view, and interactivity. We describe a novel virtual reality-based model designed to teach anorectal and pelvic floor anatomy, pathology, and surgery. A static physical model depicting the pelvic floor and anorectum was created and digitized at 1-mm intervals in a CT scanner. Multiple software programs were used along with endoscopic images to generate a realistic interactive computer model, which was designed to be viewed on a networked, interactive, virtual-reality display (CAVE or ImmersaDesk). A standard examination of ten basic anorectal and pelvic floor anatomy questions was administered to third-year (n = 6) and fourth-year (n = 7) surgical residents. A workshop using the Virtual Pelvic Floor Model was then given, and the standard examination was readministered so that it was possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the Digital Pelvic Floor Model as an educational instrument. Training on the Virtual Pelvic Floor Model produced substantial improvements in the overall average test scores for the two groups, with an overall increase of 41 percent (P = 0.001) and 21 percent (P = 0.0007) for third-year and fourth-year residents, respectively. Resident evaluations after the workshop also confirmed the effectiveness of understanding pelvic anatomy using the Virtual Pelvic Floor Model. This model provides an innovative interactive educational framework that allows educators to overcome some of the barriers to teaching surgical and endoscopic principles based on understanding highly complex three-dimensional anatomy. Using this collaborative, shared virtual-reality environment, teachers and students can interact from locations world-wide to manipulate the components of this model to achieve the educational goals of this project along with the potential for virtual surgery.

Asbestos/NESHAP regulated asbestos-containing-materials guidance

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

Shafer, R.; Throwe, S.; Salgado, O.

In the initial Asbestos NESHAP rule promulgated in 1973, a distinction was made between building materials that would readily release asbestos fibers when damaged or disturbed and those materials that were unlikely to result in significant fiber release. The terms friable and nonfriable were used to make this distinction. EPA has since determined that, if severely damaged, otherwise nonfriable materials can release significant amounts of asbestos fibers. Regulated Asbestos-Containing Material (RACM) is (a) friable asbestos material, (b) Category 1 nonfriable ACM that has become friable, (c) Category 1 nonfriable ACM that will be or has been subjected to sanding, grinding,more » cutting, or abrading, or (d) Category 2 nonfriable ACM that has a high probability of becoming or has become crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by the forces expected to act on the material in the course of demolition or renovation operations. The purpose of the document is to assist asbestos inspectors and the regulated community in determining whether or not a material is RACM and thus subject to the Asbestos NESHAP.« less

C-axis orientated AlN films deposited using deep oscillation magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jianliang; Chistyakov, Roman

2017-02-01

Highly <0001> c-axis orientated aluminum nitride (AlN) films were deposited on silicon (100) substrates by reactive deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS). No epitaxial favored bond layer and substrate heating were applied for assisting texture growth. The effects of the peak target current density (varied from 0.39 to 0.8 Acm-2) and film thickness (varied from 0.25 to 3.3 μm) on the c-axis orientation, microstructure, residual stress and mechanical properties of the AlN films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction rocking curve methodology, transmission electron microscopy, optical profilometry, and nanoindentation. All AlN films exhibited a <0001> preferred orientation and compressive residual stresses. At similar film thicknesses, an increase in the peak target current density to 0.53 Acm-2 improved the <0001> orientation. Further increasing the peak target current density to above 0.53 Acm-2 showed limited contribution to the texture development. The study also showed that an increase in the thickness of the AlN films deposited by DOMS improved the c-axis alignment accompanied with a reduction in the residual stress.

A computer code for calculations in the algebraic collective model of the atomic nucleus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welsh, T. A.; Rowe, D. J.

2016-03-01

A Maple code is presented for algebraic collective model (ACM) calculations. The ACM is an algebraic version of the Bohr model of the atomic nucleus, in which all required matrix elements are derived by exploiting the model's SU(1 , 1) × SO(5) dynamical group. This paper reviews the mathematical formulation of the ACM, and serves as a manual for the code. The code enables a wide range of model Hamiltonians to be analysed. This range includes essentially all Hamiltonians that are rational functions of the model's quadrupole moments qˆM and are at most quadratic in the corresponding conjugate momenta πˆN (- 2 ≤ M , N ≤ 2). The code makes use of expressions for matrix elements derived elsewhere and newly derived matrix elements of the operators [ π ˆ ⊗ q ˆ ⊗ π ˆ ] 0 and [ π ˆ ⊗ π ˆ ] LM. The code is made efficient by use of an analytical expression for the needed SO(5)-reduced matrix elements, and use of SO(5) ⊃ SO(3) Clebsch-Gordan coefficients obtained from precomputed data files provided with the code.

Umami compounds enhance the intensity of retronasal sensation of aromas from model chicken soups.

PubMed

Nishimura, Toshihide; Goto, Shingo; Miura, Kyo; Takakura, Yukiko; Egusa, Ai S; Wakabayashi, Hidehiko

2016-04-01

We examined the influence of taste compounds on retronasal aroma sensation using a model chicken soup. The aroma intensity of a reconstituted flavour solution from which glutamic acid (Glu), inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP), or phosphate was omitted was significantly lower (p<0.05) than that of the model soup. The aroma intensity of 0.4% NaCl solution containing the aroma chicken model (ACM) with added Glu and IMP was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of 0.4% NaCl solution containing only ACM. The quantitative analyses showed that adding monosodium glutamate (MSG) to aqueous aroma solution containing only ACM enhanced the intensity of retronasal aroma sensation by 2.5-folds with increasing MSG concentration from 0% to 0.3%. Sensation intensity using an umami solution with added MSG and IMP was significantly higher than that with only MSG when the MSG concentration was 0.05%, 0.075%, or 0.1%. However, it plateaued when MSG concentration was beyond 0.3%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strengthening Deterrence for 21st Century Strategic Conflicts and Competition: Accelerating Adaptation and Integration - Annotated Bibliography

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

Roberts, B.; Durkalec, J. J.

This was the fourth in a series of annual events convened at Livermore to exploring the emerging place of the “new domains” in U.S. deterrence strategies. The purposes of the series are to facilitate the emergence of a community of interest that cuts across the policy, military, and technical communities and to inform laboratory strategic planning. U.S. allies have also been drawn into the conversation, as U.S. deterrence strategies are in part about their protection. Discussion in these workshops is on a not-for-attribution basis. It is also makes no use of classified information. On this occasion, there were nearly 100more » participants from a dozen countries.« less

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

Sanchez-Moreno, P.; Instituto 'Carlos I' de Fisica Teorica y Computacional, Universidad de Granada, Granada; Zozor, S.

The Renyi and Shannon entropies are information-theoretic measures, which have enabled to formulate the position-momentum uncertainty principle in a much more adequate and stringent way than the (variance-based) Heisenberg-like relation. Moreover, they are closely related to various energetic density functionals of quantum systems. Here we derive upper bounds on these quantities in terms of the second-order moment for general central potentials. This improves previous results of this type. The proof uses the Renyi maximization procedure with a covariance constraint due to Costa et al. [in Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Energy Minimization Methods in Computer Visionmore » and Pattern Recognition (EMMCVPR), edited by A.Rangarajan, M.A. T.Figueiredo, and J.Zerubia (Springer-Verlag, Lisbon, 2003), [Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 52, 211 (2003).

Perspectives on Advanced Learning Technologies and Learning Networks and Future Aerospace Workforce Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, Ahmed K. (Compiler)

2003-01-01

An overview of the advanced learning technologies is given in this presentation along with a brief description of their impact on future aerospace workforce development. The presentation is divided into five parts (see Figure 1). In the first part, a brief historical account of the evolution of learning technologies is given. The second part describes the current learning activities. The third part describes some of the future aerospace systems, as examples of high-tech engineering systems, and lists their enabling technologies. The fourth part focuses on future aerospace research, learning and design environments. The fifth part lists the objectives of the workshop and some of the sources of information on learning technologies and learning networks.

Repressive histone methylation regulates cardiac myocyte cell cycle exit.

PubMed

El-Nachef, Danny; Oyama, Kyohei; Wu, Yun-Yu; Freeman, Miles; Zhang, Yiqiang; Robb MacLellan, W

2018-05-22

Mammalian cardiac myocytes (CMs) stop proliferating soon after birth and subsequent heart growth comes from hypertrophy, limiting the adult heart's regenerative potential after injury. The molecular events that mediate CM cell cycle exit are poorly understood. To determine the epigenetic mechanisms limiting CM cycling in adult CMs (ACMs) and whether trimethylation of lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me3), a histone modification associated with repressed chromatin, is required for the silencing of cell cycle genes, we developed a transgenic mouse model where H3K9me3 is specifically removed in CMs by overexpression of histone demethylase, KDM4D. Although H3K9me3 is found across the genome, its loss in CMs preferentially disrupts cell cycle gene silencing. KDM4D binds directly to cell cycle genes and reduces H3K9me3 levels at these promotors. Loss of H3K9me3 preferentially leads to increased cell cycle gene expression resulting in enhanced CM cycling. Heart mass was increased in KDM4D overexpressing mice by postnatal day 14 (P14) and continued to increase until 9-weeks of age. ACM number, but not size, was significantly increased in KDM4D expressing hearts, suggesting CM hyperplasia accounts for the increased heart mass. Inducing KDM4D after normal development specifically in ACMs resulted in increased cell cycle gene expression and cycling. We demonstrated that H3K9me3 is required for CM cell cycle exit and terminal differentiation in ACMs. Depletion of H3K9me3 in adult hearts prevents and reverses permanent cell cycle exit and allows hyperplastic growth in adult hearts in vivo. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Development of a Cloud Resolving Model for Heterogeneous Supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sreepathi, S.; Norman, M. R.; Pal, A.; Hannah, W.; Ponder, C.

2017-12-01

A cloud resolving climate model is needed to reduce major systematic errors in climate simulations due to structural uncertainty in numerical treatments of convection - such as convective storm systems. This research describes the porting effort to enable SAM (System for Atmosphere Modeling) cloud resolving model on heterogeneous supercomputers using GPUs (Graphical Processing Units). We have isolated a standalone configuration of SAM that is targeted to be integrated into the DOE ACME (Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy) Earth System model. We have identified key computational kernels from the model and offloaded them to a GPU using the OpenACC programming model. Furthermore, we are investigating various optimization strategies intended to enhance GPU utilization including loop fusion/fission, coalesced data access and loop refactoring to a higher abstraction level. We will present early performance results, lessons learned as well as optimization strategies. The computational platform used in this study is the Summitdev system, an early testbed that is one generation removed from Summit, the next leadership class supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The system contains 54 nodes wherein each node has 2 IBM POWER8 CPUs and 4 NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPUs. This work is part of a larger project, ACME-MMF component of the U.S. Department of Energy(DOE) Exascale Computing Project. The ACME-MMF approach addresses structural uncertainty in cloud processes by replacing traditional parameterizations with cloud resolving "superparameterization" within each grid cell of global climate model. Super-parameterization dramatically increases arithmetic intensity, making the MMF approach an ideal strategy to achieve good performance on emerging exascale computing architectures. The goal of the project is to integrate superparameterization into ACME, and explore its full potential to scientifically and computationally advance climate simulation and prediction.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of fungal secondary metabolism

PubMed Central

Khalil, Zeinab G.; Kalansuriya, Pabasara; Capon, Robert J.

2014-01-01

We report on a preliminary investigation of the use the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall constituent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a natural chemical cue to stimulate and alter the expression of fungal secondary metabolism. Integrated high-throughput micro-cultivation and micro-analysis methods determined that 6 of 40 (15%) of fungi tested responded to an optimal exposure to LPS (0.6 ng/mL) by activating, enhancing or accelerating secondary metabolite production. To explore the possible mechanisms behind this effect, we employed light and fluorescent microscopy in conjunction with a nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive fluorescent dye and an NO scavenger to provide evidence that LPS stimulation of fungal secondary metabolism coincided with LPS activation of NO. Several case studies demonstrated that LPS stimulation can be scaled from single microplate well (1.5 mL) to preparative (>400 mL) scale cultures. For example, LPS treatment of Penicillium sp. (ACM-4616) enhanced pseurotin A and activated pseurotin A1 and pseurotin A2 biosynthesis, whereas LPS treatment of Aspergillus sp. (CMB-M81F) substantially accelerated and enhanced the biosynthesis of shornephine A and a series of biosynthetically related ardeemins and activated production of neoasterriquinone. As an indication of broader potential, we provide evidence that cultures of Penicillium sp. (CMB-TF0411), Aspergillus niger (ACM-4993F), Rhizopus oryzae (ACM-165F) and Thanatephorus cucumeris (ACM-194F) were responsive to LPS stimulation, the latter two examples being particular noteworthy as neither are known to produce secondary metabolites. Our results encourage the view that LPS stimulation can be used as a valuable tool to expand the molecular discovery potential of fungal strains that either have been exhaustively studied by or are unresponsive to traditional culture methodology. PMID:25379339

Human astrocytes/astrocyte conditioned medium and shear stress enhance the barrier properties of human brain microvascular endothelial cells

PubMed Central

Siddharthan, Venkatraman; V. Kim, Yuri; Liu, Suyi; Kim, Kwang Sik

2009-01-01

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a structural and functional barrier that regulates the passage of molecules into and out of the brain to maintain the neural microenvironment. We have previously developed the in vitro BBB model with human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). However, in vivo HBMEC are shown to interact with astrocytes and also exposed to shear stress through blood flow. In an attempt to develop the BBB model to mimic the in vivo condition we constructed the flow-based in vitro BBB model using HBMEC and human fetal astrocytes (HFA). We also examined the effect of astrocyte conditioned medium (ACM) in lieu of HFA to study the role of secreted factor(s) on the BBB properties. The tightness of HBMEC monolayer was assessed by the permeability of dextran and propidium iodide as well as by measuring the transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). We showed that the HBMEC permeability was reduced and TEER was increased by non-contact, co-cultivation with HFA and ACM. The exposure of HBMEC to shear stress also exhibited decreased permeability. Moreover, HFA/ACM and shear flow exhibited additive effect of decreasing the permeability of HBMEC monolayer. In addition, we showed that the HBMEC expression of ZO-1 (tight junction protein) was increased by co-cultivation with ACM and in response to shear stress. These findings suggest that the non-contact co-cultivation with HFA helps maintain the barrier properties of HBMEC by secreting factor(s) into the medium. Our in vitro flow model system with the cells of human origin should be useful for studying the interactions between endothelial cells, glial cells, and secreted factor(s) as well as the role of shear stress in the barrier property of HBMEC. PMID:17368578

Repair of articular cartilage defects by tissue-engineered cartilage constructed with adipose-derived stem cells and acellular cartilaginous matrix in rabbits.

PubMed

Wang, Z J; An, R Z; Zhao, J Y; Zhang, Q; Yang, J; Wang, J B; Wen, G Y; Yuan, X H; Qi, X W; Li, S J; Ye, X C

2014-06-18

After injury, inflammation, or degeneration, articular cartilage has limited self-repair ability. We aimed to explore the feasibility of repair of articular cartilage defects with tissue-engineered cartilage constructed by acellular cartilage matrices (ACMs) seeded with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). The ADSCs were isolated from 3-month-old New Zealand albino rabbit by using collagenase and cultured and amplified in vitro. Fresh cartilage isolated from adult New Zealand albino rabbit were freeze-dried for 12 h and treated with Triton X-100, DNase, and RNase to obtain ACMs. ADSCs were seeded in the acellular cartilaginous matrix at 2x10(7)/mL, and cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium for 2 weeks to construct tissue-engineered cartilage. Twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into A, B, and C groups. Engineered cartilage was transplanted into cartilage defect position of rabbits in group A, group B obtained ACMs, and group C did not receive any transplants. The rabbits were sacrificed in week 12. The restored tissue was evaluated using macroscopy, histology, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the tissue-engineered cartilage group (group A), articular cartilage defects of the rabbits were filled with chondrocyte-like tissue with smooth surface. Immunohistochemistry showed type II-collagen expression and Alcian blue staining was positive. TEM showed chondrocytes in the recesses, with plenty of secretary matrix particles. In the scaffold group (group B), the defect was filled with fibrous tissue. No repaired tissue was found in the blank group (group C). Tissue-engineered cartilage using ACM seeded with ADSCs can help repair articular cartilage defects in rabbits.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in Boxer dogs: the diagnosis as a link to the human disease

PubMed Central

VISCHER, ANNINA S.; CONNOLLY, DAVID J.; COATS, CAROLINE J.; FUENTES, VIRGINIA LUIS; MCKENNA, WILLIAM J.; CASTELLETTI, SILVIA; PANTAZIS, ANTONIOS A.

2017-01-01

Background Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a myocardial disease with an increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias. The condition, which occurs in Boxer dogs, shares phenotypic features with the human disease arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) suggesting its potential as a natural animal model. However, there are currently no universally accepted clinical criteria to diagnose ARVC in Boxer dogs. We aimed to identify diagnostic criteria for ARVC in Boxer dogs defining a more uniform and consistent phenotype. Methods and Results Clinical records from 264 Boxer dogs from a referral veterinary hospital were retrospectively analysed. ARVC was initially diagnosed according to the number of ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) in the 24-hour-Holter-ECG in the absence of another obvious cause. Dogs diagnosed this way had more VPCs, polymorphic VPCs, couplets, triplets, VTs and R-on-T-phenomenon and syncope, decreased right ventricular function and dilatation in comparison to a control group of all other Boxer dogs seen by the Cardiology Service over the same period. Presence of couplets and R-on-T-phenomenon on a 24h-ECG were identified as independent predictors of the diagnosis. A diagnosis based on ≥100 VPCs in 24 hours, presence of couplets and R-on-T phenomenon on a 24h-ECG was able to select Boxer dogs with a phenotype most similar to human ACM. Conclusion We suggest the diagnosis of ARVC in Boxer dogs requires two out of the three following criteria: presence of ≥ 100 VPCs, presence of couplets or R-on-T-phenomenon on a 24 h-ECG. This results in a uniform phenotype similar to that described in human ACM and may result in the adoption of the term ACM for this analogous condition in Boxer dogs. PMID:29774304

Effects of hawthorn on cardiac remodeling and left ventricular dysfunction after 1 month of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats.

PubMed

Hwang, Hyun Seok; Bleske, Barry E; Ghannam, Michael M J; Converso, Kimber; Russell, Mark W; Hunter, James C; Boluyt, Marvin O

2008-02-01

Hawthorn (Crataegus) is a natural product used to treat patients with heart failure. The effects of hawthorn on cardiac remodeling, however, are not known. The purpose was to determine the effects of hawthorn treatment on remodeling and function of the left ventricle (LV) after 1 month of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 300 g) were subjected to sham operation (SH) or aortic constriction (AC) for 4 weeks and treated with Hawthorn (Crataegus-Extract- WS1442;1.3, 13, 130 mg kg(-1) day(-1); AC-L, AC-M, AC-H) or vehicle (SH-V, AC-V) for 3 weeks after surgery. Systolic and diastolic function were measured using echocardiographic assessment at baseline and 4 weeks after AC. AC increased the LV/body weight ratio by 34% in vehicle and hawthorn treated rats. Hawthorn markedly reduced LV chamber volumes (VOL) after AC [systolic VOL, mean +/- SEM, mm(3): SH-V, 87 +/- 13; AC-V, 93 +/- 12; AC-L, 62 +/- 9; AC-M, 68 +/- 12; AC-H; 50 +/- 11 and diastolic VOL: SH-V, 433 +/- 45; AC-V, 412 +/- 57; AC-L, 313 +/- 25; AC-M, 319 +/- 37; AC-H, 264 +/- 25 (p < 0.05)] and augmented relative wall thickness, mm: SH-V, 0.45 +/- 0.02; AC-V, 0.65 +/- 0.05; AC-L, 0.71 +/- 0.03; AC-M, 0.74 +/- 0.06; AC-H, 0.80 +/- 0.09 (p < 0.05). AC reduced velocity of circumferential shortening (Vcf(c)) by 28% compared with SH-V. Hawthorn attenuated the AC-induced decrease in Vcf(c) (p < 0.05). Hawthorn treatment modifies left ventricular remodeling and counteracts myocardial dysfunction in early pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Accuracy of a Mobile App to Identify Suspect Asbestos-Containing Material in Australian Residential Settings.

PubMed

Govorko, Matthew H; Fritschi, Lin; Reid, Alison

2018-05-14

In situ asbestos in the built environment is a remaining source of exposure in countries that have prohibited the manufacture and use of asbestos. However, it is difficult to identify in situ asbestos-containing material in residential settings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the mobile phone application ("app"), ACM Check, in identifying in situ asbestos located inside and outside of homes compared with onsite inspections conducted by an experienced environmental consultant. A cross-sectional study was undertaken that involved participants completing ACM Check on their homes built pre-1990 and located throughout metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, and an onsite inspection conducted at each home by an environmental consultant. Cohen's kappa statistic was calculated to evaluate the strength of agreement between the two methods. The 40 houses sampled were built between 1898 and 1988 with a median year of 1966. Thirty eight (95%) homes had at least one type of material categorized as positive for asbestos by both ACM Check and the environmental consultant (κ = 1.00). Agreement between the two methods differed when categorizing specific materials as positive or negative for asbestos with substantial agreement for fencing (κ = 0.918), outbuilding walls (κ = 0.844), backing board to electrical meter box (κ = 0.826), exterior wall cladding (κ = 0.771), and interior walls (κ = 0.754), and fair agreement for outbuilding roofs (κ = 0.375), and interior flooring (κ = 0.304). ACM Check is a tool that can be used by tradespeople, home renovators, and householders to screen residential settings for the presence of in situ asbestos-containing material. Mobile phone apps have the potential to be developed or modified for use in other countries to help users identify asbestos and reduce their risk of asbestos exposure.

PREFACE: 3rd International Workshop on "State of the Art in Nuclear Cluster Physics"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Taiichi; Kanada-En'yo, Yoshiko

2014-12-01

The 3rd International Workshop on "State of the Art in Nuclear Cluster Physics"(SOTANCP3) was held at KGU Kannai Media Center, Kanto Gakuin University, Yokohama, Japan, from May 26 to 30, 2014. Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan, about 25 km southeast of Tokyo. The first workshop of the series was held in Strasbourg, France, in 2008 and the second one was in Brussels, Belgium, in 2010. The purpose of SOTANCP3 was to discuss the present status and future perspectives of the nuclear cluster physics. The following nine topics were selected in order to cover most of the scientific programme and highlight an area where new ideas have emerged over recent years: (1) Cluster structures and many-body correlations in stable and unstable nuclei (2) Clustering aspects of nuclear reactions and resonances (3) Alpha condensates and analogy with condensed matter approaches (4) Role of tensor force in cluster physics and ab initio approaches (5) Clustering in hypernuclei (6) Nuclear fission, superheavy nuclei, and cluster decay (7) Cluster physics and nuclear astrophysics (8) Clustering in nuclear matter and neutron stars (9) Clustering in hadron and atomic physics There were 122 participants, including 53 from 17 foreign countries. In addition to invited talks, we had many talks selected from contributed papers. There were plenary, parallel, and poster sessions. Poster contributions were also presented as four-minute talks in parallel sessions. This proceedings contains the papers presented in invited and selected talks together with those presented in poster sessions. We would like to express our gratitude to the members of the International Advisory Committee and those of the Organizing Committee for their efforts which made this workshop successful. In particular we would like to present our great thanks to Drs. Y. Funaki, W. Horiuchi, N. Itagaki, M. Kimura, T. Myo, and T. Yoshida. We would like also to thank the following organizations for their sponsors: RCNP (Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka University), CNS (Center for Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo), JICFuS (Joint Institute for Computational Fundamental Science), and RIKEN (Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research). This workshop was supported by Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau and Kanto Gakuin University. It remains to be announced that the next, the fourth in this series of SOTANCP workshops, SOTANCP4, will be held in Galveston, Texas, USA, in 2018.

Thermal degradation and morphological studies on raw and reinforced polyacrylic rubbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasikala, A.; Kala, A.

2017-05-01

Poly acrylate rubbers (ACM) of today are saturated copolymers of monomeric acrylic esters and reactive cure site monomers. ACM elastomer have also found use in vibration damping due to its excellent resilience. Other applications include textiles, adhesives, and coatings. Two state of Poly acrylic raw and reinforced Rubber are analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy, Optical Microscopy, DSC and TGA measurements. With the objective of determined the mechanical strength, Thermal analysis on TGA and DSC studies show that, the thermal degradation temperature Tg of the sample material is obtained and activation energy is also calaulated by Broido, Horowitz - Metzger, Piloyan-Novikova and Coats Redfern methods which are found.

Final Report for Contract N00014-86-C-0598 (Thermo Electron Technologies Corporation)

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-28

At least 20 A/cm2 were observed at 193 nm. 248 nm (KrF) and 308 (XeCl). Beam brightness appears to be a minimum of 4 x 105 A/cm 2 -rad 2 at 248 nm...governed by the envelope equation3, d2r K b 0 dz (4) For a weakly relativistic beam. e J o r0 2 2 Co 0Mo (yac) 3 (5) where Jo is the beam current...correspond to laser wavotengths of the present study, preliminary measurement for ArF given by x .1 pattern ot spots on the phosphor screen for 248 nm

ACMES: fast multiple-genome searches for short repeat sequences with concurrent cross-species information retrieval

PubMed Central

Reneker, Jeff; Shyu, Chi-Ren; Zeng, Peiyu; Polacco, Joseph C.; Gassmann, Walter

2004-01-01

We have developed a web server for the life sciences community to use to search for short repeats of DNA sequence of length between 3 and 10 000 bases within multiple species. This search employs a unique and fast hash function approach. Our system also applies information retrieval algorithms to discover knowledge of cross-species conservation of repeat sequences. Furthermore, we have incorporated a part of the Gene Ontology database into our information retrieval algorithms to broaden the coverage of the search. Our web server and tutorial can be found at http://acmes.rnet.missouri.edu. PMID:15215469

Improving the Fabrication of Semiconductor Bragg Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Eric Ping Chun

Fabrication process developments for Bragg reflection lasers have been optimized in this thesis using resources available to the group. New e-beam lithography and oxide etch recipes have been developed to minimize sidewall roughness and residues. E-beam evaporated metal contacts for semiconductor diode laser utilizing oblique angle deposition have also been developed in-house for the first time. Furthermore, improvement in micro-loading effect of DFB laser etching has been demonstrated where the ratio of tapered portion of the sidewall to total etch depth is reduced by half, from 33% to 15%. Electrical, optical and thermal performance of the fabricated lasers are characterized. Comparing the results to previous generation lasers, average dynamic resistance is decreased drastically from 14 Ohms to 7 Ohms and threshold current density also reduced from 1705A/cm2 to 1383A/ cm2. Improvement in laser performance is result of reduced loss from optimized fabrication processes. BRL bow-tie tapered lasers is then fabricated for the first time and output power of 18mW at 200mA input is measured. Benefiting from the increased effective area and better carrier utilization, reduction in threshold current density from 1383A/cm 2 to 712A/cm2 is observed.

Emulating RRTMG Radiation with Deep Neural Networks for the Accelerated Model for Climate and Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, A.; Norman, M. R.

2017-12-01

The RRTMG radiation scheme in the Accelerated Model for Climate and Energy Multi-scale Model Framework (ACME-MMF), is a bottleneck and consumes approximately 50% of the computational time. To simulate a case using RRTMG radiation scheme in ACME-MMF with high throughput and high resolution will therefore require a speed-up of this calculation while retaining physical fidelity. In this study, RRTMG radiation is emulated with Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). The first step towards this goal is to run a case with ACME-MMF and generate input data sets for the DNNs. A principal component analysis of these input data sets are carried out. Artificial data sets are created using the previous data sets to cover a wider space. These artificial data sets are used in a standalone RRTMG radiation scheme to generate outputs in a cost effective manner. These input-output pairs are used to train multiple architectures DNNs(1). Another DNN(2) is trained using the inputs to predict the error. A reverse emulation is trained to map the output to input. An error controlled code is developed with the two DNNs (1 and 2) and will determine when/if the original parameterization needs to be used.

[Improvement and the mechanism of cardiac function by knockdown of ADAM10 in adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy rats].

PubMed

Li, Xiaoou; Xie, Lili; He, Bing; Huang, Wei

2018-01-01

Objective To study the role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase10 (ADAM10) in shedding neural cadherin (N-cadherin) and develop an approach to interfere the process of ventricular remodeling in adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy (ACM) rats. Methods In a rat model of ACM, the effects of intraperitoneal injection of the lentiviral RNAi vector of ADAM10 on the morphology of cardiomyocytes and contractile function were observed by HE staining and color Doppler echocardiography. The expressions of N-cadherin and C-terminal fragment 1 (CTF1) were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results In the in vivo experiment, a large amount of fluorescence was seen in the isolated primary cardiomyocytes, which indicated that the transfection in the rat model was successful. In the treatment group, the morphology of cardiomyocytes and function of the heart were evidently improved, N-cadherin protein expression was remarkably up-regulated and CTF1 protein was obviously down-regulated compared with the model group. Conclusion Knock-down of ADAM10 increases N-cadherin expression and decreases CTF1 expression, thus improves cardiac function in the rat model of ACM.

ACME, a GIS tool for Automated Cirque Metric Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spagnolo, Matteo; Pellitero, Ramon; Barr, Iestyn D.; Ely, Jeremy C.; Pellicer, Xavier M.; Rea, Brice R.

2017-02-01

Regional scale studies of glacial cirque metrics provide key insights on the (palaeo) environment related to the formation of these erosional landforms. The growing availability of high resolution terrain models means that more glacial cirques can be identified and mapped in the future. However, the extraction of their metrics still largely relies on time consuming manual techniques or the combination of, more or less obsolete, GIS tools. In this paper, a newly coded toolbox is provided for the automated, and comparatively quick, extraction of 16 key glacial cirque metrics; including length, width, circularity, planar and 3D area, elevation, slope, aspect, plan closure and hypsometry. The set of tools, named ACME (Automated Cirque Metric Extraction), is coded in Python, runs in one of the most commonly used GIS packages (ArcGIS) and has a user friendly interface. A polygon layer of mapped cirques is required for all metrics, while a Digital Terrain Model and a point layer of cirque threshold midpoints are needed to run some of the tools. Results from ACME are comparable to those from other techniques and can be obtained rapidly, allowing large cirque datasets to be analysed and potentially important regional trends highlighted.