Importance of the method of leaf area measurement to the interpretation of gas exchange of complex shoots

Treesearch

W. K. Smith; A. W. Schoettle; M. Cui

1991-01-01

Net CO(2) uptake in full sunlight, total leaf area (TLA), projected leaf area of detached leaves (PLA), and the silhouette area of attached leaves in their natural orientation to the sun at midday on June 1 (SLA) were measured for sun shoots of six conifer species. Among species, TLA/SLA ranged between 5.2 and 10.0 (x bar = 7.3), TLA/PLA ranged between 2.5 and 2.9 (x...

Full range line-field parallel swept source imaging utilizing digital refocusing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fechtig, Daniel J.; Kumar, Abhishek; Drexler, Wolfgang; Leitgeb, Rainer A.

2015-12-01

We present geometric optics-based refocusing applied to a novel off-axis line-field parallel swept source imaging (LPSI) system. LPSI is an imaging modality based on line-field swept source optical coherence tomography, which permits 3-D imaging at acquisition speeds of up to 1 MHz. The digital refocusing algorithm applies a defocus-correcting phase term to the Fourier representation of complex-valued interferometric image data, which is based on the geometrical optics information of the LPSI system. We introduce the off-axis LPSI system configuration, the digital refocusing algorithm and demonstrate the effectiveness of our method for refocusing volumetric images of technical and biological samples. An increase of effective in-focus depth range from 255 μm to 4.7 mm is achieved. The recovery of the full in-focus depth range might be especially valuable for future high-speed and high-resolution diagnostic applications of LPSI in ophthalmology.

Effects of Light Regimes on the Growth of Cherrybark Oak Seedlings

Treesearch

Yanfei Guo; Michael G. Shelton; Brian R. Lockhart

2001-01-01

Light regimes vary significantly within small forest openings, ranging from full sunlight to total shade, and they may affect the establishment and early growth of oak seedlings. We designed modified shadehouses to simulate the complex light conditions within forest openings and tested the effects of daily photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), time of direct light...

Theoretical thermal conductivity equation for uniform density wood cells

Treesearch

John F. Hunt; Hongmei Gu; Patricia Lebow

2008-01-01

The anisotropy of wood creates a complex problem requiring that analyses be based on fundamental material properties and characteristics of the wood structure to solve heat transfer problems. A two-dimensional finite element model that evaluates the effective thermal conductivity of a wood cell over the full range of moisture contents and porosities was previously...

Integrative structure and functional anatomy of a nuclear pore complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Seung Joong; Fernandez-Martinez, Javier; Nudelman, Ilona; Shi, Yi; Zhang, Wenzhu; Raveh, Barak; Herricks, Thurston; Slaughter, Brian D.; Hogan, Joanna A.; Upla, Paula; Chemmama, Ilan E.; Pellarin, Riccardo; Echeverria, Ignacia; Shivaraju, Manjunatha; Chaudhury, Azraa S.; Wang, Junjie; Williams, Rosemary; Unruh, Jay R.; Greenberg, Charles H.; Jacobs, Erica Y.; Yu, Zhiheng; de La Cruz, M. Jason; Mironska, Roxana; Stokes, David L.; Aitchison, John D.; Jarrold, Martin F.; Gerton, Jennifer L.; Ludtke, Steven J.; Akey, Christopher W.; Chait, Brian T.; Sali, Andrej; Rout, Michael P.

2018-03-01

Nuclear pore complexes play central roles as gatekeepers of RNA and protein transport between the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. However, their large size and dynamic nature have impeded a full structural and functional elucidation. Here we determined the structure of the entire 552-protein nuclear pore complex of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at sub-nanometre precision by satisfying a wide range of data relating to the molecular arrangement of its constituents. The nuclear pore complex incorporates sturdy diagonal columns and connector cables attached to these columns, imbuing the structure with strength and flexibility. These cables also tie together all other elements of the nuclear pore complex, including membrane-interacting regions, outer rings and RNA-processing platforms. Inwardly directed anchors create a high density of transport factor-docking Phe-Gly repeats in the central channel, organized into distinct functional units. This integrative structure enables us to rationalize the architecture, transport mechanism and evolutionary origins of the nuclear pore complex.

Integrative structure and functional anatomy of a nuclear pore complex.

PubMed

Kim, Seung Joong; Fernandez-Martinez, Javier; Nudelman, Ilona; Shi, Yi; Zhang, Wenzhu; Raveh, Barak; Herricks, Thurston; Slaughter, Brian D; Hogan, Joanna A; Upla, Paula; Chemmama, Ilan E; Pellarin, Riccardo; Echeverria, Ignacia; Shivaraju, Manjunatha; Chaudhury, Azraa S; Wang, Junjie; Williams, Rosemary; Unruh, Jay R; Greenberg, Charles H; Jacobs, Erica Y; Yu, Zhiheng; de la Cruz, M Jason; Mironska, Roxana; Stokes, David L; Aitchison, John D; Jarrold, Martin F; Gerton, Jennifer L; Ludtke, Steven J; Akey, Christopher W; Chait, Brian T; Sali, Andrej; Rout, Michael P

2018-03-22

Nuclear pore complexes play central roles as gatekeepers of RNA and protein transport between the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. However, their large size and dynamic nature have impeded a full structural and functional elucidation. Here we determined the structure of the entire 552-protein nuclear pore complex of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at sub-nanometre precision by satisfying a wide range of data relating to the molecular arrangement of its constituents. The nuclear pore complex incorporates sturdy diagonal columns and connector cables attached to these columns, imbuing the structure with strength and flexibility. These cables also tie together all other elements of the nuclear pore complex, including membrane-interacting regions, outer rings and RNA-processing platforms. Inwardly directed anchors create a high density of transport factor-docking Phe-Gly repeats in the central channel, organized into distinct functional units. This integrative structure enables us to rationalize the architecture, transport mechanism and evolutionary origins of the nuclear pore complex.

[The extraction and analysis of a- and b- wave from electroretinogram in human].

PubMed

Chen, Zi-he; Zheng, Chang-wei; Lei, Bo

2013-12-01

To determine the frequency range of a-b wave complex in the dark- and light-adapted electroretinogram (ERG) and to isolate the pure a- and b- waves. Case series study. Full-field ERGs were recorded in 16 eyes of 8 normal volunteers from October to November 2011. Digital filtering technique was used to extract the a- and b-waves from dark- and light-adapted ERG responses. The timings of a- and b-wave were measured to determine the frequency range of a-b wave complex. Major frequency components were determined from power spectra using fast Fourier transform (FFT). The effect of different order settings in the digital filter were compared to investigate the optimum condition, where the oscillatory potential (OP) was completely removed while the amplitudes and phases of the a- and b- waves were less affected. The Student-t test was used to compare the frequency range of a-b wave complex in dark- and light-adapted ERG. The averaged frequency range of the dark-adapted a-b wave complex was from (14.99 ± 2.39) to (25.35 ± 3.77) Hz, compared with (25.22 ± 6.56) to (32.47 ± 3.68) Hz for the light-adapted a-b wave complex, respectively, indicating the frequency range of the dark-adapted a-b wave complex was significantly less than the light-adapted a-b wave complex (t = 7.910, 7.693; both P < 0.01). The third order of the digital filter and a passband of 1 to 45 Hz was the best choice in term of removing the high frequency OP from the waveform of ERG and keeping the amplitude and phase of the a- and b- waves. The frequency of a-b wave complex is lower than that of OP. Therefore the a- and b- waves can be isolated from OP using different digital filter settings in human ERG. A third order and a passband of 1 to 45 Hz is the best choice to extract pure a- and b- waves from the original ERG.

Light-Harvesting Antenna System from the Phototrophic Bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii

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

Collins, Aaron M.; Qian, Pu; Tang, Qun

Photosynthetic organisms have evolved diverse light-harvesting complexes to harness light of various qualities and intensities. Photosynthetic bacteria can have (bacterio)chlorophyll Q y antenna absorption bands ranging from ~650 to ~1100 nm. This broad range of wavelengths has allowed many organisms to thrive in unique light environments. Roseiflexus castenholzii is a niche-adapted, filamentous anoxygenic phototroph (FAP) that lacks chlorosomes, the dominant antenna found in most green bacteria, and here we describe the purification of a full complement of photosynthetic complexes: the light-harvesting (LH) antenna, reaction center (RC), and core complex (RC-LH). By high-performance liquid chromatography separation of bacteriochlorophyll and bacteriopheophytin pigmentsmore » extracted from the core complex and the RC, the number of subunits that comprise the antenna was determined to be 15 ± 1. Resonance Raman spectroscopy of the carbonyl stretching region displayed modes indicating that 3C-acetyl groups of BChl a are all involved in molecular interactions probably similar to those found in LH1 complexes from purple photosynthetic bacteria. Finally, two-dimensional projections of negatively stained core complexes and the LH antenna revealed a closed, slightly elliptical LH ring with an average diameter of 130 ± 10 Å surrounding a single RC that lacks an H-subunit but is associated with a tetraheme c-type cytochrome.« less

A laser-sheet flow visualization technique for the large wind tunnels of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinath, M. S.; Ross, J. C.

1990-01-01

A flow visualization technique for the large wind tunnels of the National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) is described. The technique uses a laser sheet generated by the NFAC Long Range Laser Velocimeter (LRLV) to illuminate a smoke-like tracer in the flow. The LRLV optical system is modified slightly, and a scanned mirror is added to generate the sheet. These modifications are described, in addition to the results of an initial performance test conducted in the 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel. During this test, flow visualization was performed in the wake region behind a truck as part of a vehicle drag reduction study. The problems encountered during the test are discussed, in addition to the recommended improvements needed to enhance the performance of the technique for future applications.

Temporary banking of the nipple-areola complex in 97 skin-sparing mastectomies.

PubMed

Ahmed, A Kalam J; Hahn, Daniëla E E; Hage, J Joris; Bleiker, Eveline M A; Woerdeman, Leonie A E

2011-02-01

Despite the improved appearance associated with skin-sparing mastectomy, removal of the nipple-areola complex has a negative impact on the patient. Still, nipple-areola complex-sparing mastectomy results in preservation of a substantial amount of mammary tissue at risk. This may be prevented by preservation of the nipple-areola complex as a graft that is temporarily banked (e.g., in the groin region). Ninety-seven nipple-areola complexes were banked as part of preventive (n = 62) or therapeutic (n = 35) skin-sparing mastectomies in 61 women with a median age of 41 years (range, 27 to 59 years) and a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The areola was harvested as a full-thickness skin graft with the nipple attached as a composite graft. In oncologic cases, the nipple-areola complexes were banked only after frozen section clearance. Seventy-five nipple-areola complexes were replanted onto the reconstructed mammary mound after 10 months (range, 3 to 26 months). Repeated graft take was moderate to good in 73 of these 75 nipple-areola complexes. The projection of the nipple and pigmentation of the areola were moderate to good in 45 and 74 of the 75 repeatedly transplanted grafts, respectively. In skin-sparing mastectomy, maximum oncologically safe conservation of autologous mammary structures can be realized by means of temporary banking of the nipple-areola complex. Even though such banking may not be successful in all women, it proved to be satisfactory in most.

Global reaction mechanism for the auto-ignition of full boiling range gasoline and kerosene fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandersickel, A.; Wright, Y. M.; Boulouchos, K.

2013-12-01

Compact reaction schemes capable of predicting auto-ignition are a prerequisite for the development of strategies to control and optimise homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines. In particular for full boiling range fuels exhibiting two stage ignition a tremendous demand exists in the engine development community. The present paper therefore meticulously assesses a previous 7-step reaction scheme developed to predict auto-ignition for four hydrocarbon blends and proposes an important extension of the model constant optimisation procedure, allowing for the model to capture not only ignition delays, but also the evolutions of representative intermediates and heat release rates for a variety of full boiling range fuels. Additionally, an extensive validation of the later evolutions by means of various detailed n-heptane reaction mechanisms from literature has been presented; both for perfectly homogeneous, as well as non-premixed/stratified HCCI conditions. Finally, the models potential to simulate the auto-ignition of various full boiling range fuels is demonstrated by means of experimental shock tube data for six strongly differing fuels, containing e.g. up to 46.7% cyclo-alkanes, 20% napthalenes or complex branched aromatics such as methyl- or ethyl-napthalene. The good predictive capability observed for each of the validation cases as well as the successful parameterisation for each of the six fuels, indicate that the model could, in principle, be applied to any hydrocarbon fuel, providing suitable adjustments to the model parameters are carried out. Combined with the optimisation strategy presented, the model therefore constitutes a major step towards the inclusion of real fuel kinetics into full scale HCCI engine simulations.

Electrical Characterization of Glycerin: Water Mixtures: Implications for Use as a Coupling Medium in Microwave Tomography

PubMed Central

Meaney, Paul M.; Fox, Colleen J.; Geimer, Shireen D.; Paulsen, Keith D.

2016-01-01

We examine the broadband behavior of complex electrical properties of glycerin and water mixtures over the frequency range of 0.1 – 25.0 GHz, especially as they relate to using these liquids as coupling media for microwave tomographic imaging. Their combination is unique in that they are mutually miscible over the full range of concentrations which allows them to be tailored to dielectric property matching for biological tissues. While the resultant mixture properties are partially driven by differences in the inherent low frequency permittivity of each constituent, relaxation frequency shifts play a disproportionately larger role in increasing the permittivity dispersion while also dramatically increasing the effective conductivity over the frequency range of 1 to 3 GHz. For the full range of mixture ratios, the relaxation frequency shifts from 17.5 GHz for 0% glycerin to less than 0.1 GHz for 100% glycerin. Of particular interest is the fact that the conductivity stays above 1.0 S/m over the 1–3 GHz range for glycerin mixture ratios (70–90% glycerin) we use for microwave breast tomography. The high level of attenuation is critical for suppressing unwanted multipath signals. This paper presents a full characterization of these liquids along with a discussion of their benefits and limitations in the context of microwave tomography. PMID:28507391

Physicians in Literature: Three Portrayals

PubMed Central

Cameron, Ian A.

1986-01-01

Literature can provide an objective glimpse of how the public perceives physicians. Physicians have been recipients of the full range of human response in literature, from contempt to veneration. This article examines the impressions of three authors: Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Arthur Hailey. Their descriptions provide insight into the complex relationship physicians have with their colleagues and patients. PMID:21267273

Analytical performance of the various acquisition modes in Orbitrap MS and MS/MS.

PubMed

Kaufmann, Anton

2018-04-30

Quadrupole Orbitrap instruments (Q Orbitrap) permit high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based full scan acquisitions and have a number of acquisition modes where the quadrupole isolates a particular mass range prior to a possible fragmentation and HRMS-based acquisition. Selecting the proper acquisition mode(s) is essential if trace analytes are to be quantified in complex matrix extracts. Depending on the particular requirements, such as sensitivity, selectivity of detection, linear dynamic range, and speed of analysis, different acquisition modes may have to be chosen. This is particularly important in the field of multi-residue analysis (e.g., pesticides or veterinary drugs in food samples) where a large number of analytes within a complex matrix have to be detected and reliably quantified. Meeting the specific detection and quantification performance criteria for every targeted compound may be challenging. It is the aim of this paper to describe the strengths and the limitations of the currently available Q Orbitrap acquisition modes. In addition, the incorporation of targeted acquisitions between full scan experiments is discussed. This approach is intended to integrate compounds that require an additional degree of sensitivity or selectivity into multi-residue methods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Minimal-scan filtered backpropagation algorithms for diffraction tomography.

PubMed

Pan, X; Anastasio, M A

1999-12-01

The filtered backpropagation (FBPP) algorithm, originally developed by Devaney [Ultrason. Imaging 4, 336 (1982)], has been widely used for reconstructing images in diffraction tomography. It is generally known that the FBPP algorithm requires scattered data from a full angular range of 2 pi for exact reconstruction of a generally complex-valued object function. However, we reveal that one needs scattered data only over the angular range 0 < or = phi < or = 3 pi/2 for exact reconstruction of a generally complex-valued object function. Using this insight, we develop and analyze a family of minimal-scan filtered backpropagation (MS-FBPP) algorithms, which, unlike the FBPP algorithm, use scattered data acquired from view angles over the range 0 < or = phi < or = 3 pi/2. We show analytically that these MS-FBPP algorithms are mathematically identical to the FBPP algorithm. We also perform computer simulation studies for validation, demonstration, and comparison of these MS-FBPP algorithms. The numerical results in these simulation studies corroborate our theoretical assertions.

All-atomistic molecular dynamics (AA-MD) studies and pharmacokinetic performance of PAMAM-dendrimer-furosemide delivery systems.

PubMed

Otto, Daniel P; de Villiers, Melgardt M

2018-06-13

Improvement of problematic dissolution and solubility properties of a model drug, furosemide, was investigated for poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer complexes of the drug. Full and half generation dendrimers with amino and ester terminals respectively, were studied. In vitro release performance of these complexes was investigated at drug loads ranging 5-60% using simulated gastric fluids. Full generation dendrimers accommodated higher drug loads, outperformed half-generation complexes, and free drug. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats indicated that the dendrimer complexes markedly improved in the bioavailability of the drug compared to the unformulated drug. The G3.0-PAMAM dendrimer complex showed a two-fold increase in C max and a 1.75-fold increase in AUC over the free drug. Additionally, T max was shortened from approximately 25 to 20 min. One of the first all-atomistic molecular dynamics (AA-MD) simulation studies was performed to evaluate low-generation dendrimer-drug complexes as well as its pharmacokinetic performance. AA-MD provided insight into the intermolecular interactions that take place between the dendrimer and drug. It is suggested that the dendrimer not only encapsulates the drug, but can also orientate the drug in stabilized dispersion to prevent drug clustering which could impact release and bioavailability negatively. AA-MD can be a useful tool to develop dendrimer-based drug delivery systems. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

High-performance execution of psychophysical tasks with complex visual stimuli in MATLAB

PubMed Central

Asaad, Wael F.; Santhanam, Navaneethan; McClellan, Steven

2013-01-01

Behavioral, psychological, and physiological experiments often require the ability to present sensory stimuli, monitor and record subjects' responses, interface with a wide range of devices, and precisely control the timing of events within a behavioral task. Here, we describe our recent progress developing an accessible and full-featured software system for controlling such studies using the MATLAB environment. Compared with earlier reports on this software, key new features have been implemented to allow the presentation of more complex visual stimuli, increase temporal precision, and enhance user interaction. These features greatly improve the performance of the system and broaden its applicability to a wider range of possible experiments. This report describes these new features and improvements, current limitations, and quantifies the performance of the system in a real-world experimental setting. PMID:23034363

Research at NASA's NFAC wind tunnels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edenborough, H. Kipling

1990-01-01

The National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) is a unique combination of wind tunnels that allow the testing of aerodynamic and dynamic models at full or large scale. It can even accommodate actual aircraft with their engines running. Maintaining full-scale Reynolds numbers and testing with surface irregularities, protuberances, and control surface gaps that either closely match the full-scale or indeed are those of the full-scale aircraft help produce test data that accurately predict what can be expected from future flight investigations. This complex has grown from the venerable 40- by 80-ft wind tunnel that has served for over 40 years helping researchers obtain data to better understand the aerodynamics of a wide range of aircraft from helicopters to the space shuttle. A recent modification to the tunnel expanded its maximum speed capabilities, added a new 80- by 120-ft test section and provided extensive acoustic treatment. The modification is certain to make the NFAC an even more useful facility for NASA's ongoing research activities. A brief background is presented on the original facility and the kind of testing that has been accomplished using it through the years. A summary of the modification project and the measured capabilities of the two test sections is followed by a review of recent testing activities and of research projected for the future.

Improved linearity using harmonic error rejection in a full-field range imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payne, Andrew D.; Dorrington, Adrian A.; Cree, Michael J.; Carnegie, Dale A.

2008-02-01

Full field range imaging cameras are used to simultaneously measure the distance for every pixel in a given scene using an intensity modulated illumination source and a gain modulated receiver array. The light is reflected from an object in the scene, and the modulation envelope experiences a phase shift proportional to the target distance. Ideally the waveforms are sinusoidal, allowing the phase, and hence object range, to be determined from four measurements using an arctangent function. In practice these waveforms are often not perfectly sinusoidal, and in some cases square waveforms are instead used to simplify the electronic drive requirements. The waveforms therefore commonly contain odd harmonics which contribute a nonlinear error to the phase determination, and therefore an error in the range measurement. We have developed a unique sampling method to cancel the effect of these harmonics, with the results showing an order of magnitude improvement in the measurement linearity without the need for calibration or lookup tables, while the acquisition time remains unchanged. The technique can be applied to existing range imaging systems without having to change or modify the complex illumination or sensor systems, instead only requiring a change to the signal generation and timing electronics.

Virtual Design of a Controller for a Hydraulic Cam Phasing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Markus; Ulbrich, Heinz

2010-09-01

Hydraulic vane cam phasing systems are nowadays widely used for improving the performance of combustion engines. At stationary operation, these systems should achieve a constant phasing angle, which however is badly disturbed by the alternating torque generated by the valve actuation. As the hydraulic system shows a non-linear characteristic over the full operation range and the inductivity of the hydraulic pipes generates a significant time delay, a full model based control emerges very complex. Therefore a simple feed-forward controller is designed, bridging the time delay of the hydraulic system and improving the system behaviour significantly.

Phased Acoustic Array Measurements of a 5.75 Percent Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burnside, Nathan J.; Horne, William C.; Elmer, Kevin R.; Cheng, Rui; Brusniak, Leon

2016-01-01

Detailed acoustic measurements of the noise from the leading-edge Krueger flap of a 5.75 percent Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft model were recently acquired with a traversing phased microphone array in the AEDC NFAC (Arnold Engineering Development Complex, National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex) 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. The spatial resolution of the array was sufficient to distinguish between individual support brackets over the full-scale frequency range of 100 to 2875 Hertz. For conditions representative of landing and take-off configuration, the noise from the brackets dominated other sources near the leading edge. Inclusion of flight-like brackets for select conditions highlights the importance of including the correct number of leading-edge high-lift device brackets with sufficient scale and fidelity. These measurements will support the development of new predictive models.

Persistent model order reduction for complex dynamical systems using smooth orthogonal decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilbeigi, Shahab; Chelidze, David

2017-11-01

Full-scale complex dynamic models are not effective for parametric studies due to the inherent constraints on available computational power and storage resources. A persistent reduced order model (ROM) that is robust, stable, and provides high-fidelity simulations for a relatively wide range of parameters and operating conditions can provide a solution to this problem. The fidelity of a new framework for persistent model order reduction of large and complex dynamical systems is investigated. The framework is validated using several numerical examples including a large linear system and two complex nonlinear systems with material and geometrical nonlinearities. While the framework is used for identifying the robust subspaces obtained from both proper and smooth orthogonal decompositions (POD and SOD, respectively), the results show that SOD outperforms POD in terms of stability, accuracy, and robustness.

Sensing human hand motions for controlling dexterous robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcus, Beth A.; Churchill, Philip J.; Little, Arthur D.

1988-01-01

The Dexterous Hand Master (DHM) system is designed to control dexterous robot hands such as the UTAH/MIT and Stanford/JPL hands. It is the first commercially available device which makes it possible to accurately and confortably track the complex motion of the human finger joints. The DHM is adaptable to a wide variety of human hand sizes and shapes, throughout their full range of motion.

The EZ diffusion model provides a powerful test of simple empirical effects.

PubMed

van Ravenzwaaij, Don; Donkin, Chris; Vandekerckhove, Joachim

2017-04-01

Over the last four decades, sequential accumulation models for choice response times have spread through cognitive psychology like wildfire. The most popular style of accumulator model is the diffusion model (Ratcliff Psychological Review, 85, 59-108, 1978), which has been shown to account for data from a wide range of paradigms, including perceptual discrimination, letter identification, lexical decision, recognition memory, and signal detection. Since its original inception, the model has become increasingly complex in order to account for subtle, but reliable, data patterns. The additional complexity of the diffusion model renders it a tool that is only for experts. In response, Wagenmakers et al. (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 3-22, 2007) proposed that researchers could use a more basic version of the diffusion model, the EZ diffusion. Here, we simulate experimental effects on data generated from the full diffusion model and compare the power of the full diffusion model and EZ diffusion to detect those effects. We show that the EZ diffusion model, by virtue of its relative simplicity, will be sometimes better able to detect experimental effects than the data-generating full diffusion model.

Evolution of Software-Only-Simulation at NASA IV and V

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCarty, Justin; Morris, Justin; Zemerick, Scott

2014-01-01

Software-Only-Simulations have been an emerging but quickly developing field of study throughout NASA. The NASA Independent Verification Validation (IVV) Independent Test Capability (ITC) team has been rapidly building a collection of simulators for a wide range of NASA missions. ITC specializes in full end-to-end simulations that enable developers, VV personnel, and operators to test-as-you-fly. In four years, the team has delivered a wide variety of spacecraft simulations that have ranged from low complexity science missions such as the Global Precipitation Management (GPM) satellite and the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), to the extremely complex missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Space Launch System (SLS).This paper describes the evolution of ITCs technologies and processes that have been utilized to design, implement, and deploy end-to-end simulation environments for various NASA missions. A comparison of mission simulators are discussed with focus on technology and lessons learned in complexity, hardware modeling, and continuous integration. The paper also describes the methods for executing the missions unmodified flight software binaries (not cross-compiled) for verification and validation activities.

From Rivers to Oceans and Back: Linking Models to Encompass the Full Salmon Life Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danner, E.; Hendrix, N.; Martin, B.; Lindley, S. T.

2016-02-01

Pacific salmon are a promising study subject for investigating the linkages between freshwater and coastal ocean ecosystems. Salmon use a wide range of habitats throughout their life cycle as they move with water from mountain streams, mainstem rivers, estuaries, bays, and coastal oceans, with adult fish swimming back through the same migration route they took as juveniles. Conditions in one habitat can have growth and survival consequences that manifest in the following habitat, so is key that full life cycle models are used to further our understanding salmon population dynamics. Given the wide range of habitats and potential stressors, this approach requires the coordination of a multidisciplinary suite of physical and biological models, including climate, hydrologic, hydraulic, food web, circulation, bioenergetic, and ecosystem models. Here we present current approaches to linking physical and biological models that capture the foundational drivers for salmon in complex and dynamic systems.

OLYMPEX Data Workshop: GPM View

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersen, W.

2017-01-01

OLYMPEX Primary Objectives: Datasets to enable: (1) Direct validation over complex terrain at multiple scales, liquid and frozen precip types, (a) Do we capture terrain and synoptic regime transitions, orographic enhancements/structure, full range of precipitation intensity (e.g., very light to heavy) and types, spatial variability? (b) How well can we estimate space/time-accumulated precipitation over terrain (liquid + frozen)? (2) Physical validation of algorithms in mid-latitude cold season frontal systems over ocean and complex terrain, (a) What are the column properties of frozen, melting, liquid hydrometeors-their relative contributions to estimated surface precipitation, transition under the influence of terrain gradients, and systematic variability as a function of synoptic regime? (3) Integrated hydrologic validation in complex terrain, (a) Can satellite estimates be combined with modeling over complex topography to drive improved products (assimilation, downscaling) [Level IV products] (b) What are capabilities and limitations for use of satellite-based precipitation estimates in stream/river flow forecasting?

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

Cols, Jean-Marie E. P.; Taylor, Cameron E.; Gagnon, Kevin J.

Here, the synthesis and full characterisation of four discrete tetrametallic titanium complexes is reported. These well-defined compounds are isostructural in the solid state and share the same general formula: Ti 4(μ-O) 2L 4 (L = 1, 2, 3 or 4). Using a combination of NMR techniques the complexes are found to be stable in solution, even at elevated temperatures. Further studies show that the carboxylate moieties of the supporting amine bis(phenolate) ligands can be displaced by a more strongly coordinating solvent. This reversible process causes the coordinatively saturated Ti 4(μ-O) 2L 4 complexes to separate into two Ti 2(μ-O)L 2more » subunits which we envisaged would be catalytically active. Proof-of-concept experiments establish that all four of these complexes display catalytic activity in the ring-opening polymerisation of rac-lactide. These aggregates can therefore be viewed as air and moisture stable pre-catalysts for a range of reactions.« less

Short-range prediction of a heavy precipitation event by assimilating Chinese CINRAD-SA radar reflectivity data using complex cloud analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, C.; Gao, S.; Xue, M.

2006-11-01

With the ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System) Data Analysis System (ADAS) and its complex cloud analysis scheme, the reflectivity data from a Chinese CINRAD-SA Doppler radar are used to analyze 3D cloud and hydrometeor fields and in-cloud temperature and moisture. Forecast experiments starting from such initial conditions are performed for a northern China heavy rainfall event to examine the impact of the reflectivity data and other conventional observations on short-range precipitation forecast. The full 3D cloud analysis mitigates the commonly known spin-up problem with precipitation forecast, resulting a significant improvement in precipitation forecast in the first 4 to 5 hours. In such a case, the position, timing and amount of precipitation are all accurately predicted. When the cloud analysis is used without in-cloud temperature adjustment, only the forecast of light precipitation within the first hour is improved. Additional analysis of surface and upper-air observations on the native ARPS grid, using the 1 degree real-time NCEP AVN analysis as the background, helps improve the location and intensity of rainfall forecasting slightly. Hourly accumulated rainfall estimated from radar reflectivity data is found to be less accurate than the model predicted precipitation when full cloud analysis is used.

A modified impulse-response representation of the global near-surface air temperature and atmospheric concentration response to carbon dioxide emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millar, Richard J.; Nicholls, Zebedee R.; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Allen, Myles R.

2017-06-01

Projections of the response to anthropogenic emission scenarios, evaluation of some greenhouse gas metrics, and estimates of the social cost of carbon often require a simple model that links emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to atmospheric concentrations and global temperature changes. An essential requirement of such a model is to reproduce typical global surface temperature and atmospheric CO2 responses displayed by more complex Earth system models (ESMs) under a range of emission scenarios, as well as an ability to sample the range of ESM response in a transparent, accessible and reproducible form. Here we adapt the simple model of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5th Assessment Report (IPCC AR5) to explicitly represent the state dependence of the CO2 airborne fraction. Our adapted model (FAIR) reproduces the range of behaviour shown in full and intermediate complexity ESMs under several idealised carbon pulse and exponential concentration increase experiments. We find that the inclusion of a linear increase in 100-year integrated airborne fraction with cumulative carbon uptake and global temperature change substantially improves the representation of the response of the climate system to CO2 on a range of timescales and under a range of experimental designs.

Functional and radiological evaluations of high-energy tibial plateau fractures treated with double-buttress plate fixation.

PubMed

Yu, Z; Zheng, L; Zhang, Y; Li, J; Ma, Bao'an

2009-05-14

This study was designed to evaluate the functional and radiological outcomes of patients with complex tibial plateau fractures treated with double-buttress plate fixation. Sixty five cases of complex (Schatzker type V and VI) tibial plateau fractures were treated with double-buttress plate fixation in our centre from September 2001 to September 2006 through two separate plate incisions. Fifty four patients were followed up for a period ranging from 12 to 48 months and evaluated for the functional and radiological outcomes by a series of standard questionnaire and measurement. Due to the good exposure without any extensive soft-tissue dissection of the double-buttress plate fixation, the fractures in all 54 patients were healed and the treatment achieved greater than 90% of satisfactory-to-excellent rates of reduction. The mean time of bone union was 15.4 weeks (range, 12-30 weeks), and the mean time of full weight-bearing was 18.7 weeks (range, 14-26 weeks). At the final follow-up visit, no patients showed knee instability; the mean range of motion was 107.6 degrees (range, 85 degrees -130 degrees ). For all patients, no statistically significant difference in the functional outcomes was observed between their 6-months and final follow-up visits; or in the radiological findings between their immediate postoperative and final follow-up examinations. Double-buttress plate fixation is a feasible treatment option for bilcondylar and complex tibial plateau fractures. Although technically demanding, it offers reliable stability without additional postoperative adjuvant external fixation, and at the same time avoids extensive soft tissue dissection, allowing the early painless range of motion.

Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) mission control Blue room

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-12-05

Mission control Blue Room, seen here, in building 4800 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, is part of the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR). All aspects of a research mission are monitored from one of two of these control rooms at Dryden. The WATR consists of a highly automated complex of computer controlled tracking, telemetry, and communications systems and control room complexes that are capable of supporting any type of mission ranging from system and component testing, to sub-scale and full-scale flight tests of new aircraft and reentry systems. Designated areas are assigned for spin/dive tests, corridors are provided for low, medium, and high-altitude supersonic flight, and special STOL/VSTOL facilities are available at Ames Moffett and Crows Landing. Special use airspace, available at Edwards, covers approximately twelve thousand square miles of mostly desert area. The southern boundary lies to the south of Rogers Dry Lake, the western boundary lies midway between Mojave and Bakersfield, the northern boundary passes just south of Bishop, and the eastern boundary follows about 25 miles west of the Nevada border except in the northern areas where it crosses into Nevada.

Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) mission control Gold room

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Mission control Gold room is seen here, located at the Dryden Flight Research Center of the Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR). All aspects of a research mission are monitored from one of two of these control rooms at Dryden. The WATR consists of a highly automated complex of computer controlled tracking, telemetry, and communications systems and control room complexes that are capable of supporting any type of mission ranging from system and component testing, to sub-scale and full-scale flight tests of new aircraft and reentry systems. Designated areas are assigned for spin/dive tests, corridors are provided for low, medium, and high-altitude supersonic flight, and special STOL/VSTOL facilities are available at Ames Moffett and Crows Landing. Special use airspace, available at Edwards, covers approximately twelve thousand square miles of mostly desert area. The southern boundary lies to the south of Rogers Dry Lake, the western boundary lies midway between Mojave and Bakersfield, the northern boundary passes just south of Bishop, and the eastern boundary follows about 25 miles west of the Nevada border except in the northern areas where it crosses into Nevada.

Global Analysis of Yeast Endosomal Transport Identifies the Vps55/68 Sorting Complex

PubMed Central

Schluter, Cayetana; Lam, Karen K.Y.; Brumm, Jochen; Wu, Bella W.; Saunders, Matthew; Stevens, Tom H.

2008-01-01

Endosomal transport is critical for cellular processes ranging from receptor down-regulation and retroviral budding to the immune response. A full understanding of endosome sorting requires a comprehensive picture of the multiprotein complexes that orchestrate vesicle formation and fusion. Here, we use unsupervised, large-scale phenotypic analysis and a novel computational approach for the global identification of endosomal transport factors. This technique effectively identifies components of known and novel protein assemblies. We report the characterization of a previously undescribed endosome sorting complex that contains two well-conserved proteins with four predicted membrane-spanning domains. Vps55p and Vps68p form a complex that acts with or downstream of ESCRT function to regulate endosomal trafficking. Loss of Vps68p disrupts recycling to the TGN as well as onward trafficking to the vacuole without preventing the formation of lumenal vesicles within the MVB. Our results suggest the Vps55/68 complex mediates a novel, conserved step in the endosomal maturation process. PMID:18216282

Tuberous Sclerosis Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND) and the TAND Checklist

PubMed Central

de Vries, Petrus J.; Whittemore, Vicky H.; Leclezio, Loren; Byars, Anna W.; Dunn, David; Ess, Kevin C.; Hook, Dena; King, Bryan H.; Sahin, Mustafa; Jansen, Anna

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Tuberous sclerosis complex is a multisystem genetic disorder with a range of physical manifestations that require evaluation, surveillance, and management. Individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex also have a range of behavioral, psychiatric, intellectual, academic, neuropsychologic, and psychosocial difficulties. These may represent the greatest burden of the disease. Around 90% of individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex will have some of these difficulties during their lifetime, yet only about 20% ever receive evaluation and treatment. The Neuropsychiatry Panel at the 2012 Tuberous Sclerosis Complex International Consensus Conference expressed concern about the significant “treatment gap” and about confusion regarding terminology relating to the biopsychosocial difficulties associated with tuberous sclerosis complex. METHODS The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Neuropsychiatry Panel coined the term TAND—tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders—to bring together these multidimensional manifestations of the disorder, and recommended annual screening for TAND. In addition, the Panel agreed to develop a TAND Checklist as a guide for screening. RESULTS Here, we present an outline of the conceptualization of TAND, rationale for the structure of the TAND Checklist, and include the full US English version of the TAND Checklist. CONCLUSION We hope that the unified term TAND and the TAND Checklist will raise awareness of the importance of tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders and of the major burden of disease associated with it, provide a shared language and a simple tool to describe and evaluate the different levels of TAND, alert clinical teams and families or individuals of the importance of screening, assessment, and treatment of TAND, and provide a shared framework for future studies of tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:25532776

Tuberous sclerosis associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND) and the TAND Checklist.

PubMed

de Vries, Petrus J; Whittemore, Vicky H; Leclezio, Loren; Byars, Anna W; Dunn, David; Ess, Kevin C; Hook, Dena; King, Bryan H; Sahin, Mustafa; Jansen, Anna

2015-01-01

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a multisystem genetic disorder with a range of physical manifestations that require evaluation, surveillance, and management. Individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex also have a range of behavioral, psychiatric, intellectual, academic, neuropsychologic, and psychosocial difficulties. These may represent the greatest burden of the disease. Around 90% of individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex will have some of these difficulties during their lifetime, yet only about 20% ever receive evaluation and treatment. The Neuropsychiatry Panel at the 2012 Tuberous Sclerosis Complex International Consensus Conference expressed concern about the significant "treatment gap" and about confusion regarding terminology relating to the biopsychosocial difficulties associated with tuberous sclerosis complex. The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Neuropsychiatry Panel coined the term TAND-tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders-to bring together these multidimensional manifestations of the disorder, and recommended annual screening for TAND. In addition, the Panel agreed to develop a TAND Checklist as a guide for screening. Here, we present an outline of the conceptualization of TAND, rationale for the structure of the TAND Checklist, and include the full US English version of the TAND Checklist. We hope that the unified term TAND and the TAND Checklist will raise awareness of the importance of tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders and of the major burden of disease associated with it, provide a shared language and a simple tool to describe and evaluate the different levels of TAND, alert clinical teams and families or individuals of the importance of screening, assessment, and treatment of TAND, and provide a shared framework for future studies of tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Creating a curriculum for the 21st century.

PubMed

Mohr, W K; Naylor, M D

1998-01-01

The curriculum that was described in this article reflects our school's broad and bold definition of what constitutes knowledge in nursing. It also represents the faculty's dedication to a creative approach to education and practice, as well as a commitment to change in an age of change. It portrays a desire to design education that would develop the full range of human potential, the full potential of the university, and incorporate the full range of approaches to human problems. Our current changing practice environment underscores the challenges and complexities facing faculties and student nurses in pursuit of relevant and useful theoretic and clinical content. In addition, those of us who have practiced in the psychiatric field know that the care of clients with psychiatric problems requires heterogeneous approaches to treatment that vary with respect to type, frequency, severity, and chronicity of their conditions. We know that the impact of certain conditions is linked to age and developmental status, and we know that the effects of deviations from health are mediated by numerous features of ecology, including poverty, job and family instability, parental stress, social isolation, and community violence. As a result, nursing interventions and their outcomes no longer can be viewed in terms of simple cause and effect relationships; nor can they be thought of as occurring in the familiar settings of hospitals or institutions. For better or worse, those facilities have closed. This reality and the enormous complexities of human science speak to the multidimensional factors involved in the construction of new and different models of teaching and learning within a comprehensive conceptual framework to guide both learning and practice.

Lattice Boltzmann approach for complex nonequilibrium flows.

PubMed

Montessori, A; Prestininzi, P; La Rocca, M; Succi, S

2015-10-01

We present a lattice Boltzmann realization of Grad's extended hydrodynamic approach to nonequilibrium flows. This is achieved by using higher-order isotropic lattices coupled with a higher-order regularization procedure. The method is assessed for flow across parallel plates and three-dimensional flows in porous media, showing excellent agreement of the mass flow with analytical and numerical solutions of the Boltzmann equation across the full range of Knudsen numbers, from the hydrodynamic regime to ballistic motion.

Gerstmann-Straüssler-Scheinker disease: novel PRNP mutation and VGKC-complex antibodies.

PubMed

Jones, Matthew; Odunsi, Sola; du Plessis, Daniel; Vincent, Angela; Bishop, Matthew; Head, Mark W; Ironside, James W; Gow, David

2014-06-10

To describe a unique case of Gerstmann-Straüssler-Scheinker (GSS) disease caused by a novel prion protein (PRNP) gene mutation and associated with strongly positive voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies (Abs). Clinical data were gathered from retrospective review of the case notes. Postmortem neuropathologic examination was performed, and DNA was extracted from frozen brain tissue for full sequence analysis of the PRNP gene. The patient was diagnosed in life with VGKC-complex Ab-associated encephalitis based on strongly positive VGKC-complex Ab titers but no detectable LGI1 or CASPR2 Abs. He died despite 1 year of aggressive immunosuppressive treatment. The neuropathologic diagnosis was GSS disease, and a novel mutation, P84S, in the PRNP gene was found. VGKC-complex Abs are described in an increasingly broad range of clinical syndromes, including progressive encephalopathies, and may be amenable to treatment with immunosuppression. However, the failure to respond to aggressive immunotherapy warns against VGKC-complex Abs being pathogenic, and their presence does not preclude the possibility of prion disease. © 2014 American Academy of Neurology.

Rebalancing Pacific Fleet: Operationalize U.S. Third Fleet and Move It into the Indo-Asia-Pacific in Support of the Defense Strategic Guidance

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-20

territorial and resource disputes, violent extremism, natural disasters , proliferation, illicit trafficking and more. This complex security...killed by natural disasters annually. Those figures represent 90% and 65% of the world totals, respectively.” 32 The benefits of having two operational...demand …We train to a 5 full range of missions, from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, to maritime security operations, to amphibious

Method and apparatus for producing composites of materials exhibiting thermoplastic properties

DOEpatents

Garvey, Raymond E.; Grostick, Edmund T.

1992-01-01

A mobile device for the complete consolidation of layers of material which exhibit thermoplastic properties for the formation of a composite of the layers upon a complex contoured substrate. The principal of the device is to provide heating into the molten temperature range of the thermoplastic material, applying sufficient pressure to the layers to cause flow of the plastic for a time sufficient to achieve full consolidation of the layers, and quickly cooling the structure to prevent delamination or other non-consolidation action. In the preferred form, there is an element to deposit a layer of the mateiral against another layer in close proximity. The two layers are pre-heated to near the melting temperature, and then further heated into the melting temperature range as they are brought into intimate contact with sufficient pressure to cause flow of the plastic for a time sufficient to achieve the full consolidation. The structure is then cooled. The mechanism for the application of pressure is selected such that the layers can be deformed to conform to a complex contour. In the preferred form, this pressurization is produced using a compliant hood that supplies both the pressure and at least a portion of the melting temperature, as well as the cooling. The apparatus, and method of operation, are described relative to the use of fiber-reinforced PEEK in the making of fully-consolidated composites. Other applications are discussed.

Extension of optical lithography by mask-litho integration with computational lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takigawa, T.; Gronlund, K.; Wiley, J.

2010-05-01

Wafer lithography process windows can be enlarged by using source mask co-optimization (SMO). Recently, SMO including freeform wafer scanner illumination sources has been developed. Freeform sources are generated by a programmable illumination system using a micro-mirror array or by custom Diffractive Optical Elements (DOE). The combination of freeform sources and complex masks generated by SMO show increased wafer lithography process window and reduced MEEF. Full-chip mask optimization using source optimized by SMO can generate complex masks with small variable feature size sub-resolution assist features (SRAF). These complex masks create challenges for accurate mask pattern writing and low false-defect inspection. The accuracy of the small variable-sized mask SRAF patterns is degraded by short range mask process proximity effects. To address the accuracy needed for these complex masks, we developed a highly accurate mask process correction (MPC) capability. It is also difficult to achieve low false-defect inspections of complex masks with conventional mask defect inspection systems. A printability check system, Mask Lithography Manufacturability Check (M-LMC), is developed and integrated with 199-nm high NA inspection system, NPI. M-LMC successfully identifies printable defects from all of the masses of raw defect images collected during the inspection of a complex mask. Long range mask CD uniformity errors are compensated by scanner dose control. A mask CD uniformity error map obtained by mask metrology system is used as input data to the scanner. Using this method, wafer CD uniformity is improved. As reviewed above, mask-litho integration technology with computational lithography is becoming increasingly important.

Progress on the development of FullWave, a Hot and Cold Plasma Parallel Full Wave Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, J. Andrew; Svidzinski, Vladimir; Zhao, Liangji; Kim, Jin-Soo

2017-10-01

FullWave is being developed at FAR-TECH, Inc. to simulate RF waves in hot inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas without making small orbit approximations. FullWave is based on a meshless formulation in configuration space on non-uniform clouds of computational points (CCP) adapted to better resolve plasma resonances, antenna structures and complex boundaries. The linear frequency domain wave equation is formulated using two approaches: for cold plasmas the local cold plasma dielectric tensor is used (resolving resonances by particle collisions), while for hot plasmas the conductivity kernel is calculated. The details of FullWave and some preliminary results will be presented, including: 1) a monitor function based on analytic solutions of the cold-plasma dispersion relation; 2) an adaptive CCP based on the monitor function; 3) construction of the finite differences for approximation of derivatives on adaptive CCP; 4) results of 2-D full wave simulations in the cold plasma model in tokamak geometry using the formulated approach for ECRH, ICRH and Lower Hybrid range of frequencies. Work is supported by the U.S. DOE SBIR program.

Applicability study of classical and contemporary models for effective complex permittivity of metal powders.

PubMed

Kiley, Erin M; Yakovlev, Vadim V; Ishizaki, Kotaro; Vaucher, Sebastien

2012-01-01

Microwave thermal processing of metal powders has recently been a topic of a substantial interest; however, experimental data on the physical properties of mixtures involving metal particles are often unavailable. In this paper, we perform a systematic analysis of classical and contemporary models of complex permittivity of mixtures and discuss the use of these models for determining effective permittivity of dielectric matrices with metal inclusions. Results from various mixture and core-shell mixture models are compared to experimental data for a titanium/stearic acid mixture and a boron nitride/graphite mixture (both obtained through the original measurements), and for a tungsten/Teflon mixture (from literature). We find that for certain experiments, the average error in determining the effective complex permittivity using Lichtenecker's, Maxwell Garnett's, Bruggeman's, Buchelnikov's, and Ignatenko's models is about 10%. This suggests that, for multiphysics computer models describing the processing of metal powder in the full temperature range, input data on effective complex permittivity obtained from direct measurement has, up to now, no substitute.

Well-defined Ti 4 pre-catalysts for the ring-opening polymerisation of lactide

DOE PAGES

Cols, Jean-Marie E. P.; Taylor, Cameron E.; Gagnon, Kevin J.; ...

2016-10-17

Here, the synthesis and full characterisation of four discrete tetrametallic titanium complexes is reported. These well-defined compounds are isostructural in the solid state and share the same general formula: Ti 4(μ-O) 2L 4 (L = 1, 2, 3 or 4). Using a combination of NMR techniques the complexes are found to be stable in solution, even at elevated temperatures. Further studies show that the carboxylate moieties of the supporting amine bis(phenolate) ligands can be displaced by a more strongly coordinating solvent. This reversible process causes the coordinatively saturated Ti 4(μ-O) 2L 4 complexes to separate into two Ti 2(μ-O)L 2more » subunits which we envisaged would be catalytically active. Proof-of-concept experiments establish that all four of these complexes display catalytic activity in the ring-opening polymerisation of rac-lactide. These aggregates can therefore be viewed as air and moisture stable pre-catalysts for a range of reactions.« less

Gerstmann-Straüssler-Scheinker disease

PubMed Central

Jones, Matthew; Odunsi, Sola; du Plessis, Daniel; Vincent, Angela; Bishop, Matthew; Head, Mark W.; Ironside, James W.

2014-01-01

Objective: To describe a unique case of Gerstmann-Straüssler-Scheinker (GSS) disease caused by a novel prion protein (PRNP) gene mutation and associated with strongly positive voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies (Abs). Methods: Clinical data were gathered from retrospective review of the case notes. Postmortem neuropathologic examination was performed, and DNA was extracted from frozen brain tissue for full sequence analysis of the PRNP gene. Results: The patient was diagnosed in life with VGKC-complex Ab–associated encephalitis based on strongly positive VGKC-complex Ab titers but no detectable LGI1 or CASPR2 Abs. He died despite 1 year of aggressive immunosuppressive treatment. The neuropathologic diagnosis was GSS disease, and a novel mutation, P84S, in the PRNP gene was found. Conclusion: VGKC-complex Abs are described in an increasingly broad range of clinical syndromes, including progressive encephalopathies, and may be amenable to treatment with immunosuppression. However, the failure to respond to aggressive immunotherapy warns against VGKC-complex Abs being pathogenic, and their presence does not preclude the possibility of prion disease. PMID:24814844

A Review of Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy: Injury and Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Raducha, Jeremy E; Cohen, Brian; Blood, Travis; Katarincic, Julia

2017-11-01

Brachial plexus injuries during the birthing process can leave infants with upper extremity deficits corresponding to the location of the lesion within the complex plexus anatomy. Manifestations can range from mild injuries with complete resolution to severe and permanent disability. Overall, patients have a high rate of spontaneous recovery (66-92%).1,2 Initially, all lesions are managed with passive range motion and observation. Prevention and/or correction of contractures with occupational therapy and serial splinting/casting along with encouraging normal development are the main goals of non-operative treatment. Surgical intervention may be war- ranted, depending on functional recovery. [Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2017-11.asp].

Loss of Military Performance due to Individual NBC Protection in a Tropic Environment (belasting en prestatieverlies door individuele nbc-beschermin gin de tropen)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

SMP) 1 Trg Area 1330-1430 SMP 2 Trg Area 16 nov 0800-0900 SMP 3 Trg Area 0930-1200 Offensive Fire - LIVE FIRE Range 1 Range Complex 1300-1530 Command...Control Evaluation (C2) 1 Range Complex 1600-1700 SMP 4 Trg Area 17 nov 0930-1200 Defensive Fire - LIVE FIRE Range 2 Range Complex 1300-1530 Command...Control Evaluation (C2) 2 Range Complex 18 nov 0800-0900 SMP 5 Trg Area 0930-1200 Offensive Fire - LIVE FIRE Range 2 Range Complex 1300-1530

Transfer of skill engendered by complex task training under conditions of variable priority.

PubMed

Boot, Walter R; Basak, Chandramallika; Erickson, Kirk I; Neider, Mark; Simons, Daniel J; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Voss, Michelle W; Prakash, Ruchika; Lee, HyunKyu; Low, Kathy A; Kramer, Arthur F

2010-11-01

We explored the theoretical underpinnings of a commonly used training strategy by examining issues of training and transfer of skill in the context of a complex video game (Space Fortress, Donchin, 1989). Participants trained using one of two training regimens: Full Emphasis Training (FET) or Variable Priority Training (VPT). Transfer of training was assessed with a large battery of cognitive and psychomotor tasks ranging from basic laboratory paradigms measuring reasoning, memory, and attention to complex real-world simulations. Consistent with previous studies, VPT accelerated learning and maximized task mastery. However, the hypothesis that VPT would result in broader transfer of training received limited support. Rather, transfer was most evident in tasks that were most similar to the Space Fortress game itself. Results are discussed in terms of potential limitations of the VPT approach. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-harmonic complex spectral-domain optical coherence tomography using achromatic sinusoidal phase modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Sheng-Hua; Huang, Siang-Ru; Chou, Che-Chung

2018-03-01

We resolve the complex conjugate ambiguity in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) by using achromatic two-harmonic method. Unlike previous researches, the optical phase of the fiber interferometer is modulated by an achromatic phase shifter based on an optical delay line. The achromatic phase modulation leads to a wavelength-independent scaling coefficient for the two harmonics. Dividing the mean absolute value of the first harmonic by that of the second harmonic in a B-scan interferogram directly gives the scaling coefficient. It greatly simplifies the determination of the magnitude ratio between the two harmonics without the need of third harmonic and cumbersome iterative calculations. The inverse fast Fourier transform of the complex-valued interferogram constructed with the scaling coefficient, first and second harmonics yields a full-range OCT image. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed achromatic two-harmonic technique for suppressing the mirror artifacts in SD-OCT images.

Recent Advancements towards Full-System Microfluidics

PubMed Central

Miled, Amine

2017-01-01

Microfluidics is quickly becoming a key technology in an expanding range of fields, such as medical sciences, biosensing, bioactuation, chemical synthesis, and more. This is helping its transformation from a promising R&D tool to commercially viable technology. Fuelling this expansion is the intensified focus on automation and enhanced functionality through integration of complex electrical control, mechanical properties, in situ sensing and flow control. Here we highlight recent contributions to the Sensors Special Issue series called “Microfluidics-Based Microsystem Integration Research” under the following categories: (i) Device fabrication to support complex functionality; (ii) New methods for flow control and mixing; (iii) Towards routine analysis and point of care applications; (iv) In situ characterization; and (v) Plug and play microfluidics. PMID:28757587

Interpreting Musculoskeletal Models and Dynamic Simulations: Causes and Effects of Differences Between Models.

PubMed

Roelker, Sarah A; Caruthers, Elena J; Baker, Rachel K; Pelz, Nicholas C; Chaudhari, Ajit M W; Siston, Robert A

2017-11-01

With more than 29,000 OpenSim users, several musculoskeletal models with varying levels of complexity are available to study human gait. However, how different model parameters affect estimated joint and muscle function between models is not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of four OpenSim models (Gait2392, Lower Limb Model 2010, Full-Body OpenSim Model, and Full Body Model 2016) on gait mechanics and estimates of muscle forces and activations. Using OpenSim 3.1 and the same experimental data for all models, six young adults were scaled in each model, gait kinematics were reproduced, and static optimization estimated muscle function. Simulated measures differed between models by up to 6.5° knee range of motion, 0.012 Nm/Nm peak knee flexion moment, 0.49 peak rectus femoris activation, and 462 N peak rectus femoris force. Differences in coordinate system definitions between models altered joint kinematics, influencing joint moments. Muscle parameter and joint moment discrepancies altered muscle activations and forces. Additional model complexity yielded greater error between experimental and simulated measures; therefore, this study suggests Gait2392 is a sufficient model for studying walking in healthy young adults. Future research is needed to determine which model(s) is best for tasks with more complex motion.

A multi-species exchange model for fully fluctuating polymer field theory simulations.

PubMed

Düchs, Dominik; Delaney, Kris T; Fredrickson, Glenn H

2014-11-07

Field-theoretic models have been used extensively to study the phase behavior of inhomogeneous polymer melts and solutions, both in self-consistent mean-field calculations and in numerical simulations of the full theory capturing composition fluctuations. The models commonly used can be grouped into two categories, namely, species models and exchange models. Species models involve integrations of functionals that explicitly depend on fields originating both from species density operators and their conjugate chemical potential fields. In contrast, exchange models retain only linear combinations of the chemical potential fields. In the two-component case, development of exchange models has been instrumental in enabling stable complex Langevin (CL) simulations of the full complex-valued theory. No comparable stable CL approach has yet been established for field theories of the species type. Here, we introduce an extension of the exchange model to an arbitrary number of components, namely, the multi-species exchange (MSE) model, which greatly expands the classes of soft material systems that can be accessed by the complex Langevin simulation technique. We demonstrate the stability and accuracy of the MSE-CL sampling approach using numerical simulations of triblock and tetrablock terpolymer melts, and tetrablock quaterpolymer melts. This method should enable studies of a wide range of fluctuation phenomena in multiblock/multi-species polymer blends and composites.

Anatomically correct visualization of the human upper airway using a high-speed long range optical coherence tomography system with an integrated positioning sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Joseph C.; Chou, Lidek; Su, Erica; Wong, Brian J. F.; Chen, Zhongping

2016-12-01

The upper airway is a complex tissue structure that is prone to collapse. Current methods for studying airway obstruction are inadequate in safety, cost, or availability, such as CT or MRI, or only provide localized qualitative information such as flexible endoscopy. Long range optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been used to visualize the human airway in vivo, however the limited imaging range has prevented full delineation of the various shapes and sizes of the lumen. We present a new long range OCT system that integrates high speed imaging with a real-time position tracker to allow for the acquisition of an accurate 3D anatomical structure in vivo. The new system can achieve an imaging range of 30 mm at a frame rate of 200 Hz. The system is capable of generating a rapid and complete visualization and quantification of the airway, which can then be used in computational simulations to determine obstruction sites.

Complex angular and torsional deformities (distal femoral malunions). Preoperative planning using stereolithography and surgical correction with locking plate fixation in four dogs.

PubMed

DeTora, Michael D; Boudrieau, Randy J

2016-09-20

To describe the surgical technique of complex distal femoral deformity correction with the aid of stereolithography apparatus (SLA) biomodels, stabilized with locking plate fixation. Full-size replica epoxy bone biomodels of the affected femurs (4 dogs/ 5 limbs) were used as templates for surgical planning. A rehearsal procedure was performed on the biomodels aided by a guide wire technique and stabilized with locking plate fixation. Surgery performed in all dogs was guided by the rehearsal procedure. All pre-contoured implants were subsequently used in the definitive surgical procedure with minimal modification. All dogs had markedly improved, with near normal functional outcomes; all but one had a mild persistent lameness at the final in-hospital follow-up examination (mean: 54.4 weeks; range: 24-113 weeks after surgery). All femurs healed without complications (mean: 34 weeks, median: 12 weeks; range: 8-12 weeks for closing osteotomies, and 26-113 weeks for opening wedge osteotomies). Long-term follow-up examination (mean: 28.6 months; range: 5-42 months) revealed all but one owner to be highly satisfied with the outcome. Complications were observed in two dogs: prolonged tibiotarsal joint decreased flexion that resolved with physical therapy. In one of these dogs, iatrogenic transection of the long digital extensor tendon was repaired, and the other had a peroneal nerve neurapraxia. Stereolithography apparatus biomodels and rehearsal surgery simplified the definitive surgical corrections of complex femoral malunions and resulted in good functional outcomes.

Three-dimensional anterior segment imaging in patients with type 1 Boston Keratoprosthesis with switchable full depth range swept source optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Poddar, Raju; Cortés, Dennis E.; Werner, John S.; Mannis, Mark J.

2013-01-01

Abstract. A high-speed (100 kHz A-scans/s) complex conjugate resolved 1 μm swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system using coherence revival of the light source is suitable for dense three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of the anterior segment. The short acquisition time helps to minimize the influence of motion artifacts. The extended depth range of the SS-OCT system allows topographic analysis of clinically relevant images of the entire depth of the anterior segment of the eye. Patients with the type 1 Boston Keratoprosthesis (KPro) require evaluation of the full anterior segment depth. Current commercially available OCT systems are not suitable for this application due to limited acquisition speed, resolution, and axial imaging range. Moreover, most commonly used research grade and some clinical OCT systems implement a commercially available SS (Axsun) that offers only 3.7 mm imaging range (in air) in its standard configuration. We describe implementation of a common swept laser with built-in k-clock to allow phase stable imaging in both low range and high range, 3.7 and 11.5 mm in air, respectively, without the need to build an external MZI k-clock. As a result, 3-D morphology of the KPro position with respect to the surrounding tissue could be investigated in vivo both at high resolution and with large depth range to achieve noninvasive and precise evaluation of success of the surgical procedure. PMID:23912759

Blade Displacement Measurements of the Full-Scale UH-60A Airloads Rotor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrows, Danny A.; Burner, Alpheus W.; Abrego, Anita I.; Olson, Lawrence E.

2011-01-01

Blade displacement measurements were acquired during a wind tunnel test of the full-scale UH-60A Airloads rotor. The test was conducted in the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at NASA Ames Research Center. Multi-camera photogrammetry was used to measure the blade displacements of the four-bladed rotor. These measurements encompass a range of test conditions that include advance ratios from 0.15 to unique slowed-rotor simulations as high as 1.0, thrust coefficient to rotor solidity ratios from 0.01 to 0.13, and rotor shaft angles from -10.0 to 8.0 degrees. The objective of these measurements is to provide a benchmark blade displacement database to be utilized in the development and validation of rotorcraft computational tools. The methodology, system development, measurement techniques, and preliminary sample blade displacement measurements are presented.

Design and Fabrication of Full Wheatstone-Bridge-Based Angular GMR Sensors.

PubMed

Yan, Shaohua; Cao, Zhiqiang; Guo, Zongxia; Zheng, Zhenyi; Cao, Anni; Qi, Yue; Leng, Qunwen; Zhao, Weisheng

2018-06-05

Since the discovery of the giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect, GMR sensors have gained much attention in last decades due to their high sensitivity, small size, and low cost. The full Wheatstone-bridge-based GMR sensor is most useful in terms of the application point of view. However, its manufacturing process is usually complex. In this paper, we present an efficient and concise approach to fabricate a full Wheatstone-bridge-based angular GMR sensor by depositing one GMR film stack, utilizing simple patterned processes, and a concise post-annealing procedure based on a special layout. The angular GMR sensor is of good linear performance and achieves a sensitivity of 0.112 mV/V/Oe at the annealing temperature of 260 °C in the magnetic field range from -50 to +50 Oe. This work provides a design and method for GMR-sensor manufacturing that is easy for implementation and suitable for mass production.

Research on simulation technology of full-path infrared tail flame tracking of photoelectric theodolite in complicated environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hai-ying; Zhang, San-xi; Liu, Biao; Yue, Peng; Weng, Ying-hui

2018-02-01

The photoelectric theodolite is an important scheme to realize the tracking, detection, quantitative measurement and performance evaluation of weapon systems in ordnance test range. With the improvement of stability requirements for target tracking in complex environment, infrared scene simulation with high sense of reality and complex interference has become an indispensable technical way to evaluate the track performance of photoelectric theodolite. And the tail flame is the most important infrared radiation source of the weapon system. The dynamic tail flame with high reality is a key element for the photoelectric theodolite infrared scene simulation and imaging tracking test. In this paper, an infrared simulation method for the full-path tracking of tail flame by photoelectric theodolite is proposed aiming at the faint boundary, irregular, multi-regulated points. In this work, real tail images are employed. Simultaneously, infrared texture conversion technology is used to generate DDS texture for a particle system map. Thus, dynamic real-time tail flame simulation results with high fidelity from the theodolite perspective can be gained in the tracking process.

Reusable, extensible, and modifiable R scripts and Kepler workflows for comprehensive single set ChIP-seq analysis.

PubMed

Cormier, Nathan; Kolisnik, Tyler; Bieda, Mark

2016-07-05

There has been an enormous expansion of use of chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) technologies. Analysis of large-scale ChIP-seq datasets involves a complex series of steps and production of several specialized graphical outputs. A number of systems have emphasized custom development of ChIP-seq pipelines. These systems are primarily based on custom programming of a single, complex pipeline or supply libraries of modules and do not produce the full range of outputs commonly produced for ChIP-seq datasets. It is desirable to have more comprehensive pipelines, in particular ones addressing common metadata tasks, such as pathway analysis, and pipelines producing standard complex graphical outputs. It is advantageous if these are highly modular systems, available as both turnkey pipelines and individual modules, that are easily comprehensible, modifiable and extensible to allow rapid alteration in response to new analysis developments in this growing area. Furthermore, it is advantageous if these pipelines allow data provenance tracking. We present a set of 20 ChIP-seq analysis software modules implemented in the Kepler workflow system; most (18/20) were also implemented as standalone, fully functional R scripts. The set consists of four full turnkey pipelines and 16 component modules. The turnkey pipelines in Kepler allow data provenance tracking. Implementation emphasized use of common R packages and widely-used external tools (e.g., MACS for peak finding), along with custom programming. This software presents comprehensive solutions and easily repurposed code blocks for ChIP-seq analysis and pipeline creation. Tasks include mapping raw reads, peakfinding via MACS, summary statistics, peak location statistics, summary plots centered on the transcription start site (TSS), gene ontology, pathway analysis, and de novo motif finding, among others. These pipelines range from those performing a single task to those performing full analyses of ChIP-seq data. The pipelines are supplied as both Kepler workflows, which allow data provenance tracking, and, in the majority of cases, as standalone R scripts. These pipelines are designed for ease of modification and repurposing.

Satellite on-board real-time SAR processor prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergeron, Alain; Doucet, Michel; Harnisch, Bernd; Suess, Martin; Marchese, Linda; Bourqui, Pascal; Desnoyers, Nicholas; Legros, Mathieu; Guillot, Ludovic; Mercier, Luc; Châteauneuf, François

2017-11-01

A Compact Real-Time Optronic SAR Processor has been successfully developed and tested up to a Technology Readiness Level of 4 (TRL4), the breadboard validation in a laboratory environment. SAR, or Synthetic Aperture Radar, is an active system allowing day and night imaging independent of the cloud coverage of the planet. The SAR raw data is a set of complex data for range and azimuth, which cannot be compressed. Specifically, for planetary missions and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems with limited communication data rates this is a clear disadvantage. SAR images are typically processed electronically applying dedicated Fourier transformations. This, however, can also be performed optically in real-time. Originally the first SAR images were optically processed. The optical Fourier processor architecture provides inherent parallel computing capabilities allowing real-time SAR data processing and thus the ability for compression and strongly reduced communication bandwidth requirements for the satellite. SAR signal return data are in general complex data. Both amplitude and phase must be combined optically in the SAR processor for each range and azimuth pixel. Amplitude and phase are generated by dedicated spatial light modulators and superimposed by an optical relay set-up. The spatial light modulators display the full complex raw data information over a two-dimensional format, one for the azimuth and one for the range. Since the entire signal history is displayed at once, the processor operates in parallel yielding real-time performances, i.e. without resulting bottleneck. Processing of both azimuth and range information is performed in a single pass. This paper focuses on the onboard capabilities of the compact optical SAR processor prototype that allows in-orbit processing of SAR images. Examples of processed ENVISAT ASAR images are presented. Various SAR processor parameters such as processing capabilities, image quality (point target analysis), weight and size are reviewed.

The Study of Cobb Angular Velocity in Cervical Spine during Dynamic Extension-Flexion.

PubMed

Ren, Dong; Hu, Zhihao; Yuan, Wen

2016-04-01

A kinematic study of cervical spine. The aim of the study was to confirm the interesting manifestation observed in the dynamic images of the cervical spine movement from full-extension to full-flexion. To further explore the fine motion of total process of cervical spine movement with the new concept of Cobb angular velocity (CAV). Traditionally range of motion (ROM) is used to describe the cervical spine movement from extension to flexion. It is performed with only end position radiographs. However, these radiographs fail to explain how the elaborate movement happens. The dynamic images of the cervical spine movement from full-extension to full-flexion of 12 asymptomatic subjects were collected. After transforming these dynamic images to static lateral radiographs, we overlapped C7 cervical vertebrae of each subject and divided the total process of cervical spine movement into five equal partitions. Finally, CAV values from C2/3 to C6/7 were measured and analyzed. A broken line graph was created based on the data of CAV values. A simple motion process was observed in C2/3 and C3/4 segments. The motion processes of C4/5 and C5/6 segments exhibited a more complex track of "N" and "W" than the other segments. The peak CAV values of C4/5 and C5/6 were significantly greater than the other segments. From C2/3 to C6/7, the peak CAV value appeared in sequence. The intervertebral movements of cervical spine did not take a uniform motion form when the cervical spine moved from full-extension to full-flexion. From C2/3 to C6/7, the peak CAV value appeared in order. The C4/5 and C5/6 segments exhibited more complex kinematic characteristics in sagittal movement. This leads to C4/5 and C5/6 more vulnerable to injury and degeneration. We had a hypothesis that there was a positive correlation between injury/degeneration and complexity of intervertebral movement in the view of CAV. N/A.

Concept for the fast modulation of light in amplitude and phase using analog tilt-mirror arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Matthias; Heber, Jörg; Janschek, Klaus

2017-02-01

The full complex, spatial modulation of light at high frame rates is essential for a variety of applications. In particular, emerging techniques applied to scattering media, such as Digital Optical Phase Conjugation and Wavefront Shaping, request challenging performance parameters. They refer to imaging tasks inside biological media, whose characteristics concerning the transmission and reflection of scattered light may change over time within milliseconds. Thus, these methods call for frame rates in the kilohertz range. Existing solutions typically over frame rate capabilities below 100 Hz, since they rely on liquid crystal spatial light modulators (SLMs). We propose a diffractive MEMS optical system for this application range. It relies on an analog, tilt-type micro mirror array (MMA) based on an established SLM technology, where the standard application is grayscale amplitude control. The new MMA system design allows the phase manipulation at high-speed as well. The article studies properties of the appropriate optical setup by simulating the propagation of the light. Relevant test patterns and sensitivity parameters of the system will be analyzed. Our results illustrate the main opportunities of the concept with particular focus on the tilt mirror technology. They indicate a promising path to realize the complex light modulation at frame rates above 1 kHz and resolutions well beyond 10,000 complex pixels.

Aligning Food Systems Policies to Advance Public Health

PubMed Central

Muller, Mark; Tagtow, Angie; Roberts, Susan L.; MacDougall, Erin

2009-01-01

The involvement of public health professionals in food and agricultural policy provides tremendous opportunities for advancing the public's health. It is particularly challenging, however, for professionals to understand and consider the numerous policy drivers that impact the food system, which range from agricultural commodity policies to local food safety ordinances. Confronted with this complexity in the food system, policy advocates often focus on narrow objectives with disregard for the larger system. This commentary contends that, in order to be most effective, public health professionals need to consider the full range of interdependent policies that affect the system. Food policy councils have proven to be an effective tool, particularly at the local and state level, for developing comprehensive food systems policies that can improve public health. PMID:23144671

Field-testing the new DECtalk PC system for medical applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grams, R. R.; Smillov, A.; Li, B.

1992-01-01

Synthesized human speech has now reached a new level of performance. With the introduction of DEC's new DECtalk PC, the small system developer will have a very powerful tool for creative design. It has been our privilege to be involved in the beta-testing of this new device and to add a medical dictionary which covers a wide range of medical terminology. With the inherent board level understanding of speech synthesis and the medical dictionary, it is now possible to provide full digital speech output for all medical files and terms. The application of these tools will cover a wide range of options for the future and allow a new dimension in dealing with the complex user interface experienced in medical practice.

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

Croft, J. F. E.; Makrides, C.; Li, M.

A fundamental question in the study of chemical reactions is how reactions proceed at a collision energy close to absolute zero. This question is no longer hypothetical: quantum degenerate gases of atoms and molecules can now be created at temperatures lower than a few tens of nanokelvin. Here we consider the benchmark ultracold reaction between, the most-celebrated ultracold molecule, KRb and K. We map out an accurate ab initio ground-state potential energy surface of the K 2Rb complex in full dimensionality and report numerically-exact quantum-mechanical reaction dynamics. The distribution of rotationally resolved rates is shown to be Poissonian. An analysismore » of the hyperspherical adiabatic potential curves explains this statistical character revealing a chaotic distribution for the short-range collision complex that plays a key role in governing the reaction outcome.« less

Tailored Codes for Small Quantum Memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Alan; Granade, Christopher; Bartlett, Stephen D.; Flammia, Steven T.

2017-12-01

We demonstrate that small quantum memories, realized via quantum error correction in multiqubit devices, can benefit substantially by choosing a quantum code that is tailored to the relevant error model of the system. For a biased noise model, with independent bit and phase flips occurring at different rates, we show that a single code greatly outperforms the well-studied Steane code across the full range of parameters of the noise model, including for unbiased noise. In fact, this tailored code performs almost optimally when compared with 10 000 randomly selected stabilizer codes of comparable experimental complexity. Tailored codes can even outperform the Steane code with realistic experimental noise, and without any increase in the experimental complexity, as we demonstrate by comparison in the observed error model in a recent seven-qubit trapped ion experiment.

Dynamical Behaviors in Complex-Valued Love Model With or Without Time Delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Wei; Liao, Xiaofeng; Dong, Tao

2017-12-01

In this paper, a novel version of nonlinear model, i.e. a complex-valued love model with two time delays between two individuals in a love affair, has been proposed. A notable feature in this model is that we separate the emotion of one individual into real and imaginary parts to represent the variation and complexity of psychophysiological emotion in romantic relationship instead of just real domain, and make our model much closer to reality. This is because love is a complicated cognitive and social phenomenon, full of complexity, diversity and unpredictability, which refers to the coexistence of different aspects of feelings, states and attitudes ranging from joy and trust to sadness and disgust. By analyzing associated characteristic equation of linearized equations for our model, it is found that the Hopf bifurcation occurs when the sum of time delays passes through a sequence of critical value. Stability of bifurcating cyclic love dynamics is also derived by applying the normal form theory and the center manifold theorem. In addition, it is also shown that, for some appropriate chosen parameters, chaotic behaviors can appear even without time delay.

freeQuant: A Mass Spectrometry Label-Free Quantification Software Tool for Complex Proteome Analysis.

PubMed

Deng, Ning; Li, Zhenye; Pan, Chao; Duan, Huilong

2015-01-01

Study of complex proteome brings forward higher request for the quantification method using mass spectrometry technology. In this paper, we present a mass spectrometry label-free quantification tool for complex proteomes, called freeQuant, which integrated quantification with functional analysis effectively. freeQuant consists of two well-integrated modules: label-free quantification and functional analysis with biomedical knowledge. freeQuant supports label-free quantitative analysis which makes full use of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectral count, protein sequence length, shared peptides, and ion intensity. It adopts spectral count for quantitative analysis and builds a new method for shared peptides to accurately evaluate abundance of isoforms. For proteins with low abundance, MS/MS total ion count coupled with spectral count is included to ensure accurate protein quantification. Furthermore, freeQuant supports the large-scale functional annotations for complex proteomes. Mitochondrial proteomes from the mouse heart, the mouse liver, and the human heart were used to evaluate the usability and performance of freeQuant. The evaluation showed that the quantitative algorithms implemented in freeQuant can improve accuracy of quantification with better dynamic range.

Comparison of Metabolomics Approaches for Evaluating the Variability of Complex Botanical Preparations: Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) as a Case Study.

PubMed

Kellogg, Joshua J; Graf, Tyler N; Paine, Mary F; McCune, Jeannine S; Kvalheim, Olav M; Oberlies, Nicholas H; Cech, Nadja B

2017-05-26

A challenge that must be addressed when conducting studies with complex natural products is how to evaluate their complexity and variability. Traditional methods of quantifying a single or a small range of metabolites may not capture the full chemical complexity of multiple samples. Different metabolomics approaches were evaluated to discern how they facilitated comparison of the chemical composition of commercial green tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze] products, with the goal of capturing the variability of commercially used products and selecting representative products for in vitro or clinical evaluation. Three metabolomic-related methods-untargeted ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), targeted UPLC-MS, and untargeted, quantitative 1 HNMR-were employed to characterize 34 commercially available green tea samples. Of these methods, untargeted UPLC-MS was most effective at discriminating between green tea, green tea supplement, and non-green-tea products. A method using reproduced correlation coefficients calculated from principal component analysis models was developed to quantitatively compare differences among samples. The obtained results demonstrated the utility of metabolomics employing UPLC-MS data for evaluating similarities and differences between complex botanical products.

Comparison of Metabolomics Approaches for Evaluating the Variability of Complex Botanical Preparations: Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) as a Case Study

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

A challenge that must be addressed when conducting studies with complex natural products is how to evaluate their complexity and variability. Traditional methods of quantifying a single or a small range of metabolites may not capture the full chemical complexity of multiple samples. Different metabolomics approaches were evaluated to discern how they facilitated comparison of the chemical composition of commercial green tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze] products, with the goal of capturing the variability of commercially used products and selecting representative products for in vitro or clinical evaluation. Three metabolomic-related methods—untargeted ultraperformance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), targeted UPLC-MS, and untargeted, quantitative 1HNMR—were employed to characterize 34 commercially available green tea samples. Of these methods, untargeted UPLC-MS was most effective at discriminating between green tea, green tea supplement, and non-green-tea products. A method using reproduced correlation coefficients calculated from principal component analysis models was developed to quantitatively compare differences among samples. The obtained results demonstrated the utility of metabolomics employing UPLC-MS data for evaluating similarities and differences between complex botanical products. PMID:28453261

The Daily Readiness Huddle: a process to rapidly identify issues and foster improvement through problem-solving accountability.

PubMed

Donnelly, Lane F; Cherian, Shirley S; Chua, Kimberly B; Thankachan, Sam; Millecker, Laura A; Koroll, Alex G; Bisset, George S

2017-01-01

Because of the increasing complexities of providing imaging for pediatric health care services, a more reliable process to manage the daily delivery of care is necessary. Objective We describe our Daily Readiness Huddle and the effects of the process on problem identification and improvement. Our Daily Readiness Huddle has four elements: metrics review, clinical volume review, daily readiness assessment, and problem accountability. It is attended by radiologists, directors, managers, front-line staff with concerns, representatives from support services (information technology [IT] and biomedical engineering [biomed]), and representatives who join the meeting in a virtual format from off-site locations. Data are visually displayed on erasable whiteboards. The daily readiness assessment uses queues to determine whether anyone has concerns or outlier data in regard to S-MESA (Safety, Methods, Equipment, Supplies or Associates). Through this assessment, problems are identified and categorized as quick hits (will be resolved in 24-48 h, not requiring project management) and complex issues. Complex issues are assigned an owner, quality coach and report-back date. Additionally, projects are defined as improvements that are often strategic, are anticipated to take more than 60 days, and do not necessarily arise out of identified issues during the Daily Readiness Huddle. We tracked and calculated the mean, median and range of days to resolution and completion for complex issues and for projects during the first full year of implementing this process. During the first 12 months, 91 complex issues were identified and resolved, 11 projects were in progress and 33 completed, with 23 other projects active or in planning. Time to resolution of complex issues (in days) was mean 37.5, median 34.0, and range 1-105. For projects, time to completion (in days) was mean 86.0, median 84.0, and range 5-280. The Daily Readiness Huddle process has given us a framework to rapidly identify issues, bring accountability to problem-solving, and foster improvement. It has also had a positive effect on team-building and coordination.

Electron-helium S-wave model benchmark calculations. I. Single ionization and single excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, Philip L.; Stelbovics, Andris T.

2010-02-01

A full four-body implementation of the propagating exterior complex scaling (PECS) method [J. Phys. B 37, L69 (2004)] is developed and applied to the electron-impact of helium in an S-wave model. Time-independent solutions to the Schrödinger equation are found numerically in coordinate space over a wide range of energies and used to evaluate total and differential cross sections for a complete set of three- and four-body processes with benchmark precision. With this model we demonstrate the suitability of the PECS method for the complete solution of the full electron-helium system. Here we detail the theoretical and computational development of the four-body PECS method and present results for three-body channels: single excitation and single ionization. Four-body cross sections are presented in the sequel to this article [Phys. Rev. A 81, 022716 (2010)]. The calculations reveal structure in the total and energy-differential single-ionization cross sections for excited-state targets that is due to interference from autoionization channels and is evident over a wide range of incident electron energies.

Real-time processing for full-range Fourier-domain optical-coherence tomography with zero-filling interpolation using multiple graphic processing units.

PubMed

Watanabe, Yuuki; Maeno, Seiya; Aoshima, Kenji; Hasegawa, Haruyuki; Koseki, Hitoshi

2010-09-01

The real-time display of full-range, 2048?axial pixelx1024?lateral pixel, Fourier-domain optical-coherence tomography (FD-OCT) images is demonstrated. The required speed was achieved by using dual graphic processing units (GPUs) with many stream processors to realize highly parallel processing. We used a zero-filling technique, including a forward Fourier transform, a zero padding to increase the axial data-array size to 8192, an inverse-Fourier transform back to the spectral domain, a linear interpolation from wavelength to wavenumber, a lateral Hilbert transform to obtain the complex spectrum, a Fourier transform to obtain the axial profiles, and a log scaling. The data-transfer time of the frame grabber was 15.73?ms, and the processing time, which includes the data transfer between the GPU memory and the host computer, was 14.75?ms, for a total time shorter than the 36.70?ms frame-interval time using a line-scan CCD camera operated at 27.9?kHz. That is, our OCT system achieved a processed-image display rate of 27.23 frames/s.

Tailoring plasmonic nanoparticles and fractal patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosa, Lorenzo; Juodkazis, Saulius

2011-12-01

We studied new three-dimensional tailoring of nano-particles by ion-beam and electron-beam lithographies, aiming for features and nano-gaps down to 10 nm size. Electron-beam patterning is demonstrated for 2D fabrication in combination with plasmonic metal deposition and lift-off, with full control of spectral features of plasmonic nano-particles and patterns on dielectric substrates. We present wide-angle bow-tie rounded nano-antennas whose plasmonic resonances achieve strong field enhancement at engineered wavelength range, and show how the addition of fractal patterns defined by standard electron beam lithography achieve light field enhancement from visible to far-IR spectral range and scalable up towards THz band. Field enhancement is evaluated by FDTD modeling on full-3D simulation domains using complex material models, showing the modeling method capabilities and the effect of staircase approximations on field enhancement and resonance conditions, especially at metal corners, where a minimum rounding radius of 2 nm is resolved and a five-fold reduction of spurious ringing at sharp corners is obtained by the use of conformal meshing.

Star Clusters in the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallagher, J. S., III

2014-09-01

The Magellanic Clouds (MC) are prime locations for studies of star clusters covering a full range in age and mass. This contribution briefly reviews selected properties of Magellanic star clusters, by focusing first on young systems that show evidence for hierarchical star formation. The structures and chemical abundance patterns of older intermediate age star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) are a second topic. These suggest a complex history has affected the chemical enrichment in the SMC and that low tidal stresses in the SMC foster star cluster survival.

Real-time data reduction capabilities at the Langley 7 by 10 foot high speed tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, C. H., Jr.

1980-01-01

The 7 by 10 foot high speed tunnel performs a wide range of tests employing a variety of model installation methods. To support the reduction of static data from this facility, a generalized wind tunnel data reduction program had been developed for use on the Langley central computer complex. The capabilities of a version of this generalized program adapted for real time use on a dedicated on-site computer are discussed. The input specifications, instructions for the console operator, and full descriptions of the algorithms are included.

Heterogeneous fractionation profiles of meta-analytic coactivation networks.

PubMed

Laird, Angela R; Riedel, Michael C; Okoe, Mershack; Jianu, Radu; Ray, Kimberly L; Eickhoff, Simon B; Smith, Stephen M; Fox, Peter T; Sutherland, Matthew T

2017-04-01

Computational cognitive neuroimaging approaches can be leveraged to characterize the hierarchical organization of distributed, functionally specialized networks in the human brain. To this end, we performed large-scale mining across the BrainMap database of coordinate-based activation locations from over 10,000 task-based experiments. Meta-analytic coactivation networks were identified by jointly applying independent component analysis (ICA) and meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM) across a wide range of model orders (i.e., d=20-300). We then iteratively computed pairwise correlation coefficients for consecutive model orders to compare spatial network topologies, ultimately yielding fractionation profiles delineating how "parent" functional brain systems decompose into constituent "child" sub-networks. Fractionation profiles differed dramatically across canonical networks: some exhibited complex and extensive fractionation into a large number of sub-networks across the full range of model orders, whereas others exhibited little to no decomposition as model order increased. Hierarchical clustering was applied to evaluate this heterogeneity, yielding three distinct groups of network fractionation profiles: high, moderate, and low fractionation. BrainMap-based functional decoding of resultant coactivation networks revealed a multi-domain association regardless of fractionation complexity. Rather than emphasize a cognitive-motor-perceptual gradient, these outcomes suggest the importance of inter-lobar connectivity in functional brain organization. We conclude that high fractionation networks are complex and comprised of many constituent sub-networks reflecting long-range, inter-lobar connectivity, particularly in fronto-parietal regions. In contrast, low fractionation networks may reflect persistent and stable networks that are more internally coherent and exhibit reduced inter-lobar communication. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous fractionation profiles of meta-analytic coactivation networks

PubMed Central

Laird, Angela R.; Riedel, Michael C.; Okoe, Mershack; Jianu, Radu; Ray, Kimberly L.; Eickhoff, Simon B.; Smith, Stephen M.; Fox, Peter T.; Sutherland, Matthew T.

2017-01-01

Computational cognitive neuroimaging approaches can be leveraged to characterize the hierarchical organization of distributed, functionally specialized networks in the human brain. To this end, we performed large-scale mining across the BrainMap database of coordinate-based activation locations from over 10,000 task-based experiments. Meta-analytic coactivation networks were identified by jointly applying independent component analysis (ICA) and meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM) across a wide range of model orders (i.e., d = 20 to 300). We then iteratively computed pairwise correlation coefficients for consecutive model orders to compare spatial network topologies, ultimately yielding fractionation profiles delineating how “parent” functional brain systems decompose into constituent “child” sub-networks. Fractionation profiles differed dramatically across canonical networks: some exhibited complex and extensive fractionation into a large number of sub-networks across the full range of model orders, whereas others exhibited little to no decomposition as model order increased. Hierarchical clustering was applied to evaluate this heterogeneity, yielding three distinct groups of network fractionation profiles: high, moderate, and low fractionation. BrainMap-based functional decoding of resultant coactivation networks revealed a multi-domain association regardless of fractionation complexity. Rather than emphasize a cognitive-motor-perceptual gradient, these outcomes suggest the importance of inter-lobar connectivity in functional brain organization. We conclude that high fractionation networks are complex and comprised of many constituent sub-networks reflecting long-range, inter-lobar connectivity, particularly in fronto-parietal regions. In contrast, low fractionation networks may reflect persistent and stable networks that are more internally coherent and exhibit reduced inter-lobar communication. PMID:28222386

Development and Validation of an Extractive Spectrophotometric Method for Miconazole Nitrate Assay in Pharmaceutical Formulations.

PubMed

Eticha, Tadele; Kahsay, Getu; Hailu, Teklebrhan; Gebretsadikan, Tesfamichael; Asefa, Fitsum; Gebretsadik, Hailekiros; Thangabalan, Boovizhikannan

2018-01-01

A simple extractive spectrophotometric technique has been developed and validated for the determination of miconazole nitrate in pure and pharmaceutical formulations. The method is based on the formation of a chloroform-soluble ion-pair complex between the drug and bromocresol green (BCG) dye in an acidic medium. The complex showed absorption maxima at 422 nm, and the system obeys Beer's law in the concentration range of 1-30  µ g/mL with molar absorptivity of 2.285 × 10 4  L/mol/cm. The composition of the complex was studied by Job's method of continuous variation, and the results revealed that the mole ratio of drug : BCG is 1 : 1. Full factorial design was used to optimize the effect of variable factors, and the method was validated based on the ICH guidelines. The method was applied for the determination of miconazole nitrate in real samples.

Orbital Debris Assesment Tesing in the AEDC Range G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polk, Marshall; Woods, David; Roebuck, Brian; Opiela, John; Sheaffer, Patti; Liou, J.-C.

2015-01-01

The space environment presents many hazards for satellites and spacecraft. One of the major hazards is hypervelocity impacts from uncontrolled man-made space debris. Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), the University of Florida, and The Aerospace Corporation configured a large ballistic range to perform a series of hypervelocity destructive impact tests in order to better understand the effects of space collisions. The test utilized AEDC's Range G light gas launcher, which is capable of firing projectiles up to 7 km/s. A non-functional full-scale representation of a modern satellite called the DebriSat was destroyed in the enclosed range enviroment. Several modifications to the range facility were made to ensure quality data was obtained from the impact events. The facility modifcations were intended to provide a high impact energy to target mass ratio (>200 J/g), a non-damaging method of debris collection, and an instrumentation suite capable of providing information on the physics of the entire imapct event.

Large-Scale Optimization for Bayesian Inference in Complex Systems

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

Willcox, Karen; Marzouk, Youssef

2013-11-12

The SAGUARO (Scalable Algorithms for Groundwater Uncertainty Analysis and Robust Optimization) Project focused on the development of scalable numerical algorithms for large-scale Bayesian inversion in complex systems that capitalize on advances in large-scale simulation-based optimization and inversion methods. The project was a collaborative effort among MIT, the University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Sandia National Laboratories. The research was directed in three complementary areas: efficient approximations of the Hessian operator, reductions in complexity of forward simulations via stochastic spectral approximations and model reduction, and employing large-scale optimization concepts to accelerate sampling. The MIT--Sandia component of themore » SAGUARO Project addressed the intractability of conventional sampling methods for large-scale statistical inverse problems by devising reduced-order models that are faithful to the full-order model over a wide range of parameter values; sampling then employs the reduced model rather than the full model, resulting in very large computational savings. Results indicate little effect on the computed posterior distribution. On the other hand, in the Texas--Georgia Tech component of the project, we retain the full-order model, but exploit inverse problem structure (adjoint-based gradients and partial Hessian information of the parameter-to-observation map) to implicitly extract lower dimensional information on the posterior distribution; this greatly speeds up sampling methods, so that fewer sampling points are needed. We can think of these two approaches as ``reduce then sample'' and ``sample then reduce.'' In fact, these two approaches are complementary, and can be used in conjunction with each other. Moreover, they both exploit deterministic inverse problem structure, in the form of adjoint-based gradient and Hessian information of the underlying parameter-to-observation map, to achieve their speedups.« less

Final Report: Large-Scale Optimization for Bayesian Inference in Complex Systems

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

Ghattas, Omar

2013-10-15

The SAGUARO (Scalable Algorithms for Groundwater Uncertainty Analysis and Robust Optimiza- tion) Project focuses on the development of scalable numerical algorithms for large-scale Bayesian inversion in complex systems that capitalize on advances in large-scale simulation-based optimiza- tion and inversion methods. Our research is directed in three complementary areas: efficient approximations of the Hessian operator, reductions in complexity of forward simulations via stochastic spectral approximations and model reduction, and employing large-scale optimization concepts to accelerate sampling. Our efforts are integrated in the context of a challenging testbed problem that considers subsurface reacting flow and transport. The MIT component of the SAGUAROmore » Project addresses the intractability of conventional sampling methods for large-scale statistical inverse problems by devising reduced-order models that are faithful to the full-order model over a wide range of parameter values; sampling then employs the reduced model rather than the full model, resulting in very large computational savings. Results indicate little effect on the computed posterior distribution. On the other hand, in the Texas-Georgia Tech component of the project, we retain the full-order model, but exploit inverse problem structure (adjoint-based gradients and partial Hessian information of the parameter-to- observation map) to implicitly extract lower dimensional information on the posterior distribution; this greatly speeds up sampling methods, so that fewer sampling points are needed. We can think of these two approaches as "reduce then sample" and "sample then reduce." In fact, these two approaches are complementary, and can be used in conjunction with each other. Moreover, they both exploit deterministic inverse problem structure, in the form of adjoint-based gradient and Hessian information of the underlying parameter-to-observation map, to achieve their speedups.« less

Acoustic Treatment Design Scaling Methods. Volume 5; Analytical and Experimental Data Correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, W. E.; Kraft, R. E.; Syed, A. A.

1999-01-01

The primary purpose of the study presented in this volume is to present the results and data analysis of in-duct transmission loss measurements. Transmission loss testing was performed on full-scale, 1/2-scale, and 115-scale treatment panel samples. The objective of the study was to compare predicted and measured transmission loss for full-scale and subscale panels in an attempt to evaluate the variations in suppression between full- and subscale panels which were ostensibly of equivalent design. Generally, the results indicated an unsatisfactory agreement between measurement and prediction, even for full-scale. This was attributable to difficulties encountered in obtaining sufficiently accurate test results, even with extraordinary care in calibrating the instrumentation and performing the test. Test difficulties precluded the ability to make measurements at frequencies high enough to be representative of subscale liners. It is concluded that transmission loss measurements without ducts and data acquisition facilities specifically designed to operate with the precision and complexity required for high subscale frequency ranges are inadequate for evaluation of subscale treatment effects.

EMG-Torque Relation in Chronic Stroke: A Novel EMG Complexity Representation With a Linear Electrode Array.

PubMed

Zhang, Xu; Wang, Dongqing; Yu, Zaiyang; Chen, Xiang; Li, Sheng; Zhou, Ping

2017-11-01

This study examines the electromyogram (EMG)-torque relation for chronic stroke survivors using a novel EMG complexity representation. Ten stroke subjects performed a series of submaximal isometric elbow flexion tasks using their affected and contralateral arms, respectively, while a 20-channel linear electrode array was used to record surface EMG from the biceps brachii muscles. The sample entropy (SampEn) of surface EMG signals was calculated with both global and local tolerance schemes. A regression analysis was performed between SampEn of each channel's surface EMG and elbow flexion torque. It was found that a linear regression can be used to well describe the relation between surface EMG SampEn and the torque. Each channel's root mean square (RMS) amplitude of surface EMG signal in the different torque level was computed to determine the channel with the highest EMG amplitude. The slope of the regression (observed from the channel with the highest EMG amplitude) was smaller on the impaired side than on the nonimpaired side in 8 of the 10 subjects, regardless of the tolerance scheme (global or local) and the range of torques (full or matched range) used for comparison. The surface EMG signals from the channels above the estimated muscle innervation zones demonstrated significantly lower levels of complexity compared with other channels between innervation zones and muscle tendons. The study provides a novel point of view of the EMG-torque relation in the complexity domain, and reveals its alterations post stroke, which are associated with complex neural and muscular changes post stroke. The slope difference between channels with regard to innervation zones also confirms the relevance of electrode position in surface EMG analysis.

Multichannel low power time-to-digital converter card with 21 ps precision and full scale range up to 10 μs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamborini, D.; Portaluppi, D.; Villa, F.; Tisa, S.; Tosi, A.

2014-11-01

We present a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) card with a compact form factor, suitable for multichannel timing instruments or for integration into more complex systems. The TDC Card provides 10 ps timing resolution over the whole measurement range, which is selectable from 160 ns up to 10 μs, reaching 21 ps rms precision, 1.25% LSB rms differential nonlinearity, up to 3 Mconversion/s with 400 mW power consumption. The I/O edge card connector provides timing data readout through either a parallel bus or a 100 MHz serial interface and further measurement information like input signal rate and valid conversion rate (typically useful for time-correlated single-photon counting application) through an independent serial link.

Multichannel low power time-to-digital converter card with 21 ps precision and full scale range up to 10 μs.

PubMed

Tamborini, D; Portaluppi, D; Villa, F; Tisa, S; Tosi, A

2014-11-01

We present a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) card with a compact form factor, suitable for multichannel timing instruments or for integration into more complex systems. The TDC Card provides 10 ps timing resolution over the whole measurement range, which is selectable from 160 ns up to 10 μs, reaching 21 ps rms precision, 1.25% LSB rms differential nonlinearity, up to 3 Mconversion/s with 400 mW power consumption. The I/O edge card connector provides timing data readout through either a parallel bus or a 100 MHz serial interface and further measurement information like input signal rate and valid conversion rate (typically useful for time-correlated single-photon counting application) through an independent serial link.

Prototype of the gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer to investigate volatile species in the lunar soil for the Luna-Glob and Luna-Resurs missions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofer, L.; Lasi, D.; Tulej, M.; Wurz, P.; Cabane, M.; Cosica, D.; Gerasimov, M.; Rodinov, D.

2013-09-01

In preparation for the Russian Luna-Glob and Luna-Resurs missions we combined our compact time-offlight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) with a chemical pre-separation of the species by gas chromatography (GC). Combined measurements with both instruments were successfully performed with the laboratory prototype of the mass spectrometer and a flight-like gas chromatograph. Due to its capability to record mass spectra over the full mass range at once with high sensitivity and a dynamic range of up to 106 within 1s, the TOF-MS system is a valuable extension of the GC analysis. The combined GC-MS complex is able to detect concentrations of volatile species in the sample of about 2·10^-9 by mass.

The Efficacy of Full Range Advising at a Georgia Technical College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greco, Victor

2017-01-01

Full Range Leadership predicts positive behavioral outcomes through transformational leadership, mixed outcomes through transactional leadership, and unfavorable outcomes through passive leadership practices. Full Range Advising introduces a new paradigm in advising research by applying Full Range Leadership to academic advising. A problem exists…

Use of an all-suture anchor for re-creation of the anterior talofibular ligament: a case report.

PubMed

Piraino, Jason A; Busch, Elliot L; Sansosti, Laura E; Pettineo, Steven J; Creech, Corine

2015-01-01

The lateral ankle ligament complex is typically injured during athletic activity caused by an inversion force on a plantar flexed foot. Numerous open surgical procedures to reconstruct the lateral ankle complex have been described. In contrast, we present a case report in which an all-suture anchor was used arthroscopically to re-create the anterior talofibular ligament in conjunction with ankle arthroscopy. A retrospective analysis of a 55-year-old male with a work-related inversion ankle sprain was performed with 14 months of follow-up. Objective and subjective assessments were obtained using range of motion measures, a strength assessment, and the Foot Function Index. An all-suture anchor was deployed through the anterolateral portal and secured in both the fibula and talus, re-creating the anterior talofibular ligament at its origin and insertion. Active range of motion physical therapy began at 2 weeks postoperatively. The patient started a neuromuscular re-education program at 5 weeks with minimal pain or discomfort. A return to full duty was achieved at 3 months postoperatively. To our knowledge, the use of an all-suture anchor has not been previously reported for lateral ankle complex re-creation. It is hoped that this approach to anterior talofibular ligament repair will decrease the incidence of complications and improve outcomes. Copyright © 2015 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A simple encoding method for Sigma-Delta ADC based biopotential acquisition systems.

PubMed

Guerrero, Federico N; Spinelli, Enrique M

2017-10-01

Sigma Delta analogue-to-digital converters allow acquiring the full dynamic range of biomedical signals at the electrodes, resulting in less complex hardware and increased measurement robustness. However, the increased data size per sample (typically 24 bits) demands the transmission of extremely large volumes of data across the isolation barrier, thus increasing power consumption on the patient side. This problem is accentuated when a large number of channels is used as in current 128-256 electrodes biopotential acquisition systems, that usually opt for an optic fibre link to the computer. An analogous problem occurs for simpler low-power acquisition platforms that transmit data through a wireless link to a computing platform. In this paper, a low-complexity encoding method is presented to decrease sample data size without losses, while preserving the full DC-coupled signal. The method achieved a 2.3 average compression ratio evaluated over an ECG and EMG signal bank acquired with equipment based on Sigma-Delta converters. It demands a very low processing load: a C language implementation is presented that resulted in an 110 clock cycles average execution on an 8-bit microcontroller.

Universality and chaoticity in ultracold K+KRb chemical reactions

DOE PAGES

Croft, J. F. E.; Makrides, C.; Li, M.; ...

2017-07-19

A fundamental question in the study of chemical reactions is how reactions proceed at a collision energy close to absolute zero. This question is no longer hypothetical: quantum degenerate gases of atoms and molecules can now be created at temperatures lower than a few tens of nanokelvin. Here we consider the benchmark ultracold reaction between, the most-celebrated ultracold molecule, KRb and K. We map out an accurate ab initio ground-state potential energy surface of the K 2Rb complex in full dimensionality and report numerically-exact quantum-mechanical reaction dynamics. The distribution of rotationally resolved rates is shown to be Poissonian. An analysismore » of the hyperspherical adiabatic potential curves explains this statistical character revealing a chaotic distribution for the short-range collision complex that plays a key role in governing the reaction outcome.« less

Application of Strength Requirements to Complex Loading Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

England, Scott; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2016-01-01

NASA's endeavors in human spaceflight rely on extensive volumes of human-systems integration requirements to ensure mission success. These requirements protect for space hardware accommodation for the full range of potential crewmembers, but cannot cover every possible action and contingency in detail. This study was undertaken in response to questions from various strength requirement users who were unclear how to apply idealized strength requirements that did not map well to the complex loading scenarios that crewmembers would encounter. Three of the most commonly occurring questions from stakeholders were selected to be investigated with human testing and human modeling. Preliminary findings indicate deviation from nominal postures can affect strength requirement compliance positively or negatively, depending on the nature of the deviation. Human modeling offers some avenues for quickly addressing requirement verification questions, but is limited by the fidelity of the model and environment.

In-vivo and in-situ detection of atherosclerotic plaques using full-range complex-conjugate-free spectral domain optical coherence tomography in the murine carotid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yong; Wicks, Robert; Zhang, Kang; Zhao, Mingtao; Tyler, Betty M.; Hwang, Lee; Pradilla, Gustavo; Kang, Jin U.

2013-03-01

Carotid endarterectomy is a common vascular surgical procedure which may help prevent patients' risk of having a stroke. A high resolution real-time imaging technique that can detect the position and size of vascular plaques would provide great value to reduce the risk level and increase the surgical outcome. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), as a high resolution high speed noninvasive imaging technique, was evaluated in this study. Twenty-four 24-week old apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were divided into three groups with 8 in each. One served as the control group fed with normal diet. One served as the study group fed with high-fat diet to induce atherosclerosis. The last served as the treatment group fed with both high-fat diet and medicine to treat atherosclerosis. Full-range, complex-conjugate-free spectral-domain OCT was used to image the mouse aorta near the neck area in-vivo with aorta exposed to the imaging head through surgical procedure. 2D and 3D images of the area of interest were presented real-time through graphics processing unit accelerated algorithm. In-situ imaging of all the mice after perfusion were performed again to validate the invivo detection result and to show potential capability of OCT if combined with surgical saline flush. Later all the imaged arteries were stained with H and E to perform histology analysis. Preliminary results confirmed the accuracy and fast imaging speed of OCT imaging technique in determining atherosclerosis.

Modeling Control Strategies and Range Impacts for Electric Vehicle Integrated Thermal Management Systems with MATLAB/Simulink

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

Titov, Gene; Lustbader, Jason Aaron

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) CoolSim MATLAB/Simulink modeling framework was used to explore control strategies for an electric vehicle combined loop system. Three system variants of increased complexity and efficiency were explored: a glycol-based positive temperature coefficient heater (PTC), PTC with power electronics and electric motor (PEEM) waste heat recovery, and PTC with PEEM waste heat recovery plus heat pump versions. Additionally, the benefit of electric motor preheating was considered. A two-level control strategy was developed where the mode selection and component control were treated separately. Only the parameters typically available by vehicle sensors were used to control themore » system. The control approach included a mode selection algorithm and controllers for the compressor speed, cabin blower flow rate, coolant flow rate, and the front-end heat exchanger coolant bypass rate. The electric motor was bypassed by the cooling circuit until its temperature exceeded the coolant inlet temperature. The impact of these thermal systems on electric vehicle range during warmup was simulated for the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) and Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWFET2X) drive cycles weighted 45%/55% respectively. A range of ambient temperatures from -20 degrees C to +20 degrees C was considered. NREL's Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim) vehicle modeling tool showed up to a 10.9% improvement in range for the full system over the baseline during warmup from cold soak. The full system with preheat showed up to 17% improvement in range.« less

The Importance of Short- and Long-Range Exchange on Various Excited State Properties of DNA Monomers, Stacked Complexes, and Watson-Crick Pairs.

PubMed

Raeber, Alexandra E; Wong, Bryan M

2015-05-12

We present a detailed analysis of several time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) methods, including conventional hybrid functionals and two types of nonempirically tuned range-separated functionals, for predicting a diverse set of electronic excitations in DNA nucleobase monomers and dimers. This large and extensive set of excitations comprises a total of 50 different transitions (for each tested DFT functional) that includes several n → π and π → π* valence excitations, long-range charge-transfer excitations, and extended Rydberg transitions (complete with benchmark calculations from high-level EOM-CCSD(T) methods). The presence of localized valence excitations as well as extreme long-range charge-transfer excitations in these systems poses a serious challenge for TD-DFT methods that allows us to assess the importance of both short- and long-range exchange contributions for simultaneously predicting all of these various transitions. In particular, we find that functionals that do not have both short- and full long-range exchange components are unable to predict the different types of nucleobase excitations with the same accuracy. Most importantly, the current study highlights the importance of both short-range exchange and a nonempirically tuned contribution of long-range exchange for accurately predicting the diverse excitations in these challenging nucleobase systems.

Chaos in generically coupled phase oscillator networks with nonpairwise interactions.

PubMed

Bick, Christian; Ashwin, Peter; Rodrigues, Ana

2016-09-01

The Kuramoto-Sakaguchi system of coupled phase oscillators, where interaction between oscillators is determined by a single harmonic of phase differences of pairs of oscillators, has very simple emergent dynamics in the case of identical oscillators that are globally coupled: there is a variational structure that means the only attractors are full synchrony (in-phase) or splay phase (rotating wave/full asynchrony) oscillations and the bifurcation between these states is highly degenerate. Here we show that nonpairwise coupling-including three and four-way interactions of the oscillator phases-that appears generically at the next order in normal-form based calculations can give rise to complex emergent dynamics in symmetric phase oscillator networks. In particular, we show that chaos can appear in the smallest possible dimension of four coupled phase oscillators for a range of parameter values.

Chaos in generically coupled phase oscillator networks with nonpairwise interactions

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

Bick, Christian; Ashwin, Peter; Rodrigues, Ana

The Kuramoto–Sakaguchi system of coupled phase oscillators, where interaction between oscillators is determined by a single harmonic of phase differences of pairs of oscillators, has very simple emergent dynamics in the case of identical oscillators that are globally coupled: there is a variational structure that means the only attractors are full synchrony (in-phase) or splay phase (rotating wave/full asynchrony) oscillations and the bifurcation between these states is highly degenerate. Here we show that nonpairwise coupling—including three and four-way interactions of the oscillator phases—that appears generically at the next order in normal-form based calculations can give rise to complex emergent dynamicsmore » in symmetric phase oscillator networks. In particular, we show that chaos can appear in the smallest possible dimension of four coupled phase oscillators for a range of parameter values.« less

Locating the source of diffusion in complex networks by time-reversal backward spreading.

PubMed

Shen, Zhesi; Cao, Shinan; Wang, Wen-Xu; Di, Zengru; Stanley, H Eugene

2016-03-01

Locating the source that triggers a dynamical process is a fundamental but challenging problem in complex networks, ranging from epidemic spreading in society and on the Internet to cancer metastasis in the human body. An accurate localization of the source is inherently limited by our ability to simultaneously access the information of all nodes in a large-scale complex network. This thus raises two critical questions: how do we locate the source from incomplete information and can we achieve full localization of sources at any possible location from a given set of observable nodes. Here we develop a time-reversal backward spreading algorithm to locate the source of a diffusion-like process efficiently and propose a general locatability condition. We test the algorithm by employing epidemic spreading and consensus dynamics as typical dynamical processes and apply it to the H1N1 pandemic in China. We find that the sources can be precisely located in arbitrary networks insofar as the locatability condition is assured. Our tools greatly improve our ability to locate the source of diffusion in complex networks based on limited accessibility of nodal information. Moreover, they have implications for controlling a variety of dynamical processes taking place on complex networks, such as inhibiting epidemics, slowing the spread of rumors, pollution control, and environmental protection.

Locating the source of diffusion in complex networks by time-reversal backward spreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Zhesi; Cao, Shinan; Wang, Wen-Xu; Di, Zengru; Stanley, H. Eugene

2016-03-01

Locating the source that triggers a dynamical process is a fundamental but challenging problem in complex networks, ranging from epidemic spreading in society and on the Internet to cancer metastasis in the human body. An accurate localization of the source is inherently limited by our ability to simultaneously access the information of all nodes in a large-scale complex network. This thus raises two critical questions: how do we locate the source from incomplete information and can we achieve full localization of sources at any possible location from a given set of observable nodes. Here we develop a time-reversal backward spreading algorithm to locate the source of a diffusion-like process efficiently and propose a general locatability condition. We test the algorithm by employing epidemic spreading and consensus dynamics as typical dynamical processes and apply it to the H1N1 pandemic in China. We find that the sources can be precisely located in arbitrary networks insofar as the locatability condition is assured. Our tools greatly improve our ability to locate the source of diffusion in complex networks based on limited accessibility of nodal information. Moreover, they have implications for controlling a variety of dynamical processes taking place on complex networks, such as inhibiting epidemics, slowing the spread of rumors, pollution control, and environmental protection.

Recent Developments in X-Ray Diagnostics for Cryogenic and Optically Dense Coaxial Rocket Sprays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radke, Christopher D.; Kastengren, Alan L.; Meyer, Terrence R.

2017-01-01

The mixing and atomization of propellants is often characterized by optically dense flow fields and complex breakup dynamics. In the development of propulsion systems, the complexity of relevant physics and the range of spatio-temporal scales often makes computational simulation impractical for full scale injector elements; consequently, continued research into improved systems for experimental flow diagnostics is ongoing. One area of non-invasive flow diagnostics which has seen widespread growth is using synchrotron based x-ray diagostics. Over the past 3 years, a series of water and cryogenic based experiments were performed at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Lab, on a NASA in-house designed swirl co-axial rocket injector, designed for operation using liquid oxygen and liquid methane in support of Project Morpheus. A range of techniques, such as x-ray fluorescence and time-averaged radiography were performed providing qualitative and quantitative mass and phase distributions, and were complemented by investigations using time-resolved radiography and white beam imaging, which provided information on breakup and mixing dynamics. Results of these investigations are presented, and conclusions regarding the viability of x-ray based diagnostics are discussed.

POD evaluation using simulation: A phased array UT case on a complex geometry part

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez, Nicolas; Reverdy, Frederic; Jenson, Frederic

2014-02-01

The use of Probability of Detection (POD) for NDT performances demonstration is a key link in products lifecycle management. The POD approach is to apply the given NDT procedure on a series of known flaws to estimate the probability to detect with respect to the flaw size. A POD is relevant if and only if NDT operations are carried out within the range of variability authorized by the procedure. Such experimental campaigns require collection of large enough datasets to cover the range of variability with sufficient occurrences to build a reliable POD statistics, leading to expensive costs to get POD curves. In the last decade research activities have been led in the USA with the MAPOD group and later in Europe with the SISTAE and PICASSO projects based on the idea to use models and simulation tools to feed POD estimations. This paper proposes an example of application of POD using simulation on the inspection procedure of a complex -full 3D- geometry part using phased arrays ultrasonic testing. It illustrates the methodology and the associated tools developed in the CIVA software. The paper finally provides elements of further progress in the domain.

Clan Genomics and the Complex Architecture of Human Disease

PubMed Central

Belmont, John W.; Boerwinkle, Eric

2013-01-01

Human diseases are caused by alleles that encompass the full range of variant types, from single-nucleotide changes to copy-number variants, and these variations span a broad frequency spectrum, from the very rare to the common. The picture emerging from analysis of whole-genome sequences, the 1000 Genomes Project pilot studies, and targeted genomic sequencing derived from very large sample sizes reveals an abundance of rare and private variants. One implication of this realization is that recent mutation may have a greater influence on disease susceptibility or protection than is conferred by variations that arose in distant ancestors. PMID:21962505

Long-range-corrected Rung 3.5 density functional approximations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janesko, Benjamin G.; Proynov, Emil; Scalmani, Giovanni; Frisch, Michael J.

2018-03-01

Rung 3.5 functionals are a new class of approximations for density functional theory. They provide a flexible intermediate between exact (Hartree-Fock, HF) exchange and semilocal approximations for exchange. Existing Rung 3.5 functionals inherit semilocal functionals' limitations in atomic cores and density tails. Here we address those limitations using range-separated admixture of HF exchange. We present three new functionals. LRC-ωΠLDA combines long-range HF exchange with short-range Rung 3.5 ΠLDA exchange. SLC-ΠLDA combines short- and long-range HF exchange with middle-range ΠLDA exchange. LRC-ωΠLDA-AC incorporates a combination of HF, semilocal, and Rung 3.5 exchange in the short range, based on an adiabatic connection. We test these in a new Rung 3.5 implementation including up to analytic fourth derivatives. LRC-ωΠLDA and SLC-ΠLDA improve atomization energies and reaction barriers by a factor of 8 compared to the full-range ΠLDA. LRC-ωΠLDA-AC brings further improvement approaching the accuracy of standard long-range corrected schemes LC-ωPBE and SLC-PBE. The new functionals yield highest occupied orbital energies closer to experimental ionization potentials and describe correctly the weak charge-transfer complex of ethylene and dichlorine and the hole-spin distribution created by an Al defect in quartz. This study provides a framework for more flexible range-separated Rung 3.5 approximations.

Fluorescent Polymer-Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Complexes with Charged and Noncharged Dendronized Perylene Bisimides for Bioimaging Studies.

PubMed

Huth, Katharina; Glaeske, Mareen; Achazi, Katharina; Gordeev, Georgy; Kumar, Shiv; Arenal, Raúl; Sharma, Sunil K; Adeli, Mohsen; Setaro, Antonio; Reich, Stephanie; Haag, Rainer

2018-06-05

Fluorescent nanomaterials are expected to revolutionize medical diagnostic, imaging, and therapeutic tools due to their superior optical and structural properties. Their inefficient water solubility, cell permeability, biodistribution, and high toxicity, however, limit the full potential of their application. To overcome these obstacles, a water-soluble, fluorescent, cytocompatible polymer-single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) complex is introduced for bioimaging applications. The supramolecular complex consists of an alkylated polymer conjugated with neutral hydroxylated or charged sulfated dendronized perylene bisimides (PBIs) and SWNTs as a general immobilization platform. The polymer backbone solubilizes the SWNTs, decorates them with fluorescent PBIs, and strongly improves their cytocompatibility by wrapping around the SWNT scaffold. In photophysical measurements and biological in vitro studies, sulfated complexes exhibit superior optical properties, cellular uptake, and intracellular staining over their hydroxylated analogs. A toxicity assay confirms the highly improved cytocompatibility of the polymer-wrapped SWNTs toward surfactant-solubilized SWNTs. In microscopy studies the complexes allow for the direct imaging of the SWNTs' cellular uptake via the PBI and SWNT emission using the 1st and 2nd optical window for bioimaging. These findings render the polymer-SWNT complexes with nanometer size, dual fluorescence, multiple charges, and high cytocompatibility as valuable systems for a broad range of fluorescence bioimaging studies. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Review of Gender and Full-Range Leadership Research and Suggestions for Future Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kelli K.; Matkin, Gina S.; Fritz, Susan M.

2004-01-01

In this paper the research on gender and Full-Range Leadership is documented and explored. Included is consideration of research that studied Full-Range Leadership directly as well as indirect study that contributed to the field of research on Full-Range Leadership. The paper culminates in a series of recommendations for future research. It is…

Multichannel low power time-to-digital converter card with 21 ps precision and full scale range up to 10 μs

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

Tamborini, D., E-mail: davide.tamborini@polimi.it; Portaluppi, D.; Villa, F.

We present a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) card with a compact form factor, suitable for multichannel timing instruments or for integration into more complex systems. The TDC Card provides 10 ps timing resolution over the whole measurement range, which is selectable from 160 ns up to 10 μs, reaching 21 ps rms precision, 1.25% LSB rms differential nonlinearity, up to 3 Mconversion/s with 400 mW power consumption. The I/O edge card connector provides timing data readout through either a parallel bus or a 100 MHz serial interface and further measurement information like input signal rate and valid conversion rate (typically usefulmore » for time-correlated single-photon counting application) through an independent serial link.« less

The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface: Progress Beyond Communication and Control

PubMed Central

Blankertz, Benjamin; Acqualagna, Laura; Dähne, Sven; Haufe, Stefan; Schultze-Kraft, Matthias; Sturm, Irene; Ušćumlic, Marija; Wenzel, Markus A.; Curio, Gabriel; Müller, Klaus-Robert

2016-01-01

The combined effect of fundamental results about neurocognitive processes and advancements in decoding mental states from ongoing brain signals has brought forth a whole range of potential neurotechnological applications. In this article, we review our developments in this area and put them into perspective. These examples cover a wide range of maturity levels with respect to their applicability. While we assume we are still a long way away from integrating Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology in general interaction with computers, or from implementing neurotechnological measures in safety-critical workplaces, results have already now been obtained involving a BCI as research tool. In this article, we discuss the reasons why, in some of the prospective application domains, considerable effort is still required to make the systems ready to deal with the full complexity of the real world. PMID:27917107

The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface: Progress Beyond Communication and Control.

PubMed

Blankertz, Benjamin; Acqualagna, Laura; Dähne, Sven; Haufe, Stefan; Schultze-Kraft, Matthias; Sturm, Irene; Ušćumlic, Marija; Wenzel, Markus A; Curio, Gabriel; Müller, Klaus-Robert

2016-01-01

The combined effect of fundamental results about neurocognitive processes and advancements in decoding mental states from ongoing brain signals has brought forth a whole range of potential neurotechnological applications. In this article, we review our developments in this area and put them into perspective. These examples cover a wide range of maturity levels with respect to their applicability. While we assume we are still a long way away from integrating Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology in general interaction with computers, or from implementing neurotechnological measures in safety-critical workplaces, results have already now been obtained involving a BCI as research tool. In this article, we discuss the reasons why, in some of the prospective application domains, considerable effort is still required to make the systems ready to deal with the full complexity of the real world.

Development of Moire machine vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, Kevin G.

1987-01-01

Three dimensional perception is essential to the development of versatile robotics systems in order to handle complex manufacturing tasks in future factories and in providing high accuracy measurements needed in flexible manufacturing and quality control. A program is described which will develop the potential of Moire techniques to provide this capability in vision systems and automated measurements, and demonstrate artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to take advantage of the strengths of Moire sensing. Moire techniques provide a means of optically manipulating the complex visual data in a three dimensional scene into a form which can be easily and quickly analyzed by computers. This type of optical data manipulation provides high productivity through integrated automation, producing a high quality product while reducing computer and mechanical manipulation requirements and thereby the cost and time of production. This nondestructive evaluation is developed to be able to make full field range measurement and three dimensional scene analysis.

Development of Moire machine vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, Kevin G.

1987-10-01

Three dimensional perception is essential to the development of versatile robotics systems in order to handle complex manufacturing tasks in future factories and in providing high accuracy measurements needed in flexible manufacturing and quality control. A program is described which will develop the potential of Moire techniques to provide this capability in vision systems and automated measurements, and demonstrate artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to take advantage of the strengths of Moire sensing. Moire techniques provide a means of optically manipulating the complex visual data in a three dimensional scene into a form which can be easily and quickly analyzed by computers. This type of optical data manipulation provides high productivity through integrated automation, producing a high quality product while reducing computer and mechanical manipulation requirements and thereby the cost and time of production. This nondestructive evaluation is developed to be able to make full field range measurement and three dimensional scene analysis.

Defining Long-Duration Traverses of Lunar Volcanic Complexes with LROC NAC Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stopar, J. D.; Lawrence, S. J.; Joliff, B. L.; Speyerer, E. J.; Robinson, M. S.

2016-01-01

A long-duration lunar rover [e.g., 1] would be ideal for investigating large volcanic complexes like the Marius Hills (MH) (approximately 300 x 330 km), where widely spaced sampling points are needed to explore the full geologic and compositional variability of the region. Over these distances, a rover would encounter varied surface morphologies (ranging from impact craters to rugged lava shields), each of which need to be considered during the rover design phase. Previous rovers including Apollo, Lunokhod, and most recently Yutu, successfully employed pre-mission orbital data for planning (at scales significantly coarser than that of the surface assets). LROC was specifically designed to provide mission-planning observations at scales useful for accurate rover traverse planning (crewed and robotic) [2]. After-the-fact analyses of the planning data can help improve predictions of future rover performance [e.g., 3-5].

The Development of a Tactical-Level Full Range Leadership Measurement Instrument

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

full range leadership theory has become established as the predominant and most widely researched theory on leadership . The most commonly used survey...instrument to assess full range leadership theory is the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, originally developed by Bass in 1985. Although much...existing literature to develop a new full range leadership theory measurement instrument that effectively targets low- to mid-level supervisors, or

Shape memory alloy actuation for a variable area fan nozzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rey, Nancy; Tillman, Gregory; Miller, Robin M.; Wynosky, Thomas; Larkin, Michael J.; Flamm, Jeffrey D.; Bangert, Linda S.

2001-06-01

The ability to control fan nozzle exit area is an enabling technology for next generation high-bypass-ratio turbofan engines. Performance benefits for such designs are estimated at up to 9% in thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) relative to current fixed-geometry engines. Conventionally actuated variable area fan nozzle (VAN) concepts tend to be heavy and complicated, with significant aircraft integration, reliability and packaging issues. The goal of this effort was to eliminate these undesirable features and formulate a design that meets or exceeds leakage, durability, reliability, maintenance and manufacturing cost goals. A Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bundled cable actuator acting to move an array of flaps around the fan nozzle annulus is a concept that meets these requirements. The SMA bundled cable actuator developed by the United Technologies Corporation (Patents Pending) provides significant work output (greater than 2200 in-lb per flap, through the range of motion) in a compact package and minimizes system complexity. Results of a detailed design study indicate substantial engine performance, weight, and range benefits. The SMA- based actuation system is roughly two times lighter than a conventional mechanical system, with significant aircraft direct operating cost savings (2-3%) and range improvements (5-6%) relative to a fixed-geometry nozzle geared turbofan. A full-scale sector model of this VAN system was built and then tested at the Jet Exit Test Facility at NASA Langley to demonstrate the system's ability to achieve 20% area variation of the nozzle under full scale aerodynamic loads. The actuator exceeded requirements, achieving repeated actuation against full-scale loads representative of typical cruise as well as greater than worst-case (ultimate) aerodynamic conditions. Based on these encouraging results, work is continuing with the goal of a flight test on a C-17 transport aircraft.

The effects of complex exercise on shoulder range of motion and pain for women with breast cancer-related lymphedema: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Park, Jin-Hyuck

2017-07-01

This study was to investigate the effects of complex exercise on shoulder range of motion and pain for women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. 69 women participated in this study and then they were randomly allocated to complex exercise group (n = 35) or the conventional decongestive therapy group (n = 34). All subjects received 8 sessions for 4 weeks. To identify the effects on shoulder range of motion and pain, goniometer and visual analog scale were used, respectively. The outcome measurements were performed before and after the 4 week intervention. After 4 weeks, complex exercise group had greater improvements in shoulder range of motion and pain compared with the conventional decongestive therapy group (p < 0.05). These results suggest that complex exercise is beneficial to improve shoulder range of motion as well as pain of the women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. Complex exercise would be useful to improve shoulder range of motion and pain of the women with breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Summary of Full-Scale Blade Displacement Measurements of the UH- 60A Airloads Rotor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrego, Anita I.; Meyn, Larry; Burner, Alpheus W.; Barrows, Danny A.

2016-01-01

Blade displacement measurements using multi-camera photogrammetry techniques were acquired for a full-scale UH-60A rotor, tested in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex 40-Foot by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel. The measurements, acquired over the full rotor azimuth, encompass a range of test conditions that include advance ratios from 0.15 to 1.0, thrust coefficient to rotor solidity ratios from 0.01 to 0.13, and rotor shaft angles from -10.0 to 8.0 degrees. The objective was to measure the blade displacements and deformations of the four rotor blades and provide a benchmark blade displacement database to be utilized in the development and validation of rotorcraft prediction techniques. An overview of the blade displacement measurement methodology, system development, and data analysis techniques are presented. Sample results based on the final set of camera calibrations, data reduction procedures and estimated corrections that account for registration errors due to blade elasticity are shown. Differences in blade root pitch, flap and lag between the previously reported results and the current results are small. However, even small changes in estimated root flap and pitch can lead to significant differences in the blade elasticity values.

Boeing Smart Rotor Full-scale Wind Tunnel Test Data Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kottapalli, Sesi; Hagerty, Brandon; Salazar, Denise

2016-01-01

A full-scale helicopter smart material actuated rotor technology (SMART) rotor test was conducted in the USAF National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames. The SMART rotor system is a five-bladed MD 902 bearingless rotor with active trailing-edge flaps. The flaps are actuated using piezoelectric actuators. Rotor performance, structural loads, and acoustic data were obtained over a wide range of rotor shaft angles of attack, thrust, and airspeeds. The primary test objective was to acquire unique validation data for the high-performance computing analyses developed under the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Helicopter Quieting Program (HQP). Other research objectives included quantifying the ability of the on-blade flaps to achieve vibration reduction, rotor smoothing, and performance improvements. This data set of rotor performance and structural loads can be used for analytical and experimental comparison studies with other full-scale rotor systems and for analytical validation of computer simulation models. The purpose of this final data report is to document a comprehensive, highquality data set that includes only data points where the flap was actively controlled and each of the five flaps behaved in a similar manner.

Repair of a pediatric bilateral condylar and symphyseal fracture using a transfacial Steinman pin.

PubMed

Grow, Jacob N; Flores, Roberto L; Tholpady, Sunil S

2014-01-01

The proper management of complex pediatric mandibular fractures remains a topic of debate because of the relatively uncommon presentation of these fractures, combined with concerns related with deciduous teeth, tooth buds, and growth inhibition. In this current study, we present a novel approach to the repair of bilateral condylar fractures with concomitant symphyseal fracture in a 4-year-old girl. Manual closed reduction was first obtained, followed by placement of a transfacial Steinman pin through the angles of the mandible and placement of circummandibular wires. Maxillomandibular fixation remained for 2 weeks and the Steinman pin was removed after 11 weeks. At 3 months of postsurgical follow-up, the patient displayed class I occlusion, facial symmetry, full range of jaw motion, and absence of deviation or pain on full oral excursion. Radiographic findings also revealed complete resolution of the symphyseal fracture with appropriate condylar healing and alignment.

Calculation of Coincidence Summing Correction Factors for an HPGe detector using GEANT4.

PubMed

Giubrone, G; Ortiz, J; Gallardo, S; Martorell, S; Bas, M C

2016-07-01

The aim of this paper was to calculate the True Coincidence Summing Correction Factors (TSCFs) for an HPGe coaxial detector in order to correct the summing effect as a result of the presence of (88)Y and (60)Co in a multigamma source used to obtain a calibration efficiency curve. Results were obtained for three volumetric sources using the Monte Carlo toolkit, GEANT4. The first part of this paper deals with modeling the detector in order to obtain a simulated full energy peak efficiency curve. A quantitative comparison between the measured and simulated values was made across the entire energy range under study. The True Summing Correction Factors were calculated for (88)Y and (60)Co using the full peak efficiencies obtained with GEANT4. This methodology was subsequently applied to (134)Cs, and presented a complex decay scheme. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computation of wind tunnel wall effects for complex models using a low-order panel method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashby, Dale L.; Harris, Scott H.

1994-01-01

A technique for determining wind tunnel wall effects for complex models using the low-order, three dimensional panel method PMARC (Panel Method Ames Research Center) has been developed. Initial validation of the technique was performed using lift-coefficient data in the linear lift range from tests of a large-scale STOVL fighter model in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) facility. The data from these tests served as an ideal database for validating the technique because the same model was tested in two wind tunnel test sections with widely different dimensions. The lift-coefficient data obtained for the same model configuration in the two test sections were different, indicating a significant influence of the presence of the tunnel walls and mounting hardware on the lift coefficient in at least one of the two test sections. The wind tunnel wall effects were computed using PMARC and then subtracted from the measured data to yield corrected lift-coefficient versus angle-of-attack curves. The corrected lift-coefficient curves from the two wind tunnel test sections matched very well. Detailed pressure distributions computed by PMARC on the wing lower surface helped identify the source of large strut interference effects in one of the wind tunnel test sections. Extension of the technique to analysis of wind tunnel wall effects on the lift coefficient in the nonlinear lift range and on drag coefficient will require the addition of boundary-layer and separated-flow models to PMARC.

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

Düchs, Dominik; Delaney, Kris T., E-mail: kdelaney@mrl.ucsb.edu; Fredrickson, Glenn H., E-mail: ghf@mrl.ucsb.edu

Field-theoretic models have been used extensively to study the phase behavior of inhomogeneous polymer melts and solutions, both in self-consistent mean-field calculations and in numerical simulations of the full theory capturing composition fluctuations. The models commonly used can be grouped into two categories, namely, species models and exchange models. Species models involve integrations of functionals that explicitly depend on fields originating both from species density operators and their conjugate chemical potential fields. In contrast, exchange models retain only linear combinations of the chemical potential fields. In the two-component case, development of exchange models has been instrumental in enabling stable complexmore » Langevin (CL) simulations of the full complex-valued theory. No comparable stable CL approach has yet been established for field theories of the species type. Here, we introduce an extension of the exchange model to an arbitrary number of components, namely, the multi-species exchange (MSE) model, which greatly expands the classes of soft material systems that can be accessed by the complex Langevin simulation technique. We demonstrate the stability and accuracy of the MSE-CL sampling approach using numerical simulations of triblock and tetrablock terpolymer melts, and tetrablock quaterpolymer melts. This method should enable studies of a wide range of fluctuation phenomena in multiblock/multi-species polymer blends and composites.« less

The co-existence of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the perinatal period: A systematic review.

PubMed

Agius, Andee; Xuereb, Rita Borg; Carrick-Sen, Debbie; Sultana, Roberta; Rankin, Judith

2016-05-01

to identify and appraise the current international evidence regarding the presence and prevalence of the co-existence of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the antenatal and post partum period. using a list of keywords, Medline, CINHAL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Web of Science and the Index of Theses and Conference Proceedings (Jan 1960 - Jan 2015) were systematically searched. Experts in the field were contacted to locate papers that were in progress or in press. Reference lists from relevant review articles were searched. Inclusion criteria included full papers published in English reporting concurrent depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms in pregnant and post partum women. A validated data extraction review tool was used. 3424 citations were identified. Three studies met the full inclusion criteria. All reported findings in the postnatal period. No antenatal studies were identified. The prevalence of triple co-morbidity was relatively low ranging from 2% to 3%. triple co-morbidity does occur, although the prevalence appears to be low. Due to the presentation of complex symptoms, women with triple co-morbidity are likely to be difficult to identify, diagnose and treat. Clinical staff should be aware of the potential of complex symptomatology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Observations of the evening transition processes on opposing slopes of a north-south oriented mountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardyjak, E.

2014-12-01

The MATERHORN (Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observation) Program is a multiuniversity, multidisciplinary research initiative designed to improve numerical weather prediction in complex terrain and to better understand the physics of complex terrain flow phenomena across a wide range of scales. As part of MATERHORN, field campaigns were conducted at Dugway, UT, USA in Autumn 2012 and Spring 2013. A subset of the campaigns included dense observations along the East Slope of Granite Peak (40.096° N, -113.253° W), as well as additional observations on the opposing west facing slope. East Slope observations included five multi-sonic anemometer eddy covariance towers (two with full energy budget stations), eleven small energy budget stations, fifteen automated weather stations, a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system, hot-film anemometry, infrared camera surface temperature observations and up to three Doppler lidars. West Slope operations were less intense with three main towers, two of which included sonic anemometry and one, which included full surface energy balance observations. For this presentation, our analysis will focus on characterizing and contrasting the response of mean wind circulations and thermodynamics variables, as well as turbulence quantities during the evening transitions on both the East Slope and West Slope when solar irradiation differences of the slope surfaces is extremely large.

X-ray tomography using the full complex index of refraction.

PubMed

Nielsen, M S; Lauridsen, T; Thomsen, M; Jensen, T H; Bech, M; Christensen, L B; Olsen, E V; Hviid, M; Feidenhans'l, R; Pfeiffer, F

2012-10-07

We report on x-ray tomography using the full complex index of refraction recorded with a grating-based x-ray phase-contrast setup. Combining simultaneous absorption and phase-contrast information, the distribution of the full complex index of refraction is determined and depicted in a bivariate graph. A simple multivariable threshold segmentation can be applied offering higher accuracy than with a single-variable threshold segmentation as well as new possibilities for the partial volume analysis and edge detection. It is particularly beneficial for low-contrast systems. In this paper, this concept is demonstrated by experimental results.

Full-band quantum simulation of electron devices with the pseudopotential method: Theory, implementation, and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pala, M. G.; Esseni, D.

2018-03-01

This paper presents the theory, implementation, and application of a quantum transport modeling approach based on the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism and a full-band empirical pseudopotential Hamiltonian. We here propose to employ a hybrid real-space/plane-wave basis that results in a significant reduction of the computational complexity compared to a full plane-wave basis. To this purpose, we provide a theoretical formulation in the hybrid basis of the quantum confinement, the self-energies of the leads, and the coupling between the device and the leads. After discussing the theory and the implementation of the new simulation methodology, we report results for complete, self-consistent simulations of different electron devices, including a silicon Esaki diode, a thin-body silicon field effect transistor (FET), and a germanium tunnel FET. The simulated transistors have technologically relevant geometrical features with a semiconductor film thickness of about 4 nm and a channel length ranging from 10 to 17 nm. We believe that the newly proposed formalism may find applications also in transport models based on ab initio Hamiltonians, as those employed in density functional theory methods.

Investigating pyridazine and phthalazine exchange in a series of iridium complexes in order to define their role in the catalytic transfer of magnetisation from para-hydrogen.

PubMed

Appleby, Kate M; Mewis, Ryan E; Olaru, Alexandra M; Green, Gary G R; Fairlamb, Ian J S; Duckett, Simon B

2015-07-01

The reaction of [Ir(IMes)(COD)Cl], [IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene] with pyridazine (pdz) and phthalazine (phth) results in the formation of [Ir(COD)(IMes)(pdz)]Cl and [Ir(COD)(IMes)(phth)]Cl. These two complexes are shown by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies to undergo a haptotropic shift which interchanges pairs of protons within the bound ligands. When these complexes are exposed to hydrogen, they react to form [Ir(H) 2 (COD)(IMes)(pdz)]Cl and [Ir(H) 2 (COD)(IMes)(phth)]Cl, respectively, which ultimately convert to [Ir(H) 2 (IMes)(pdz) 3 ]Cl and [Ir(H) 2 (IMes)(phth) 3 ]Cl, as the COD is hydrogenated to form cyclooctane. These two dihydride complexes are shown, by NMR, to undergo both full N-heterocycle dissociation and a haptotropic shift, the rates of which are affected by both steric interactions and free ligand p K a values. The use of these complexes as catalysts in the transfer of polarisation from para -hydrogen to pyridazine and phthalazine via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) is explored. The possible future use of drugs which contain pyridazine and phthalazine motifs as in vivo or clinical magnetic resonance imaging probes is demonstrated; a range of NMR and phantom-based MRI measurements are reported.

Measuring Complexity and Predictability of Time Series with Flexible Multiscale Entropy for Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Zhou, Renjie; Yang, Chen; Wan, Jian; Zhang, Wei; Guan, Bo; Xiong, Naixue

2017-01-01

Measurement of time series complexity and predictability is sometimes the cornerstone for proposing solutions to topology and congestion control problems in sensor networks. As a method of measuring time series complexity and predictability, multiscale entropy (MSE) has been widely applied in many fields. However, sample entropy, which is the fundamental component of MSE, measures the similarity of two subsequences of a time series with either zero or one, but without in-between values, which causes sudden changes of entropy values even if the time series embraces small changes. This problem becomes especially severe when the length of time series is getting short. For solving such the problem, we propose flexible multiscale entropy (FMSE), which introduces a novel similarity function measuring the similarity of two subsequences with full-range values from zero to one, and thus increases the reliability and stability of measuring time series complexity. The proposed method is evaluated on both synthetic and real time series, including white noise, 1/f noise and real vibration signals. The evaluation results demonstrate that FMSE has a significant improvement in reliability and stability of measuring complexity of time series, especially when the length of time series is short, compared to MSE and composite multiscale entropy (CMSE). The proposed method FMSE is capable of improving the performance of time series analysis based topology and traffic congestion control techniques. PMID:28383496

Measuring Complexity and Predictability of Time Series with Flexible Multiscale Entropy for Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Zhou, Renjie; Yang, Chen; Wan, Jian; Zhang, Wei; Guan, Bo; Xiong, Naixue

2017-04-06

Measurement of time series complexity and predictability is sometimes the cornerstone for proposing solutions to topology and congestion control problems in sensor networks. As a method of measuring time series complexity and predictability, multiscale entropy (MSE) has been widely applied in many fields. However, sample entropy, which is the fundamental component of MSE, measures the similarity of two subsequences of a time series with either zero or one, but without in-between values, which causes sudden changes of entropy values even if the time series embraces small changes. This problem becomes especially severe when the length of time series is getting short. For solving such the problem, we propose flexible multiscale entropy (FMSE), which introduces a novel similarity function measuring the similarity of two subsequences with full-range values from zero to one, and thus increases the reliability and stability of measuring time series complexity. The proposed method is evaluated on both synthetic and real time series, including white noise, 1/f noise and real vibration signals. The evaluation results demonstrate that FMSE has a significant improvement in reliability and stability of measuring complexity of time series, especially when the length of time series is short, compared to MSE and composite multiscale entropy (CMSE). The proposed method FMSE is capable of improving the performance of time series analysis based topology and traffic congestion control techniques.

A moist aquaplanet variant of the Held–Suarez test for atmospheric model dynamical cores

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

Thatcher, Diana R.; Jablonowski, Christiane

A moist idealized test case (MITC) for atmospheric model dynamical cores is presented. The MITC is based on the Held–Suarez (HS) test that was developed for dry simulations on “a flat Earth” and replaces the full physical parameterization package with a Newtonian temperature relaxation and Rayleigh damping of the low-level winds. This new variant of the HS test includes moisture and thereby sheds light on the nonlinear dynamics–physics moisture feedbacks without the complexity of full-physics parameterization packages. In particular, it adds simplified moist processes to the HS forcing to model large-scale condensation, boundary-layer mixing, and the exchange of latent and sensible heat betweenmore » the atmospheric surface and an ocean-covered planet. Using a variety of dynamical cores of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)'s Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), this paper demonstrates that the inclusion of the moist idealized physics package leads to climatic states that closely resemble aquaplanet simulations with complex physical parameterizations. This establishes that the MITC approach generates reasonable atmospheric circulations and can be used for a broad range of scientific investigations. This paper provides examples of two application areas. First, the test case reveals the characteristics of the physics–dynamics coupling technique and reproduces coupling issues seen in full-physics simulations. In particular, it is shown that sudden adjustments of the prognostic fields due to moist physics tendencies can trigger undesirable large-scale gravity waves, which can be remedied by a more gradual application of the physical forcing. Second, the moist idealized test case can be used to intercompare dynamical cores. These examples demonstrate the versatility of the MITC approach and suggestions are made for further application areas. Furthermore, the new moist variant of the HS test can be considered a test case of intermediate complexity.« less

A moist aquaplanet variant of the Held–Suarez test for atmospheric model dynamical cores

DOE PAGES

Thatcher, Diana R.; Jablonowski, Christiane

2016-04-04

A moist idealized test case (MITC) for atmospheric model dynamical cores is presented. The MITC is based on the Held–Suarez (HS) test that was developed for dry simulations on “a flat Earth” and replaces the full physical parameterization package with a Newtonian temperature relaxation and Rayleigh damping of the low-level winds. This new variant of the HS test includes moisture and thereby sheds light on the nonlinear dynamics–physics moisture feedbacks without the complexity of full-physics parameterization packages. In particular, it adds simplified moist processes to the HS forcing to model large-scale condensation, boundary-layer mixing, and the exchange of latent and sensible heat betweenmore » the atmospheric surface and an ocean-covered planet. Using a variety of dynamical cores of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)'s Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), this paper demonstrates that the inclusion of the moist idealized physics package leads to climatic states that closely resemble aquaplanet simulations with complex physical parameterizations. This establishes that the MITC approach generates reasonable atmospheric circulations and can be used for a broad range of scientific investigations. This paper provides examples of two application areas. First, the test case reveals the characteristics of the physics–dynamics coupling technique and reproduces coupling issues seen in full-physics simulations. In particular, it is shown that sudden adjustments of the prognostic fields due to moist physics tendencies can trigger undesirable large-scale gravity waves, which can be remedied by a more gradual application of the physical forcing. Second, the moist idealized test case can be used to intercompare dynamical cores. These examples demonstrate the versatility of the MITC approach and suggestions are made for further application areas. Furthermore, the new moist variant of the HS test can be considered a test case of intermediate complexity.« less

The Journey of Interstellar Dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dwek, Eliahu

2007-01-01

Interstellar dust particles undergo a complex journey in space. It commences with their formation in stellar outflows or outbursts, but may end in very different ways. Their fates range from sudden "death by destruction" promptly after their formation to maturity and inclusion in protoplanetary objects in stellar nursery homes. Throughout this journey dust grains are subjected to a host of interstellar processes in different astrophysical environments which leave their imprint on the dust and affects their surrounding environment. In this review I will summarize our current knowledge of the field, emphasizing what we still need to know to gain a full understanding of interstellar dust grains and their journey through the ISM.

Contextual approach to technology assessment: Implications for one-factor fix solutions to complex social problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, L. H.

1975-01-01

The contextual approach is discussed which undertakes to demonstrate that technology assessment assists in the identification of the full range of implications of taking a particular action and facilitates the consideration of alternative means by which the total affected social problem context might be changed by available project options. It is found that the social impacts of an application on participants, institutions, processes, and social interests, and the accompanying interactions may not only induce modifications in the problem contest delineated for examination with respect to the design, operations, regulation, and use of the posited application, but also affect related social problem contexts.

Women's health, men's health, and gender and health: implications of intersectionality.

PubMed

Hankivsky, Olena

2012-06-01

Although intersectionality is now recognized in the context of women's health, men's health, and gender and health, its full implications for research, policy, and practice have not yet been interrogated. This paper investigates, from an intersectionality perspective, the common struggles within each field to confront the complex interplay of factors that shape health inequities. Drawing on developments within intersectionality scholarship and various sources of research and policy evidence (including examples from the field of HIV/AIDS), the paper demonstrates the methodological feasibility of intersectionality and in particular, the wide-ranging benefits of de-centering gender through intersectional analyses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extended temperature range ACPS thruster investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blubaugh, A. L.; Schoenman, L.

1974-01-01

The successful hot fire demonstration of a pulsing liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen/liquid oxygen attitude control propulsion system thruster is described. The test was the result of research to develop a simple, lightweight, and high performance reaction control system without the traditional requirements for extensive periods of engine thermal conditioning, or the use of complex equipment to convert both liquid propellants to gas prior to delivery to the engine. Significant departures from conventional injector design practice were employed to achieve an operable design. The work discussed includes thermal and injector manifold priming analyses, subscale injector chilldown tests, and 168 full scale and 550 N (1250 lbF) rocket engine tests. Ignition experiments, at propellant temperatures ranging from cryogenic to ambient, led to the generation of a universal spark ignition system which can reliably ignite an engine when supplied with liquid, two phase, or gaseous propellants. Electrical power requirements for spark igniter are very low.

Acid mine drainage

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bigham, Jerry M.; Cravotta, Charles A.

2016-01-01

Acid mine drainage (AMD) consists of metal-laden solutions produced by the oxidative dissolution of iron sulfide minerals exposed to air, moisture, and acidophilic microbes during the mining of coal and metal deposits. The pH of AMD is usually in the range of 2–6, but mine-impacted waters at circumneutral pH (5–8) are also common. Mine drainage usually contains elevated concentrations of sulfate, iron, aluminum, and other potentially toxic metals leached from rock that hydrolyze and coprecipitate to form rust-colored encrustations or sediments. When AMD is discharged into surface waters or groundwaters, degradation of water quality, injury to aquatic life, and corrosion or encrustation of engineered structures can occur for substantial distances. Prevention and remediation strategies should consider the biogeochemical complexity of the system, the longevity of AMD pollution, the predictive power of geochemical modeling, and the full range of available field technologies for problem mitigation.

Modelling crystal plasticity by 3D dislocation dynamics and the finite element method: The Discrete-Continuous Model revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vattré, A.; Devincre, B.; Feyel, F.; Gatti, R.; Groh, S.; Jamond, O.; Roos, A.

2014-02-01

A unified model coupling 3D dislocation dynamics (DD) simulations with the finite element (FE) method is revisited. The so-called Discrete-Continuous Model (DCM) aims to predict plastic flow at the (sub-)micron length scale of materials with complex boundary conditions. The evolution of the dislocation microstructure and the short-range dislocation-dislocation interactions are calculated with a DD code. The long-range mechanical fields due to the dislocations are calculated by a FE code, taking into account the boundary conditions. The coupling procedure is based on eigenstrain theory, and the precise manner in which the plastic slip, i.e. the dislocation glide as calculated by the DD code, is transferred to the integration points of the FE mesh is described in full detail. Several test cases are presented, and the DCM is applied to plastic flow in a single-crystal Nickel-based superalloy.

Multiple meanings of "gift" and its value for organ donation.

PubMed

Shaw, Rhonda M; Webb, Robert

2015-05-01

The "gift of life" metaphor is used to promote organ donation where commercialization is prohibited. In this article, we explore how multiple parties involved in organ transfer procedures think of gift terminology by drawing on interview data with transplantation specialists, organ transplant recipients, living directed donors and living nondirected donors. The interviews took place across New Zealand between October 2008 and May 2012, in participants' homes and hospital workplaces. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded manually, and thematically analyzed. Although gift language is often viewed as clear-cut, the gift trope has multiple meanings for different constituent and cultural groups, ranging from positive descriptors to obscuring and romanticizing the complexities of transplantation processes. To account for these multiple perspectives, we suggest new ethical models to capture the nuanced phenomenon of organ transfer in ways that recognize the full range of donation and reception experiences. © The Author(s) 2014.

Postural Complexity Differs Between Infant Born Full Term and Preterm During the Development of Early Behaviors

PubMed Central

Dusing, Stacey C; Izzo, Theresa A.; Thacker, Leroy R.; Galloway, James C

2014-01-01

Background and Aims Postural control differs between infants born preterm and full term at 1–3 weeks of age. It is unclear if differences persist or alter the development of early behaviors. The aim of this longitudinal study was to compare changes in postural control variability during development of head control and reaching in infants born preterm and full term. Methods Eighteen infants born preterm (mean gestational age 28.3±3.1 weeks) were included in this study and compared to existing data from 22 infants born full term. Postural variability was assessed longitudinally using root mean squared displacement and approximate entropy of the center of pressure displacement from birth to 6 months as measures of the magnitude of the variability and complexity of postural control. Behavioral coding was used to quantify development of head control and reaching. Results Group differences were identified in postural complexity during the development of head control and reaching. Infants born preterm used more repetitive and less adaptive postural control strategies than infants born full term. Both groups changed their postural complexity utilized during the development of head control and reaching. Discussion Early postural complexity was decreased in infants born preterm, compared to infants born full term. Commonly used clinical assessments did not identify these early differences in postural control. Altered postural control in infants born preterm influenced ongoing skill development in the first six months of life. PMID:24485170

SU-F-T-184: 3D Range-Modulator for Scanned Particle Therapy: Development, Monte Carlo Simulations and Measurements

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

Simeonov, Y; Penchev, P; Ringbaek, T Printz

2016-06-15

Purpose: Active raster scanning in particle therapy results in highly conformal dose distributions. Treatment time, however, is relatively high due to the large number of different iso-energy layers used. By using only one energy and the so called 3D range-modulator irradiation times of a few seconds only can be achieved, thus making delivery of homogeneous dose to moving targets (e.g. lung cancer) more reliable. Methods: A 3D range-modulator consisting of many pins with base area of 2.25 mm2 and different lengths was developed and manufactured with rapid prototyping technique. The form of the 3D range-modulator was optimised for a sphericalmore » target volume with 5 cm diameter placed at 25 cm in a water phantom. Monte Carlo simulations using the FLUKA package were carried out to evaluate the modulating effect of the 3D range-modulator and simulate the resulting dose distribution. The fine and complicated contour form of the 3D range-modulator was taken into account by a specially programmed user routine. Additionally FLUKA was extended with the capability of intensity modulated scanning. To verify the simulation results dose measurements were carried out at the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center (HIT) with a 400.41 MeV 12C beam. Results: The high resolution measurements show that the 3D range-modulator is capable of producing homogeneous 3D conformal dose distributions, simultaneously reducing significantly irradiation time. Measured dose is in very good agreement with the previously conducted FLUKA simulations, where slight differences were traced back to minor manufacturing deviations from the perfect optimised form. Conclusion: Combined with the advantages of very short treatment time the 3D range-modulator could be an alternative to treat small to medium sized tumours (e.g. lung metastasis) with the same conformity as full raster-scanning treatment. Further simulations and measurements of more complex cases will be conducted to investigate the full potential of the 3D range-modulator.« less

Association of maternal scaffolding to maternal education and cognition in toddlers born preterm and full term.

PubMed

Lowe, Jean R; Erickson, Sarah J; Maclean, Peggy; Schrader, Ron; Fuller, Janell

2013-01-01

Parental behaviour described as 'scaffolding' has been shown to influence outcomes in at-risk children. The purpose of this study was to compare maternal verbal scaffolding in toddlers born preterm and full term. The scaffolding behaviour of mothers of toddlers born preterm and healthy full term was compared during a 5-min videotaped free play session with standardized toys. We compared two types of scaffolding and their associations with socio-demographic, neonatal medical factors and cognition. The mothers of toddlers born full term used more complex scaffolding. Maternal education was associated with complex scaffolding scores for the preterm children only. Specifically, the preterm children who were sicker in the neonatal period, and whose mothers had higher education, used more complex scaffolding. In addition, children born preterm, who had less days of ventilation, had higher cognitive scores when their mothers used more complex scaffolding. Similarly, cognitive and scaffolding scores were higher for children born full term. Our findings highlight early differences in mother-child interactive styles of toddlers born preterm compared with full term. Teaching parents play methods that support early problem-solving skills may support a child's method of exploration and simultaneously their language development. ©2012 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica ©2012 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Analytical model for ion stopping power and range in the therapeutic energy interval for beams of hydrogen and heavier ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donahue, William; Newhauser, Wayne D.; Ziegler, James F.

2016-09-01

Many different approaches exist to calculate stopping power and range of protons and heavy charged particles. These methods may be broadly categorized as physically complete theories (widely applicable and complex) or semi-empirical approaches (narrowly applicable and simple). However, little attention has been paid in the literature to approaches that are both widely applicable and simple. We developed simple analytical models of stopping power and range for ions of hydrogen, carbon, iron, and uranium that spanned intervals of ion energy from 351 keV u-1 to 450 MeV u-1 or wider. The analytical models typically reproduced the best-available evaluated stopping powers within 1% and ranges within 0.1 mm. The computational speed of the analytical stopping power model was 28% faster than a full-theoretical approach. The calculation of range using the analytic range model was 945 times faster than a widely-used numerical integration technique. The results of this study revealed that the new, simple analytical models are accurate, fast, and broadly applicable. The new models require just 6 parameters to calculate stopping power and range for a given ion and absorber. The proposed model may be useful as an alternative to traditional approaches, especially in applications that demand fast computation speed, small memory footprint, and simplicity.

Analytical model for ion stopping power and range in the therapeutic energy interval for beams of hydrogen and heavier ions.

PubMed

Donahue, William; Newhauser, Wayne D; Ziegler, James F

2016-09-07

Many different approaches exist to calculate stopping power and range of protons and heavy charged particles. These methods may be broadly categorized as physically complete theories (widely applicable and complex) or semi-empirical approaches (narrowly applicable and simple). However, little attention has been paid in the literature to approaches that are both widely applicable and simple. We developed simple analytical models of stopping power and range for ions of hydrogen, carbon, iron, and uranium that spanned intervals of ion energy from 351 keV u(-1) to 450 MeV u(-1) or wider. The analytical models typically reproduced the best-available evaluated stopping powers within 1% and ranges within 0.1 mm. The computational speed of the analytical stopping power model was 28% faster than a full-theoretical approach. The calculation of range using the analytic range model was 945 times faster than a widely-used numerical integration technique. The results of this study revealed that the new, simple analytical models are accurate, fast, and broadly applicable. The new models require just 6 parameters to calculate stopping power and range for a given ion and absorber. The proposed model may be useful as an alternative to traditional approaches, especially in applications that demand fast computation speed, small memory footprint, and simplicity.

Employee performance in the knowledge economy: Capturing the keys to success

PubMed Central

Fauth, Rebecca; Bevan, Stephen; Mills, Peter

2009-01-01

The present study examines the key determinants of employee performance in a knowledge-intensive service firm located in the UK. Using data from a pilot study, we mapped eight performance-related behaviors to two measures of global performance to isolate the strongest predictors of the latter. We also examined the degree to which these associations varied depending on whether employees or their managers reported on performance as well as according to the degree of complexity (eg, ongoing learning, multitasking, problem solving, etc.) present in workers’ jobs. Findings revealed that more traditional employee performance-related behaviors (eg, dependability) as well as behaviors that have likely increased in importance in the knowledge economy (eg, sharing ideas and information) accounted for the most variance in reported global performance. Sharing ideas and information was a particularly important predictor for workers in complex jobs. When the performance-related behaviors were regressed on the organization’s annual employee appraisal ratings, only dependability and time management behaviors were significantly associated with the outcome. As organizational success increasingly is dependent on intangible inputs stemming from the ideas, innovations and creativity of its workforce, organizations need to ensure that they are capturing the full range of behaviors that help to define their success. Further research with a diverse range of organizations will help define this further. PMID:22110316

Assessment of a hybrid finite element-transfer matrix model for flat structures with homogeneous acoustic treatments.

PubMed

Alimonti, Luca; Atalla, Noureddine; Berry, Alain; Sgard, Franck

2014-05-01

Modeling complex vibroacoustic systems including poroelastic materials using finite element based methods can be unfeasible for practical applications. For this reason, analytical approaches such as the transfer matrix method are often preferred to obtain a quick estimation of the vibroacoustic parameters. However, the strong assumptions inherent within the transfer matrix method lead to a lack of accuracy in the description of the geometry of the system. As a result, the transfer matrix method is inherently limited to the high frequency range. Nowadays, hybrid substructuring procedures have become quite popular. Indeed, different modeling techniques are typically sought to describe complex vibroacoustic systems over the widest possible frequency range. As a result, the flexibility and accuracy of the finite element method and the efficiency of the transfer matrix method could be coupled in a hybrid technique to obtain a reduction of the computational burden. In this work, a hybrid methodology is proposed. The performances of the method in predicting the vibroacoutic indicators of flat structures with attached homogeneous acoustic treatments are assessed. The results prove that, under certain conditions, the hybrid model allows for a reduction of the computational effort while preserving enough accuracy with respect to the full finite element solution.

Complexity and dynamics of topological and community structure in complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berec, Vesna

2017-07-01

Complexity is highly susceptible to variations in the network dynamics, reflected on its underlying architecture where topological organization of cohesive subsets into clusters, system's modular structure and resulting hierarchical patterns, are cross-linked with functional dynamics of the system. Here we study connection between hierarchical topological scales of the simplicial complexes and the organization of functional clusters - communities in complex networks. The analysis reveals the full dynamics of different combinatorial structures of q-th-dimensional simplicial complexes and their Laplacian spectra, presenting spectral properties of resulting symmetric and positive semidefinite matrices. The emergence of system's collective behavior from inhomogeneous statistical distribution is induced by hierarchically ordered topological structure, which is mapped to simplicial complex where local interactions between the nodes clustered into subcomplexes generate flow of information that characterizes complexity and dynamics of the full system.

Degradation of the Bragg peak due to inhomogeneities.

PubMed

Urie, M; Goitein, M; Holley, W R; Chen, G T

1986-01-01

The rapid fall-off of dose at the end of range of heavy charged particle beams has the potential in therapeutic applications of sparing critical structures just distal to the target volume. Here we explored the effects of highly inhomogeneous regions on this desirable depth-dose characteristic. The proton depth-dose distribution behind a lucite-air interface parallel to the beam was bimodal, indicating the presence of two groups of protons with different residual ranges, creating a step-like depth-dose distribution at the end of range. The residual ranges became more spread out as the interface was angled at 3 degrees, and still more at 6 degrees, to the direction of the beam. A second experiment showed little significant effect on the distal depth-dose of protons having passed through a mosaic of teflon and lucite. Anatomic studies demonstrated significant effects of complex fine inhomogeneities on the end of range characteristics. Monoenergetic protons passing through the petrous ridges and mastoid air cells in the base of skull showed a dramatic degradation of the distal Bragg peak. In beams with spread out Bragg peaks passing through regions of the base of skull, the distal fall-off from 90 to 20% dose was increased from its nominal 6 to well over 32 mm. Heavy ions showed a corresponding degradation in their ends of range. In the worst case in the base of skull region, a monoenergetic neon beam showed a broadening of the full width at half maximum of the Bragg peak to over 15 mm (compared with 4 mm in a homogeneous unit density medium). A similar effect was found with carbon ions in the abdomen, where the full width at half maximum of the Bragg peak (nominally 5.5 mm) was found to be greater than 25 mm behind gas-soft-tissue interfaces. We address the implications of these data for dose computation with heavy charged particles.

Identifying the myogenic and metabolic components of cerebral autoregulation.

PubMed

Payne, S J

2018-05-14

Cerebral autoregulation is the term used to describe a number of mechanisms that act together to maintain a near constant cerebral blood flow in response to changes in arterial blood pressure. These mechanisms are complex and known to be affected in a range of cerebrovascular diseases. However, it can be difficult to assign an alteration in cerebral autoregulation to one of the underlying physiological mechanisms without the use of a complex mathematical model. In this paper, we thus set out a new approach that enables these mechanisms to be related to the autoregulation behaviour and hence inferred from experimental measurements. We show that the arteriolar response is a function of just three parameters, which we term the elastic, the myogenic and the metabolic sensitivity coefficients, and that the full vascular response is dependent upon only seven parameters. The ratio of the strengths of the myogenic and the metabolic responses is found to be in the range 2.5 to 5 over a wide range of pressure, indicating that the balance between the two appears to lie within this range. We validate the model with existing experimental data both at the level of an individual vessel and across the whole vasculature, and show that the results are consistent with findings from the literature. We then conduct a sensitivity analysis of the model to demonstrate which parameters are most important in determining the strength of static autoregulation, showing that autoregulation strength is predominantly set by the arteriolar sensitivity coefficients. This new approach could be used in future studies to help to interpret the components of the autoregulation response and how they are affected under different conditions, providing a greater insight into the fundamental processes that govern autoregulation. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Targeted Catalytic Inactivation of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme by Lisinopril-Coupled Transition Metal Chelates

PubMed Central

Joyner, Jeff C.; Hocharoen, Lalintip; Cowan, J. A.

2012-01-01

A series of compounds that target reactive transition metal chelates to somatic Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (sACE-1) have been synthesized. Half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) and rate constants for both inactivation and cleavage of full length sACE-1 have been determined and evaluated in terms of metal-chelate size, charge, reduction potential, coordination unsaturation, and coreactant selectivity. Ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclo-dodecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA), and tripeptide GGH were linked to the lysine sidechain of lisinopril by EDC/NHS coupling. The resulting amide-linked chelate-lisinopril (EDTA-lisinopril, NTA-lisinopril, DOTA-lisinopril, and GGH-lisinopril) conjugates were used to form coordination complexes with iron, cobalt, nickel and copper, such that lisinopril could mediate localization of the reactive metal chelates to sACE-1. ACE activity was assayed by monitoring cleavage of the fluorogenic substrate Mca-RPPGFSAFK(Dnp)-OH, a derivative of bradykinin, following pre-incubation with metal-chelate-lisinopril compounds. Concentration-dependent inhibition of sACE-1 by metal-chelate-lisinopril complexes revealed IC50 values ranging from 44 nM to 4,500 nM for Ni-NTA-lisinopril and Ni-DOTA-lisinopril, respectively, versus 1.9 nM for lisinopril. Stronger inhibition was correlated with smaller size and lower negative charge of the attached metal chelates. Time-dependent inactivation of sACE-1 by metal-chelate-lisinopril complexes revealed a remarkable range of catalytic activities, with second order rate constants as high as 150,000 M−1min−1 (Cu-GGH-lisinopril), while catalyst-mediated cleavage of sACE-1 typically occurred at much lower rates, indicating that inactivation arose primary from sidechain modification. Optimal inactivation of sACE-1 was observed when the reduction potential for the metal center was poised near 1000 mV, reflecting the difficulty of protein oxidation. This class of metal-chelate-lisinopril complexes possesses a range of high-affinity binding to ACE, introduces the advantage of irreversible catalytic turnover, and marks an important step toward the development of multiple-turnover drugs for selective inactivation of sACE-1. PMID:22200082

Targeted catalytic inactivation of angiotensin converting enzyme by lisinopril-coupled transition-metal chelates.

PubMed

Joyner, Jeff C; Hocharoen, Lalintip; Cowan, J A

2012-02-22

A series of compounds that target reactive transition-metal chelates to somatic angiotensin converting enzyme (sACE-1) have been synthesized. Half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) and rate constants for both inactivation and cleavage of full-length sACE-1 have been determined and evaluated in terms of metal chelate size, charge, reduction potential, coordination unsaturation, and coreactant selectivity. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA), and tripeptide GGH were linked to the lysine side chain of lisinopril by 1-ethyl-3-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]carbodiimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide coupling. The resulting amide-linked chelate-lisinopril (EDTA-lisinopril, NTA-lisinopril, DOTA-lisinopril, and GGH-lisinopril) conjugates were used to form coordination complexes with iron, cobalt, nickel, and copper, such that lisinopril could mediate localization of the reactive metal chelates to sACE-1. ACE activity was assayed by monitoring cleavage of the fluorogenic substrate Mca-RPPGFSAFK(Dnp)-OH, a derivative of bradykinin, following preincubation with metal chelate-lisinopril compounds. Concentration-dependent inhibition of sACE-1 by metal chelate-lisinopril complexes revealed IC(50) values ranging from 44 to 4500 nM for Ni-NTA-lisinopril and Ni-DOTA-lisinopril, respectively, versus 1.9 nM for lisinopril. Stronger inhibition was correlated with smaller size and lower negative charge of the attached metal chelates. Time-dependent inactivation of sACE-1 by metal chelate-lisinopril complexes revealed a remarkable range of catalytic activities, with second-order rate constants as high as 150,000 M(-1) min(-1) (Cu-GGH-lisinopril), while catalyst-mediated cleavage of sACE-1 typically occurred at much lower rates, indicating that inactivation arose primarily from side chain modification. Optimal inactivation of sACE-1 was observed when the reduction potential for the metal center was poised near 1000 mV, reflecting the difficulty of protein oxidation. This class of metal chelate-lisinopril complexes possesses a range of high-affinity binding to ACE, introduces the advantage of irreversible catalytic turnover, and marks an important step toward the development of multiple-turnover drugs for selective inactivation of sACE-1.

Full Range Advising: Transforming the Advisor-Advisee Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbuto, John E., Jr.; Story, Joana S.; Fritz, Susan M.; Schinstock, Jack L.

2011-01-01

Drawing from the leadership literature, a new model for advising is proposed. Full range advising encompasses laissez-faire, management by exception, contingent rewards, and transformational behaviors. The relationships between full range advising and advisees' extra effort, satisfaction with the advisor, and advising effectiveness were examined.…

Evaluating mating compatibility within fruit fly cryptic species complexes and the potential role of sex pheromones in pre-mating isolation

PubMed Central

Juárez, M. Laura; Devescovi, Francisco; Břízová, Radka; Bachmann, Guillermo; Segura, Diego F.; Kalinová, Blanka; Fernández, Patricia; Ruiz, M. Josefina; Yang, Jianquan; Teal, Peter E.A.; Cáceres, Carlos; Vreysen, Marc J.B.; Hendrichs, Jorge; Vera, M. Teresa

2015-01-01

Abstract The study of sexual behavior and the identification of the signals involved in mate recognition between con-specifics are key components that can shed some light, as part of an integrative taxonomic approach, in delimitating species within species complexes. In the Tephritidae family several species complexes have received particular attention as they include important agricultural pests such as the Ceratitis fasciventris (Bezzi), Ceratitis anonae (Graham) and Ceratitis rosa Karsch (FAR) complex, the Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) complex and the Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) complex. Here the value and usefulness of a methodology that uses walk-in field cages with host trees to assess, under semi-natural conditions, mating compatibility within these complexes is reviewed, and the same methodology to study the role of chemical communication in pre-mating isolation among Anastrepha fraterculus populations is used. Results showed that under the same experimental conditions it was possible to distinguish an entire range of different outcomes: from full mating compatibility among some populations to complete assortative mating among others. The effectiveness of the methodology in contributing to defining species limits was shown in two species complexes: Anastrepha fraterculus and Bactrocera dorsalis, and in the case of the latter the synonymization of several established species was published. We conclude that walk-in field cages constitute a powerful tool to measure mating compatibility, which is also useful to determine the role of chemical signals in species recognition. Overall, this experimental approach provides a good source of information about reproductive boundaries to delimit species. However, it needs to be applied as part of an integrative taxonomic approach that simultaneously assesses cytogenetic, molecular, physiological and morphological traits in order to reach more robust species delimitations. PMID:26798257

Multi-Dimensional Simulation of LWR Fuel Behavior in the BISON Fuel Performance Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, R. L.; Capps, N. A.; Liu, W.; Rashid, Y. R.; Wirth, B. D.

2016-11-01

Nuclear fuel operates in an extreme environment that induces complex multiphysics phenomena occurring over distances ranging from inter-atomic spacing to meters, and times scales ranging from microseconds to years. To simulate this behavior requires a wide variety of material models that are often complex and nonlinear. The recently developed BISON code represents a powerful fuel performance simulation tool based on its material and physical behavior capabilities, finite-element versatility of spatial representation, and use of parallel computing. The code can operate in full three dimensional (3D) mode, as well as in reduced two dimensional (2D) modes, e.g., axisymmetric radial-axial ( R- Z) or plane radial-circumferential ( R- θ), to suit the application and to allow treatment of global and local effects. A BISON case study was used to illustrate analysis of Pellet Clad Mechanical Interaction failures from manufacturing defects using combined 2D and 3D analyses. The analysis involved commercial fuel rods and demonstrated successful computation of metrics of interest to fuel failures, including cladding peak hoop stress and strain energy density. In comparison with a failure threshold derived from power ramp tests, results corroborate industry analyses of the root cause of the pellet-clad interaction failures and illustrate the importance of modeling 3D local effects around fuel pellet defects, which can produce complex effects including cold spots in the cladding, stress concentrations, and hot spots in the fuel that can lead to enhanced cladding degradation such as hydriding, oxidation, CRUD formation, and stress corrosion cracking.

Multi-Dimensional Simulation of LWR Fuel Behavior in the BISON Fuel Performance Code

DOE PAGES

Williamson, R. L.; Capps, N. A.; Liu, W.; ...

2016-09-27

Nuclear fuel operates in an extreme environment that induces complex multiphysics phenomena occurring over distances ranging from inter-atomic spacing to meters, and times scales ranging from microseconds to years. To simulate this behavior requires a wide variety of material models that are often complex and nonlinear. The recently developed BISON code represents a powerful fuel performance simulation tool based on its material and physical behavior capabilities, finite-element versatility of spatial representation, and use of parallel computing. The code can operate in full three dimensional (3D) mode, as well as in reduced two dimensional (2D) modes, e.g., axisymmetric radial-axial (R-Z) ormore » plane radial-circumferential (R-θ), to suit the application and to allow treatment of global and local effects. A BISON case study was used in this paper to illustrate analysis of Pellet Clad Mechanical Interaction failures from manufacturing defects using combined 2D and 3D analyses. The analysis involved commercial fuel rods and demonstrated successful computation of metrics of interest to fuel failures, including cladding peak hoop stress and strain energy density. Finally, in comparison with a failure threshold derived from power ramp tests, results corroborate industry analyses of the root cause of the pellet-clad interaction failures and illustrate the importance of modeling 3D local effects around fuel pellet defects, which can produce complex effects including cold spots in the cladding, stress concentrations, and hot spots in the fuel that can lead to enhanced cladding degradation such as hydriding, oxidation, CRUD formation, and stress corrosion cracking.« less

Shuttle structural dynamics characteristics: The analysis and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Modlin, C. T., Jr.; Zupp, G. A., Jr.

1985-01-01

The space shuttle introduced a new dimension in the complexity of the structural dynamics of a space vehicle. The four-body configuration exhibited structural frequencies as low as 2 hertz with a model density on the order of 10 modes per hertz. In the verification process, certain mode shapes and frequencies were identified by the users as more important than others and, as such, the test objectives were oriented toward experimentally extracting those modes and frequencies for analysis and test correlation purposes. To provide the necessary experimental data, a series of ground vibration tests (GVT's) was conducted using test articles ranging from the 1/4-scale structural replica of the space shuttle to the full-scale vehicle. The vibration test and analysis program revealed that the mode shapes and frequency correlations below 10 hertz were good. The quality of correlation of modes between 10 and 20 hertz ranged from good to fair and that of modes above 20 hertz ranged from poor to good. Since the most important modes, based on user preference, were below 10 hertz, it was judged that the shuttle structural dynamic models were adequate for flight certifications.

Challenges in predicting climate change impacts on pome fruit phenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darbyshire, Rebecca; Webb, Leanne; Goodwin, Ian; Barlow, E. W. R.

2014-08-01

Climate projection data were applied to two commonly used pome fruit flowering models to investigate potential differences in predicted full bloom timing. The two methods, fixed thermal time and sequential chill-growth, produced different results for seven apple and pear varieties at two Australian locations. The fixed thermal time model predicted incremental advancement of full bloom, while results were mixed from the sequential chill-growth model. To further investigate how the sequential chill-growth model reacts under climate perturbed conditions, four simulations were created to represent a wider range of species physiological requirements. These were applied to five Australian locations covering varied climates. Lengthening of the chill period and contraction of the growth period was common to most results. The relative dominance of the chill or growth component tended to predict whether full bloom advanced, remained similar or was delayed with climate warming. The simplistic structure of the fixed thermal time model and the exclusion of winter chill conditions in this method indicate it is unlikely to be suitable for projection analyses. The sequential chill-growth model includes greater complexity; however, reservations in using this model for impact analyses remain. The results demonstrate that appropriate representation of physiological processes is essential to adequately predict changes to full bloom under climate perturbed conditions with greater model development needed.

Game-XP: Action Games as Experimental Paradigms for Cognitive Science.

PubMed

Gray, Wayne D

2017-04-01

Why games? How could anyone consider action games an experimental paradigm for Cognitive Science? In 1973, as one of three strategies he proposed for advancing Cognitive Science, Allen Newell exhorted us to "accept a single complex task and do all of it." More specifically, he told us that rather than taking an "experimental psychology as usual approach," we should "focus on a series of experimental and theoretical studies around a single complex task" so as to demonstrate that our theories of human cognition were powerful enough to explain "a genuine slab of human behavior" with the studies fitting into a detailed theoretical picture. Action games represent the type of experimental paradigm that Newell was advocating and the current state of programming expertise and laboratory equipment, along with the emergence of Big Data and naturally occurring datasets, provide the technologies and data needed to realize his vision. Action games enable us to escape from our field's regrettable focus on novice performance to develop theories that account for the full range of expertise through a twin focus on expertise sampling (across individuals) and longitudinal studies (within individuals) of simple and complex tasks. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A novel medical image data-based multi-physics simulation platform for computational life sciences.

PubMed

Neufeld, Esra; Szczerba, Dominik; Chavannes, Nicolas; Kuster, Niels

2013-04-06

Simulating and modelling complex biological systems in computational life sciences requires specialized software tools that can perform medical image data-based modelling, jointly visualize the data and computational results, and handle large, complex, realistic and often noisy anatomical models. The required novel solvers must provide the power to model the physics, biology and physiology of living tissue within the full complexity of the human anatomy (e.g. neuronal activity, perfusion and ultrasound propagation). A multi-physics simulation platform satisfying these requirements has been developed for applications including device development and optimization, safety assessment, basic research, and treatment planning. This simulation platform consists of detailed, parametrized anatomical models, a segmentation and meshing tool, a wide range of solvers and optimizers, a framework for the rapid development of specialized and parallelized finite element method solvers, a visualization toolkit-based visualization engine, a Python scripting interface for customized applications, a coupling framework, and more. Core components are cross-platform compatible and use open formats. Several examples of applications are presented: hyperthermia cancer treatment planning, tumour growth modelling, evaluating the magneto-haemodynamic effect as a biomarker and physics-based morphing of anatomical models.

Grid Convergence of High Order Methods for Multiscale Complex Unsteady Viscous Compressible Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sjoegreen, B.; Yee, H. C.

2001-01-01

Grid convergence of several high order methods for the computation of rapidly developing complex unsteady viscous compressible flows with a wide range of physical scales is studied. The recently developed adaptive numerical dissipation control high order methods referred to as the ACM and wavelet filter schemes are compared with a fifth-order weighted ENO (WENO) scheme. The two 2-D compressible full Navier-Stokes models considered do not possess known analytical and experimental data. Fine grid solutions from a standard second-order TVD scheme and a MUSCL scheme with limiters are used as reference solutions. The first model is a 2-D viscous analogue of a shock tube problem which involves complex shock/shear/boundary-layer interactions. The second model is a supersonic reactive flow concerning fuel breakup. The fuel mixing involves circular hydrogen bubbles in air interacting with a planar moving shock wave. Both models contain fine scale structures and are stiff in the sense that even though the unsteadiness of the flows are rapidly developing, extreme grid refinement and time step restrictions are needed to resolve all the flow scales as well as the chemical reaction scales.

Biodegradable Polymeric Materials in Degradable Electronic Devices

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Biodegradable electronics have great potential to reduce the environmental footprint of devices and enable advanced health monitoring and therapeutic technologies. Complex biodegradable electronics require biodegradable substrates, insulators, conductors, and semiconductors, all of which comprise the fundamental building blocks of devices. This review will survey recent trends in the strategies used to fabricate biodegradable forms of each of these components. Polymers that can disintegrate without full chemical breakdown (type I), as well as those that can be recycled into monomeric and oligomeric building blocks (type II), will be discussed. Type I degradation is typically achieved with engineering and material science based strategies, whereas type II degradation often requires deliberate synthetic approaches. Notably, unconventional degradable linkages capable of maintaining long-range conjugation have been relatively unexplored, yet may enable fully biodegradable conductors and semiconductors with uncompromised electrical properties. While substantial progress has been made in developing degradable device components, the electrical and mechanical properties of these materials must be improved before fully degradable complex electronics can be realized. PMID:29632879

A quantitative approach for pesticide analysis in grape juice by direct interfacing of a matrix compatible SPME phase to dielectric barrier discharge ionization-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Mirabelli, Mario F; Gionfriddo, Emanuela; Pawliszyn, Janusz; Zenobi, Renato

2018-02-12

We evaluated the performance of a dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source for pesticide analysis in grape juice, a fairly complex matrix due to the high content of sugars (≈20% w/w) and pigments. A fast sample preparation method based on direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was developed, and novel matrix compatible SPME fibers were used to reduce in-source matrix suppression effects. A high resolution LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer allowed for rapid quantification in full scan mode. This direct SPME-DBDI-MS approach was proven to be effective for the rapid and direct analysis of complex sample matrices, with limits of detection in the parts-per-trillion (ppt) range and inter- and intra-day precision below 30% relative standard deviation (RSD) for samples spiked at 1, 10 and 10 ng ml -1 , with overall performance comparable or even superior to existing chromatographic approaches.

Inter-image matching

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, R. H., Jr.; Juday, R. D.

1982-01-01

Interimage matching is the process of determining the geometric transformation required to conform spatially one image to another. In principle, the parameters of that transformation are varied until some measure of some difference between the two images is minimized or some measure of sameness (e.g., cross-correlation) is maximized. The number of such parameters to vary is faily large (six for merely an affine transformation), and it is customary to attempt an a priori transformation reducing the complexity of the residual transformation or subdivide the image into small enough match zones (control points or patches) that a simple transformation (e.g., pure translation) is applicable, yet large enough to facilitate matching. In the latter case, a complex mapping function is fit to the results (e.g., translation offsets) in all the patches. The methods reviewed have all chosen one or both of the above options, ranging from a priori along-line correction for line-dependent effects (the high-frequency correction) to a full sensor-to-geobase transformation with subsequent subdivision into a grid of match points.

Replicase activity of purified recombinant protein P2 of double-stranded RNA bacteriophage phi6.

PubMed

Makeyev, E V; Bamford, D H

2000-01-04

In nature, synthesis of both minus- and plus-sense RNA strands of all the known double-stranded RNA viruses occurs in the interior of a large protein assembly referred to as the polymerase complex. In addition to other proteins, the complex contains a putative polymerase possessing characteristic sequence motifs. However, none of the previous studies has shown template-dependent RNA synthesis directly with an isolated putative polymerase protein. In this report, recombinant protein P2 of double-stranded RNA bacteriophage phi6 was purified and demonstrated in an in vitro enzymatic assay to act as the replicase. The enzyme efficiently utilizes phage-specific, positive-sense RNA substrates to produce double-stranded RNA molecules, which are formed by newly synthesized, full-length minus-strands base paired with the plus-strand templates. P2-catalyzed replication is also shown to be very effective with a broad range of heterologous single-stranded RNA templates. The importance and implications of these results are discussed.

GaSb superluminescent diodes with broadband emission at 2.55 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zia, Nouman; Viheriälä, Jukka; Koivusalo, Eero; Virtanen, Heikki; Aho, Antti; Suomalainen, Soile; Guina, Mircea

2018-01-01

We report the development of superluminescent diodes (SLDs) emitting mW-level output power in a broad spectrum centered at a wavelength of 2.55 μm. The emitting structure consists of two compressively strained GaInAsSb/GaSb-quantum wells placed within a lattice-matched AlGaAsSb waveguide. An average output power of more than 3 mW and a peak power of 38 mW are demonstrated at room temperature under pulsed operation. A cavity suppression element is used to prevent lasing at high current injection allowing emission in a broad spectrum with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 124 nm. The measured far-field of the SLD confirms a good beam quality at different currents. These devices open further development possibilities in the field of spectroscopy, enabling, for example, detection of complex molecules and mixtures of gases that manifest a complex absorption spectrum over a broad spectral range.

One-fiftieth scale model studies of 40-by 80-foot and 80-by 120-foot wind tunnel complex at NASA Ames Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, Gene I.; Rossow, Vernon J.; Vanaken, Johannes M.; Parrish, Cynthia L.

1987-01-01

The features of a 1/50-scale model of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex are first described. An overview is then given of some results from the various tests conducted with the model to aid in the design of the full-scale facility. It was found that the model tunnel simulated accurately many of the operational characteristics of the full-scale circuits. Some characteristics predicted by the model were, however, noted to differ from previous full-scale results by about 10%.

Evaluation of a fast and flexible OPC package: OPTISSIMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, Wilhelm; Waas, Thomas; Eisenmann, Hans

1996-12-01

It is out of question, that current state-of-the-art lithography--printing 350 nm structures with i-line tools or 250 nm structures with DUV tools--needs to correct for proximity effects (OPC). Otherwise, all the well-known effects like line-end shortening, linewidth variation as a function of adjacent patterns, linewidth non-linearity, etc. will produce a pattern, that is significantly different from the intended design. In this paper, we report first evaluation results of OPTISSIMO, a software package for automatic proximity correction. Besides the ability to handle full-chip designs by preserving as much as possible of the original data-hierarchy, there are significant options for the user. A large number of choices can be made to balance between the precision of the correction and the complexity of the corrected design. The main target of our evaluations was to check for full-chip OPC for the gate level of a state-of-the-art design. This corresponds to print either linewidths in the 350 nm to 400 nm range with i-line lithography or 250 nm/300 nm linewidth with DUV lithography. Taking 400 nm i-line lithography as an example, 3% precision OPC which has been demonstrated. By using hierarchical data handling, it was shown, that even the data complexity of a 256 M DRAM can be managed within reasonable time.

Dynamics of the middle atmosphere as observed by the ARISE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanc, Elisabeth

2015-04-01

The atmosphere is a complex system submitted to disturbances in a wide range of scales, including high frequency sources as volcanoes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and at larger scales, gravity waves from deep convection or wind over mountains, atmospheric tides and planetary waves. These waves affect the different atmospheric layers submitted to different temperature and wind systems which strongly control the general atmospheric circulation. The full description of gravity and planetary waves constitutes a challenge for the development of future models of atmosphere and climate. The objective of this paper is to present a review of recent advances obtained in this topic, especially in the framework of the ARISE (Atmospheric dynamics Research InfraStructure in Europe) project

Global Monitoring of the Mammalian Lipidome by Quantitative Shotgun Lipidomics.

PubMed

Nielsen, Inger Ødum; Maeda, Kenji; Bilgin, Mesut

2017-01-01

The emerging field of lipidomics presents the systems biology approach to identify and quantify the full lipid repertoire of cells, tissues, and organisms. The importance of the lipidome is demonstrated by a number of biological studies on dysregulation of lipid metabolism in human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Exploring changes and regulations in the huge networks of lipids and their metabolic pathways requires a lipidomics methodology: Advanced mass spectrometry that resolves the complexity of the lipidome. Here, we report a comprehensive protocol of quantitative shotgun lipidomics that enables identification and quantification of hundreds of molecular lipid species, covering a wide range of lipid classes, extracted from cultured mammalian cells.

Equivalent circuit for VO{sub 2} phase change material film in reconfigurable frequency selective surfaces

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

Sanphuang, Varittha; Ghalichechian, Nima; Nahar, Niru K.

We developed equivalent circuits of phase change materials based on vanadium dioxide (VO{sub 2}) thin films. These circuits are used to model VO{sub 2} thin films for reconfigurable frequency selective surfaces (FSSs). This is important as it provides a way for designing complex structures. A reconfigurable FSS filter using VO{sub 2} ON/OFF switches is designed demonstrating −60 dB isolation between the states. This filter is used to provide the transmission and reflection responses of the FSS in the frequency range of 0.1–0.6 THz. The comparison between equivalent circuit and full-wave simulation shows excellent agreement.

Modeling the internal combustion engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeleznik, F. J.; Mcbride, B. J.

1985-01-01

A flexible and computationally economical model of the internal combustion engine was developed for use on large digital computer systems. It is based on a system of ordinary differential equations for cylinder-averaged properties. The computer program is capable of multicycle calculations, with some parameters varying from cycle to cycle, and has restart capabilities. It can accommodate a broad spectrum of reactants, permits changes in physical properties, and offers a wide selection of alternative modeling functions without any reprogramming. It readily adapts to the amount of information available in a particular case because the model is in fact a hierarchy of five models. The models range from a simple model requiring only thermodynamic properties to a complex model demanding full combustion kinetics, transport properties, and poppet valve flow characteristics. Among its many features the model includes heat transfer, valve timing, supercharging, motoring, finite burning rates, cycle-to-cycle variations in air-fuel ratio, humid air, residual and recirculated exhaust gas, and full combustion kinetics.

Neural network application to comprehensive engine diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marko, Kenneth A.

1994-01-01

We have previously reported on the use of neural networks for detection and identification of faults in complex microprocessor controlled powertrain systems. The data analyzed in those studies consisted of the full spectrum of signals passing between the engine and the real-time microprocessor controller. The specific task of the classification system was to classify system operation as nominal or abnormal and to identify the fault present. The primary concern in earlier work was the identification of faults, in sensors or actuators in the powertrain system as it was exercised over its full operating range. The use of data from a variety of sources, each contributing some potentially useful information to the classification task, is commonly referred to as sensor fusion and typifies the type of problems successfully addressed using neural networks. In this work we explore the application of neural networks to a different diagnostic problem, the diagnosis of faults in newly manufactured engines and the utility of neural networks for process control.

Parameter Sensitivity and Laboratory Benchmarking of a Biogeochemical Process Model for Enhanced Anaerobic Dechlorination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouznetsova, I.; Gerhard, J. I.; Mao, X.; Barry, D. A.; Robinson, C.; Brovelli, A.; Harkness, M.; Fisher, A.; Mack, E. E.; Payne, J. A.; Dworatzek, S.; Roberts, J.

2008-12-01

A detailed model to simulate trichloroethene (TCE) dechlorination in anaerobic groundwater systems has been developed and implemented through PHAST, a robust and flexible geochemical modeling platform. The approach is comprehensive but retains flexibility such that models of varying complexity can be used to simulate TCE biodegradation in the vicinity of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) source zones. The complete model considers a full suite of biological (e.g., dechlorination, fermentation, sulfate and iron reduction, electron donor competition, toxic inhibition, pH inhibition), physical (e.g., flow and mass transfer) and geochemical processes (e.g., pH modulation, gas formation, mineral interactions). Example simulations with the model demonstrated that the feedback between biological, physical, and geochemical processes is critical. Successful simulation of a thirty-two-month column experiment with site soil, complex groundwater chemistry, and exhibiting both anaerobic dechlorination and endogenous respiration, provided confidence in the modeling approach. A comprehensive suite of batch simulations was then conducted to estimate the sensitivity of predicted TCE degradation to the 36 model input parameters. A local sensitivity analysis was first employed to rank the importance of parameters, revealing that 5 parameters consistently dominated model predictions across a range of performance metrics. A global sensitivity analysis was then performed to evaluate the influence of a variety of full parameter data sets available in the literature. The modeling study was performed as part of the SABRE (Source Area BioREmediation) project, a public/private consortium whose charter is to determine if enhanced anaerobic bioremediation can result in effective and quantifiable treatment of chlorinated solvent DNAPL source areas. The modelling conducted has provided valuable insight into the complex interactions between processes in the evolving biogeochemical systems, particularly at the laboratory scale.

Structural hierarchy as a key to complex phase selection in Al-Sm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Z.; Zhang, F.; Sun, Y.; Nguyen, M. C.; Zhou, S. H.; Zhou, L.; Meng, F.; Ott, R. T.; Park, E.; Besser, M. F.; Kramer, M. J.; Ding, Z. J.; Mendelev, M. I.; Wang, C. Z.; Napolitano, R. E.; Ho, K. M.

2017-10-01

Investigating the unknown structure of the complex cubic phase, previously observed to crystallize from melt-spun amorphous Al-10 at.% Sm alloy, we determine the structure in full site-occupancy detail, highlighting several critical structural features that govern the far-from-equilibrium phase selection pathway. Using an efficient genetic algorithm combining molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and x-ray diffraction, the structure is clearly identified as body-centered cubic I m 3 ¯m (No. 229) with ˜140 atoms per cubic unit cell and a lattice parameter of 1.4 nm. The complex structure is further refined to elucidate the detailed site occupancy, revealing full Sm occupancy on 6b sites and split Sm/Al occupancy on 16f sites. Based on the refined site occupancy associated with the experimentally observed phase, we term this phase ɛ -A l60S m11 (bcc), corresponding to the limiting situation when all 16f sites are occupied by Sm. However, it should be recognized that the range of solubility enabled by split occupancy at Sm sites is an important feature in phase selection under experimental conditions, permitting an avenue for transition with little or no chemical partitioning. Our analysis shows that the ɛ -A l60S m11 (bcc) exhibits a "3-6-6-1" first-shell packing around Sm centers on 16f sites, the same dominant motif exhibited by the undercooled liquid. The coincident motif supports the notion that liquid/glass ordering at high undercooling may give rise to topological invariants between the noncrystalline and crystalline states that provide kinetic pathways to metastable phases that are not accessible during near-equilibrium processing.

Structural hierarchy as a key to complex phase selection in Al-Sm

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

Ye, Z.; Zhang, F.; Sun, Y.

Investigating the unknown structure of the complex cubic phase, previously observed to crystallize from melt-spun amorphous Al–10 at.% Sm alloy, we determine the structure in full site-occupancy detail, highlighting several critical structural features that govern the far-from-equilibrium phase selection pathway. Using an efficient genetic algorithm combining molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and x-ray diffraction, the structure is clearly identified as body-centered cubic Im¯3m (No. 229) with ~140 atoms per cubic unit cell and a lattice parameter of 1.4 nm. The complex structure is further refined to elucidate the detailed site occupancy, revealing full Sm occupancy on 6b sites and splitmore » Sm/Al occupancy on 16f sites. Based on the refined site occupancy associated with the experimentally observed phase, we term this phase ε–Al 60Sm 11(bcc), corresponding to the limiting situation when all 16f sites are occupied by Sm. However, it should be recognized that the range of solubility enabled by split occupancy at Sm sites is an important feature in phase selection under experimental conditions, permitting an avenue for transition with little or no chemical partitioning. Our analysis shows that the ε–Al 60Sm 11(bcc) exhibits a “3-6-6-1” first-shell packing around Sm centers on 16f sites, the same dominant motif exhibited by the undercooled liquid. Here, the coincident motif supports the notion that liquid/glass ordering at high undercooling may give rise to topological invariants between the noncrystalline and crystalline states that provide kinetic pathways to metastable phases that are not accessible during near-equilibrium processing.« less

Structural hierarchy as a key to complex phase selection in Al-Sm

DOE PAGES

Ye, Z.; Zhang, F.; Sun, Y.; ...

2017-10-12

Investigating the unknown structure of the complex cubic phase, previously observed to crystallize from melt-spun amorphous Al–10 at.% Sm alloy, we determine the structure in full site-occupancy detail, highlighting several critical structural features that govern the far-from-equilibrium phase selection pathway. Using an efficient genetic algorithm combining molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and x-ray diffraction, the structure is clearly identified as body-centered cubic Im¯3m (No. 229) with ~140 atoms per cubic unit cell and a lattice parameter of 1.4 nm. The complex structure is further refined to elucidate the detailed site occupancy, revealing full Sm occupancy on 6b sites and splitmore » Sm/Al occupancy on 16f sites. Based on the refined site occupancy associated with the experimentally observed phase, we term this phase ε–Al 60Sm 11(bcc), corresponding to the limiting situation when all 16f sites are occupied by Sm. However, it should be recognized that the range of solubility enabled by split occupancy at Sm sites is an important feature in phase selection under experimental conditions, permitting an avenue for transition with little or no chemical partitioning. Our analysis shows that the ε–Al 60Sm 11(bcc) exhibits a “3-6-6-1” first-shell packing around Sm centers on 16f sites, the same dominant motif exhibited by the undercooled liquid. Here, the coincident motif supports the notion that liquid/glass ordering at high undercooling may give rise to topological invariants between the noncrystalline and crystalline states that provide kinetic pathways to metastable phases that are not accessible during near-equilibrium processing.« less

The ORBCOMM data communications system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schoen, David C.; Locke, Paul A.

1993-01-01

The ORBCOMM system is designed to provide low-cost, two-way data communications for mobile and remote users. The communications system is ideally configured for low data rate applications where communicating devices are geographically dispersed and two-way communications through terrestrial means is cumbersome and not cost effective. The remote terminals use VHF frequencies which allow for the use of very small, low-cost terminals. ORBCOMM has entered into joint development agreements with several large manufacturers of both consumer and industrial electronics to design and build the remote terminals. Based on prototype work, the estimated retail cost of these units will range from $50 to $400 depending on the complexity of the design. Starting in the fall of 1993, ORBCOMM will begin service with a demonstration network consisting of two operating satellites. By the end of 1994, a full operating network of 26 satellites, four Gateway Earth Stations, and a Network Control Center will be in place. The full constellation will provide full coverage of the entire world with greater than 94 percent communications availability for the continental U.S. This paper describes the ORBCOMM system, the technology used in its implementation, and its applications.

A Comparison of Ultrasound Tomography Methods in Circular Geometry

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

Leach, R R; Azevedo, S G; Berryman, J G

2002-01-24

Extremely high quality data was acquired using an experimental ultrasound scanner developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using a 2D ring geometry with up to 720 transmitter/receiver transducer positions. This unique geometry allows reflection and transmission modes and transmission imaging and quantification of a 3D volume using 2D slice data. Standard image reconstruction methods were applied to the data including straight-ray filtered back projection, reflection tomography, and diffraction tomography. Newer approaches were also tested such as full wave, full wave adjoint method, bent-ray filtered back projection, and full-aperture tomography. A variety of data sets were collected including a formalin-fixed humanmore » breast tissue sample, a commercial ultrasound complex breast phantom, and cylindrical objects with and without inclusions. The resulting reconstruction quality of the images ranges from poor to excellent. The method and results of this study are described including like-data reconstructions produced by different algorithms with side-by-side image comparisons. Comparisons to medical B-scan and x-ray CT scan images are also shown. Reconstruction methods with respect to image quality using resolution, noise, and quantitative accuracy, and computational efficiency metrics will also be discussed.« less

Kinematical simulation of robotic complex operation for implementing full-scale additive technologies of high-end materials, composites, structures, and buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antsiferov, S. I.; Eltsov, M. Iu; Khakhalev, P. A.

2018-03-01

This paper considers a newly designed electronic digital model of a robotic complex for implementing full-scale additive technologies, funded under a Federal Target Program. The electronic and digital model was used to solve the problem of simulating the movement of a robotic complex using the NX CAD/CAM/CAE system. The virtual mechanism was built and the main assemblies, joints, and drives were identified as part of solving the problem. In addition, the maximum allowed printable area size was identified for the robotic complex, and a simulation of printing a rectangular-shaped article was carried out.

Projected changes in distributions of Australian tropical savanna birds under climate change using three dispersal scenarios

PubMed Central

Reside, April E; VanDerWal, Jeremy; Kutt, Alex S

2012-01-01

Identifying the species most vulnerable to extinction as a result of climate change is a necessary first step in mitigating biodiversity decline. Species distribution modeling (SDM) is a commonly used tool to assess potential climate change impacts on distributions of species. We use SDMs to predict geographic ranges for 243 birds of Australian tropical savannas, and to project changes in species richness and ranges under a future climate scenario between 1990 and 2080. Realistic predictions require recognition of the variability in species capacity to track climatically suitable environments. Here we assess the effect of dispersal on model results by using three approaches: full dispersal, no dispersal and a partial-dispersal scenario permitting species to track climate change at a rate of 30 km per decade. As expected, the projected distributions and richness patterns are highly sensitive to the dispersal scenario. Projected future range sizes decreased for 66% of species if full dispersal was assumed, but for 89% of species when no dispersal was assumed. However, realistic future predictions should not assume a single dispersal scenario for all species and as such, we assigned each species to the most appropriate dispersal category based on individual mobility and habitat specificity; this permitted the best estimates of where species will be in the future. Under this “realistic” dispersal scenario, projected ranges sizes decreased for 67% of species but showed that migratory and tropical-endemic birds are predicted to benefit from climate change with increasing distributional area. Richness hotspots of tropical savanna birds are expected to move, increasing in southern savannas and southward along the east coast of Australia, but decreasing in the arid zone. Understanding the complexity of effects of climate change on species’ range sizes by incorporating dispersal capacities is a crucial step toward developing adaptation policies for the conservation of vulnerable species. PMID:22837819

An Overwhelming Climb: The Complexities of Combining College, Full-Time Work, and Company Tuition Assistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagnon, Janelle L.; Packard, Becky Wai-Ling

2012-01-01

This paper examines the complex experiences of full-time employed adults trying to climb the career ladder in their company by making use of company tuition assistance to earn their first college degree. Guided by Savickas' (2005) career construction theory, emphasizing the personal agency and meaning-making within career development, we conducted…

Individual differences in emotional complexity: their psychological implications.

PubMed

Kang, Sun-Mee; Shaver, Phillip R

2004-08-01

Two studies explored the nature and psychological implications of individual differences in emotional complexity, defined as having emotional experiences that are broad in range and well differentiated. Emotional complexity was predicted to be associated with private self-consciousness, openness to experience, empathic tendencies, cognitive complexity, ability to differentiate among named emotions, range of emotions experienced daily, and interpersonal adaptability. The Range and Differentiation of Emotional Experience Scale (RDEES) was developed to test these hypotheses. In Study 1 (N=1,129) students completed questionnaire packets containing the RDEES and various outcome measures. Study 2 (N=95) included the RDEES and non-self-report measures such as peer reports, complexity of representations of the emotion domain, and level of ego development measured by a sentence completion test. Results supported all of the hypotheses, providing extensive evidence for the RDEES's construct validity. Findings were discussed in terms of the role of emotional complexity in ego maturity and interpersonal adaptability.

Measuring the Level of Complexity of Scientific Inquiries: The LCSI Index

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eilam, Efrat

2015-01-01

The study developed and applied an index for measuring the level of complexity of full authentic scientific inquiry. Complexity is a fundamental attribute of real life scientific research. The level of complexity is an overall reflection of complex cognitive and metacognitive processes which are required for navigating the authentic inquiry…

A Complex Story: Universal Preference vs. Individual Differences Shaping Aesthetic Response to Fractals Patterns.

PubMed

Street, Nichola; Forsythe, Alexandra M; Reilly, Ronan; Taylor, Richard; Helmy, Mai S

2016-01-01

Fractal patterns offer one way to represent the rough complexity of the natural world. Whilst they dominate many of our visual experiences in nature, little large-scale perceptual research has been done to explore how we respond aesthetically to these patterns. Previous research (Taylor et al., 2011) suggests that the fractal patterns with mid-range fractal dimensions (FDs) have universal aesthetic appeal. Perceptual and aesthetic responses to visual complexity have been more varied with findings suggesting both linear (Forsythe et al., 2011) and curvilinear (Berlyne, 1970) relationships. Individual differences have been found to account for many of the differences we see in aesthetic responses but some, such as culture, have received little attention within the fractal and complexity research fields. This two-study article aims to test preference responses to FD and visual complexity, using a large cohort (N = 443) of participants from around the world to allow universality claims to be tested. It explores the extent to which age, culture and gender can predict our preferences for fractally complex patterns. Following exploratory analysis that found strong correlations between FD and visual complexity, a series of linear mixed-effect models were implemented to explore if each of the individual variables could predict preference. The first tested a linear complexity model (likelihood of selecting the more complex image from the pair of images) and the second a mid-range FD model (likelihood of selecting an image within mid-range). Results show that individual differences can reliably predict preferences for complexity across culture, gender and age. However, in fitting with current findings the mid-range models show greater consistency in preference not mediated by gender, age or culture. This article supports the established theory that the mid-range fractal patterns appear to be a universal construct underlying preference but also highlights the fragility of universal claims by demonstrating individual differences in preference for the interrelated concept of visual complexity. This highlights a current stalemate in the field of empirical aesthetics.

Adherence to antiretroviral treatment in patients with HIV in the UK: a study of complexity.

PubMed

Sherr, Lorraine; Lampe, Fiona; Norwood, Sally; Leake Date, Heather; Harding, Richard; Johnson, Margaret; Edwards, Simon; Fisher, Martin; Arthur, Gilly; Zetler, Sarah; Anderson, Jane

2008-04-01

Adherence to HIV treatment regimes is a core element to viral suppression. Yet measurement of adherence is complex. Although adherence levels are good predictors of outcome, they do not always provide full explanations of observed variations in responses. This study was set up to examine the complexity of adherence measurement and to examine rates of adherence in the presence of complex measurement. A total of 502 consecutive attenders at HIV clinics in the UK (80.5% response rate) provided detailed measurement on adherence in the preceding 7 days, setting out dose adherence, as well as measures of timing and dietary conditions. In addition, a range of psychological, demographic and relationship data were gathered to understand predictors of full and partial adherence. Although 79.1% reported dose adherence in the previous 7 days, 42.8% had not taken the dose at the correct time, and 27.2% had not taken the dose under the correct circumstances. Using a more complex composite measure of full adherence, rates reduced from 79.1% to 41.5%. Comparisons of those deemed fully adherent, partially adherent and non-adherent were carried out. Those that were fully adherent were significantly more likely to be older (F=7.8, p<0.001), UK born (F=6.8, p=0.03), code ethnicity as white (F=5.3, p=0.07), record higher quality of life (chi(2)=8.7, p=0.01), lower psychological symptoms (chi(2)=15.2, p=0.001) and lower global distress symptoms (chi(2)=6.9, p=0.03). There were no differences according to education, behavioural and attitudinal variables (disclosure, stable relationship, STI diagnosed, number of sexual partners, unprotected sex, optimism or treatment switching). Fully adherent groups were significantly more likely to be in agreement with their doctor on treatment initiation (chi(2)=6.2, p=0.045), satisfied with the amount of involvement in the decision-making process (chi(2)=7.3, p=.026), their wishes were considered (chi(2)=12.5, p=0.002) and had monitoring of their condition (chi(2)=7.1, p=0.028). Multivariate analysis showed that variables which contributed significantly at a 5% criterion level to complex adherence were physical symptoms (OR=0.56, p=0.05), psychological symptoms (OR=2.37, p<0.001), age (OR=0.96, p=0.02), education (OR=0.54, p=0.03), having more than one sexual partner (OR=0.46, p=0.03), having risky sex (OR=4.30, p=0.002) and being optimistic about treatments (OR=0.42, p=0.01). The softer markers of adherence are not usually measured in follow up and may account for variations in treatment responses. The complexity of adherence needs to be understood and addressed to maximise treatment efficacy.

SON and its alternatively spliced isoforms control MLL complex-mediated H3K4me3 and transcription of leukemia-associated genes

PubMed Central

Kim, Jung-Hyun; Baddoo, Melody C.; Park, Eun Young; Stone, Joshua K.; Park, Hyeonsoo; Butler, Thomas W.; Huang, Gang; Yan, Xiaomei; Pauli-Behn, Florencia; Myers, Richard M.; Tan, Ming; Flemington, Erik K.; Lim, Ssang-Taek; Erin Ahn, Eun-Young

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Dysregulation of MLL complex-mediated histone methylation plays a pivotal role in gene expression associated with diseases, but little is known about cellular factors modulating MLL complex activity. Here, we report that SON, previously known as an RNA splicing factor, controls MLL complex-mediated transcriptional initiation. SON binds to DNA near transcription start sites, interacts with menin, and inhibits MLL complex assembly, resulting in decreased H3K4me3 and transcriptional repression. Importantly, alternatively spliced short isoforms of SON are markedly upregulated in acute myeloid leukemia. The short isoforms compete with full-length SON for chromatin occupancy, but lack the menin-binding ability, thereby antagonizing full-length SON function in transcriptional repression while not impairing full-length SON-mediated RNA splicing. Furthermore, overexpression of a short isoform of SON enhances replating potential of hematopoietic progenitors. Our findings define SON as a fine-tuner of the MLL-menin interaction and reveal short SON overexpression as a marker indicating aberrant transcriptional initiation in leukemia. PMID:26990989

Nonlinear complexity of random visibility graph and Lempel-Ziv on multitype range-intensity interacting financial dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yali; Wang, Jun

2017-09-01

In an attempt to investigate the nonlinear complex evolution of financial dynamics, a new financial price model - the multitype range-intensity contact (MRIC) financial model, is developed based on the multitype range-intensity interacting contact system, in which the interaction and transmission of different types of investment attitudes in a stock market are simulated by viruses spreading. Two new random visibility graph (VG) based analyses and Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) are applied to study the complex behaviors of return time series and the corresponding random sorted series. The VG method is the complex network theory, and the LZC is a non-parametric measure of complexity reflecting the rate of new pattern generation of a series. In this work, the real stock market indices are considered to be comparatively studied with the simulation data of the proposed model. Further, the numerical empirical study shows the similar complexity behaviors between the model and the real markets, the research confirms that the financial model is reasonable to some extent.

Chemodynamics of aquatic metal complexes: from small ligands to colloids.

PubMed

Van Leeuwen, Herman P; Buffle, Jacques

2009-10-01

Recent progress in understanding the formation/dissociation kinetics of aquatic metal complexes with complexants in different size ranges is evaluated and put in perspective, with suggestions for further studies. The elementary steps in the Eigen mechanism, i.e., diffusion and dehydration of the metal ion, are reviewed and further developed. The (de)protonation of both the ligand and the coordinating metal ion is reconsidered in terms of the consequences for dehydration rates and stabilities of the various outer-sphere complexes. In the nanoparticulate size range, special attention is given to the case of fulvic ligands, for which the impact of electrostatic interactions is especially large. In complexation with colloidal ligands (hard, soft, and combination thereof) the diffusive transport of metal ions is generally a slower step than in the case of complexation with small ligands in a homogeneous solution. The ensuing consequences for the chemodynamics of colloidal complexes are discussed in detail and placed in a generic framework, encompassing the complete range of ligand sizes.

Comparing GWAS Results of Complex Traits Using Full Genetic Model and Additive Models for Revealing Genetic Architecture

PubMed Central

Monir, Md. Mamun; Zhu, Jun

2017-01-01

Most of the genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for human complex diseases have ignored dominance, epistasis and ethnic interactions. We conducted comparative GWASs for total cholesterol using full model and additive models, which illustrate the impacts of the ignoring genetic variants on analysis results and demonstrate how genetic effects of multiple loci could differ across different ethnic groups. There were 15 quantitative trait loci with 13 individual loci and 3 pairs of epistasis loci identified by full model, whereas only 14 loci (9 common loci and 5 different loci) identified by multi-loci additive model. Again, 4 full model detected loci were not detected using multi-loci additive model. PLINK-analysis identified two loci and GCTA-analysis detected only one locus with genome-wide significance. Full model identified three previously reported genes as well as several new genes. Bioinformatics analysis showed some new genes are related with cholesterol related chemicals and/or diseases. Analyses of cholesterol data and simulation studies revealed that the full model performs were better than the additive-model performs in terms of detecting power and unbiased estimations of genetic variants of complex traits. PMID:28079101

Evaluation of the new EMAC-SWIFT chemistry climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheffler, Janice; Langematz, Ulrike; Wohltmann, Ingo; Rex, Markus

2016-04-01

It is well known that the representation of atmospheric ozone chemistry in weather and climate models is essential for a realistic simulation of the atmospheric state. Including atmospheric ozone chemistry into climate simulations is usually done by prescribing a climatological ozone field, by including a fast linear ozone scheme into the model or by using a climate model with complex interactive chemistry. While prescribed climatological ozone fields are often not aligned with the modelled dynamics, a linear ozone scheme may not be applicable for a wide range of climatological conditions. Although interactive chemistry provides a realistic representation of atmospheric chemistry such model simulations are computationally very expensive and hence not suitable for ensemble simulations or simulations with multiple climate change scenarios. A new approach to represent atmospheric chemistry in climate models which can cope with non-linearities in ozone chemistry and is applicable to a wide range of climatic states is the Semi-empirical Weighted Iterative Fit Technique (SWIFT) that is driven by reanalysis data and has been validated against observational satellite data and runs of a full Chemistry and Transport Model. SWIFT has recently been implemented into the ECHAM/MESSy (EMAC) chemistry climate model that uses a modular approach to climate modelling where individual model components can be switched on and off. Here, we show first results of EMAC-SWIFT simulations and validate these against EMAC simulations using the complex interactive chemistry scheme MECCA, and against observations.

Probing phenylalanine/adenine pi-stacking interactions in protein complexes with explicitly correlated and CCSD(T) computations.

PubMed

Copeland, Kari L; Anderson, Julie A; Farley, Adam R; Cox, James R; Tschumper, Gregory S

2008-11-13

To examine the effects of pi-stacking interactions between aromatic amino acid side chains and adenine bearing ligands in crystalline protein structures, 26 toluene/(N9-methyl)adenine model configurations have been constructed from protein/ligand crystal structures. Full geometry optimizations with the MP2 method cause the 26 crystal structures to collapse to six unique structures. The complete basis set (CBS) limit of the CCSD(T) interaction energies has been determined for all 32 structures by combining explicitly correlated MP2-R12 computations with a correction for higher-order correlation effects from CCSD(T) calculations. The CCSD(T) CBS limit interaction energies of the 26 crystal structures range from -3.19 to -6.77 kcal mol (-1) and average -5.01 kcal mol (-1). The CCSD(T) CBS limit interaction energies of the optimized complexes increase by roughly 1.5 kcal mol (-1) on average to -6.54 kcal mol (-1) (ranging from -5.93 to -7.05 kcal mol (-1)). Corrections for higher-order correlation effects are extremely important for both sets of structures and are responsible for the modest increase in the interaction energy after optimization. The MP2 method overbinds the crystal structures by 2.31 kcal mol (-1) on average compared to 4.50 kcal mol (-1) for the optimized structures.

Probabilistic Geoacoustic Inversion in Complex Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

Probabilistic Geoacoustic Inversion in Complex Environments Jan Dettmer School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria BC...long-range inversion methods can fail to provide sufficient resolution. For proper quantitative examination of variability, parameter uncertainty must...project aims to advance probabilistic geoacoustic inversion methods for complex ocean environments for a range of geoacoustic data types. The work is

Consequences of varied soil hydraulic and meteorological complexity on unsaturated zone time lag estimates.

PubMed

Vero, S E; Ibrahim, T G; Creamer, R E; Grant, J; Healy, M G; Henry, T; Kramers, G; Richards, K G; Fenton, O

2014-12-01

The true efficacy of a programme of agricultural mitigation measures within a catchment to improve water quality can be determined only after a certain hydrologic time lag period (subsequent to implementation) has elapsed. As the biophysical response to policy is not synchronous, accurate estimates of total time lag (unsaturated and saturated) become critical to manage the expectations of policy makers. The estimation of the vertical unsaturated zone component of time lag is vital as it indicates early trends (initial breakthrough), bulk (centre of mass) and total (Exit) travel times. Typically, estimation of time lag through the unsaturated zone is poor, due to the lack of site specific soil physical data, or by assuming saturated conditions. Numerical models (e.g. Hydrus 1D) enable estimates of time lag with varied levels of input data. The current study examines the consequences of varied soil hydraulic and meteorological complexity on unsaturated zone time lag estimates using simulated and actual soil profiles. Results indicated that: greater temporal resolution (from daily to hourly) of meteorological data was more critical as the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil decreased; high clay content soils failed to converge reflecting prevalence of lateral component as a contaminant pathway; elucidation of soil hydraulic properties was influenced by the complexity of soil physical data employed (textural menu, ROSETTA, full and partial soil water characteristic curves), which consequently affected time lag ranges; as the importance of the unsaturated zone increases with respect to total travel times the requirements for high complexity/resolution input data become greater. The methodology presented herein demonstrates that decisions made regarding input data and landscape position will have consequences for the estimated range of vertical travel times. Insufficiencies or inaccuracies regarding such input data can therefore mislead policy makers regarding the achievability of water quality targets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The ABC model: a non-hydrostatic toy model for use in convective-scale data assimilation investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrie, Ruth Elizabeth; Bannister, Ross Noel; Priestley Cullen, Michael John

2017-12-01

In developing methods for convective-scale data assimilation (DA), it is necessary to consider the full range of motions governed by the compressible Navier-Stokes equations (including non-hydrostatic and ageostrophic flow). These equations describe motion on a wide range of timescales with non-linear coupling. For the purpose of developing new DA techniques that suit the convective-scale problem, it is helpful to use so-called toy models that are easy to run and contain the same types of motion as the full equation set. Such a model needs to permit hydrostatic and geostrophic balance at large scales but allow imbalance at small scales, and in particular, it needs to exhibit intermittent convection-like behaviour. Existing toy models are not always sufficient for investigating these issues. A simplified system of intermediate complexity derived from the Euler equations is presented, which supports dispersive gravity and acoustic modes. In this system, the separation of timescales can be greatly reduced by changing the physical parameters. Unlike in existing toy models, this allows the acoustic modes to be treated explicitly and hence inexpensively. In addition, the non-linear coupling induced by the equation of state is simplified. This means that the gravity and acoustic modes are less coupled than in conventional models. A vertical slice formulation is used which contains only dry dynamics. The model is shown to give physically reasonable results, and convective behaviour is generated by localised compressible effects. This model provides an affordable and flexible framework within which some of the complex issues of convective-scale DA can later be investigated. The model is called the ABC model after the three tunable parameters introduced: A (the pure gravity wave frequency), B (the modulation of the divergent term in the continuity equation), and C (defining the compressibility).

Experimental study of iron-chloride complexing in hydrothermal fluids

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fein, J.B.; Hemley, J.J.; d'Angelo, W. M.; Komninou, A.; Sverjensky, D.A.

1992-01-01

Mineral assemblage solubilities were measured in cold-seal pressure vessels as a function of pressure, temperature, and potassium chloride concentration in order to determine the nature and thermodynamic properties of iron-chloride complexes under hydrothermal conditions. The assemblage pyritepyrrhotite-magnetite was used to buffer f{hook}S2 and f{hook}O2, and K+ H+ ratios were buffered at reasonable geologic values using the assemblage potassium feldspar-muscovite (or andalusite)-quartz. The pressure-temperature ranges were 0.5-2.0 kbar and 300-600??C, and initial fluid compositions ranged from 0.01-2.0 molal KCl. With all other factors constant, the concentration of iron in solution increases with increasing temperature, with decreasing pressure, and with increasing total potassium chloride concentration. Changes in iron concentrations as a function of KCl concentration, in conjunction with charge balance, mass action, and mass balance constraints on the system, place constraints on the stoichiometry of the important iron-chloride complexes under each of the experimental conditions. Using least-squared linear regression fits to determine these slopes, the calculations yield values for the average ligand numbers that are in the range 1.2-1.9, with uncertainties ranging from ??0.1-0.6 at the several PT conditions considered. The slopes of the regressed fits to the data suggest that both FeCl+ and FeCl20 are important in the experimental fluids, with FeCl20 becoming dominant at the higher temperatures. Theoretical calculations, however, indicate that FeCl+ does not contribute significantly to the solubility. Because of the large uncertainties associated with some of the calculated average ligand numbers, we base our data analysis on the theoretical calculations. A statistical analysis is applied to the solubility data in order to determine the values and uncertainties of the dissociation constant for FeCl20 that best fit the data at each of the experimental pressures and temperatures. The calculated stability of FeCl20 increases with increasing temperature and total chloride concentration, and with decreasing pressure. The values of the dissociation constant of FeCl20that are calculated in this study are in moderately good agreement with FeCl20dissociation constants from other studies of iron-chloride complexing in supercritical fluids. Differences are likely due to different assumptions made concerning activity coefficients of aqueous species. Log kd values for full dissociation of FeCl20 at 0.5 kbar-300??C-and at 1 kbar-400, 500, and 600??C, respectively-are -3.75 ?? 0.40, -6.25 ?? 0.10, -9.19 ?? 0.44, and -13.29 ?? 0.09. ?? 1992.

Hydration and ion pair formation in aqueous Y(3+)-salt solutions.

PubMed

Rudolph, Wolfram W; Irmer, Gert

2015-11-14

Raman spectra of aqueous yttrium perchlorate, triflate (trifluoromethanesulfonate), chloride and nitrate solutions were measured over a broad concentration range (0.198-3.252 mol L(-1)). The spectra range from low wavenumbers to 4200 cm(-1). A very weak mode at 384 cm(-1) with a full width at half height at 50 cm(-1) in the isotropic spectrum suggests that the Y(3+)- octa-aqua ion is thermodynamically stable in dilute perchlorate solutions (∼0.5 mol L(-1)) while in concentrated perchlorate solutions outer-sphere ion pairs and contact ion pairs are formed. The octa-hydrate, [Y(OH2)8](3+) was also detected in a 1.10 mol L(-1) aqueous Y(CF3SO3)3 solution. Furthermore, very weak and broad depolarized modes could be detected which are assigned to [Y(OH2)8](3+)(aq) at 100, 166, 234 and 320 cm(-1) confirming that a hexa-hydrate is not compatible with the hydrated species in solution. In yttrium chloride solutions contact ion pair formation was detected over the measured concentration range from 0.479-3.212 mol L(-1). The contact ion pairs in YCl3(aq) are fairly weak and disappear with dilution. At a concentration <0.2 mol L(-1) almost all complexes have disappeared. In YCl3 solutions, with additional HCl, chloro-complexes of the type [Y(OH2)8-nCln](+3-n) (n = 1,2) are formed. The Y(NO3)3(aq) spectra were compared with a spectrum of a dilute NaNO3 solution and it was concluded that in Y(NO3)3(aq) over the concentration range from 2.035-0.198 mol L(-1) nitrato-complexes [Y(OH2)8-n(NO3)ln](+3-n) (n = 1,2) are formed. The nitrato-complexes are weak and disappear with dilution <0.1 mol L(-1). DFT geometry optimizations and frequency calculations are reported for both the yttrium-water cluster in the gas phase and the cluster within a polarizable continuum model in order to implicitly describe the presence of the bulk solvent. The bond distance and angle for the square antiprismatic cluster geometry of [Y(OH2)8](3+) with the polarizable dielectric continuum is in good agreement with data from recent structural experimental measurements. The DFT frequency of the Y-O stretching mode of the [Y(OH2)8](3+) cluster, in a polarizable continuum, is at 372 cm(-1) in satisfactory agreement with the experimental value.

One-step affinity tag purification of full-length recombinant human AP-1 complexes from bacterial inclusion bodies using a polycistronic expression system

PubMed Central

Wang, Wei-Ming; Lee, A-Young; Chiang, Cheng-Ming

2008-01-01

The AP-1 transcription factor is a dimeric protein complex formed primarily between Jun (c-Jun, JunB, JunD) and Fos (c-Fos, FosB, Fra-1, Fra-2) family members. These distinct AP-1 complexes are expressed in many cell types and modulate target gene expression implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation, and stress responses. Although the importance of AP-1 has long been recognized, the biochemical characterization of AP-1 remains limited in part due to the difficulty in purifying full-length, reconstituted dimers with active DNA-binding and transcriptional activity. Using a combination of bacterial coexpression and epitope-tagging methods, we successfully purified all 12 heterodimers (3 Jun × 4 Fos) of full-length human AP-1 complexes as well as c-Jun/c-Jun, JunD/JunD, and c-Jun/JunD dimers from bacterial inclusion bodies using one-step nickel-NTA affinity tag purification following denaturation and renaturation of coexpressed AP-1 subunits. Coexpression of two constitutive components in a dimeric AP-1 complex helps stabilize the proteins when compared with individual protein expression in bacteria. Purified dimeric AP-1 complexes are functional in sequence-specific DNA binding, as illustrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting, and are also active in transcription with in vitro-reconstituted human papillomavirus (HPV) chromatin containing AP-1-binding sites in the native configuration of HPV nucleosomes. The availability of these recombinant full-length human AP-1 complexes has greatly facilitated mechanistic studies of AP-1-regulated gene transcription in many biological systems. PMID:18329890

Uranium(VI) adsorption to ferrihydrite: Application of a surface complexation model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waite, T.D.; Davis, J.A.; Payne, T.E.; Waychunas, G.A.; Xu, N.

1994-01-01

A study of U(VI) adsorption by ferrihydrite was conducted over a wide range of U(VI) concentrations, pH, and at two partial pressures of carbon dioxide. A two-site (strong- and weak-affinity sites, FesOH and FewOH, respectively) surface complexation model was able to describe the experimental data well over a wide range of conditions, with only one species formed with each site type: an inner-sphere, mononuclear, bidentate complex of the type (FeO2)UO2. The existence of such a surface species was supported by results of uranium EXAFS spectroscopy performed on two samples with U(VI) adsorption density in the upper range observed in this study (10 and 18% occupancy of total surface sites). Adsorption data in the alkaline pH range suggested the existence of a second surface species, modeled as a ternary surface complex with UO2CO30 binding to a bidentate surface site. Previous surface complexation models for U(VI) adsorption have proposed surface species that are identical to the predominant aqueous species, e.g., multinuclear hydrolysis complexes or several U(VI)-carbonate complexes. The results demonstrate that the speciation of adsorbed U(VI) may be constrained by the coordination environment at the surface, giving rise to surface speciation for U(VI) that is significantly less complex than aqueous speciation.

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data report for Williams NTMS quadrangle, Arizona

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

Wagoner, J.L.

Wet and dry sediments were collected throughout the 18,500-km/sup 2/arid-to-semiarid region and water samples at available streams, springs, and wells. Samples were collected between August 1977 and January 1978. Results of neutron activation analyses of uranium and trace elements and other field and laboratory analyses are presented in tabular hardcopy and microfiche format. The report includes six full-size overlays for use with the Williams NTMS 1:250,000 quadrangle. Sediment samples are divided into five general groups according to the source rock from which the sediment was derived. Background uranium concentrations for the quadrangle are relatively low, ranging from 1.91 to 2.40more » ppM, with the highest associated with the Precambrian igneous and metamorphic complexes of the Basin and Range province. Uranium correlates best with the rare-earth elements and iron, scandium, titanium, and manganese. Known uranium occurrences are not readily identified by the stream sediment data.« less

Effects of Limited Aeration and of the ArcAB System on Intermediary Pyruvate Catabolism in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Alexeeva, Svetlana; de Kort, Bart; Sawers, Gary; Hellingwerf, Klaas J.; de Mattos, M. Joost Teixeira

2000-01-01

The capacity of Escherichia coli to adapt its catabolism to prevailing redox conditions resides mainly in three catabolic branch points involving (i) pyruvate formate-lyase (PFL) and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc), (ii) the exclusively fermentative enzymes and those of the Krebs cycle, and (iii) the alternative terminal cytochrome bd and cytochrome bo oxidases. A quantitative analysis of the relative catabolic fluxes through these pathways is presented for steady-state glucose-limited chemostat cultures with controlled oxygen availability ranging from full aerobiosis to complete anaerobiosis. Remarkably, PFL contributed significantly to the catabolic flux under microaerobic conditions and was found to be active simultaneously with PDHc and cytochrome bd oxidase-dependent respiration. The synthesis of PFL and cytochrome bd oxidase was found to be maximal in the lower microaerobic range but not in a ΔArcA mutant, and we conclude that the Arc system is more active with respect to regulation of these two positively regulated operons during microaerobiosis than during anaerobiosis. PMID:10940038

Magnon spectrum of the helimagnetic insulator Cu 2OSeO 3

DOE PAGES

Portnichenko, P. Y.; Romhányi, J.; Onykiienko, Y. A.; ...

2016-02-25

We report that complex low-temperature-ordered states in chiral magnets are typically governed by a competition between multiple magnetic interactions. The chiral-lattice multiferroic Cu 2OSeO 3 became the first insulating helimagnetic material in which a long-range order of topologically stable spin vortices known as skyrmions was established. Here we employ state-of-the-art inelastic neutron scattering to comprehend the full three-dimensional spin-excitation spectrum of Cu 2OSeO 3 over a broad range of energies. Distinct types of high- and low-energy dispersive magnon modes separated by an extensive energy gap are observed in excellent agreement with the previously suggested microscopic theory based on a modelmore » of entangled Cu 4 tetrahedra. The comparison of our neutron spectroscopy data with model spin-dynamical calculations based on these theoretical proposals enables an accurate quantitative verification of the fundamental magnetic interactions in Cu 2OSeO 3 that are essential for understanding its abundant low-temperature magnetically ordered phases.« less

Magnon spectrum of the helimagnetic insulator Cu2OSeO3

PubMed Central

Portnichenko, P. Y.; Romhányi, J.; Onykiienko, Y. A.; Henschel, A.; Schmidt, M.; Cameron, A. S.; Surmach, M. A.; Lim, J. A.; Park, J. T.; Schneidewind, A.; Abernathy, D. L.; Rosner, H.; van den Brink, Jeroen; Inosov, D. S.

2016-01-01

Complex low-temperature-ordered states in chiral magnets are typically governed by a competition between multiple magnetic interactions. The chiral-lattice multiferroic Cu2OSeO3 became the first insulating helimagnetic material in which a long-range order of topologically stable spin vortices known as skyrmions was established. Here we employ state-of-the-art inelastic neutron scattering to comprehend the full three-dimensional spin-excitation spectrum of Cu2OSeO3 over a broad range of energies. Distinct types of high- and low-energy dispersive magnon modes separated by an extensive energy gap are observed in excellent agreement with the previously suggested microscopic theory based on a model of entangled Cu4 tetrahedra. The comparison of our neutron spectroscopy data with model spin-dynamical calculations based on these theoretical proposals enables an accurate quantitative verification of the fundamental magnetic interactions in Cu2OSeO3 that are essential for understanding its abundant low-temperature magnetically ordered phases. PMID:26911567

Enabling scientific workflows in virtual reality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kreylos, O.; Bawden, G.; Bernardin, T.; Billen, M.I.; Cowgill, E.S.; Gold, R.D.; Hamann, B.; Jadamec, M.; Kellogg, L.H.; Staadt, O.G.; Sumner, D.Y.

2006-01-01

To advance research and improve the scientific return on data collection and interpretation efforts in the geosciences, we have developed methods of interactive visualization, with a special focus on immersive virtual reality (VR) environments. Earth sciences employ a strongly visual approach to the measurement and analysis of geologic data due to the spatial and temporal scales over which such data ranges, As observations and simulations increase in size and complexity, the Earth sciences are challenged to manage and interpret increasing amounts of data. Reaping the full intellectual benefits of immersive VR requires us to tailor exploratory approaches to scientific problems. These applications build on the visualization method's strengths, using both 3D perception and interaction with data and models, to take advantage of the skills and training of the geological scientists exploring their data in the VR environment. This interactive approach has enabled us to develop a suite of tools that are adaptable to a range of problems in the geosciences and beyond. Copyright ?? 2008 by the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.

Magnon spectrum of the helimagnetic insulator Cu2OSeO3.

PubMed

Portnichenko, P Y; Romhányi, J; Onykiienko, Y A; Henschel, A; Schmidt, M; Cameron, A S; Surmach, M A; Lim, J A; Park, J T; Schneidewind, A; Abernathy, D L; Rosner, H; van den Brink, Jeroen; Inosov, D S

2016-02-25

Complex low-temperature-ordered states in chiral magnets are typically governed by a competition between multiple magnetic interactions. The chiral-lattice multiferroic Cu2OSeO3 became the first insulating helimagnetic material in which a long-range order of topologically stable spin vortices known as skyrmions was established. Here we employ state-of-the-art inelastic neutron scattering to comprehend the full three-dimensional spin-excitation spectrum of Cu2OSeO3 over a broad range of energies. Distinct types of high- and low-energy dispersive magnon modes separated by an extensive energy gap are observed in excellent agreement with the previously suggested microscopic theory based on a model of entangled Cu4 tetrahedra. The comparison of our neutron spectroscopy data with model spin-dynamical calculations based on these theoretical proposals enables an accurate quantitative verification of the fundamental magnetic interactions in Cu2OSeO3 that are essential for understanding its abundant low-temperature magnetically ordered phases.

Complex and interactive effects of ocean acidification and temperature on epilithic and endolithic coral-reef turf algal assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Maggie D.; Comeau, Steeve; Lantz, Coulson A.; Smith, Jennifer E.

2017-12-01

Turf algal assemblages are ubiquitous primary producers on coral reefs, but little is known about the response of this diverse group to ocean acidification (OA) across different temperatures. We tested the hypothesis that CO2 influences the functional response of epilithic and endolithic turf assemblages to increasing temperature. Replicate carbonate plugs covered by turf were collected from the reef and exposed to ambient and high pCO2 (1000 µatm) conditions for 3 weeks. Each pCO2 treatment was replicated across six temperatures (24.0-31.5 °C) that spanned the full seasonal temperature range on a fringing reef in Moorea, French Polynesia, and included one warming treatment (3 °C above daily average temperatures). Temperature and CO2 enrichment had complex, and sometimes interactive, effects on turf metabolism and growth. Photosynthetic and respiration rates were enhanced by increasing temperature, with an interactive effect of CO2 enrichment. Photosynthetic rates were amplified by high CO2 in the warmest temperatures, while the increase in respiration rates with temperature were enhanced under ambient CO2. Epilithic turf growth rates were not affected by temperature, but increased in response to CO2 enrichment. We found that CO2 and temperature interactively affected the endolithic assemblage, with the highest growth rates under CO2 enrichment, but only at the warmest temperatures. These results demonstrate how OA may influence algal physiology and growth across a range of ecologically relevant temperatures, and indicate that the effects of CO2 enrichment on coral-reef turf assemblages can be temperature dependent. The complex effects of CO2 enrichment and temperature across a suite of algal responses illustrates the importance of incorporating multiple stressors into global change experiments.

Effect of thermal stability/complex terrain on wind turbine model(s): a wind tunnel study to address complex atmospheric conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guala, M.; Hu, S. J.; Chamorro, L. P.

2011-12-01

Turbulent boundary layer measurements in both wind tunnel and in the near-neutral atmospheric surface layer revealed in the last decade the significant contribution of the large scales of motions to both turbulent kinetic energy and Reynolds stresses, for a wide range of Reynolds number. These scales are known to grow throughout the logarithmic layer and to extend several boundary layer heights in the streamwise direction. Potentially, they are a source of strong unsteadiness in the power output of wind turbines and in the aerodynamic loads of wind turbine blades. However, the large scales in realistic atmospheric conditions deserves further study, with well controlled boundary conditions. In the atmospheric wind tunnel of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, with a 16 m long test section and independently controlled incoming flow and floor temperatures, turbulent boundary layers in a range of stability conditions, from the stratified to the convective case, can be reproduced and monitored. Measurements of fluctuating temperature, streamwise and wall normal velocity components are simultaneously obtained by an ad hoc calibrated and customized triple-wire sensor. A wind turbine model with constant loading DC motor, constant tip speed ratio, and a rotor diameter of 0.128m is used to mimic a large full scale turbine in the atmospheric boundary layer. Measurements of the fluctuating voltage generated by the DC motor are compared with measurements of the blade's angular velocity by laser scanning, and eventually related to velocity measurements from the triple-wire sensor. This study preliminary explores the effect of weak stability and complex terrain (through a set of spanwise aligned topographic perturbations) on the large scales of the flow and on the fluctuations in the wind turbine(s) power output.

Controversies In The Surgical Management Of Shoulder Instability: Associated Soft Tissue Procedures

PubMed Central

Moros Marco, Santos; Ávila Lafuente, José Luis; Ruiz Ibán, Miguel Angel; Diaz Heredia, Jorge

2017-01-01

Background: The glenohumeral joint is a ball-and-socket joint that is inherently unstable and thus, susceptible to dislocation. The traditional and most common anatomic finding is the Bankart lesion (anterior-inferior capsule labral complex avulsion), but there is a wide variety of anatomic alterations that can cause shoulder instability or may be present as a concomitant injury or in combination, including bone loss (glenoid or humeral head), complex capsule-labral tears, rotator cuff tears, Kim´s lesions (injuries to the posterior-inferior labrum) and rotator interval pathology. Methods: A review of articles related to shoulder anatomy and soft tissue procedures that are performed during shoulder instability arthroscopic management was conducted by querying the Pubmed database and conclusions and controversies regarding this injury were exposed. Results: Due to the complex anatomy of the shoulder and the large range of movement of this joint, a wide variety of anatomic injuries and conditions can lead to shoulder instability, specially present in young population. Recognizing and treating all of them including Bankart repair, capsule-labral plicatures, SLAP repair, circumferential approach to pan-labral lesions, rotator interval closure, rotator cuff injuries and HAGL lesion repair is crucial to achieve the goal of a stable, full range of movement and not painful joint. Conclusion: Physicians must be familiarized with all the lesions involved in shoulder instability, and should be able to recognize and subsequently treat them to achieve the goal of a stable non-painful shoulder. Unrecognized or not treated lesions may result in recurrence of instability episodes and pain while overuse of some of the techniques previously described can lead to stiffness, thus the importance of an accurate diagnosis and treatment when facing a shoulder instability. PMID:28979603

Controversies In The Surgical Management Of Shoulder Instability: Associated Soft Tissue Procedures.

PubMed

Marco, Santos Moros; Lafuente, José Luis Ávila; Ibán, Miguel Angel Ruiz; Heredia, Jorge Diaz

2017-01-01

The glenohumeral joint is a ball-and-socket joint that is inherently unstable and thus, susceptible to dislocation. The traditional and most common anatomic finding is the Bankart lesion (anterior-inferior capsule labral complex avulsion), but there is a wide variety of anatomic alterations that can cause shoulder instability or may be present as a concomitant injury or in combination, including bone loss (glenoid or humeral head), complex capsule-labral tears, rotator cuff tears, Kim´s lesions (injuries to the posterior-inferior labrum) and rotator interval pathology. A review of articles related to shoulder anatomy and soft tissue procedures that are performed during shoulder instability arthroscopic management was conducted by querying the Pubmed database and conclusions and controversies regarding this injury were exposed. Due to the complex anatomy of the shoulder and the large range of movement of this joint, a wide variety of anatomic injuries and conditions can lead to shoulder instability, specially present in young population. Recognizing and treating all of them including Bankart repair, capsule-labral plicatures, SLAP repair, circumferential approach to pan-labral lesions, rotator interval closure, rotator cuff injuries and HAGL lesion repair is crucial to achieve the goal of a stable, full range of movement and not painful joint. Physicians must be familiarized with all the lesions involved in shoulder instability, and should be able to recognize and subsequently treat them to achieve the goal of a stable non-painful shoulder. Unrecognized or not treated lesions may result in recurrence of instability episodes and pain while overuse of some of the techniques previously described can lead to stiffness, thus the importance of an accurate diagnosis and treatment when facing a shoulder instability.

Time scales of intra-oceanic arc magmatism from combined U-Th and (U-Th)/He zircon geochronology of Dominica, Lesser Antilles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, T. M.; Schmitt, A. K.; Lindsay, J. M.; Shane, P.; Stockli, D. F.

2015-02-01

The island of Dominica, located in the intra-oceanic Lesser Antilles arc, has produced a series of intermediate (mostly andesitic) lava domes and ignimbrites since the early Pleistocene. (U-Th)/He eruption ages from centers across the island range from ˜3 to ˜770 ka, with at least 10 eruptions occurring in the last 80 ka. Three eruptions occurred near the southern tip of Dominica (Plat Pays Volcanic Complex) in the past 15 ka alone. Zircon U-Th ages from individual centers range from near-eruption to secular equilibrium implicating protracted storage and recycling of zircons within the crust. Overlapping zircon crystallization peaks within deposits from geographically separated vents (up to 40 km apart) indicate that magma associated with separate volcanic edifices crystallized zircon contemporaneously. Two lava domes from the southern sector of the island display exclusively young zircon rim ages (<50 ka) with narrow crystallization peaks consistent with the construction of a new magma reservoir. The younging of eruption and crystallization ages implies that the magmatic foci leading to the construction of this reservoir have migrated southward, arc-parallel over time. Overall, our data support geochemical models for the ongoing construction of a silicic intrusive complex, consisting of varying amounts of crystal mush, beneath the island. U-Pb zircon ages <1-2 Ma indicate that accumulation of this complex is entirely Quaternary in age. Together zircon U-Th and U-Pb ages for Dominica suggest that the magmatic processes and time scales operating in intra-oceanic arcs are similar to those documented for continental arcs. This article was corrected on 18 MAR 2015. See the end of the full text for details.

Antenna array geometry optimization for a passive coherent localisation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knott, Peter; Kuschel, Heiner; O'Hagan, Daniel

2012-11-01

Passive Coherent Localisation (PCL), also known as Passive Radar, making use of RF sources of opportunity such as Radio or TV Broadcasting Stations, Cellular Phone Network Base Stations, etc. is an advancing technology for covert operation because no active radar transmitter is required. It is also an attractive addition to existing active radar stations because it has the potential to discover low-flying and low-observable targets. The CORA (Covert Radar) experimental passive radar system currently developed at Fraunhofer-FHR features a multi-channel digital radar receiver and a circular antenna array with separate elements for the VHF- and the UHF-range and is used to exploit alternatively Digital Audio (DAB) or Video Broadcasting (DVB-T) signals. For an extension of the system, a wideband antenna array is being designed for which a new discone antenna element has been developed covering the full DVB-T frequency range. The present paper describes the outline of the system and the numerical modelling and optimisation methods applied to solve the complex task of antenna array design: Electromagnetic full wave analysis is required for the parametric design of the antenna elements while combinatorial optimization methods are applied to find the best array positions and excitation coefficients for a regular omni-directional antenna performance. The different steps are combined in an iterative loop until the optimum array layout is found. Simulation and experimental results for the current system will be shown.

Standardized Full-Field Electroretinography in the Green Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)

PubMed Central

Bouskila, Joseph; Javadi, Pasha; Palmour, Roberta M.; Bouchard, Jean-François; Ptito, Maurice

2014-01-01

Abstract Full-field electroretinography is an objective measure of retinal function, serving as an important diagnostic clinical tool in ophthalmology for evaluating the integrity of the retina. Given the similarity between the anatomy and physiology of the human and Green Monkey eyes, this species has increasingly become a favorable non-human primate model for assessing ocular defects in humans. To test this model, we obtained full-field electroretinographic recordings (ERG) and normal values for standard responses required by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV). Photopic and scotopic ERG recordings were obtained by full-field stimulation over a range of 6 log units of intensity in dark-adapted or light-adapted eyes of adult Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). Intensity, duration, and interval of light stimuli were varied separately. Reproducible values of amplitude and latency were obtained for the a- and b-waves, under well-controlled adaptation and stimulus conditions; the i-wave was also easily identifiable and separated from the a-b-wave complex in the photopic ERG. The recordings obtained in the healthy Green Monkey matched very well with those in humans and other non-human primate species (Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis). These results validate the Green Monkey as an excellent non-human primate model, with potential to serve for testing retinal function following various manipulations such as visual deprivation or drug evaluation. PMID:25360686

Full-scale wind-tunnel tests of high-lift system modifications on a carrier based fighter aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyn, Larry A.; Zell, Peter T.; Hagan, John L.; Schoch, David

1993-01-01

Modifications to the high-lift system of a full-scale F/A-I8A were tested in the 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. The objective was to measure the effect of simple modifications on the aerodynamic performance of the high-lift system. The modifications included the placement of a straight fairing in the shroud cove above the trailing-edge flap and the addition of seals to prevent air leakage through the hinge lines of the leading-edge flap, the trailing-edge shroud, and the wing fold. The test was carried out on an actual F/A-18A with it's flaps deployed in the landing approach configuration. The angle of attack ranged from 0 to 16 degrees and the wind speed was 100 knots. At an angle of attack of 8 degrees, the trimmed lift coefficient was improved by 0.09 with all wing seals in place. This corresponds to a reduction in the approach speed for the F/A-I8A of about 5 knots. The seal along the wing fold hinge, a feature present on many naval aircraft, provided one third of the total increment in trimmed lift. A comparison of the full-scale wind-tunnel results with those obtained from flight test is also presented.

Present-day Galactic Evolution: Low-metallicity, Warm, Ionized Gas Inflow Associated with High-velocity Cloud Complex A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barger, K. A.; Haffner, L. M.; Wakker, B. P.; Hill, Alex. S.; Madsen, G. J.; Duncan, A. K.

2012-12-01

The high-velocity cloud Complex A is a probe of the physical conditions in the Galactic halo. The kinematics, morphology, distance, and metallicity of Complex A indicate that it represents new material that is accreting onto the Galaxy. We present Wisconsin Hα Mapper kinematically resolved observations of Complex A over the velocity range of -250 to -50 km s-1 in the local standard of rest reference frame. These observations include the first full Hα intensity map of Complex A across (\\mathit {l, b}) = (124{^\\circ }, 18{^\\circ }) to (171°, 53°) and deep targeted observations in Hα, [S II] λ6716, [N II] λ6584, and [O I] λ6300 toward regions with high H I column densities, background quasars, and stars. The Hα data imply that the masses of neutral and ionized material in the cloud are similar, both being greater than 106 M ⊙. We find that the Bland-Hawthorn & Maloney model for the intensity of the ionizing radiation near the Milky Way is consistent with the known distance of the high-latitude part of Complex A and an assumed cloud geometry that puts the lower-latitude parts of the cloud at a distance of 7-8 kpc. This compatibility implies a 5% ionizing photon escape fraction from the Galactic disk. We also provide the nitrogen and sulfur upper abundance solutions for a series of temperatures, metallicities, and cloud configurations for purely photoionized gas; these solutions are consistent with the sub-solar abundances found by previous studies, especially for temperatures above 104 K or for gas with a high fraction of singly ionized nitrogen and sulfur.

PRESENT-DAY GALACTIC EVOLUTION: LOW-METALLICITY, WARM, IONIZED GAS INFLOW ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH-VELOCITY CLOUD COMPLEX A

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

Barger, K. A.; Haffner, L. M.; Wakker, B. P.

2012-12-20

The high-velocity cloud Complex A is a probe of the physical conditions in the Galactic halo. The kinematics, morphology, distance, and metallicity of Complex A indicate that it represents new material that is accreting onto the Galaxy. We present Wisconsin H{alpha} Mapper kinematically resolved observations of Complex A over the velocity range of -250 to -50 km s{sup -1} in the local standard of rest reference frame. These observations include the first full H{alpha} intensity map of Complex A across (l, b) = (124 Degree-Sign , 18 Degree-Sign ) to (171 Degree-Sign , 53 Degree-Sign ) and deep targeted observationsmore » in H{alpha}, [S II] {lambda}6716, [N II] {lambda}6584, and [O I] {lambda}6300 toward regions with high H I column densities, background quasars, and stars. The H{alpha} data imply that the masses of neutral and ionized material in the cloud are similar, both being greater than 10{sup 6} M{sub Sun }. We find that the Bland-Hawthorn and Maloney model for the intensity of the ionizing radiation near the Milky Way is consistent with the known distance of the high-latitude part of Complex A and an assumed cloud geometry that puts the lower-latitude parts of the cloud at a distance of 7-8 kpc. This compatibility implies a 5% ionizing photon escape fraction from the Galactic disk. We also provide the nitrogen and sulfur upper abundance solutions for a series of temperatures, metallicities, and cloud configurations for purely photoionized gas; these solutions are consistent with the sub-solar abundances found by previous studies, especially for temperatures above 10{sup 4} K or for gas with a high fraction of singly ionized nitrogen and sulfur.« less

75 FR 20323 - Proposed Amendment to and Establishment of Restricted Areas and Other Special Use Airspace...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-19

... Restricted Areas and Other Special Use Airspace; Razorback Range Airspace Complex, AR AGENCY: Federal... special use airspace in the Razorback Range Airspace Complex, AR. The airspace docket number in that NPRM...

Structure of amplitude correlations in open chaotic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ericson, Torleif E. O.

2013-02-01

The Verbaarschot-Weidenmüller-Zirnbauer (VWZ) model is believed to correctly represent the correlations of two S-matrix elements for an open quantum chaotic system, but the solution has considerable complexity and is presently only accessed numerically. Here a procedure is developed to deduce its features over the full range of the parameter space in a transparent and simple analytical form preserving accuracy to a considerable degree. The bulk of the VWZ correlations are described by the Gorin-Seligman expression for the two-amplitude correlations of the Ericson-Gorin-Seligman model. The structure of the remaining correction factors for correlation functions is discussed with special emphasis of the rôle of the level correlation hole both for inelastic and elastic correlations.

More lessons from linalool: insights gained from a ubiquitous floral volatile.

PubMed

Raguso, Robert A

2016-08-01

Linalool (3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol) is a common floral volatile with two distinct enantiomers and related metabolites involved in the full spectrum of plant-pollinator interactions. Recent studies reveal a complex interplay between pollinator attraction and plant defense mediated by linalool and its derivatives, from the smallest (Arabidopsis, Mitella) to the largest (Datura) flowers studied. Accordingly, fig wasps, fungus gnats and moths of all sizes show remarkable electrophysiological, neural and behavioral sensitivity to different enantiomers and quantitative ratios of linalool in floral bouquets. The diverse functions of linalool, ranging from toxin to long distance pollinator attractant are discussed in the broader context of floral volatile ecology and evolution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population and Environment

PubMed Central

de Sherbinin, Alex; Carr, David; Cassels, Susan; Jiang, Leiwen

2009-01-01

The interactions between human population dynamics and the environment have often been viewed mechanistically. This review elucidates the complexities and contextual specificities of population-environment relationships in a number of domains. It explores the ways in which demographers and other social scientists have sought to understand the relationships among a full range of population dynamics (e.g., population size, growth, density, age and sex composition, migration, urbanization, vital rates) and environmental changes. The chapter briefly reviews a number of the theories for understanding population and the environment and then proceeds to provide a state-of-the-art review of studies that have examined population dynamics and their relationship to five environmental issue areas. The review concludes by relating population-environment research to emerging work on human-environment systems. PMID:20011237

Topology of Collisionless Relaxation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pakter, Renato; Levin, Yan

2013-04-01

Using extensive molecular dynamics simulations we explore the fine-grained phase space structure of systems with long-range interactions. We find that if the initial phase space particle distribution has no holes, the final stationary distribution will also contain a compact simply connected region. The microscopic holes created by the filamentation of the initial distribution function are always restricted to the outer regions of the phase space. In general, for complex multilevel distributions it is very difficult to a priori predict the final stationary state without solving the full dynamical evolution. However, we show that, for multilevel initial distributions satisfying a generalized virial condition, it is possible to predict the particle distribution in the final stationary state using Casimir invariants of the Vlasov dynamics.

Ubiquitin dynamics in complexes reveal molecular recognition mechanisms beyond induced fit and conformational selection.

PubMed

Peters, Jan H; de Groot, Bert L

2012-01-01

Protein-protein interactions play an important role in all biological processes. However, the principles underlying these interactions are only beginning to be understood. Ubiquitin is a small signalling protein that is covalently attached to different proteins to mark them for degradation, regulate transport and other functions. As such, it interacts with and is recognised by a multitude of other proteins. We have conducted molecular dynamics simulations of ubiquitin in complex with 11 different binding partners on a microsecond timescale and compared them with ensembles of unbound ubiquitin to investigate the principles of their interaction and determine the influence of complex formation on the dynamic properties of this protein. Along the main mode of fluctuation of ubiquitin, binding in most cases reduces the conformational space available to ubiquitin to a subspace of that covered by unbound ubiquitin. This behaviour can be well explained using the model of conformational selection. For lower amplitude collective modes, a spectrum of zero to almost complete coverage of bound by unbound ensembles was observed. The significant differences between bound and unbound structures are exclusively situated at the binding interface. Overall, the findings correspond neither to a complete conformational selection nor induced fit scenario. Instead, we introduce a model of conformational restriction, extension and shift, which describes the full range of observed effects.

Developing an Integration Infrastructure for Distributed Engine Control Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culley, Dennis; Zinnecker, Alicia; Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot; Kratz, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Turbine engine control technology is poised to make the first revolutionary leap forward since the advent of full authority digital engine control in the mid-1980s. This change aims squarely at overcoming the physical constraints that have historically limited control system hardware on aero-engines to a federated architecture. Distributed control architecture allows complex analog interfaces existing between system elements and the control unit to be replaced by standardized digital interfaces. Embedded processing, enabled by high temperature electronics, provides for digitization of signals at the source and network communications resulting in a modular system at the hardware level. While this scheme simplifies the physical integration of the system, its complexity appears in other ways. In fact, integration now becomes a shared responsibility among suppliers and system integrators. While these are the most obvious changes, there are additional concerns about performance, reliability, and failure modes due to distributed architecture that warrant detailed study. This paper describes the development of a new facility intended to address the many challenges of the underlying technologies of distributed control. The facility is capable of performing both simulation and hardware studies ranging from component to system level complexity. Its modular and hierarchical structure allows the user to focus their interaction on specific areas of interest.

Diverse mechanisms shape the evolution of virulence factors in the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans sampled from China

PubMed Central

Wu, E-Jiao; Yang, Li-Na; Zhu, Wen; Chen, Xiao-Mei; Shang, Li-Ping; Zhan, Jiasui

2016-01-01

Evolution of virulence in plant pathogens is still poorly understood but the knowledge is important for the effective use of plant resistance and sustainable disease management. Spatial population dynamics of virulence, race and SSR markers in 140 genotypes sampled from seven geographic locations in China were compared to infer the mechanisms driving the evolution of virulence in Phytophthora infestans (P. infestans). All virulence types and a full spectrum of race complexity, ranging from the race able to infect the universally susceptible cultivar only to all differentials, were detected. Eight and two virulence factors were under diversifying and constraining selection respectively while no natural selection was detected in one of the virulence types. Further analyses revealed excesses in simple and complex races but deficiency in intermediate race and negative associations of annual mean temperature at the site from which pathogen isolates were collected with frequency of virulence to differentials and race complexity in the pathogen populations. These results suggest that host selection may interact with other factors such as climatic conditions in determining the evolutionary trajectory of virulence and race structure in P. infestans and global warming may slow down the emergence of new virulence in the pathogen. PMID:27193142

Interweaving Knowledge Resources to Address Complex Environmental Health Challenges.

PubMed

Anderson, Beth Ellen; Naujokas, Marisa F; Suk, William A

2015-11-01

Complex problems do not respect academic disciplinary boundaries. Environmental health research is complex and often moves beyond these boundaries, integrating diverse knowledge resources to solve such challenges. Here we describe an evolving paradigm for interweaving approaches that integrates widely diverse resources outside of traditional academic environments in full partnerships of mutual respect and understanding. We demonstrate that scientists, social scientists, and engineers can work with government agencies, industry, and communities to interweave their expertise into metaphorical knowledge fabrics to share understanding, resources, and enthusiasm. Our goal is to acknowledge and validate how interweaving research approaches can contribute to research-driven, solution-oriented problem solving in environmental health, and to inspire more members of the environmental health community to consider this approach. The National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program (SRP), as mandated by Congress, has evolved to become a program that reaches across a wide range of knowledge resources. SRP fosters interweaving multiple knowledge resources to develop innovative multidirectional partnerships for research and training. Here we describe examples of how motivation, ideas, knowledge, and expertise from different people, institutions, and agencies can integrate to tackle challenges that can be as complex as the resources they bring to bear on it. By providing structure for interweaving science with its stakeholders, we are better able to leverage resources, increase potential for innovation, and proactively ensure a more fully developed spectrum of beneficial outcomes of research investments. Anderson BE, Naujokas MF, Suk WA. 2015. Interweaving knowledge resources to address complex environmental health challenges. Environ Health Perspect 123:1095-1099; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409525.

Full-waveform inversion for the Iranian plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masouminia, N.; Fichtner, A.; Rahimi, H.

2017-12-01

We aim to obtain a detailed tomographic model for the Iranian plateau facilitated by full-waveform inversion. By using this method, we intend to better constrain the 3-D structure of the crust and the upper mantle in the region. The Iranian plateau is a complex tectonic area resulting from the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates. This region is subject to complex tectonic processes such as Makran subduction zone, which runs along the southeastern coast of Iran, and the convergence of the Arabian and- Eurasian plates, which itself led to another subduction under Central Iran. This continent-continent collision has also caused shortening and crustal thickening, which can be seen today as Zagros mountain range in the south and Kopeh Dagh mountain range in the northeast. As a result of such a tectonic activity, the crust and the mantle beneath the region are expected to be highly heterogeneous. To further our understanding of the region and its tectonic history, a detailed 3-D velocity model is required.To construct a 3-D model, we propose to use full-waveform inversion, which allows us to incorporate all types of waves recorded in the seismogram, including body waves as well as fundamental- and higher-mode surface waves. Exploiting more information from the observed data using this approach is likely to constrain features which have not been found by classical tomography studies so far. We address the forward problem using Salvus - a numerical wave propagation solver, based on spectral-element method and run on high-performance computers. The solver allows us to simulate wave field propagating in highly heterogeneous, attenuating and anisotropic media, respecting the surface topography. To improve the model, we solve the optimization problem. Solution of this optimization problem is based on an iterative approach which employs adjoint methods to calculate the gradient and uses steepest descent and conjugate-gradient methods to minimize the objective function. Each iteration of such an approach is expected to bring the model closer to the true model.Our model domain extends between 25°N and 40°N in latitude and 42°E and 63°E in longitude. To constrain the 3-D structure of the area we use 83 broadband seismic stations and 146 earthquakes with magnitude Mw>4.5 -that occurred in the region between 2012 and 2017.

Assessing Climate Vulnerability and Resilience of a Major Water Resource System - Inverting the Paradigm for Specific Risk Quantification at Decision Making Points of Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, K. W.; Ellis, A. W.; Skindlov, J. A.

2015-12-01

Water resource systems have provided vital support to transformative growth in the Southwest United States and the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area where the Salt River Project (SRP) currently satisfies 40% of the area's water demand from reservoir storage and groundwater. Large natural variability and expectations of climate changes have sensitized water management to risks posed by future periods of excess and drought. The conventional approach to impacts assessment has been downscaled climate model simulations translated through hydrologic models; but, scenario ranges enlarge as uncertainties propagate through sequential levels of modeling complexity. The research often does not reach the stage of specific impact assessments, rendering future projections frustratingly uncertain and unsuitable for complex decision-making. Alternatively, this study inverts the common approach by beginning with the threatened water system and proceeding backwards to the uncertain climate future. The methodology is built upon reservoir system response modeling to exhaustive time series of climate-driven net basin supply. A reservoir operations model, developed with SRP guidance, assesses cumulative response to inflow variability and change. Complete statistical analyses of long-term historical watershed climate and runoff data are employed for 10,000-year stochastic simulations, rendering the entire range of multi-year extremes with full probabilistic characterization. Sets of climate change projections are then translated by temperature sensitivity and precipitation elasticity into future inflow distributions that are comparatively assessed with the reservoir operations model. This approach provides specific risk assessments in pragmatic terms familiar to decision makers, interpretable within the context of long-range planning and revealing a clearer meaning of climate change projections for the region. As a transferable example achieving actionable findings, the approach can guide other communities confronting water resource planning challenges.

The Role of Air-sea Coupling in the Response of Climate Extremes to Aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahajan, S.

2017-12-01

Air-sea interactions dominate the climate of surrounding regions and thus also modulate the climate response to local and remote aerosol forcings. To clearly isolate the role of air-sea coupling in the climate response to aerosols, we conduct experiments with a full complexity atmosphere model that is coupled to a series of ocean models progressively increasing in complexity. The ocean models range from a data ocean model with prescribed SSTs, to a slab ocean model that only allows thermodynamic interactions, to a full dynamic ocean model. In a preliminary study, we have conducted single forcing experiments with black carbon aerosols in an atmosphere GCM coupled to a data ocean model and a slab ocean model. We find that while black carbon aerosols can intensify mean and extreme summer monsoonal precipitation over the Indian sub-continent, air-sea coupling can dramatically modulate this response. Black carbon aerosols in the vicinity of the Arabian Sea result in an increase of sea surface temperatures there in the slab ocean model, which intensify the low-level Somali Jet. The associated increase in moisture transport into Western India enhances the mean as well as extreme precipitation. In prescribed SST experiments, where SSTs are not allowed to respond BC aerosols, the response is muted. We will present results from a hierarchy of GCM simulations that investigate the role of air-sea coupling in the climate response to aerosols in more detail.

IR Spectra of (HCOOH)2 and (DCOOH)2: Experiment, VSCF/VCI, and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Calculations Using Full-Dimensional Potential and Dipole Moment Surfaces.

PubMed

Qu, Chen; Bowman, Joel M

2018-05-17

We report quantum VSCF/VCI and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations of the IR spectra of (HCOOH) 2 and (DCOOH) 2 , using full-dimensional, ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces (PES and DMS). These surfaces are fits, using permutationally invariant polynomials, to 13 475 ab initio CCSD(T)-F12a electronic energies and MP2 dipole moments. Here "AIMD" means using these ab initio potential and dipole moment surfaces in the MD calculations. The VSCF/VCI calculations use all (24) normal modes for coupling, with a four-mode representation of the potential. The quantum spectra align well with jet-cooled and room-temperature experimental spectra over the spectral range 600-3600 cm -1 . Analyses of the complex O-H and C-H stretch bands are made based on the mixing of the VSCF/VCI basis functions. The comparisons of the AIMD IR spectra with both experimental and VSCF/VCI ones provide tests of the accuracy of the AIMD approach. These indicate good accuracy for simple bands but not for the complex O-H stretch band, which is upshifted from experimental and VSCF/VCI bands by roughly 300 cm -1 . In addition to testing the AIMD approach, the PES, DMS, and VSCF/VCI calculations for formic acid dimer provide opportunities for testing other methods to represent high-dimensional data and other methods that perform postharmonic vibrational calculations.

Variogram Analysis of Response surfaces (VARS): A New Framework for Global Sensitivity Analysis of Earth and Environmental Systems Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razavi, S.; Gupta, H. V.

2015-12-01

Earth and environmental systems models (EESMs) are continually growing in complexity and dimensionality with continuous advances in understanding and computing power. Complexity and dimensionality are manifested by introducing many different factors in EESMs (i.e., model parameters, forcings, boundary conditions, etc.) to be identified. Sensitivity Analysis (SA) provides an essential means for characterizing the role and importance of such factors in producing the model responses. However, conventional approaches to SA suffer from (1) an ambiguous characterization of sensitivity, and (2) poor computational efficiency, particularly as the problem dimension grows. Here, we present a new and general sensitivity analysis framework (called VARS), based on an analogy to 'variogram analysis', that provides an intuitive and comprehensive characterization of sensitivity across the full spectrum of scales in the factor space. We prove, theoretically, that Morris (derivative-based) and Sobol (variance-based) methods and their extensions are limiting cases of VARS, and that their SA indices can be computed as by-products of the VARS framework. We also present a practical strategy for the application of VARS to real-world problems, called STAR-VARS, including a new sampling strategy, called "star-based sampling". Our results across several case studies show the STAR-VARS approach to provide reliable and stable assessments of "global" sensitivity across the full range of scales in the factor space, while being at least 1-2 orders of magnitude more efficient than the benchmark Morris and Sobol approaches.

Frequency-dependent complex modulus of the uterus: preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiss, Miklos Z.; Hobson, Maritza A.; Varghese, Tomy; Harter, Josephine; Kliewer, Mark A.; Hartenbach, Ellen M.; Zagzebski, James A.

2006-08-01

The frequency-dependent complex moduli of human uterine tissue have been characterized. Quantification of the modulus is required for developing uterine ultrasound elastography as a viable imaging modality for diagnosing and monitoring causes for abnormal uterine bleeding and enlargement, as well assessing the integrity of uterine and cervical tissue. The complex modulus was measured in samples from hysterectomies of 24 patients ranging in age from 31 to 79 years. Measurements were done under small compressions of either 1 or 2%, at low pre-compression values (either 1 or 2%), and over a frequency range of 0.1-100 Hz. Modulus values of cervical tissue monotonically increased from approximately 30-90 kPa over the frequency range. Normal uterine tissue possessed modulus values over the same range, while leiomyomas, or uterine fibroids, exhibited values ranging from approximately 60-220 kPa.

A Complex Story: Universal Preference vs. Individual Differences Shaping Aesthetic Response to Fractals Patterns

PubMed Central

Street, Nichola; Forsythe, Alexandra M.; Reilly, Ronan; Taylor, Richard; Helmy, Mai S.

2016-01-01

Fractal patterns offer one way to represent the rough complexity of the natural world. Whilst they dominate many of our visual experiences in nature, little large-scale perceptual research has been done to explore how we respond aesthetically to these patterns. Previous research (Taylor et al., 2011) suggests that the fractal patterns with mid-range fractal dimensions (FDs) have universal aesthetic appeal. Perceptual and aesthetic responses to visual complexity have been more varied with findings suggesting both linear (Forsythe et al., 2011) and curvilinear (Berlyne, 1970) relationships. Individual differences have been found to account for many of the differences we see in aesthetic responses but some, such as culture, have received little attention within the fractal and complexity research fields. This two-study article aims to test preference responses to FD and visual complexity, using a large cohort (N = 443) of participants from around the world to allow universality claims to be tested. It explores the extent to which age, culture and gender can predict our preferences for fractally complex patterns. Following exploratory analysis that found strong correlations between FD and visual complexity, a series of linear mixed-effect models were implemented to explore if each of the individual variables could predict preference. The first tested a linear complexity model (likelihood of selecting the more complex image from the pair of images) and the second a mid-range FD model (likelihood of selecting an image within mid-range). Results show that individual differences can reliably predict preferences for complexity across culture, gender and age. However, in fitting with current findings the mid-range models show greater consistency in preference not mediated by gender, age or culture. This article supports the established theory that the mid-range fractal patterns appear to be a universal construct underlying preference but also highlights the fragility of universal claims by demonstrating individual differences in preference for the interrelated concept of visual complexity. This highlights a current stalemate in the field of empirical aesthetics. PMID:27252634

50 CFR 218.173 - Mitigation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Complex shall be promulgated, and sightings shall be entered into the Range Operating System and forwarded... Naval Sea System Command (NAVSEA) Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport Range Complex and the... active sonar transmissions when passive acoustic monitoring capabilities are being operated during the...

Analysis of Protein Interactions with Picomolar Binding Affinity by Fluorescence-Detected Sedimentation Velocity

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The study of high-affinity protein interactions with equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) in the picomolar range is of significant interest in many fields, but the characterization of stoichiometry and free energy of such high-affinity binding can be far from trivial. Analytical ultracentrifugation has long been considered a gold standard in the study of protein interactions but is typically applied to systems with micromolar KD. Here we present a new approach for the study of high-affinity interactions using fluorescence detected sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (FDS-SV). Taking full advantage of the large data sets in FDS-SV by direct boundary modeling with sedimentation coefficient distributions c(s), we demonstrate detection and hydrodynamic resolution of protein complexes at low picomolar concentrations. We show how this permits the characterization of the antibody–antigen interactions with low picomolar binding constants, 2 orders of magnitude lower than previously achieved. The strongly size-dependent separation and quantitation by concentration, size, and shape of free and complex species in free solution by FDS-SV has significant potential for studying high-affinity multistep and multicomponent protein assemblies. PMID:24552356

The fluid dynamics of microjet explosions caused by extremely intense X-ray pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stan, Claudiu; Laksmono, Hartawan; Sierra, Raymond; Milathianaki, Despina; Koglin, Jason; Messerschmidt, Marc; Williams, Garth; Demirci, Hasan; Botha, Sabine; Nass, Karol; Stone, Howard; Schlichting, Ilme; Shoeman, Robert; Boutet, Sebastien

2014-11-01

Femtosecond X-ray scattering experiments at free-electron laser facilities typically requires liquid jet delivery methods to bring samples to the region of interaction with X-rays. We have imaged optically the damage process in water microjets due to intense hard X-ray pulses at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), using time-resolved imaging techniques to record movies at rates up to half a billion frames per second. For pulse energies larger than a few percent of the maximum pulse energy available at LCLS, the X-rays deposit energies much larger than the latent heat of vaporization in water, and induce a phase explosion that opens a gap in the jet. The LCLS pulses last a few tens of femtoseconds, but the full evolution of the broken jet is orders of magnitude slower - typically in the microsecond range - due to complex fluid dynamics processes triggered by the phase explosion. Although the explosion results in a complex sequence of phenomena, they lead to an approximately self-similar flow of the liquid in the jet.

Development of a high resolution x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

DOE PAGES

Hill, K. W.; Bitter, M.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; ...

2016-09-28

A high resolution (E/ΔE = 1200-1800) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in National Ignition Facility experiments. The instrument will be a diagnostic instrument manipulator positioned cassette designed mainly to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium-β (1s 2-1s3p) lines of krypton and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and focus (1) the Kr Heβ complex and (2) the Heα (1s 2-1s2p) and Lyα (1s-2p) complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement, and a third cylindrical or conicalmore » crystal will focus the full Heα to Heβ spectral range onto an image plate to provide a time integrated calibration spectrum. Calculations of source x-ray intensity, spectrometer throughput, and spectral resolution are presented. Furthermore, details of the conical-crystal focusing properties as well as the status of the instrumental design are also presented.« less

Active and Healthy Ageing as a Wicked Problem: The Contribution of a Multidisciplinary Research University.

PubMed

Riva, Giuseppe; Graffigna, Guendalina; Baitieri, Maddalena; Amato, Alessandra; Bonanomi, Maria Grazia; Valentini, Paolo; Castelli, Guido

2014-01-01

The quest for an active and healthy ageing can be considered a "wicked problem." It is a social and cultural problem, which is difficult to solve because of incomplete, changing, and contradictory requirements. These problems are tough to manage because of their social complexity. They are a group of linked problems embedded in the structure of the communities in which they occur. First, they require the knowledge of the social and cultural context in which they occur. They can be solved only by understanding of what people do and why they do it. Second, they require a multidisciplinary approach. Wicked problems can have different solutions, so it is critical to capture the full range of possibilities and interpretations. Thus, we suggest that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is well suited for accepting and managing this challenge because of its applied research orientation, multidisciplinary approach, and integrated vision. After presenting the research activity of UCSC, we describe a possible "systems thinking" strategy to consider the complexity and interdependence of active ageing and healthy living.

Development of a high resolution x-ray spectrometer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF).

PubMed

Hill, K W; Bitter, M; Delgado-Aparicio, L; Efthimion, P C; Ellis, R; Gao, L; Maddox, J; Pablant, N A; Schneider, M B; Chen, H; Ayers, S; Kauffman, R L; MacPhee, A G; Beiersdorfer, P; Bettencourt, R; Ma, T; Nora, R C; Scott, H A; Thorn, D B; Kilkenny, J D; Nelson, D; Shoup, M; Maron, Y

2016-11-01

A high resolution (E/ΔE = 1200-1800) Bragg crystal x-ray spectrometer is being developed to measure plasma parameters in National Ignition Facility experiments. The instrument will be a diagnostic instrument manipulator positioned cassette designed mainly to infer electron density in compressed capsules from Stark broadening of the helium-β (1s 2 -1s3p) lines of krypton and electron temperature from the relative intensities of dielectronic satellites. Two conically shaped crystals will diffract and focus (1) the Kr Heβ complex and (2) the Heα (1s 2 -1s2p) and Lyα (1s-2p) complexes onto a streak camera photocathode for time resolved measurement, and a third cylindrical or conical crystal will focus the full Heα to Heβ spectral range onto an image plate to provide a time integrated calibration spectrum. Calculations of source x-ray intensity, spectrometer throughput, and spectral resolution are presented. Details of the conical-crystal focusing properties as well as the status of the instrumental design are also presented.

Carbon-Nanotube-Supported Bio-Inspired Nickel Catalyst and Its Integration in Hybrid Hydrogen/Air Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Gentil, Solène; Lalaoui, Noémie; Dutta, Arnab; Nedellec, Yannig; Cosnier, Serge; Shaw, Wendy J; Artero, Vincent; Le Goff, Alan

2017-02-06

A biomimetic nickel bis-diphosphine complex incorporating the amino acid arginine in the outer coordination sphere was immobilized on modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through electrostatic interactions. The functionalized redox nanomaterial exhibits reversible electrocatalytic activity for the H 2 /2 H + interconversion from pH 0 to 9, with catalytic preference for H 2 oxidation at all pH values. The high activity of the complex over a wide pH range allows us to integrate this bio-inspired nanomaterial either in an enzymatic fuel cell together with a multicopper oxidase at the cathode, or in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) using Pt/C at the cathode. The Ni-based PEMFC reaches 14 mW cm -2 , only six-times-less as compared to full-Pt conventional PEMFC. The Pt-free enzyme-based fuel cell delivers ≈2 mW cm -2 , a new efficiency record for a hydrogen biofuel cell with base metal catalysts. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Information and linearity of time-domain complex demodulated amplitude and phase data in shallow water.

PubMed

Sarkar, Jit; Cornuelle, Bruce D; Kuperman, W A

2011-09-01

Wave-theoretic ocean acoustic propagation modeling is used to derive the sensitivity of pressure, and complex demodulated amplitude and phase, at a receiver to the sound speed of the medium using the Born-Fréchet derivative. Although the procedure can be applied for pressure as a function of frequency instead of time, the time domain has advantages in practical problems, as linearity and signal-to-noise are more easily assigned in the time domain. The linearity and information content of these sensitivity kernels is explored for an example of a 3-4 kHz broadband pulse transmission in a 1 km shallow water Pekeris waveguide. Full-wave observations (pressure as a function of time) are seen to be too nonlinear for use in most practical cases, whereas envelope and phase data have a wider range of validity and provide complementary information. These results are used in simulated inversions with a more realistic sound speed profile, comparing the performance of amplitude and phase observations. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Operation Windshield and the simplification of emergency management.

PubMed

Andrews, Michael

2016-01-01

Large, complex, multi-stakeholder exercises are the culmination of years of gradual progression through a comprehensive training and exercise programme. Exercises intended to validate training, refine procedures and test processes initially tested in isolation are combined to ensure seamless response and coordination during actual crises. The challenges of integrating timely and accurate situational awareness from an array of sources, including response agencies, municipal departments, partner agencies and the public, on an ever-growing range of media platforms, increase information management complexity in emergencies. Considering that many municipal emergency operations centre roles are filled by staff whose day jobs have little to do with crisis management, there is a need to simplify emergency management and make it more intuitive. North Shore Emergency Management has accepted the challenge of making emergency management less onerous to occasional practitioners through a series of initiatives aimed to build competence and confidence by making processes easier to use as well as by introducing technical tools that can simplify processes and enhance efficiencies. These efforts culminated in the full-scale earthquake exercise, Operation Windshield, which preceded the 2015 Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Structural analysis and modeling reveals new mechanisms governing ESCRT-III spiral filament assembly

PubMed Central

Shen, Qing-Tao; Schuh, Amber L.; Zheng, Yuqing; Quinney, Kyle; Wang, Lei; Hanna, Michael; Mitchell, Julie C.; Otegui, Marisa S.; Ahlquist, Paul; Cui, Qiang

2014-01-01

The scission of biological membranes is facilitated by a variety of protein complexes that bind and manipulate lipid bilayers. ESCRT-III (endosomal sorting complex required for transport III) filaments mediate membrane scission during the ostensibly disparate processes of multivesicular endosome biogenesis, cytokinesis, and retroviral budding. However, mechanisms by which ESCRT-III subunits assemble into a polymer remain unknown. Using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we found that the full-length ESCRT-III subunit Vps32/CHMP4B spontaneously forms single-stranded spiral filaments. The resolution afforded by two-dimensional cryo-EM combined with molecular dynamics simulations revealed that individual Vps32/CHMP4B monomers within a filament are flexible and able to accommodate a range of bending angles. In contrast, the interface between monomers is stable and refractory to changes in conformation. We additionally found that the carboxyl terminus of Vps32/CHMP4B plays a key role in restricting the lateral association of filaments. Our findings highlight new mechanisms by which ESCRT-III filaments assemble to generate a unique polymer capable of membrane remodeling in multiple cellular contexts. PMID:25202029

Effect of the type of metal on the electrical conductivity and thermal properties of metal complexes: The relation between ionic radius of metal complexes and electrical conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Sh. M.; El-Ghamaz, N. A.; Diab, M. A.

2018-05-01

Co(II) complexes (1-4) and Ni(II) complexes (5-8) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra and thermal analysis data. Thermal decomposition of all complexes was discussed using thermogravimetric analysis. The dielectric properties and alternating current conductivity were investigated in the frequency range 0.1-100 kHz and temperature range 300-660 K. The thermal activation energies of electrical conductivity (ΔE1 and ΔE2) values for complexes were calculated and discussed. The values of ΔE1 and ΔE2 for complexes (1-8) were found to decrease with increasing the frequency. Ac electrical conductivity (σac) values increases with increasing temperatures and the values of σac for Co(II) complexes are greater than Ni(II) complexes. Co(II) complexes showed a higher conductivity than other Ni(II) complexes due to the higher crystallinity as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Handling Qualities Evaluations of Low Complexity Model Reference Adaptive Controllers for Reduced Pitch and Roll Damping Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt; Schaefer, Jacob; Burken, John J.; Johnson, Marcus; Nguyen, Nhan

2011-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) researchers have conducted a series of flight experiments designed to study the effects of varying levels of adaptive controller complexity on the performance and handling qualities of an aircraft under various simulated failure or damage conditions. A baseline, nonlinear dynamic inversion controller was augmented with three variations of a model reference adaptive control design. The simplest design consisted of a single adaptive parameter in each of the pitch and roll axes computed using a basic gradient-based update law. A second design was built upon the first by increasing the complexity of the update law. The third and most complex design added an additional adaptive parameter to each axis. Flight tests were conducted using NASA s Full-scale Advanced Systems Testbed, a highly modified F-18 aircraft that contains a research flight control system capable of housing advanced flight controls experiments. Each controller was evaluated against a suite of simulated failures and damage ranging from destabilization of the pitch and roll axes to significant coupling between the axes. Two pilots evaluated the three adaptive controllers as well as the non-adaptive baseline controller in a variety of dynamic maneuvers and precision flying tasks designed to uncover potential deficiencies in the handling qualities of the aircraft, and adverse interactions between the pilot and the adaptive controllers. The work was completed as part of the Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control Project under NASA s Aviation Safety Program.

Non-Native Metal Ion Reveals the Role of Electrostatics in Synaptotagmin 1-Membrane Interactions.

PubMed

Katti, Sachin; Nyenhuis, Sarah B; Her, Bin; Srivastava, Atul K; Taylor, Alexander B; Hart, P John; Cafiso, David S; Igumenova, Tatyana I

2017-06-27

C2 domains are independently folded modules that often target their host proteins to anionic membranes in a Ca 2+ -dependent manner. In these cases, membrane association is triggered by Ca 2+ binding to the negatively charged loop region of the C2 domain. Here, we used a non-native metal ion, Cd 2+ , in lieu of Ca 2+ to gain insight into the contributions made by long-range Coulombic interactions and direct metal ion-lipid bridging to membrane binding. Using X-ray crystallography, NMR, Förster resonance energy transfer, and vesicle cosedimentation assays, we demonstrate that, although Cd 2+ binds to the loop region of C2A/B domains of synaptotagmin 1 with high affinity, long-range Coulombic interactions are too weak to support membrane binding of individual domains. We attribute this behavior to two factors: the stoichiometry of Cd 2+ binding to the loop regions of the C2A and C2B domains and the impaired ability of Cd 2+ to directly coordinate the lipids. In contrast, electron paramagnetic resonance experiments revealed that Cd 2+ does support membrane binding of the C2 domains in full-length synaptotagmin 1, where the high local lipid concentrations that result from membrane tethering can partially compensate for lack of a full complement of divalent metal ions and specific lipid coordination in Cd 2+ -complexed C2A/B domains. Our data suggest that long-range Coulombic interactions alone can drive the initial association of C2A/B with anionic membranes and that Ca 2+ further augments membrane binding by the formation of metal ion-lipid coordination bonds and additional Ca 2+ ion binding to the C2 domain loop regions.

The Full Spectrum of Clinical Ethical Issues in Kidney Failure. Findings of a Systematic Qualitative Review.

PubMed

Kahrass, Hannes; Strech, Daniel; Mertz, Marcel

2016-01-01

When treating patients with kidney failure, unavoidable ethical issues often arise. Current clinical practice guidelines some of them, but lack comprehensive information about the full range of relevant ethical issues in kidney failure. A systematic literature review of such ethical issues supports medical professionalism in nephrology, and offers a solid evidential base for efforts that aim to improve ethical conduct in health care. To identify the full spectrum of clinical ethical issues that can arise for patients with kidney failure in a systematic and transparent manner. A systematic review in Medline (publications in English or German between 2000 and 2014) and Google Books (with no restrictions) was conducted. Ethical issues were identified by qualitative text analysis and normative analysis. The literature review retrieved 106 references that together mentioned 27 ethical issues in clinical care of kidney failure. This set of ethical issues was structured into a matrix consisting of seven major categories and further first and second-order categories. The systematically-derived matrix helps raise awareness and understanding of the complexity of ethical issues in kidney failure. It can be used to identify ethical issues that should be addressed in specific training programs for clinicians, clinical practice guidelines, or other types of policies dealing with kidney failure.

The Full Spectrum of Clinical Ethical Issues in Kidney Failure. Findings of a Systematic Qualitative Review

PubMed Central

Kahrass, Hannes; Strech, Daniel; Mertz, Marcel

2016-01-01

Background When treating patients with kidney failure, unavoidable ethical issues often arise. Current clinical practice guidelines some of them, but lack comprehensive information about the full range of relevant ethical issues in kidney failure. A systematic literature review of such ethical issues supports medical professionalism in nephrology, and offers a solid evidential base for efforts that aim to improve ethical conduct in health care. Aim To identify the full spectrum of clinical ethical issues that can arise for patients with kidney failure in a systematic and transparent manner. Method A systematic review in Medline (publications in English or German between 2000 and 2014) and Google Books (with no restrictions) was conducted. Ethical issues were identified by qualitative text analysis and normative analysis. Results The literature review retrieved 106 references that together mentioned 27 ethical issues in clinical care of kidney failure. This set of ethical issues was structured into a matrix consisting of seven major categories and further first and second-order categories. Conclusions The systematically-derived matrix helps raise awareness and understanding of the complexity of ethical issues in kidney failure. It can be used to identify ethical issues that should be addressed in specific training programs for clinicians, clinical practice guidelines, or other types of policies dealing with kidney failure. PMID:26938863

A spectroscopic study of Brazilwood paints in medieval books of hours.

PubMed

Melo, Maria João; Otero, Vanessa; Vitorino, Tatiana; Araújo, Rita; Muralha, Vânia S F; Lemos, Ana; Picollo, Marcello

2014-01-01

In this work, microspectrofluorimetry was for the first time applied to the identification of the red organic lakes that are characteristic of the lavish illuminations found in 15(th) century books of hours. Microspectrofluorimetry identified those red paints, ranging from opaque pink to dark red glazes, as brazilwood lakes. An unequivocal characterization was achieved by comparison with reference paints produced following recipes from the medieval treatise The Book on How to Make Colours, and was further confirmed by fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS). For these treasured cultural objects, microspectrofluorimetry and FORS proved to be the only techniques that could identify, in situ or in microsamples, the chromophore responsible for the pinkish hues: a brazilein-Al(3+) complex. Additionally, a multi-analytical approach provided a full characterization of the color paints, including pigments, additives, and binders. Microspectroscopic techniques, based on infrared and X-ray radiation, enabled us to disclose the full palette of these medieval manuscripts, including the elusive greens, for which, besides malachite, basic copper sulfates were found; Raman microscopy suggested a mixture of brochantite and langite. Infrared analysis proved invaluable for a full characterization of the additives that were applied as fillers or whites (chalk, gypsum, and white lead) as well as the proteinaceous and polysaccharide binders that were found pure or in mixture.

Complexed prostate specific antigen provides significant enhancement of specificity compared with total prostate specific antigen for detecting prostate cancer.

PubMed

Brawer, M K; Cheli, C D; Neaman, I E; Goldblatt, J; Smith, C; Schwartz, M K; Bruzek, D J; Morris, D L; Sokoll, L J; Chan, D W; Yeung, K K; Partin, A W; Allard, W J

2000-05-01

Determining serum total prostate specific antigen (PSA) has proved to be a valuable diagnostic aid for detecting prostatic carcinoma, although the lack of specificity has limited its usefulness. Studies indicate that the use of percent free PSA would improve specificity while maintaining sensitivity. Since complexed PSA represents the major proportion of measurable PSA in serum, we determined whether it represents a single test alternative to the use of percent free PSA for the early detection of prostate cancer. Archival serum was obtained from 385 men with no evidence of malignancy on biopsy and 272 with biopsy confirmed prostate cancer. We determined the concentration and proportion of total, complexed and free PSA. Receiver operating characteristics analysis using total PSA results from all samples (range 0.32 to 117 ng./ml.) indicated that the areas under the curve for complexed PSA alone as well as the free-to-total and complexed-to-total PSA ratios were similar and significantly greater than those for total PSA alone. Within the range of 85% to 95% sensitivity receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed that the specificity of complexed PSA was higher than that of total PSA and equivalent to that of the free-to-total PSA ratio. We noted a similar improvement in specificity in the 4 to 10 ng./ml. total PSA range. Using published cutoff values for complexed, total and percent free PSA when total PSA was in the 4 to 10 ng./ml. range the sensitivity and specificity of complexed and percent free PSA were similar. Within the 4 to 10 ng./ml. total PSA range the population of patients with no evidence of malignancy and complexed PSA below the upper limit was different with respect to total PSA from that with no evidence of malignancy and free PSA greater than 25%. The measurement of complexed PSA represents an alternative to the use of percent free PSA, although the patient populations identified by the 2 tests are different.

High frequency modal identification on noisy high-speed camera data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javh, Jaka; Slavič, Janko; Boltežar, Miha

2018-01-01

Vibration measurements using optical full-field systems based on high-speed footage are typically heavily burdened by noise, as the displacement amplitudes of the vibrating structures are often very small (in the range of micrometers, depending on the structure). The modal information is troublesome to measure as the structure's response is close to, or below, the noise level of the camera-based measurement system. This paper demonstrates modal parameter identification for such noisy measurements. It is shown that by using the Least-Squares Complex-Frequency method combined with the Least-Squares Frequency-Domain method, identification at high-frequencies is still possible. By additionally incorporating a more precise sensor to identify the eigenvalues, a hybrid accelerometer/high-speed camera mode shape identification is possible even below the noise floor. An accelerometer measurement is used to identify the eigenvalues, while the camera measurement is used to produce the full-field mode shapes close to 10 kHz. The identified modal parameters improve the quality of the measured modal data and serve as a reduced model of the structure's dynamics.

Radiative transfer and spectroscopic databases: A line-sampling Monte Carlo approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galtier, Mathieu; Blanco, Stéphane; Dauchet, Jérémi; El Hafi, Mouna; Eymet, Vincent; Fournier, Richard; Roger, Maxime; Spiesser, Christophe; Terrée, Guillaume

2016-03-01

Dealing with molecular-state transitions for radiative transfer purposes involves two successive steps that both reach the complexity level at which physicists start thinking about statistical approaches: (1) constructing line-shaped absorption spectra as the result of very numerous state-transitions, (2) integrating over optical-path domains. For the first time, we show here how these steps can be addressed simultaneously using the null-collision concept. This opens the door to the design of Monte Carlo codes directly estimating radiative transfer observables from spectroscopic databases. The intermediate step of producing accurate high-resolution absorption spectra is no longer required. A Monte Carlo algorithm is proposed and applied to six one-dimensional test cases. It allows the computation of spectrally integrated intensities (over 25 cm-1 bands or the full IR range) in a few seconds, regardless of the retained database and line model. But free parameters need to be selected and they impact the convergence. A first possible selection is provided in full detail. We observe that this selection is highly satisfactory for quite distinct atmospheric and combustion configurations, but a more systematic exploration is still in progress.

Joint stability characteristics of the ankle complex in female athletes with histories of lateral ankle sprain, part II: clinical experience using arthrometric measurement.

PubMed

Kovaleski, John E; Heitman, Robert J; Gurchiek, Larry R; Hollis, J M; Liu, Wei; Pearsall, Albert W

2014-01-01

This is part II of a 2-part series discussing stability characteristics of the ankle complex. In part I, we used a cadaver model to examine the effects of sectioning the lateral ankle ligaments on anterior and inversion motion and stiffness of the ankle complex. In part II, we wanted to build on and apply these findings to the clinical assessment of ankle-complex motion and stiffness in a group of athletes with a history of unilateral ankle sprain. To examine ankle-complex motion and stiffness in a group of athletes with reported history of lateral ankle sprain. Cross-sectional study. University research laboratory. Twenty-five female college athletes (age = 19.4 ± 1.4 years, height = 170.2 ± 7.4 cm, mass = 67.3 ± 10.0 kg) with histories of unilateral ankle sprain. All ankles underwent loading with an ankle arthrometer. Ankles were tested bilaterally. The dependent variables were anterior displacement, anterior end-range stiffness, inversion rotation, and inversion end-range stiffness. Anterior displacement of the ankle complex did not differ between the uninjured and sprained ankles (P = .37), whereas ankle-complex rotation was greater for the sprained ankles (P = .03). The sprained ankles had less anterior and inversion end-range stiffness than the uninjured ankles (P < .01). Changes in ankle-complex laxity and end-range stiffness were detected in ankles with histories of sprain. These results indicate the presence of altered mechanical characteristics in the soft tissues of the sprained ankles.

Environmental metabarcoding reveals heterogeneous drivers of microbial eukaryote diversity in contrasting estuarine ecosystems

PubMed Central

Lallias, Delphine; Hiddink, Jan G; Fonseca, Vera G; Gaspar, John M; Sung, Way; Neill, Simon P; Barnes, Natalie; Ferrero, Tim; Hall, Neil; Lambshead, P John D; Packer, Margaret; Thomas, W Kelley; Creer, Simon

2015-01-01

Assessing how natural environmental drivers affect biodiversity underpins our understanding of the relationships between complex biotic and ecological factors in natural ecosystems. Of all ecosystems, anthropogenically important estuaries represent a ‘melting pot' of environmental stressors, typified by extreme salinity variations and associated biological complexity. Although existing models attempt to predict macroorganismal diversity over estuarine salinity gradients, attempts to model microbial biodiversity are limited for eukaryotes. Although diatoms commonly feature as bioindicator species, additional microbial eukaryotes represent a huge resource for assessing ecosystem health. Of these, meiofaunal communities may represent the optimal compromise between functional diversity that can be assessed using morphology and phenotype–environment interactions as compared with smaller life fractions. Here, using 454 Roche sequencing of the 18S nSSU barcode we investigate which of the local natural drivers are most strongly associated with microbial metazoan and sampled protist diversity across the full salinity gradient of the estuarine ecosystem. In order to investigate potential variation at the ecosystem scale, we compare two geographically proximate estuaries (Thames and Mersey, UK) with contrasting histories of anthropogenic stress. The data show that although community turnover is likely to be predictable, taxa are likely to respond to different environmental drivers and, in particular, hydrodynamics, salinity range and granulometry, according to varied life-history characteristics. At the ecosystem level, communities exhibited patterns of estuary-specific similarity within different salinity range habitats, highlighting the environmental sequencing biomonitoring potential of meiofauna, dispersal effects or both. PMID:25423027

Dirac Operator in Several Variables and Combinatorial Identities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damiano, Alberto; Souček, Vladimír

2007-09-01

The Dolbeault sequence is a fundamental tool for many problems in the function theory of several complex variables. A lot of attention was paid in the last decades to its analogue in the function theory of several Clifford variables. The first operator in this resolution is the Dirac operator in several variables. The complete description is known in dimension 4 (i.e., in the case of quaternionic variables, see [1, 6, 4]). Much less is known in higher dimensions. The case of three variables was described completely (see [18]). The full description of the complex for all dimensions is not known at present. Even the case of the stable range (i.e., when the number of variables is less or equal to the half of dimension) is still not fully understood. There are two different approaches to the stable range case, one based on classical algebraic geometry (the Hilbert syzygy theory, see [8]), the other one on representation theory (differential invariants in certain parabolic geometries, see [14, 20]). Differential operators in these resolutions are acting on vector-valued functions. Such spaces of functions are quite complicated in general and the first problem in the description of the resolution is to understand their dimensions. Both the approaches mentioned above suggest an answer to this question, although such answers look quite different. The aim of the paper is to compare these two results and to show that they lead to complicated combinatorial identities.

An accurate evaluation of the performance of asynchronous DS-CDMA systems with zero-correlation-zone coding in Rayleigh fading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Ernest; Chen, Xinjia; Cooper, Reginald L.

2010-04-01

An arbitrarily accurate approach is used to determine the bit-error rate (BER) performance for generalized asynchronous DS-CDMA systems, in Gaussian noise with Raleigh fading. In this paper, and the sequel, new theoretical work has been contributed which substantially enhances existing performance analysis formulations. Major contributions include: substantial computational complexity reduction, including a priori BER accuracy bounding; an analytical approach that facilitates performance evaluation for systems with arbitrary spectral spreading distributions, with non-uniform transmission delay distributions. Using prior results, augmented by these enhancements, a generalized DS-CDMA system model is constructed and used to evaluated the BER performance, in a variety of scenarios. In this paper, the generalized system modeling was used to evaluate the performance of both Walsh- Hadamard (WH) and Walsh-Hadamard-seeded zero-correlation-zone (WH-ZCZ) coding. The selection of these codes was informed by the observation that WH codes contain N spectral spreading values (0 to N - 1), one for each code sequence; while WH-ZCZ codes contain only two spectral spreading values (N/2 - 1,N/2); where N is the sequence length in chips. Since these codes span the spectral spreading range for DS-CDMA coding, by invoking an induction argument, the generalization of the system model is sufficiently supported. The results in this paper, and the sequel, support the claim that an arbitrary accurate performance analysis for DS-CDMA systems can be evaluated over the full range of binary coding, with minimal computational complexity.

Near DC force measurement using PVDF sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramanathan, Arun Kumar; Headings, Leon M.; Dapino, Marcelo J.

2018-03-01

There is a need for high-performance force sensors capable of operating at frequencies near DC while producing a minimal mass penalty. Example application areas include steering wheel sensors, powertrain torque sensors, robotic arms, and minimally invasive surgery. The beta crystallographic phase polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films are suitable for this purpose owing to their large piezoelectric constant. Unlike conventional capacitive sensors, beta crystallographic phase PVDF films exhibit a broad linear range and can potentially be designed to operate without complex electronics or signal processing. A fundamental challenge that prevents the implementation of PVDF in certain high-performance applications is their inability to measure static signals, which results from their first-order electrical impedance. Charge readout algorithms have been implemented which address this issue only partially, as they often require integration of the output signal to obtain the applied force profile, resulting in signal drift and signal processing complexities. In this paper, we propose a straightforward real time drift compensation strategy that is applicable to high output impedance PVDF films. This strategy makes it possible to utilize long sample times with a minimal loss of accuracy; our measurements show that the static output remains within 5% of the original value during half-hour measurements. The sensitivity and full-scale range are shown to be determined by the feedback capacitance of the charge amplifier. A linear model of the PVDF sensor system is developed and validated against experimental measurements, along with benchmark tests against a commercial load cell.

A framework for parametric modeling of ankle ligaments to determine the in situ response under gross foot motion.

PubMed

Nie, Bingbing; Panzer, Matthew Brian; Mane, Adwait; Mait, Alexander Ritz; Donlon, John-Paul; Forman, Jason Lee; Kent, Richard Wesley

2016-09-01

Ligament sprains account for a majority of injuries to the foot and ankle complex, but ligament properties have not been understood well due to the difficulties in replicating the complex geometry, in situ stress state, and non-uniformity of the strain. For a full investigation of the injury mechanism, it is essential to build up a foot and ankle model validated at the level of bony kinematics and ligament properties. This study developed a framework to parameterize the ligament response for determining the in situ stress state and heterogeneous force-elongation characteristics using a finite element ankle model. Nine major ankle ligaments and the interosseous membrane were modeled as discrete elements corresponding functionally to the ligamentous microstructure of collagen fibers and having parameterized toe region and stiffness at the fiber level. The range of the design variables in the ligament model was determined from existing experimental data. Sensitivity of the bony kinematics to each variable was investigated by design of experiment. The results highlighted the critical role of the length of the toe region of the ligamentous fibers on the bony kinematics with the cumulative influence of more than 95%, while the fiber stiffness was statistically insignificant with an influence of less than 1% under the given variable range and loading conditions. With the flexibility of variable adjustment and high computational efficiency, the presented ankle model was generic in nature so as to maximize its applicability to capture the individual ligament behaviors in future studies.

Polyelectrolyte complexes between (cross-linked) N-carboxyethylchitosan and (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]: preparation, characterization, and antibacterial properties.

PubMed

Yancheva, Elena; Paneva, Dilyana; Maximova, Vera; Mespouille, Laetitia; Dubois, Philippe; Manolova, Nevena; Rashkov, Iliya

2007-03-01

Novel polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) between N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) and well-defined (quaternized) poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) have been obtained. The modification of chitosan into CECh allows the preparation of PECs in a pH range in which chitosan cannot form complexes. The CECh/PDMAEMA complex is formed in a narrow pH range around 7. The quaternization of the tertiary amino groups of PDMAEMA enables complex formation with CECh both in neutral and in alkaline medium. Cross-linked CECh is also capable of forming complexes with (quaternized) PDMAEMA. The antibacterial activity of (cross-linked) CECh, (quaternized) PDMAEMA, and their complexes against Escherichia coli has been evaluated. In contrast to (quaternized) PDMAEMA, (cross-linked) CECh exhibits no antibacterial activity. The complex formation between cross-linked CECh and (quaternized) PDMAEMA results in a loss of the inherent antibacterial activity of the latter in neutral medium. In acidic medium, the complexes exhibit strong antibacterial activity due to complex disintegration and release of (quaternized) PDMAEMA.

FWT2D: A massively parallel program for frequency-domain full-waveform tomography of wide-aperture seismic data—Part 1: Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sourbier, Florent; Operto, Stéphane; Virieux, Jean; Amestoy, Patrick; L'Excellent, Jean-Yves

2009-03-01

This is the first paper in a two-part series that describes a massively parallel code that performs 2D frequency-domain full-waveform inversion of wide-aperture seismic data for imaging complex structures. Full-waveform inversion methods, namely quantitative seismic imaging methods based on the resolution of the full wave equation, are computationally expensive. Therefore, designing efficient algorithms which take advantage of parallel computing facilities is critical for the appraisal of these approaches when applied to representative case studies and for further improvements. Full-waveform modelling requires the resolution of a large sparse system of linear equations which is performed with the massively parallel direct solver MUMPS for efficient multiple-shot simulations. Efficiency of the multiple-shot solution phase (forward/backward substitutions) is improved by using the BLAS3 library. The inverse problem relies on a classic local optimization approach implemented with a gradient method. The direct solver returns the multiple-shot wavefield solutions distributed over the processors according to a domain decomposition driven by the distribution of the LU factors. The domain decomposition of the wavefield solutions is used to compute in parallel the gradient of the objective function and the diagonal Hessian, this latter providing a suitable scaling of the gradient. The algorithm allows one to test different strategies for multiscale frequency inversion ranging from successive mono-frequency inversion to simultaneous multifrequency inversion. These different inversion strategies will be illustrated in the following companion paper. The parallel efficiency and the scalability of the code will also be quantified.

[Late results following surgical correction of syndactyly and symbrachydactyly].

PubMed

Deutinger, M; Mandl, H; Frey, M; Holle, J; Freilinger, G

1989-02-01

Growth and the type of surgical treatment of the hand play an important role in the results of surgery in children. 29 patients have been operated on because of syndactyly and symbrachydactyly and were controlled. The following parameters were assessed: kind of incision and skin graft, functional results, x-ray to examine the skeleton and the depth of the commissure, colour of the skin graft and use of the hand. After operation of syndactyly all patients were able to use their hands normally, although full extend of flexion and extension was achieved only in 20 of 22 hands. In 5 divided pairs of fingers there was recurrence of syndactyly. In all cases except one, a split thickness skin graft has been used. After operative treatment of symbrachydactyly and complex syndactyly, full extent of flexion was achieved in 13 of 19 hands, in 6 hands the range of flexion was incomplete because of skeleton abnormalities. Recurrence occurred in 9 divided pairs of fingers; in 7 cases, a split thickness skin graft had been used. Despite this, all patients were able to use their hands normally. The use of split thickness skin grafts resulted in a 60% recurrence rate, whereas the use of full thickness skin graft led merely to 7.5% recurrence rate. Our results show the advantage of the full thickness skin graft. As a consequence, full thickness skin graft should be used in all cases. Furthermore, the operation should be performed at an early age, if fingers of unequal length have to be separated. Zig-zag incision should be used in all cases.

Meta-analysis, complexity, and heterogeneity: a qualitative interview study of researchers' methodological values and practices.

PubMed

Lorenc, Theo; Felix, Lambert; Petticrew, Mark; Melendez-Torres, G J; Thomas, James; Thomas, Sian; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Richardson, Michelle

2016-11-16

Complex or heterogeneous data pose challenges for systematic review and meta-analysis. In recent years, a number of new methods have been developed to meet these challenges. This qualitative interview study aimed to understand researchers' understanding of complexity and heterogeneity and the factors which may influence the choices researchers make in synthesising complex data. We conducted interviews with a purposive sample of researchers (N = 19) working in systematic review or meta-analysis across a range of disciplines. We analysed data thematically using a framework approach. Participants reported using a broader range of methods and data types in complex reviews than in traditional reviews. A range of techniques are used to explore heterogeneity, but there is some debate about their validity, particularly when applied post hoc. Technical considerations of how to synthesise complex evidence cannot be isolated from questions of the goals and contexts of research. However, decisions about how to analyse data appear to be made in a largely informal way, drawing on tacit expertise, and their relation to these broader questions remains unclear.

Characterizing time series via complexity-entropy curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Haroldo V.; Jauregui, Max; Zunino, Luciano; Lenzi, Ervin K.

2017-06-01

The search for patterns in time series is a very common task when dealing with complex systems. This is usually accomplished by employing a complexity measure such as entropies and fractal dimensions. However, such measures usually only capture a single aspect of the system dynamics. Here, we propose a family of complexity measures for time series based on a generalization of the complexity-entropy causality plane. By replacing the Shannon entropy by a monoparametric entropy (Tsallis q entropy) and after considering the proper generalization of the statistical complexity (q complexity), we build up a parametric curve (the q -complexity-entropy curve) that is used for characterizing and classifying time series. Based on simple exact results and numerical simulations of stochastic processes, we show that these curves can distinguish among different long-range, short-range, and oscillating correlated behaviors. Also, we verify that simulated chaotic and stochastic time series can be distinguished based on whether these curves are open or closed. We further test this technique in experimental scenarios related to chaotic laser intensity, stock price, sunspot, and geomagnetic dynamics, confirming its usefulness. Finally, we prove that these curves enhance the automatic classification of time series with long-range correlations and interbeat intervals of healthy subjects and patients with heart disease.

Age-related variation in EEG complexity to photic stimulation: A multiscale entropy analysis

PubMed Central

Takahashi, Tetsuya; Cho, Raymond Y.; Murata, Tetsuhito; Mizuno, Tomoyuki; Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Mizukami, Kimiko; Kosaka, Hirotaka; Takahashi, Koichi; Wada, Yuji

2010-01-01

Objective This study was intended to examine variations in electroencephalographic (EEG) complexity in response to photic stimulation (PS) during aging to test the hypothesis that the aging process reduces physiologic complexity and functional responsiveness. Methods Multiscale entropy (MSE), an estimate of time-series signal complexity associated with long-range temporal correlation, is used as a recently proposed method for quantifying EEG complexity with multiple coarse-grained sequences. We recorded EEG in 13 healthy elderly subjects and 12 healthy young subjects during pre-PS and post-PS conditions and estimated their respective MSE values. Results For the pre-PS condition, no significant complexity difference was found between the groups. However, a significant MSE change (complexity increase) was found post-PS only in young subjects, thereby revealing a power-law scaling property, which means long-range temporal correlation. Conclusions Enhancement of long-range temporal correlation in young subjects after PS might reflect a cortical response to stimuli, which was absent in elderly subjects. These results are consistent with the general “loss of complexity/diminished functional response to stimuli” theory of aging. Significance Our findings demonstrate that application of MSE analysis to EEG is a powerful approach for studying age-related changes in brain function. PMID:19231279

Complexation in two-component chlortetracycline-melanin solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapina, V. A.; Pershukevich, P. P.; Dontsov, A. E.; Bel'Kov, M. V.

2008-01-01

The spectra and kinetics of fluorescence of two-component solutions of the chlortetracycline (CHTC)-DOPA-melanin (melanin or ME) system in water have been investigated. The data obtained have been compared to similar data for solutions of CHTC-melanosome from bull eye (MB), which contains natural melanin, in K-phosphate buffer at pH 7.4. The overall results indicate the occurrence of complexation between molecules of CHTC and ME as they are being excited. The studies of complexation in the solution of CHTC-MB in the buffer are complicated by the formation of a CHTC-buffer complex. The effect of optical radiation in the range 330-750 nm on the CHTC-ME complex shows selectivity: the greatest change in the spectrum occurs when the wavelength of the exciting radiation coincides with the long-wavelength band maximum of the fluorescence excitation spectrum of the CHTC-ME complex in aqueous solution. In this range, CHTC and especially ME show high photochemical stability. The nature of the radiation effect on the studied compounds in the hard UV range (λ < 330 nm) differs greatly from that in the range 330-750 nm. It is apparently accompanied by significant photochemical transmutations of all system components. By comparing the characteristics of the CHTC-ME systems with those of the related drug doxycycline (DC-ME), the conclusion has been made that the chlorine atom plays a vital role in formation of the short-wavelength band in the fluorescence spectrum of the CHTC-ME complex.

Photophysical studies of newly derivatized mono substituted phthalocyanines grafted onto silica nanoparticles via click chemistry.

PubMed

Fashina, Adedayo; Amuhaya, Edith; Nyokong, Tebello

2015-04-05

This work reports on the synthesis, characterization and photophysical studies of newly derived phthalocyanine complexes and the phthalocyanine-silica nanoparticles conjugates. The derived phthalocyanine complexes have one terminal alkyne group. The derived phthalocyanine complexes showed improved photophysical properties (ФF, ФT, ΦΔ and τT) compared to the respective phthalocyanine complexes from which they were derived. The derived phthalocyanine complexes were conjugated to the surface of an azide functionalized silica nanoparticles via copper (1) catalyzed cyclo-addition reaction. All the conjugates showed lower triplet quantum yields ranging from 0.37 to 0.44 compared to the free phthalocyanine complexes. The triplet lifetimes ranged from 352 to 484 μs for the conjugates and from 341 to 366 μs for the free phthalocyanine complexes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

2.75 THz tuning with a triple-DFB laser system at 1550 nm and InGaAs photomixers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deninger, Anselm J.; Roggenbuck, A.; Schindler, S.; Preu, S.

2015-03-01

To date, exploiting the full bandwidth of state-of-the-art InGaAs photomixers for generation and detection of continuous-wave (CW) THz radiation (typ. ~50 GHz to ~3 THz) required complex and costly external-cavity diode lasers with motorized resonator control. Distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, by contrast, are compact and inexpensive, but the tuning range per diode is limited to ~600 GHz at 1.5 μm. In this paper, we show that a combination of three DFB diodes covers the complete frequency range from 0 - 2750 GHz without any gaps. In combination with InGaAs-based photomixers for terahertz generation and detection, the system achieves a dynamic range of > 100 dB at 56 GHz, 64 dB at 1000 GHz, and 26 dB at 2500 GHz. A field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based lock-in amplifier permits a flexible adjustment of the integration time from 0.5 ms to 600 ms. Employing an optimized "fast scan" mode, a spectrum of ~1200 GHz - the bandwidth of each subset of two lasers - and 40 MHz steps is acquired in less than one minute, still maintaining a reasonable dynamic range. To the best of our knowledge, the bandwidth of 2.75 THz presents a new record for DFB-based CW-terahertz systems.

A high-resolution full-field range imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnegie, D. A.; Cree, M. J.; Dorrington, A. A.

2005-08-01

There exist a number of applications where the range to all objects in a field of view needs to be obtained. Specific examples include obstacle avoidance for autonomous mobile robots, process automation in assembly factories, surface profiling for shape analysis, and surveying. Ranging systems can be typically characterized as being either laser scanning systems where a laser point is sequentially scanned over a scene or a full-field acquisition where the range to every point in the image is simultaneously obtained. The former offers advantages in terms of range resolution, while the latter tend to be faster and involve no moving parts. We present a system for determining the range to any object within a camera's field of view, at the speed of a full-field system and the range resolution of some point laser scans. Initial results obtained have a centimeter range resolution for a 10 second acquisition time. Modifications to the existing system are discussed that should provide faster results with submillimeter resolution.

50 CFR 216.277 - Letters of Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MAMMALS Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Navy Training in the Southern California Range Complex (SOCAL Range Complex) § 216.277 Letters of Authorization. (a) A Letter of Authorization, unless suspended... and renewal of the Letter of Authorization will be based on a determination that the total number of...

50 CFR 218.7 - Letters of Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MAMMALS Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Navy Training in the Virginia Capes Range Complex (VACAPES Range Complex) § 218.7 Letters of Authorization. (a) A Letter of Authorization, unless suspended... and renewal of the Letter of Authorization will be based on a determination that the total number of...

50 CFR 218.16 - Letters of Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MAMMALS Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to U.S. Navy Training in the Jacksonville Range Complex (JAX Range Complex) § 218.16 Letters of Authorization. (a) A Letter of Authorization, unless suspended or... and renewal of the Letter of Authorization will be based on a determination that the total number of...

ELECTROPHORETIC MOBILITY OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX ORGANISMS

EPA Science Inventory

The electrophoretic mobilities (EPMs) of thirty Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC) organisms were measured. The EPMs of fifteen clinical isolates ranged from -1.9 to -5.0 µm cm V^-1s^-1, and the EPMs of fifteen environmental isolates ranged from -1...

Opening Loads Analyses for Various Disk-Gap-Band Parachutes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz, J. R.; Kandis, M.; Witkowski, A.

2003-01-01

Detailed opening loads data is presented for 18 tests of Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) parachutes of varying geometry with nominal diameters ranging from 43.2 to 50.1 ft. All of the test parachutes were deployed from a mortar. Six of these tests were conducted via drop testing with drop test vehicles weighing approximately 3,000 or 8,000 lb. Twelve tests were conducted in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 80- by 120-foot wind tunnel at the NASA Ames Research Center. The purpose of these tests was to structurally qualify the parachute for the Mars Exploration Rover mission. A key requirement of all tests was that peak parachute load had to be reached at full inflation to more closely simulate the load profile encountered during operation at Mars. Peak loads measured during the tests were in the range from 12,889 to 30,027 lb. Of the two test methods, the wind tunnel tests yielded more accurate and repeatable data. Application of an apparent mass model to the opening loads data yielded insights into the nature of these loads. Although the apparent mass model could reconstruct specific tests with reasonable accuracy, the use of this model for predictive analyses was not accurate enough to set test conditions for either the drop or wind tunnel tests. A simpler empirical model was found to be suitable for predicting opening loads for the wind tunnel tests to a satisfactory level of accuracy. However, this simple empirical model is not applicable to the drop tests.

Broadband Liner Optimization for the Source Diagnostic Test Fan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nark, Douglas M.; Jones, Michael G.

2012-01-01

The broadband component of fan noise has grown in relevance with the utilization of increased bypass ratio and advanced fan designs. Thus, while the attenuation of fan tones remains paramount, the ability to simultaneously reduce broadband fan noise levels has become more appealing. This paper describes a broadband acoustic liner optimization study for the scale model Source Diagnostic Test fan. Specifically, in-duct attenuation predictions with a statistical fan source model are used to obtain optimum impedance spectra over a number of flow conditions for three liner locations in the bypass duct. The predicted optimum impedance information is then used with acoustic liner modeling tools to design liners aimed at producing impedance spectra that most closely match the predicted optimum values. Design selection is based on an acceptance criterion that provides the ability to apply increased weighting to specific frequencies and/or operating conditions. Typical tonal liner designs targeting single frequencies at one operating condition are first produced to provide baseline performance information. These are followed by multiple broadband design approaches culminating in a broadband liner targeting the full range of frequencies and operating conditions. The broadband liner is found to satisfy the optimum impedance objectives much better than the tonal liner designs. In addition, the broadband liner is found to provide better attenuation than the tonal designs over the full range of frequencies and operating conditions considered. Thus, the current study successfully establishes a process for the initial design and evaluation of novel broadband liner concepts for complex engine configurations.

Control of Multilayer Networks

PubMed Central

Menichetti, Giulia; Dall’Asta, Luca; Bianconi, Ginestra

2016-01-01

The controllability of a network is a theoretical problem of relevance in a variety of contexts ranging from financial markets to the brain. Until now, network controllability has been characterized only on isolated networks, while the vast majority of complex systems are formed by multilayer networks. Here we build a theoretical framework for the linear controllability of multilayer networks by mapping the problem into a combinatorial matching problem. We found that correlating the external signals in the different layers can significantly reduce the multiplex network robustness to node removal, as it can be seen in conjunction with a hybrid phase transition occurring in interacting Poisson networks. Moreover we observe that multilayer networks can stabilize the fully controllable multiplex network configuration that can be stable also when the full controllability of the single network is not stable. PMID:26869210

Understanding Pluto's Surface: Correlations between Geology and Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, J. R.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Olkin, C.; Ennico Smith, K.; Moore, J. M.; Grundy, W. M.

2015-12-01

New Horizons has revealed that Pluto's surface is composed of a remarkable variety of terrains that differ strikingly in their landforms, color, and near-infrared spectral characteristics. Strong correlations are seen between the morphology revealed by high-resolution imaging from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), and the surface composition inferred from the spacecraft's color camera and near-infrared spectrometer, which are both included in the Ralph instrument. These correlations provide the potential for a much deeper understanding of the processes that have shaped Pluto's complex surface that was possible for Pluto's sibling Triton, for which Voyager did not provide compositional maps. We will discuss how the full suite of New Horizons remote sensing instruments reveal a surface modified by the interplay of insolation variations, meteorology, and endogenic processes.

Consolidated fuel reprocessing program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1985-02-01

Improved processes and components for the Breeder Reprocessing Engineering Test (BRET) were identified and developed as well as the design, procurement and development of prototypic equipment. The integrated testing of process equipment and flowsheets prototypical of a pilot scale full reprocessing plant, and also for testing prototypical remote features of specific complex components in the system are provided. Information to guide the long range activities of the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program (CERP), a focal point for foreign exchange activities, and support in specialized technical areas are described. Research and development activities in HTGR fuel treatment technology are being conducted. Head-end process and laboratory scale development efforts, as well as studies specific to HTGR fuel, are reported. The development of off-gas treatment processes has generic application to fuel reprocessing, progress in this work is also reported.

Method of making bonded or sintered permanent magnets

DOEpatents

McCallum, R.W.; Dennis, K.W.; Lograsso, B.K.; Anderson, I.E.

1993-08-31

An isotropic permanent magnet is made by mixing a thermally responsive, low viscosity binder and atomized rare earth-transition metal (e.g., iron) alloy powder having a carbon-bearing (e.g., graphite) layer thereon that facilitates wetting and bonding of the powder particles by the binder. Prior to mixing with the binder, the atomized alloy powder may be sized or classified to provide a particular particle size fraction having a grain size within a given relatively narrow range. A selected particle size fraction is mixed with the binder and the mixture is molded to a desired complex magnet shape. A molded isotropic permanent magnet is thereby formed. A sintered isotropic permanent magnet can be formed by removing the binder from the molded mixture and thereafter sintering to full density.

Method of making bonded or sintered permanent magnets

DOEpatents

McCallum, R.W.; Dennis, K.W.; Lograsso, B.K.; Anderson, I.E.

1995-11-28

An isotropic permanent magnet is made by mixing a thermally responsive, low viscosity binder and atomized rare earth-transition metal (e.g., iron) alloy powder having a carbon-bearing (e.g., graphite) layer thereon that facilitates wetting and bonding of the powder particles by the binder. Prior to mixing with the binder, the atomized alloy powder may be sized or classified to provide a particular particle size fraction having a grain size within a given relatively narrow range. A selected particle size fraction is mixed with the binder and the mixture is molded to a desired complex magnet shape. A molded isotropic permanent magnet is thereby formed. A sintered isotropic permanent magnet can be formed by removing the binder from the molded mixture and thereafter sintering to full density. 14 figs.

FAST: A multi-processed environment for visualization of computational fluid dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bancroft, Gordon V.; Merritt, Fergus J.; Plessel, Todd C.; Kelaita, Paul G.; Mccabe, R. Kevin

1991-01-01

Three-dimensional, unsteady, multi-zoned fluid dynamics simulations over full scale aircraft are typical of the problems being investigated at NASA Ames' Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) facility on CRAY2 and CRAY-YMP supercomputers. With multiple processor workstations available in the 10-30 Mflop range, we feel that these new developments in scientific computing warrant a new approach to the design and implementation of analysis tools. These larger, more complex problems create a need for new visualization techniques not possible with the existing software or systems available as of this writing. The visualization techniques will change as the supercomputing environment, and hence the scientific methods employed, evolves even further. The Flow Analysis Software Toolkit (FAST), an implementation of a software system for fluid mechanics analysis, is discussed.

A Simplified Three-Phase Model of Equiaxed Solidification for the Prediction of Microstructure and Macrosegregation in Castings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tveito, Knut Omdal; Pakanati, Akash; M'Hamdi, Mohammed; Combeau, Hervé; Založnik, Miha

2018-04-01

Macrosegregation is a result of the interplay of various transport mechanisms, including natural convection, solidification shrinkage, and grain motion. Experimental observations also indicate the impact of grain morphology, ranging from dendritic to globular, on macrosegregation formation. To avoid the complexity arising due to modeling of an equiaxed dendritic grain, we present the development of a simplified three-phase, multiscale equiaxed dendritic solidification model based on the volume-averaging method, which accounts for the above-mentioned transport phenomena. The validity of the model is assessed by comparing it with the full three-phase model without simplifications. It is then applied to qualitatively analyze the impact of grain morphology on macrosegregation formation in an industrial scale direct chill cast aluminum alloy ingot.

Ipsilateral Closed Clavicle and Scapular spine Fracture with Acromioclavicular Joint Disruption.

PubMed

Kembhavi, Raghavendra S; James, Boblee

2015-01-01

Injuries around shoulder and clavicle are quite common. Injuries involving lateral end of clavicle involving acromioclavicular joints are commoner injuries. In this rare injury, we report about a case involving clavicle and scapular spine fracture with acromioclavicular disruption which has never been described in English literature as per our knowledge. A patient with closed clavicle and scapular spine fracture with acromioclavicular joint disruption was treated with open reduction and internal fixation of clavicle and scapular spine as a staged procedures. Six months post operatively, patient had excellent functional recovery with near full range of movements. Though rare complex injury, clavicle fracture with scapular spine fracture with acromioclavicular disruption, when managed properly with good physiotherapy protocol post operatively will result in good clinical and functional outcome.

Method of making bonded or sintered permanent magnets

DOEpatents

McCallum, R. William; Dennis, Kevin W.; Lograsso, Barbara K.; Anderson, Iver E.

1995-11-28

An isotropic permanent magnet is made by mixing a thermally responsive, low viscosity binder and atomized rare earth-transition metal (e.g., iron) alloy powder having a carbon-bearing (e.g., graphite) layer thereon that facilitates wetting and bonding of the powder particles by the binder. Prior to mixing with the binder, the atomized alloy powder may be sized or classified to provide a particular particle size fraction having a grain size within a given relatively narrow range. A selected particle size fraction is mixed with the binder and the mixture is molded to a desired complex magnet shape. A molded isotropic permanent magnet is thereby formed. A sintered isotropic permanent magnet can be formed by removing the binder from the molded mixture and thereafter sintering to full density.

Interweaving Knowledge Resources to Address Complex Environmental Health Challenges

PubMed Central

Anderson, Beth Ellen; Suk, William A.

2015-01-01

Background Complex problems do not respect academic disciplinary boundaries. Environmental health research is complex and often moves beyond these boundaries, integrating diverse knowledge resources to solve such challenges. Here we describe an evolving paradigm for interweaving approaches that integrates widely diverse resources outside of traditional academic environments in full partnerships of mutual respect and understanding. We demonstrate that scientists, social scientists, and engineers can work with government agencies, industry, and communities to interweave their expertise into metaphorical knowledge fabrics to share understanding, resources, and enthusiasm. Objective Our goal is to acknowledge and validate how interweaving research approaches can contribute to research-driven, solution-oriented problem solving in environmental health, and to inspire more members of the environmental health community to consider this approach. Discussion The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program (SRP), as mandated by Congress, has evolved to become a program that reaches across a wide range of knowledge resources. SRP fosters interweaving multiple knowledge resources to develop innovative multidirectional partnerships for research and training. Here we describe examples of how motivation, ideas, knowledge, and expertise from different people, institutions, and agencies can integrate to tackle challenges that can be as complex as the resources they bring to bear on it. Conclusions By providing structure for interweaving science with its stakeholders, we are better able to leverage resources, increase potential for innovation, and proactively ensure a more fully developed spectrum of beneficial outcomes of research investments. Citation Anderson BE, Naujokas MF, Suk WA. 2015. Interweaving knowledge resources to address complex environmental health challenges. Environ Health Perspect 123:1095–1099; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409525 PMID:25910282

Quantitative comparison between full-spectrum and filter-based imaging in hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy

PubMed Central

GAO, L.; HAGEN, N.; TKACZYK, T.S.

2012-01-01

Summary We implement a filterless illumination scheme on a hyperspectral fluorescence microscope to achieve full-range spectral imaging. The microscope employs polarisation filtering, spatial filtering and spectral unmixing filtering to replace the role of traditional filters. Quantitative comparisons between full-spectrum and filter-based microscopy are provided in the context of signal dynamic range and accuracy of measured fluorophores’ emission spectra. To show potential applications, a five-colour cell immunofluorescence imaging experiment is theoretically simulated. Simulation results indicate that the use of proposed full-spectrum imaging technique may result in three times improvement in signal dynamic range compared to that can be achieved in the filter-based imaging. PMID:22356127

40 CFR 91.317 - Carbon monoxide analyzer calibration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... to optimize performance on the most sensitive range to be used. (2) Zero the carbon monoxide analyzer with either purified synthetic air or zero-grade nitrogen. (3) Bubble a mixture of three percent CO2 in... than one percent of full scale for ranges above 300 ppm full scale or more than three ppm on ranges...

Multi-targeted interference-free determination of ten β-blockers in human urine and plasma samples by alternating trilinear decomposition algorithm-assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in full scan mode: comparison with multiple reaction monitoring.

PubMed

Gu, Hui-Wen; Wu, Hai-Long; Yin, Xiao-Li; Li, Yong; Liu, Ya-Juan; Xia, Hui; Zhang, Shu-Rong; Jin, Yi-Feng; Sun, Xiao-Dong; Yu, Ru-Qin; Yang, Peng-Yuan; Lu, Hao-Jie

2014-10-27

β-blockers are the first-line therapeutic agents for treating cardiovascular diseases and also a class of prohibited substances in athletic competitions. In this work, a smart strategy that combines three-way liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data with second-order calibration method based on alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm was developed for simultaneous determination of ten β-blockers in human urine and plasma samples. This flexible strategy proved to be a useful tool to solve the problems of overlapped peaks and uncalibrated interferences encountered in quantitative LC-MS, and made the multi-targeted interference-free qualitative and quantitative analysis of β-blockers in complex matrices possible. The limits of detection were in the range of 2.0×10(-5)-6.2×10(-3) μg mL(-1), and the average recoveries were between 90 and 110% with standard deviations and average relative prediction errors less than 10%, indicating that the strategy could provide satisfactory prediction results for ten β-blockers in human urine and plasma samples only using liquid chromatography hyphenated single-quadrupole mass spectrometer in full scan mode. To further confirm the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method, the same batch samples were analyzed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method. T-test demonstrated that there are no significant differences between the prediction results of the two methods. Considering the advantages of fast, low-cost, high sensitivity, and no need of complicated chromatographic and tandem mass spectrometric conditions optimization, the proposed strategy is expected to be extended as an attractive alternative method to quantify analyte(s) of interest in complex systems such as cells, biological fluids, food, environment, pharmaceuticals and other complex samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hungaria Asteroid Region Telescopic Spectral Survey (HARTSS): Stony Asteroids Abundant in the Background and Family Populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, Michael P.; Emery, Joshua P.; Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi; Lindsay, Sean S.; Lorenzi, Vania

2016-10-01

The Hungaria region represents a "purgatory" for the closest, preserved samples of the material from which the terrestrial planets accreted. The Hungaria region harbors a collisional family of Xe-type asteroids, which are situated among a background of predominantly S-complex asteroids. Deciphering their surface composition may provide constraints on the nature of the primordial building blocks of the terrestrial planets. We hypothesize that planetesimals in the inner part of the primordial asteroid belt experienced partial- to full-melting and differentiation, the Hungaria region should retain any petrologically-evolved material that formed there.We have undertaken an observational campaign entitled the Hungaria Asteroid Region Telescopic Spectral Survey (HARTSS) to record near-infrared (NIR) spectra to characterize taxonomy, surface mineralogy, and potential meteorite analogs. We used NIR instruments at two ground-based facilities (NASA IRTF; TNG). Our data set includes spectra of 82 Hungaria asteroids (61 background; 21 family), 65 were observed during HARTSS. We compare S-complex background asteroids to calibrations developed via laboratory analyses of ordinary chondrites, and to our analyses (EPMA, XRD, VIS+NIR spectra) of 11 primitive achondrite (acapulcoite-lodranite clan) meteorites.We find that stony S-complex asteroids dominate the Hungaria background population (~80%). Background objects exhibit considerable spectral diversity, when quantified by spectral band parameter measurements, translates to a variety of surface compositions. Two main meteorite groups are represented within the Hungaria background: unmelted, nebular L chondrites (and/or L chondrites), and partially-melted primitive achondrites. H-chondrite mineralogies appear to be absent from the Hungaria background. Xe-type Hungaria family members exhibit spectral homogeneity, consistent with the hypothesis that the family was derived from the disruption of a parent body analogous to an enstatite achondrite (i.e., aubrite) composition. Hungaria region asteroids exhibit a full range of petrologic evolution, from nebular, unmelted ordinary chondrites, through partially-melted primitive achondrites, to fully-melted igneous aubrite meteorites.

Joint Stability Characteristics of the Ankle Complex in Female Athletes With Histories of Lateral Ankle Sprain, Part II: Clinical Experience Using Arthrometric Measurement

PubMed Central

Kovaleski, John E.; Heitman, Robert J.; Gurchiek, Larry R.; Hollis, J. M.; Liu, Wei; IV, Albert W. Pearsall

2014-01-01

Context: This is part II of a 2-part series discussing stability characteristics of the ankle complex. In part I, we used a cadaver model to examine the effects of sectioning the lateral ankle ligaments on anterior and inversion motion and stiffness of the ankle complex. In part II, we wanted to build on and apply these findings to the clinical assessment of ankle-complex motion and stiffness in a group of athletes with a history of unilateral ankle sprain. Objective: To examine ankle-complex motion and stiffness in a group of athletes with reported history of lateral ankle sprain. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: University research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-five female college athletes (age = 19.4 ± 1.4 years, height = 170.2 ± 7.4 cm, mass = 67.3 ± 10.0 kg) with histories of unilateral ankle sprain. Intervention(s): All ankles underwent loading with an ankle arthrometer. Ankles were tested bilaterally. Main Outcome Measure(s): The dependent variables were anterior displacement, anterior end-range stiffness, inversion rotation, and inversion end-range stiffness. Results: Anterior displacement of the ankle complex did not differ between the uninjured and sprained ankles (P = .37), whereas ankle-complex rotation was greater for the sprained ankles (P = .03). The sprained ankles had less anterior and inversion end-range stiffness than the uninjured ankles (P < .01). Conclusions: Changes in ankle-complex laxity and end-range stiffness were detected in ankles with histories of sprain. These results indicate the presence of altered mechanical characteristics in the soft tissues of the sprained ankles. PMID:24568223

Quantification of trace metals in water using complexation and filter concentration.

PubMed

Dolgin, Bella; Bulatov, Valery; Japarov, Julia; Elish, Eyal; Edri, Elad; Schechter, Israel

2010-06-15

Various metals undergo complexation with organic reagents, resulting in colored products. In practice, their molar absorptivities allow for quantification in the ppm range. However, a proper pre-concentration of the colored complex on paper filter lowers the quantification limit to the low ppb range. In this study, several pre-concentration techniques have been examined and compared: filtering the already complexed mixture, complexation on filter, and dipping of dye-covered filter in solution. The best quantification has been based on the ratio of filter reflectance at a certain wavelength to that at zero metal concentration. The studied complex formations (Ni ions with TAN and Cd ions with PAN) involve production of nanoparticle suspensions, which are associated with complicated kinetics. The kinetics of the complexation of Ni ions with TAN has been investigated and optimum timing could be found. Kinetic optimization in regard to some interferences has also been suggested.

Collective relaxation dynamics of small-world networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabow, Carsten; Grosskinsky, Stefan; Kurths, Jürgen; Timme, Marc

2015-05-01

Complex networks exhibit a wide range of collective dynamic phenomena, including synchronization, diffusion, relaxation, and coordination processes. Their asymptotic dynamics is generically characterized by the local Jacobian, graph Laplacian, or a similar linear operator. The structure of networks with regular, small-world, and random connectivities are reasonably well understood, but their collective dynamical properties remain largely unknown. Here we present a two-stage mean-field theory to derive analytic expressions for network spectra. A single formula covers the spectrum from regular via small-world to strongly randomized topologies in Watts-Strogatz networks, explaining the simultaneous dependencies on network size N , average degree k , and topological randomness q . We present simplified analytic predictions for the second-largest and smallest eigenvalue, and numerical checks confirm our theoretical predictions for zero, small, and moderate topological randomness q , including the entire small-world regime. For large q of the order of one, we apply standard random matrix theory, thereby overarching the full range from regular to randomized network topologies. These results may contribute to our analytic and mechanistic understanding of collective relaxation phenomena of network dynamical systems.

The Origins of Neuroticism.

PubMed

Barlow, David H; Ellard, Kristen K; Sauer-Zavala, Shannon; Bullis, Jacqueline R; Carl, Jenna R

2014-09-01

In this article, we provide a fresh perspective on the developmental origins of neuroticism--a dimension of temperament marked by elevated stress reactivity resulting in the frequent experience of negative emotions. This negative affectivity is accompanied by a pervasive perception that the world is a dangerous and threatening place, along with beliefs about one's inability to manage or cope with challenging events. Historically, neuroticism has been viewed as a stable, genetically based trait. However, recent understanding of ongoing gene-environment interactions that occur throughout the life span suggests there may be a more complex and dynamic etiology. Thus, the purpose of this article is to offer a theory for understanding the development of neuroticism that integrates genetic, neurobiological, and environmental contributions to this trait. Given the strong correlation between neuroticism and the development of negative health outcomes--most notably, the full range of anxiety and mood disorders--an enhanced understanding of how neuroticism originates has implications for the treatment and prevention of a broad range of pathologies and, perhaps, even for the prevention of neuroticism itself. © The Author(s) 2014.

Collective relaxation dynamics of small-world networks.

PubMed

Grabow, Carsten; Grosskinsky, Stefan; Kurths, Jürgen; Timme, Marc

2015-05-01

Complex networks exhibit a wide range of collective dynamic phenomena, including synchronization, diffusion, relaxation, and coordination processes. Their asymptotic dynamics is generically characterized by the local Jacobian, graph Laplacian, or a similar linear operator. The structure of networks with regular, small-world, and random connectivities are reasonably well understood, but their collective dynamical properties remain largely unknown. Here we present a two-stage mean-field theory to derive analytic expressions for network spectra. A single formula covers the spectrum from regular via small-world to strongly randomized topologies in Watts-Strogatz networks, explaining the simultaneous dependencies on network size N, average degree k, and topological randomness q. We present simplified analytic predictions for the second-largest and smallest eigenvalue, and numerical checks confirm our theoretical predictions for zero, small, and moderate topological randomness q, including the entire small-world regime. For large q of the order of one, we apply standard random matrix theory, thereby overarching the full range from regular to randomized network topologies. These results may contribute to our analytic and mechanistic understanding of collective relaxation phenomena of network dynamical systems.

Full-wave generalizations of the fundamental Gaussian beam.

PubMed

Seshadri, S R

2009-12-01

The basic full wave corresponding to the fundamental Gaussian beam was discovered for the outwardly propagating wave in a half-space by the introduction of a source in the complex space. There is a class of extended full waves all of which reduce to the same fundamental Gaussian beam in the appropriate limit. For the extended full Gaussian waves that include the basic full Gaussian wave as a special case, the sources are in the complex space on different planes transverse to the propagation direction. The sources are cylindrically symmetric Gaussian distributions centered at the origin of the transverse planes, the axis of symmetry being the propagation direction. For the special case of the basic full Gaussian wave, the source is a point source. The radiation intensity of the extended full Gaussian waves is determined and their characteristics are discussed and compared with those of the fundamental Gaussian beam. The extended full Gaussian waves are also obtained for the oppositely propagating outwardly directed waves in the second half-space. The radiation intensity distributions in the two half-spaces have reflection symmetry about the midplane. The radiation intensity distributions of the various extended full Gaussian waves are not significantly different. The power carried by the extended full Gaussian waves is evaluated and compared with that of the fundamental Gaussian beam.

Measurement of the complex permittivity of low loss polymer powders in the millimeter-wave range.

PubMed

Kapilevich, Boris; Litvak, Boris; Wainstein, Vladimir; Moshe, Danny

2007-01-01

An improved measurement method of complex permittivity of low loss polymer powders is suggested. The measurements are done in the mm-wave range using a quasi optical resonator. The 2-D corrugated mode exciter is employed to improve suppression of undesirable higher modes. The model used for reconstructing complex permittivity takes into account ohm losses of metal mesh coupling that provide better accuracy of the reconstructing procedure. An example illustrating this method is reported.

Flow and Transport in Complex Microporous Carbonates as a Consequence of Separation of Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bijeljic, B.; Raeini, A. Q.; Lin, Q.; Blunt, M. J.

2017-12-01

Some of the most important examples of flow and transport in complex pore structures are found in subsurface applications such as contaminant hydrology, carbon storage and enhanced oil recovery. Carbonate rock structures contain most of the world's oil reserves, considerable amount of water reserves, and potentially hold a storage capacity for carbon dioxide. However, this type of pore space is difficult to represent due to complexities associated with a wide range of pore sizes and variation in connectivity which poses a considerable challenge for quantitative predictions of transport across multiple scales.A new concept unifying X-ray tomography experiment and direct numerical simulation has been developed that relies on full description flow and solute transport at the pore scale. Differential imaging method (Lin et al. 2016) provides rich information in microporous space, while advective and diffusive mass transport are simulated on micro-CT images of pore-space: Navier-Stokes equations are solved for flow in the image voxels comprising the pore space, streamline-based simulation is used to account for advection, and diffusion is superimposed by random walk.Quantitative validation has been done on analytical solutions for diffusion and by comparing the model predictions versus the experimental NMR measurements in the dual porosity beadpack. Furthermore, we discriminate signatures of multi-scale transport behaviour for a range of carbonate rock (Figure 1), dependent on the heterogeneity of the inter- and intra-grain pore space, heterogeneity in the flow field, and the mass transfer characteristics of the porous media. Finally, we demonstrate the predictive capabilities of the model through an analysis that includes a number of probability density functions flow and transport (PDFs) measures of non-Fickian transport on the micro-CT i935mages. In complex porous media separation of scales exists, leading to flow and transport signatures that need to be described by multiple functions with distinct flow field and transport characteristics. Reference: Lin, Q., Al-Khulaifi Y., Blunt, M.J. and Bijeljic B. (2016). Advances in Water Resources, 96, 306-322, doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.08.002.

Multilocus phylogeny and coalescent species delimitation in Kotschy's gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi: Hidden diversity and cryptic species.

PubMed

Kotsakiozi, Panayiota; Jablonski, Daniel; Ilgaz, Çetin; Kumlutaş, Yusuf; Avcı, Aziz; Meiri, Shai; Itescu, Yuval; Kukushkin, Oleg; Gvoždík, Václav; Scillitani, Giovanni; Roussos, Stephanos A; Jandzik, David; Kasapidis, Panagiotis; Lymberakis, Petros; Poulakakis, Nikos

2018-08-01

Kotschy's Gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi, is a small gecko native to southeastern Europe and the Levant. It displays great morphological variation with a large number of morphologically recognized subspecies. However, it has been suggested that it constitutes a species complex of several yet unrecognized species. In this study, we used multilocus sequence data (three mitochondrial and three nuclear gene fragments) to estimate the phylogenetic relationships of 174 specimens from 129 sampling localities, covering a substantial part of the distribution range of the species. Our results revealed high genetic diversity of M. kotschyi populations and contributed to our knowledge about the phylogenetic relationships and the estimation of the divergence times between them. Diversification within M. kotschyi began approximately 15 million years ago (Mya) in the Middle Miocene, whereas the diversification within most of the major clades have been occurred in the last 5 Mya. Species delimitation analysis suggests there exists five species within the complex, and we propose to tentatively recognize the following taxa as full species: M. kotschyi (mainland Balkans, most of Aegean islands, and Italy), M. orientalis (Levant, Cyprus, southern Anatolia, and south-eastern Aegean islands), M. danilewskii (Black Sea region and south-western Anatolia), M. bartoni (Crete), and M. oertzeni (southern Dodecanese Islands). This newly recognized diversity underlines the complex biogeographical history of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Complexities of Interstellar Dust and the Implications for the Small-scale Structure in the Cosmic Microwave Background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verschuur, G. L.; Schmelz, J. T.

2018-02-01

A detailed comparison of the full range of PLANCK and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data for small (2° × 2°) areas of sky and the Cosmic Microwave Background Internal Linear Combination (ILC) maps reveals that the structure of foreground dust may be more complex than previously thought. If 857 and 353 GHz emission is dominated by galactic dust at a distance < few hundred light years, then it should not resemble the cosmological ILC structure originating at a distance ∼13 billion light years. In some areas of sky, however, we find strong morphological correlations, forcing us to consider the possibility that the foreground subtraction is not complete. Our data also show that there is no single answer for the question: “to what extent does dust contaminate the cosmologically important 143 GHz data?” In some directions, the contamination appears to be quite strong, but in others, it is less of an issue. This complexity needs to be taken in account in order to derive an accurate foreground mask in the quest to understand the Cosmic Microwave Background small-scale structure. We hope that a continued investigation of these data will lead to a definitive answer to the question above and, possibly, to new scientific insights on interstellar matter, the Cosmic Microwave Background, or both.

Digitized adiabatic quantum computing with a superconducting circuit.

PubMed

Barends, R; Shabani, A; Lamata, L; Kelly, J; Mezzacapo, A; Las Heras, U; Babbush, R; Fowler, A G; Campbell, B; Chen, Yu; Chen, Z; Chiaro, B; Dunsworth, A; Jeffrey, E; Lucero, E; Megrant, A; Mutus, J Y; Neeley, M; Neill, C; O'Malley, P J J; Quintana, C; Roushan, P; Sank, D; Vainsencher, A; Wenner, J; White, T C; Solano, E; Neven, H; Martinis, John M

2016-06-09

Quantum mechanics can help to solve complex problems in physics and chemistry, provided they can be programmed in a physical device. In adiabatic quantum computing, a system is slowly evolved from the ground state of a simple initial Hamiltonian to a final Hamiltonian that encodes a computational problem. The appeal of this approach lies in the combination of simplicity and generality; in principle, any problem can be encoded. In practice, applications are restricted by limited connectivity, available interactions and noise. A complementary approach is digital quantum computing, which enables the construction of arbitrary interactions and is compatible with error correction, but uses quantum circuit algorithms that are problem-specific. Here we combine the advantages of both approaches by implementing digitized adiabatic quantum computing in a superconducting system. We tomographically probe the system during the digitized evolution and explore the scaling of errors with system size. We then let the full system find the solution to random instances of the one-dimensional Ising problem as well as problem Hamiltonians that involve more complex interactions. This digital quantum simulation of the adiabatic algorithm consists of up to nine qubits and up to 1,000 quantum logic gates. The demonstration of digitized adiabatic quantum computing in the solid state opens a path to synthesizing long-range correlations and solving complex computational problems. When combined with fault-tolerance, our approach becomes a general-purpose algorithm that is scalable.

Assessment of Ab Initio and Density Functional Theory Methods for the Excitations of Donor-Acceptor Complexes: The Case of the Benzene-Tetracyanoethylene Model.

PubMed

Xu, Peng; Zhang, Cai-Rong; Wang, Wei; Gong, Ji-Jun; Liu, Zi-Jiang; Chen, Hong-Shan

2018-04-10

The understanding of the excited-state properties of electron donors, acceptors and their interfaces in organic optoelectronic devices is a fundamental issue for their performance optimization. In order to obtain a balanced description of the different excitation types for electron-donor-acceptor systems, including the singlet charge transfer (CT), local excitations, and triplet excited states, several ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) methods for excited-state calculations were evaluated based upon the selected model system of benzene-tetracyanoethylene (B-TCNE) complexes. On the basis of benchmark calculations of the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster with single and double excitations method, the arithmetic mean of the absolute errors and standard errors of the electronic excitation energies for the different computational methods suggest that the M11 functional in DFT is superior to the other tested DFT functionals, and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) with the Tamm-Dancoff approximation improves the accuracy of the calculated excitation energies relative to that of the full TDDFT. The performance of the M11 functional underlines the importance of kinetic energy density, spin-density gradient, and range separation in the development of novel DFT functionals. According to the TDDFT results, the performances of the different TDDFT methods on the CT properties of the B-TCNE complexes were also analyzed.

Quality Control of Meteorological Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, William; Dee, Dick; Rukhovets, Leonid

1999-01-01

For the first time, a problem of the meteorological observation quality control (QC) was formulated by L.S. Gandin at the Main Geophysical Observatory in the 70's. Later in 1988 L.S. Gandin began adapting his ideas in complex quality control (CQC) to the operational environment at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. The CQC was first applied by L.S.Gandin and his colleagues to detection and correction of errors in rawinsonde heights and temperatures using a complex of hydrostatic residuals.Later, a full complex of residuals, vertical and horizontal optimal interpolations and baseline checks were added for the checking and correction of a wide range of meteorological variables. some other of Gandin's ideas were applied and substantially developed at other meteorological centers. A new statistical QC was recently implemented in the Goddard Data Assimilation System. The central component of any quality control is a buddy check which is a test of individual suspect observations against available nearby non-suspect observations. A novel feature of this test is that the error variances which are used for QC decision are re-estimated on-line. As a result, the allowed tolerances for suspect observations can depend on local atmospheric conditions. The system is then better able to accept extreme values observed in deep cyclones, jet streams and so on. The basic statements of this adaptive buddy check are described. Some results of the on-line QC including moisture QC are presented.

CamOptimus: a tool for exploiting complex adaptive evolution to optimize experiments and processes in biotechnology.

PubMed

Cankorur-Cetinkaya, Ayca; Dias, Joao M L; Kludas, Jana; Slater, Nigel K H; Rousu, Juho; Oliver, Stephen G; Dikicioglu, Duygu

2017-06-01

Multiple interacting factors affect the performance of engineered biological systems in synthetic biology projects. The complexity of these biological systems means that experimental design should often be treated as a multiparametric optimization problem. However, the available methodologies are either impractical, due to a combinatorial explosion in the number of experiments to be performed, or are inaccessible to most experimentalists due to the lack of publicly available, user-friendly software. Although evolutionary algorithms may be employed as alternative approaches to optimize experimental design, the lack of simple-to-use software again restricts their use to specialist practitioners. In addition, the lack of subsidiary approaches to further investigate critical factors and their interactions prevents the full analysis and exploitation of the biotechnological system. We have addressed these problems and, here, provide a simple-to-use and freely available graphical user interface to empower a broad range of experimental biologists to employ complex evolutionary algorithms to optimize their experimental designs. Our approach exploits a Genetic Algorithm to discover the subspace containing the optimal combination of parameters, and Symbolic Regression to construct a model to evaluate the sensitivity of the experiment to each parameter under investigation. We demonstrate the utility of this method using an example in which the culture conditions for the microbial production of a bioactive human protein are optimized. CamOptimus is available through: (https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.10257).

New approach of financial volatility duration dynamics by stochastic finite-range interacting voter system.

PubMed

Wang, Guochao; Wang, Jun

2017-01-01

We make an approach on investigating the fluctuation behaviors of financial volatility duration dynamics. A new concept of volatility two-component range intensity (VTRI) is developed, which constitutes the maximal variation range of volatility intensity and shortest passage time of duration, and can quantify the investment risk in financial markets. In an attempt to study and describe the nonlinear complex properties of VTRI, a random agent-based financial price model is developed by the finite-range interacting biased voter system. The autocorrelation behaviors and the power-law scaling behaviors of return time series and VTRI series are investigated. Then, the complexity of VTRI series of the real markets and the proposed model is analyzed by Fuzzy entropy (FuzzyEn) and Lempel-Ziv complexity. In this process, we apply the cross-Fuzzy entropy (C-FuzzyEn) to study the asynchrony of pairs of VTRI series. The empirical results reveal that the proposed model has the similar complex behaviors with the actual markets and indicate that the proposed stock VTRI series analysis and the financial model are meaningful and feasible to some extent.

New approach of financial volatility duration dynamics by stochastic finite-range interacting voter system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guochao; Wang, Jun

2017-01-01

We make an approach on investigating the fluctuation behaviors of financial volatility duration dynamics. A new concept of volatility two-component range intensity (VTRI) is developed, which constitutes the maximal variation range of volatility intensity and shortest passage time of duration, and can quantify the investment risk in financial markets. In an attempt to study and describe the nonlinear complex properties of VTRI, a random agent-based financial price model is developed by the finite-range interacting biased voter system. The autocorrelation behaviors and the power-law scaling behaviors of return time series and VTRI series are investigated. Then, the complexity of VTRI series of the real markets and the proposed model is analyzed by Fuzzy entropy (FuzzyEn) and Lempel-Ziv complexity. In this process, we apply the cross-Fuzzy entropy (C-FuzzyEn) to study the asynchrony of pairs of VTRI series. The empirical results reveal that the proposed model has the similar complex behaviors with the actual markets and indicate that the proposed stock VTRI series analysis and the financial model are meaningful and feasible to some extent.

Late Vendian Complexes in the Structure of Metamorphic Basement of the Fore Range Zone, Greater Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamzolkin, V. A.; Latyshev, A. V.; Vidyapin, Yu. P.; Somin, M. L.; Smul'skaya, A. I.; Ivanov, S. D.

2018-05-01

The paper presents new data on the composition, age, and relationships (with host and overlying deposits) of intrusive rocks in the basement of the Fore Range zone (Greater Caucasus), in the Malaya Laba River Basin. The evolutionary features of intrusive units located within the Blyb metamorphic complex are described. It is shown for the first time that the lower levels of this complex are, in a structural sense, outcrops of the Late Vendian basement. The basement is composed of the Balkan Formation and a massif of quartz metadiorites that intrudes it; for the rocks of this massif, ages ranging from 549 ± 7.4 to 574.1 ± 6.7 Ma are obtained for three U-Pb datings by the SHRIMP-II method. The Herzyinan magmatic event is represented by a group of granodiorite intrusions penetrating the Blyb complex on a series of faults extending along its boundary with the Main Range zone. The obtained estimate for the U-Pb age of one of the intrusions (319 ± 3.8 Ma) corresponds to the end of the Serpukhovian stage of the Early Carboniferous.

Long-range electron transport of ruthenium-centered multilayer films via a stepping-stone mechanism.

PubMed

Terada, Kei-ichi; Nakamura, Hisao; Kanaizuka, Katsuhiko; Haga, Masa-aki; Asai, Yoshihiro; Ishida, Takao

2012-03-27

We studied electron transport of Ru complex multilayer films, whose structure resembles redox-active complex films known in the literature to have long-range electron transport abilities. Hydrogen bond formation in terms of pH control was used to induce spontaneous growth of a Ru complex multilayer. We made a cross-check between electrochemical measurements and I-V measurements using PEDOT:PSS to eliminate the risk of pinhole contributions to the mechanism and have found small β values of 0.012-0.021 Å(-1). Our Ru complex layers exhibit long-range electron transport but with low conductance. On the basis of the results of our theoretical-experimental collaboration, we propose a modified tunneling mechanism named the "stepping-stone mechanism", where the alignment of site potentials forms a narrow band around E(F), making resonant tunneling possible. Our observations may support Tuccito et al.'s proposed mechanism. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Power law cross-correlations between price change and volume change of Indian stocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Rashid; Mohammed Salim, M.

2017-05-01

We study multifractal long-range correlations and cross-correlations of daily price change and volume change of 50 stocks that comprise Nifty index of National Stock Exchange, Mumbai, using MF-DFA and MF-DCCA methods. We find that the time series of price change are uncorrelated, whereas anti-persistent long-range multifractal correlations are found in volume change series. We also find antipersistent long-range multifractal cross-correlations between the time series of price change and volume change. As multifractality is a signature of complexity, we estimate complexity parameters of the time series of price change, volume change, and cross-correlated price-volume change by fitting the fourth-degree polynomials to their multifractal spectra. Our results indicate that the time series of price change display high complexity, whereas the time series of volume change and cross-correlated price-volume change display low complexity.

Programmable colloidal molecules from sequential capillarity-assisted particle assembly

PubMed Central

Ni, Songbo; Leemann, Jessica; Buttinoni, Ivo; Isa, Lucio; Wolf, Heiko

2016-01-01

The assembly of artificial nanostructured and microstructured materials which display structures and functionalities that mimic nature’s complexity requires building blocks with specific and directional interactions, analogous to those displayed at the molecular level. Despite remarkable progress in synthesizing “patchy” particles encoding anisotropic interactions, most current methods are restricted to integrating up to two compositional patches on a single “molecule” and to objects with simple shapes. Currently, decoupling functionality and shape to achieve full compositional and geometrical programmability remains an elusive task. We use sequential capillarity-assisted particle assembly which uniquely fulfills the demands described above. This is a new method based on simple, yet essential, adaptations to the well-known capillary assembly of particles over topographical templates. Tuning the depth of the assembly sites (traps) and the surface tension of moving droplets of colloidal suspensions enables controlled stepwise filling of traps to “synthesize” colloidal molecules. After deposition and mechanical linkage, the colloidal molecules can be dispersed in a solvent. The template’s shape solely controls the molecule’s geometry, whereas the filling sequence independently determines its composition. No specific surface chemistry is required, and multifunctional molecules with organic and inorganic moieties can be fabricated. We demonstrate the “synthesis” of a library of structures, ranging from dumbbells and triangles to units resembling bar codes, block copolymers, surfactants, and three-dimensional chiral objects. The full programmability of our approach opens up new directions not only for assembling and studying complex materials with single-particle-level control but also for fabricating new microscale devices for sensing, patterning, and delivery applications. PMID:27051882

Three-Dimensional Anisotropic Acoustic and Elastic Full-Waveform Seismic Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, M.; Morgan, J. V.

2013-12-01

Three-dimensional full-waveform inversion is a high-resolution, high-fidelity, quantitative, seismic imaging technique that has advanced rapidly within the oil and gas industry. The method involves the iterative improvement of a starting model using a series of local linearized updates to solve the full non-linear inversion problem. During the inversion, forward modeling employs the full two-way three-dimensional heterogeneous anisotropic acoustic or elastic wave equation to predict the observed raw field data, wiggle-for-wiggle, trace-by-trace. The method is computationally demanding; it is highly parallelized, and runs on large multi-core multi-node clusters. Here, we demonstrate what can be achieved by applying this newly practical technique to several high-density 3D seismic datasets that were acquired to image four contrasting sedimentary targets: a gas cloud above an oil reservoir, a radially faulted dome, buried fluvial channels, and collapse structures overlying an evaporate sequence. We show that the resulting anisotropic p-wave velocity models match in situ measurements in deep boreholes, reproduce detailed structure observed independently on high-resolution seismic reflection sections, accurately predict the raw seismic data, simplify and sharpen reverse-time-migrated reflection images of deeper horizons, and flatten Kirchhoff-migrated common-image gathers. We also show that full-elastic 3D full-waveform inversion of pure pressure data can generate a reasonable shear-wave velocity model for one of these datasets. For two of the four datasets, the inclusion of significant transversely isotropic anisotropy with a vertical axis of symmetry was necessary in order to fit the kinematics of the field data properly. For the faulted dome, the full-waveform-inversion p-wave velocity model recovers the detailed structure of every fault that can be seen on coincident seismic reflection data. Some of the individual faults represent high-velocity zones, some represent low-velocity zones, some have more-complex internal structure, and some are visible merely as offsets between two regions with contrasting velocity. Although this has not yet been demonstrated quantitatively for this dataset, it seems likely that at least some of this fine structure in the recovered velocity model is related to the detailed lithology, strain history and fluid properties within the individual faults. We have here applied this technique to seismic data that were acquired by the extractive industries, however this inversion scheme is immediately scalable and applicable to a much wider range of problems given sufficient quality and density of observed data. Potential targets range from shallow magma chambers beneath active volcanoes, through whole-crustal sections across plate boundaries, to regional and whole-Earth models.

Compositional patterns in the genomes of unicellular eukaryotes.

PubMed

Costantini, Maria; Alvarez-Valin, Fernando; Costantini, Susan; Cammarano, Rosalia; Bernardi, Giorgio

2013-11-05

The genomes of multicellular eukaryotes are compartmentalized in mosaics of isochores, large and fairly homogeneous stretches of DNA that belong to a small number of families characterized by different average GC levels, by different gene concentration (that increase with GC), different chromatin structures, different replication timing in the cell cycle, and other different properties. A question raised by these basic results concerns how far back in evolution the compartmentalized organization of the eukaryotic genomes arose. In the present work we approached this problem by studying the compositional organization of the genomes from the unicellular eukaryotes for which full sequences are available, the sample used being representative. The average GC levels of the genomes from unicellular eukaryotes cover an extremely wide range (19%-60% GC) and the compositional patterns of individual genomes are extremely different but all genomes tested show a compositional compartmentalization. The average GC range of the genomes of unicellular eukaryotes is very broad (as broad as that of prokaryotes) and individual compositional patterns cover a very broad range from very narrow to very complex. Both features are not surprising for organisms that are very far from each other both in terms of phylogenetic distances and of environmental life conditions. Most importantly, all genomes tested, a representative sample of all supergroups of unicellular eukaryotes, are compositionally compartmentalized, a major difference with prokaryotes.

Framing responsibility: HIV, biomedical prevention, and the performativity of the law.

PubMed

Race, Kane

2012-09-01

How can we register the participation of a range of elements, extending beyond the human subject, in the production of HIV events? In the context of proposals around biomedical prevention, there is a growing awareness of the need to find ways of responding to complexity, as everywhere new combinations of treatment, behavior, drugs, norms, meanings and devices are coming into encounter with one another, or are set to come into encounter with one another, with a range of unpredictable effects. In this paper I consider the operation of various framing devices that attribute responsibility and causation with regard to HIV events. I propose that we need to sharpen our analytic focus on what these devices do, their performativity-that is, their full range of worldly implications and effects. My primary examples are the criminal law and the randomized control trial. I argue that these institutions operate as framing devices: They attribute responsibility for HIV events and externalize other elements and effects in the process. Drawing on recent work in science and technology studies as well as queer theory, I set out an analytic frame that marks out a new role for HIV social research. Attentiveness to the performative effects of these devices is crucial, I suggest, if we want better to address the global HIV epidemic.

Web life: ComplexityBlog.com

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-02-01

The site's homepage calls it "a repository of ideas and perspectives regarding the science, engineering and philosophy of complexity", and it pretty much does what it says on the tin. Part blog, part links archive, part library of modelling tips and tricks, the site is chock full of information that comes under the general heading of "complexity".

CN-GELFrEE - Clear Native Gel-eluted Liquid Fraction Entrapment Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Skinner, Owen S.; Do Vale, Luis H. F.; Catherman, Adam D.; Havugimana, Pierre C.; Valle de Sousa, Marcelo; Domont, Gilberto B.; Kelleher, Neil L.; Compton, Philip D.

2016-01-01

Protein complexes perform an array of crucial cellular functions. Elucidating their non-covalent interactions and dynamics is paramount for understanding the role of complexes in biological systems. While the direct characterization of biomolecular assemblies has become increasingly important in recent years, native fractionation techniques that are compatible with downstream analysis techniques, including mass spectrometry, are necessary to further expand these studies. Nevertheless, the field lacks a high-throughput, wide-range, high-recovery separation method for native protein assemblies. Here, we present clear native gel-eluted liquid fraction entrapment electrophoresis (CN-GELFrEE), which is a novel separation modality for non-covalent protein assemblies. CN-GELFrEE separation performance was demonstrated by fractionating complexes extracted from mouse heart. Fractions were collected over 2 hr and displayed discrete bands ranging from ~30 to 500 kDa. A consistent pattern of increasing molecular weight bandwidths was observed, each ranging ~100 kDa. Further, subsequent reanalysis of native fractions via SDS-PAGE showed molecular-weight shifts consistent with the denaturation of protein complexes. Therefore, CN-GELFrEE was proved to offer the ability to perform high-resolution and high-recovery native separations on protein complexes from a large molecular weight range, providing fractions that are compatible with downstream protein analyses. PMID:26967310

Atomistic full-quantum transport model for zigzag graphene nanoribbon-based structures: Complex energy-band method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chun-Nan; Luo, Win-Jet; Shyu, Feng-Lin; Chung, Hsien-Ching; Lin, Chiun-Yan; Wu, Jhao-Ying

2018-01-01

Using a non-equilibrium Green’s function framework in combination with the complex energy-band method, an atomistic full-quantum model for solving quantum transport problems for a zigzag-edge graphene nanoribbon (zGNR) structure is proposed. For transport calculations, the mathematical expressions from the theory for zGNR-based device structures are derived in detail. The transport properties of zGNR-based devices are calculated and studied in detail using the proposed method.

Full potential methods for analysis/design of complex aerospace configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shankar, Vijaya; Szema, Kuo-Yen; Bonner, Ellwood

1986-01-01

The steady form of the full potential equation, in conservative form, is employed to analyze and design a wide variety of complex aerodynamic shapes. The nonlinear method is based on the theory of characteristic signal propagation coupled with novel flux biasing concepts and body-fitted mapping procedures. The resulting codes are vectorized for the CRAY XMP and the VPS-32 supercomputers. Use of the full potential nonlinear theory is demonstrated for a single-point supersonic wing design and a multipoint design for transonic maneuver/supersonic cruise/maneuver conditions. Achievement of high aerodynamic efficiency through numerical design is verified by wind tunnel tests. Other studies reported include analyses of a canard/wing/nacelle fighter geometry.

Directional RNA-seq reveals highly complex condition-dependent transcriptomes in E. coli K12 through accurate full-length transcripts assembling.

PubMed

Li, Shan; Dong, Xia; Su, Zhengchang

2013-07-30

Although prokaryotic gene transcription has been studied over decades, many aspects of the process remain poorly understood. Particularly, recent studies have revealed that transcriptomes in many prokaryotes are far more complex than previously thought. Genes in an operon are often alternatively and dynamically transcribed under different conditions, and a large portion of genes and intergenic regions have antisense RNA (asRNA) and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts, respectively. Ironically, similar studies have not been conducted in the model bacterium E coli K12, thus it is unknown whether or not the bacterium possesses similar complex transcriptomes. Furthermore, although RNA-seq becomes the major method for analyzing the complexity of prokaryotic transcriptome, it is still a challenging task to accurately assemble full length transcripts using short RNA-seq reads. To fill these gaps, we have profiled the transcriptomes of E. coli K12 under different culture conditions and growth phases using a highly specific directional RNA-seq technique that can capture various types of transcripts in the bacterial cells, combined with a highly accurate and robust algorithm and tool TruHMM (http://bioinfolab.uncc.edu/TruHmm_package/) for assembling full length transcripts. We found that 46.9 ~ 63.4% of expressed operons were utilized in their putative alternative forms, 72.23 ~ 89.54% genes had putative asRNA transcripts and 51.37 ~ 72.74% intergenic regions had putative ncRNA transcripts under different culture conditions and growth phases. As has been demonstrated in many other prokaryotes, E. coli K12 also has a highly complex and dynamic transcriptomes under different culture conditions and growth phases. Such complex and dynamic transcriptomes might play important roles in the physiology of the bacterium. TruHMM is a highly accurate and robust algorithm for assembling full-length transcripts in prokaryotes using directional RNA-seq short reads.

Directional RNA-seq reveals highly complex condition-dependent transcriptomes in E. coli K12 through accurate full-length transcripts assembling

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Although prokaryotic gene transcription has been studied over decades, many aspects of the process remain poorly understood. Particularly, recent studies have revealed that transcriptomes in many prokaryotes are far more complex than previously thought. Genes in an operon are often alternatively and dynamically transcribed under different conditions, and a large portion of genes and intergenic regions have antisense RNA (asRNA) and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts, respectively. Ironically, similar studies have not been conducted in the model bacterium E coli K12, thus it is unknown whether or not the bacterium possesses similar complex transcriptomes. Furthermore, although RNA-seq becomes the major method for analyzing the complexity of prokaryotic transcriptome, it is still a challenging task to accurately assemble full length transcripts using short RNA-seq reads. Results To fill these gaps, we have profiled the transcriptomes of E. coli K12 under different culture conditions and growth phases using a highly specific directional RNA-seq technique that can capture various types of transcripts in the bacterial cells, combined with a highly accurate and robust algorithm and tool TruHMM (http://bioinfolab.uncc.edu/TruHmm_package/) for assembling full length transcripts. We found that 46.9 ~ 63.4% of expressed operons were utilized in their putative alternative forms, 72.23 ~ 89.54% genes had putative asRNA transcripts and 51.37 ~ 72.74% intergenic regions had putative ncRNA transcripts under different culture conditions and growth phases. Conclusions As has been demonstrated in many other prokaryotes, E. coli K12 also has a highly complex and dynamic transcriptomes under different culture conditions and growth phases. Such complex and dynamic transcriptomes might play important roles in the physiology of the bacterium. TruHMM is a highly accurate and robust algorithm for assembling full-length transcripts in prokaryotes using directional RNA-seq short reads. PMID:23899370

Quantum computational complexity, Einstein's equations and accelerated expansion of the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Xian-Hui; Wang, Bin

2018-02-01

We study the relation between quantum computational complexity and general relativity. The quantum computational complexity is proposed to be quantified by the shortest length of geodesic quantum curves. We examine the complexity/volume duality in a geodesic causal ball in the framework of Fermi normal coordinates and derive the full non-linear Einstein equation. Using insights from the complexity/action duality, we argue that the accelerated expansion of the universe could be driven by the quantum complexity and free from coincidence and fine-tunning problems.

Demonstration of Advanced Geophysics and Classification Methods on Munitions Response Sites - East Fork Valley Range Complex, Former Camp Hale

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

with cores of igneous and metamorphic rocks flanked by steeply dipping sedimentary rocks . The valley floors range in elevation from about 9,310 to...Camp Hale, East Fork Valley Range Complex Munitions Response Site. This project is one in a series of projects funded by ESTCP to use advanced...Technology Certification Program ft Feet FUDS Formerly Used Defense Site GPS Global Positioning System ID Identification IMU Inertial Measurement Unit

77 FR 11067 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; U.S. Navy Training in the Hawaii Range Complex

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-24

... Authorization (LOA) to the U.S. Navy (Navy) to take marine mammals incidental to training and research... the Navy incidental to training and research activities conducted within the Hawaii Range Complex (HRC... training and research activities conducted within the HRC under regulations issued on January 5, 2009 (74...

76 FR 3095 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; U.S. Navy Training in the Hawaii Range Complex

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-19

... Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) is underway to share acoustic data. Results from the February... Importing Marine Mammals; U.S. Navy Training in the Hawaii Range Complex AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries... Plan. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing...

On the required complexity of vehicle dynamic models for use in simulation-based highway design.

PubMed

Brown, Alexander; Brennan, Sean

2014-06-01

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive project whose goal is to identify roadway design practices that maximize the margin of safety between the friction supply and friction demand. This study is motivated by the concern for increased accident rates on curves with steep downgrades, geometries that contain features that interact in all three dimensions - planar curves, grade, and superelevation. This complexity makes the prediction of vehicle skidding quite difficult, particularly for simple simulation models that have historically been used for road geometry design guidance. To obtain estimates of friction margin, this study considers a range of vehicle models, including: a point-mass model used by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design policy, a steady-state "bicycle model" formulation that considers only per-axle forces, a transient formulation of the bicycle model commonly used in vehicle stability control systems, and finally, a full multi-body simulation (CarSim and TruckSim) regularly used in the automotive industry for high-fidelity vehicle behavior prediction. The presence of skidding--the friction demand exceeding supply--was calculated for each model considering a wide range of vehicles and road situations. The results indicate that the most complicated vehicle models are generally unnecessary for predicting skidding events. However, there are specific maneuvers, namely braking events within lane changes and curves, which consistently predict the worst-case friction margins across all models. This suggests that any vehicle model used for roadway safety analysis should include the effects of combined cornering and braking. The point-mass model typically used by highway design professionals may not be appropriate to predict vehicle behavior on high-speed curves during braking in low-friction situations. However, engineers can use the results of this study to help select the appropriate vehicle dynamic model complexity to use in the highway design process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quaternary Morphodynamics of Fluvial Dispersal Systems Revealed: The Fly River, PNG, and the Sunda Shelf, SE Asia, simulated with the Massively Parallel GPU-based Model 'GULLEM'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aalto, R. E.; Lauer, J. W.; Darby, S. E.; Best, J.; Dietrich, W. E.

2015-12-01

During glacial-marine transgressions vast volumes of sediment are deposited due to the infilling of lowland fluvial systems and shallow shelves, material that is removed during ensuing regressions. Modelling these processes would illuminate system morphodynamics, fluxes, and 'complexity' in response to base level change, yet such problems are computationally formidable. Environmental systems are characterized by strong interconnectivity, yet traditional supercomputers have slow inter-node communication -- whereas rapidly advancing Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technology offers vastly higher (>100x) bandwidths. GULLEM (GpU-accelerated Lowland Landscape Evolution Model) employs massively parallel code to simulate coupled fluvial-landscape evolution for complex lowland river systems over large temporal and spatial scales. GULLEM models the accommodation space carved/infilled by representing a range of geomorphic processes, including: river & tributary incision within a multi-directional flow regime, non-linear diffusion, glacial-isostatic flexure, hydraulic geometry, tectonic deformation, sediment production, transport & deposition, and full 3D tracking of all resulting stratigraphy. Model results concur with the Holocene dynamics of the Fly River, PNG -- as documented with dated cores, sonar imaging of floodbasin stratigraphy, and the observations of topographic remnants from LGM conditions. Other supporting research was conducted along the Mekong River, the largest fluvial system of the Sunda Shelf. These and other field data provide tantalizing empirical glimpses into the lowland landscapes of large rivers during glacial-interglacial transitions, observations that can be explored with this powerful numerical model. GULLEM affords estimates for the timing and flux budgets within the Fly and Sunda Systems, illustrating complex internal system responses to the external forcing of sea level and climate. Furthermore, GULLEM can be applied to most ANY fluvial system to explore processes across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. The presentation will provide insights (& many animations) illustrating river morphodynamics & resulting landscapes formed as a result of sea level oscillations. [Image: The incised 3.2e6 km^2 Sundaland domain @ 431ka

Complex shaped boron carbides from negative additive manufacturing

DOE PAGES

Lu, Ryan; Chandrasekaran, Swetha; Du Frane, Wyatt L.; ...

2018-03-13

In this paper, complex shaped boron carbide with carbon (B 4C/C) at near-full densities were achieved for the first time using negative additive manufacturing techniques via gelcasting. Negative additive manufacturing involves 3D printing of sacrificial molds used for casting negative copies. B 4C powder distributions and rheology of suspensions were optimized to successfully cast complex shapes. In addition to demonstrating scalability of these complex geometries, hierarchically meso-porous structures were also shown to be possible from this technique. Resorcinol-Formaldehyde (RF) polymer was selected as the gelling agent and can also pyrolyze into a carbon aerogel network to act as the sinteringmore » aid for B 4C. Finally, due to the highly effective distribution of in situ carbon for the B 4C matrix, near-full sintered density of 97–98% of theoretical maximum density was achieved.« less

Complex shaped boron carbides from negative additive manufacturing

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

Lu, Ryan; Chandrasekaran, Swetha; Du Frane, Wyatt L.

In this paper, complex shaped boron carbide with carbon (B 4C/C) at near-full densities were achieved for the first time using negative additive manufacturing techniques via gelcasting. Negative additive manufacturing involves 3D printing of sacrificial molds used for casting negative copies. B 4C powder distributions and rheology of suspensions were optimized to successfully cast complex shapes. In addition to demonstrating scalability of these complex geometries, hierarchically meso-porous structures were also shown to be possible from this technique. Resorcinol-Formaldehyde (RF) polymer was selected as the gelling agent and can also pyrolyze into a carbon aerogel network to act as the sinteringmore » aid for B 4C. Finally, due to the highly effective distribution of in situ carbon for the B 4C matrix, near-full sintered density of 97–98% of theoretical maximum density was achieved.« less

The etiologic role of genetic and environmental factors in criminal behavior as determined from full- and half-sibling pairs: an evaluation of the validity of the twin method.

PubMed

Kendler, K S; Lönn, S L; Maes, H H; Sundquist, J; Sundquist, K

2015-07-01

Twin studies have shown that criminal behavior (CB) is influenced by both genetic and shared environmental factors. Could these results be replicated using full-siblings and half-siblings? In 911 009 full-siblings reared together (FSRT), 41 872 half-siblings reared together (HSRT) and 52 590 half-siblings reared apart (HSRA), CB was assessed from the Swedish Crime Register. Modeling, including testing for age differences and rearing status, was performed using the OpenMx package. Five sibling models were fitted examining FSRT and HSRT 0-2 years different in age, and both FSRT and HSRT, and FSRT, HSRT and HSRA 0-10 years different in age with and without a specified shared environment indexing age differences. Heritability estimates for CB ranged from 33 to 55% in females and 39 to 56% in males, similar to those found in our prior twin study on the same population. Estimates for the shared environment varied from 1 to 14% in females and 10 to 23% in males, lower than those estimated in the twin study. The specified shared environment indexed by sibling age differences was significant in all models tested. Heritability estimates for CB from full- and half-siblings closely approximated those found from twins in the same population, validating the twin method. Shared environmental estimates were lower, suggesting the presence of shared environmental factors for CB specific to twins. When rearing status can be assessed, full- and half-siblings offer an additional method for assessing the role of genetic and environmental factors in complex disorders. However, age differences in siblings may need to be included in the models.

Crossing Boundaries: A Qualitative Exploration of Relational Leadership in Three Full-Service Community Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, Mavis G.

2018-01-01

Background/Context: Full-service community schools provide comprehensive and coordinated resources and supports to meet the complex needs of children and families in low-income communities. Given their intentional focus on expanded networks of school, family, and community stakeholders, full-service community schools are particularly useful…

Effects of Spatial Scale on Cognitive Play in Preschool Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delong, Alton J.; And Others

1994-01-01

Examined effects of a reduced-scale play environment on the temporal aspects of complex play behavior. Children playing with playdough in a 7 x 5 x 5-foot structure began complex play more quickly, played in longer segments, and spent slightly more time in complex play than when in full-size conditions, suggesting that scale-reduced environments…

Refined two-index entropy and multiscale analysis for complex system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Songhan; Shang, Pengjian

2016-10-01

As a fundamental concept in describing complex system, entropy measure has been proposed to various forms, like Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) entropy, one-index entropy, two-index entropy, sample entropy, permutation entropy etc. This paper proposes a new two-index entropy Sq,δ and we find the new two-index entropy is applicable to measure the complexity of wide range of systems in the terms of randomness and fluctuation range. For more complex system, the value of two-index entropy is smaller and the correlation between parameter δ and entropy Sq,δ is weaker. By combining the refined two-index entropy Sq,δ with scaling exponent h(δ), this paper analyzes the complexities of simulation series and classifies several financial markets in various regions of the world effectively.

From 'Big 4' to 'Big 5': a review and epidemiological study on the relationship between psychiatric disorders and World Health Organization preventable diseases.

PubMed

Chartier, Gabrielle; Cawthorpe, David

2016-09-01

This study outlines the rationale and provides evidence in support of including psychiatric disorders in the World Health Organization's classification of preventable diseases. The methods used represent a novel approach to describe clinical pathways, highlighting the importance of considering the full range of comorbid disorders within an integrated population-based data repository. Review of literature focused on comorbidity in relation to the four preventable diseases identified by the World Health Organization. This revealed that only 29 publications over the last 5 years focus on populations and tend only to consider one or two comorbid disorders simultaneously in regard to any main preventable disease class. This article draws attention to the importance of physical and psychiatric comorbidity and illustrates the complexity related to describing clinical pathways in terms of understanding the etiological and prognostic clinical profile for patients. Developing a consistent and standardized approach to describe these features of disease has the potential to dramatically shift the format of both clinical practice and medical education when taking into account the complex relationships between and among diseases, such as psychiatric and physical disease, that, hitherto, have been largely unrelated in research.

Phycobilisome truncation causes widespread proteome changes in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

DOE PAGES

Liberton, Michelle; Chrisler, William B.; Nicora, Carrie D.; ...

2017-03-02

Here, cyanobacteria, such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, utilize large antenna systems to optimize light harvesting and energy transfer to reaction centers. Understanding the structure and function of these complexes, particularly when altered, will help direct bio-design efforts to optimize biofuel production. Three specific phycobilisome (PBS) complex truncation mutants were studied, ranging from progressive truncation of phycocyanin rods in the CB and CK strains, to full removal of all phycocyanin and allophycocyanin cores in the PAL mutant. We applied comprehensive proteomic analyses to investigate both direct and downstream molecular systems implications of each truncation. Results showed that PBS truncation inmore » Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 dramatically alters core cellular mechanisms beyond energy capture and electron transport, placing constraints upon cellular processes that dramatically altered phenotypes. This included primarily membrane associated functions and altered regulation of cellular resources (i.e., iron, nitrite/nitrate, bicarbonate). Additionally, each PBS truncation, though progressive in nature, exhibited unique phenotypes compare to WT, and hence we assert that in the current realm of extensive bioengineering and bio-design, there remains a continuing need to assess systems-wide protein based abundances to capture potential indirect phenotypic effects.« less

Phycobilisome truncation causes widespread proteome changes in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

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

Liberton, Michelle; Chrisler, William B.; Nicora, Carrie D.

Here, cyanobacteria, such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, utilize large antenna systems to optimize light harvesting and energy transfer to reaction centers. Understanding the structure and function of these complexes, particularly when altered, will help direct bio-design efforts to optimize biofuel production. Three specific phycobilisome (PBS) complex truncation mutants were studied, ranging from progressive truncation of phycocyanin rods in the CB and CK strains, to full removal of all phycocyanin and allophycocyanin cores in the PAL mutant. We applied comprehensive proteomic analyses to investigate both direct and downstream molecular systems implications of each truncation. Results showed that PBS truncation inmore » Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 dramatically alters core cellular mechanisms beyond energy capture and electron transport, placing constraints upon cellular processes that dramatically altered phenotypes. This included primarily membrane associated functions and altered regulation of cellular resources (i.e., iron, nitrite/nitrate, bicarbonate). Additionally, each PBS truncation, though progressive in nature, exhibited unique phenotypes compare to WT, and hence we assert that in the current realm of extensive bioengineering and bio-design, there remains a continuing need to assess systems-wide protein based abundances to capture potential indirect phenotypic effects.« less

Microgravity Effects on Water Supply and Substrate Properties in Porous Matrix Root Support Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, G. E.; Jones, S. B.; Or, D.; Podolski, I. G.; Levinskikh, M. A.; Sytchov, V. N.; Ivanova, T.; Kostov, P.; Sapunova, S.; Dandolov, I.; Bubenheim, D. B.; Jahns, G.

2000-12-01

The control of water content and water movement in granular substrate-based plant root systems in microgravity is a complex problem. Improper water and oxygen delivery to plant roots has delayed studies of the effects of microgravity on plant development and the use of plants in physical and mental life support systems. Our international effort (USA, Russia and Bulgaria) has upgraded the plant growth facilities on the Mir Orbital Station (OS) and used them to study the full life cycle of plants. The Bulgarian-Russian-developed Svet Space Greenhouse (SG) system was upgraded on the Mir OS in 1996. The US developed Gas Exchange Measurement System (GEMS) greatly extends the range of environmental parameters monitored. The Svet-GEMS complex was used to grow a fully developed wheat crop during 1996. The growth rate and development of these plants compared well with earth grown plants indicating that the root zone water and oxygen stresses that have limited plant development in previous long-duration experiments have been overcome. However, management of the root environment during this experiment involved several significant changes in control settings as the relationship between the water delivery system, water status sensors, and the substrate changed during the growth cycles.

The changing nature of life cycle assessment

PubMed Central

McManus, Marcelle C.; Taylor, Caroline M.

2015-01-01

LCA has evolved from its origins in energy analysis in the 1960s and 70s into a wide ranging tool used to determine impacts of products or systems over several environmental and resource issues. The approach has become more prevalent in research, industry and policy. Its use continues to expand as it seeks to encompass impacts as diverse as resource accounting and social well being. Carbon policy for bioenergy has driven many of these changes. Enabling assessment of complex issues over a life cycle basis is beneficial, but the process is sometimes difficult. LCA's use in framing is increasingly complex and more uncertain, and in some cases, irreconcilable. The charged environment surrounding biofuels and bioenergy exacerbates all of these. Reaching its full potential to help guide difficult policy discussions and emerging research involves successfully managing LCA's transition from attributional to consequential and from retrospective to prospective. This paper examines LCA's on-going evolution and its use within bioenergy deployment. The management of methodological growth in the context of the unique challenges associated with bioenergy and biofuels is explored. Changes seen in bioenergy LCA will bleed into other LCA arenas, especially where it is important that a sustainable solution is chosen. PMID:26664146

Isolation of a new two-dimensional honeycomb carbonato-bridged copper(II) complex exhibiting long-range ferromagnetic ordering.

PubMed

Majumder, Arpi; Choudhury, Chirantan Roy; Mitra, Samiran; Rosair, Georgina M; El Fallah, M Salah; Ribas, Joan

2005-04-28

Atmospheric CO2 fixation by an aqueous solution containing Cu(ClO4)2.6H2O and 4-aminopyridine (4-apy) yields a novel example of a two-dimensional mu3-CO3 bridged copper(II) complex {[Cu(4-apy)2]3(mu3-CO3)2(ClO4)2.(1/2)CH3OH}n that has been characterized by IR, UV and X-ray crystallography; preliminary magnetic measurements show that complex exhibits long-range ordered ferromagnetic coupling.

Computational Aerodynamic Analysis of Three-Dimensional Ice Shapes on a NACA 23012 Airfoil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jun, GaRam; Oliden, Daniel; Potapczuk, Mark G.; Tsao, Jen-Ching

2014-01-01

The present study identifies a process for performing computational fluid dynamic calculations of the flow over full three-dimensional (3D) representations of complex ice shapes deposited on aircraft surfaces. Rime and glaze icing geometries formed on a NACA23012 airfoil were obtained during testing in the NASA Glenn Research Centers Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). The ice shape geometries were scanned as a cloud of data points using a 3D laser scanner. The data point clouds were meshed using Geomagic software to create highly accurate models of the ice surface. The surface data was imported into Pointwise grid generation software to create the CFD surface and volume grids. It was determined that generating grids in Pointwise for complex 3D icing geometries was possible using various techniques that depended on the ice shape. Computations of the flow fields over these ice shapes were performed using the NASA National Combustion Code (NCC). Results for a rime ice shape for angle of attack conditions ranging from 0 to 10 degrees and for freestream Mach numbers of 0.10 and 0.18 are presented. For validation of the computational results, comparisons were made to test results from rapid-prototype models of the selected ice accretion shapes, obtained from a separate study in a subsonic wind tunnel at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The computational and experimental results were compared for values of pressure coefficient and lift. Initial results show fairly good agreement for rime ice accretion simulations across the range of conditions examined. The glaze ice results are promising but require some further examination.

Biological mechanisms supporting adaptation to ocean acidification in coastal ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendriks, Iris E.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Olsen, Ylva S.; Steckbauer, Alexandra; Ramajo, Laura; Moore, Tommy S.; Trotter, Julie A.; McCulloch, Malcolm

2015-01-01

The direct influence of anthropogenic CO2 might play a limited role in pH regulation in coastal ecosystems as pH regulation in these areas can be complex. They experience large variability across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, with complex external and internal drivers. Organisms influence pH at a patch scale, where community metabolic effects and hydrodynamic processes interact to produce broad ranges in pH, (˜0.3-0.5 pH units) over daily cycles and spatial scales (mm to m) particularly in shallow vegetated habitats and coral reefs where both respiration and photosynthetic activity are intense. Biological interactions at the ecosystem scale, linked to patchiness in habitat landscapes and seasonal changes in metabolic processes and temperature lead to changes of about 0.3-0.5 pH units throughout a year. Furthermore, on the scale of individual organisms, small-scale processes including changes at the Diffusive Boundary Layer (DBL), interactions with symbionts, and changes to the specific calcification environment, induce additional changes in excess of 0.5 pH units. In these highly variable pH environments calcifying organisms have developed the capacity to alter the pH of their calcifying environment, or specifically within critical tissues where calcification occurs, thus achieving a homeostasis. This capacity to control the conditions for calcification at the organism scale may therefore buffer the full impacts of ocean acidification on an organism scale, although this might be at a cost to the individual. Furthermore, in some areas, calcifiers may potentially benefit from changes to ambient seawater pH, where photosynthetic organisms drawdown CO2.

Computational Aerodynamic Analysis of Three-Dimensional Ice Shapes on a NACA 23012 Airfoil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jun, Garam; Oliden, Daniel; Potapczuk, Mark G.; Tsao, Jen-Ching

2014-01-01

The present study identifies a process for performing computational fluid dynamic calculations of the flow over full three-dimensional (3D) representations of complex ice shapes deposited on aircraft surfaces. Rime and glaze icing geometries formed on a NACA23012 airfoil were obtained during testing in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). The ice shape geometries were scanned as a cloud of data points using a 3D laser scanner. The data point clouds were meshed using Geomagic software to create highly accurate models of the ice surface. The surface data was imported into Pointwise grid generation software to create the CFD surface and volume grids. It was determined that generating grids in Pointwise for complex 3D icing geometries was possible using various techniques that depended on the ice shape. Computations of the flow fields over these ice shapes were performed using the NASA National Combustion Code (NCC). Results for a rime ice shape for angle of attack conditions ranging from 0 to 10 degrees and for freestream Mach numbers of 0.10 and 0.18 are presented. For validation of the computational results, comparisons were made to test results from rapid-prototype models of the selected ice accretion shapes, obtained from a separate study in a subsonic wind tunnel at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The computational and experimental results were compared for values of pressure coefficient and lift. Initial results show fairly good agreement for rime ice accretion simulations across the range of conditions examined. The glaze ice results are promising but require some further examination.

The Communication Strategy of NASA's Earth Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmon, R.; Ward, K.; Riebeek, H.; Allen, J.; Przyborski, P.; Scott, M.; Carlowicz, M. J.

2010-12-01

Climate change is a complex, multi-disciplinary subject. Accurately conveying this complexity to general audiences, while still communicating the basic facts, is challenging. Our approach is to combine climate change information with a wide range of Earth system science topics, illustrated by satellite imagery and data visualizations. NASA's Earth Observatory web site (earthobservatory.nasa.gov) uses the broad range of NASA's remote sensing technologies, data, and research to communicate climate change science. We serve two primary audiences: the "attentive public" --people interested in and willing to seek out information about science, technology, and the environment--and media. We cover the breadth of Earth science, with information about climate change integrated with stories about weather, geology, oceanography, and solar flares. Current event-driven imagery is used as a hook to draw readers. We then supply links to supplemental information, either about current research or the scientific basics. We use analogies, carefully explain jargon or acronyms, and build narratives which both attract readers and make information easier to remember. These narratives are accompanied by primers on topics like energy balance or the water cycle. Text is carefully integrated with illustrations and state-of-the-art data visualizations. Other site features include a growing list of climate questions and answers, addressing common misconceptions about global warming and climate change. Maps of global environmental parameters like temperature, rainfall, and vegetation show seasonal change and long-term trends. Blogs from researchers in the field provide a look at the day-to-day process of science. For the media, public domain imagery is supplied at full resolution and links are provided to primary sources.

Sinks without borders: Snowshoe hare dynamics in a complex landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffin, Paul C.; Mills, L. Scott

2009-01-01

A full understanding of population dynamics of wide-ranging animals should account for the effects that movement and habitat use have on individual contributions to population growth or decline. Quantifying the per-capita, habitat-specific contribution to population growth can clarify the value of different patch types, and help to differentiate population sources from population sinks. Snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus, routinely use various habitat types in the landscapes they inhabit in the contiguous US, where managing forests for high snowshoe hare density is a priority for conservation of Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis. We estimated density and demographic rates via mark–recapture live trapping and radio-telemetry within four forest stand structure (FSS) types at three study areas within heterogeneous managed forests in western Montana. We found support for known fate survival models with time-varying individual covariates representing the proportion of locations in each of the FSS types, with survival rates decreasing as use of open young and open mature FSS types increased. The per-capita contribution to overall population growth increased with use of the dense mature or dense young FSS types and decreased with use of the open young or open mature FSS types, and relatively high levels of immigration appear to be necessary to sustain hares in the open FSS types. Our results support a conceptual model for snowshoe hares in the southern range in which sink habitats (open areas) prevent the buildup of high hare densities. More broadly, we use this system to develop a novel approach to quantify demographic sources and sinks for animals making routine movements through complex fragmented landscapes.

Influence of Hydrophobicity on Polyelectrolyte Complexation

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

Sadman, Kazi; Wang, Qifeng; Chen, Yaoyao

Polyelectrolyte complexes are a fascinating class of soft materials that can span the full spectrum of mechanical properties from low viscosity fluids to glassy solids. This spectrum can be accessed by modulating the extent of electrostatic association in these complexes. However, to realize the full potential of polyelectrolyte complexes as functional materials their molecular level details need to be clearly correlated with their mechanical response. The present work demonstrates that by making simple amendments to the chain architecture it is possible to affect the salt responsiveness of polyelectrolyte complexes in a systematic manner. This is achieved by quaternizing poly(4-vinylpyridine) (QVP)more » with methyl, ethyl and propyl substituents– thereby increasing the hydrophobicity with increasing side chain length– and complexing them with a common anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(styrene sulfonate). The mechanical 1 ACS Paragon Plus Environment behavior of these complexes is compared to the more hydrophilic system of poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) by quantifying the swelling behavior in response to salt stimuli. More hydrophobic complexes are found to be more resistant to doping by salt, yet the mechanical properties of the complex remain contingent on the overall swelling ratio of the complex itself, following near universal swelling-modulus master curves that are quantified in this work. The rheological behavior of QVP complex coacervates are found to be approximately the same, only requiring higher salt concentrations to overcome strong hydrophobic interactions, demonstrating that hydrophobicity can be used as an important parameter for tuning the stability of polyelectrolyte complexes in general, while still preserving the ability to be processed “saloplastically”.« less

Influence of Hydrophobicity on Polyelectrolyte Complexation

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

Sadman, Kazi; Wang, Qifeng; Chen, Yaoyao

Polyelectrolyte complexes are a fascinating class of soft materials that can span the full spectrum of mechanical properties from low-viscosity fluids to glassy solids. This spectrum can be accessed by modulating the extent of electrostatic association in these complexes. However, to realize the full potential of polyelectrolyte complexes as functional materials, their molecular level details need to be clearly correlated with their mechanical response. The present work demonstrates that by making simple amendments to the chain architecture, it is possible to affect the salt responsiveness of polyelectrolyte complexes in a systematic manner. This is achieved by quaternizing poly(4-vinylpyridine) (QVP) withmore » methyl, ethyl, and propyl substituents—thereby increasing the hydrophobicity with increasing side chain length—and complexing them with a common anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(styrenesulfonate). The mechanical behavior of these complexes is compared to the more hydrophilic system of poly(styrenesulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) by quantifying the swelling behavior in response to salt stimuli. More hydrophobic complexes are found to be more resistant to doping by salt, yet the mechanical properties of the complex remain contingent on the overall swelling ratio of the complex itself, following near universal swelling–modulus master curves that are quantified in this work. Furthermore, the rheological behaviors of QVP complex coacervates are found to be approximately the same, only requiring higher salt concentrations to overcome strong hydrophobic interactions, demonstrating that hydrophobicity can be used as an important parameter for tuning the stability of polyelectrolyte complexes in general, while still preserving the ability to be processed “saloplastically”.« less

Influence of Hydrophobicity on Polyelectrolyte Complexation

DOE PAGES

Sadman, Kazi; Wang, Qifeng; Chen, Yaoyao; ...

2017-11-16

Polyelectrolyte complexes are a fascinating class of soft materials that can span the full spectrum of mechanical properties from low-viscosity fluids to glassy solids. This spectrum can be accessed by modulating the extent of electrostatic association in these complexes. However, to realize the full potential of polyelectrolyte complexes as functional materials, their molecular level details need to be clearly correlated with their mechanical response. The present work demonstrates that by making simple amendments to the chain architecture, it is possible to affect the salt responsiveness of polyelectrolyte complexes in a systematic manner. This is achieved by quaternizing poly(4-vinylpyridine) (QVP) withmore » methyl, ethyl, and propyl substituents—thereby increasing the hydrophobicity with increasing side chain length—and complexing them with a common anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(styrenesulfonate). The mechanical behavior of these complexes is compared to the more hydrophilic system of poly(styrenesulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) by quantifying the swelling behavior in response to salt stimuli. More hydrophobic complexes are found to be more resistant to doping by salt, yet the mechanical properties of the complex remain contingent on the overall swelling ratio of the complex itself, following near universal swelling–modulus master curves that are quantified in this work. Furthermore, the rheological behaviors of QVP complex coacervates are found to be approximately the same, only requiring higher salt concentrations to overcome strong hydrophobic interactions, demonstrating that hydrophobicity can be used as an important parameter for tuning the stability of polyelectrolyte complexes in general, while still preserving the ability to be processed “saloplastically”.« less

Visualization of DNA and Protein-DNA Complexes with Atomic Force Microscopy

PubMed Central

Lyubchenko, Yuri L.; Gall, Alexander A.; Shlyakhtenko, Luda S.

2014-01-01

This article describes sample preparation techniques for AFM imaging of DNA and protein–DNA complexes. The approach is based on chemical functionalization of the mica surface with aminopropyl silatrane (APS) to yield an APS-mica surface. This surface binds nucleic acids and nucleoprotein complexes in a wide range of ionic strengths, in the absence of divalent cations, and in a broad range of pH. The chapter describes the methodologies for the preparation of APS-mica surfaces and the preparation of samples for AFM imaging. The protocol for synthesis and purifi cation of APS is also provided. The AFM applications are illustrated with examples of images of DNA and protein–DNA complexes. PMID:24357372

Joint stability characteristics of the ankle complex after lateral ligamentous injury, part I: a laboratory comparison using arthrometric measurement.

PubMed

Kovaleski, John E; Heitman, Robert J; Gurchiek, Larry R; Hollis, J M; Liu, Wei; Pearsall, Albert W

2014-01-01

The mechanical property of stiffness may be important to investigating how lateral ankle ligament injury affects the behavior of the viscoelastic properties of the ankle complex. A better understanding of injury effects on tissue elastic characteristics in relation to joint laxity could be obtained from cadaveric study. To biomechanically determine the laxity and stiffness characteristics of the cadaver ankle complex before and after simulated injury to the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) during anterior drawer and inversion loading. Cross-sectional study. University research laboratory. Seven fresh-frozen cadaver ankle specimens. All ankles underwent loading before and after simulated lateral ankle injury using an ankle arthrometer. The dependent variables were anterior displacement, anterior end-range stiffness, inversion rotation, and inversion end-range stiffness. Isolated ATFL and combined ATFL and CFL sectioning resulted in increased anterior displacement but not end-range stiffness when compared with the intact ankle. With inversion loading, combined ATFL and CFL sectioning resulted in increased range of motion and decreased end-range stiffness when compared with the intact and ATFL-sectioned ankles. The absence of change in anterior end-range stiffness between the intact and ligament-deficient ankles indicated bony and other soft tissues functioned to maintain stiffness after pathologic joint displacement, whereas inversion loading of the CFL-deficient ankle after pathologic joint displacement indicated the ankle complex was less stiff when supported only by the secondary joint structures.

A New Clinical Pain Knowledge Test for Nurses: Development and Psychometric Evaluation.

PubMed

Bernhofer, Esther I; St Marie, Barbara; Bena, James F

2017-08-01

All nurses care for patients with pain, and pain management knowledge and attitude surveys for nurses have been around since 1987. However, no validated knowledge test exists to measure postlicensure clinicians' knowledge of the core competencies of pain management in current complex patient populations. To develop and test the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to measure pain management knowledge of postlicensure nurses. Psychometric instrument validation. Four large Midwestern U.S. hospitals. Registered nurses employed full time and part time August 2015 to April 2016, aged M = 43.25 years; time as RN, M = 16.13 years. Prospective survey design using e-mail to invite nurses to take an electronic multiple choice pain knowledge test. Content validity of initial 36-item test "very good" (95.1% agreement). Completed tests that met analysis criteria, N = 747. Mean initial test score, 69.4% correct (range 27.8-97.2). After revision/removal of 13 unacceptable questions, mean test score was 50.4% correct (range 8.7-82.6). Initial test item percent difficulty range was 15.2%-98.1%; discrimination values range, 0.03-0.50; final test item percent difficulty range, 17.6%-91.1%, discrimination values range, -0.04 to 1.04. Split-half reliability final test was 0.66. A high decision consistency reliability was identified, with test cut-score of 75%. The final 23-item Clinical Pain Knowledge Test has acceptable discrimination, difficulty, decision consistency, reliability, and validity in the general clinical inpatient nurse population. This instrument will be useful in assessing pain management knowledge of clinical nurses to determine gaps in education, evaluate knowledge after pain management education, and measure research outcomes. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controllability of Surface Water Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riasi, M. Sadegh; Yeghiazarian, Lilit

2017-12-01

To sustainably manage water resources, we must understand how to control complex networked systems. In this paper, we study surface water networks from the perspective of structural controllability, a concept that integrates classical control theory with graph-theoretic formalism. We present structural controllability theory and compute four metrics: full and target controllability, control centrality and control profile (FTCP) that collectively determine the structural boundaries of the system's control space. We use these metrics to answer the following questions: How does the structure of a surface water network affect its controllability? How to efficiently control a preselected subset of the network? Which nodes have the highest control power? What types of topological structures dominate controllability? Finally, we demonstrate the structural controllability theory in the analysis of a wide range of surface water networks, such as tributary, deltaic, and braided river systems.

Passive micromixers with dual helical channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Keyin; Yang, Qing; Chen, Feng; Zhao, Yulong; Meng, Xiangwei; Shan, Chao; Li, Yanyang

2015-02-01

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) micromixer with cross-linked double helical microchannels is studied to achieve rapid mixing of fluids at low Reynolds numbers (Re). The 3D micromixer takes full advantages of the chaotic advection model with helical microchannels; meanwhile, the proposed crossing structure of double helical microchannels enables two flow patterns of repelling flow and straight flow in the fluids to promote the agitation effect. The complex 3D micromixer is realized by an improved femtosecond laser wet etching (FLWE) technology embedded in fused silica. The mixing results show that cross-linked double helical microchannels can achieve excellent mixing within 3 cycles (300 μm) over a wide range of low Re (1.5×10-3~600), which compare well with the conventional passive micromixers. This highly-effective micromixer is hoped to contribute to the integration of microfluidic systems.

Quality cell therapy manufacturing by design.

PubMed

Lipsitz, Yonatan Y; Timmins, Nicholas E; Zandstra, Peter W

2016-04-01

Transplantation of live cells as therapeutic agents is poised to offer new treatment options for a wide range of acute and chronic diseases. However, the biological complexity of cells has hampered the translation of laboratory-scale experiments into industrial processes for reliable, cost-effective manufacturing of cell-based therapies. We argue here that a solution to this challenge is to design cell manufacturing processes according to quality-by-design (QbD) principles. QbD integrates scientific knowledge and risk analysis into manufacturing process development and is already being adopted by the biopharmaceutical industry. Many opportunities to incorporate QbD into cell therapy manufacturing exist, although further technology development is required for full implementation. Linking measurable molecular and cellular characteristics of a cell population to final product quality through QbD is a crucial step in realizing the potential for cell therapies to transform healthcare.

Using ILOG OPL-CPLEX and ILOG Optimization Decision Manager (ODM) to Develop Better Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2008-10-01

This session will provide an in-depth overview on building state-of-the-art decision support applications and models. You will learn how to harness the full power of the ILOG OPL-CPLEX-ODM Development System (ODMS) to develop optimization models and decision support applications that solve complex problems ranging from near real-time scheduling to long-term strategic planning. We will demonstrate how to use ILOG's Open Programming Language (OPL) to quickly model problems solved by ILOG CPLEX, and how to use ILOG ODM to gain further insight about the model. By the end of the session, attendees will understand how to take advantage of the powerful combination of ILOG OPL (to describe an optimization model) and ILOG ODM (to understand the relationships between data, decision variables and constraints).

On the mechanical theory for biological pattern formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bentil, D. E.; Murray, J. D.

1993-02-01

We investigate the pattern-forming potential of mechanical models in embryology proposed by Oster, Murray and their coworkers. We show that the presence of source terms in the tissue extracellular matrix and cell density equations give rise to spatio-temporal oscillations. An extension of one such model to include ‘biologically realistic long range effects induces the formation of stationary spatial patterns. Previous attempts to solve the full system were in one dimension only. We obtain solutions in one dimension and extend our simulations to two dimensions. We show that a single mechanical model alone is capable of generating complex but regular spatial patterns rather than the requirement of model interaction as suggested by Nagorcka et al. and Shaw and Murray. We discuss some biological applications of the models among which are would healing and formation of dermatoglyphic (fingerprint) patterns.

Hard x-ray scanning imaging achieved with bonded multilayer Laue lenses

DOE PAGES

Huang, Xiaojing; Xu, Weihe; Nazaretski, Evgeny; ...

2017-04-05

Here, we report scanning hard x-ray imaging with a monolithic focusing optic consisting of two multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs) bonded together. With optics pre-characterization and accurate control of the bonding process, we show that a common focal plane for both MLLs can be realized at 9.317 keV. Using bonded MLLs, we obtained a scanning transmission image of a star test pattern with a resolution of 50 × 50 nm 2. By applying a ptychography algorithm, we obtained a probe size of 17 × 38 nm 2 and an object image with a resolution of 13 × 13 nm 2. Finally,more » the significant reduction in alignment complexity for bonded MLLs will greatly extend the application range in both scanning and full-field x-ray microscopies.« less

Hierarchical quantum master equation approach to electronic-vibrational coupling in nonequilibrium transport through nanosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schinabeck, C.; Erpenbeck, A.; Härtle, R.; Thoss, M.

2016-11-01

Within the hierarchical quantum master equation (HQME) framework, an approach is presented, which allows a numerically exact description of nonequilibrium charge transport in nanosystems with strong electronic-vibrational coupling. The method is applied to a generic model of vibrationally coupled transport considering a broad spectrum of parameters ranging from the nonadiabatic to the adiabatic regime and including both resonant and off-resonant transport. We show that nonequilibrium effects are important in all these regimes. In particular, in the off-resonant transport regime, the inelastic cotunneling signal is analyzed for a vibrational mode in full nonequilibrium, revealing a complex interplay of different transport processes and deviations from the commonly used G0/2 rule of thumb. In addition, the HQME approach is used to benchmark approximate master equation and nonequilibrium Green's function methods.

Comparative diagnostics of allergy using quantitative immuno-PCR and ELISA.

PubMed

Simonova, Maria A; Pivovarov, Victor D; Ryazantsev, Dmitry Y; Dolgova, Anna S; Berzhets, Valentina M; Zavriev, Sergei K; Svirshchevskaya, Elena V

2018-05-01

Estimation of specific IgE is essential for the prevention of allergy progression. Quantitative immuno-PCR (qiPCR) can increase the sensitivity of IgE detection. We aimed to develop qiPCR and compare it to the conventional ELISA in identification of IgE to Alt a 1 and Fel d 1 allergens. Single stranded 60-mer DNA conjugated to streptavidin was used to detect antigen-IgE-biotin complex by qiPCR. In semi-logarithmic scale qiPCR data were linear in a full range of serum dilutions resulting in three- to ten-times higher sensitivity of qiPCR in comparison with ELISA in IgE estimation in low titer sera. Higher sensitivity of qiPCR in identification of low titer IgE is a result of a higher linearity of qiPCR data.

Hard x-ray scanning imaging achieved with bonded multilayer Laue lenses

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

Huang, Xiaojing; Xu, Weihe; Nazaretski, Evgeny

Here, we report scanning hard x-ray imaging with a monolithic focusing optic consisting of two multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs) bonded together. With optics pre-characterization and accurate control of the bonding process, we show that a common focal plane for both MLLs can be realized at 9.317 keV. Using bonded MLLs, we obtained a scanning transmission image of a star test pattern with a resolution of 50 × 50 nm 2. By applying a ptychography algorithm, we obtained a probe size of 17 × 38 nm 2 and an object image with a resolution of 13 × 13 nm 2. Finally,more » the significant reduction in alignment complexity for bonded MLLs will greatly extend the application range in both scanning and full-field x-ray microscopies.« less

Formation of non-spherical polymersomes driven by hydrophobic directional aromatic perylene interactions.

PubMed

Wong, Chin Ken; Mason, Alexander F; Stenzel, Martina H; Thordarson, Pall

2017-11-01

Polymersomes, made up of amphiphilic block copolymers, are emerging as a powerful tool in drug delivery and synthetic biology due to their high stability, chemical versatility, and surface modifiability. The full potential of polymersomes, however, has been hindered by a lack of versatile methods for shape control. Here we show that a range of non-spherical polymersome morphologies with anisotropic membranes can be obtained by exploiting hydrophobic directional aromatic interactions between perylene polymer units within the membrane structure. By controlling the extent of solvation/desolvation of the aromatic side chains through changes in solvent quality, we demonstrate facile access to polymersomes that are either ellipsoidal or tubular-shaped. Our results indicate that perylene aromatic interactions have a great potential in the design of non-spherical polymersomes and other structurally complex self-assembled polymer structures.

77 FR 6084 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; U.S. Navy Training in the Southern California Range Complex

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-07

... the Navy in SOCAL, the Hawaii Range Complex, and the Atlantic Fleet Active Sonar Training Study Area... estimated usage of two sonar systems, they remain well within the authorized 5-year source amounts and the... exercise report indicates that the Navy exceeded the average annual amount of two sonar systems during this...

A Study of Public Two-Year College Organizational Structure and Development of Technical Curricula. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, R. Stephen

This study examines the organization of public 2-year colleges and relates it with goal achievement as represented by curriculum size and complexity. The research questions concerned: (1) range and distribution of size and age in the colleges; (2) range and distribution of curriculum size and complexity; (3) the relation of increased size or age…

Riparian and upland small mammals on the east slope of the Cascade Range, Washington

Treesearch

John F. Lehmkuhl; Roger D. Peffer; Margaret A. O' Connell

2008-01-01

Differences in small mammal diversity and abundance between riparian and upland areas have not been consistently shown in the Pacific Northwest, and the issue is expected to be complex along the east slope of the Cascade Range with its complex biogeography and forest landscape structure. The information is important for evaluating buffer zone management and the...

REACH SPECIFIC CHANNEL STABILIZATION BASED ON COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF VALLEY FILL HISTORY, ALLUVIAL ARCHITECTURE AND GROUNDWATER HYDROLOGY IN A MOUNTAIN STREAM IN THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN, NEVADA

EPA Science Inventory

Kingston meadow, located in the Toiyabe Range, is one of many wet meadow complexes threatened by rapid channel incision in the mountain ranges of the central Great Basin. Channel incision can lower the baselevel for groundwater discharge and de-water meadow complexes resulting in...

Methods for semi-automated indexing for high precision information retrieval.

PubMed

Berrios, Daniel C; Cucina, Russell J; Fagan, Lawrence M

2002-01-01

To evaluate a new system, ISAID (Internet-based Semi-automated Indexing of Documents), and to generate textbook indexes that are more detailed and more useful to readers. Pilot evaluation: simple, nonrandomized trial comparing ISAID with manual indexing methods. Methods evaluation: randomized, cross-over trial comparing three versions of ISAID and usability survey. Pilot evaluation: two physicians. Methods evaluation: twelve physicians, each of whom used three different versions of the system for a total of 36 indexing sessions. Total index term tuples generated per document per minute (TPM), with and without adjustment for concordance with other subjects; inter-indexer consistency; ratings of the usability of the ISAID indexing system. Compared with manual methods, ISAID decreased indexing times greatly. Using three versions of ISAID, inter-indexer consistency ranged from 15% to 65% with a mean of 41%, 31%, and 40% for each of three documents. Subjects using the full version of ISAID were faster (average TPM: 5.6) and had higher rates of concordant index generation. There were substantial learning effects, despite our use of a training/run-in phase. Subjects using the full version of ISAID were much faster by the third indexing session (average TPM: 9.1). There was a statistically significant increase in three-subject concordant indexing rate using the full version of ISAID during the second indexing session (p < 0.05). Users of the ISAID indexing system create complex, precise, and accurate indexing for full-text documents much faster than users of manual methods. Furthermore, the natural language processing methods that ISAID uses to suggest indexes contributes substantially to increased indexing speed and accuracy.

Tree species classification in subtropical forests using small-footprint full-waveform LiDAR data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Lin; Coops, Nicholas C.; Innes, John L.; Dai, Jinsong; Ruan, Honghua; She, Guanghui

2016-07-01

The accurate classification of tree species is critical for the management of forest ecosystems, particularly subtropical forests, which are highly diverse and complex ecosystems. While airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology offers significant potential to estimate forest structural attributes, the capacity of this new tool to classify species is less well known. In this research, full-waveform metrics were extracted by a voxel-based composite waveform approach and examined with a Random Forests classifier to discriminate six subtropical tree species (i.e., Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.)), Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.), Slash pines (Pinus elliottii Engelm.), Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima Carruth.) and Chinese holly (Ilex chinensis Sims.) at three levels of discrimination. As part of the analysis, the optimal voxel size for modelling the composite waveforms was investigated, the most important predictor metrics for species classification assessed and the effect of scan angle on species discrimination examined. Results demonstrate that all tree species were classified with relatively high accuracy (68.6% for six classes, 75.8% for four main species and 86.2% for conifers and broadleaved trees). Full-waveform metrics (based on height of median energy, waveform distance and number of waveform peaks) demonstrated high classification importance and were stable among various voxel sizes. The results also suggest that the voxel based approach can alleviate some of the issues associated with large scan angles. In summary, the results indicate that full-waveform LIDAR data have significant potential for tree species classification in the subtropical forests.

Stability of scores for the Slosson Full-Range Intelligence Test.

PubMed

Williams, Thomas O; Eaves, Ronald C; Woods-Groves, Suzanne; Mariano, Gina

2007-08-01

The test-retest stability of the Slosson Full-Range Intelligence Test by Algozzine, Eaves, Mann, and Vance was investigated with test scores from a sample of 103 students. With a mean interval of 13.7 mo. and different examiners for each of the two test administrations, the test-retest reliability coefficients for the Full-Range IQ, Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Memory were .93, .85, .80, .80, and .83, respectively. Mean differences from the test-retest scores were not statistically significantly different for any of the scales. Results suggest that Slosson scores are stable over time even when different examiners administer the test.

Full Range of Motion Induces Greater Muscle Damage Than Partial Range of Motion in Elbow Flexion Exercise With Free Weights.

PubMed

Baroni, Bruno M; Pompermayer, Marcelo G; Cini, Anelize; Peruzzolo, Amanda S; Radaelli, Régis; Brusco, Clarissa M; Pinto, Ronei S

2017-08-01

Baroni, BM, Pompermayer, MG, Cini, A, Peruzzolo, AS, Radaelli, R, Brusco, CM, and Pinto, RS. Full range of motion induces greater muscle damage than partial range of motion in elbow flexion exercise with free weights. J Strength Cond Res 31(8): 2223-2230, 2017-Load and range of motion (ROM) applied in resistance training (RT) affect the muscle damage magnitude and the recovery time-course. Because exercises performed with partial ROM allow a higher load compared with those with full ROM, this study investigated the acute effect of a traditional RT exercise using full ROM or partial ROM on muscle damage markers. Fourteen healthy men performed 4 sets of 10 concentric-eccentric repetitions of unilateral elbow flexion on the Scott bench. Arms were randomly assigned to partial-ROM (50-100°) and full-ROM (0-130°) conditions, and load was determined as 80% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the full- and partial-ROM tests. Muscle damage markers were assessed preexercise, immediately, and 24, 48, and 72 hours after exercise. Primary outcomes were peak torque, muscle soreness during palpation and elbow extension, arm circumference, and joint ROM. The load lifted in the partial-ROM condition (1RM = 19.1 ± 3.0 kg) was 40 ± 18% higher compared with the full-ROM condition (1RM = 13.7 ± 2.2 kg). Seventy-two hours after exercise, the full-ROM condition led to significant higher soreness sensation during elbow extension (1.3-4.1 cm vs. 1.0-1.9 cm) and smaller ROM values (97.5-106.1° vs. 103.6-115.7°). Peak torque, soreness from palpation, and arm circumference were statistically similar between conditions, although mean values in all time points of these outcomes have suggested more expressive muscle damage for the full-ROM condition. In conclusion, elbow flexion exercise with full ROM seems to induce greater muscle damage than partial-ROM exercises, even though higher absolute load was achieved with partial ROM.

Science for managing ecosystem services: Beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

PubMed Central

Carpenter, Stephen R.; Mooney, Harold A.; Agard, John; Capistrano, Doris; DeFries, Ruth S.; Díaz, Sandra; Dietz, Thomas; Duraiappah, Anantha K.; Oteng-Yeboah, Alfred; Pereira, Henrique Miguel; Perrings, Charles; Reid, Walter V.; Sarukhan, José; Scholes, Robert J.; Whyte, Anne

2009-01-01

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) introduced a new framework for analyzing social–ecological systems that has had wide influence in the policy and scientific communities. Studies after the MA are taking up new challenges in the basic science needed to assess, project, and manage flows of ecosystem services and effects on human well-being. Yet, our ability to draw general conclusions remains limited by focus on discipline-bound sectors of the full social–ecological system. At the same time, some polices and practices intended to improve ecosystem services and human well-being are based on untested assumptions and sparse information. The people who are affected and those who provide resources are increasingly asking for evidence that interventions improve ecosystem services and human well-being. New research is needed that considers the full ensemble of processes and feedbacks, for a range of biophysical and social systems, to better understand and manage the dynamics of the relationship between humans and the ecosystems on which they rely. Such research will expand the capacity to address fundamental questions about complex social–ecological systems while evaluating assumptions of policies and practices intended to advance human well-being through improved ecosystem services. PMID:19179280

Environmental Illness and the Future of Healthcare: Chang-Rae Lee's On Such a Full Sea.

PubMed

Barrish, Phillip

2018-06-02

Chang-Rae Lee's 2014 novel On Such a Full Sea uses the genre of speculative fiction to reflect on longstanding healthcare debates in the United States that have recently crystalized around the Affordable Care Act. The novel imagines the political economy of healthcare in a future America devastated by environmental illness. What kind of care is available and to whom? Who provides it? Who pays for it? What about distribution and access? The different healthcare systems governing each of three geo-social zones in Lee's future society represent exaggerated versions of the scenarios participants in the ACA debate claim their opponents' health policies would produce. The essay argues that Lee's novel ultimately favors a version of universal government-funded care over a system based on supposed free-market principles, even as the novel also tries to make room for conservative Americans' fears about the specter of so-called "socialized medicine." More broadly, the essay contends that the health humanities should devote more attention to literary and artistic engagements with healthcare as a system: a complex set of financial models, public and private institutions, government policies, and actors whose roles range well beyond patient and care provider.

A survey of the state of the art and focused research in range systems, task 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yao, K.

1986-01-01

Many communication, control, and information processing subsystems are modeled by linear systems incorporating tapped delay lines (TDL). Such optimized subsystems result in full precision multiplications in the TDL. In order to reduce complexity and cost in a microprocessor implementation, these multiplications can be replaced by single-shift instructions which are equivalent to powers of two multiplications. Since, in general, the obvious operation of rounding the infinite precision TDL coefficients to the nearest powers of two usually yield quite poor system performance, the optimum powers of two coefficient solution was considered. Detailed explanations on the use of branch-and-bound algorithms for finding the optimum powers of two solutions are given. Specific demonstration of this methodology to the design of a linear data equalizer and its implementation in assembly language on a 8080 microprocessor with a 12 bit A/D converter are reported. This simple microprocessor implementation with optimized TDL coefficients achieves a system performance comparable to the optimum linear equalization with full precision multiplications for an input data rate of 300 baud. The philosophy demonstrated in this implementation is dully applicable to many other microprocessor controlled information processing systems.

Sequential chemical-biological processes for the treatment of industrial wastewaters: review of recent progresses and critical assessment.

PubMed

Guieysse, Benoit; Norvill, Zane N

2014-02-28

When direct wastewater biological treatment is unfeasible, a cost- and resource-efficient alternative to direct chemical treatment consists of combining biological treatment with a chemical pre-treatment aiming to convert the hazardous pollutants into more biodegradable compounds. Whereas the principles and advantages of sequential treatment have been demonstrated for a broad range of pollutants and process configurations, recent progresses (2011-present) in the field provide the basis for refining assessment of feasibility, costs, and environmental impacts. This paper thus reviews recent real wastewater demonstrations at pilot and full scale as well as new process configurations. It also discusses new insights on the potential impacts of microbial community dynamics on process feasibility, design and operation. Finally, it sheds light on a critical issue that has not yet been properly addressed in the field: integration requires complex and tailored optimization and, of paramount importance to full-scale application, is sensitive to uncertainty and variability in the inputs used for process design and operation. Future research is therefore critically needed to improve process control and better assess the real potential of sequential chemical-biological processes for industrial wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

There is Diversity in Disorder-"In all Chaos there is a Cosmos, in all Disorder a Secret Order".

PubMed

Nielsen, Jakob T; Mulder, Frans A A

2016-01-01

The protein universe consists of a continuum of structures ranging from full order to complete disorder. As the structured part of the proteome has been intensively studied, stably folded proteins are increasingly well documented and understood. However, proteins that are fully, or in large part, disordered are much less well characterized. Here we collected NMR chemical shifts in a small database for 117 protein sequences that are known to contain disorder. We demonstrate that NMR chemical shift data can be brought to bear as an exquisite judge of protein disorder at the residue level, and help in validation. With the help of secondary chemical shift analysis we demonstrate that the proteins in the database span the full spectrum of disorder, but still, largely segregate into two classes; disordered with small segments of order scattered along the sequence, and structured with small segments of disorder inserted between the different structured regions. A detailed analysis reveals that the distribution of order/disorder along the sequence shows a complex and asymmetric distribution, that is highly protein-dependent. Access to ratified training data further suggests an avenue to improving prediction of disorder from sequence.

Robotic partial nephrectomy for complex renal tumors: surgical technique.

PubMed

Rogers, Craig G; Singh, Amar; Blatt, Adam M; Linehan, W Marston; Pinto, Peter A

2008-03-01

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy requires advanced training to accomplish tumor resection and renal reconstruction while minimizing warm ischemia times. Complex renal tumors add an additional challenge to a minimally invasive approach to nephron-sparing surgery. We describe our technique, illustrated with video, of robotic partial nephrectomy for complex renal tumors, including hilar, endophytic, and multiple tumors. Robotic assistance was used to resect 14 tumors in eight patients (mean age: 50.3 yr; range: 30-68 yr). Three patients had hereditary kidney cancer. All patients had complex tumor features, including hilar tumors (n=5), endophytic tumors (n=4), and/or multiple tumors (n=3). Robotic partial nephrectomy procedures were performed successfully without complications. Hilar clamping was used with a mean warm ischemia time of 31 min (range: 24-45 min). Mean blood loss was 230 ml (range: 100-450 ml). Histopathology confirmed clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (n=3), hybrid oncocytic tumor (n=2), chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (n=2), and oncocytoma (n=1). All patients had negative surgical margins. Mean index tumor size was 3.6 cm (range: 2.6-6.4 cm). Mean hospital stay was 2.6 d. At 3-mo follow-up, no patients experienced a statistically significant change in serum creatinine or estimated glomerular filtration rate and there was no evidence of tumor recurrence. Robotic partial nephrectomy is safe and feasible for select patients with complex renal tumors, including hilar, endophytic, and multiple tumors. Robotic assistance may facilitate a minimally invasive, nephron-sparing approach for select patients with complex renal tumors who might otherwise require open surgery or total nephrectomy.

CLOSED-CYCLE TEXTILE DYEING: FULL-SCALE HYPERFILTRATION DEMONSTRATION

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a project of joining a full-scale dynamic-membrane hyperfiltration (HF) system with an operating dye range. (HF is a membrane separation technique that has been used successfully to desalinate natural water. The dye range is a multi-purpose unit with a...

ISS Operations Cost Reductions Through Automation of Real-Time Planning Tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Timothy A.; Clancey, William J.; McDonald, Aaron; Toschlog, Jason; Tucker, Tyson; Khan, Ahmed; Madrid, Steven (Eric)

2011-01-01

In 2007 the Johnson Space Center s Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) management team challenged their organizations to find ways to reduce the cost of operations for supporting the International Space Station (ISS) in the Mission Control Center (MCC). Each MOD organization was asked to define and execute projects that would help them attain cost reductions by 2012. The MOD Operations Division Flight Planning Branch responded to this challenge by launching several software automation projects that would allow them to greatly improve console operations and reduce ISS console staffing and intern reduce operating costs. These tasks ranged from improving the management and integration mission plan changes, to automating the uploading and downloading of information to and from the ISS and the associated ground complex tasks that required multiple decision points. The software solutions leveraged several different technologies including customized web applications and implementation of industry standard web services architecture; as well as engaging a previously TRL 4-5 technology developed by Ames Research Center (ARC) that utilized an intelligent agent-based system to manage and automate file traffic flow, archive data, and generate console logs. These projects to date have allowed the MOD Operations organization to remove one full time (7 x 24 x 365) ISS console position in 2010; with the goal of eliminating a second full time ISS console support position by 2012. The team will also reduce one long range planning console position by 2014. When complete, these Flight Planning Branch projects will account for the elimination of 3 console positions and a reduction in staffing of 11 engineering personnel (EP) for ISS.

Electronic behavior of highly correlated metals

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

Reich, A.

1988-10-01

This thesis addresses the question of the strongly interacting many-body problem: that is, systems where the interparticle correlations are so strong as to defy perturbative approaches. These subtle correlations occur in narrow band materials, such as the lanthanides and actinides, wherein the f-electrons are so localized that a variety of new phenomena, including intermediate-valence and heavy-fermionic behavior, may occur. As well, one has the alloying problem, where local interactions are paramount in determining the overall behavior. The technique employed in dealing with these systems is the Small Cluster method, wherein the full many-body Hamiltonian for a small grouping of atoms,more » coupled with periodic boundary conditions, is solved exactly. This is tantamount to solving a bulk crystal at the high points of symmetry in the Brillouin Zone. The mathematical overhead is further reduced by employing the full space group and spin symmetries. By its very nature, the Small Cluster method is well able to handle short-range interactions, as well as the combinatorial complexity of the many-body problem, on an equal footing. The nature of long-range order and phase transition behavior cannot be incorporated, but sometimes clues as to their origin can be discerned. The calculations presented include: a two-band Anderson model for an intermediate-valence system, wherein photoemission and fluctuation behavior is examined; a single-band Hubbard model for a ternary alloy system, such as copper-silver-gold; and a Hubbard model for a heavy- fermion system, wherein Fermi surface, transport, magnetic and superconducting properties are discussed. 148 refs., 31 figs., 24 tabs.« less

A comparison of image interpretation times in full field digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astley, Susan; Connor, Sophie; Lim, Yit; Tate, Catriona; Entwistle, Helen; Morris, Julie; Whiteside, Sigrid; Sergeant, Jamie; Wilson, Mary; Beetles, Ursula; Boggis, Caroline; Gilbert, Fiona

2013-03-01

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) provides three-dimensional images of the breast that enable radiologists to discern whether densities are due to overlapping structures or lesions. To aid assessment of the cost-effectiveness of DBT for screening, we have compared the time taken to interpret DBT images and the corresponding two-dimensional Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) images. Four Consultant Radiologists experienced in reading FFDM images (4 years 8 months to 8 years) with training in DBT interpretation but more limited experience (137-407 cases in the past 6 months) were timed reading between 24 and 32 two view FFDM and DBT cases. The images were of women recalled from screening for further assessment and women under surveillance because of a family history of breast cancer. FFDM images were read before DBT, according to local practice. The median time for readers to interpret FFDM images was 17.0 seconds, with an interquartile range of 12.3-23.6 seconds. For DBT, the median time was 66.0 seconds, and the interquartile range was 51.1-80.5 seconds. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Reading times were significantly longer in family history clinics (p<0.01). Although it took approximately four times as long to interpret DBT than FFDM images, the cases were more complex than would be expected for routine screening, and with higher mammographic density. The readers were relatively inexperienced in DBT interpretation and may increase their speed over time. The difference in times between clinics may be due to increased throughput at assessment, or decreased density.

A morphogram for silica-witherite biomorphs and its application to microfossil identification in the early earth rock record.

PubMed

Rouillard, J; García-Ruiz, J-M; Gong, J; van Zuilen, M A

2018-05-01

Archean hydrothermal environments formed a likely site for the origin and early evolution of life. These are also the settings, however, were complex abiologic structures can form. Low-temperature serpentinization of ultramafic crust can generate alkaline, silica-saturated fluids in which carbonate-silica crystalline aggregates with life-like morphologies can self-assemble. These "biomorphs" could have adsorbed hydrocarbons from Fischer-Tropsch type synthesis processes, leading to metamorphosed structures that resemble carbonaceous microfossils. Although this abiogenic process has been extensively cited in the literature and has generated important controversy, so far only one specific biomorph type with a filamentous shape has been discussed for the interpretation of Archean microfossils. It is therefore critical to precisely determine the full distribution in morphology and size of these biomorphs, and to study the range of plausible geochemical conditions under which these microstructures can form. Here, a set of witherite-silica biomorph synthesis experiments in silica-saturated solutions is presented, for a range of pH values (from 9 to 11.5) and barium ion concentrations (from 0.6 to 40 mmol/L BaCl 2 ). Under these varying conditions, a wide range of life-like structures is found, from fractal dendrites to complex shapes with continuous curvature. The size, spatial concentration, and morphology of the biomorphs are strongly controlled by environmental parameters, among which pH is the most important. This potentially limits the diversity of environments in which the growth of biomorphs could have occurred on Early Earth. Given the variety of the observed biomorph morphologies, our results show that the morphology of an individual microstructure is a poor criterion for biogenicity. However, biomorphs may be distinguished from actual populations of cellular microfossils by their wide, unimodal size distribution. Biomorphs grown by diffusion in silica gel can be differentiated by their continuous gradient in size, spatial density, and morphology along the direction of diffusion. © 2018 The Authors. Geobiology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Achieving sub-millimetre precision with a solid-state full-field heterodyning range imaging camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorrington, A. A.; Cree, M. J.; Payne, A. D.; Conroy, R. M.; Carnegie, D. A.

2007-09-01

We have developed a full-field solid-state range imaging system capable of capturing range and intensity data simultaneously for every pixel in a scene with sub-millimetre range precision. The system is based on indirect time-of-flight measurements by heterodyning intensity-modulated illumination with a gain modulation intensified digital video camera. Sub-millimetre precision to beyond 5 m and 2 mm precision out to 12 m has been achieved. In this paper, we describe the new sub-millimetre class range imaging system in detail, and review the important aspects that have been instrumental in achieving high precision ranging. We also present the results of performance characterization experiments and a method of resolving the range ambiguity problem associated with homodyne and heterodyne ranging systems.

Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutonism and deformation in the Skagit Gneiss Complex, north Cascade Range, Washington and British Columbia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haugerud, R.A.; Van Der Heyden, P.; Tabor, R.W.; Stacey, J.S.; Zartman, R.E.

1991-01-01

The Skagit Gneiss Complex forms a more-or-less continuous terrane within the North Cascade Range. The complex comprises abundant plutons intruded at mid-crustal depths into a variety of metamorphosed supracrustal rocks of both oceanic and volcanic-arc origin. U-Pb zircon ages from gneissis plutons within and near the Skagit Gneiss Complex indicate magmatic crystallziations between 75 and 60 Ma. Deformation, recrystallization, and migmatization in part postdate intrusion of the 75-60 Ma plutons. This latest Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary plutonism and migmatization may reflect thermal relaxation following early Late Cretaceous orogeny. The complex was ductilely extended northwest-southeast shortly after intrusion of granite dikes at ~45 Ma, but before emplacement of the earliest (~34 Ma) plutons of the Cascade arc. -from Authors

Membrane related dynamics and the formation of actin in cells growing on micro-topographies: a spatial computational model.

PubMed

Bittig, Arne T; Matschegewski, Claudia; Nebe, J Barbara; Stählke, Susanne; Uhrmacher, Adelinde M

2014-09-09

Intra-cellular processes of cells at the interface to an implant surface are influenced significantly by their extra-cellular surrounding. Specifically, when growing osteoblasts on titanium surfaces with regular micro-ranged geometry, filaments are shorter, less aligned and they concentrate at the top of the geometric structures. Changes to the cytoskeleton network, i. e., its localization, alignment, orientation, and lengths of the filaments, as well as the overall concentration and distribution of key-actors are induced. For example, integrin is distributed homogeneously, whereas integrin in activated state and vinculin, both components of focal adhesions, have been found clustered on the micro-ranged geometries. Also, the concentration of Rho, an intracellular signaling protein related to focal adhesion regulation, was significantly lower. To explore whether regulations associated with the focal adhesion complex can be responsible for the changed actin filament patterns, a spatial computational model has been developed using ML-Space, a rule-based model description language, and its associated Brownian-motion-based simulator. The focus has been on the deactivation of cofilin in the vicinity of the focal adhesion complex. The results underline the importance of sensing mechanisms to support a clustering of actin filament nucleations on the micro-ranged geometries, and of intracellular diffusion processes, which lead to spatially heterogeneous distributions of active (dephosphorylated) cofilin, which in turn influences the organization of the actin network. We find, for example, that the spatial heterogeneity of key molecular actors can explain the difference in filament lengths in cells on different micro-geometries partly, but to explain the full extent, further model assumptions need to be added and experimentally validated. In particular, our findings and hypothesis referring to the role, distribution, and amount of active cofilin have still to be verified in wet-lab experiments. Letting cells grow on surface structures is a possibility to shed new light on the intricate mechanisms that relate membrane and actin related dynamics in the cell. Our results demonstrate the need for declarative expressive spatial modeling approaches that allow probing different hypotheses, and the central role of the focal adhesion complex not only for nucleating actin filaments, but also for regulating possible severing agents locally.

Membrane related dynamics and the formation of actin in cells growing on micro-topographies: a spatial computational model

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Intra-cellular processes of cells at the interface to an implant surface are influenced significantly by their extra-cellular surrounding. Specifically, when growing osteoblasts on titanium surfaces with regular micro-ranged geometry, filaments are shorter, less aligned and they concentrate at the top of the geometric structures. Changes to the cytoskeleton network, i. e., its localization, alignment, orientation, and lengths of the filaments, as well as the overall concentration and distribution of key-actors are induced. For example, integrin is distributed homogeneously, whereas integrin in activated state and vinculin, both components of focal adhesions, have been found clustered on the micro-ranged geometries. Also, the concentration of Rho, an intracellular signaling protein related to focal adhesion regulation, was significantly lower. Results To explore whether regulations associated with the focal adhesion complex can be responsible for the changed actin filament patterns, a spatial computational model has been developed using ML-Space, a rule-based model description language, and its associated Brownian-motion-based simulator. The focus has been on the deactivation of cofilin in the vicinity of the focal adhesion complex. The results underline the importance of sensing mechanisms to support a clustering of actin filament nucleations on the micro-ranged geometries, and of intracellular diffusion processes, which lead to spatially heterogeneous distributions of active (dephosphorylated) cofilin, which in turn influences the organization of the actin network. We find, for example, that the spatial heterogeneity of key molecular actors can explain the difference in filament lengths in cells on different micro-geometries partly, but to explain the full extent, further model assumptions need to be added and experimentally validated. In particular, our findings and hypothesis referring to the role, distribution, and amount of active cofilin have still to be verified in wet-lab experiments. Conclusion Letting cells grow on surface structures is a possibility to shed new light on the intricate mechanisms that relate membrane and actin related dynamics in the cell. Our results demonstrate the need for declarative expressive spatial modeling approaches that allow probing different hypotheses, and the central role of the focal adhesion complex not only for nucleating actin filaments, but also for regulating possible severing agents locally. PMID:25200251

Transformational Teaching: Connecting the Full-Range Leadership Theory and Graduate Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Won J.

2012-01-01

Reliable measurements for effective teaching are lacking. In contrast, some theories of leadership (particularly transformational leadership) have been tested and found to have efficacy in a variety of organizational settings. In this study, the full-range leadership theory, which includes transformational leadership, was applied to the…

Complexation of carboxylate on smectite surfaces.

PubMed

Liu, Xiandong; Lu, Xiancai; Zhang, Yingchun; Zhang, Chi; Wang, Rucheng

2017-07-19

We report a first principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) study of carboxylate complexation on clay surfaces. By taking acetate as a model carboxylate, we investigate its inner-sphere complexes adsorbed on clay edges (including (010) and (110) surfaces) and in interlayer space. Simulations show that acetate forms stable monodentate complexes on edge surfaces and a bidentate complex with Ca 2+ in the interlayer region. The free energy calculations indicate that the complexation on edge surfaces is slightly more stable than in interlayer space. By integrating pK a s and desorption free energies of Al coordinated water calculated previously (X. Liu, X. Lu, E. J. Meijer, R. Wang and H. Zhou, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2012, 81, 56-68; X. Liu, J. Cheng, M. Sprik, X. Lu and R. Wang, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2014, 140, 410-417), the pH dependence of acetate complexation has been revealed. It shows that acetate forms inner-sphere complexes on (110) in a very limited mildly acidic pH range while it can complex on (010) in the whole common pH range. The results presented in this study form a physical basis for understanding the geochemical processes involving clay-organics interactions.

Fuzzy logic modeling of the resistivity parameter and topography features for aquifer assessment in hydrogeological investigation of a crystalline basement complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adabanija, M. A.; Omidiora, E. O.; Olayinka, A. I.

2008-05-01

A linguistic fuzzy logic system (LFLS)-based expert system model has been developed for the assessment of aquifers for the location of productive water boreholes in a crystalline basement complex. The model design employed a multiple input/single output (MISO) approach with geoelectrical parameters and topographic features as input variables and control crisp value as the output. The application of the method to the data acquired in Khondalitic terrain, a basement complex in Vizianagaram District, south India, shows that potential groundwater resource zones that have control output values in the range 0.3295-0.3484 have a yield greater than 6,000 liters per hour (LPH). The range 0.3174-0.3226 gives a yield less than 4,000 LPH. The validation of the control crisp value using data acquired from Oban Massif, a basement complex in southeastern Nigeria, indicates a yield less than 3,000 LPH for control output values in the range 0.2938-0.3065. This validation corroborates the ability of control output values to predict a yield, thereby vindicating the applicability of linguistic fuzzy logic system in siting productive water boreholes in a basement complex.

Epiphytic lichen diversity and biomass in low-elevation forests of the eastern Washington Cascade range, USA.

Treesearch

John F. Lehmkuhl

2004-01-01

cover types in the eastern Washington Cascade range. Cover types represented a temperature/moisture and stand structural complexity gradient. Lichen litterfall biomass increased with increasing stand complexity and moisture. Lichen litterfall biomass was 3.42 kg/ha in open pine stands, 7.51 kg/ha in young mixed-species stands, 8.55 kg/ha in mature mixed-species stands...

D.C. electrical conductivity and conduction mechanism of some azo sulfonyl quinoline ligands and uranyl complexes.

PubMed

El-Ghamaz, N A; Diab, M A; El-Sonbati, A Z; Salem, O L

2011-12-01

Supramolecular coordination of dioxouranium(VI) heterochelates 5-sulphono-7-(4'-X phenylazo)-8-hydroxyquinoline HL(n) (n=1, X=CH(3); n=2, X=H; n=3, X=Cl; n=4, X=NO(2)) have been prepared and characterized with various physico-chemical techniques. The infrared spectral studies showed a monobasic bidentate behavior with the oxygen and azonitrogen donor system. The temperature dependence of the D.C. electrical conductivity of HL(n) ligands and their uranyl complexes has been studied in the temperature range 305-415 K. The thermal activation energies E(a) for HL(n) compounds were found to be in the range 0.44-0.9 eV depending on the nature of the substituent X. The complexation process decreased E(a) values to the range 0.043-045 eV. The electrical conduction mechanism has been investigated for all samples under investigation. It was found to obey the variable range hopping mechanism (VRH). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cumulative trauma and symptom complexity in children: a path analysis.

PubMed

Hodges, Monica; Godbout, Natacha; Briere, John; Lanktree, Cheryl; Gilbert, Alicia; Kletzka, Nicole Taylor

2013-11-01

Multiple trauma exposures during childhood are associated with a range of psychological symptoms later in life. In this study, we examined whether the total number of different types of trauma experienced by children (cumulative trauma) is associated with the complexity of their subsequent symptomatology, where complexity is defined as the number of different symptom clusters simultaneously elevated into the clinical range. Children's symptoms in six different trauma-related areas (e.g., depression, anger, posttraumatic stress) were reported both by child clients and their caretakers in a clinical sample of 318 children. Path analysis revealed that accumulated exposure to multiple different trauma types predicts symptom complexity as reported by both children and their caretakers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional role of the MrpA- and MrpD-homologous protein subunits in enzyme complexes evolutionary related to respiratory chain complex I.

PubMed

Moparthi, Vamsi K; Kumar, Brijesh; Al-Eryani, Yusra; Sperling, Eva; Górecki, Kamil; Drakenberg, Torbjörn; Hägerhäll, Cecilia

2014-01-01

NADH:quinone oxidoreductase or complex I is a large membrane bound enzyme complex that has evolved from the combination of smaller functional building blocks. Intermediate size enzyme complexes exist in nature that comprise some, but not all of the protein subunits in full size 14-subunit complex I. The membrane spanning complex I subunits NuoL, NuoM and NuoN are homologous to each other and to two proteins from one particular class of Na(+)/H(+) antiporters, denoted MrpA and MrpD. In complex I, these ion transporter protein subunits are prime candidates for harboring important parts of the proton pumping machinery. Using a model system, consisting of Bacillus subtilis MrpA and MrpD deletion strains and a low copy expression plasmid, it was recently demonstrated that NuoN can rescue the strain deleted for MrpD but not that deleted for MrpA, whereas the opposite tendency was seen for NuoL. This demonstrated that the MrpA-type and MrpD-type proteins have unique functional specializations. In this work, the corresponding antiporter-like protein subunits from the smaller enzymes evolutionarily related to complex I were tested in the same model system. The subunits from 11-subunit complex I from Bacillus cereus behaved essentially as those from full size complex I, corroborating that this enzyme should be regarded as a bona fide complex I. The hydrogenase-3 and hydrogenase-4 antiporter-like proteins on the other hand, could substitute equally well for MrpA or MrpD at pH7.4, suggesting that these enzymes have intermediate forms of the antiporter-like proteins, which seemingly lack the functional specificity. © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pedigree- and SNP-Associated Genetics and Recent Environment are the Major Contributors to Anthropometric and Cardiometabolic Trait Variation.

PubMed

Xia, Charley; Amador, Carmen; Huffman, Jennifer; Trochet, Holly; Campbell, Archie; Porteous, David; Hastie, Nicholas D; Hayward, Caroline; Vitart, Veronique; Navarro, Pau; Haley, Chris S

2016-02-01

Genome-wide association studies have successfully identified thousands of loci for a range of human complex traits and diseases. The proportion of phenotypic variance explained by significant associations is, however, limited. Given the same dense SNP panels, mixed model analyses capture a greater proportion of phenotypic variance than single SNP analyses but the total is generally still less than the genetic variance estimated from pedigree studies. Combining information from pedigree relationships and SNPs, we examined 16 complex anthropometric and cardiometabolic traits in a Scottish family-based cohort comprising up to 20,000 individuals genotyped for ~520,000 common autosomal SNPs. The inclusion of related individuals provides the opportunity to also estimate the genetic variance associated with pedigree as well as the effects of common family environment. Trait variation was partitioned into SNP-associated and pedigree-associated genetic variation, shared nuclear family environment, shared couple (partner) environment and shared full-sibling environment. Results demonstrate that trait heritabilities vary widely but, on average across traits, SNP-associated and pedigree-associated genetic effects each explain around half the genetic variance. For most traits the recently-shared environment of couples is also significant, accounting for ~11% of the phenotypic variance on average. On the other hand, the environment shared largely in the past by members of a nuclear family or by full-siblings, has a more limited impact. Our findings point to appropriate models to use in future studies as pedigree-associated genetic effects and couple environmental effects have seldom been taken into account in genotype-based analyses. Appropriate description of the trait variation could help understand causes of intra-individual variation and in the detection of contributing loci and environmental factors.

Strategies to improve adherence to medications for cardiovascular diseases in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations: a systematic review.

PubMed

Laba, Tracey-Lea; Bleasel, Jonathan; Brien, Jo-Anne; Cass, Alan; Howard, Kirsten; Peiris, David; Redfern, Julie; Salam, Abdul; Usherwood, Tim; Jan, Stephen

2013-09-10

Medication non-adherence poses a major barrier to reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden globally, and is increasingly recognised as a socioeconomically determined problem. Strategies promoting CVD medication adherence appear of moderate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Potentially, 'one-size-fits-all' measures are ill-equipped to address heterogeneous adherence behaviour between social groups. This review aims to determine the effects of strategies to improve adherence to CVD-related medications in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Randomised/quasi-randomised controlled trials (1996-June 2012, English), testing strategies to increase adherence to CVD-related medications prescribed to adult patients who may experience health inequity (place of residence, occupation, education, or socioeconomic position) were reviewed. 772 abstracts were screened, 111 full-text articles retrieved, and 16 full-text articles reporting on 14 studies, involving 7739 patients (age range 41-66 years), were included. Methodological and clinical heterogeneity precluded quantitative data synthesis. Studies were thematically grouped by targeted outcomes; underlying interventions and policies were classified using Michie et al.'s Behaviour Change Wheel. Contrasting with patient or physician/practice strategies, those simultaneously directed at patients and physicians/practices resulted in statistically significant improvements in relative adherence (16-169%). Comparative cost and cost-effectiveness analyses from three studies did not find cost-saving or cost-effective strategies. Unlike much current evidence in general populations, promising evidence exists about what strategies improve adherence in disadvantaged groups. These strategies were generally complex: simultaneously targeting patients and physicians; addressing social, financial, and treatment-related adherence barriers; and supported by broader guidelines, regulatory and communication-based policies. Given their complexity and potential resource implications, comprehensive process evaluations and cost and cost-effectiveness evidence are urgently needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative description and local structures of trivalent metal ions Eu(III) and Cm(III) complexed with polyacrylic acid.

PubMed

Montavon, G; Bouby, M; Huclier-Markai, S; Grambow, B; Geckeis, H; Rabung, T; Pashalidis, I; Amekraz, B; Moulin, C

2008-11-15

The trivalent metal ion (M(III)=Cm, Eu)/polyacrylic acid (PAA) system was studied in the pH range between 3 and 5.5 for a molar PAA-to-metal ratio above 1. The interaction was studied for a wide range of PAA (0.05 mg L(-1)-50 g L(-1)) and metal ion concentrations (2x10(-9)-10(-3) M). This work aimed at 3 goals (i) to determine the stoichiometry of M(III)-PAA complexes, (ii) to determine the number of complexed species and the local environment of the metal ion, and (iii) to quantify the reaction processes. Asymmetric flow-field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF) coupled to ICP-MS evidenced that size distributions of Eu-PAA complexes and PAA were identical, suggesting that Eu bound to only one PAA chain. Time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) measurements performed with Eu and Cm showed a continuous shift of the spectra with increasing pH. The environment of complexed metal ions obviously changes with pH. Most probably, spectral variations arose from conformational changes within the M(III)-PAA complex due to pH variation. Complexation data describing the distribution of complexed and free metal ion were measured with Cm by TRLFS. They could be quantitatively described in the whole pH-range studied by considering the existence of only a single complexed species. This indicates that the slight changes in M(III) speciation with pH observed at the molecular level do not significantly affect the intrinsic binding constant. The interaction constant obtained from the modelling must be considered as a mean interaction constant.

Electrostatic Interactions in the Binding Pathway of a Transient Protein Complex Studied by NMR and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry*

PubMed Central

Meneses, Erick; Mittermaier, Anthony

2014-01-01

Much of our knowledge of protein binding pathways is derived from extremely stable complexes that interact very tightly, with lifetimes of hours to days. Much less is known about weaker interactions and transient complexes because these are challenging to characterize experimentally. Nevertheless, these types of interactions are ubiquitous in living systems. The combination of NMR relaxation dispersion Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) experiments and isothermal titration calorimetry allows the quantification of rapid binding kinetics for complexes with submillisecond lifetimes that are difficult to study using conventional techniques. We have used this approach to investigate the binding pathway of the Src homology 3 (SH3) domain from the Fyn tyrosine kinase, which forms complexes with peptide targets whose lifetimes are on the order of about a millisecond. Long range electrostatic interactions have been shown to play a critical role in the binding pathways of tightly binding complexes. The role of electrostatics in the binding pathways of transient complexes is less well understood. Similarly to previously studied tight complexes, we find that SH3 domain association rates are enhanced by long range electrostatics, whereas short range interactions are formed late in the docking process. However, the extent of electrostatic association rate enhancement is several orders of magnitudes less, whereas the electrostatic-free basal association rate is significantly greater. Thus, the SH3 domain is far less reliant on electrostatic enhancement to achieve rapid association kinetics than are previously studied systems. This suggests that there may be overall differences in the role played by electrostatics in the binding pathways of extremely stable versus transient complexes. PMID:25122758

Manufacturing of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) that can actuate into complex curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoimenov, Boyko L.; Rossiter, Jonathan M.; Mukai, Toshiharu

2007-04-01

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) are soft actuators with potential applications in the fields of medicine and biologically inspired robotics. Typically, an IPMC bends with approximately constant curvature when voltage is applied to it. More complex shapes were achieved in the past by pre-shaping the actuator or by segmentation and separate actuation of each segment. There are many applications for which fully independent control of each segment of the IPMC is not required and the use of external wiring is objectionable. In this paper we propose two key elements needed to create an IPMC, which can actuate into a complex curve. The first is a connection between adjacent segments, which enables opposite curvature. This can be achieved by reversing the polarity applied on each side of the IPMC, for example by a through-hole connection. The second key element is a variable curvature segment. The segment is designed to bend with any fraction of its full bending ability under given electrical input by changing the overlap of opposite charge electrodes. We demonstrated the usefulness of these key elements in two devices. One is a bi-stable buckled IPMC beam, also used as a building block in a linear actuator device. The other one is an IPMC, actuating into an S-shaped curve with gradually increasing curvature near the ends. The proposed method of manufacturing holds promise for a wide range of new applications of IPMCs, including applications in which IPMCs are used for sensing.

Xanthomonas TAL effectors hijack host basal transcription factor IIA α and γ subunits for invasion.

PubMed

Ma, Ling; Wang, Qiang; Yuan, Meng; Zou, Tingting; Yin, Ping; Wang, Shiping

2018-02-05

The Xanthomonas genus includes Gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacteria, which infect a broad range of crops and wild plant species, cause symptoms with leaf blights, streaks, spots, stripes, necrosis, wilt, cankers and gummosis on leaves, stems and fruits in a wide variety of plants via injecting their effector proteins into the host cell during infection. Among these virulent effectors, transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) interact with the γ subunit of host transcription factor IIA (TFIIAγ) to activate the transcription of host disease susceptibility genes. Functional TFIIA is a ternary complex comprising α, β and γ subunits. However, whether TALEs recruit TFIIAα, TFIIAβ, or both remains unknown. The underlying molecular mechanisms by which TALEs mediate host susceptibility gene activation require full elucidation. Here, we show that TALEs interact with the α+γ binary subcomplex but not the α+β+γ ternary complex of rice TFIIA (holo-OsTFIIA). The transcription factor binding (TFB) regions of TALEs, which are highly conserved in Xanthomonas species, have a dominant role in these interactions. Furthermore, the interaction between TALEs and the α+γ complex exhibits robust DNA binding activity in vitro. These results collectively demonstrate that TALE-carrying pathogens hijack the host basal transcription factors TFIIAα and TFIIAγ, but not TFIIAβ, to enhance host susceptibility during pathogen infection. The uncovered mechanism widens new insights on host-microbe interaction and provide an applicable strategy to breed high-resistance crop varieties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Access to medicines from a health system perspective

PubMed Central

Bigdeli, Maryam; Jacobs, Bart; Tomson, Goran; Laing, Richard; Ghaffar, Abdul; Dujardin, Bruno; Van Damme, Wim

2013-01-01

Most health system strengthening interventions ignore interconnections between systems components. In particular, complex relationships between medicines and health financing, human resources, health information and service delivery are not given sufficient consideration. As a consequence, populations' access to medicines (ATM) is addressed mainly through fragmented, often vertical approaches usually focusing on supply, unrelated to the wider issue of access to health services and interventions. The objective of this article is to embed ATM in a health system perspective. For this purpose, we perform a structured literature review: we examine existing ATM frameworks, review determinants of ATM and define at which level of the health system they are likely to occur; we analyse to which extent existing ATM frameworks take into account access constraints at different levels of the health system. Our findings suggest that ATM barriers are complex and interconnected as they occur at multiple levels of the health system. Existing ATM frameworks only partially address the full range of ATM barriers. We propose three essential paradigm shifts that take into account complex and dynamic relationships between medicines and other components of the health system. A holistic view of demand-side constraints in tandem with consideration of multiple and dynamic relationships between medicines and other health system resources should be applied; it should be recognized that determinants of ATM are rooted in national, regional and international contexts. These are schematized in a new framework proposing a health system perspective on ATM. PMID:23174879

CamOptimus: a tool for exploiting complex adaptive evolution to optimize experiments and processes in biotechnology

PubMed Central

Cankorur-Cetinkaya, Ayca; Dias, Joao M. L.; Kludas, Jana; Slater, Nigel K. H.; Rousu, Juho; Dikicioglu, Duygu

2017-01-01

Multiple interacting factors affect the performance of engineered biological systems in synthetic biology projects. The complexity of these biological systems means that experimental design should often be treated as a multiparametric optimization problem. However, the available methodologies are either impractical, due to a combinatorial explosion in the number of experiments to be performed, or are inaccessible to most experimentalists due to the lack of publicly available, user-friendly software. Although evolutionary algorithms may be employed as alternative approaches to optimize experimental design, the lack of simple-to-use software again restricts their use to specialist practitioners. In addition, the lack of subsidiary approaches to further investigate critical factors and their interactions prevents the full analysis and exploitation of the biotechnological system. We have addressed these problems and, here, provide a simple‐to‐use and freely available graphical user interface to empower a broad range of experimental biologists to employ complex evolutionary algorithms to optimize their experimental designs. Our approach exploits a Genetic Algorithm to discover the subspace containing the optimal combination of parameters, and Symbolic Regression to construct a model to evaluate the sensitivity of the experiment to each parameter under investigation. We demonstrate the utility of this method using an example in which the culture conditions for the microbial production of a bioactive human protein are optimized. CamOptimus is available through: (https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.10257). PMID:28635591

Distinct mutations in yeast TAF(II)25 differentially affect the composition of TFIID and SAGA complexes as well as global gene expression patterns.

PubMed

Kirschner, Doris B; vom Baur, Elmar; Thibault, Christelle; Sanders, Steven L; Gangloff, Yann-Gaël; Davidson, Irwin; Weil, P Anthony; Tora, Làszlò

2002-05-01

The RNA polymerase II transcription factor TFIID, composed of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TBP-associated factors (TAF(II)s), nucleates preinitiation complex formation at protein-coding gene promoters. SAGA, a second TAF(II)-containing multiprotein complex, is involved in transcription regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One of the essential protein components common to SAGA and TFIID is yTAF(II)25. We define a minimal evolutionarily conserved 91-amino-acid region of TAF(II)25 containing a histone fold domain that is necessary and sufficient for growth in vivo. Different temperature-sensitive mutations of yTAF(II)25 or chimeras with the human homologue TAF(II)30 arrested cell growth at either the G(1) or G(2)/M cell cycle phase and displayed distinct phenotypic changes and gene expression patterns. Immunoprecipitation studies revealed that TAF(II)25 mutation-dependent gene expression and phenotypic changes correlated at least partially with the integrity of SAGA and TFIID. Genome-wide expression analysis revealed that the five TAF(II)25 temperature-sensitive mutant alleles individually affect the expression of between 18 and 33% of genes, whereas taken together they affect 64% of all class II genes. Thus, different yTAF(II)25 mutations induce distinct phenotypes and affect the regulation of different subsets of genes, demonstrating that no individual TAF(II) mutant allele reflects the full range of its normal functions.

Nanopatterned submicron pores as a shield for nonspecific binding in surface plasmon resonance-based sensing.

PubMed

Raz, Sabina Rebe; Marchesini, Gerardo R; Bremer, Maria G E G; Colpo, Pascal; Garcia, Cesar Pascual; Guidetti, Guido; Norde, Willem; Rossi, Francois

2012-11-21

We present a novel approach to tackle the most common drawback of using surface plasmon resonance for analyte screening in complex biological matrices--the nonspecific binding to the sensor chip surface. By using a perforated membrane supported by a polymeric gel structure at the evanescent wave penetration depth, we have fabricated a non-fouling sieve above the sensing region. The sieve shields the evanescent wave from nonspecific interactions which interfere with SPR sensing by minimizing the fouled area of the polymeric gel and preventing the translocation of large particles, e.g. micelles or aggregates. The nanopatterned macropores were fabricated by means of colloidal lithography and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of a polyethylene oxide-like film on top of a polymeric gel matrix commonly used in surface plasmon resonance analysis. The sieve was characterized using surface plasmon resonance imaging, contact angle, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The performance of the sieve was studied using an immunoassay for detection of antibiotic residues in full fat milk and porcine serum. The non-fouling membrane presented pores in the 92-138 nm range organized in a hexagonal crystal lattice with a clearance of about 5% of the total surface. Functionally, the membrane with the nanopatterned macropores showed significant improvements in immunoassay robustness and sensitivity in untreated complex samples. The utilization of the sensor built-in sieve for measurements in complex matrices offers reduction in pre-analytical sample preparation steps and thus shortens the total analysis time.

Management of complex femoral nonunion with monorail external fixator: A prospective study.

PubMed

Agrawal, Hemendra Kumar; Garg, Mohit; Singh, Balvinder; Jaiman, Ashish; Khatkar, Vipin; Khare, Shailender; Batra, Sumit; Sharma, Vinod Kumar

2016-01-01

To evaluate 30 patients who underwent distraction osteogenesis with monorail external fixator for complex femoral nonunion. Complex femoral nonunion includes infective non-union, gap nonunion, and limb-length discrepancy secondary to traumatic bone loss, which needs specialized treatment to ensure the functional integrity of femoral bone. 30 patients, including 28 male and 2 female (aged 22-62 years) patients, underwent surgical debridement followed by bone transport with monorail fixator. The lengthening index, radiographic consolidation index, functional status, bone healing, and various problems, obstacles, and complications encountered during the treatment were assessed. Patients underwent a mean of 2.2 (range 1-4) surgeries before presentation. The mean bone defect after surgical debridement was 5.83 cm (range 2-16 cm). The mean treatment duration was 204.7 days (range 113-543 days). The mean lengthening index was 13.06 days/cm with range from 12 to 16 days/cm. Mean maturation index was 23.51 days/cm with range from 17 to 45.5 days/cm. In our study, bone result was excellent in 17, good in 9, fair in 3, and poor in 1 patient. In our study functional outcome is excellent in 9 [30%], good in 14 [46.67%], fair in 5, and poor in 2 patients. In our study, we encountered 34 problems, 17 obstacles, and 8 complications. We concluded that monorail external fixator is an effective treatment option for complex nonunion femoral shaft fracture and its functional outcome is comparable with any other treatment options. Lack of complications and its effectiveness makes monorail external fixator the treatment of choice for complex nonunion femoral shaft.

Cultural Proficiency: Using Films to Get Groups Talking--and Listening--to One Another

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Sarah W.; Guerra, Patricia L.

2009-01-01

Full-length films allow viewers to see the complexity and nuances of cultural interactions. Discussions following full-length films tend to be deeper and more insightful than those in response to a short clip. This makes watching full-length films an excellent strategy for helping teachers unpack beliefs, values, and stereotypes. In this article,…

End-User Applications of Real-Time Earthquake Information in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cua, G. B.; Gasparini, P.; Giardini, D.; Zschau, J.; Filangieri, A. R.; Reakt Wp7 Team

2011-12-01

The primary objective of European FP7 project REAKT (Strategies and Tools for Real-Time Earthquake Risk Reduction) is to improve the efficiency of real-time earthquake risk mitigation methods and their capability of protecting structures, infrastructures, and populations. REAKT aims to address the issues of real-time earthquake hazard and response from end-to-end, with efforts directed along the full spectrum of methodology development in earthquake forecasting, earthquake early warning, and real-time vulnerability systems, through optimal decision-making, and engagement and cooperation of scientists and end users for the establishment of best practices for use of real-time information. Twelve strategic test cases/end users throughout Europe have been selected. This diverse group of applications/end users includes civil protection authorities, railway systems, hospitals, schools, industrial complexes, nuclear plants, lifeline systems, national seismic networks, and critical structures. The scale of target applications covers a wide range, from two school complexes in Naples, to individual critical structures, such as the Rion Antirion bridge in Patras, and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge in Istanbul, to large complexes, such as the SINES industrial complex in Portugal and the Thessaloniki port area, to distributed lifeline and transportation networks and nuclear plants. Some end-users are interested in in-depth feasibility studies for use of real-time information and development of rapid response plans, while others intend to install real-time instrumentation and develop customized automated control systems. From the onset, REAKT scientists and end-users will work together on concept development and initial implementation efforts using the data products and decision-making methodologies developed with the goal of improving end-user risk mitigation. The aim of this scientific/end-user partnership is to ensure that scientific efforts are applicable to operational, real-world problems.

Mutations in CDC45, Encoding an Essential Component of the Pre-initiation Complex, Cause Meier-Gorlin Syndrome and Craniosynostosis.

PubMed

Fenwick, Aimee L; Kliszczak, Maciej; Cooper, Fay; Murray, Jennie; Sanchez-Pulido, Luis; Twigg, Stephen R F; Goriely, Anne; McGowan, Simon J; Miller, Kerry A; Taylor, Indira B; Logan, Clare; Bozdogan, Sevcan; Danda, Sumita; Dixon, Joanne; Elsayed, Solaf M; Elsobky, Ezzat; Gardham, Alice; Hoffer, Mariette J V; Koopmans, Marije; McDonald-McGinn, Donna M; Santen, Gijs W E; Savarirayan, Ravi; de Silva, Deepthi; Vanakker, Olivier; Wall, Steven A; Wilson, Louise C; Yuregir, Ozge Ozalp; Zackai, Elaine H; Ponting, Chris P; Jackson, Andrew P; Wilkie, Andrew O M; Niedzwiedz, Wojciech; Bicknell, Louise S

2016-07-07

DNA replication precisely duplicates the genome to ensure stable inheritance of genetic information. Impaired licensing of origins of replication during the G1 phase of the cell cycle has been implicated in Meier-Gorlin syndrome (MGS), a disorder defined by the triad of short stature, microtia, and a/hypoplastic patellae. Biallelic partial loss-of-function mutations in multiple components of the pre-replication complex (preRC; ORC1, ORC4, ORC6, CDT1, or CDC6) as well as de novo stabilizing mutations in the licensing inhibitor, GMNN, cause MGS. Here we report the identification of mutations in CDC45 in 15 affected individuals from 12 families with MGS and/or craniosynostosis. CDC45 encodes a component of both the pre-initiation (preIC) and CMG helicase complexes, required for initiation of DNA replication origin firing and ongoing DNA synthesis during S-phase itself, respectively, and hence is functionally distinct from previously identified MGS-associated genes. The phenotypes of affected individuals range from syndromic coronal craniosynostosis to severe growth restriction, fulfilling diagnostic criteria for Meier-Gorlin syndrome. All mutations identified were biallelic and included synonymous mutations altering splicing of physiological CDC45 transcripts, as well as amino acid substitutions expected to result in partial loss of function. Functionally, mutations reduce levels of full-length transcripts and protein in subject cells, consistent with partial loss of CDC45 function and a predicted limited rate of DNA replication and cell proliferation. Our findings therefore implicate the preIC as an additional protein complex involved in the etiology of MGS and connect the core cellular machinery of genome replication with growth, chondrogenesis, and cranial suture homeostasis. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three-Level De-Multiplexed Dual-Branch Complex Delta-Sigma Transmitter.

PubMed

Arfi, Anis Ben; Elsayed, Fahmi; Aflaki, Pouya M; Morris, Brad; Ghannouchi, Fadhel M

2018-02-20

In this paper, a dual-branch topology driven by a Delta-Sigma Modulator (DSM) with a complex quantizer, also known as the Complex Delta Sigma Modulator (CxDSM), with a 3-level quantized output signal is proposed. By de-multiplexing the 3-level Delta-Sigma-quantized signal into two bi-level streams, an efficiency enhancement over the operational frequency range is achieved. The de-multiplexed signals drive a dual-branch amplification block composed of two switch-mode back-to-back power amplifiers working at peak power. A signal processing technique known as quantization noise reduction with In-band Filtering (QNRIF) is applied to each of the de-multiplexed streams to boost the overall performances; particularly the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR). After amplification, the two branches are combined using a non-isolated combiner, preserving the efficiency of the transmitter. A comprehensive study on the operation of this topology and signal characteristics used to drive the dual-branch Switch-Mode Power Amplifiers (SMPAs) was established. Moreover, this work proposes a highly efficient design of the amplification block based on a back-to-back power topology performing a dynamic load modulation exploiting the non-overlapping properties of the de-multiplexed Complex DSM signal. For experimental validation, the proposed de-multiplexed 3-level Delta-Sigma topology was implemented on the BEEcube™ platform followed by the back-to-back Class-E switch-mode power amplification block. The full transceiver is assessed using a 4th-Generation mobile communications standard LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard 1.4 MHz signal with a peak to average power ratio (PAPR) of 8 dB. The dual-branch topology exhibited a good linearity and a coding efficiency of the transmitter chain higher than 72% across the band of frequency from 1.8 GHz to 2.7 GHz.

On Integration and Validation of a Very Low Complexity ATC UWB System for Muscle Force Transmission.

PubMed

Sapienza, Stefano; Crepaldi, Marco; Motto Ros, Paolo; Bonanno, Alberto; Demarchi, Danilo

2016-04-01

The thresholding of Surface ElectroMyoGraphic (sEMG) signals, i.e., Average Threshold Crossing (ATC) technique, reduces the amount of data to be processed enabling circuit complexity reduction and low power consumption. This paper investigates the lowest level of complexity reachable by an ATC system through measurements and in-vivo experiments with an embedded prototype for wireless force transmission, based on asynchronous Impulse-Radio Ultra Wide Band (IR-UWB). The prototype is composed by the acquisition unit, a wearable PCB 23 × 34 mm, which includes a full custom IC integrating a UWB transmitter (chip active silicon area 0.016 mm(2), 1 mW power consumption), and the receiver. The system is completely asynchronous, it acquires a differential sEMG signal, generates the ATC events and triggers a 3.3 GHz IR-UWB transmission. ATC robustness relaxes filters constraints: two passive first order filters have been implemented, bandwidth from 10 Hz up to 1 kHz. Energy needed for the single pulse generation is 30 pJ while the whole PCB consumes 5.65 mW. The pulses radiated by the acquisition unit TX are received by a short-range and low complexity threshold-based 130 nm CMOS IR-UWB receiver with an Ultra Low Power (ULP) baseband unit capable of robustly receiving generic quasi-digital pulse sequences. The acquisition unit have been tested with 10 series of in vivo isometric and isotonic contractions, while the transmission channel with over-the-air and cable measurements obtained with a couple of planar monopole antennas and an integrated 0.004 mm(2) transmitter, the same used for the acquisition unit, with realistic channel conditions. The entire system, acquisition unit and receiver, consumes 15.49 mW.

Variable and Asymmetric Range of Enslaving: Fingers Can Act Independently over Small Range of Flexion

PubMed Central

van den Noort, Josien C.; van Beek, Nathalie; van der Kraan, Thomas; Veeger, DirkJan H. E. J.; Stegeman, Dick F.; Veltink, Peter H.; Maas, Huub

2016-01-01

The variability in the numerous tasks in which we use our hands is very large. However, independent movement control of individual fingers is limited. To assess the extent of finger independency during full-range finger flexion including all finger joints, we studied enslaving (movement in non-instructed fingers) and range of independent finger movement through the whole finger flexion trajectory in single and multi-finger movement tasks. Thirteen young healthy subjects performed single- and multi-finger movement tasks under two conditions: active flexion through the full range of movement with all fingers free to move and active flexion while the non-instructed finger(s) were restrained. Finger kinematics were measured using inertial sensors (PowerGlove), to assess enslaving and range of independent finger movement. Although all fingers showed enslaving movement to some extent, highest enslaving was found in adjacent fingers. Enslaving effects in ring and little finger were increased with movement of additional, non-adjacent fingers. The middle finger was the only finger affected by restriction in movement of non-instructed fingers. Each finger showed a range of independent movement before the non-instructed fingers started to move, which was largest for the index finger. The start of enslaving was asymmetrical for adjacent fingers. Little finger enslaving movement was affected by multi-finger movement. We conclude that no finger can move independently through the full range of finger flexion, although some degree of full independence is present for smaller movements. This range of independent movement is asymmetric and variable between fingers and between subjects. The presented results provide insight into the role of finger independency for different types of tasks and populations. PMID:27992598

A circular dichroism and structural study of the inclusion complex artemisinin-β-cyclodextrin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marconi, Giancarlo; Monti, Sandra; Manoli, Francesco; Degli Esposti, Alessandra; Mayer, Bernd

2004-01-01

The inclusion complex between the powerful antimalarial agent Artemisinin and β-cyclodextrin has been studied by means of Circular Dichroism and elucidated by Density Functional Theory calculations on the isolated molecule combined to a statistical Monte Carlo search of the most stable geometry of the complex. The results evidence a host-guest structure in full agreement with the almost unaffected functionality of the drug, which is found to experience a significant hydrophilic environment when complexed.

Central cooling: compressive chillers

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

Christian, J.E.

1978-03-01

Representative cost and performance data are provided in a concise, useable form for three types of compressive liquid packaged chillers: reciprocating, centrifugal, and screw. The data are represented in graphical form as well as in empirical equations. Reciprocating chillers are available from 2.5 to 240 tons with full-load COPs ranging from 2.85 to 3.87. Centrifugal chillers are available from 80 to 2,000 tons with full load COPs ranging from 4.1 to 4.9. Field-assemblied centrifugal chillers have been installed with capacities up to 10,000 tons. Screw-type chillers are available from 100 to 750 tons with full load COPs ranging from 3.3more » to 4.5.« less

Predicting perceived visual complexity of abstract patterns using computational measures: The influence of mirror symmetry on complexity perception

PubMed Central

Leder, Helmut

2017-01-01

Visual complexity is relevant for many areas ranging from improving usability of technical displays or websites up to understanding aesthetic experiences. Therefore, many attempts have been made to relate objective properties of images to perceived complexity in artworks and other images. It has been argued that visual complexity is a multidimensional construct mainly consisting of two dimensions: A quantitative dimension that increases complexity through number of elements, and a structural dimension representing order negatively related to complexity. The objective of this work is to study human perception of visual complexity utilizing two large independent sets of abstract patterns. A wide range of computational measures of complexity was calculated, further combined using linear models as well as machine learning (random forests), and compared with data from human evaluations. Our results confirm the adequacy of existing two-factor models of perceived visual complexity consisting of a quantitative and a structural factor (in our case mirror symmetry) for both of our stimulus sets. In addition, a non-linear transformation of mirror symmetry giving more influence to small deviations from symmetry greatly increased explained variance. Thus, we again demonstrate the multidimensional nature of human complexity perception and present comprehensive quantitative models of the visual complexity of abstract patterns, which might be useful for future experiments and applications. PMID:29099832

Enhancing the Photovoltaic Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells with a Down-Conversion Eu-Complex.

PubMed

Jiang, Ling; Chen, Wangchao; Zheng, Jiawei; Zhu, Liangzheng; Mo, Li'e; Li, Zhaoqian; Hu, Linhua; Hayat, Tasawar; Alsaedi, Ahmed; Zhang, Changneng; Dai, Songyuan

2017-08-16

Organometal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown high photovoltaic performance but poor utilization of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Lanthanide complexes have a wide absorption range in the UV region and they can down-convert the absorbed UV light into visible light, which provides a possibility for PSCs to utilize UV light for higher photocurrent, efficiency, and stability. In this study, we use a transparent luminescent down-converting layer (LDL) of Eu-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Eu-complex) to improve the light utilization efficiency of PSCs. Compared with the uncoated PSC, the PSC coated with Eu-complex LDL on the reverse of the fluorine-doped tin oxide glass displayed an enhancement of 11.8% in short-circuit current density (J sc ) and 15.3% in efficiency due to the Eu-complex LDL re-emitting UV light (300-380 nm) in the visible range. It is indicated that the Eu-complex LDL plays the role of enhancing the power conversion efficiency as well as reducing UV degradation for PSCs.

Measuring Aptamer Equilbria Using Gradient Micro Free Flow Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Turgeon, Ryan T.; Fonslow, Bryan R.; Jing, Meng; Bowser, Michael T.

2010-01-01

Gradient micro free flow electrophoresis (μFFE) was used to observe the equilibria of DNA aptamers with their targets (IgE or HIVRT) across a range of ligand concentrations. A continuous stream of aptamer was mixed online with an increasing concentration of target and introduced into the μFFE device, which separated ligand-aptamer complexes from the unbound aptamer. The continuous nature of μFFE allowed the equilibrium distribution of aptamer and complex to be measured at 300 discrete target concentrations within 5 minutes. This is a significant improvement in speed and precision over affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) assays. The dissociation constant of the aptamer-IgE complex was estimated to be 48± 3 nM. The high coverage across the range of ligand concentrations allowed complex stoichiometries of the aptamer-HIVRT complexes to be observed. Nearly continuous observation of the equilibrium distribution from 0 to 500 nM HIVRT revealed the presence of complexes with 3:1 (aptamer:HIVRT), 2:1 and 1:1 stoichiometries. PMID:20373790

Developing a Highly Active Blood Anticoagulant—a Heparin Complex with Glutamic Acid—by Simulating Chemical Equilibria Based on pH-Metric Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaeva, L. S.; Semenov, A. N.

2018-02-01

The anticoagulant activity of high-molecular-weight heparin is increased by developing a new highly active heparin complex with glutamate using the thermodynamic model of chemical equilibria based on pH-metric data. The anticoagulant activity of the developed complexes is estimated in the pH range of blood plasma according to the drop in the calculated equilibrium Ca2+ concentration associated with the formation of mixed ligand complexes of Ca2+ ions, heparin (Na4hep), and glutamate (H2Glu). A thermodynamic model is calculated by mathematically modelling chemical equilibria in the CaCl2-Na4hep-H2Glu-H2O-NaCl system in the pH range of 2.30 ≤ pH ≤ 10.50 in diluted saline that acts as a background electrolyte (0.154 M NaCl) at 37°C and initial concentrations of the main components of ν × 10-3 M, where n ≤ 4. The thermodynamic model is used to determine the main complex of the monomeric unit of heparin with glutamate (HhepGlu5-) and the most stable mixed ligand complex of Ca2+ with heparin and glutamate (Ca2hepGlu2-) in the pH range of blood plasma (6.80 ≤ pH ≤ 7.40). It is concluded that the Ca2hepGlu2- complex reduces the Ca2+ concentration 107 times more than the Ca2+ complex with pure heparin. The anticoagulant effect of the developed HhepGlu5- complex is confirmed in vitro and in vivo via coagulation tests on the blood plasma of laboratory rats. Additional antithrombotic properties of the developed complex are identified. The new highly active anticoagulant, HhepGlu5- complex with additional antithrombotic properties, is patented.

Synthesizing evidence on complex interventions: how meta-analytical, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches can contribute.

PubMed

Petticrew, Mark; Rehfuess, Eva; Noyes, Jane; Higgins, Julian P T; Mayhew, Alain; Pantoja, Tomas; Shemilt, Ian; Sowden, Amanda

2013-11-01

Although there is increasing interest in the evaluation of complex interventions, there is little guidance on how evidence from complex interventions may be reviewed and synthesized, and the relevance of the plethora of evidence synthesis methods to complexity is unclear. This article aims to explore how different meta-analytical approaches can be used to examine aspects of complexity; describe the contribution of various narrative, tabular, and graphical approaches to synthesis; and give an overview of the potential choice of selected qualitative and mixed-method evidence synthesis approaches. The methodological discussions presented here build on a 2-day workshop held in Montebello, Canada, in January 2012, involving methodological experts from the Campbell and Cochrane Collaborations and from other international review centers (Anderson L, Petticrew M, Chandler J, et al. systematic reviews of complex interventions. In press). These systematic review methodologists discussed the broad range of existing methods and considered the relevance of these methods to reviews of complex interventions. The evidence from primary studies of complex interventions may be qualitative or quantitative. There is a wide range of methodological options for reviewing and presenting this evidence. Specific contributions of statistical approaches include the use of meta-analysis, meta-regression, and Bayesian methods, whereas narrative summary approaches provide valuable precursors or alternatives to these. Qualitative and mixed-method approaches include thematic synthesis, framework synthesis, and realist synthesis. A suitable combination of these approaches allows synthesis of evidence for understanding complex interventions. Reviewers need to consider which aspects of complex interventions should be a focus of their review and what types of quantitative and/or qualitative studies they will be including, and this will inform their choice of review methods. These may range from standard meta-analysis through to more complex mixed-method synthesis and synthesis approaches that incorporate theory and/or user's perspectives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compositional patterns in the genomes of unicellular eukaryotes

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The genomes of multicellular eukaryotes are compartmentalized in mosaics of isochores, large and fairly homogeneous stretches of DNA that belong to a small number of families characterized by different average GC levels, by different gene concentration (that increase with GC), different chromatin structures, different replication timing in the cell cycle, and other different properties. A question raised by these basic results concerns how far back in evolution the compartmentalized organization of the eukaryotic genomes arose. Results In the present work we approached this problem by studying the compositional organization of the genomes from the unicellular eukaryotes for which full sequences are available, the sample used being representative. The average GC levels of the genomes from unicellular eukaryotes cover an extremely wide range (19%-60% GC) and the compositional patterns of individual genomes are extremely different but all genomes tested show a compositional compartmentalization. Conclusions The average GC range of the genomes of unicellular eukaryotes is very broad (as broad as that of prokaryotes) and individual compositional patterns cover a very broad range from very narrow to very complex. Both features are not surprising for organisms that are very far from each other both in terms of phylogenetic distances and of environmental life conditions. Most importantly, all genomes tested, a representative sample of all supergroups of unicellular eukaryotes, are compositionally compartmentalized, a major difference with prokaryotes. PMID:24188247

Hydrological model parameter dimensionality is a weak measure of prediction uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pande, S.; Arkesteijn, L.; Savenije, H.; Bastidas, L. A.

2015-04-01

This paper shows that instability of hydrological system representation in response to different pieces of information and associated prediction uncertainty is a function of model complexity. After demonstrating the connection between unstable model representation and model complexity, complexity is analyzed in a step by step manner. This is done measuring differences between simulations of a model under different realizations of input forcings. Algorithms are then suggested to estimate model complexity. Model complexities of the two model structures, SAC-SMA (Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting) and its simplified version SIXPAR (Six Parameter Model), are computed on resampled input data sets from basins that span across the continental US. The model complexities for SIXPAR are estimated for various parameter ranges. It is shown that complexity of SIXPAR increases with lower storage capacity and/or higher recession coefficients. Thus it is argued that a conceptually simple model structure, such as SIXPAR, can be more complex than an intuitively more complex model structure, such as SAC-SMA for certain parameter ranges. We therefore contend that magnitudes of feasible model parameters influence the complexity of the model selection problem just as parameter dimensionality (number of parameters) does and that parameter dimensionality is an incomplete indicator of stability of hydrological model selection and prediction problems.

Investigation of thermal and optical properties of some quartet mixed hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okumuş, Mustafa

2017-11-01

In this study, the thermal and optical properties of quartet mixtures formed at different weight ratios (1:1:1:1 and 1.5:1:1:1) from liquid crystals 4-octyloxy-4‧-cyanobiphenyl (8OCB), 4-hexylbenzoic acid, 4-(octyloxy)benzoic acid and 4-(decyloxy)benzoic acid were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and polarized optic microscopy (POM). The phase transition temperatures of the novel quartet mixtures measured in the DSC experiments are in line with the POM experiments. The experimental results clearly show that the novel liquid crystal mixtures have displayed pure liquid crystalline properties. According to the phase diagram drawn from DSC results, the nematic range of the novel mixture at the eutectic point is larger than the nematic ranges of the components. The mesomorphic structures of produced homolog complex mixtures are found to be smectic and nematic phases. But the smectic phase cannot be observed in the novel complex 1.5:1:1:1 mixture during continuous cooling. The nematic range of the novel complex 1.5:1:1:1 mixture is bigger than the nematic range of the novel complex 1:1:1:1 mixture with increasing 8OCB. Also, the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition temperature decreases with increasing the weight ratio of 8OCB in the complex quartet mixture. Another interesting result is that the produced mixtures are to be like a medical cream at room temperatures. Furthermore, order parameter and thermal stability factor of the transitions are also calculated.

Factors affecting host range in a generalist seed pathogen of semi-arid shrublands

Treesearch

Julie Beckstead; Susan E. Meyer; Kurt O. Reinhart; Kellene M. Bergen; Sandra R. Holden; Heather F. Boekweg

2014-01-01

Generalist pathogens can exhibit differential success on different hosts, resulting in complex host range patterns. Several factors operate to reduce realized host range relative to potential host range, particularly under field conditions. We explored factors influencing host range of the naturally occurring generalist ascomycete grass seed pathogen Pyrenophora...

Forensic science, genetics and wildlife biology: getting the right mix for a wildlife DNA forensics lab.

PubMed

Ogden, Rob

2010-09-01

Wildlife DNA forensics is receiving increasing coverage in the popular press and has begun to appear in the scientific literature in relation to several different fields. Recognized as an applied subject, it rests on top of very diverse scientific pillars ranging from biochemistry through to evolutionary genetics, all embedded within the context of modern forensic science. This breadth of scope, combined with typically limited resources, has often left wildlife DNA forensics hanging precariously between human DNA forensics and academics keen to seek novel applications for biological research. How best to bridge this gap is a matter for regular debate among the relatively few full-time practitioners in the field. The decisions involved in establishing forensic genetic services to investigate wildlife crime can be complex, particularly where crimes involve a wide range of species and evidential questions. This paper examines some of the issues relevant to setting up a wildlife DNA forensics laboratory based on experiences of working in this area over the past 7 years. It includes a discussion of various models for operating individual laboratories as well as options for organizing forensic testing at higher national and international levels.

Common-pull, multiple-push, vacuum-activated telescope mirror cell.

PubMed

Ruiz, Elfego; Sohn, Erika; Salas, Luis; Luna, Esteban; Araiza-Durán, José A

2014-11-20

A new concept for push-pull active optics is presented, where the push-force is provided by means of individual airbag type actuators and a common force in the form of a vacuum is applied to the entire back of the mirror. The vacuum provides the pull-component of the system, in addition to gravity. Vacuum is controlled as a function of the zenithal angle, providing correction for the axial component of the mirror's weight. In this way, the push actuators are only responsible for correcting mirror deformations, as well as for supporting the axial mirror weight at the zenith, allowing for a uniform, full dynamic-range behavior of the system along the telescope's pointing range. This can result in the ability to perform corrections of up to a few microns for low-order aberrations. This mirror support concept was simulated using a finite element model and was tested experimentally at the 2.12 m San Pedro Mártir telescope. Advantages such as stress-free attachments, lighter weight, large actuator area, lower system complexity, and lower required mirror-cell stiffness could make this a method to consider for future large telescopes.

Distribution of diameters for Erdős-Rényi random graphs.

PubMed

Hartmann, A K; Mézard, M

2018-03-01

We study the distribution of diameters d of Erdős-Rényi random graphs with average connectivity c. The diameter d is the maximum among all the shortest distances between pairs of nodes in a graph and an important quantity for all dynamic processes taking place on graphs. Here we study the distribution P(d) numerically for various values of c, in the nonpercolating and percolating regimes. Using large-deviation techniques, we are able to reach small probabilities like 10^{-100} which allow us to obtain the distribution over basically the full range of the support, for graphs up to N=1000 nodes. For values c<1, our results are in good agreement with analytical results, proving the reliability of our numerical approach. For c>1 the distribution is more complex and no complete analytical results are available. For this parameter range, P(d) exhibits an inflection point, which we found to be related to a structural change of the graphs. For all values of c, we determined the finite-size rate function Φ(d/N) and were able to extrapolate numerically to N→∞, indicating that the large-deviation principle holds.

Distribution of diameters for Erdős-Rényi random graphs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, A. K.; Mézard, M.

2018-03-01

We study the distribution of diameters d of Erdős-Rényi random graphs with average connectivity c . The diameter d is the maximum among all the shortest distances between pairs of nodes in a graph and an important quantity for all dynamic processes taking place on graphs. Here we study the distribution P (d ) numerically for various values of c , in the nonpercolating and percolating regimes. Using large-deviation techniques, we are able to reach small probabilities like 10-100 which allow us to obtain the distribution over basically the full range of the support, for graphs up to N =1000 nodes. For values c <1 , our results are in good agreement with analytical results, proving the reliability of our numerical approach. For c >1 the distribution is more complex and no complete analytical results are available. For this parameter range, P (d ) exhibits an inflection point, which we found to be related to a structural change of the graphs. For all values of c , we determined the finite-size rate function Φ (d /N ) and were able to extrapolate numerically to N →∞ , indicating that the large-deviation principle holds.

Dying cancer patients' own opinions on euthanasia: an expression of autonomy? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Karlsson, Marit; Milberg, Anna; Strang, Peter

2012-01-01

Deliberations on euthanasia are mostly theoretical, and often lack first-hand perspectives of the affected persons. Sixty-six patients suffering from cancer in a palliative phase were interviewed about their perspectives of euthanasia in relation to autonomy. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis with no predetermined categories. The informants expressed different positions on euthanasia, ranging from support to opposition, but the majority were undecided due to the complexity of the problem. The informants' perspectives on euthanasia in relation to autonomy focused on decision making, being affected by (1) power and (2) trust. Legalization of euthanasia was perceived as either (a) increasing patient autonomy by patient empowerment, or (b) decreasing patient autonomy by increasing the medical power of the health care staff, which could be frightening. The informants experienced dependence on others, and expressed various levels of trust in others' intentions, ranging from full trust to complete mistrust. Dying cancer patients perceive that they cannot feel completely independent, which affects true autonomous decision making. Further, when considering legalization of euthanasia, the perspectives of patients fearing the effects of legalization should also be taken into account, not only those of patients opting for it.

Spliced synthetic genes as internal controls in RNA sequencing experiments.

PubMed

Hardwick, Simon A; Chen, Wendy Y; Wong, Ted; Deveson, Ira W; Blackburn, James; Andersen, Stacey B; Nielsen, Lars K; Mattick, John S; Mercer, Tim R

2016-09-01

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) can be used to assemble spliced isoforms, quantify expressed genes and provide a global profile of the transcriptome. However, the size and diversity of the transcriptome, the wide dynamic range in gene expression and inherent technical biases confound RNA-seq analysis. We have developed a set of spike-in RNA standards, termed 'sequins' (sequencing spike-ins), that represent full-length spliced mRNA isoforms. Sequins have an entirely artificial sequence with no homology to natural reference genomes, but they align to gene loci encoded on an artificial in silico chromosome. The combination of multiple sequins across a range of concentrations emulates alternative splicing and differential gene expression, and it provides scaling factors for normalization between samples. We demonstrate the use of sequins in RNA-seq experiments to measure sample-specific biases and determine the limits of reliable transcript assembly and quantification in accompanying human RNA samples. In addition, we have designed a complementary set of sequins that represent fusion genes arising from rearrangements of the in silico chromosome to aid in cancer diagnosis. RNA sequins provide a qualitative and quantitative reference with which to navigate the complexity of the human transcriptome.

[APPLICATION OF BUTTERFLY SHAPED LOCKING COMPRESSION PLATE IN COMPLEX DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURES].

PubMed

Jiang, Zongyuan; Ma, Tao; Xia, Jiang; Hu, Caizhi; Xu, Lei

2014-06-01

To investigate the effectiveness of butterfly shaped locking compression plate for the treatment of complex distal radius fractures. Between June 2011 and January 2013, 20 cases of complex distal radius fractures were treated with butterfly shaped locking compression plate fixation. There were 11 males and 9 females with an average age of 54 years (range, 25-75 years). Injury was caused by falling in 10 cases, by traffic accident in 7 cases, and by falling from height in 3 cases. All of fractures were closed. According to AO classification system, there were 8 cases of type C1, 8 cases of type C2, and 4 cases of type C3. Of them, 9 cases had radial styloid process fracture, 4 cases had sigmoid notch fracture, and 7 cases had both radial styloid process fracture and sigmoid notch fracture. The mean interval between injury and operation was 5.2 days (range, 3-15 days). All incisions healed by first intention; no complications of infection and necrosis occurred. All cases were followed up 14 months on average (range, 10-22 months). All factures healed after 9.3 weeks on average (range, 6-11 weeks). No complications such as displacement of fracture, joint surface subsidence, shortening of the radius, and carpal tunnel syndrome were found during follow-up. At last follow-up, the mean palmar tilt angle was 10.2° (range, 7-15°), and the mean ulnar deviation angle was 21.8° (range, 17-24°). The mean range of motion of the wrist was 45.3° (range, 35-68°) in dorsal extension, 53.5° (range, 40-78°) in palmar flexion, 19.8° (range, 12-27°) in radial inclination, 26.6° (range, 18-31°) in ulnar inclination, 70.2° (range, 45-90°) in pronation, and 68.4° (range, 25-88°) in supination. According to the Dienst scoring system, the results were excellent in 8 cases, good in 10 cases, and fair in 2 cases, and the excellent and good rate was 90%. Treatment of complex distal radius fractures with butterfly shaped locking compression plate can reconstruct normal anatomic structures, especially for radial styloid process and sigmoid notch fractures, and it can get good functional recovery of the wrist and the distal radioulnar joint.

40 CFR 90.317 - Carbon monoxide analyzer calibration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... analyzer to optimize performance on the most sensitive range to be used. (2) Zero the carbon monoxide analyzer with either purified synthetic air or zero-grade nitrogen. (3) Bubble a mixture of three percent... more than one percent of full scale for ranges above 300 ppm full scale or more than three ppm on...

Reconceptualizing Academic Advising Using the Full Range Leadership Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbuto, John E., Jr.; Story, Joana S.; Fritz, Susan M.; Schinstock, Jack L.

2009-01-01

Developmental and prescriptive advising styles have been the focus of the academic advising literature for the past 35 years. Academic advising scholars have called for a new paradigm in the field. Drawing from leadership theory, a new model for academic advising is proposed. Full range advising encompasses laissez-faire, management-by-exception,…

Oliver North's Testimony before the U.S. Congress' Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and Nicaraguan Opposition: A Fantasy Theme Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Gayle

How did Oliver North, who appeared to be a criminal and a liar, become an American hero? First the context must be considered. The Iran-Contra Affair was extremely complex with actors ranging from Eugene Hasenfus to President Ronald Reagan and settings ranging from Nicaragua to Israel to Iran. This complexity extended to the televised hearings…

Identification of fluids and an interface between fluids by measuring complex impedance

DOEpatents

Lee, David O.; Wayland, Jr., James R.

1989-01-01

Complex impedance measured over a predefined frequency range is used to determine the identity of different oils in a column. The location of an interface between the oils is determined from the percent frequency effects of the complex impedance measured across the interface.

Thoughts on a Pedagogy OF Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, David

2014-01-01

There is now a developed and extensive literature on the implications of the "complexity frame of reference" (Castellani & Hafferty, 2009) for education in general and pedagogy in particular. This includes a wide range of interesting contributions which consider how complexity can inform, inter alia, research on educational systems…

Characterization of Non-Innocent Metal Complexes Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy: o-Dioxolene Vanadium Complexes

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Pabitra B.; Goncharov-Zapata, Olga; Quinn, Laurence L.; Hou, Guangjin; Hamaed, Hiyam; Schurko, Robert W.; Polenova, Tatyana; Crans, Debbie C.

2012-01-01

51V solid-state NMR (SSNMR) studies of a series of non-innocent vanadium(V) catechol complexes have been conducted to evaluate the possibility that 51V NMR observables, quadrupolar and chemical shift anisotropies, and electronic structures of such compounds can be used to characterize these compounds. The vanadium(V) catechol complexes described in these studies have relatively small quadrupolar coupling constants, which cover a surprisingly small range from 3.4 to 4.2 MHz. On the other hand, isotropic 51V NMR chemical shifts cover a wide range from −200 ppm to 400 ppm in solution and from −219 to 530 ppm in the solid state. A linear correlation of 51V NMR isotropic solution and solid-state chemical shifts of complexes containing non-innocent ligands is observed. These experimental results provide the information needed for the application of 51V SSNMR spectroscopy in characterizing the electronic properties of a wide variety of vanadium-containing systems, and in particular those containing non-innocent ligands and that have chemical shifts outside the populated range of −300 ppm to −700 ppm. The studies presented in this report demonstrate that the small quadrupolar couplings covering a narrow range of values reflect the symmetric electronic charge distribution, which is also similar across these complexes. These quadrupolar interaction parameters alone are not sufficient to capture the rich electronic structure of these complexes. In contrast, the chemical shift anisotropy tensor elements accessible from 51V SSNMR experiments are a highly sensitive probe of subtle differences in electronic distribution and orbital occupancy in these compounds. Quantum chemical (DFT) calculations of NMR parameters for [VO(hshed)(Cat)] yield 51V CSA tensor in reasonable agreement with the experimental results, but surprisingly, the calculated quadrupolar coupling constant is significantly greater than the experimental value. The studies demonstrate that substitution of the catechol ligand with electron donating groups results in an increase in the HOMO-LUMO gap and can be directly followed by an upfield shift for the vanadium catechol complex. In contrast, substitution of the catechol ligand with electron withdrawing groups results in a decrease in the HOMO-LUMO gap and can directly be followed by a downfield shift for the complex. The vanadium catechol complexes were used in this work because the 51V is a half-integer quadrupolar nucleus whose NMR observables are highly sensitive to the local environment. However, the results are general and could be extended to other redox active complexes that exhibit similar coordination chemistry as the vanadium catechol complexes. PMID:21842875

Managing acetabular fractures in the elderly with fixation and primary arthroplasty: aiming for early weightbearing.

PubMed

Rickman, Mark; Young, James; Trompeter, Alex; Pearce, Rachel; Hamilton, Mark

2014-11-01

Osteoporotic acetabular fractures in the elderly are becoming more common. Regardless of treatment, most patients are managed with a period of protected weightbearing, even if a THA has been performed. We have tried to treat these patients analogously to geriatric femoral neck fractures in a way that allows immediate full weightbearing. We determined return to mobility, length of hospital stay (LOS), radiographic outcomes, and complications in a series of elderly osteoporotic patients treated for acetabular fractures with early fracture fixation and simultaneous THA, allowing full weightbearing immediately postoperatively. Since 2009, one surgeon (MR) used a consistent approach for fracture fixation and THA with immediate weightbearing in all patients older than 65 years with acetabular fractures who were fit for surgery and whose injuries were deemed osteoporotic fractures (low-energy mechanisms) meeting particular radiographic criteria (significant marginal impaction or femoral head damage). Twenty-four patients met these criteria and were reviewed at a mean of 24 months (range, 8-38 months). Mean age was 77 years (range, 63-90 years), and eight patients were women. The surgical technique included plate stabilization of both acetabular columns plus simultaneous THA using a tantalum socket and a cemented femoral stem. Clinical and note reviews were conducted to ascertain return to mobility, LOS, and postoperative complications. Component migration and fracture healing were assessed on plain radiographs. All patients mobilized with full weightbearing by Day 7 postoperatively. Only one patient remained dependent on a frame to mobilize at discharge. At 6 weeks, two patients already required no walking aids. At 6 months, patients were using a single stick at home at most, and all patients had managed stairs. Mean LOS was 18 days (range, 10-36 days). Radiographically, no component migration was seen in any patient. Seventeen of 24 fractures (71%) healed radiographically by 12 weeks, and all healed by 6 months. We recorded one superficial wound infection, one symptomatic deep venous thrombosis, and one in-hospital death from myocardial infarction. Selected older patients with acetabular fractures may be managed using immediate weightbearing after fracture fixation and THA. However, this surgery is complex and requires a mixed skill set. Level IV, therapeutic study. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Facilitating the Evaluation of Complexity in the Public Sector: Learning from the NHS in Scotland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connolly, John; Reid, Garth; Mooney, Allan

2015-01-01

It is necessary for public managers to be able to evaluate programmes in the context of complexity. This article offers key learning and reflections based on the experience of facilitating the evaluation of complexity with a range of public sector partners in Scotland. There have been several articles that consider evaluating complexity and…

Exploring molecular complexity with ALMA (EMoCA): Deuterated complex organic molecules in Sagittarius B2(N2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belloche, A.; Müller, H. S. P.; Garrod, R. T.; Menten, K. M.

2016-03-01

Context. Deuteration is a powerful tracer of the history of the cold prestellar phase in star-forming regions. Apart from methanol, little is known about deuterium fractionation of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium, especially in regions forming high-mass stars. Aims: Our goal is to detect deuterated complex organic molecules toward the high mass star-forming region Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) and derive the level of deuteration for these molecules. Methods: We use a complete 3-mm spectral line survey performed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to search for deuterated complex organic molecules toward the hot molecular core Sgr B2(N2). We constructed population diagrams and integrated intensity maps to fit rotational temperatures and emission sizes for each molecule. Column densities are derived by modeling the full spectrum under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. We compare the results to predictions of two astrochemical models that treat the deuteration process. Results: We report the detection of CH2DCN toward Sgr B2(N2) with a deuteration level of 0.4%, and tentative detections of CH2DOH, CH2DCH2CN, the chiral molecule CH3CHDCN, and DC3N with levels in the range 0.05%-0.12%. A stringent deuteration upper limit is obtained for CH3OD (<0.07%). Upper limits in the range 0.5-1.8% are derived for the three deuterated isotopologues of vinyl cyanide, the four deuterated species of ethanol, and CH2DOCHO. Ethyl cyanide is less deuterated than methyl cyanide by at least a factor five. The [CH2DOH]/[CH3OD] abundance ratio is higher than 1.8. It may still be consistent with the value obtained in Orion KL. Except for methyl cyanide, the measured deuteration levels lie at least a factor four below the predictions of current astrochemical models. The deuteration levels in Sgr B2(N2) are also lower than in Orion KL by a factor of a few up to a factor ten. Conclusions: The discrepancy between the deuteration levels of Sgr B2(N2) and the predictions of chemical models, and the difference between Sgr B2(N2) and Orion KL may both be due to the higher kinetic temperatures that characterize the Galactic center region compared to nearby clouds. Alternatively, they may result from a lower overall abundance of deuterium itself in the Galactic center region by up to a factor ten.

High-resolution crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes β-NAD⁺ glycohydrolase in complex with its endogenous inhibitor IFS reveals a highly water-rich interface.

PubMed

Yoon, Ji Young; An, Doo Ri; Yoon, Hye Jin; Kim, Hyoun Sook; Lee, Sang Jae; Im, Ha Na; Jang, Jun Young; Suh, Se Won

2013-11-01

One of the virulence factors produced by Streptococcus pyogenes is β-NAD(+) glycohydrolase (SPN). S. pyogenes injects SPN into the cytosol of an infected host cell using the cytolysin-mediated translocation pathway. As SPN is toxic to bacterial cells themselves, S. pyogenes possesses the ifs gene that encodes an endogenous inhibitor for SPN (IFS). IFS is localized intracellularly and forms a complex with SPN. This intracellular complex must be dissociated during export through the cell envelope. To provide a structural basis for understanding the interactions between SPN and IFS, the complex was overexpressed between the mature SPN (residues 38-451) and the full-length IFS (residues 1-161), but it could not be crystallized. Therefore, limited proteolysis was used to isolate a crystallizable SPNct-IFS complex, which consists of the SPN C-terminal domain (SPNct; residues 193-451) and the full-length IFS. Its crystal structure has been determined by single anomalous diffraction and the model refined at 1.70 Å resolution. Interestingly, our high-resolution structure of the complex reveals that the interface between SPNct and IFS is highly rich in water molecules and many of the interactions are water-mediated. The wet interface may facilitate the dissociation of the complex for translocation across the cell envelope.

ComprehensiveBench: a Benchmark for the Extensive Evaluation of Global Scheduling Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilla, Laércio L.; Bozzetti, Tiago C.; Castro, Márcio; Navaux, Philippe O. A.; Méhaut, Jean-François

2015-10-01

Parallel applications that present tasks with imbalanced loads or complex communication behavior usually do not exploit the underlying resources of parallel platforms to their full potential. In order to mitigate this issue, global scheduling algorithms are employed. As finding the optimal task distribution is an NP-Hard problem, identifying the most suitable algorithm for a specific scenario and comparing algorithms are not trivial tasks. In this context, this paper presents ComprehensiveBench, a benchmark for global scheduling algorithms that enables the variation of a vast range of parameters that affect performance. ComprehensiveBench can be used to assist in the development and evaluation of new scheduling algorithms, to help choose a specific algorithm for an arbitrary application, to emulate other applications, and to enable statistical tests. We illustrate its use in this paper with an evaluation of Charm++ periodic load balancers that stresses their characteristics.

A Ka-band chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaleski, Daniel P.; Neill, Justin L.; Muckle, Matt T.; Seifert, Nathan A.; Brandon Carroll, P.; Widicus Weaver, Susanna L.; Pate, Brooks H.

2012-10-01

The design and performance of a new chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer operating from 25 to 40 GHz (Ka-band) is presented. This spectrometer is well-suited for the study of complex organic molecules of astronomical interest in the size range of 6-10 atoms that have strong rotational transitions in Ka-band under pulsed jet sample conditions (Trot = 1-10 K). The spectrometer permits acquisition of the full spectral band in a single data acquisition event. Sensitivity is enhanced by using two pulsed jet sources and acquiring 10 broadband measurements for each sample injection cycle. The spectrometer performance is benchmarked by measuring the pure rotational spectrum of several isotopologues of acetaldehyde in natural abundance. The rotational spectra of the singly substituted 13C and 18O isotopologues of the two lowest energy conformers of ethyl formate have been analyzed and the resulting substitution structures for these conformers are compared to electronic structure theory calculations.

Determining fundamental properties of matter created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, J.; Novak, K.; Pratt, S.; Vredevoogd, J.; Coleman-Smith, C. E.; Wolpert, R. L.

2014-03-01

Posterior distributions for physical parameters describing relativistic heavy-ion collisions, such as the viscosity of the quark-gluon plasma, are extracted through a comparison of hydrodynamic-based transport models to experimental results from 100AGeV+100AGeV Au +Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. By simultaneously varying six parameters and by evaluating several classes of observables, we are able to explore the complex intertwined dependencies of observables on model parameters. The methods provide a full multidimensional posterior distribution for the model output, including a range of acceptable values for each parameter, and reveal correlations between them. The breadth of observables and the number of parameters considered here go beyond previous studies in this field. The statistical tools, which are based upon Gaussian process emulators, are tested in detail and should be extendable to larger data sets and a higher number of parameters.

A new series of estrogen receptor modulators that display selectivity for estrogen receptor beta.

PubMed

Henke, Brad R; Consler, Thomas G; Go, Ning; Hale, Ron L; Hohman, Dana R; Jones, Stacey A; Lu, Amy T; Moore, Linda B; Moore, John T; Orband-Miller, Lisa A; Robinett, R Graham; Shearin, Jean; Spearing, Paul K; Stewart, Eugene L; Turnbull, Philip S; Weaver, Susan L; Williams, Shawn P; Wisely, G Bruce; Lambert, Millard H

2002-12-05

A series of 1,3,5-triazine-based estrogen receptor (ER) modulators that are modestly selective for the ERbeta subtype are reported. Compound 1, which displayed modest potency and selectivity for ERbeta vs ERalpha, was identified via high-throughput screening utilizing an ERbeta SPA-based binding assay. Subsequent analogue preparation resulted in the identification of compounds such as 21 and 43 that display 25- to 30-fold selectivity for ERbeta with potencies in the 10-30 nM range. These compounds profile as full antagonists at ERbeta and weak partial agonists at ERalpha in a cell-based reporter gene assay. In addition, the X-ray crystal structure of compound 15 complexed with the ligand binding domain of ERbeta has been solved and was utilized in the design of more conformationally restrained analogues such as 31 in an attempt to increase selectivity for the ERbeta subtype.

A Comparative Study of Power Supply Architectures In Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esteban, Bryan

Wireless inductive power transfer is a transformational and disruptive technology that enables the reliable and efficient transfer of electrical power over large air gaps for a host of unique applications. One such application that is now gaining much momentum worldwide is the wireless charging of electric vehicles (EVs). This thesis examines two of the primary power supply topologies being predominantly used for EV charging, namely the SLC and the LCL resonant full bridge inverter topologies. The study of both of these topologies is presented in the context of designing a 3 kW, primary side controlled, wireless EV charger with nominal operating parameters of 30 kHz centre frequency and range of coupling in the neighborhood of .18-.26. A comparison of both topologies is made in terms of their complexity, cost, efficiency, and power quality. The aim of the study is to determine which topology is better for wireless EV charging.

[Biogas production from cellulose-containing substrates: a review].

PubMed

Tsavkelova, E A; Netrusov, A I

2012-01-01

Anaerobic microbial conversion of organic substrates to various biofuels is one of the alternative energy sources attracting the greatest attention of scientists. The advantages of biogas production over other technologies are the ability of methanogenic communities to degrade a broad range of substrates and concomitant benefits: neutralization of organic waste, reduction of greenhouse gas emission, and fertilizer production. Cellulose-containing materials are a good substrate, but their full-scale utilization encounters a number of problems, including improvement of the quality and amount ofbiogas produced and maintenance of the stability and high efficiency of microbial communities. We review data on microorganisms that form methanogenic cellulolytic communities, enzyme complexes of anaerobes essential for cellulose fiber degradation, and feedstock pretreatment, as biodegradation is hindered in the presence of lignin. Methods for improving biogas production by optimization of microbial growth conditions are considered on the examples of biogas formation from various types of plant and paper materials: writing paper and cardboard.

Overview of Engineering Design and Analysis at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, Harry; Congiardo, Jared; Junell, Justin; Kirkpatrick, Richard

2007-01-01

A wide range of rocket propulsion test work occurs at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) including full-scale engine test activities at test facilities A-1, A-2, B-1 and B-2 as well as combustion device research and development activities at the E-Complex (E-1, E-2, E-3 and E-4) test facilities. The propulsion test engineer at NASA SSC faces many challenges associated with designing and operating a test facility due to the extreme operating conditions (e.g., cryogenic temperatures, high pressures) of the various system components and the uniqueness of many of the components and systems. The purpose of this paper is to briefly describe the NASA SSC Engineering Science Directorate s design and analysis processes, experience, and modeling techniques that are used to design and support the operation of unique rocket propulsion test facilities.

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

Zhu, Yuanyuan; Browning, Nigel D.

As gas-solid heterogeneous catalytic reactions are molecular in nature, a full mechanistic understanding of the process requires atomic scale characterization under realistic operating conditions. While atomic resolution imaging has become a routine in modern high-vacuum (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM), both image quality and resolution nominally degrade when reaction gases are introduced. In this work, we systematically assess the effects of different gases at various pressures on the quality and resolution of images obtained at room temperature in the annular dark field STEM imaging mode using a differentially pumped (DP) gas cell. This imaging mode is largely free from inelasticmore » scattering effects induced by the presence of gases and retains good imaging properties over a wide range of gas mass/pressures. We demonstrate the application of the ESTEM with atomic resolution images of a complex oxide alkane oxidation catalyst MoVNbTeOx (M1) immersed in light and heavy gas environments.« less

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

Zhu, Yuanyuan; Browning, Nigel D.

As gas-solid heterogeneous catalytic reactions are molecular in nature, a full mechanistic understanding of the process requires atomic scale characterization under realistic operating conditions. While atomic resolution imaging has become a routine in modern high-vacuum (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM), both image quality and resolution nominally degrade when reaction gases are introduced. In this work, we systematically assess the effects of different gases at various pressures on the quality and resolution of images obtained at room temperature in the annular dark field STEM imaging mode using a differentially pumped (DP) gas cell. This imaging mode is largely free from inelasticmore » scattering effects induced by the presence of gases and retains good imaging properties over a wide range of gas mass/pressures. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of the ESTEM with atomic resolution images of a complex oxide alkane oxidation catalyst MoVNbTeOx (M1) immersed in light and heavy gas environments.« less

A target recognition method for maritime surveillance radars based on hybrid ensemble selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Xueman; Hu, Shengliang; He, Jingbo

2017-11-01

In order to improve the generalisation ability of the maritime surveillance radar, a novel ensemble selection technique, termed Optimisation and Dynamic Selection (ODS), is proposed. During the optimisation phase, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II for multi-objective optimisation is used to find the Pareto front, i.e. a set of ensembles of classifiers representing different tradeoffs between the classification error and diversity. During the dynamic selection phase, the meta-learning method is used to predict whether a candidate ensemble is competent enough to classify a query instance based on three different aspects, namely, feature space, decision space and the extent of consensus. The classification performance and time complexity of ODS are compared against nine other ensemble methods using a self-built full polarimetric high resolution range profile data-set. The experimental results clearly show the effectiveness of ODS. In addition, the influence of the selection of diversity measures is studied concurrently.

Supporting metabolomics with adaptable software: design architectures for the end-user.

PubMed

Sarpe, Vladimir; Schriemer, David C

2017-02-01

Large and disparate sets of LC-MS data are generated by modern metabolomics profiling initiatives, and while useful software tools are available to annotate and quantify compounds, the field requires continued software development in order to sustain methodological innovation. Advances in software development practices allow for a new paradigm in tool development for metabolomics, where increasingly the end-user can develop or redeploy utilities ranging from simple algorithms to complex workflows. Resources that provide an organized framework for development are described and illustrated with LC-MS processing packages that have leveraged their design tools. Full access to these resources depends in part on coding experience, but the emergence of workflow builders and pluggable frameworks strongly reduces the skill level required. Developers in the metabolomics community are encouraged to use these resources and design content for uptake and reuse. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cobalt ferrite nanocrystals: out-performing magnetotactic bacteria.

PubMed

Prozorov, Tanya; Palo, Pierre; Wang, Lijun; Nilsen-Hamilton, Marit; Jones, DeAnna; Orr, Daniel; Mallapragada, Surya K; Narasimhan, Balaji; Canfield, Paul C; Prozorov, Ruslan

2007-10-01

Magnetotactic bacteria produce exquisitely ordered chains of uniform magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) nanocrystals, and the use of the bacterial mms6 protein allows for the shape-selective synthesis of Fe(3)O(4) nanocrystals. Cobalt ferrite (CoFe(2)O(4)) nanoparticles, on the other hand, are not known to occur in living organisms. Here we report on the use of the recombinant mms6 protein in a templated synthesis of CoFe(2)O(4) nanocrystals in vitro. We have covalently attached the full-length mms6 protein and a synthetic C-terminal domain of mms6 protein to self-assembling polymers in order to template hierarchical CoFe(2)O(4) nanostructures. This new synthesis pathway enables facile room-temperature shape-specific synthesis of complex magnetic crystalline nanomaterials with particle sizes in the range of 40-100 nm that are difficult to produce using conventional techniques.

Color constancy by characterization of illumination chromaticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikkanen, Jarno T.

2011-05-01

Computational color constancy algorithms play a key role in achieving desired color reproduction in digital cameras. Failure to estimate illumination chromaticity correctly will result in invalid overall colour cast in the image that will be easily detected by human observers. A new algorithm is presented for computational color constancy. Low computational complexity and low memory requirement make the algorithm suitable for resource-limited camera devices, such as consumer digital cameras and camera phones. Operation of the algorithm relies on characterization of the range of possible illumination chromaticities in terms of camera sensor response. The fact that only illumination chromaticity is characterized instead of the full color gamut, for example, increases robustness against variations in sensor characteristics and against failure of diagonal model of illumination change. Multiple databases are used in order to demonstrate the good performance of the algorithm in comparison to the state-of-the-art color constancy algorithms.

Neural-network quantum state tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torlai, Giacomo; Mazzola, Guglielmo; Carrasquilla, Juan; Troyer, Matthias; Melko, Roger; Carleo, Giuseppe

2018-05-01

The experimental realization of increasingly complex synthetic quantum systems calls for the development of general theoretical methods to validate and fully exploit quantum resources. Quantum state tomography (QST) aims to reconstruct the full quantum state from simple measurements, and therefore provides a key tool to obtain reliable analytics1-3. However, exact brute-force approaches to QST place a high demand on computational resources, making them unfeasible for anything except small systems4,5. Here we show how machine learning techniques can be used to perform QST of highly entangled states with more than a hundred qubits, to a high degree of accuracy. We demonstrate that machine learning allows one to reconstruct traditionally challenging many-body quantities—such as the entanglement entropy—from simple, experimentally accessible measurements. This approach can benefit existing and future generations of devices ranging from quantum computers to ultracold-atom quantum simulators6-8.

Advanced Computational Modeling Approaches for Shock Response Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Derkevorkian, Armen; Kolaini, Ali R.; Peterson, Lee

2015-01-01

Motivation: (1) The activation of pyroshock devices such as explosives, separation nuts, pin-pullers, etc. produces high frequency transient structural response, typically from few tens of Hz to several hundreds of kHz. (2) Lack of reliable analytical tools makes the prediction of appropriate design and qualification test levels a challenge. (3) In the past few decades, several attempts have been made to develop methodologies that predict the structural responses to shock environments. (4) Currently, there is no validated approach that is viable to predict shock environments overt the full frequency range (i.e., 100 Hz to 10 kHz). Scope: (1) Model, analyze, and interpret space structural systems with complex interfaces and discontinuities, subjected to shock loads. (2) Assess the viability of a suite of numerical tools to simulate transient, non-linear solid mechanics and structural dynamics problems, such as shock wave propagation.

Detection of Diverse and High Molecular Weight Nesprin-1 and Nesprin-2 Isoforms Using Western Blotting.

PubMed

Carthew, James; Karakesisoglou, Iakowos

2016-01-01

Heavily utilized in cell and molecular biology, western blotting is considered a crucial technique for the detection and quantification of proteins within complex mixtures. In particular, the detection of members of the nesprin (nuclear envelope spectrin repeat protein) family has proven difficult to analyze due to their substantial isoform diversity, molecular weight variation, and the sheer size of both nesprin-1 and nesprin-2 giant protein variants (>800 kDa). Nesprin isoforms contain distinct domain signatures, perform differential cytoskeletal associations, occupy different subcellular compartments, and vary in their tissue expression profiles. This structural and functional variance highlights the need to distinguish between the full range of proteins within the nesprin protein family, allowing for greater understanding of their specific roles in cell biology and disease. Herein, we describe a western blotting protocol modified for the detection of low to high molecular weight (50-1000 kDa) nesprin proteins.

Energy-level alignment at organic heterointerfaces

PubMed Central

Oehzelt, Martin; Akaike, Kouki; Koch, Norbert; Heimel, Georg

2015-01-01

Today’s champion organic (opto-)electronic devices comprise an ever-increasing number of different organic-semiconductor layers. The functionality of these complex heterostructures largely derives from the relative alignment of the frontier molecular-orbital energies in each layer with respect to those in all others. Despite the technological relevance of the energy-level alignment at organic heterointerfaces, and despite continued scientific interest, a reliable model that can quantitatively predict the full range of phenomena observed at such interfaces is notably absent. We identify the limitations of previous attempts to formulate such a model and highlight inconsistencies in the interpretation of the experimental data they were based on. We then develop a theoretical framework, which we demonstrate to accurately reproduce experiment. Applying this theory, a comprehensive overview of all possible energy-level alignment scenarios that can be encountered at organic heterojunctions is finally given. These results will help focus future efforts on developing functional organic interfaces for superior device performance. PMID:26702447

Analysis of dense-medium light scattering with applications to corneal tissue: experiments and Monte Carlo simulations.

PubMed

Kim, K B; Shanyfelt, L M; Hahn, D W

2006-01-01

Dense-medium scattering is explored in the context of providing a quantitative measurement of turbidity, with specific application to corneal haze. A multiple-wavelength scattering technique is proposed to make use of two-color scattering response ratios, thereby providing a means for data normalization. A combination of measurements and simulations are reported to assess this technique, including light-scattering experiments for a range of polystyrene suspensions. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were performed using a multiple-scattering algorithm based on full Mie scattering theory. The simulations were in excellent agreement with the polystyrene suspension experiments, thereby validating the MC model. The MC model was then used to simulate multiwavelength scattering in a corneal tissue model. Overall, the proposed multiwavelength scattering technique appears to be a feasible approach to quantify dense-medium scattering such as the manifestation of corneal haze, although more complex modeling of keratocyte scattering, and animal studies, are necessary.

Excavating and loading equipment for peat mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhailov, A. V.; Zhigulskaya, A. I.; Yakonovskaya, T. B.

2017-10-01

Recently, the issues of sustainable development of Russian regions, related to ensuring energy security, are more urgent than ever. To achieve sustainable development, an integrated approach to the use of local natural resources is needed. Practically in all north regions of the Russian Federation, peat as a local natural resource is widespread, which has a practical application in the area of housing services. The paper presents the evaluation of technologies for open-pit peat mining, as well as analysis of technological equipment for peat production. Special attention is paid to a question of peat materials excavating and loading. The problem of equipment selection in a peat surface mine is complex. Many features, restrictions and criteria need to be considered. Use of low and ultra-low ground pressure excavators and low ground pressure front-end loaders with full-range tires to provide the necessary floatation in the peat bog environment is offered.

Harnessing the Power of Light to See and Treat Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

complexity : the raw data, the most basic form of data, represents the raw numeric readout obtained from the acquisition hardware. The raw data...has the added advantage of full-field illumination and non-descanned detection, thus lowering the complexity compared to confocal scanning systems... complexity of images that have varying levels of contrast and non-uniform background heterogeneity. In 2004 Matas described a technique for detecting

Formation of W(3)A(1) electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) hydroquinone in the trimethylamine dehydrogenase x ETF protein complex.

PubMed

Jang, M H; Scrutton, N S; Hille, R

2000-04-28

The electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) from Methylophilus methylotrophus (sp. W(3)A(1)) exhibits unusual oxidation-reduction properties and can only be reduced to the level of the semiquinone under most circumstances (including turnover with its physiological reductant, trimethylamine dehydrogenase (TMADH), or reaction with strong reducing reagents such as sodium dithionite). In the present study, we demonstrate that ETF can be reduced fully to its hydroquinone form both enzymatically and chemically when it is in complex with TMADH. Quantitative titration of the TMADH x ETF protein complex with sodium dithionite shows that a total of five electrons are taken up by the system, indicating that full reduction of ETF occurs within the complex. The results indicate that the oxidation-reduction properties of ETF are perturbed upon binding to TMADH, a conclusion further supported by the observation of a spectral change upon formation of the TMADH x ETF complex that is due to a change in the environment of the FAD of ETF. The results are discussed in the context of ETF undergoing a conformational change during formation of the TMADH x ETF electron transfer complex, which modulates the spectral and oxidation-reduction properties of ETF such that full reduction of the protein can take place.

Unconventional signal detection techniques with Gaussian probability mixtures adaptation in non-AWGN channels: full resolution receiver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chabdarov, Shamil M.; Nadeev, Adel F.; Chickrin, Dmitry E.; Faizullin, Rashid R.

2011-04-01

In this paper we discuss unconventional detection technique also known as «full resolution receiver». This receiver uses Gaussian probability mixtures for interference structure adaptation. Full resolution receiver is alternative to conventional matched filter receivers in the case of non-Gaussian interferences. For the DS-CDMA forward channel with presence of complex interferences sufficient performance increasing was shown.

Democratizing Neurorehabilitation: How Accessible are Low-Cost Mobile-Gaming Technologies for Self-Rehabilitation of Arm Disability in Stroke?

PubMed Central

Rinne, Paul; Mace, Michael; Nakornchai, Tagore; Zimmerman, Karl; Fayer, Susannah; Sharma, Pankaj; Liardon, Jean-Luc; Burdet, Etienne; Bentley, Paul

2016-01-01

Motor-training software on tablets or smartphones (Apps) offer a low-cost, widely-available solution to supplement arm physiotherapy after stroke. We assessed the proportions of hemiplegic stroke patients who, with their plegic hand, could meaningfully engage with mobile-gaming devices using a range of standard control-methods, as well as by using a novel wireless grip-controller, adapted for neurodisability. We screened all newly-diagnosed hemiplegic stroke patients presenting to a stroke centre over 6 months. Subjects were compared on their ability to control a tablet or smartphone cursor using: finger-swipe, tap, joystick, screen-tilt, and an adapted handgrip. Cursor control was graded as: no movement (0); less than full-range movement (1); full-range movement (2); directed movement (3). In total, we screened 345 patients, of which 87 satisfied recruitment criteria and completed testing. The commonest reason for exclusion was cognitive impairment. Using conventional controls, the proportion of patients able to direct cursor movement was 38–48%; and to move it full-range was 55–67% (controller comparison: p>0.1). By comparison, handgrip enabled directed control in 75%, and full-range movement in 93% (controller comparison: p<0.001). This difference between controllers was most apparent amongst severely-disabled subjects, with 0% achieving directed or full-range control with conventional controls, compared to 58% and 83% achieving these two levels of movement, respectively, with handgrip. In conclusion, hand, or arm, training Apps played on conventional mobile devices are likely to be accessible only to mildly-disabled stroke patients. Technological adaptations such as grip-control can enable more severely affected subjects to engage with self-training software. PMID:27706248

Children with medical complexity: a scoping review of interventions to support caregiver stress.

PubMed

Edelstein, H; Schippke, J; Sheffe, S; Kingsnorth, S

2017-05-01

Caring for children with chronic and complex medical needs places extraordinary stress on parents and other family members. A scoping review was undertaken to identify and describe the full range of current interventions for reducing caregiver stress. Applying a broad definition of caregiver stress, a systematic search of three scientific databases (CINAHL, Embase and Ovid Medline), a general internet search and hand searching of key peer-reviewed articles were conducted. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (i) published in English between 2004-2016; (ii) focused on familial caregivers, defined as parents, siblings or extended family; (iii) targeted children/youth with medical complexity between the ages of 1-24 years; and (iv) described an intervention and impact on caregiver stress. Data on type of intervention, study design and methods, measures and overall findings were extracted. Forty-nine studies were included from a list of 22 339 unique titles. Six domains of interventions were found: care coordination models (n = 23); respite care (n = 8); telemedicine (n = 5); peer and emotional support (n = 6); insurance and employment benefits (n = 4); and health and related supports (n = 3). Across studies, there was a wide variety of designs, outcomes and measures used. Positive findings of reductions in caregiver stress were noted within an emerging body of evidence on effective interventions for families of children with medical complexity. A commonality across domains was a significant focus on streamlining services and reducing the burden of care related to varied pressures experienced, including time, finances, care needs and service access, among others. There was non-conclusive evidence however around which of the six identified intervention domains or combination thereof are most effective for reducing stress. These promising findings demonstrate that stress reduction is possible with the right support and that multiple interventions may be effective in reducing burdens of care experienced by families of children with medical complexity. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Do feasibility studies contribute to, or avoid, waste in research?

PubMed Central

Hejdenberg, Jennie; Hinrichs-Krapels, Saba; Armstrong, David

2018-01-01

In the context of avoiding research waste, the conduct of a feasibility study before a clinical trial should reduce the risk that further resources will be committed to a trial that is likely to ‘fail’. However, there is little evidence indicating whether feasibility studies add to or reduce waste in research. Feasibility studies funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme were examined to determine how many had published their findings, how many had applied for further funding for a full trial and the timeframe in which both of these occurred. A total of 120 feasibility studies which had closed by May 2016 were identified and each Principal Investigator (PI) was sent a questionnaire of which 89 responses were received and deemed suitable for analysis. Based on self reported answers from the PIs a total of 57 feasibility studies were judged as feasible, 20 were judged not feasible and for 12 it was judged as uncertain whether a full trial was feasible. The RfPB programme had spent approximately £19.5m on the 89 feasibility studies of which 16 further studies had been subsequently funded to a total of £16.8m. The 20 feasibility studies which were judged as not feasible potentially saved up to approximately £20m of further research funding which would likely to have not completed successfully. The average RfPB feasibility study took 31 months (range 18 to 48) to complete and cost £219,048 (range £72,031 to £326,830) and the average full trial funded from an RfPB feasibility study took 42 months (range 26 to 55) to complete and cost £1,163,996 (range £321,403 to £2,099,813). The average timeframe of feasibility study and full trial was 72 months (range 56 to 91), however in addition to this time an average of 10 months (range -7 to 29) was taken between the end of the feasibility study and the application for the full trial, and a further average of 18 months (range 13 to 28) between the application for the full trial and the start of the full trial. Approximately 58% of the 89 feasibility studies had published their findings with the majority of the remaining studies still planning to publish. Due to the long time frames involved a number of studies were still in the process of publishing the feasibility findings and/or applying for a full trial. Feasibility studies are potentially useful at avoiding waste and de-risking funding investments of more expensive full trials, however there is a clear time delay and therefore some potential waste in the existing research pathway. PMID:29684043

Do feasibility studies contribute to, or avoid, waste in research?

PubMed

Morgan, Ben; Hejdenberg, Jennie; Hinrichs-Krapels, Saba; Armstrong, David

2018-01-01

In the context of avoiding research waste, the conduct of a feasibility study before a clinical trial should reduce the risk that further resources will be committed to a trial that is likely to 'fail'. However, there is little evidence indicating whether feasibility studies add to or reduce waste in research. Feasibility studies funded by the National Institute for Health Research's (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme were examined to determine how many had published their findings, how many had applied for further funding for a full trial and the timeframe in which both of these occurred. A total of 120 feasibility studies which had closed by May 2016 were identified and each Principal Investigator (PI) was sent a questionnaire of which 89 responses were received and deemed suitable for analysis. Based on self reported answers from the PIs a total of 57 feasibility studies were judged as feasible, 20 were judged not feasible and for 12 it was judged as uncertain whether a full trial was feasible. The RfPB programme had spent approximately £19.5m on the 89 feasibility studies of which 16 further studies had been subsequently funded to a total of £16.8m. The 20 feasibility studies which were judged as not feasible potentially saved up to approximately £20m of further research funding which would likely to have not completed successfully. The average RfPB feasibility study took 31 months (range 18 to 48) to complete and cost £219,048 (range £72,031 to £326,830) and the average full trial funded from an RfPB feasibility study took 42 months (range 26 to 55) to complete and cost £1,163,996 (range £321,403 to £2,099,813). The average timeframe of feasibility study and full trial was 72 months (range 56 to 91), however in addition to this time an average of 10 months (range -7 to 29) was taken between the end of the feasibility study and the application for the full trial, and a further average of 18 months (range 13 to 28) between the application for the full trial and the start of the full trial. Approximately 58% of the 89 feasibility studies had published their findings with the majority of the remaining studies still planning to publish. Due to the long time frames involved a number of studies were still in the process of publishing the feasibility findings and/or applying for a full trial. Feasibility studies are potentially useful at avoiding waste and de-risking funding investments of more expensive full trials, however there is a clear time delay and therefore some potential waste in the existing research pathway.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

2018-01-01

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

Active mixing of complex fluids at the microscale

DOE PAGES

Ober, Thomas J.; Foresti, Daniele; Lewis, Jennifer A.

2015-09-22

Mixing of complex fluids at low Reynolds number is fundamental for a broad range of applications, including materials assembly, microfluidics, and biomedical devices. Of these materials, yield stress fluids (and gels) pose the most significant challenges, especially when they must be mixed in low volumes over short timescales. New scaling relationships between mixer dimensions and operating conditions are derived and experimentally verified to create a framework for designing active microfluidic mixers that can efficiently homogenize a wide range of complex fluids. As a result, active mixing printheads are then designed and implemented for multimaterial 3D printing of viscoelastic inks withmore » programmable control of local composition.« less

Active mixing of complex fluids at the microscale

PubMed Central

Ober, Thomas J.; Foresti, Daniele; Lewis, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

Mixing of complex fluids at low Reynolds number is fundamental for a broad range of applications, including materials assembly, microfluidics, and biomedical devices. Of these materials, yield stress fluids (and gels) pose the most significant challenges, especially when they must be mixed in low volumes over short timescales. New scaling relationships between mixer dimensions and operating conditions are derived and experimentally verified to create a framework for designing active microfluidic mixers that can efficiently homogenize a wide range of complex fluids. Active mixing printheads are then designed and implemented for multimaterial 3D printing of viscoelastic inks with programmable control of local composition. PMID:26396254

Identification of fluids and an interface between fluids by measuring complex impedance

DOEpatents

Lee, D.O.; Wayland, J.R. Jr.

1989-12-05

Complex impedance measured over a predefined frequency range is used to determine the identity of different oils in a column. The location of an interface between the oils is determined from the percent frequency effects of the complex impedance measured across the interface. 5 figs.

Three-dimensional model of an ultramafic feeder system to the Nikolai Greenstone mafic large igneous province, central Alaska Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glen, J.M.G.; Schmidt, J.M.; Connard, G.G.

2011-01-01

The Amphitheater Mountains and southern central Alaska Range expose a thick sequence of Triassic Nikolai basalts that is underlain by several mafic-ultramafic complexes, the largest and best exposed being the Fish Lake and Tangle (FL-T) mafic-ultramafic sills that flank the Amphitheater Mountains synform. Three-dimensional (3-D) modeling of gravity and magnetic data reveals details of the structure of the Amphitheater Mountains, such as the orientation and thickness of Nikolai basalts, and the geometry of the FL-T intrusions. The 3-D model (50 ?? 70 km) includes the full geographic extent of the FL-T complexes and consists of 11 layers. Layer surfaces and properties (density and magnetic susceptibility) were modified by forward and inverse methods to reduce differences between the observed and calculated gravity and magnetic grids. The model suggests that the outcropping FL-T sills are apparently connected and traceable at depth and reveals variations in thickness, shape, and orientation of the ultramafic bodies that may identify paths of magma flow. The model shows that a significant volume (2000 km3) of ultramafic material occurs in the subsurface, gradually thickening and plunging westward to depths exceeding 4 km. This deep ultramafic material is interpreted as the top of a keel or root system that supplied magma to the Nikolai lavas and controlled emplacement of related magmatic intrusions. The presence of this deep, keel-like structure, and asymmetry of the synform, supports a sag basin model for development of the Amphitheater Mountains structure and reveals that the feeders to the Nikolai are much more extensive than previously known. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Monte Carlo N Particle code - Dose distribution of clinical electron beams in inhomogeneous phantoms

PubMed Central

Nedaie, H. A.; Mosleh-Shirazi, M. A.; Allahverdi, M.

2013-01-01

Electron dose distributions calculated using the currently available analytical methods can be associated with large uncertainties. The Monte Carlo method is the most accurate method for dose calculation in electron beams. Most of the clinical electron beam simulation studies have been performed using non- MCNP [Monte Carlo N Particle] codes. Given the differences between Monte Carlo codes, this work aims to evaluate the accuracy of MCNP4C-simulated electron dose distributions in a homogenous phantom and around inhomogeneities. Different types of phantoms ranging in complexity were used; namely, a homogeneous water phantom and phantoms made of polymethyl methacrylate slabs containing different-sized, low- and high-density inserts of heterogeneous materials. Electron beams with 8 and 15 MeV nominal energy generated by an Elekta Synergy linear accelerator were investigated. Measurements were performed for a 10 cm × 10 cm applicator at a source-to-surface distance of 100 cm. Individual parts of the beam-defining system were introduced into the simulation one at a time in order to show their effect on depth doses. In contrast to the first scattering foil, the secondary scattering foil, X and Y jaws and applicator provide up to 5% of the dose. A 2%/2 mm agreement between MCNP and measurements was found in the homogenous phantom, and in the presence of heterogeneities in the range of 1-3%, being generally within 2% of the measurements for both energies in a "complex" phantom. A full-component simulation is necessary in order to obtain a realistic model of the beam. The MCNP4C results agree well with the measured electron dose distributions. PMID:23533162

N-SCAN: new vibromodulation system for detection and monitoring of cracks and other contact-type defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donskoy, Dmitri; Ekimov, Alexander; Luzzato, Emile; Lottiaux, Jean-Louis; Stoupin, Stanislav; Zagrai, Andrei

2003-08-01

In recent years, innovative vibro-modulation technique has been introduced for detection of contact-type interfaces such as cracks, debondings, and delaminations. The technique utilizes the effect of nonlinear interaction of ultrasound and vibrations at the interface of the defect. Vibration varies on the contact area of the interface modulating passing through ultrasonic wave. The modulation manifests itself as additional side-band spectral components with the combination frequencies in the spectrum of the received signal. The presence of these components allows for detection and differentiation of the contact-type defects from other structural and material inhomogeneities. Vibro-modulation technique has been implemented in N-SCAN damage detection system. The system consists of a digital synthesizer, high and low frequency amplifiers, a magnetostrictive shaker, ultrasonic transducers and a PC-based data acquisition/processing station with N-SCAN software. The ability of the system to detect contact-type defects was experimentally verified using specimens of simple and complex geometries made of steel, aluminum, composites and other structural materials. N-SCAN proved to be very effective for nondestructive testing of full-scale structures ranging from 24 foot-long gun barrels to stainless steel pipes used in nuclear power plants. Among advantages of the system are applicability for the wide range of structural materials and for structures with complex geometries, real time data processing, convenient interface for system operation, simplicity of interpretation of results, no need for sensor scanning along structure, onsite inspection of large structures at a fraction of time as compared with conventional techniques. This paper describes the basic principles of nonlinear vibro-modulation NDE technique, some theoretical background for nonlinear interaction and justification of signal processing algorithm. It is also presents examples of practical implementation and application of the technique.

Only multi-taxon studies show the full range of arthropod responses to fire

PubMed Central

Pryke, James S.; Gaigher, René; Samways, Michael J.

2018-01-01

Fire is a major driver in many ecosystems. Yet, little is known about how different ground-living arthropods survive fire. Using three sampling methods, and time-since-fire (last fire event: 3 months, 1 year, and 7 years), we investigate how ground-living arthropod diversity responds to fire, and how species richness, diversity, abundance, and composition of the four dominant taxa: ants, beetles, cockroaches and mites, respond. We did this in the naturally fire-prone Mediterranean-type scrubland vegetation (fynbos) of the Cape Floristic Region. Surprisingly, overall species richness and diversity was the same for all time-since-fire categories. However, when each dominant taxon was analysed separately, effect of fire on species richness and abundance varied among taxa. This emphasizes that many taxa must be investigated to really understand fire-driven events. We also highlight the importance of using different diversity measures, as fire did not influence species richness and abundance of particular taxa, while it affected others, overall greatly affecting assemblages of all taxa. Rockiness affected species richness, abundance and composition of a few taxa. We found that all time-since-fire categories supported distinctive assemblages. Some indicator species occurred across all time-since-fire categories, while others were restricted to a single time-since-fire category, showing that there is a wide range of responses to fire between taxa. Details of local landscape structure, abiotic and biotic, and frequency and intensity of fire add complexity to the fire-arthropod interaction. Overall, we show that the relationship between fire and arthropods is phylogenetically constrained, having been honed by many millennia of fire events, and highly complex. Present-day species manifest a variety of adaptations for surviving the great natural selective force of fire. PMID:29614132

Post-fine-needle aspiration biopsy communication and the integrated and standardized cytopathology report.

PubMed

Pitman, Martha B; Black-Schaffer, W Stephen

2017-06-01

Communication between cytopathologists and patients and their care team is a critical component of accurate and timely patient management. The most important single means of communication for the cytopathologist is through the cytopathology report. Implementation of standardized terminology schemes and structured, templated reporting facilitates the ability of the cytopathologist to provide a comprehensive and integrated report. Cytopathology has been among the pathology subspecialties that have led the way in developing standardized reporting, beginning with the 1954 Papanicolaou classification scheme for cervical-vaginal cytology and continuing through the Bethesda systems for gynecological cytology and several nongynecological cytology systems. The effective reporting of cytopathology necessarily becomes more complex as it addresses increasingly sophisticated management options, requiring the integration of information from a broader range of sources. In addition to the complexity of information inputs, a wider spectrum of consumers of these reports is emerging, from patients themselves to primary care providers to subspecialized disease management experts. Both these factors require that the reporting cytopathologist provide the integration and interpretation necessary to translate diverse forms of information into meaningful and actionable reports that will inform the care team while enabling the patient to meaningfully participate in his or her own care. To achieve such broad and focused communications will require first the development of standardized and integrated reports and ultimately the involvement of cytopathologists in the development of the clinical informatics needed to treat all these items of information as structured data elements with flexible reporting operators to address the full range of patient and patient care needs. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125(6 suppl):486-93. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Comparison of sorting algorithms to increase the range of Hartmann-Shack aberrometry.

PubMed

Bedggood, Phillip; Metha, Andrew

2010-01-01

Recently many software-based approaches have been suggested for improving the range and accuracy of Hartmann-Shack aberrometry. We compare the performance of four representative algorithms, with a focus on aberrometry for the human eye. Algorithms vary in complexity from the simplistic traditional approach to iterative spline extrapolation based on prior spot measurements. Range is assessed for a variety of aberration types in isolation using computer modeling, and also for complex wavefront shapes using a real adaptive optics system. The effects of common sources of error for ocular wavefront sensing are explored. The results show that the simplest possible iterative algorithm produces comparable range and robustness compared to the more complicated algorithms, while keeping processing time minimal to afford real-time analysis.

Comparison of sorting algorithms to increase the range of Hartmann-Shack aberrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedggood, Phillip; Metha, Andrew

2010-11-01

Recently many software-based approaches have been suggested for improving the range and accuracy of Hartmann-Shack aberrometry. We compare the performance of four representative algorithms, with a focus on aberrometry for the human eye. Algorithms vary in complexity from the simplistic traditional approach to iterative spline extrapolation based on prior spot measurements. Range is assessed for a variety of aberration types in isolation using computer modeling, and also for complex wavefront shapes using a real adaptive optics system. The effects of common sources of error for ocular wavefront sensing are explored. The results show that the simplest possible iterative algorithm produces comparable range and robustness compared to the more complicated algorithms, while keeping processing time minimal to afford real-time analysis.

40 CFR 90.314 - Analyzer accuracy and specifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... zero and calibration or span gases over any 10-second period must not exceed two percent of full-scale chart deflection on all ranges used. (3) Zero drift. The analyzer zero-response drift during a one-hour period must be less than two percent of full-scale chart deflection on the lowest range used. The zero...

Perceptions of the Full Range Leadership Model Practiced by Select High School Administrators in Tennessee

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prater, Michelle L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research was to study the three leadership styles on the Full Range Leadership Model (FRLM) practiced by high school administrators in the educational organization. The aspects of studying leadership styles was to determine the degree high school administrators practiced leadership styles; the degree of perceptional congruence…

Study of complex permittivity spectra of binary mixtures of 2-chloroaniline and methanol in frequency range 10 KHz to 2 MHz at different temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, N. S.; Vankar, H. P.; Rana, V. A.

2017-05-01

The complex relative dielectric function ɛ*(ω)=ɛ'-jɛ″ of the binary mixture of 2-chloroaniline(2-CA) and methanol (MeOH) were measured using precision LCR meter in the frequency range of 10 KHz to 2 MHz The measurements were carried out at eight different temperatures and five different concentrations of 2-CA and MeOH. The loss tangent peaks were observed in the studied frequency range for all the binary mixtures. From the loss tangent peaks electrode polarization relaxation time were evaluated. In the plot of real part of complex permittivity against frequency, at different temperatures for 2-CA (54.54%) + MeOH (45.45%) and 2-CA (27.27%) + MeOH (72.72%)and 100% MeOH systems permittivity inversion effect was observed.

Literacy assessment of family health history tools for public health prevention.

PubMed

Wang, C; Gallo, R E; Fleisher, L; Miller, S M

2011-01-01

This study aimed to systematically identify and evaluate the readability and document complexity of currently available family history tools for the general public. Three steps were undertaken to identify family history tools for evaluation: (a) Internet searches, (b) expert consultation, and (c) literature searches. Tools identified were assessed for readability using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) readability formula. The complexity of documents (i.e., forms collecting family history information) was assessed using the PMOSE/IKIRSCH document readability formula. A total of 78 tools were identified, 47 of which met the criteria for inclusion. SMOG reading grade levels for multimedia-based tools ranged from 10.1 to 18.3, with an average score of 13.6. For print-based tools, SMOG ranged from 8.7 to 14.1, with an average score of 12.0. Document complexity ranged from very low complexity (level 1 proficiency) to high complexity (level 4 proficiency). The majority of tools are written at a reading grade level that is beyond the 8th grade average reading level in the United States. The lack of family history tools that are easy to read or use may compromise their potential effectiveness in identifying individuals at increased risk for chronic diseases in the general population. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Tracking of Maneuvering Complex Extended Object with Coupled Motion Kinematics and Extension Dynamics Using Range Extent Measurements

PubMed Central

Sun, Lifan; Ji, Baofeng; Lan, Jian; He, Zishu; Pu, Jiexin

2017-01-01

The key to successful maneuvering complex extended object tracking (MCEOT) using range extent measurements provided by high resolution sensors lies in accurate and effective modeling of both the extension dynamics and the centroid kinematics. During object maneuvers, the extension dynamics of an object with a complex shape is highly coupled with the centroid kinematics. However, this difficult but important problem is rarely considered and solved explicitly. In view of this, this paper proposes a general approach to modeling a maneuvering complex extended object based on Minkowski sum, so that the coupled turn maneuvers in both the centroid states and extensions can be described accurately. The new model has a concise and unified form, in which the complex extension dynamics can be simply and jointly characterized by multiple simple sub-objects’ extension dynamics based on Minkowski sum. The proposed maneuvering model fits range extent measurements very well due to its favorable properties. Based on this model, an MCEOT algorithm dealing with motion and extension maneuvers is also derived. Two different cases of the turn maneuvers with known/unknown turn rates are specifically considered. The proposed algorithm which jointly estimates the kinematic state and the object extension can also be easily implemented. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed modeling and tracking approaches. PMID:28937629

Employment of Near Full-Length Ribosome Gene TA-Cloning and Primer-Blast to Detect Multiple Species in a Natural Complex Microbial Community Using Species-Specific Primers Designed with Their Genome Sequences.

PubMed

Zhang, Huimin; He, Hongkui; Yu, Xiujuan; Xu, Zhaohui; Zhang, Zhizhou

2016-11-01

It remains an unsolved problem to quantify a natural microbial community by rapidly and conveniently measuring multiple species with functional significance. Most widely used high throughput next-generation sequencing methods can only generate information mainly for genus-level taxonomic identification and quantification, and detection of multiple species in a complex microbial community is still heavily dependent on approaches based on near full-length ribosome RNA gene or genome sequence information. In this study, we used near full-length rRNA gene library sequencing plus Primer-Blast to design species-specific primers based on whole microbial genome sequences. The primers were intended to be specific at the species level within relevant microbial communities, i.e., a defined genomics background. The primers were tested with samples collected from the Daqu (also called fermentation starters) and pit mud of a traditional Chinese liquor production plant. Sixteen pairs of primers were found to be suitable for identification of individual species. Among them, seven pairs were chosen to measure the abundance of microbial species through quantitative PCR. The combination of near full-length ribosome RNA gene library sequencing and Primer-Blast may represent a broadly useful protocol to quantify multiple species in complex microbial population samples with species-specific primers.

The Fremont complex: A behavioral perspective

USGS Publications Warehouse

Madsen, D.B.; Simms, S.R.

1998-01-01

The Fremont complex is composed of farmers and foragers who occupied the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin region of western North America from about 2100 to 500 years ago. These people included both immigrants and indigenes who shared some material culture and symbolic attributes, but also varied in ways not captured by definitions of the Fremont as a shared cultural tradition. The complex reflects a mosaic of behaviors including full-time farmers, full-time foragers, part-time farmer/foragers who seasonally switched modes of production, farmers who switched to full-time foraging, and foragers who switched to full-time farming. Farming defines the Fremont, but only in the sense that it altered the matrix in which both farmers and foragers lived, a matrix which provided a variety of behavioral options to people pursuing an array of adaptive strategies. The mix of symbiotic and competitive relationships among farmers and between farmers and foragers presents challenges to detection in the archaeological record. Greater clarity results from use of a behavioral model which recognizes differing contexts of selection favoring one adaptive strategy over another. The Fremont is a case where the transition from foraging to farming is followed by a millennium of adaptive diversity and terminates with the abandonment of farming. As such, it serves as a potential comparison to other cases in the world during the early phases of the food producing transition.

Amylose-potassium oleate inclusion complex in plain set-style yogurt

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Amylose-potassium oleate inclusion complex (AIC) were used to replace skim milk solids in yogurt. The effect of AIC on yogurt fermentation and small amplitude oscillatory shear flow measurements of storage and loss moduli were studied and compared to full fat samples. Texture, storage modulus, and s...

40 CFR 230.6 - Adaptability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... entirety to any one activity, no matter how complex. It is anticipated that substantial numbers of permit... variety of activities, ranging from those with large, complex impacts on the aquatic environment to those...

A centroid model of species distribution with applications to the Carolina wren Thryothorus ludovicianus and house finch Haemorhous mexicanus in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huang, Qiongyu; Sauer, John R.; Swatantran, Anu; Dubayah, Ralph

2016-01-01

Drastic shifts in species distributions are a cause of concern for ecologists. Such shifts pose great threat to biodiversity especially under unprecedented anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Many studies have documented recent shifts in species distributions. However, most of these studies are limited to regional scales, and do not consider the abundance structure within species ranges. Developing methods to detect systematic changes in species distributions over their full ranges is critical for understanding the impact of changing environments and for successful conservation planning. Here, we demonstrate a centroid model for range-wide analysis of distribution shifts using the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The centroid model is based on a hierarchical Bayesian framework which models population change within physiographic strata while accounting for several factors affecting species detectability. Yearly abundance-weighted range centroids are estimated. As case studies, we derive annual centroids for the Carolina wren and house finch in their ranges in the U.S. We further evaluate the first-difference correlation between species’ centroid movement and changes in winter severity, total population abundance. We also examined associations of change in centroids from sub-ranges. Change in full-range centroid movements of Carolina wren significantly correlate with snow cover days (r = −0.58). For both species, the full-range centroid shifts also have strong correlation with total abundance (r = 0.65, and 0.51 respectively). The movements of the full-range centroids of the two species are correlated strongly (up to r = 0.76) with that of the sub-ranges with more drastic population changes. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of centroids for analyzing distribution changes in a two-dimensional spatial context. Particularly it highlights applications that associate the centroid with factors such as environmental stressors, population characteristics, and progression of invasive species. Routine monitoring of changes in centroid will provide useful insights into long-term avian responses to environmental changes.

Performing target specific band reduction using artificial neural networks and assessment of its efficacy using various target detection algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Deepti; Arora, M. K.; Tiwari, K. C.; Ghosh, J. K.

2016-04-01

Hyperspectral imaging is a powerful tool in the field of remote sensing and has been used for many applications like mineral detection, detection of landmines, target detection etc. Major issues in target detection using HSI are spectral variability, noise, small size of the target, huge data dimensions, high computation cost, complex backgrounds etc. Many of the popular detection algorithms do not work for difficult targets like small, camouflaged etc. and may result in high false alarms. Thus, target/background discrimination is a key issue and therefore analyzing target's behaviour in realistic environments is crucial for the accurate interpretation of hyperspectral imagery. Use of standard libraries for studying target's spectral behaviour has limitation that targets are measured in different environmental conditions than application. This study uses the spectral data of the same target which is used during collection of the HSI image. This paper analyze spectrums of targets in a way that each target can be spectrally distinguished from a mixture of spectral data. Artificial neural network (ANN) has been used to identify the spectral range for reducing data and further its efficacy for improving target detection is verified. The results of ANN proposes discriminating band range for targets; these ranges were further used to perform target detection using four popular spectral matching target detection algorithm. Further, the results of algorithms were analyzed using ROC curves to evaluate the effectiveness of the ranges suggested by ANN over full spectrum for detection of desired targets. In addition, comparative assessment of algorithms is also performed using ROC.

Adaptive parametric model order reduction technique for optimization of vibro-acoustic models: Application to hearing aid design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creixell-Mediante, Ester; Jensen, Jakob S.; Naets, Frank; Brunskog, Jonas; Larsen, Martin

2018-06-01

Finite Element (FE) models of complex structural-acoustic coupled systems can require a large number of degrees of freedom in order to capture their physical behaviour. This is the case in the hearing aid field, where acoustic-mechanical feedback paths are a key factor in the overall system performance and modelling them accurately requires a precise description of the strong interaction between the light-weight parts and the internal and surrounding air over a wide frequency range. Parametric optimization of the FE model can be used to reduce the vibroacoustic feedback in a device during the design phase; however, it requires solving the model iteratively for multiple frequencies at different parameter values, which becomes highly time consuming when the system is large. Parametric Model Order Reduction (pMOR) techniques aim at reducing the computational cost associated with each analysis by projecting the full system into a reduced space. A drawback of most of the existing techniques is that the vector basis of the reduced space is built at an offline phase where the full system must be solved for a large sample of parameter values, which can also become highly time consuming. In this work, we present an adaptive pMOR technique where the construction of the projection basis is embedded in the optimization process and requires fewer full system analyses, while the accuracy of the reduced system is monitored by a cheap error indicator. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated for a 4-parameter optimization of a frequency response for a hearing aid model, evaluated at 300 frequencies, where the objective function evaluations become more than one order of magnitude faster than for the full system.

Methods for semi-automated indexing for high precision information retrieval

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrios, Daniel C.; Cucina, Russell J.; Fagan, Lawrence M.

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a new system, ISAID (Internet-based Semi-automated Indexing of Documents), and to generate textbook indexes that are more detailed and more useful to readers. DESIGN: Pilot evaluation: simple, nonrandomized trial comparing ISAID with manual indexing methods. Methods evaluation: randomized, cross-over trial comparing three versions of ISAID and usability survey. PARTICIPANTS: Pilot evaluation: two physicians. Methods evaluation: twelve physicians, each of whom used three different versions of the system for a total of 36 indexing sessions. MEASUREMENTS: Total index term tuples generated per document per minute (TPM), with and without adjustment for concordance with other subjects; inter-indexer consistency; ratings of the usability of the ISAID indexing system. RESULTS: Compared with manual methods, ISAID decreased indexing times greatly. Using three versions of ISAID, inter-indexer consistency ranged from 15% to 65% with a mean of 41%, 31%, and 40% for each of three documents. Subjects using the full version of ISAID were faster (average TPM: 5.6) and had higher rates of concordant index generation. There were substantial learning effects, despite our use of a training/run-in phase. Subjects using the full version of ISAID were much faster by the third indexing session (average TPM: 9.1). There was a statistically significant increase in three-subject concordant indexing rate using the full version of ISAID during the second indexing session (p < 0.05). SUMMARY: Users of the ISAID indexing system create complex, precise, and accurate indexing for full-text documents much faster than users of manual methods. Furthermore, the natural language processing methods that ISAID uses to suggest indexes contributes substantially to increased indexing speed and accuracy.

Methods for Semi-automated Indexing for High Precision Information Retrieval

PubMed Central

Berrios, Daniel C.; Cucina, Russell J.; Fagan, Lawrence M.

2002-01-01

Objective. To evaluate a new system, ISAID (Internet-based Semi-automated Indexing of Documents), and to generate textbook indexes that are more detailed and more useful to readers. Design. Pilot evaluation: simple, nonrandomized trial comparing ISAID with manual indexing methods. Methods evaluation: randomized, cross-over trial comparing three versions of ISAID and usability survey. Participants. Pilot evaluation: two physicians. Methods evaluation: twelve physicians, each of whom used three different versions of the system for a total of 36 indexing sessions. Measurements. Total index term tuples generated per document per minute (TPM), with and without adjustment for concordance with other subjects; inter-indexer consistency; ratings of the usability of the ISAID indexing system. Results. Compared with manual methods, ISAID decreased indexing times greatly. Using three versions of ISAID, inter-indexer consistency ranged from 15% to 65% with a mean of 41%, 31%, and 40% for each of three documents. Subjects using the full version of ISAID were faster (average TPM: 5.6) and had higher rates of concordant index generation. There were substantial learning effects, despite our use of a training/run-in phase. Subjects using the full version of ISAID were much faster by the third indexing session (average TPM: 9.1). There was a statistically significant increase in three-subject concordant indexing rate using the full version of ISAID during the second indexing session (p < 0.05). Summary. Users of the ISAID indexing system create complex, precise, and accurate indexing for full-text documents much faster than users of manual methods. Furthermore, the natural language processing methods that ISAID uses to suggest indexes contributes substantially to increased indexing speed and accuracy. PMID:12386114

Is a Universal Science of Complexity Conceivable?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Geoffrey B.

Over the past quarter of a century, terms like complex adaptive system, the science of complexity, emergent behavior, self-organization, and adaptive dynamics have entered the literature, reflecting the rapid growth in collaborative, trans-disciplinary research on fundamental problems in complex systems ranging across the entire spectrum of science from the origin and dynamics of organisms and ecosystems to financial markets, corporate dynamics, urbanization and the human brain...

Synthesis and Properties of "Sandwich" Diimine-Coinage Metal Ethylene Complexes.

PubMed

Klimovica, Kristine; Kirschbaum, Kristin; Daugulis, Olafs

2016-09-12

Synthesis and full characterization of cationic isostructural "sandwich" diimine-coinage metal ethylene complexes are reported. Ethylene self-exchange kinetics proceeds by an associative exchange mechanism for Cu and Au complexes. The fastest ligand exchange was observed for Ag complex 8a . The upper limit of Δ G ‡ , assuming associative ligand exchange, was found to be ca. 5.0 kcal/mol. Ethylene self-exchange in Cu complex 7b proceeds with Δ G 298 ‡ = 12.9 ± 0.1 kcal/mol, while the exchange is the slowest in Au complex 9 , with Δ G 298 ‡ = 16.7 ± 0.1 kcal/mol. Copper complex 7b is unusually stable and can survive in air for years.

Constructing high-accuracy intermolecular potential energy surface with multi-dimension Morse/Long-Range model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Yu; Li, Hui; Le Roy, Robert J.

2018-04-01

Spectroscopically accurate Potential Energy Surfaces (PESs) are fundamental for explaining and making predictions of the infrared and microwave spectra of van der Waals (vdW) complexes, and the model used for the potential energy function is critically important for providing accurate, robust and portable analytical PESs. The Morse/Long-Range (MLR) model has proved to be one of the most general, flexible and accurate one-dimensional (1D) model potentials, as it has physically meaningful parameters, is flexible, smooth and differentiable everywhere, to all orders and extrapolates sensibly at both long and short ranges. The Multi-Dimensional Morse/Long-Range (mdMLR) potential energy model described herein is based on that 1D MLR model, and has proved to be effective and accurate in the potentiology of various types of vdW complexes. In this paper, we review the current status of development of the mdMLR model and its application to vdW complexes. The future of the mdMLR model is also discussed. This review can serve as a tutorial for the construction of an mdMLR PES.