Panoramic projection avionics displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalmanash, Michael H.

2003-09-01

Avionics projection displays are entering production in advanced tactical aircraft. Early adopters of this technology in the avionics community used projection displays to replace or upgrade earlier units incorporating direct-view CRT or AMLCD devices. Typical motivation for these upgrades were the alleviation of performance, cost and display device availability concerns. In these systems, the upgraded (projection) displays were one-for-one form / fit replacements for the earlier units. As projection technology has matured, this situation has begun to evolve. The Lockheed-Martin F-35 is the first program in which the cockpit has been specifically designed to take advantage of one of the more unique capabilities of rear projection display technology, namely the ability to replace multiple small screens with a single large conformal viewing surface in the form of a panoramic display. Other programs are expected to follow, since the panoramic formats enable increased mission effectiveness, reduced cost and greater information transfer to the pilot. Some of the advantages and technical challenges associated with panoramic projection displays for avionics applications are described below.

Positional Awareness Map 3D (PAM3D)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, Monica; Allen, Earl L.; Yount, John W.; Norcross, April Louise

2012-01-01

The Western Aeronautical Test Range of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Dryden Flight Research Center needed to address the aging software and hardware of its current situational awareness display application, the Global Real-Time Interactive Map (GRIM). GRIM was initially developed in the late 1980s and executes on older PC architectures using a Linux operating system that is no longer supported. Additionally, the software is difficult to maintain due to its complexity and loss of developer knowledge. It was decided that a replacement application must be developed or acquired in the near future. The replacement must provide the functionality of the original system, the ability to monitor test flight vehicles in real-time, and add improvements such as high resolution imagery and true 3-dimensional capability. This paper will discuss the process of determining the best approach to replace GRIM, and the functionality and capabilities of the first release of the Positional Awareness Map 3D.

Cerebellar Alterations and Gait Defects as Therapeutic Outcome Measures for Enzyme Replacement Therapy in α-Mannosidosis

PubMed Central

Damme, Markus; Stroobants, Stijn; Walkley, Steven U.; Lüllmann-Rauch, Renate; D`Hooge, Rudi; Fogh, Jens; Saftig, Paul; Lübke, Torben; Blanz, Judith

2011-01-01

α-Mannosidosis is a rare lysosomal storage disease with accumulation of undegraded mannosyl-linked oligosaccharides in cells throughout the body, most notably in the CNS. This leads to a broad spectrum of neurological manifestations, including progressive intellectual impairment, disturbed motor functions and cerebellar atrophy. To develop therapeutic outcome measures for enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) that could be used for human patients, a gene knockout model of α-mannosidosis in mice was analyzed for CNS pathology and motor deficits. In the cerebellar molecular layer, α-mannosidosis mice display clusters of activated Bergman glia, infiltration of phagocytic macrophages and accumulation of free cholesterol and gangliosides (GM1), notably in regions lacking Purkinje cells. α-mannosidosis brain lysates also displayed increased expression of Lamp1 and hyperglycosylation of the cholesterol binding protein NPC2. Detailed assessment of motor function revealed age-dependent gait defects in the mice that resemble the disturbed motor function in human patients. Short-term ERT partially reversed the observed cerebellar pathology with fewer activated macrophages and astrocytes but unchanged levels of hyperglycosylated NPC2, gangliosides and cholesterol. The present study demonstrates cerebellar alterations in α-mannosidosis mice that relate to the motor deficits and pathological changes seen in human patients and can be used as therapeutic outcome measures. PMID:21157375

Space Shuttle avionics upgrade - Issues and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swaim, Richard A.; Wingert, William B.

An overview is conducted of existing Space Shuttle avionics and the possibilities for upgrading the cockpit to reduce costs and increase functionability. The current avionics include five general-purpose computers fitted with multifunction displays, dedicated switches and indicators, and dedicated flight instruments. The operational needs of the Shuttle are reviewed in the light of the avionics and potential upgrades in the form of microprocessors and display systems. The use of better processors can provide hardware support for multitasking and memory management and can reduce the life-cycle cost for software. Some limitations of the current technology are acknowledged including the Shuttle's power budget and structural configuration. A phased infusion of upgraded avionics is proposed that provides a functionally transparent replacement of crew-interface equipment as well as the addition of interface enhancements and the migration of selected functions.

Lack of functional relevance of isolated cell damage in transplants of Parkinson's disease patients.

PubMed

Cooper, Oliver; Astradsson, Arnar; Hallett, Penny; Robertson, Harold; Mendez, Ivar; Isacson, Ole

2009-08-01

Postmortem analyses from clinical neural transplantation trials of several subjects with Parkinson's disease revealed surviving grafted dopaminergic neurons after more than a decade. A subset of these subjects displayed isolated dopaminergic neurons within the grafts that contained Lewy body-like structures. In this review, we discuss why this isolated cell damage is unlikely to affect the overall graft function and how we can use these observations to help us to understand age-related neurodegeneration and refine our future cell replacement therapies.

Development of a replacement AMLCD used on multiple platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, Kevin L.; Gobron, Robert

2002-08-01

A goal of military display users and manufacturers is commonality: to utilize a given display on as many platforms as possible. The often-addressed concern of obsolescence of commercial AMLCDs used on military programs becomes a key issue, though, with regard to commonality. Obsolescence occurs as the tools used in the manufacture of an AMLCD age and as new and improved materials and processes are developed. The LCD manufacturer, at some point, decides to cease the manufacture of a particular AMLCD. The users of that AMLCD then have two choices: make a lifetime buy of LCDs, or find a replacement. For a display which has achieved some degree of commonality, this choice must be faced by a number of different users on a number of platforms. This paper addresses some of the problems encountered when such a choice is made, as an SVGA display made by one manufacturer is replaced by an XGA display made by a different manufacturer.

High-performance 4x4-inch AMLCD for avionic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syroid, Daniel D.; Hansen, Glenn A.; Boling, Ed

1996-05-01

There is a need for high performance flat panel displays to replace and upgrade the electromechanical flight indicators and CRT based displays used in the cockpits of many older aircraft that are in active service today. The need for replacement of these older generation instruments is well known in the industry and was discussed in a previous paper by Duane Grave of Rockwell Collins. Furthermore, because of the limited activity in new aircraft development today, the need to upgrade existing aircraft avionics is accelerating. Many of the electromechanical instruments currently provide flight indications to the pilot and include horizontal situation (HSI) and attitude director indicators (ADI). These instruments are used on both military and commercial aircraft. The indicators are typically housed in a 5ATI case that slides into a 5 inch square opening in the cockpit. Image Quest has developed a 4 by 4 inch active area, flight quality, high resolution, full color, high luminance, wide temperature range display module based on active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology that has excellent contrast in full sunlight. The display module is well suited for use in electronic instruments to replace or upgrade the electro-mechanical 5ATI flight indicators. THe AMLCD based display offers greatly improved display format flexibility, operating reliability and display contrast in all ambient lighting conditions as well as significant short and long term cost of ownership advantages.

Infrared Sensor Readout Design

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-11-01

Line Replaceable Unit LT Level Translator MRT Minimum Resolvable Temperature MTF Modulation Transfer Function PC Printed Circuit SCCCD Surface...reduced, not only will the aliased noise increase, but signal aliasing will also start to occur. Atlbe display level this means that sharp edges could...converted from a quantity ol charge to a voltage- level shift by the action ol the precharge pulse that presets the potential on the output diode node to

Conversion of the LXR-agonist TO-901317--from inverse to normal modulation of gamma-secretase by addition of a carboxylic acid and a lipophilic anchor.

PubMed

Narlawar, Rajeshwar; Baumann, Karlheinz; Czech, Christian; Schmidt, Boris

2007-10-01

TO-901317, a LXR agonist, is an inverse modulator of Alzheimer's disease associated gamma-secretase. We synthesized TO-901317 analogous compound but replaced the hexafluorocarbinol moiety by an oxyacetic acid functionality and hypothesized that the replacement would change the mode of action from an inverse modulation to normal modulation of gamma-secretase. As anticipated, acid 9 was found to be an effective modulator of gamma-secretase and displayed activity at low micromolar concentration. This significant modification can be applied to several inverse gamma-secretase modulators. Such modulators may preserve the cleavage of other gamma-secretase substrates such as Notch.

Polyplanar optical display electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeSanto, Leonard; Biscardi, Cyrus

1997-07-01

The polyplanar optical display (POD) is a unique display screen which can be used with any projection source. The prototype ten inch display is two inches thick and has a matte black face which allows for high contrast images. The prototype being developed is a form, fit and functional replacement display for the B-52 aircraft which uses a monochrome ten-inch display. In order to achieve a long lifetime, the new display uses a 100 milliwatt green solid- state laser at 532 nm as its light source. To produce real- time video, the laser light is being modulated by a digital light processing (DLP) chip manufactured by Texas Instruments. In order to use the solid-state laser as the light source and also fit within the constraints of the B-52 display, the digital micromirror device (DMD) circuit board is removed from the Texas Instruments DLP light engine assembly. Due to the compact architecture of the projection system within the display chassis, the DMD chip is operated remotely from the Texas Instruments circuit board. We discuss the operation of the DMD divorced from the light engine and the interfacing of the DMD board with various video formats including the format specific to the B-52 aircraft. A brief discussion of the electronics required to drive the laser is also presented.

An aftereffect of adaptation to mean size

PubMed Central

Corbett, Jennifer E.; Wurnitsch, Nicole; Schwartz, Alex; Whitney, David

2013-01-01

The visual system rapidly represents the mean size of sets of objects. Here, we investigated whether mean size is explicitly encoded by the visual system, along a single dimension like texture, numerosity, and other visual dimensions susceptible to adaptation. Observers adapted to two sets of dots with different mean sizes, presented simultaneously in opposite visual fields. After adaptation, two test patches replaced the adapting dot sets, and participants judged which test appeared to have the larger average dot diameter. They generally perceived the test that replaced the smaller mean size adapting set as being larger than the test that replaced the larger adapting set. This differential aftereffect held for single test dots (Experiment 2) and high-pass filtered displays (Experiment 3), and changed systematically as a function of the variance of the adapting dot sets (Experiment 4), providing additional support that mean size is adaptable, and therefore explicitly encoded dimension of visual scenes. PMID:24348083

Real-time graphic display utility for nuclear safety applications

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

Yang, S.; Huang, X.; Taylor, J.

2006-07-01

With the increasing interests in the nuclear energy, new nuclear power plants will be constructed and licensed, and older generation ones will be upgraded for assuring continuing operation. The tendency of adopting the latest proven technology and the fact of older parts becoming obsolete have made the upgrades imperative. One of the areas for upgrades is the older CRT display being replaced by the latest graphics displays running under modern real time operating system (RTOS) with safety graded modern computer. HFC has developed a graphic display utility (GDU) under the QNX RTOS. A standard off-the-shelf software with a long historymore » of performance in industrial applications, QNX RTOS used for safety applications has been examined via a commercial dedication process that is consistent with the regulatory guidelines. Through a commercial survey, a design life cycle and an operating history evaluation, and necessary tests dictated by the dedication plan, it is reasonably confirmed that the QNX RTOS was essentially equivalent to what would be expected in the nuclear industry. The developed GDU operates and communicates with the existing equipment through a dedicated serial channel of a flat panel controller (FPC) module. The FPC module drives a flat panel display (FPD) monitor. A touch screen mounted on the FPD serves as the normal operator interface with the FPC/FPD monitor system. The GDU can be used not only for replacing older CRTs but also in new applications. The replacement of the older CRT does not disturb the function of the existing equipment. It not only provides modern proven technology upgrade but also improves human ergonomics. The FPC, which can be used as a standalone controller running with the GDU, is an integrated hardware and software module. It operates as a single board computer within a control system, and applies primarily to the graphics display, targeting, keyboard and mouse. During normal system operation, the GDU has two sources of data input: a serial interface with field equipment and a serial input from the FPD touch screen. The mechanism for data collection from the field equipment consists of the regular exchange of the data update request messages and target commands sent to the equipment and the update messages returned to the FPC. The data updates from field equipment control displays presented on the graphic pages. Touch screen contacts are decoded to identify physical position that was contacted. If that position corresponds with one of the buttons on the graphic page, the software uses that input to initiate the function defined for the particular button contacted. In this paper, the FPC will be illustrated as a standalone system as well as a module in a dedicated control system. The GDU design concepts and its design flow will be demonstrated. The dedication process of the QNX RTOS needed for the GDU will be highlighted. Finally, the GDU with a specific application example used in one of the nuclear power plants will be presented. (authors)« less

Validation of Minimum Display Requirements for a UAS Detect and Avoid System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rorie, Conrad; Fern, Lisa; Roberts, Zach; Monk, Kevin; Santiago, Confesor; Shively, Jay

2017-01-01

The full integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS), a prerequisite for enabling a broad range of public and commercial UAS operations, presents several technical challenges to UAS developers, operators and regulators. A primary barrier is the inability for UAS pilots (situated at a ground control station, or GCS) to comply with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations sections 91.111 and 91.113, which require pilots to see and avoid other aircraft in order to maintain well clear. The present study is the final in a series of human-in-the-loop experiments designed to explore and test the various display and alerting requirements being incorporated into the minimum operational performance standards (MOPS) for a UAS-specific detect and avoid system that would replace the see and avoid function required of manned aircraft. Two display configurations were tested - an integrated display and a standalone display - and their impact on pilot response times and ability to maintain DAA well clear were compared. Results indicated that the current draft of the MOPS result in high-level performance and did not meaningfully differ by display configuration.

The development of a multifunction lens test instrument by using computer aided variable test patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chun-Jen; Wu, Wen-Hong; Huang, Kuo-Cheng

2009-08-01

A multi-function lens test instrument is report in this paper. This system can evaluate the image resolution, image quality, depth of field, image distortion and light intensity distribution of the tested lens by changing the tested patterns. This system consists of a tested lens, a CCD camera, a linear motorized stage, a system fixture, an observer LCD monitor, and a notebook for pattern providing. The LCD monitor displays a serious of specified tested patterns sent by the notebook. Then each displayed pattern goes through the tested lens and images in the CCD camera sensor. Consequently, the system can evaluate the performance of the tested lens by analyzing the image of CCD camera with special designed software. The major advantage of this system is that it can complete whole test quickly without interruption due to part replacement, because the tested patterns are statically displayed on monitor and controlled by the notebook.

Optimization of the polyplanar optical display electronics for a monochrome B-52 display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeSanto, Leonard

1998-09-01

The Polyplanar Optical Display (POD) is a unique display screen which can be used with any projection source. The prototype ten-inch display is two inches thick and has a matte black face which allows for high contrast images. The prototype being developed is a form, fit and functional replacement display for the B-52 aircraft which uses a monochrome ten-inch display. In order to achieve a long lifetime, the new display uses a new 200 mW green solid-state laser (10,000 hr. life) at 532 nm as its light source. To produce real-time video, the laser light is being modulated by a Digital Light Processing (DLPTM) chip manufactured by Texas Instruments (TI). In order to use the solid-state laser as the light source and also fit within the constraints of the B-52 display, the Digital Micromirror Device (DMDTM) chip is operated remotely from the Texas Instruments circuit board. In order to achieve increased brightness a monochrome digitizing interface was investigated. The operation of the DMDTM divorced from the light engine and the interfacing of the DMDTM board with the RS-170 video format specific to the B-52 aircraft will be discussed, including the increased brightness of the monochrome digitizing interface. A brief description of the electronics required to drive the new 200 mW laser is also presented.

Flywheel energy storage system focus of display

Science.gov Websites

replacement for batteries For more information contact: e:mail: Public Affairs Golden, Colo., March 20, 1997 environmentally-friendly, advanced electricity storage technology that can replace lead acid batteries. A flywheel technologies for replacing conventional lead acid batteries as energy storage systems for a variety of

Initial experience with a nuclear medicine viewing workstation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witt, Robert M.; Burt, Robert W.

1992-07-01

Graphical User Interfaced (GUI) workstations are now available from commercial vendors. We recently installed a GUI workstation in our nuclear medicine reading room for exclusive use of staff and resident physicians. The system is built upon a Macintosh platform and has been available as a DELTAmanager from MedImage and more recently as an ICON V from Siemens Medical Systems. The workstation provides only display functions and connects to our existing nuclear medicine imaging system via ethernet. The system has some processing capabilities to create oblique, sagittal and coronal views from transverse tomographic views. Hard copy output is via a screen save device and a thermal color printer. The DELTAmanager replaced a MicroDELTA workstation which had both process and view functions. The mouse activated GUI has made remarkable changes to physicians'' use of the nuclear medicine viewing system. Training time to view and review studies has been reduced from hours to about 30-minutes. Generation of oblique views and display of brain and heart tomographic studies has been reduced from about 30-minutes of technician''s time to about 5-minutes of physician''s time. Overall operator functionality has been increased so that resident physicians with little prior computer experience can access all images on the image server and display pertinent patient images when consulting with other staff.

Practical application of AMLCDs for tactical fighter aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClaskey, Paul; Craddock, Roger

1995-06-01

Development and testing of an AMLCD-display to replace a dichroic display in a fighter aircraft environment has presented a unique set of technical challenges. This paper addresses design concepts used on the Engine Fuel Display and proposes design guidelines generally applicable for AMLCD projects.

3D vision upgrade kit for TALON robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmondson, Richard; Vaden, Justin; Hyatt, Brian; Morris, James; Pezzaniti, J. Larry; Chenault, David B.; Tchon, Joe; Barnidge, Tracy; Kaufman, Seth; Pettijohn, Brad

2010-04-01

In this paper, we report on the development of a 3D vision field upgrade kit for TALON robot consisting of a replacement flat panel stereoscopic display, and multiple stereo camera systems. An assessment of the system's use for robotic driving, manipulation, and surveillance operations was conducted. The 3D vision system was integrated onto a TALON IV Robot and Operator Control Unit (OCU) such that stock components could be electrically disconnected and removed, and upgrade components coupled directly to the mounting and electrical connections. A replacement display, replacement mast camera with zoom, auto-focus, and variable convergence, and a replacement gripper camera with fixed focus and zoom comprise the upgrade kit. The stereo mast camera allows for improved driving and situational awareness as well as scene survey. The stereo gripper camera allows for improved manipulation in typical TALON missions.

Circularized Chromosome with a Large Palindromic Structure in Streptomyces griseus Mutants

PubMed Central

Uchida, Tetsuya; Ishihara, Naoto; Zenitani, Hiroyuki; Hiratsu, Keiichiro; Kinashi, Haruyasu

2004-01-01

Streptomyces linear chromosomes display various types of rearrangements after telomere deletion, including circularization, arm replacement, and amplification. We analyzed the new chromosomal deletion mutants Streptomyces griseus 301-22-L and 301-22-M. In these mutants, chromosomal arm replacement resulted in long terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) at both ends; different sizes were deleted again and recombined inside the TIRs, resulting in a circular chromosome with an extremely large palindrome. Short palindromic sequences were found in parent strain 2247, and these sequences might have played a role in the formation of this unique structure. Dynamic structural changes of Streptomyces linear chromosomes shown by this and previous studies revealed extraordinary strategies of members of this genus to keep a functional chromosome, even if it is linear or circular. PMID:15150216

F-22 cockpit display system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, David C.

1994-06-01

The F-22 is the first exclusively glass cockpit where all instrumentation has been replaced by displays. The F-22 Engineering and Manufacturing Development Program is implementing the display technology proven during the Advanced Tactical Fighter Demonstration and Validation program. This paper will describe how the F-22 goals have been met and some of the tradeoffs that resulted in the current display design.

16 CFR 501.3 - Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... statement appears on the principal display panel of the package accurately identifying the make and model of...) The name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the replacement bags, in...

Structure-activity relationships for amide-, carbamate-, and urea-linked analogues of the tuberculosis drug (6S)-2-nitro-6-{[4-(trifluoromethoxy)benzyl]oxy}-6,7-dihydro-5H-imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine (PA-824).

PubMed

Blaser, Adrian; Palmer, Brian D; Sutherland, Hamish S; Kmentova, Iveta; Franzblau, Scott G; Wan, Baojie; Wang, Yuehong; Ma, Zhenkun; Thompson, Andrew M; Denny, William A

2012-01-12

Analogues of clinical tuberculosis drug (6S)-2-nitro-6-{[4-(trifluoromethoxy)benzyl]oxy}-6,7-dihydro-5H-imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine (PA-824), in which the OCH(2) linkage was replaced with amide, carbamate, and urea functionality, were investigated as an alternative approach to address oxidative metabolism, reduce lipophilicity, and improve aqueous solubility. Several soluble monoaryl examples displayed moderately improved (∼2- to 4-fold) potencies against replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis but were generally inferior inhibitors under anaerobic (nonreplicating) conditions. More lipophilic biaryl derivatives mostly displayed similar or reduced potencies to these in contrast to the parent biaryl series. The leading biaryl carbamate demonstrated exceptional metabolic stability and a 5-fold better efficacy than the parent drug in a mouse model of acute M. tuberculosis infection but was poorly soluble. Bioisosteric replacement of this biaryl moiety by arylpiperazine resulted in a soluble, orally bioavailable carbamate analogue providing identical activity in the acute model, comparable efficacy to OPC-67683 in a chronic infection model, favorable pharmacokinetic profiles across several species, and enhanced safety.

Superpotent [Dmt¹] dermorphin tetrapeptides containing the 4-aminotetrahydro-2-benzazepin-3-one scaffold with mixed μ/δ opioid receptor agonistic properties.

PubMed

Vandormael, Bart; Fourla, Danai-Dionysia; Gramowski-Voss, Alexandra; Kosson, Piotr; Weiss, Dieter G; Schröder, Olaf H-U; Lipkowski, Andrzej; Georgoussi, Zafiroula; Tourwé, Dirk

2011-11-24

Novel dermorphin tetrapeptides are described in which Tyr(1) is replaced by Dmt(1), where d-Ala(2) and Gly(4) are N-methylated, and where Phe(3)-Gly(4) residue is substituted by the constrained Aba(3)-Gly(4) peptidomimetic. Most of these peptidic ligands displayed binding affinities in the nanomolar range for both μ- and δ-opioid receptors but no detectable affinity for the κ-opioid receptor. Measurements of cAMP accumulation, phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in HEK293 cells stably expressing each of these receptors individually, and functional screening in primary neuronal cultures confirmed the potent agonistic properties of these peptides. The most potent ligand H-Dmt-NMe-d-Ala-Aba-Gly-NH(2) (BVD03) displayed mixed μ/δ opioid agonist properties with picomolar functional potencies. Functional electrophysiological in vitro assays using primary cortical and spinal cord networks showed that this analogue possessed electrophysiological similarity toward gabapentin and sufentanil, which makes it an interesting candidate for further study as an analgesic for neuropathic pain.

Treatment planning: implant-supported partial overdentures.

PubMed

Chee, Winston W L

2005-04-01

When multiple anterior teeth are missing, many options of replacement are available. Traditionally, the choice was between a fixed or removable prostheses. Today, with the predictability of dental implants, the options of tooth replacement range from removable partial dentures to implant-supported fixed prostheses. The choice of which restoration that will best provide occlusion and esthetics depends on multiple factors including the number and location of missing teeth, the residual ridge form in relation to the replacement teeth, the relationship of the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth, the condition of teeth adjacent to the edentulous span, the amount of bone available for implant placement, the patients "smile line" and display of teeth, lip support, and financial constraints. When there is minimal loss of the ridge contour, restorations that emerge from the ridge are the most functional and esthetic restorations, adhesive-type fixed partial dentures, conventional fixed partial dentures, and implant-supported restorations can be indicated with the choice of restoration dependent on a risk benefit and cost benefit analysis. When there is a loss of ridge contour due to residual ridge resorption or trauma, the decision becomes more complex as not only does the tooth structure need to be replaced, the ridge form also has to be replaced. (Figures 1 and 2). This can be assessed clinically as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 where a dis crepancy in arch form and ridge form in relation to the adjacent teeth and/or opposing arch can be observed. Other considerations are lip support and display of the teeth when smiling. This article presents a case and rationale for implant-supported par tial overdentures. Many authors have written on the merits of com plete overdentures. The complete overdenture has proven to be an improvement over conventional complete prostheses with respect to chewing efficiency, patient comfort and satisfaction. In partial edentulism, the implant-supported overdenture has several advantages, some in common with a removable partial denture.

Alloplastic total temporomandibular joint replacements: do they perform like natural joints? Prospective cohort study with a historical control.

PubMed

Wojczyńska, A; Leiggener, C S; Bredell, M; Ettlin, D A; Erni, S; Gallo, L M; Colombo, V

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively describe the biomechanics of existing total alloplastic reconstructions of temporomandibular joints (TMJ). Fifteen patients with unilateral or bilateral TMJ total joint replacements and 15 healthy controls were evaluated via dynamic stereometry technology. This non-invasive method combines three-dimensional imaging of the subject's anatomy with jaw tracking. It provides an insight into the patient's jaw joint movements in real time and provides a quantitative evaluation. The patients were also evaluated clinically for jaw opening, protrusive and laterotrusive movements, pain, interference with eating, and satisfaction with the joint replacements. The qualitative assessment revealed that condyles of bilateral total joint replacements displayed similar basic motion patterns to those of unilateral prostheses. Quantitatively, mandibular movements of artificial joints during opening, protrusion, and laterotrusion were all significantly shorter than those of controls. A significantly restricted mandibular range of motion in replaced joints was also observed clinically. Fifty-three percent of patients suffered from chronic pain at rest and 67% reported reduced chewing function. Nonetheless, patients declared a high level of satisfaction with the replacement. This study shows that in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of complex therapeutic measures, a multidisciplinary approach is needed. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polyplanar optical display electronics

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

DeSanto, L.; Biscardi, C.

The Polyplanar Optical Display (POD) is a unique display screen which can be used with any projection source. The prototype ten inch display is two inches thick and has a matte black face which allows for high contrast images. The prototype being developed is a form, fit and functional replacement display for the B-52 aircraft which uses a monochrome ten-inch display. In order to achieve a long lifetime, the new display uses a 100 milliwatt green solid-state laser (10,000 hr. life) at 532 nm as its light source. To produce real-time video, the laser light is being modulated by amore » Digital Light Processing (DLP{trademark}) chip manufactured by Texas Instruments. In order to use the solid-state laser as the light source and also fit within the constraints of the B-52 display, the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD{trademark}) circuit board is removed from the Texas Instruments DLP light engine assembly. Due to the compact architecture of the projection system within the display chassis, the DMD{trademark} chip is operated remotely from the Texas Instruments circuit board. The authors discuss the operation of the DMD{trademark} divorced from the light engine and the interfacing of the DMD{trademark} board with various video formats (CVBS, Y/C or S-video and RGB) including the format specific to the B-52 aircraft. A brief discussion of the electronics required to drive the laser is also presented.« less

Optimization of the polyplanar optical display electronics for a monochrome B-52 display

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

DeSanto, L.

The Polyplanar Optical Display (POD) is a unique display screen which can be used with any projection source. The prototype ten-inch display is two inches thick and has a matte black face which allows for high contrast images. The prototype being developed is a form, fit and functional replacement display for the B-52 aircraft which uses a monochrome ten-inch display. In order to achieve a long lifetime, the new display uses a new 200 mW green solid-state laser (10,000 hr. life) at 532 nm as its light source. To produce real-time video, the laser light is being modulated by amore » Digital Light Processing (DLP{trademark}) chip manufactured by Texas Instruments (TI). In order to use the solid-state laser as the light source and also fit within the constraints of the B-52 display, the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD{trademark}) chip is operated remotely from the Texas Instruments circuit board. In order to achieve increased brightness a monochrome digitizing interface was investigated. The operation of the DMD{trademark} divorced from the light engine and the interfacing of the DMD{trademark} board with the RS-170 video format specific to the B-52 aircraft will be discussed, including the increased brightness of the monochrome digitizing interface. A brief description of the electronics required to drive the new 200 mW laser is also presented.« less

Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System Human Factors Review Volume 1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-12-18

The Federal Aviation Administration formed a Standard Terminal Automation Replacement : System (STARS) Working Group to identify and resolve human factors concerns with the Early : Display Capability (EDC) system before it is introduced in the field....

Multipurpose Panel Display Device Investigation. [technology assessment and product development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sliwa, R.

1977-01-01

A multipurpose panel was developed to provide a flexible control and a LED display panel with easily changeable nomenclature for use in applications where panel space is limited, but where a number of similar subsystems must be controlled, or where basic panel nomenclature and functions must be changed rapidly, as in the case of between mission changes of space shuttle payloads. In the first application, panel area limitations are overcome by time sharing a central control panel among several subsystems. In the latter case, entire control panel changes are effected by simply replacing a memory module, thereby reducing the extent of installation and checkout procedures between missions. Several types of control technologies (other than LED's) which show potential in meeting criteria for overcoming limitations of the panel are assessed.

Effect of different substitution position on the switching behavior in single-molecule device with carbon nanotube electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jingjuan; Han, Xiaoxiao; Yuan, Peipei; Bian, Baoan; Wang, Yixiang

2018-01-01

We investigate the electronic transport properties of dihydroazulene (DHA) and vinylheptafulvene (VHF) molecule sandwiched between two carbon nanotubes using density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function. The device displays significantly switching behavior between DHA and VHF isomerizations. It is found the different substitution position of F in the molecule influences the switching ratio of device, which is analyzed by transmission spectra and molecular projected self-consistent Hamiltonian. The observed negative differential resistance effect is explained by transmission spectra and transmission eigenstates of transmission peak in the bias window. The observed reverse of current in VHF form in which two H atoms on the right side of the benzene ring of the molecule are replaced by F is explained by transmission spectra and molecule-electrode coupling with the varied bias. The results suggest that the reasonable substitution position of molecule may improve the switching ratio, displaying a potential application in future molecular circuit.

An evolutionary view on tooth development and replacement in wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

PubMed

Huysseune, A; Witten, P E

2008-01-01

To gain an insight into the evolution of tooth replacement mechanisms, we studied the development of first-generation and replacement teeth on the dentary of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), a protacanthopterygian teleost, using serially sectioned heads of early posthatching stages as well as adults. First-generation teeth develop within the oral epithelium. The anlage of the replacement tooth is first seen as a placode-like thickening of the outer dental epithelium of the predecessor, at its lingual and caudal side. Ongoing development of the replacement tooth germ is characterized by the elaboration of a population of epithelial cells, termed here the middle dental epithelium, apposed to the inner dental epithelium on the lingual side of the tooth germ. Before the formation of the new successor, a single-layered outer dental epithelium segregates from the middle dental epithelium. The dental organs of the predecessor and the successor remain broadly interconnected. The absence of a discrete successional dental lamina in salmon stands in sharp contrast to what is observed in other teleosts, even those that share with salmon the extraosseous formation of replacement teeth. The mode of tooth replacement in Atlantic salmon displays several characters similar to those observed in the shark Squalus acanthias. To interpret similarities in tooth replacement between Atlantic salmon and chondrichthyans as a case of convergence, or to see them as a result of a heterochronic shift, requires knowledge on the replacement process in more basal actinopterygian lineages. The possibility that the middle dental epithelium functionally substitutes for a successional lamina, and could be a source of stem cells, whose descendants subsequently contribute to the placode of the new replacement tooth, needs to be explored.

64.1: Display Technologies for Therapeutic Applications of Virtual Reality

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Hunter G.; Schowengerdt, Brian T.; Lee, Cameron M.; Magula, Jeff; Seibel, Eric J.

2015-01-01

A paradigm shift in image source technology for VR helmets is needed. Using scanning fiber displays to replace LCD displays creates lightweight, safe, low cost, wide field of view, portable VR goggles ideal for reducing pain during severe burn wound care in hospitals and possibly in austere combat-transport environments. PMID:26146424

Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System Human Factors Review Supporting Documents Volume 2

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-12-18

The Federal Aviation Administration formed a Standard Terminal Automation Replacement : System (STARS) Working Group to identify and resolve human factors concerns with the Early : Display Capability (EDC) system before it is introduced in the field....

Lineage-specific functions of Bcl-6 in immunity and inflammation are mediated through distinct biochemical mechanisms

PubMed Central

Huang, Chuanxin; Hatzi, Katerina; Melnick, Ari

2013-01-01

The transcription factor Bcl-6 orchestrates the germinal center reaction through its actions in B and T cells, and regulates inflammatory signaling in macrophages. We report that genetic replacement by mutant Bcl-6, which cannot bind corepressors to its BTB domain, disrupted germinal center formation and immunoglobulin affinity maturation, due to a defect in B cell proliferation and survival. In contrast, BTB loss of function had no effect on T follicular helper cell differentiation and function, nor other T helper subsets. Bcl6 null mice displayed a lethal inflammatory phenotype, whereas BTB mutant mice experienced normal healthy lives with no inflammation. Bcl-6 repression of inflammatory responses in macrophages was accordingly independent of the BTB domain repressor function. Bcl-6 thus mediates its actions through lineage-specific biochemical functions. PMID:23455674

75 FR 11516 - Notice of Petitions by Firms for Determination of Eligibility to Apply for Trade Adjustment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-11

... replacement Framingham, MA fluorescent diffusers. Fluorolite 01701. Manufactures acrylic ceiling panels... lighted signs, wood 18240. displays, acrylic displays and a host of others. Kasten Clay Products, Inc...

Three-Dimensional Tactical Display and Method for Visualizing Data with a Probability of Uncertainty

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-03

replacing the more complex and less intuitive displays presently provided in such contexts as commercial aircraft , marine vehicles, and air traffic...free space-virtual reality, 3-D image display system which is enabled by using a unique form of Aerogel as the primary display media. A preferred...generates and displays a real 3-D image in the Aerogel matrix. [0014] U.S. Patent No. 6,285,317, issued September 4, 2001, to Ong, discloses a

Three-Dimensional Tactical Display and Method for Visualizing Data with a Probability of Uncertainty

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-03

replacing the more complex and less intuitive displays presently provided in such contexts as commercial aircraft , marine vehicles, and air traffic...space-virtual reality, 3-D image display system which is enabled by using a unique form of Aerogel as the primary display media. A preferred...and displays a real 3-D image in the Aerogel matrix. [0014] U.S. Patent No. 6,285,317, issued September 4, 2001, to Ong, discloses a navigation

Androgen Effects on Adipose Tissue Architecture and Function in Nonhuman Primates

PubMed Central

Varlamov, Oleg; White, Ashley E.; Carroll, Julie M.; Bethea, Cynthia L.; Reddy, Arubala; Slayden, Ov; O'Rourke, Robert W.

2012-01-01

The differential association of hypoandrogenism in men and hyperandrogenism in women with insulin resistance and obesity suggests that androgens may exert sex-specific effects on adipose and other tissues, although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Moreover, recent studies also suggest that rodents and humans may respond differently to androgen imbalance. To achieve better insight into clinically relevant sex-specific mechanisms of androgen action, we used nonhuman primates to investigate the direct effects of gonadectomy and hormone replacement on white adipose tissue. We also employed a novel ex vivo approach that provides a convenient framework for understanding of adipose tissue physiology under a controlled tissue culture environment. In vivo androgen deprivation of males did not result in overt obesity or insulin resistance but did induce the appearance of very small, multilocular white adipocytes. Testosterone replacement restored normal cell size and a unilocular phenotype and stimulated adipogenic gene transcription and improved insulin sensitivity of male adipose tissue. Ex vivo studies demonstrated sex-specific effects of androgens on adipocyte function. Female adipose tissue treated with androgens displayed elevated basal but reduced insulin-dependent fatty acid uptake. Androgen-stimulated basal uptake was greater in adipose tissue of ovariectomized females than in adipose tissue of intact females and ovariectomized females replaced with estrogen and progesterone in vivo. Collectively, these data demonstrate that androgens are essential for normal adipogenesis in males and can impair essential adipocyte functions in females, thus strengthening the experimental basis for sex-specific effects of androgens in adipose tissue. PMID:22547568

Haptic wearables as sensory replacement, sensory augmentation and trainer - a review.

PubMed

Shull, Peter B; Damian, Dana D

2015-07-20

Sensory impairments decrease quality of life and can slow or hinder rehabilitation. Small, computationally powerful electronics have enabled the recent development of wearable systems aimed to improve function for individuals with sensory impairments. The purpose of this review is to synthesize current haptic wearable research for clinical applications involving sensory impairments. We define haptic wearables as untethered, ungrounded body worn devices that interact with skin directly or through clothing and can be used in natural environments outside a laboratory. Results of this review are categorized by degree of sensory impairment. Total impairment, such as in an amputee, blind, or deaf individual, involves haptics acting as sensory replacement; partial impairment, as is common in rehabilitation, involves haptics as sensory augmentation; and no impairment involves haptics as trainer. This review found that wearable haptic devices improved function for a variety of clinical applications including: rehabilitation, prosthetics, vestibular loss, osteoarthritis, vision loss and hearing loss. Future haptic wearables development should focus on clinical needs, intuitive and multimodal haptic displays, low energy demands, and biomechanical compliance for long-term usage.

Effects of levodopa on corticostriatal circuits supporting working memory in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Simioni, Alison C; Dagher, Alain; Fellows, Lesley K

2017-08-01

Working memory dysfunction is common in Parkinson's disease, even in its early stages, but its neural basis is debated. Working memory performance likely reflects a balance between corticostriatal dysfunction and compensatory mechanisms. We tested this hypothesis by examining working memory performance with a letter n-back task in 19 patients with mild-moderate Parkinson's disease and 20 demographically matched healthy controls. Parkinson's disease patients were tested after an overnight washout of their usual dopamine replacement therapy, and again after a standard dose of levodopa. FMRI was used to assess task-related activation and resting state functional connectivity; changes in BOLD signal were related to performance to disentangle pathological and compensatory processes. Parkinson's disease patients off dopamine replacement therapy displayed significantly reduced spatial extent of task-related activation in left prefrontal and bilateral parietal cortex, and poorer working memory performance, compared to controls. Amongst the Parkinson's disease patients off dopamine replacement therapy, relatively better performance was associated with greater activation of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to controls, consistent with compensatory right hemisphere recruitment. Administration of levodopa remediated the working memory deficit in the Parkinson's disease group, and resulted in a different pattern of performance-correlated activity, with a shift to greater left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation in patients on, compared to off dopamine replacement therapy. Levodopa also significantly increased resting-state functional connectivity between caudate and right parietal cortex (within the right fronto-parietal attentional network). The strength of this connectivity contributed to better performance in patients and controls, suggesting a general compensatory mechanism. These findings argue that Parkinson's disease patients can recruit additional neural resources, here, the right fronto-parietal network, to optimize working memory performance despite impaired corticostriatal function. Levodopa seems to both boost engagement of a task-specific prefrontal region, and strengthen a putative compensatory caudate-cortical network to support this executive function. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wnt signaling during tooth replacement in zebrafish (Danio rerio): pitfalls and perspectives

PubMed Central

Huysseune, Ann; Soenens, Mieke; Elderweirdt, Fien

2014-01-01

The canonical (β-catenin dependent) Wnt signaling pathway has emerged as a likely candidate for regulating tooth replacement in continuously renewing dentitions. So far, the involvement of canonical Wnt signaling has been experimentally demonstrated predominantly in amniotes. These studies tend to show stimulation of tooth formation by activation of the Wnt pathway, and inhibition of tooth formation when blocking the pathway. Here, we report a strong and dynamic expression of the soluble Wnt inhibitor dickkopf1 (dkk1) in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio) tooth germs, suggesting an active repression of Wnt signaling during morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation of a tooth, and derepression of Wnt signaling during start of replacement tooth formation. To further analyse the role of Wnt signaling, we used different gain-of-function approaches. These yielded disjunct results, yet none of them indicating enhanced tooth replacement. Thus, masterblind (mbl) mutants, defective in axin1, mimic overexpression of Wnt, but display a normally patterned dentition in which teeth are replaced at the appropriate times and positions. Activating the pathway with LiCl had variable outcomes, either resulting in the absence, or the delayed formation, of first-generation teeth, or yielding a regular dentition with normal replacement, but no supernumerary teeth or accelerated tooth replacement. The failure so far to influence tooth replacement in the zebrafish by perturbing Wnt signaling is discussed in the light of (i) potential technical pitfalls related to dose- or time-dependency, (ii) the complexity of the canonical Wnt pathway, and (iii) species-specific differences in the nature and activity of pathway components. Finally, we emphasize the importance of in-depth knowledge of the wild-type pattern for reliable interpretations. It is hoped that our analysis can be inspiring to critically assess and elucidate the role of Wnt signaling in tooth development in polyphyodonts. PMID:25339911

Medical color displays and their calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiahua; Roehrig, Hans; Dallas, W.; Krupinski, Elizabeth

2009-08-01

Color displays are increasingly used for medical imaging, replacing the traditional monochrome displays in radiology for multi-modality applications, 3D representation applications, etc. Color displays are also used increasingly because of wide spread application of Tele-Medicine, Tele-Dermatology and Digital Pathology. At this time, there is no concerted effort for calibration procedures for this diverse range of color displays in Telemedicine and in other areas of the medical field. Using a colorimeter to measure the display luminance and chrominance properties as well as some processing software we developed a first attempt to a color calibration protocol for the medical imaging field.

The haloarchaeal MCM proteins: bioinformatic analysis and targeted mutagenesis of the β7-β8 and β9-β10 hairpin loops and conserved zinc binding domain cysteines.

PubMed

Kristensen, Tatjana P; Maria Cherian, Reeja; Gray, Fiona C; MacNeill, Stuart A

2014-01-01

The hexameric MCM complex is the catalytic core of the replicative helicase in eukaryotic and archaeal cells. Here we describe the first in vivo analysis of archaeal MCM protein structure and function relationships using the genetically tractable haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii as a model system. Hfx. volcanii encodes a single MCM protein that is part of the previously identified core group of haloarchaeal MCM proteins. Three structural features of the N-terminal domain of the Hfx. volcanii MCM protein were targeted for mutagenesis: the β7-β8 and β9-β10 β-hairpin loops and putative zinc binding domain. Five strains carrying single point mutations in the β7-β8 β-hairpin loop were constructed, none of which displayed impaired cell growth under normal conditions or when treated with the DNA damaging agent mitomycin C. However, short sequence deletions within the β7-β8 β-hairpin were not tolerated and neither was replacement of the highly conserved residue glutamate 187 with alanine. Six strains carrying paired alanine substitutions within the β9-β10 β-hairpin loop were constructed, leading to the conclusion that no individual amino acid within that hairpin loop is absolutely required for MCM function, although one of the mutant strains displays greatly enhanced sensitivity to mitomycin C. Deletions of two or four amino acids from the β9-β10 β-hairpin were tolerated but mutants carrying larger deletions were inviable. Similarly, it was not possible to construct mutants in which any of the conserved zinc binding cysteines was replaced with alanine, underlining the likely importance of zinc binding for MCM function. The results of these studies demonstrate the feasibility of using Hfx. volcanii as a model system for reverse genetic analysis of archaeal MCM protein function and provide important confirmation of the in vivo importance of conserved structural features identified by previous bioinformatic, biochemical and structural studies.

Immunomodulation-accelerated neuronal regeneration following selective rod photoreceptor cell ablation in the zebrafish retina.

PubMed

White, David T; Sengupta, Sumitra; Saxena, Meera T; Xu, Qingguo; Hanes, Justin; Ding, Ding; Ji, Hongkai; Mumm, Jeff S

2017-05-02

Müller glia (MG) function as inducible retinal stem cells in zebrafish, completely repairing the eye after damage. The innate immune system has recently been shown to promote tissue regeneration in which classic wound-healing responses predominate. However, regulatory roles for leukocytes during cellular regeneration-i.e., selective cell-loss paradigms akin to degenerative disease-are less well defined. To investigate possible roles innate immune cells play during retinal cell regeneration, we used intravital microscopy to visualize neutrophil, macrophage, and retinal microglia responses to induced rod photoreceptor apoptosis. Neutrophils displayed no reactivity to rod cell loss. Peripheral macrophage cells responded to rod cell loss, as evidenced by morphological transitions and increased migration, but did not enter the retina. Retinal microglia displayed multiple hallmarks of immune cell activation: increased migration, translocation to the photoreceptor cell layer, proliferation, and phagocytosis of dying cells. To test function during rod cell regeneration, we coablated microglia and rod cells or applied immune suppression and quantified the kinetics of ( i ) rod cell clearance, ( ii ) MG/progenitor cell proliferation, and ( iii ) rod cell replacement. Coablation and immune suppressants applied before cell loss caused delays in MG/progenitor proliferation rates and slowed the rate of rod cell replacement. Conversely, immune suppressants applied after cell loss had been initiated led to accelerated photoreceptor regeneration kinetics, possibly by promoting rapid resolution of an acute immune response. Our findings suggest that microglia control MG responsiveness to photoreceptor loss and support the development of immune-targeted therapeutic strategies for reversing cell loss associated with degenerative retinal conditions.

Immunomodulation-accelerated neuronal regeneration following selective rod photoreceptor cell ablation in the zebrafish retina

PubMed Central

White, David T.; Sengupta, Sumitra; Saxena, Meera T.; Xu, Qingguo; Hanes, Justin; Ding, Ding; Ji, Hongkai

2017-01-01

Müller glia (MG) function as inducible retinal stem cells in zebrafish, completely repairing the eye after damage. The innate immune system has recently been shown to promote tissue regeneration in which classic wound-healing responses predominate. However, regulatory roles for leukocytes during cellular regeneration—i.e., selective cell-loss paradigms akin to degenerative disease—are less well defined. To investigate possible roles innate immune cells play during retinal cell regeneration, we used intravital microscopy to visualize neutrophil, macrophage, and retinal microglia responses to induced rod photoreceptor apoptosis. Neutrophils displayed no reactivity to rod cell loss. Peripheral macrophage cells responded to rod cell loss, as evidenced by morphological transitions and increased migration, but did not enter the retina. Retinal microglia displayed multiple hallmarks of immune cell activation: increased migration, translocation to the photoreceptor cell layer, proliferation, and phagocytosis of dying cells. To test function during rod cell regeneration, we coablated microglia and rod cells or applied immune suppression and quantified the kinetics of (i) rod cell clearance, (ii) MG/progenitor cell proliferation, and (iii) rod cell replacement. Coablation and immune suppressants applied before cell loss caused delays in MG/progenitor proliferation rates and slowed the rate of rod cell replacement. Conversely, immune suppressants applied after cell loss had been initiated led to accelerated photoreceptor regeneration kinetics, possibly by promoting rapid resolution of an acute immune response. Our findings suggest that microglia control MG responsiveness to photoreceptor loss and support the development of immune-targeted therapeutic strategies for reversing cell loss associated with degenerative retinal conditions. PMID:28416692

STS-84 oxygen generator for Mir on display at SPACEHAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

An oxygen generator destined to replace a malfunctioning unit on the Russian Mir Space Station is the object of much curiosity during preflight preparations in the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility. A SPACEHAB Double Module on the Space Shuttle Atlantis will carry the oxygen generator to Mir during STS-84, the sixth Shuttle-Mir docking. The nearly 300-pound generator, manufactured by RSC Energia in Russia, will replace one of two Mir units that have been malfunctioning recently. The generator functions by electrolysis, which separates water into its oxygen and hydrogen components. The hydrogen is vented and the oxygen is used for breathing by the Mir crew. The generator is 4.2 feet in length and 1.4 feet in diameter. STS-84, which is planned to include a Mir crew exchange of astronaut C. Michael Foale for Jerry M. Linenger, is targeted for a May 15 liftoff.

Real-time flight test data distribution and display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nesel, Michael C.; Hammons, Kevin R.

1988-01-01

Enhancements to the real-time processing and display systems of the NASA Western Aeronautical Test Range are described. Display processing has been moved out of the telemetry and radar acquisition processing systems super-minicomputers into user/client interactive graphic workstations. Real-time data is provided to the workstations by way of Ethernet. Future enhancement plans include use of fiber optic cable to replace the Ethernet.

Comparison of radiographic joint space width and magnetic resonance imaging for prediction of knee replacement: A longitudinal case-control study from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

PubMed

Eckstein, Felix; Boudreau, Robert; Wang, Zhijie; Hannon, Michael J; Duryea, Jeff; Wirth, Wolfgang; Cotofana, Sebastian; Guermazi, Ali; Roemer, Frank; Nevitt, Michael; John, Markus R; Ladel, Christoph; Sharma, Leena; Hunter, David J; Kwoh, C Kent

2016-06-01

To evaluate whether change in fixed-location measures of radiographic joint space width (JSW) and cartilage thickness by MRI predict knee replacement. Knees replaced between 36 and 60 months' follow-up in the Osteoarthritis Initiative were each matched with one control by age, sex and radiographic status. Radiographic JSW was determined from fixed flexion radiographs and subregional femorotibial cartilage thickness from 3 T MRI. Changes between the annual visit before replacement (T0) and 2 years before T0 (T-2) were compared using conditional logistic regression. One hundred and nineteen knees from 102 participants (55.5 % women; age 64.2 ± 8.7 [mean ± SD] years) were studied. Fixed-location JSW change at 22.5 % from medial to lateral differed more between replaced and control knees (case-control [cc] OR = 1.57; 95 % CI: 1.23-2.01) than minimum medial JSW change (ccOR = 1.38; 95 % CI: 1.11-1.71). Medial femorotibial cartilage loss displayed discrimination similar to minimum JSW, and central tibial cartilage loss similar to fixed-location JSW. Location-independent thinning and thickening scores were elevated prior to knee replacement. Discrimination of structural progression between knee pre-placement cases versus controls was stronger for fixed-location than minimum radiographic JSW. MRI displayed similar discrimination to radiography and suggested greater simultaneous cartilage thickening and loss prior to knee replacement. • Fixed-location JSW predicts surgical knee replacement more strongly than minimum JSW. • MRI predicts knee replacement with similar accuracy to radiographic JSW. • MRI reveals greater cartilage thinning and thickening prior to knee replacement.

Glutamate 90 at the Luminal Ion Gate of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase Is Critical for Ca2+ Binding on Both Sides of the Membrane*

PubMed Central

Clausen, Johannes D.; Andersen, Jens Peter

2010-01-01

The roles of Ser72, Glu90, and Lys297 at the luminal ends of transmembrane helices M1, M2, and M4 of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase were examined by transient and steady-state kinetic analysis of mutants. The dependence on the luminal Ca2+ concentration of phosphorylation by Pi (“Ca2+ gradient-dependent E2P formation”) showed a reduction of the apparent affinity for luminal Ca2+ in mutants with alanine or leucine replacement of Glu90, whereas arginine replacement of Glu90 or Ser72 allowed E2P formation from Pi even at luminal Ca2+ concentrations much too small to support phosphorylation in wild type. The latter mutants further displayed a blocked dephosphorylation of E2P and an increased rate of conversion of the ADP-sensitive E1P phosphoenzyme intermediate to ADP-insensitive E2P as well as insensitivity of the E2·BeF3− complex to luminal Ca2+. Altogether, these findings, supported by structural modeling, indicate that the E2P intermediate is stabilized in the mutants with arginine replacement of Glu90 or Ser72, because the positive charge of the arginine side chain mimics Ca2+ occupying a luminally exposed low affinity Ca2+ site of E2P, thus identifying an essential locus (a “leaving site”) on the luminal Ca2+ exit pathway. Mutants with alanine or leucine replacement of Glu90 further displayed a marked slowing of the Ca2+ binding transition as well as slowing of the dissociation of Ca2+ from Ca2E1 back toward the cytoplasm, thus demonstrating that Glu90 is also critical for the function of the cytoplasmically exposed Ca2+ sites on the opposite side of the membrane relative to where Glu90 is located. PMID:20421308

Rasagiline for dysexecutive symptoms during wearing-off in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

PubMed

Rinaldi, Domiziana; Assogna, Francesca; Sforza, Michela; Tagliente, Stefania; Pontieri, Francesco E

2018-01-01

Wearing-off refers to the predictable worsening of motor and sometimes non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease occurring at the end of levodopa dose that improves with the next drug dose. Here, we investigated the efficacy of rasagiline on executive functions at the end of levodopa dose in patients displaying symptoms of wearing-off. Rasagiline was well-tolerated and produced a significant improvement at the Frontal Assessment Battery, together with improvement of motor symptoms at the end of levodopa dose. These results suggest that treatment of motor symptoms of wearing-off with rasagiline may be accompanied by improvement of executive functions, and further support the need for optimizing dopamine replacement therapy in fluctuating Parkinson's disease patients.

Chest CT window settings with multiscale adaptive histogram equalization: pilot study.

PubMed

Fayad, Laura M; Jin, Yinpeng; Laine, Andrew F; Berkmen, Yahya M; Pearson, Gregory D; Freedman, Benjamin; Van Heertum, Ronald

2002-06-01

Multiscale adaptive histogram equalization (MAHE), a wavelet-based algorithm, was investigated as a method of automatic simultaneous display of the full dynamic contrast range of a computed tomographic image. Interpretation times were significantly lower for MAHE-enhanced images compared with those for conventionally displayed images. Diagnostic accuracy, however, was insufficient in this pilot study to allow recommendation of MAHE as a replacement for conventional window display.

Achieving consistent color and grayscale presentation on medial color displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiahua; Roehrig, Hans; Dallas, William; Krupinski, Elizabeth A.

2008-03-01

Color displays are increasingly used for medical imaging, replacing the traditional monochrome displays in radiology for multi-modality applications, 3D representation applications, etc. Color displays are also used increasingly because of wide spread application of Tele-Medicine, Tele-Dermatology and Digital Pathology. At this time, there is no concerted effort for calibration procedures for this diverse range of color displays in Telemedicine and in other areas of the medical field. Using a colorimeter to measure the display luminance and chrominance properties as well as some processing software we developed a first attempt to a color calibration protocol for the medical imaging field.

Air traffic control : good progress on interim replacement for outage-plagued system, but risks can be further reduced

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-10-01

Certain air traffic control(ATC) centers experienced a series of major outages, : some of which were caused by the Display Channel Complex or DCC-a mainframe : computer system that processes radar and other data into displayable images on : controlle...

Wide Angle, Color, Holographic Infinity Optics Display. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magarinos, Jose R.; Coleman, Daniel J.

The project described demonstrated not only the feasibility of producing a holographic compound spherical beamspliter mirror with full color response, but the performance and color capabilities of such a beamsplitter when incorporated into a Pancake Window Display system as a replacement for the classical glass spherical beamsplitter. This…

Regional dolomitization of the Waulsortian limestone in southeastern Ireland: Evidence of large-scale fluid flow driven by the Hercynian orogeny

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hitzman, M. W.; Allan, J. R.; Beaty, D. W.

1998-06-01

The Lower Carboniferous Waulsortian limestone has been affected by late diagenetic, regional burial dolomitization over an area of ˜7000 km2 extending 170 km northeastward from the Hercynian front. The dolostone is composed of two components: (1) a very fine crystalline replacive component, and (2) a coarse-crystalline, baroque component that fills vuggy porosity developed within the replacive dolostone. Fluid inclusions within the coarse-crystalline component of the regional dolostone indicate that the dolomitizing solutions were warm (˜100 °C) and moderately saline (10 13 wt% NaCl equivalent). The replacive dolomite displays systematic decreases in crystal size and degree of xenotopic texture northward. Both components of the regional dolostone display a regular northward increase in mean δ18O values; the replacive dolomite has 87Sr/86Sr values that decrease northward. These laterally variable characteristics suggest that regional dolomitization resulted from large-scale, north-directed fluid flow of heated brines developed in response to topographic uplift associated with collapse of the continental margin south of Ireland during the Hercynian (Variscan) orogeny.

Unit Testing and Remote Display Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Costa, Nicholas

2014-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center is currently undergoing an extremely interesting transitional phase. The final Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, was completed in July of 2011. NASA is now approaching a new era of space exploration. The development of the Orion Multi- Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle that will launch the Orion are currently in progress. An important part of this transition involves replacing the Launch Processing System (LPS) which was previously used to process and launch Space Shuttles and their associated hardware. NASA is creating the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) to replace the LPS. The SCCS will be much simpler to maintain and improve during the lifetime of the spaceflight program that it will support. The Launch Control System (LCS) is a portion of the SCCS that will be responsible for launching the rockets and spacecraft. The Integrated Launch Operations Applications (ILOA) group of SCCS is responsible for creating displays and scripts, both remote and local, that will be used to monitor and control hardware and systems needed to launch a spacecraft. It is crucial that the software contained within be thoroughly tested to ensure that it functions as intended. Unit tests must be written in Application Control Language (ACL), the scripting language used by LCS. These unit tests must ensure complete code coverage to safely guarantee there are no bugs or any kind of issue with the software.

The eyes of LITENING

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, Eric K.

2016-05-01

LITENING is an airborne system-of-systems providing long-range imaging, targeting, situational awareness, target tracking, weapon guidance, and damage assessment, incorporating a laser designator and laser range finders, as well as non-thermal and thermal imaging systems, with multi-sensor boresight. Robust operation is at a premium, and subsystems are partitioned to modular, swappable line-replaceable-units (LRUs) and shop-replaceable-units (SRUs). This presentation will explore design concepts for sensing, data storage, and presentation of imagery associated with the LITENING targeting pod. The "eyes" of LITENING are the electro-optic sensors. Since the initial LITENING II introduction to the US market in the late 90s, as the program has evolved and matured, a series of spiral functional improvements and sensor upgrades have been incorporated. These include laser-illuminated imaging, and more recently, color sensing. While aircraft displays are outside of the LITENING system, updates to the available viewing modules have also driven change, and resulted in increasingly effective ways of utilizing the targeting system. One of the latest LITENING spiral upgrades adds a new capability to display and capture visible-band color imagery, using new sensors. This is an augmentation to the system's existing capabilities, which operate over a growing set of visible and invisible colors, infrared bands, and laser line wavelengths. A COTS visible-band camera solution using a CMOS sensor has been adapted to meet the particular needs associated with the airborne targeting use case.

Comprehensive swallowing exercises to treat complicated dysphagia caused by esophageal replacement with colon: A case report.

PubMed

Jiang, Li; Wang, Yujue; Li, Na; Qiu, Weihong; Wu, Huixiang; Huo, Jianshan; Dai, Meng; Yu, Yong; Wan, Guifang; Dou, Zulin; Guo, Weiping

2017-02-01

Surgical procedures for colonic replacement of the esophagus are most commonly associated with anastomotic stricture which cause dysphagia. In this report, we describe a rare case of a patient who demonstrated dysphagia resulting from an anastomotic stricture following esophageal replacement with the colon. All the treatments to dilate the anastomotic stricture were ineffective. To investigate the new treatment strategy for a case with complicated dysphagia, clinical dysphagia evaluations, functional oral intake scale (FOIS), videofluoroscopic swallowing study as well as high-resolution manometry were used to evaluate the swallowing function of the patient before and after treatments. Comprehensive swallowing exercises included the protective airway maneuver, tongue pressure resistance feedback exercise, Masako Maneuver swallowing exercise, and the effortful swallowing exercise. Comprehensive swallowing exercises showed good effect in the patient. The FOIS score increased from level 1 to level 7. The videofluoroscopy digital analysis showed that the pharynx constriction rate was 23% and 50%, before and after treatment, respectively. The data from the high-resolution manometry displayed that: the value of the velopharyngeal pressure peak was 82.8 mmHg before treatment and 156.9 mmHg after treatment; the velopharyngeal contraction duration time was 310 milliseconds before treatment and 525 milliseconds after treatment; the value of the hypopharynx pressure peak was 53.7 mmHg before treatment and 103.2 mmHg after treatment; and the hypopharynx contraction duration time was 390 milliseconds before treatment and 1030 milliseconds after treatment. The swallowing visualization illustrated that a bolus could normally pass through the anastomotic stoma, and the bolus leakage was no longer present. The patient was able to eat various consistencies of food independently, and we were able to remove the jejunum nutrient catheter before discharging the patient. For patients with dysphagia caused by anastomotic stricture following esophageal replacement with colon, the swallowing function can be improved by enhancing the pharyngeal impetus when treatment using esophageal dilation is ineffective.

Comprehensive swallowing exercises to treat complicated dysphagia caused by esophageal replacement with colon

PubMed Central

Jiang, Li; Wang, Yujue; Li, Na; Qiu, Weihong; Wu, Huixiang; Huo, Jianshan; Dai, Meng; Yu, Yong; Wan, Guifang; Dou, Zulin; Guo, Weiping

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Surgical procedures for colonic replacement of the esophagus are most commonly associated with anastomotic stricture which cause dysphagia. In this report, we describe a rare case of a patient who demonstrated dysphagia resulting from an anastomotic stricture following esophageal replacement with the colon. All the treatments to dilate the anastomotic stricture were ineffective. To investigate the new treatment strategy for a case with complicated dysphagia, clinical dysphagia evaluations, functional oral intake scale (FOIS), videofluoroscopic swallowing study as well as high-resolution manometry were used to evaluate the swallowing function of the patient before and after treatments. Interventions: Comprehensive swallowing exercises included the protective airway maneuver, tongue pressure resistance feedback exercise, Masako Maneuver swallowing exercise, and the effortful swallowing exercise. Outcomes: Comprehensive swallowing exercises showed good effect in the patient. The FOIS score increased from level 1 to level 7. The videofluoroscopy digital analysis showed that the pharynx constriction rate was 23% and 50%, before and after treatment, respectively. The data from the high-resolution manometry displayed that: the value of the velopharyngeal pressure peak was 82.8 mmHg before treatment and 156.9 mmHg after treatment; the velopharyngeal contraction duration time was 310 milliseconds before treatment and 525 milliseconds after treatment; the value of the hypopharynx pressure peak was 53.7 mmHg before treatment and 103.2 mmHg after treatment; and the hypopharynx contraction duration time was 390 milliseconds before treatment and 1030 milliseconds after treatment. The swallowing visualization illustrated that a bolus could normally pass through the anastomotic stoma, and the bolus leakage was no longer present. The patient was able to eat various consistencies of food independently, and we were able to remove the jejunum nutrient catheter before discharging the patient. Conclusion: For patients with dysphagia caused by anastomotic stricture following esophageal replacement with colon, the swallowing function can be improved by enhancing the pharyngeal impetus when treatment using esophageal dilation is ineffective. PMID:28178125

Web-based Comparative Patient-reported Outcome Feedback to Support Quality Improvement and Comparative Effectiveness Research in Total Joint Replacement.

PubMed

Zheng, Hua; Li, Wenjun; Harrold, Leslie; Ayers, David C; Franklin, Patricia D

2014-01-01

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are rarely included in quality monitoring systems, surgeon comparative feedback reports, or registries. We present the design and implementation of a secure website in a federally funded research program-Function and Outcomes Research for Comparative Effectiveness in Total Joint Replacement (FORCE-TJR)-to return comparative PRO reports to participating surgeons, in addition to including traditional quality measures, in order to monitor and improve quality and health outcomes. The surgeon-specific comparative PRO reports were designed and structured based on user input for content, data elements, integration, and display. Three questions are addressed regarding the knee and hip joint symptom profiles of patients before TJR, as well as outcomes of surgery. The website is organized with a hierarchical structure to display data at national, practice, and individual surgeon levels, and provides a comprehensive site-level executive summary and surgeon-level data reports that can be downloaded. As of September 2014, over 22,000 patients were enrolled from more than 130 surgeons in 22 states. The reporting website was launched in September 2012 and has been updated quarterly for all surgeons to review their site- and individual-specific outcomes data compared to national benchmarks. In this novel system, quarterly comparative surgeon feedback extends beyond traditional measures of complication rates to include PROs of pain relief and functional gain. We anticipate that this enhanced data will facilitate patient-centered quality improvement (QI) and outcomes research from the registry. As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other insurers consider future implementation of PROs, surgeons will increasingly need comparative data by which to self-monitor their practice outcomes.

Prolonged hypogonadism in males following withdrawal from anabolic-androgenic steroids: an under-recognized problem.

PubMed

Kanayama, Gen; Hudson, James I; DeLuca, James; Isaacs, Stephanie; Baggish, Aaron; Weiner, Rory; Bhasin, Shalender; Pope, Harrison G

2015-05-01

To assess the frequency and severity of hypogonadal symptoms in male long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) misusers who have discontinued AAS use. Cross-sectional, naturalistic. Out-patient facility. Twenty-four male former long-term AAS users and 36 non-AAS-using weightlifters, recruited by advertisement in Massachusetts, USA. Five of the former users were currently receiving treatment with physiological testosterone replacement, leaving 19 untreated users for the numerical comparisons below. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, questions regarding history of AAS use, physical examination, serum hormone determinations and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Compared with the 36 non-AAS-using weightlifters, the 19 untreated former AAS users displayed significantly smaller testicular volumes [estimated difference, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.3 (0.1, 4.5) ml; P = 0.042] and lower serum testosterone levels [estimated difference: 95% CI = 131 (25, 227) dl; P = 0.009], with five users showing testosterone levels below 200 ng/dl despite abstinence from AAS for 3-26 months. Untreated former users also displayed significantly lower scores on the IIEF sexual desire subscale [estimated difference: 95% CI = 2.4 (1.3, 3.4) points on a 10-point scale; P < 0.001]. In the overall group of 24 treated plus untreated former users, seven (29%) had experienced major depressive episodes during AAS withdrawal; four of these had not experienced major depressive episodes at any other time. Two men (8%) had failed to regain normal libidinal or erectile function despite adequate replacement testosterone treatment. Among long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid misusers, anabolic-androgenic steroid-withdrawal hypogonadism appears to be common, frequently prolonged and associated with substantial morbidity. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Prolonged Hypogonadism in Males Following Withdrawal from Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids: an Underrecognized Problem

PubMed Central

Kanayama, Gen; Hudson, James I.; DeLuca, James; Isaacs, Stephanie; Baggish, Aaron; Weiner, Rory; Bhasin, Shalender; Pope, Harrison G.

2015-01-01

Aims To assess the frequency and severity of hypogonadal symptoms in male long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) misusers who have discontinued AAS use. Design Cross-sectional, naturalistic. Setting Outpatient facility. Participants Twenty-four male former long-term AAS users and 36 non-AAS-using weightlifters, recruited by advertisement in Massachusetts, USA. Five of the former users were currently receiving treatment with physiologic testosterone replacement, leaving 19 untreated users for the numerical comparisons below. Measurements The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, questions regarding history of AAS use, physical examination, serum hormone determinations, and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Findings Compared with the 36 non-AAS-using weightlifters, the 19 untreated former AAS users displayed significantly smaller testicular volumes (estimated difference [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 2.3 [0.1, 4.5] ml; p = 0.042) and lower serum testosterone levels (estimated difference: 131 [25, 227] dL; p = 0.009), with five users showing testosterone levels below 200 ng/dL despite abstinence from AAS for 3–26 months. Untreated former users also displayed significantly lower scores on the IIEF Sexual Desire subscale (estimated difference: 2.4 [1.3, 3.5] points on a 10-point scale; p < 0.001). In the overall group of 24 treated plus untreated former users, 7 (29%) had experienced major depressive episodes during AAS withdrawal; 4 of these had not experienced major depressive episodes at any other time. Two men (8%) had failed to regain normal libidinal or erectile function despite adequate replacement testosterone treatment. Conclusions Among long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid misusers, anabolic-androgenic steroid-withdrawal hypogonadism appears to be common, frequently prolonged, and associated with substantial morbidity. PMID:25598171

75 FR 53841 - Display of Official Sign; Permanent Increase in Standard Maximum Share Insurance Amount

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-02

... to replace the old version of the official sign with the revised official sign at required locations.... Additionally, a credit union must replace the old version of the official sign with the revised official sign... internet signs and deplete its stockpiles of other printed advertising materials. NCUA also believes that...

Conformationally constrained farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists: alternative replacements of the stilbene.

PubMed

Akwabi-Ameyaw, Adwoa; Caravella, Justin A; Chen, Lihong; Creech, Katrina L; Deaton, David N; Madauss, Kevin P; Marr, Harry B; Miller, Aaron B; Navas, Frank; Parks, Derek J; Spearing, Paul K; Todd, Dan; Williams, Shawn P; Wisely, G Bruce

2011-10-15

To further explore the optimum placement of the acid moiety in conformationally constrained analogs of GW 4064 1a, a series of stilbene replacements were prepared. The benzothiophene 1f and the indole 1g display the optimal orientation of the carboxylate for enhanced FXR agonist potency. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Particle parameter analyzing system. [x-y plotter circuits and display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, D. O.; Roy, N. L. (Inventor)

1969-01-01

An X-Y plotter circuit apparatus is described which displays an input pulse representing particle parameter information, that would ordinarily appear on the screen of an oscilloscope as a rectangular pulse, as a single dot positioned on the screen where the upper right hand corner of the input pulse would have appeared. If another event occurs, and it is desired to display this event, the apparatus is provided to replace the dot with a short horizontal line.

Evaluation of an organic light-emitting diode display for precise visual stimulation.

PubMed

Ito, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Masaki; Sunaga, Shoji

2013-06-11

A new type of visual display for presentation of a visual stimulus with high quality was assessed. The characteristics of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display (Sony PVM-2541, 24.5 in.; Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) were measured in detail from the viewpoint of its applicability to visual psychophysics. We found the new display to be superior to other display types in terms of spatial uniformity, color gamut, and contrast ratio. Changes in the intensity of luminance were sharper on the OLED display than those on a liquid crystal display. Therefore, such OLED displays could replace conventional cathode ray tube displays in vision research for high quality stimulus presentation. Benefits of using OLED displays in vision research were especially apparent in the fields of low-level vision, where precise control and description of the stimulus are needed, e.g., in mesopic or scotopic vision, color vision, and motion perception.

The ecdysis triggering hormone system is essential for successful moulting of a major hemimetabolous pest insect, Schistocerca gregaria

PubMed Central

Lenaerts, Cynthia; Cools, Dorien; Verdonck, Rik; Verbakel, Lina; Vanden Broeck, Jozef; Marchal, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

Insects are enclosed in a rigid exoskeleton, providing protection from desiccation and mechanical injury. To allow growth, this armour needs to be replaced regularly in a process called moulting. Moulting entails the production of a new exoskeleton and shedding of the old one and is induced by a pulse in ecdysteroids, which activates a peptide-mediated signalling cascade. In Holometabola, ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH) is the key factor in this cascade. Very little functional information is available in Hemimetabola, which display a different kind of development characterized by gradual changes. This paper reports on the identification of the ETH precursor and the pharmacological and functional characterisation of the ETH receptor in a hemimetabolous pest species, the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Activation of SchgrETHR by SchgrETH results in an increase of both Ca2+ and cyclic AMP, suggesting that SchgrETHR displays dual coupling properties in an in vitro cell-based assay. Using qRT-PCR, an in-depth profiling study of SchgrETH and SchgrETHR transcripts was performed. Silencing of SchgrETH and SchgrETHR resulted in lethality at the expected time of ecdysis, thereby showing their crucial role in moulting. PMID:28417966

JSC MCC Bldg 30 Instrumentation and Communications Officer (INCO) RTDS

NASA Image and Video Library

1988-06-02

Instrumentation and Communications Officer (INCO) John F. Muratore monitors conventional workstation displays during an STS-26 simulation in JSC Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30 Flight Control Room (FCR). Next to Muratore an operator views the real time data system (RTDS), an expert system. During the STS-29 mission two conventional monochrome console display units will be removed and replaced with RTDS displays. View is for the STS-29 press kit from Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) RTDS.

Cold Regions Environmental Test of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Decontamination Equipment

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-05-17

Blowing Snow "Rain Wet Fog Hail "Falling snow Ice Fog Other (specify) Malfunctions (explain): Remarks: A-1 -. , -17 May 1985 TOP 8-4-007 SAPPENDIX S...displays. * ~4. Remove and replace minor items [) FI FI[ * ( lightbulbs , filters, etc.) 5. Lubricate. ii F ) C 6. Add expendables. (I FJ( * ~~7...Displays are readable under dark [1 [1 [ . :I to bright glare conditions. 21. Cover glass does hot fog up. [ [ [. [E 22. Displays do not freeze up

The haloarchaeal MCM proteins: bioinformatic analysis and targeted mutagenesis of the β7-β8 and β9-β10 hairpin loops and conserved zinc binding domain cysteines

PubMed Central

Kristensen, Tatjana P.; Maria Cherian, Reeja; Gray, Fiona C.; MacNeill, Stuart A.

2014-01-01

The hexameric MCM complex is the catalytic core of the replicative helicase in eukaryotic and archaeal cells. Here we describe the first in vivo analysis of archaeal MCM protein structure and function relationships using the genetically tractable haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii as a model system. Hfx. volcanii encodes a single MCM protein that is part of the previously identified core group of haloarchaeal MCM proteins. Three structural features of the N-terminal domain of the Hfx. volcanii MCM protein were targeted for mutagenesis: the β7-β8 and β9-β10 β-hairpin loops and putative zinc binding domain. Five strains carrying single point mutations in the β7-β8 β-hairpin loop were constructed, none of which displayed impaired cell growth under normal conditions or when treated with the DNA damaging agent mitomycin C. However, short sequence deletions within the β7-β8 β-hairpin were not tolerated and neither was replacement of the highly conserved residue glutamate 187 with alanine. Six strains carrying paired alanine substitutions within the β9-β10 β-hairpin loop were constructed, leading to the conclusion that no individual amino acid within that hairpin loop is absolutely required for MCM function, although one of the mutant strains displays greatly enhanced sensitivity to mitomycin C. Deletions of two or four amino acids from the β9-β10 β-hairpin were tolerated but mutants carrying larger deletions were inviable. Similarly, it was not possible to construct mutants in which any of the conserved zinc binding cysteines was replaced with alanine, underlining the likely importance of zinc binding for MCM function. The results of these studies demonstrate the feasibility of using Hfx. volcanii as a model system for reverse genetic analysis of archaeal MCM protein function and provide important confirmation of the in vivo importance of conserved structural features identified by previous bioinformatic, biochemical and structural studies. PMID:24723920

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

A space shuttle main engine (SSME) is on display near the space shuttle Endeavour at the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Boeing electronic flight bag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trujillo, Eddie J.; Ellersick, Steven D.

2006-05-01

The Boeing Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is a key element in the evolutionary process of an "e-enabled" flight deck. The EFB is designed to improve the overall safety, efficiency, and operation of the flight deck and corresponding airline operations by providing the flight crew with better information and enhanced functionality in a user-friendly digital format. The EFB is intended to increase the pilots' situational awareness of the airplane and systems, as well as improve the efficiency of information management. The system will replace documents and forms that are currently stored or carried onto the flight deck and put them, in digital format, at the crew's fingertips. This paper describes what the Boeing EFB is and the significant human factors and interface design issues, trade-offs, and decisions made during development of the display system. In addition, EFB formats, graphics, input control methods, challenges using COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf)-leveraged glass and formatting technology are discussed. The optical design requirements, display technology utilized, brightness control system, reflection challenge, and the resulting optical performance are presented.

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Functional replacement of real property in public... Functional replacement of real property in public ownership. (a) General. When publicly owned real property...) Federal participation. Federal-aid funds may participate in functional replacement costs only if: (1...

An Electronic Pressure Profile Display system for aeronautic test facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woike, Mark R.

1990-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center has installed an Electronic Pressure Profile Display system. This system provides for the real-time display of pressure readings on high resolution graphics monitors. The Electronic Pressure Profile Display system will replace manometer banks currently used in aeronautic test facilities. The Electronic Pressure Profile Display system consists of an industrial type Digital Pressure Transmitter (DPI) unit which interfaces with a host computer. The host computer collects the pressure data from the DPI unit, converts it into engineering units, and displays the readings on a high resolution graphics monitor in bar graph format. Software was developed to accomplish the above tasks and also draw facility diagrams as background information on the displays. Data transfer between host computer and DPT unit is done with serial communications. Up to 64 channels are displayed with one second update time. This paper describes the system configuration, its features, and its advantages over existing systems.

An electronic pressure profile display system for aeronautic test facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woike, Mark R.

1990-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center has installed an Electronic Pressure Profile Display system. This system provides for the real-time display of pressure readings on high resolution graphics monitors. The Electronic Pressure Profile Display system will replace manometer banks currently used in aeronautic test facilities. The Electronic Pressure Profile Display system consists of an industrial type Digital Pressure Transmitter (DPT) unit which interfaces with a host computer. The host computer collects the pressure data from the DPT unit, converts it into engineering units, and displays the readings on a high resolution graphics monitor in bar graph format. Software was developed to accomplish the above tasks and also draw facility diagrams as background information on the displays. Data transfer between host computer and DPT unit is done with serial communications. Up to 64 channels are displayed with one second update time. This paper describes the system configuration, its features, and its advantages over existing systems.

Analysis and separation of residues important for the chemoattractant and antimicrobial activities of beta-defensin 3.

PubMed

Taylor, Karen; Clarke, David J; McCullough, Bryan; Chin, Wutharath; Seo, Emily; Yang, De; Oppenheim, Joost; Uhrin, Dusan; Govan, John R W; Campopiano, Dominic J; MacMillan, Derek; Barran, Perdita; Dorin, Julia R

2008-03-14

beta-Defensins are important in mammalian immunity displaying both antimicrobial and chemoattractant activities. Three canonical disulfide intramolecular bonds are believed to be dispensable for antimicrobial activity but essential for chemoattractant ability. However, here we show that HBD3 (human beta-defensin 3) alkylated with iodoactemide and devoid of any disulfide bonds is still a potent chemoattractant. Furthermore, when the canonical six cysteine residues are replaced with alanine, the peptide is no longer active as a chemoattractant. These findings are replicated by the murine ortholog Defb14. We restore the chemoattractant activity of Defb14 and HBD3 by introduction of a single cysteine in the fifth position (Cys V) of the beta-defensin six cysteine motif. In contrast, a peptide with a single cysteine at the first position (Cys I) is inactive. Moreover, a range of overlapping linear fragments of Defb14 do not act as chemoattractants, suggesting that the chemotactic activity of this peptide is not dependent solely on an epitope surrounding Cys V. Full-length peptides either with alkylated cysteine residues or with cysteine residues replaced with alanine are still strongly antimicrobial. Defb14 peptide fragments were also tested for antimicrobial activity, and peptides derived from the N-terminal region display potent antimicrobial activity. Thus, the chemoattractant and antimicrobial activities of beta-defensins can be separated, and both of these functions are independent of intramolecular disulfide bonds. These findings are important for further understanding of the mechanism of action of defensins and for therapeutic design.

Negatively Charged Lipid Membranes Promote a Disorder-Order Transition in the Yersinia YscU Protein

PubMed Central

Weise, Christoph F.; Login, Frédéric H.; Ho, Oanh; Gröbner, Gerhard; Wolf-Watz, Hans; Wolf-Watz, Magnus

2014-01-01

The inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is negatively charged, rendering positively charged cytoplasmic proteins in close proximity likely candidates for protein-membrane interactions. YscU is a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis type III secretion system protein crucial for bacterial pathogenesis. The protein contains a highly conserved positively charged linker sequence that separates membrane-spanning and cytoplasmic (YscUC) domains. Although disordered in solution, inspection of the primary sequence of the linker reveals that positively charged residues are separated with a typical helical periodicity. Here, we demonstrate that the linker sequence of YscU undergoes a largely electrostatically driven coil-to-helix transition upon binding to negatively charged membrane interfaces. Using membrane-mimicking sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles, an NMR derived structural model reveals the induction of three helical segments in the linker. The overall linker placement in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles was identified by NMR experiments including paramagnetic relaxation enhancements. Partitioning of individual residues agrees with their hydrophobicity and supports an interfacial positioning of the helices. Replacement of positively charged linker residues with alanine resulted in YscUC variants displaying attenuated membrane-binding affinities, suggesting that the membrane interaction depends on positive charges within the linker. In vivo experiments with bacteria expressing these YscU replacements resulted in phenotypes displaying significantly reduced effector protein secretion levels. Taken together, our data identify a previously unknown membrane-interacting surface of YscUC that, when perturbed by mutations, disrupts the function of the pathogenic machinery in Yersinia. PMID:25418176

Negatively charged lipid membranes promote a disorder-order transition in the Yersinia YscU protein.

PubMed

Weise, Christoph F; Login, Frédéric H; Ho, Oanh; Gröbner, Gerhard; Wolf-Watz, Hans; Wolf-Watz, Magnus

2014-10-21

The inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is negatively charged, rendering positively charged cytoplasmic proteins in close proximity likely candidates for protein-membrane interactions. YscU is a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis type III secretion system protein crucial for bacterial pathogenesis. The protein contains a highly conserved positively charged linker sequence that separates membrane-spanning and cytoplasmic (YscUC) domains. Although disordered in solution, inspection of the primary sequence of the linker reveals that positively charged residues are separated with a typical helical periodicity. Here, we demonstrate that the linker sequence of YscU undergoes a largely electrostatically driven coil-to-helix transition upon binding to negatively charged membrane interfaces. Using membrane-mimicking sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles, an NMR derived structural model reveals the induction of three helical segments in the linker. The overall linker placement in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles was identified by NMR experiments including paramagnetic relaxation enhancements. Partitioning of individual residues agrees with their hydrophobicity and supports an interfacial positioning of the helices. Replacement of positively charged linker residues with alanine resulted in YscUC variants displaying attenuated membrane-binding affinities, suggesting that the membrane interaction depends on positive charges within the linker. In vivo experiments with bacteria expressing these YscU replacements resulted in phenotypes displaying significantly reduced effector protein secretion levels. Taken together, our data identify a previously unknown membrane-interacting surface of YscUC that, when perturbed by mutations, disrupts the function of the pathogenic machinery in Yersinia.

Conversion of paper-based technical manuals to interactive electronic technical manuals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Mu-Hsing

1999-12-01

An IETM is intended to be the functional equivalent of a paper-based Technical Manual (TM), and in most cases a total replacement for paper manual. In this paper, we will describe some of document image understanding technologies applied to the conversion of paper-based TMs to IETMs. Using these advanced technologies allow us to convert paper-based TMs to class 1/2 IETMs. However, these were not sufficient for an automated integrated logistics support system in the ROC Department of Defense. An advanced IETM system is therefore required. Such class 4/5 like IETM system could provide intelligent display of information and other user applications such as diagnostics, intelligent design and manufacturing, or computer-managed training. The author has developed some of the advanced functions, and examples will be shown to demonstrate the new aspect of IETMs.

Human platelet lysate is a successful alternative serum supplement for propagation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

PubMed

Švajger, Urban

2017-04-01

Clinical protocols for dendritic cell (DC) generation from monocytes require the use of animal serum-free supplements. Serum-free media can also require up to 1% of serum supplementation. In addition, recommendations based on the 3Rs (Refinement, Reduction, Replacement) principle also recommend the use of non-animal sera in in vitro studies. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of platelet lysate (PL) for generation of optimally differentiated DCs from monocytes. Cells were isolated from buffy coats from healthy volunteers using immunomagnetic selection. DCs were differentiated in RPMI1640 supplemented with either 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10% AB serum or 10% PL with the addition of granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor and interleukin-4. Generated DCs were assessed for their morphology, viability, endocytotic capacity, surface phenotype (immature, mature and tolerogenic DCs) and activation of important signaling pathways. DC function was evaluated on the basis of their allostimulatory capacity, cytokine profile and ability to induce different T-helper subsets. DCs generated with PL displayed normal viability, morphology and endocytotic capacity. Their differentiation and maturation phenotype was comparable to FBS-cultured DCs. They showed functional plasticity and up-regulated tolerogenic markers in response to their environment. PL-cultured mature DCs displayed unhindered allostimulatory potential and the capacity to induce Th1 responses. The use of PL allowed for activation of crucial signaling proteins associated with DC differentiation and maturation. This study demonstrates for the first time that human PL represents a successful alternative to FBS in differentiation of DCs from monocytes. DCs display the major phenotypic and functional characteristics compared with existing culture protocols. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dead pixel replacement in LWIR microgrid polarimeters.

PubMed

Ratliff, Bradley M; Tyo, J Scott; Boger, James K; Black, Wiley T; Bowers, David L; Fetrow, Matthew P

2007-06-11

LWIR imaging arrays are often affected by nonresponsive pixels, or "dead pixels." These dead pixels can severely degrade the quality of imagery and often have to be replaced before subsequent image processing and display of the imagery data. For LWIR arrays that are integrated with arrays of micropolarizers, the problem of dead pixels is amplified. Conventional dead pixel replacement (DPR) strategies cannot be employed since neighboring pixels are of different polarizations. In this paper we present two DPR schemes. The first is a modified nearest-neighbor replacement method. The second is a method based on redundancy in the polarization measurements.We find that the redundancy-based DPR scheme provides an order-of-magnitude better performance for typical LWIR polarimetric data.

Spontaneous hepatic repopulation in transgenic mice expressing mutant human α1-antitrypsin by wild-type donor hepatocytes.

PubMed

Ding, Jianqiang; Yannam, Govardhana R; Roy-Chowdhury, Namita; Hidvegi, Tunda; Basma, Hesham; Rennard, Stephen I; Wong, Ronald J; Avsar, Yesim; Guha, Chandan; Perlmutter, David H; Fox, Ira J; Roy-Chowdhury, Jayanta

2011-05-01

α1-Antitrypsin deficiency is an inherited condition that causes liver disease and emphysema. The normal function of this protein, which is synthesized by the liver, is to inhibit neutrophil elastase, a protease that degrades connective tissue of the lung. In the classical form of the disease, inefficient secretion of a mutant α1-antitrypsin protein (AAT-Z) results in its accumulation within hepatocytes and reduced protease inhibitor activity, resulting in liver injury and pulmonary emphysema. Because mutant protein accumulation increases hepatocyte cell stress, we investigated whether transplanted hepatocytes expressing wild-type AAT might have a competitive advantage relative to AAT-Z-expressing hepatocytes, using transgenic mice expressing human AAT-Z. Wild-type donor hepatocytes replaced 20%-98% of mutant host hepatocytes, and repopulation was accelerated by injection of an adenovector expressing hepatocyte growth factor. Spontaneous hepatic repopulation with engrafted hepatocytes occurred in the AAT-Z-expressing mice even in the absence of severe liver injury. Donor cells replaced both globule-containing and globule-devoid cells, indicating that both types of host hepatocytes display impaired proliferation relative to wild-type hepatocytes. These results suggest that wild-type hepatocyte transplantation may be therapeutic for AAT-Z liver disease and may provide an alternative to protein replacement for treating emphysema in AAT-ZZ individuals.

Identification of an Internal Ribosome Entry Segment in the 5′ Region of the Mouse VL30 Retrotransposon and Its Use in the Development of Retroviral Vectors

PubMed Central

López-Lastra, Marcelo; Ulrici, Sandrine; Gabus, Caroline; Darlix, Jean-Luc

1999-01-01

Mouse virus-like 30S RNAs (VL30m) constitute a family of retrotransposons, present at 100 to 200 copies, dispersed in the mouse genome. They display little sequence homology to Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV), do not encode virus-like proteins, and have not been implicated in retroviral carcinogenesis. However, VL30 RNAs are efficiently packaged into MLV particles that are propagated in cell culture. In this study, we addressed whether the 5′ region of VL30m could replace the 5′ leader of MoMLV functionally in a recombinant vector construct. Our data confirm that the putative packaging sequence of VL30 is located within the 5′ region (nucleotides 362 to 1149 with respect to the cap structure) and that it can replace the packaging sequence of MoMLV. We also show that VL30m contains an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES) in the 5′ region, as do MoMLV, Friend murine leukemia virus, Harvey murine sarcoma virus, and avian reticuloendotheliosis virus type A. Our data show that both the packaging and IRES functions of the 5′ region of VL30m RNA can be efficiently used to develop retrotransposon-based vectors. PMID:10482590

Identification of an internal ribosome entry segment in the 5' region of the mouse VL30 retrotransposon and its use in the development of retroviral vectors.

PubMed

López-Lastra, M; Ulrici, S; Gabus, C; Darlix, J L

1999-10-01

Mouse virus-like 30S RNAs (VL30m) constitute a family of retrotransposons, present at 100 to 200 copies, dispersed in the mouse genome. They display little sequence homology to Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV), do not encode virus-like proteins, and have not been implicated in retroviral carcinogenesis. However, VL30 RNAs are efficiently packaged into MLV particles that are propagated in cell culture. In this study, we addressed whether the 5' region of VL30m could replace the 5' leader of MoMLV functionally in a recombinant vector construct. Our data confirm that the putative packaging sequence of VL30 is located within the 5' region (nucleotides 362 to 1149 with respect to the cap structure) and that it can replace the packaging sequence of MoMLV. We also show that VL30m contains an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES) in the 5' region, as do MoMLV, Friend murine leukemia virus, Harvey murine sarcoma virus, and avian reticuloendotheliosis virus type A. Our data show that both the packaging and IRES functions of the 5' region of VL30m RNA can be efficiently used to develop retrotransposon-based vectors.

NPS assessment of color medical displays using a monochromatic CCD camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roehrig, Hans; Gu, Xiliang; Fan, Jiahua

2012-02-01

This paper presents an approach to Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) assessment of color medical displays without using an expensive imaging colorimeter. The R, G and B color uniform patterns were shown on the display under study and the images were taken using a high resolution monochromatic camera. A colorimeter was used to calibrate the camera images. Synthetic intensity images were formed by the weighted sum of the R, G, B and the dark screen images. Finally the NPS analysis was conducted on the synthetic images. The proposed method replaces an expensive imaging colorimeter for NPS evaluation, which also suggests a potential solution for routine color medical display QA/QC in the clinical area, especially when imaging of display devices is desired.

NPS assessment of color medical image displays using a monochromatic CCD camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roehrig, Hans; Gu, Xiliang; Fan, Jiahua

2012-10-01

This paper presents an approach to Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) assessment of color medical displays without using an expensive imaging colorimeter. The R, G and B color uniform patterns were shown on the display under study and the images were taken using a high resolution monochromatic camera. A colorimeter was used to calibrate the camera images. Synthetic intensity images were formed by the weighted sum of the R, G, B and the dark screen images. Finally the NPS analysis was conducted on the synthetic images. The proposed method replaces an expensive imaging colorimeter for NPS evaluation, which also suggests a potential solution for routine color medical display QA/QC in the clinical area, especially when imaging of display devices is desired

Recent progress of flexible AMOLED displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Huiqing; Rajan, Kamala; Silvernail, Jeff; Mandlik, Prashant; Ma, Ruiqing; Hack, Mike; Brown, Julie J.; Yoo, Juhn S.; Jung, Sang-Hoon; Kim, Yong-Cheol; Byun, Seung-Chan; Kim, Jong-Moo; Yoon, Soo-Young; Kim, Chang-Dong; Hwang, Yong-Kee; Chung, In-Jae; Fletcher, Mark; Green, Derek; Pangle, Mike; McIntyre, Jim; Smith, Randal D.

2011-03-01

Significant progress has been made in recent years in flexible AMOLED displays and numerous prototypes have been demonstrated. Replacing rigid glass with flexible substrates and thin-film encapsulation makes displays thinner, lighter, and non-breakable - all attractive features for portable applications. Flexible AMOLEDs equipped with phosphorescent OLEDs are considered one of the best candidates for low-power, rugged, full-color video applications. Recently, we have demonstrated a portable communication display device, built upon a full-color 4.3-inch HVGA foil display with a resolution of 134 dpi using an all-phosphorescent OLED frontplane. The prototype is shaped into a thin and rugged housing that will fit over a user's wrist, providing situational awareness and enabling the wearer to see real-time video and graphics information.

VHSIC Electronics and the Cost of Air Force Avionics in the 1990s

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-11-01

circuit. LRM Line replaceable module. LRU Line replaceable unit. LSI Large-scale integration. LSTTL Tow-power Schottky Transitor -to-Transistor Logic...displays, communications/navigation/identification, electronic combat equipment, dispensers, and computers. These CERs, which statistically relate the...some of the reliability numbers, and adding the F-15 and F-16 to obtain the data sample shown in Table 6. Both suite costs and reliability statistics

Primary succession of Bistorta vivipara (L.) Delabre (Polygonaceae) root-associated fungi mirrors plant succession in two glacial chronosequences.

PubMed

Davey, Marie; Blaalid, Rakel; Vik, Unni; Carlsen, Tor; Kauserud, Håvard; Eidesen, Pernille B

2015-08-01

Glacier chronosequences are important sites for primary succession studies and have yielded well-defined primary succession models for plants that identify environmental resistance as an important determinant of the successional trajectory. Whether plant-associated fungal communities follow those same successional trajectories and also respond to environmental resistance is an open question. In this study, 454 amplicon pyrosequencing was used to compare the root-associated fungal communities of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) herb Bistorta vivipara along two primary succession gradients with different environmental resistance (alpine versus arctic) and different successional trajectories in the vascular plant communities (directional replacement versus directional non-replacement). At both sites, the root-associated fungal communities were dominated by ECM basidiomycetes and community composition shifted with increasing time since deglaciation. However, the fungal community's successional trajectory mirrored the pattern observed in the surrounding plant community at both sites: the alpine site displayed a directional-replacement successional trajectory, and the arctic site displayed a directional-non-replacement successional trajectory. This suggests that, like in plant communities, environmental resistance is key in determining succession patterns in root-associated fungi. The need for further replicated study, including in other host species, is emphasized. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Transferable Output ASCII Data (TOAD) editor version 1.0 user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bingel, Bradford D.; Shea, Anne L.; Hofler, Alicia S.

1991-01-01

The Transferable Output ASCII Data (TOAD) editor is an interactive software tool for manipulating the contents of TOAD files. The TOAD editor is specifically designed to work with tabular data. Selected subsets of data may be displayed to the user's screen, sorted, exchanged, duplicated, removed, replaced, inserted, or transferred to and from external files. It also offers a number of useful features including on-line help, macros, a command history, an 'undo' option, variables, and a full compliment of mathematical functions and conversion factors. Written in ANSI FORTRAN 77 and completely self-contained, the TOAD editor is very portable and has already been installed on SUN, SGI/IRIS, and CONVEX hosts.

Multimission helicopter cockpit displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, William S.; Terry, Jody K.; Lovelace, Nancy D.

1996-05-01

A new operator display subsystem is being incorporated as part of the next generation United States Navy (USN) helicopter avionics system to be integrated into the multi-mission helicopter (MMH) that replaces both the SH-60B and the SH-60F in 2001. This subsystem exploits state-of-the-art technology for the display hardware, the display driver hardware, information presentation methodologies, and software architecture. Both of the existing SH-60 helicopter display systems are based on monochrome CRT technology; a key feature of the MMH cockpit is the integration of color AMLCD multifunction displays. The MMH program is one of the first military programs to use modified commercial AMLCD elements in a tactical aircraft. This paper presents the general configuration of the MMH cockpit and multifunction display subsystem and discusses the approach taken for presenting helicopter flight information to the pilots as well as presentation of mission sensor data for use by the copilot.

Functional properties of bicarbonates and lactic acid on chicken breast retail display properties and cooked meat quality.

PubMed

Lee, Nakia; Sharma, Vijendra; Brown, Nettie; Mohan, Anand

2015-02-01

Whole chicken breast was injected with potassium bicarbonate (PB), sodium bicarbonate (SB), and potassium lactate (K-lactate) and salt, alone or in combination at different concentration levels. The objectives were to 1) investigate the effects of different concentration of PB, SB, and PL on instrumental color, water-holding capacity (WHC), objective tenderness, expressible moisture, and moisture content and 2) evaluate whether sodium-containing ingredients can be replaced with potassium as a potential strategy to reduce total sodium content in the finished product. Results showed that chicken breast tissue marinated with SB and PB had greater moisture retention, display characteristics, and cooked product qualities than chicken breast tissue injected with water and the nonmarinated control. The L* values (lightness) did not change over the period of retail display and were not different compared to the control (P>0.05). The chicken breast enhanced with SB, PB, and K-lactate retained better retail display color than the controls (marinated with water and nonmarinated). Increasing the potassium bicarbonate concentration from 0.5 to 1.5% significantly improved the water-holding capacity (82.17 to 92.61%; P<0.05) and led to better cook yield (83.84 to 91.96%). Shear force values were lower at the 0.5% level for both SB and PB compared to the control. PB performed better on retail display and cooked meat quality than SB. This study suggests that chicken breast tissue can be marinated with KB as a healthier alternative to phosphate or SB. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Validation and evaluation of common large-area display set (CLADS) performance specification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermann, David J.; Gorenflo, Ronald L.

1998-09-01

Battelle is under contract with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center to design a Common Large Area Display Set (CLADS) for use in multiple Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) applications that currently use 19- inch Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs). Battelle engineers have built and fully tested pre-production prototypes of the CLADS design for AWACS, and are completing pre-production prototype displays for three other platforms simultaneously. With the CLADS design, any display technology that can be packaged to meet the form, fit, and function requirements defined by the Common Large Area Display Head Assembly (CLADHA) performance specification is a candidate for CLADS applications. This technology independent feature reduced the risk of CLADS development, permits life long technology insertion upgrades without unnecessary redesign, and addresses many of the obsolescence problems associated with COTS technology-based acquisition. Performance and environmental testing were performed on the AWACS CLADS and continues on other platforms as a part of the performance specification validation process. A simulator assessment and flight assessment were successfully completed for the AWACS CLADS, and lessons learned from these assessments are being incorporated into the performance specifications. Draft CLADS specifications were released to potential display integrators and manufacturers for review in 1997, and the final version of the performance specifications are scheduled to be released to display integrators and manufacturers in May, 1998. Initial USAF applications include replacements for the E-3 AWACS color monitor assembly, E-8 Joint STARS graphics display unit, and ABCCC airborne color display. Initial U.S. Navy applications include the E-2C ACIS display. For these applications, reliability and maintainability are key objectives. The common design will reduce the cost of operation and maintenance by an estimated 3.3M per year on E-3 AWACS alone. It is realistic to anticipate savings of over 30M per year as CLADS is implemented widely across DoD applications. As commonality and open systems interfaces begin to surface in DoD applications, the CLADS architecture can easily and cost effectively absorb the changes, and avoid COTS obsolescence issues.

Long-term culture and cryopreservation does not affect the stability and functionality of human embryonic stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells.

PubMed

Mandal, Arundhati; Raju, Sheena; Viswanathan, Chandra

2016-02-01

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are predicted to be an unlimited source of hepatocytes which can pave the way for applications such as cell replacement therapies or as a model of human development or even to predict the hepatotoxicity of drug compounds. We have optimized a 23-d differentiation protocol to generate hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from hESCs, obtaining a relatively pure population which expresses the major hepatic markers and is functional and mature. The stability of the HLCs in terms of hepato-specific marker expression and functionality was found to be intact even after an extended period of in vitro culture and cryopreservation. The hESC-derived HLCs have shown the capability to display sensitivity and an alteration in the level of CYP enzyme upon drug induction. This illustrates the potential of such assays in predicting the hepatotoxicity of a drug compound leading to advancement of pharmacology.

Ten inch Planar Optic Display

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

Beiser, L.; Veligdan, J.

A Planar Optic Display (POD) is being built and tested for suitability as a high brightness replacement for the cathode ray tube, (CRT). The POD display technology utilizes a laminated optical waveguide structure which allows a projection type of display to be constructed in a thin (I to 2 inch) housing. Inherent in the optical waveguide is a black cladding matrix which gives the display a black appearance leading to very high contrast. A Digital Micromirror Device, (DMD) from Texas Instruments is used to create video images in conjunction with a 100 milliwatt green solid state laser. An anamorphic opticalmore » system is used to inject light into the POD to form a stigmatic image. In addition to the design of the POD screen, we discuss: image formation, image projection, and optical design constraints.« less

Towards Extending Solar Cell Lifetimes: Addition of a Fluorous Cation to Triple Cation-Based Perovskite Films.

PubMed

Salado, Manuel; Fernández, M Asunción; Holgado, Juan P; Kazim, Samrana; Nazeeruddin, Mohammad Khaja; Dyson, Paul J; Ahmad, Shahzada

2017-10-09

Organohalide perovskites have emerged as highly promising replacements for thin-film solar cells. However, their poor stability under ambient conditions remains problematic, hindering commercial exploitation. The addition of a fluorous-functionalized imidazolium cation during the preparation of a highly stable cesium-based mixed perovskite material Cs 0.05 (MA 0.15 FA 0.85 ) 0.95 Pb(I 0.85 Br 0.15 ) 3 (MA=methylammonium; FA=formamidinium) has been shown to influence its stability. The resulting materials, which vary according to the amount of the fluorous-functionalized imidazolium cation present during fabrication, display a prolonged tolerance to atmospheric humidity (>100 days) along with power conversion efficiencies exceeding 16 %. This work provides a general route that can be implemented in a variety of perovskites and highlights a promising way to increase perovskite solar cell stability. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Visual Image Sensor Organ Replacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maluf, David A.

2014-01-01

This innovation is a system that augments human vision through a technique called "Sensing Super-position" using a Visual Instrument Sensory Organ Replacement (VISOR) device. The VISOR device translates visual and other sensors (i.e., thermal) into sounds to enable very difficult sensing tasks. Three-dimensional spatial brightness and multi-spectral maps of a sensed image are processed using real-time image processing techniques (e.g. histogram normalization) and transformed into a two-dimensional map of an audio signal as a function of frequency and time. Because the human hearing system is capable of learning to process and interpret extremely complicated and rapidly changing auditory patterns, the translation of images into sounds reduces the risk of accidentally filtering out important clues. The VISOR device was developed to augment the current state-of-the-art head-mounted (helmet) display systems. It provides the ability to sense beyond the human visible light range, to increase human sensing resolution, to use wider angle visual perception, and to improve the ability to sense distances. It also allows compensation for movement by the human or changes in the scene being viewed.

[Newly developed monitor for IVR: liquid crystal display (LCD) replaced with cathode ray tube (CRT)].

PubMed

Ichida, Takao; Hosogai, Minoru; Yokoyama, Kouji; Ogawa, Takayoshi; Okusako, Kenji; Shougaki, Masachika; Masai, Hironao; Yamada, Eiji; Okuyama, Kazuo; Hatagawa, Masakatsu

2004-09-01

For physicians who monitor images during interventional radiology (VR), we have built and been using a system that employs a liquid crystal display (LCD) instead of the conventional cathode ray tube (CRT). The system incorporates a ceiling-suspension-type monitor (three-display monitor) with an LCD on each of the three displays for the head and abdominal regions and another ceiling-suspension-type monitor (5-display monitor) with an LCD on each display for the cardiac region. As these monitors are made to be thin and light in weight, they can be placed in a high position in the room, thereby saving space and allowing for more effective use of space in the X-ray room. The system has also improved the efficiency of operators in the IVR room. The three-display folding mechanism allows the displays to be viewed from multiple directions, thereby improving the environment so that the performance of IVR can be observed.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Volume and Functional Outcomes in Stroke, Lower Extremity Fracture, and Lower Extremity Joint Replacement

PubMed Central

Graham, James E.; Deutsch, Anne; O’Connell, Ann A.; Karmarkar, Amol M.; Granger, Carl V.; Ottenbacher, Kenneth J.

2013-01-01

Background It is unclear if volume-outcome relationships exist in inpatient rehabilitation. Objectives Assess associations between facility volumes and two patient-centered outcomes in the three most common diagnostic groups in inpatient rehabilitation. Research Design We used hierarchical linear and generalized linear models to analyze administrative assessment data from patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation services for stroke (n=202,423), lower extremity fracture (n=132,194), or lower extremity joint replacement (n=148,068) between 2006 and 2008 in 717 rehabilitation facilities across the U.S. Facilities were assigned to quintiles based on average annual diagnosis-specific patient volumes. Measures Discharge functional status (FIM instrument) and probability of home discharge. Results Facility-level factors accounted for 6–15% of the variance in discharge FIM total scores and 3–5% of the variance in home discharge probability across the 3 diagnostic groups. We used the middle volume quintile (Q3) as the reference group for all analyses and detected small, but statistically significant (p < .01) associations with discharge functional status in all three diagnosis groups. Only the highest volume quintile (Q5) reached statistical significance, displaying higher functional status ratings than Q3 each time. The largest effect was observed in FIM total scores among fracture patients, with only a 3.6-point difference in Q5 and Q3 group means. Volume was not independently related to home discharge. Conclusions Outcome-specific volume effects ranged from small (functional status) to none (home discharge) in all three diagnostic groups. Patients with these conditions can be treated locally rather than at higher-volume regional centers. Further regionalization of inpatient rehabilitation services is not needed for these conditions. PMID:23579350

Inpatient rehabilitation volume and functional outcomes in stroke, lower extremity fracture, and lower extremity joint replacement.

PubMed

Graham, James E; Deutsch, Anne; O'Connell, Ann A; Karmarkar, Amol M; Granger, Carl V; Ottenbacher, Kenneth J

2013-05-01

It is unclear if volume-outcome relationships exist in inpatient rehabilitation. Assess associations between facility volumes and 2 patient-centered outcomes in the 3 most common diagnostic groups in inpatient rehabilitation. We used hierarchical linear and generalized linear models to analyze administrative assessment data from patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation services for stroke (n=202,423), lower extremity fracture (n=132,194), or lower extremity joint replacement (n=148,068) between 2006 and 2008 in 717 rehabilitation facilities across the United States. Facilities were assigned to quintiles based on average annual diagnosis-specific patient volumes. Discharge functional status (FIM instrument) and probability of home discharge. Facility-level factors accounted for 6%-15% of the variance in discharge FIM total scores and 3%-5% of the variance in home discharge probability across the 3 diagnostic groups. We used the middle volume quintile (Q3) as the reference group for all analyses and detected small, but statistically significant (P<0.01) associations with discharge functional status in all 3 diagnosis groups. Only the highest volume quintile (Q5) reached statistical significance, displaying higher functional status ratings than Q3 each time. The largest effect was observed in FIM total scores among fracture patients, with only a 3.6-point difference in Q5 and Q3 group means. Volume was not independently related to home discharge. Outcome-specific volume effects ranged from small (functional status) to none (home discharge) in all 3 diagnostic groups. Patients with these conditions can be treated locally rather than at higher volume regional centers. Further regionalization of inpatient rehabilitation services is not needed for these conditions.

A programmable display layer for virtual reality system architectures.

PubMed

Smit, Ferdi Alexander; van Liere, Robert; Froehlich, Bernd

2010-01-01

Display systems typically operate at a minimum rate of 60 Hz. However, existing VR-architectures generally produce application updates at a lower rate. Consequently, the display is not updated by the application every display frame. This causes a number of undesirable perceptual artifacts. We describe an architecture that provides a programmable display layer (PDL) in order to generate updated display frames. This replaces the default display behavior of repeating application frames until an update is available. We will show three benefits of the architecture typical to VR. First, smooth motion is provided by generating intermediate display frames by per-pixel depth-image warping using 3D motion fields. Smooth motion eliminates various perceptual artifacts due to judder. Second, we implement fine-grained latency reduction at the display frame level using a synchronized prediction of simulation objects and the viewpoint. This improves the average quality and consistency of latency reduction. Third, a crosstalk reduction algorithm for consecutive display frames is implemented, which improves the quality of stereoscopic images. To evaluate the architecture, we compare image quality and latency to that of a classic level-of-detail approach.

The Integrated Mode Management Interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutchins, Edwin

1996-01-01

Mode management is the processes of understanding the character and consequences of autoflight modes, planning and selecting the engagement, disengagement and transitions between modes, and anticipating automatic mode transitions made by the autoflight system itself. The state of the art is represented by the latest designs produced by each of the major airframe manufacturers, the Boeing 747-400, the Boeing 777, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, and the Airbus A320/A340 family of airplanes. In these airplanes autoflight modes are selected by manipulating switches on the control panel. The state of the autoflight system is displayed on the flight mode annunciators. The integrated mode management interface (IMMI) is a graphical interface to autoflight mode management systems for aircraft equipped with flight management computer systems (FMCS). The interface consists of a vertical mode manager and a lateral mode manager. Autoflight modes are depicted by icons on a graphical display. Mode selection is accomplished by touching (or mousing) the appropriate icon. The IMMI provides flight crews with an integrated interface to autoflight systems for aircraft equipped with flight management computer systems (FMCS). The current version is modeled on the Boeing glass-cockpit airplanes (747-400, 757/767). It runs on the SGI Indigo workstation. A working prototype of this graphics-based crew interface to the autoflight mode management tasks of glass cockpit airplanes has been installed in the Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator of the CSSRF of NASA Ames Research Center. This IMMI replaces the devices in FMCS equipped airplanes currently known as mode control panel (Boeing), flight guidance control panel (McDonnell Douglas), and flight control unit (Airbus). It also augments the functions of the flight mode annunciators. All glass cockpit airplanes are sufficiently similar that the IMMI could be tailored to the mode management system of any modern cockpit. The IMMI does not replace the functions of the FMCS control and display unit. The purpose of the INMI is to provide flight crews with a shared medium in which they can assess the state of the autoflight system, take control actions on it, reason about its behavior, and communicate with each other about its behavior. The design is intended to increase mode awareness and provide a better interface to autoflight mode management. This report describes the IMMI, the methods that were used in designing and developing it, and the theory underlying the design and development processes.

Repurposing Mebendazole as a Replacement for Vincristine for the Treatment of Brain Tumors

PubMed Central

De Witt, Michelle; Gamble, Alexander; Hanson, Derek; Markowitz, Daniel; Powell, Caitlin; Al Dimassi, Saleh; Atlas, Mark; Boockvar, John; Ruggieri, Rosamaria; Symons, Marc

2017-01-01

The microtubule inhibitor vincristine is currently used to treat a variety of brain tumors, including low-grade glioma and anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Vincristine, however, does not penetrate well into brain tumor tissue, and moreover, it displays dose-limiting toxicities, including peripheral neuropathy. Mebendazole, a Food and Drug Administration–approved anthelmintic drug with a favorable safety profile, has recently been shown to display strong therapeutic efficacy in animal models of both glioma and medulloblastoma. Importantly, appropriate formulations of mebendazole yield therapeutically effective concentrations in the brain. Mebendazole has been shown to inhibit microtubule formation, but it is not known whether its potency against tumor cells is mediated by this inhibitory effect. To investigate this, we examined the effects of mebendazole on GL261 glioblastoma cell viability, microtubule polymerization and metaphase arrest, and found that the effective concentrations to inhibit these functions are very similar. In addition, using mebendazole as a seed for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) COMPARE program revealed that the top-scoring drugs were highly enriched in microtubule-targeting drugs. Taken together, these results indicate that the cell toxicity of mebendazole is indeed caused by inhibiting microtubule formation. We also compared the therapeutic efficacy of mebendazole and vincristine against GL261 orthotopic tumors. We found that mebendazole showed a significant increase in animal survival time, whereas vincristine, even at a dose close to its maximum tolerated dose, failed to show any efficacy. In conclusion, our results strongly support the clinical use of mebendazole as a replacement for vincristine for the treatment of brain tumors. PMID:28386621

Countdown Clock Ribbon Cutting

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-01

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks at the dedication of the newest display at the entrance to the center's visitor complex. The historic countdown clock was originally set up at the space center's Press Site and was used from the launch of Apollo 12 on Nov. 14, 1969 to the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, launched on July 8, 2011. The old countdown clock was replaced in 2014 with a modern light emitting diode, or LED, display.

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...) Functional replacement is permitted under State law and the STD elects to provide it. (2) The property in... STD determination that functional replacement is in the public interest. (6) The real property is not...

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) Functional replacement is permitted under State law and the STD elects to provide it. (2) The property in... STD determination that functional replacement is in the public interest. (6) The real property is not...

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...) Functional replacement is permitted under State law and the STD elects to provide it. (2) The property in... STD determination that functional replacement is in the public interest. (6) The real property is not...

Improved preoperative iron status assessment by soluble transferrin receptor in elderly patients undergoing knee and hip replacement.

PubMed

Basora, M; Deulofeu, R; Salazar, F; Quinto, L; Gomar, C

2006-12-01

A poor preoperative haemoglobin (Hb) status is frequently encountered among adult patients scheduled for corrective surgery of the locomotive system, representing the main risk factor for blood transfusion. The soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) has become a highly specific parameter for the detection of iron deficits as it can differentiate between iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia of chronic disease, because of the lack of effect by associated inflammation, unlike ferritin. The objectives of this study were to evaluate patients with the prevalence of risk for transfusion, the effect of inflammation on ferritin (F) values and functional iron deficiency in elderly patients with advanced degenerative arthropathy scheduled for hip or knee replacement. This observational, prospective study included patients over 50 years, operated for hip or knee replacements between April and June 2004. Of 218 patients studied, 87 (39%) presented with Hb levels between 10 and 13 g/dl. The prevalence of functional iron deficit was 27% (sTfR > 1.76 mg/l), while only 8.6% of patients displayed F levels below normal. As expected, C-reactive protein levels were elevated in 24.8% of patients and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated in 50%. These inflammatory markers did not correlate with levels of either F or sTfR. Multiple factors can affect F levels, such as the inflammatory status of osteoarthritis in the elderly, obesity, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs therapy and low physical performance. As sTfR is not affected by inflammation, it has emerged as a primary parameter for the evaluation of iron status during preoperative assessment among patients scheduled for arthroplasty surgery. Our data strongly suggest that sTfR measurement contributes to improve patient management.

SERS activity studies of Ag/Au bimetallic films prepared by galvanic replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaonan; Fang, Jinghuai; Jin, Yonglong

2012-10-01

Ag films on Si substrates were fabricated by immersion plating, which served as sacrificial materials for preparation of Ag/Au bimetallic films by galvanic replacement method. SEM images displayed that the sacrificial Ag films presenting island morphology experienced interesting structural evolution process during galvanic replacement reaction, and nano-scaled holes were formed in the resultant bimetallic films. SERS measurements using crystal violet as an analyte showed that SERS intensities of bimetallic films were enhanced significantly compared with that of pure Ag films and related mechanisms were discussed. Immersion plating experiment carried out on Ag films on PEN substrates fabricated by photoinduced reduction method further confirmed that galvanic replacement is an easy method to fabricate Ag/Au bimetallic and a potential approach to improve the SERS performance of Ag films.

Inhibition of the Activin Receptor Type-2B Pathway Restores Regenerative Capacity in Satellite Cell-Depleted Skeletal Muscle.

PubMed

Formicola, Luigi; Pannérec, Alice; Correra, Rosa Maria; Gayraud-Morel, Barbara; Ollitrault, David; Besson, Vanessa; Tajbakhsh, Shahragim; Lachey, Jennifer; Seehra, Jasbir S; Marazzi, Giovanna; Sassoon, David A

2018-01-01

Degenerative myopathies typically display a decline in satellite cells coupled with a replacement of muscle fibers by fat and fibrosis. During this pathological remodeling, satellite cells are present at lower numbers and do not display a proper regenerative function. Whether a decline in satellite cells directly contributes to disease progression or is a secondary result is unknown. In order to dissect these processes, we used a genetic model to reduce the satellite cell population by ~70-80% which leads to a nearly complete loss of regenerative potential. We observe that while no overt tissue damage is observed following satellite cell depletion, muscle fibers atrophy accompanied by changes in the stem cell niche cellular composition. Treatment of these mice with an Activin receptor type-2B (AcvR2B) pathway blocker reverses muscle fiber atrophy as expected, but also restores regenerative potential of the remaining satellite cells. These findings demonstrate that in addition to controlling fiber size, the AcvR2B pathway acts to regulate the muscle stem cell niche providing a more favorable environment for muscle regeneration.

Progranulin as a therapeutic target for dementia.

PubMed

Galimberti, Daniela; Fenoglio, Chiara; Scarpini, Elio

2018-06-22

Progranulin (PGRN) is an acrosomal glycoprotein that is synthesized during spermatogenesis. It is overexpressed in tumors and has anti-inflammatory properties. The protein may be cleaved into granulins which display pro-inflammatory properties. In 2006, mutations in progranulin gene (GRN) that cause haploinsufficiency were found in familial cases of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Patients with null mutations in GRN display very low-plasma PGRN levels; this analysis is useful for identifying mutation carriers, independent of the clinical presentation, and in those before the appearance of symptoms. Areas covered: Here, we review the current knowledge of PGRN physiological functions and GRN mutations associated with FTD; we also summarize state of the art clinical trials and those compounds able to replace PGRN loss in preclinical models. Expert opinion: PGRN represents a promising therapeutic target for FTD. Cohorts suitable for treatment, ideally at the preclinical stage, where pathogenic mechanisms ongoing in the brain are targeted, are available. However, PGRN may have side effects, such as the risk of tumorigenesis, and the risk/benefit ratio of any intervention cannot be predicted. Furthermore, at present, the situation is complicated by the absence of adequate outcome measures.

Spontaneous hepatic repopulation in transgenic mice expressing mutant human α1-antitrypsin by wild-type donor hepatocytes

PubMed Central

Ding, Jianqiang; Yannam, Govardhana R.; Roy-Chowdhury, Namita; Hidvegi, Tunda; Basma, Hesham; Rennard, Stephen I.; Wong, Ronald J.; Avsar, Yesim; Guha, Chandan; Perlmutter, David H.; Fox, Ira J.; Roy-Chowdhury, Jayanta

2011-01-01

α1-Antitrypsin deficiency is an inherited condition that causes liver disease and emphysema. The normal function of this protein, which is synthesized by the liver, is to inhibit neutrophil elastase, a protease that degrades connective tissue of the lung. In the classical form of the disease, inefficient secretion of a mutant α1-antitrypsin protein (AAT-Z) results in its accumulation within hepatocytes and reduced protease inhibitor activity, resulting in liver injury and pulmonary emphysema. Because mutant protein accumulation increases hepatocyte cell stress, we investigated whether transplanted hepatocytes expressing wild-type AAT might have a competitive advantage relative to AAT-Z–expressing hepatocytes, using transgenic mice expressing human AAT-Z. Wild-type donor hepatocytes replaced 20%–98% of mutant host hepatocytes, and repopulation was accelerated by injection of an adenovector expressing hepatocyte growth factor. Spontaneous hepatic repopulation with engrafted hepatocytes occurred in the AAT-Z–expressing mice even in the absence of severe liver injury. Donor cells replaced both globule-containing and globule-devoid cells, indicating that both types of host hepatocytes display impaired proliferation relative to wild-type hepatocytes. These results suggest that wild-type hepatocyte transplantation may be therapeutic for AAT-Z liver disease and may provide an alternative to protein replacement for treating emphysema in AAT-ZZ individuals. PMID:21505264

Lysosomal enzyme delivery by ICAM-1-targeted nanocarriers bypassing glycosylation- and clathrin-dependent endocytosis.

PubMed

Muro, Silvia; Schuchman, Edward H; Muzykantov, Vladimir R

2006-01-01

Enzyme replacement therapy, a state-of-the-art treatment for many lysosomal storage disorders, relies on carbohydrate-mediated binding of recombinant enzymes to receptors that mediate lysosomal delivery via clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Suboptimal glycosylation of recombinant enzymes and deficiency of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in some lysosomal enzyme-deficient cells limit delivery and efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy for lysosomal disorders. We explored a novel delivery strategy utilizing nanocarriers targeted to a glycosylation- and clathrin-independent receptor, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, a glycoprotein expressed on diverse cell types, up-regulated and functionally involved in inflammation, a hallmark of many lysosomal disorders. We targeted recombinant human acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), deficient in types A and B Niemann-Pick disease, to ICAM-1 by loading this enzyme to nanocarriers coated with anti-ICAM. Anti-ICAM/ASM nanocarriers, but not control ASM or ASM nanocarriers, bound to ICAM-1-positive cells (activated endothelial cells and Niemann-Pick disease patient fibroblasts) via ICAM-1, in a glycosylation-independent manner. Anti-ICAM/ASM nanocarriers entered cells via CAM-mediated endocytosis, bypassing the clathrin-dependent pathway, and trafficked to lysosomes, where delivered ASM displayed stable activity and alleviated lysosomal lipid accumulation. Therefore, lysosomal enzyme targeting using nanocarriers targeted to ICAM-1 bypasses defunct pathways and may improve the efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy for lysosomal disorders, such as Niemann-Pick disease.

Cell surface engineering of industrial microorganisms for biorefining applications.

PubMed

Tanaka, Tsutomu; Kondo, Akihiko

2015-11-15

In order to decrease carbon emissions and negative environmental impacts of various pollutants, biofuel/biochemical production should be promoted for replacing fossil-based industrial processes. Utilization of abundant lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock has recently become an attractive option. In this review, we focus on recent efforts of cell surface display using industrial microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and yeast. Cell surface display is used primarily for endowing cellulolytic activity on the host cells, and enables direct fermentation to generate useful fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. Cell surface display systems are systematically summarized, and the drawbacks/perspectives as well as successful application of surface display for industrial biotechnology are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimal guidance for the space shuttle transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stengel, R. F.

1972-01-01

A guidance method for the space shuttle's transition from hypersonic entry to subsonic cruising flight is presented. The method evolves from a numerical trajectory optimization technique in which kinetic energy and total energy (per unit weight) replace velocity and time in the dynamic equations. This allows the open end-time problem to be transformed to one of fixed terminal energy. In its ultimate form, E-Guidance obtains energy balance (including dynamic-pressure-rate damping) and path length control by angle-of-attack modulation and cross-range control by roll angle modulation. The guidance functions also form the basis for a pilot display of instantaneous maneuver limits and destination. Numerical results illustrate the E-Guidance concept and the optimal trajectories on which it is based.

STAR Online Meta-Data Collection Framework: Integration with the Pre-existing Controls Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arkhipkin, D.; Lauret, J.

2017-10-01

One of the STAR experiment’s modular Messaging Interface and Reliable Architecture framework (MIRA) integration goals is to provide seamless and automatic connections with the existing control systems. After an initial proof of concept and operation of the MIRA system as a parallel data collection system for online use and real-time monitoring, the STAR Software and Computing group is now working on the integration of Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) with MIRA’s interfaces. This integration goals are to allow functional interoperability and, later on, to replace the existing/legacy Detector Control System components at the service level. In this report, we describe the evolutionary integration process and, as an example, will discuss the EPICS Alarm Handler conversion. We review the complete upgrade procedure starting with the integration of EPICS-originated alarm signals propagation into MIRA, followed by the replacement of the existing operator interface based on Motif Editor and Display Manager (MEDM) with modern portable web-based Alarm Handler interface. To achieve this aim, we have built an EPICS-to-MQTT [8] bridging service, and recreated the functionality of the original Alarm Handler using low-latency web messaging technologies. The integration of EPICS alarm handling into our messaging framework allowed STAR to improve the DCS alarm awareness of existing STAR DAQ and RTS services, which use MIRA as a primary source of experiment control information.

Countdown Clock Ribbon Cutting

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-01

The newest display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the spaceport's historic countdown clock. It is now located at the entrance to the visitor complex. The clock was set up at the space center's Press Site and used from the launch of Apollo 12 on Nov. 14, 1969 to the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, launched on July 8, 2011. The old countdown clock was replaced in 2014 with a modern light emitting diode, or LED, display.

Use of a color CMOS camera as a colorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallas, William J.; Roehrig, Hans; Redford, Gary R.

2006-08-01

In radiology diagnosis, film is being quickly replaced by computer monitors as the display medium for all imaging modalities. Increasingly, these monitors are color instead of monochrome. It is important to have instruments available to characterize the display devices in order to guarantee reproducible presentation of image material. We are developing an imaging colorimeter based on a commercially available color digital camera. The camera uses a sensor that has co-located pixels in all three primary colors.

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

Tires from space shuttle Endeavour's final flight are on display at the California Science Center's, California Experience gallery, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. The grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion took place on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Use of cognitive behavior therapy for functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.

PubMed

Berga, Sarah L; Loucks, Tammy L

2006-12-01

Behaviors that chronically activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and/or suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroidal (HPT) axis disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in women and men. Individuals with functional hypothalamic hypogonadism typically engage in a combination of behaviors that concomitantly heighten psychogenic stress and increase energy demand. Although it is not widely recognized clinically, functional forms of hypothalamic hypogonadism are more than an isolated disruption of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) drive and reproductive compromise. Indeed, women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea display a constellation of neuroendocrine aberrations that reflect allostatic adjustments to chronic stress. Given these considerations, we have suggested that complete neuroendocrine recovery would involve more than reproductive recovery. Hormone replacement strategies have limited benefit because they do not ameliorate allostatic endocrine adjustments, particularly the activation of the adrenal and the suppression of the thyroidal axes. Indeed, the rationale for the use of sex steroid replacement is based on the erroneous assumption that functional forms of hypothalamic hypogonadism represent only or primarily an alteration in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Potential health consequences of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, often termed stress-induced anovulation, may include an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, depression, other psychiatric conditions, and dementia. Although fertility can be restored with exogenous administration of gonadotropins or pulsatile GnRH, fertility management alone will not permit recovery of the adrenal and thyroidal axes. Initiating pregnancy with exogenous means without reversing the hormonal milieu induced by chronic stress may increase the likelihood of poor obstetrical, fetal, or neonatal outcomes. In contrast, behavioral and psychological interventions that address problematic behaviors and attitudes, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), have the potential to permit resumption of full ovarian function along with recovery of the adrenal, thyroidal, and other neuroendocrine aberrations. Full endocrine recovery potentially offers better individual, maternal, and child health.

Adaptation of a Control Center Development Environment for Industrial Process Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Killough, Ronnie L.; Malik, James M.

1994-01-01

In the control center, raw telemetry data is received for storage, display, and analysis. This raw data must be combined and manipulated in various ways by mathematical computations to facilitate analysis, provide diversified fault detection mechanisms, and enhance display readability. A development tool called the Graphical Computation Builder (GCB) has been implemented which provides flight controllers with the capability to implement computations for use in the control center. The GCB provides a language that contains both general programming constructs and language elements specifically tailored for the control center environment. The GCB concept allows staff who are not skilled in computer programming to author and maintain computer programs. The GCB user is isolated from the details of external subsystem interfaces and has access to high-level functions such as matrix operators, trigonometric functions, and unit conversion macros. The GCB provides a high level of feedback during computation development that improves upon the often cryptic errors produced by computer language compilers. An equivalent need can be identified in the industrial data acquisition and process control domain: that of an integrated graphical development tool tailored to the application to hide the operating system, computer language, and data acquisition interface details. The GCB features a modular design which makes it suitable for technology transfer without significant rework. Control center-specific language elements can be replaced by elements specific to industrial process control.

Amorphous Silicon: Flexible Backplane and Display Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarma, Kalluri R.

Advances in the science and technology of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H, also referred to as a-Si) and the associated devices including thin-film transistors (TFT) during the past three decades have had a profound impact on the development and commercialization of major applications such as thin-film solar cells, digital image scanners and X-ray imagers and active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). Particularly, during approximately the past 15 years, a-Si TFT-based flat panel AMLCDs have been a huge commercial success. a-Si TFT-LCD has enabled the note book PCs, and is now rapidly replacing the venerable CRT in the desktop monitor and home TV applications. a-Si TFT-LCD is now the dominant technology in use for applications ranging from small displays such as in mobile phones to large displays such as in home TV, as well-specialized applications such as industrial and avionics displays.

Countdown Clock Ribbon Cutting

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-01

Confetti is launched as the spaceport's historic countdown clock is dedicated as the newest display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Now located at the entrance to the visitor complex, the spaceport's historic countdown clock was used starting with the launch of Apollo 12 on Nov. 14, 1969. Originally set up at the space center's Press Site, the clock operated through the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, launched on July 8, 2011. The old countdown clock was replaced in 2014 with a modern light emitting diode, or LED, display.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen as it traverses through Inglewood, Calif. on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Patient monitoring in the operating theatre.

PubMed

Forrest, A L; Douglas, D M; Rimmer, A R

1976-09-01

Anaesthetised patients are monitored to ensure their safety. Simple clinical observations must not be replaced by electronic instruments--these provide an extension of the clinical senses. The choice of parameters for monitoring is discussed. The design of the Ninewells main operating theatre suite is described. An 8-channel bourne in the base of the theatre table conveys patient signals to a 4-channel recorder in a monitoring laboratory. Outputs are displayed on a wall mounted display in theatre. Two-way speech intercommunication exists with monitoring technician and students.

Status of display systems in B-52H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopper, Darrel G.; Meyer, Frederick M.; Wodke, Kenneth E.

1999-08-01

Display technologies for the B-52 were selected some 40 years ago have become unsupportable. Electromechanical and old cathode ray tube technologies, including an exotic six-gun 13 in. tube, have become unsupportable due to the vanishing vendor syndrome. Thus, it is necessary to insert new technologies which will be available for the next 40 years to maintain the capability heretofore provided by those now out of favor with the commercial sector. With this paper we begin a look at the status of displays in the B-52H, which will remain in inventory until 2046 according to current plans. From a component electronics technology perspective, such as displays, the B-52H provides several 10-year life cycle cost (LCC) planning cycles to consider multiple upgrades. Three Productivity, Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (PRAM) projects are reviewed to replace 1950s CRTs in several sizes: 3, 9, and 13 in. A different display technology has been selected in each case. Additional display upgrades in may be anticipated and are discussed.

Autotransporter-based cell surface display in Gram-negative bacteria.

PubMed

Nicolay, Toon; Vanderleyden, Jos; Spaepen, Stijn

2015-02-01

Cell surface display of proteins can be used for several biotechnological applications such as the screening of protein libraries, whole cell biocatalysis and live vaccine development. Amongst all secretion systems and surface appendages of Gram-negative bacteria, the autotransporter secretion pathway holds great potential for surface display because of its modular structure and apparent simplicity. Autotransporters are polypeptides made up of an N-terminal signal peptide, a secreted or surface-displayed passenger domain and a membrane-anchored C-terminal translocation unit. Genetic replacement of the passenger domain allows for the surface display of heterologous passengers. An autotransporter-based surface expression module essentially consists of an application-dependent promoter system, a signal peptide, a passenger domain of interest and the autotransporter translocation unit. The passenger domain needs to be compatible with surface translocation although till now no general rules have been determined to test this compatibility. The autotransporter technology for surface display of heterologous passenger domains is critically discussed for various applications.

Metabolic rescue in pluripotent cells from patients with mtDNA disease.

PubMed

Ma, Hong; Folmes, Clifford D L; Wu, Jun; Morey, Robert; Mora-Castilla, Sergio; Ocampo, Alejandro; Ma, Li; Poulton, Joanna; Wang, Xinjian; Ahmed, Riffat; Kang, Eunju; Lee, Yeonmi; Hayama, Tomonari; Li, Ying; Van Dyken, Crystal; Gutierrez, Nuria Marti; Tippner-Hedges, Rebecca; Koski, Amy; Mitalipov, Nargiz; Amato, Paula; Wolf, Don P; Huang, Taosheng; Terzic, Andre; Laurent, Louise C; Izpisua Belmonte, Juan Carlos; Mitalipov, Shoukhrat

2015-08-13

Mitochondria have a major role in energy production via oxidative phosphorylation, which is dependent on the expression of critical genes encoded by mitochondrial (mt)DNA. Mutations in mtDNA can cause fatal or severely debilitating disorders with limited treatment options. Clinical manifestations vary based on mutation type and heteroplasmy (that is, the relative levels of mutant and wild-type mtDNA within each cell). Here we generated genetically corrected pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from patients with mtDNA disease. Multiple induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines were derived from patients with common heteroplasmic mutations including 3243A>G, causing mitochondrial encephalomyopathy and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), and 8993T>G and 13513G>A, implicated in Leigh syndrome. Isogenic MELAS and Leigh syndrome iPS cell lines were generated containing exclusively wild-type or mutant mtDNA through spontaneous segregation of heteroplasmic mtDNA in proliferating fibroblasts. Furthermore, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) enabled replacement of mutant mtDNA from homoplasmic 8993T>G fibroblasts to generate corrected Leigh-NT1 PSCs. Although Leigh-NT1 PSCs contained donor oocyte wild-type mtDNA (human haplotype D4a) that differed from Leigh syndrome patient haplotype (F1a) at a total of 47 nucleotide sites, Leigh-NT1 cells displayed transcriptomic profiles similar to those in embryo-derived PSCs carrying wild-type mtDNA, indicative of normal nuclear-to-mitochondrial interactions. Moreover, genetically rescued patient PSCs displayed normal metabolic function compared to impaired oxygen consumption and ATP production observed in mutant cells. We conclude that both reprogramming approaches offer complementary strategies for derivation of PSCs containing exclusively wild-type mtDNA, through spontaneous segregation of heteroplasmic mtDNA in individual iPS cell lines or mitochondrial replacement by SCNT in homoplasmic mtDNA-based disease.

Mapping and Engineering Functional Domains of the Assembly Activating Protein of Adeno-Associated Viruses.

PubMed

Tse, Longping V; Moller-Tank, Sven; Meganck, Rita M; Asokan, Aravind

2018-04-25

Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) encode a unique assembly activating protein (AAP) within their genome that is essential for capsid assembly. Studies to date have focused on establishing the role of AAP as a chaperone that mediates stability, nucleolar transport, and assembly of AAV capsid proteins. Here, we map structure-function correlates of AAP using secondary structure analysis followed by deletion and substitutional mutagenesis of specific domains, namely, the hydrophobic N-terminal domain (HR), conserved core (CC), proline-rich region (PRR), threonine/serine rich region (T/S) and basic region (BR). First, we establish that the centrally located PRR and T/S regions are flexible linker domains that can either be deleted completely or replaced by heterologous functional domains that enable ancillary functions such as fluorescent imaging or increased AAP stability. We also demonstrate that the C-terminal BR domains can be substituted with heterologous nuclear or nucleolar localization sequences that display varying ability to support AAV capsid assembly. Further, by replacing the BR domain with immunoglobulin (IgG) Fc domains, we assessed AAP complexation with AAV capsid subunits and demonstrate that the hydrophobic region (HR) and the conserved core (CC) in the AAP N-terminus are the sole determinants for viral protein (VP) recognition. However, VP recognition alone is not sufficient for capsid assembly. Our study sheds light on the modular structure-function correlates of AAP and provides multiple approaches to engineer AAP that might prove useful towards understanding and controlling AAV capsid assembly. Importance: Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) encode a unique assembly activating protein (AAP) within their genome that is essential for capsid assembly. Understanding how AAP acts as a chaperone for viral assembly could help improve efficiency and potentially control this process. Our studies reveal that AAP has a modular architecture, with each module playing a distinct role and can be engineered for carrying out new functions. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Impact of enzyme replacement therapy on cardiac morphology and function and late enhancement in Fabry's cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Beer, Meinrad; Weidemann, Frank; Breunig, Frank; Knoll, Anita; Koeppe, Sabrina; Machann, Wolfram; Hahn, Dietbert; Wanner, Christoph; Strotmann, Jörg; Sandstede, Jörn

2006-05-15

The present study evaluated the evolution of cardiac morphology, function, and late enhancement as a noninvasive marker of myocardial fibrosis, and their inter-relation during enzyme replacement therapy in patients with Fabry's disease using magnetic resonance imaging and color Doppler myocardial imaging. Late enhancement, which was present in up to 50% of patients, was associated with increased left ventricular mass, the failure of a significant regression of hypertrophy during enzyme replacement therapy, and worse segmental myocardial function. Late enhancement may predict the effect of enzyme replacement therapy on left ventricular mass and cardiac function.

Imaging the fate of histone Cse4 reveals de novo replacement in S phase and subsequent stable residence at centromeres

PubMed Central

Wisniewski, Jan; Hajj, Bassam; Chen, Jiji; Mizuguchi, Gaku; Xiao, Hua; Wei, Debbie; Dahan, Maxime; Wu, Carl

2014-01-01

The budding yeast centromere contains Cse4, a specialized histone H3 variant. Fluorescence pulse-chase analysis of an internally tagged Cse4 reveals that it is replaced with newly synthesized molecules in S phase, remaining stably associated with centromeres thereafter. In contrast, C-terminally-tagged Cse4 is functionally impaired, showing slow cell growth, cell lethality at elevated temperatures, and extra-centromeric nuclear accumulation. Recent studies using such strains gave conflicting findings regarding the centromeric abundance and cell cycle dynamics of Cse4. Our findings indicate that internally tagged Cse4 is a better reporter of the biology of this histone variant. Furthermore, the size of centromeric Cse4 clusters was precisely mapped with a new 3D-PALM method, revealing substantial compaction during anaphase. Cse4-specific chaperone Scm3 displays steady-state, stoichiometric co-localization with Cse4 at centromeres throughout the cell cycle, while undergoing exchange with a nuclear pool. These findings suggest that a stable Cse4 nucleosome is maintained by dynamic chaperone-in-residence Scm3. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02203.001 PMID:24844245

Automation of Underground Cable Laying Equipment Using PLC and Hmi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mal Kothari, Kesar; Samba, Vishweshwar; Tania, Kinza; Udayakumar, R., Dr; Karthikeyan, Ram, Dr

2018-04-01

Underground cable laying is an alternative for overhead cable laying of telecommunication and power transmission lines. It is becoming very popular in recent times because of some of its advantages over overhead cable laying. This type of cable laying is mostly practiced in developed countries because it is more expensive than overhead cable laying. Underground cable laying is more suitable when land is not available, and it also increases the aesthetics. This paper implements the automation on a manually operated cable pulling winch machine using programmable logic controller (PLC). Winch machines are useful in underground cable laying. The main aim of the project is to replace all the mechanical functions with electrical controls which are operated through a touch screen (HMI). The idea is that the machine should shift between parallel and series circuit automatically based on the pressure sensed instead of manually operating the solenoid valve. Traditional means of throttling the engine using lever and wire is replaced with a linear actuator. Sensors such as proximity, pressure and load sensor are used to provide the input to the system. The HMI used will display the speed, length and tension of the rope being winded. Ladder logic is used to program the PLC.

Identification of a basic helix-loop-helix-type transcription regulator gene in Aspergillus oryzae by systematically deleting large chromosomal segments.

PubMed

Jin, Feng Jie; Takahashi, Tadashi; Machida, Masayuki; Koyama, Yasuji

2009-09-01

We previously developed two methods (loop-out and replacement-type recombination) for generating large-scale chromosomal deletions that can be applied to more effective chromosomal engineering in Aspergillus oryzae. In this study, the replacement-type method is used to systematically delete large chromosomal DNA segments to identify essential and nonessential regions in chromosome 7 (2.93 Mb), which is the smallest A. oryzae chromosome and contains a large number of nonsyntenic blocks. We constructed 12 mutants harboring deletions that spanned 16- to 150-kb segments of chromosome 7 and scored phenotypic changes in the resulting mutants. Among the deletion mutants, strains designated Delta5 and Delta7 displayed clear phenotypic changes involving growth and conidiation. In particular, the Delta5 mutant exhibited vigorous growth and conidiation, potentially beneficial characteristics for certain industrial applications. Further deletion analysis allowed identification of the AO090011000215 gene as the gene responsible for the Delta5 mutant phenotype. The AO090011000215 gene was predicted to encode a helix-loop-helix binding protein belonging to the bHLH family of transcription factors. These results illustrate the potential of the approach for identifying novel functional genes.

Positive selection results in frequent reversible amino acid replacements in the G protein gene of human respiratory syncytial virus.

PubMed

Botosso, Viviane F; Zanotto, Paolo M de A; Ueda, Mirthes; Arruda, Eurico; Gilio, Alfredo E; Vieira, Sandra E; Stewien, Klaus E; Peret, Teresa C T; Jamal, Leda F; Pardini, Maria I de M C; Pinho, João R R; Massad, Eduardo; Sant'anna, Osvaldo A; Holmes, Eddie C; Durigon, Edison L

2009-01-01

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children under 5 years of age and the elderly, causing annual disease outbreaks during the fall and winter. Multiple lineages of the HRSVA and HRSVB serotypes co-circulate within a single outbreak and display a strongly temporal pattern of genetic variation, with a replacement of dominant genotypes occurring during consecutive years. In the present study we utilized phylogenetic methods to detect and map sites subject to adaptive evolution in the G protein of HRSVA and HRSVB. A total of 29 and 23 amino acid sites were found to be putatively positively selected in HRSVA and HRSVB, respectively. Several of these sites defined genotypes and lineages within genotypes in both groups, and correlated well with epitopes previously described in group A. Remarkably, 18 of these positively selected tended to revert in time to a previous codon state, producing a "flip-flop" phylogenetic pattern. Such frequent evolutionary reversals in HRSV are indicative of a combination of frequent positive selection, reflecting the changing immune status of the human population, and a limited repertoire of functionally viable amino acids at specific amino acid sites.

Enhanced operator perception through 3D vision and haptic feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmondson, Richard; Light, Kenneth; Bodenhamer, Andrew; Bosscher, Paul; Wilkinson, Loren

2012-06-01

Polaris Sensor Technologies (PST) has developed a stereo vision upgrade kit for TALON® robot systems comprised of a replacement gripper camera and a replacement mast zoom camera on the robot, and a replacement display in the Operator Control Unit (OCU). Harris Corporation has developed a haptic manipulation upgrade for TALON® robot systems comprised of a replacement arm and gripper and an OCU that provides haptic (force) feedback. PST and Harris have recently collaborated to integrate the 3D vision system with the haptic manipulation system. In multiple studies done at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri it has been shown that 3D vision and haptics provide more intuitive perception of complicated scenery and improved robot arm control, allowing for improved mission performance and the potential for reduced time on target. This paper discusses the potential benefits of these enhancements to robotic systems used for the domestic homeland security mission.

New Zealand tobacco retailers' attitudes to selling tobacco, point-of-sale display bans and other tobacco control measures: a qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Jaine, Richard; Russell, Marie; Edwards, Richard; Thomson, George

2014-06-20

We aimed to explore New Zealand tobacco retailers' views on selling tobacco, the forthcoming 2012 point of sale display ban and two other potential tobacco control interventions in the retail setting: compulsory sales of nicotine replacement therapy and licensing of tobacco retailers. We carried out in-depth interviews with 18 retailers from a variety of store types where tobacco was sold. Stores were selected from a range of locations with varying levels of deprivation. We used thematic analysis to analyse the data. All but four of the retailers were ambivalent about selling tobacco, would rather not sell it, or fell back on a business imperative for justification. Only one retailer was explicitly unconcerned about selling tobacco products. Most participants had few or no concerns about the removal of point-of-sale displays. Issues which were raised were mainly practical and logistical issues with the removal of displays. Only three thought sales would definitely be reduced. The majority of the retailers were not opposed to a possible requirement that nicotine replacement therapy products be made available wherever tobacco products are sold. Ten supported a licensing or registration scheme for tobacco retailers, and only three were opposed. We found widespread ambivalence about selling tobacco. There was considerable support for the licensing of tobacco retailers and other potential tobacco control measures. The retailers' attitudes about potential financial costs and security issues from a tobacco display ban were at odds with the tobacco industry predictions and the views of retailers' organisations. Some retailers appear to be potential allies for tobacco control. This is in contrast to retailer organisations, which may be out of step with many of their members in their strong opposition to retail tobacco control interventions.

Unusual reactivity of a silver mineralizing peptide.

PubMed

Carter, Carly Jo; Ackerson, Christopher J; Feldheim, Daniel L

2010-07-27

The ability of peptides selected via phage display to mediate the formation of inorganic nanoparticles is now well established. The atomic-level interactions between the selected peptides and the metal ion precursors are in most instances, however, largely obscure. We identified a new peptide sequence that is capable of mediating the formation of Ag nanoparticles. Surprisingly, nanoparticle formation requires the presence of peptide, HEPES buffer, and light; the absence of any one of these compromises nanoparticle formation. Electrochemical experiments revealed that the peptide binds Ag+ in a 3 Ag+:1 peptide ratio and significantly alters the Ag+ reduction potential. Alanine replacement studies yielded insight into the sequence-function relationships of Ag nanoparticle formation, including the Ag+ coordination sites and the residues necessary for Ag synthesis. In addition, the peptide was found to function when immobilized onto surfaces, and the specific immobilizing concentration could be adjusted to yield either spherical Ag nanoparticles or high aspect ratio nanowires. These studies further illustrate the range of interesting new solid-state chemistries possible using biomolecules.

Unusual Reactivity of a Silver Mineralizing Peptide

PubMed Central

Carter, Carly Jo; Ackerson, Christopher J.; Feldheim, Daniel L.

2010-01-01

The ability of peptides selected via phage display to mediate the formation of inorganic nanoparticles is now well established. The atomic-level interactions between the selected peptides and the metal ion precursors are in most instances, however, largely obscure. We identified a new peptide sequence that is capable of mediating the formation of Ag nanoparticles. Surprisingly, nanoparticle formation requires the presence of peptide, HEPES buffer, and light; the absence of any one of these compromises nanoparticle formation. Electrochemical experiments revealed that the peptide binds Ag+ in a 3 Ag+:1 peptide ratio and significantly alters the Ag+ reduction potential. Alanine replacement studies yielded insight into the sequence-function relationships of Ag nanoparticle formation, including the Ag+ coordination sites and the residues necessary for Ag synthesis. In addition, the peptide was found to function when immobilized onto surfaces, and the specific immobilizing concentration could be adjusted to yield either spherical Ag nanoparticles or high aspect ratio nanowires. These studies further illustrate the range of interesting new solid-state chemistries possible using biomolecules. PMID:20552994

Multimission helicopter information display technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, William S.

1995-06-01

A new Operator display subsystem is being incorporated as part of the next generation United States Navy (USN) helicopter avionics system to be integrated into the Multi-Mission Helicopter (MMH) which will replace both the SH-60B and the SH- 60F in 2001. This subsystem exploits state-of-the-art technology for the display hardware, the display driver hardware, information presentation methodologies, and software architecture. The technologies to be base technologies have evolved during the development period and the solution has been modified to include current elements including high resolution AMLCD color displays that are sunlight readable, highly reliable, and significantly lighter that CRT technology, as well as Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) based high-performance display generators that have only recently become feasible to implement in a military aircraft. This paper describes the overall subsystem architecture, some detail on the individual elements along with supporting rationale, the manner in which the display subsystem provides the necessary tools to significantly enhance the performance of the weapon system through the vital Operator-System Interface. Also addressed is a summary of the evolution of design leading to the current approach to MMH Operator displays and display processing as well as the growth path that the MMH display subsystem will most likely follow as additional technology evolution occurs.

Vascular Repair by Circumferential Cell Therapy Using Magnetic Nanoparticles and Tailored Magnets.

PubMed

Vosen, Sarah; Rieck, Sarah; Heidsieck, Alexandra; Mykhaylyk, Olga; Zimmermann, Katrin; Bloch, Wilhelm; Eberbeck, Dietmar; Plank, Christian; Gleich, Bernhard; Pfeifer, Alexander; Fleischmann, Bernd K; Wenzel, Daniela

2016-01-26

Cardiovascular disease is often caused by endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and atherosclerotic plaque formation at predilection sites. Also surgical procedures of plaque removal cause irreversible damage to the EC layer, inducing impairment of vascular function and restenosis. In the current study we have examined a potentially curative approach by radially symmetric re-endothelialization of vessels after their mechanical denudation. For this purpose a combination of nanotechnology with gene and cell therapy was applied to site-specifically re-endothelialize and restore vascular function. We have used complexes of lentiviral vectors and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to overexpress the vasoprotective gene endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in ECs. The MNP-loaded and eNOS-overexpressing cells were magnetic, and by magnetic fields they could be positioned at the vascular wall in a radially symmetric fashion even under flow conditions. We demonstrate that the treated vessels displayed enhanced eNOS expression and activity. Moreover, isometric force measurements revealed that EC replacement with eNOS-overexpressing cells restored endothelial function after vascular injury in eNOS(-/-) mice ex and in vivo. Thus, the combination of MNP-based gene and cell therapy with custom-made magnetic fields enables circumferential re-endothelialization of vessels and improvement of vascular function.

Radiology's Achilles' heel: error and variation in the interpretation of the Röntgen image.

PubMed

Robinson, P J

1997-11-01

The performance of the human eye and brain has failed to keep pace with the enormous technical progress in the first full century of radiology. Errors and variations in interpretation now represent the weakest aspect of clinical imaging. Those interpretations which differ from the consensus view of a panel of "experts" may be regarded as errors; where experts fail to achieve consensus, differing reports are regarded as "observer variation". Errors arise from poor technique, failures of perception, lack of knowledge and misjudgments. Observer variation is substantial and should be taken into account when different diagnostic methods are compared; in many cases the difference between observers outweighs the difference between techniques. Strategies for reducing error include attention to viewing conditions, training of the observers, availability of previous films and relevant clinical data, dual or multiple reporting, standardization of terminology and report format, and assistance from computers. Digital acquisition and display will probably not affect observer variation but the performance of radiologists, as measured by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, may be improved by computer-directed search for specific image features. Other current developments show that where image features can be comprehensively described, computer analysis can replace the perception function of the observer, whilst the function of interpretation can in some cases be performed better by artificial neural networks. However, computer-assisted diagnosis is still in its infancy and complete replacement of the human observer is as yet a remote possibility.

Mergeable nervous systems for robots.

PubMed

Mathews, Nithin; Christensen, Anders Lyhne; O'Grady, Rehan; Mondada, Francesco; Dorigo, Marco

2017-09-12

Robots have the potential to display a higher degree of lifetime morphological adaptation than natural organisms. By adopting a modular approach, robots with different capabilities, shapes, and sizes could, in theory, construct and reconfigure themselves as required. However, current modular robots have only been able to display a limited range of hardwired behaviors because they rely solely on distributed control. Here, we present robots whose bodies and control systems can merge to form entirely new robots that retain full sensorimotor control. Our control paradigm enables robots to exhibit properties that go beyond those of any existing machine or of any biological organism: the robots we present can merge to form larger bodies with a single centralized controller, split into separate bodies with independent controllers, and self-heal by removing or replacing malfunctioning body parts. This work takes us closer to robots that can autonomously change their size, form and function.Robots that can self-assemble into different morphologies are desired to perform tasks that require different physical capabilities. Mathews et al. design robots whose bodies and control systems can merge and split to form new robots that retain full sensorimotor control and act as a single entity.

3D-Sonification for Obstacle Avoidance in Brownout Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Godfroy-Cooper, M.; Miller, J. D.; Szoboszlay, Z.; Wenzel, E. M.

2017-01-01

Helicopter brownout is a phenomenon that occurs when making landing approaches in dusty environments, whereby sand or dust particles become swept up in the rotor outwash. Brownout is characterized by partial or total obscuration of the terrain, which degrades visual cues necessary for hovering and safe landing. Furthermore, the motion of the dust cloud produced during brownout can lead to the pilot experiencing motion cue anomalies such as vection illusions. In this context, the stability and guidance control functions can be intermittently or continuously degraded, potentially leading to undetected surface hazards and obstacles as well as unnoticed drift. Safe and controlled landing in brownout can be achieved using an integrated presentation of LADAR and RADAR imagery and aircraft state symbology. However, though detected by the LADAR and displayed on the sensor image, small obstacles can be difficult to discern from the background so that changes in obstacle elevation may go unnoticed. Moreover, pilot workload associated with tracking the displayed symbology is often so high that the pilot cannot give sufficient attention to the LADAR/RADAR image. This paper documents a simulation evaluating the use of 3D auditory cueing for obstacle avoidance in brownout as a replacement for or compliment to LADAR/RADAR imagery.

Inhibition of the Activin Receptor Type-2B Pathway Restores Regenerative Capacity in Satellite Cell-Depleted Skeletal Muscle

PubMed Central

Formicola, Luigi; Pannérec, Alice; Correra, Rosa Maria; Gayraud-Morel, Barbara; Ollitrault, David; Besson, Vanessa; Tajbakhsh, Shahragim; Lachey, Jennifer; Seehra, Jasbir S.; Marazzi, Giovanna; Sassoon, David A.

2018-01-01

Degenerative myopathies typically display a decline in satellite cells coupled with a replacement of muscle fibers by fat and fibrosis. During this pathological remodeling, satellite cells are present at lower numbers and do not display a proper regenerative function. Whether a decline in satellite cells directly contributes to disease progression or is a secondary result is unknown. In order to dissect these processes, we used a genetic model to reduce the satellite cell population by ~70–80% which leads to a nearly complete loss of regenerative potential. We observe that while no overt tissue damage is observed following satellite cell depletion, muscle fibers atrophy accompanied by changes in the stem cell niche cellular composition. Treatment of these mice with an Activin receptor type-2B (AcvR2B) pathway blocker reverses muscle fiber atrophy as expected, but also restores regenerative potential of the remaining satellite cells. These findings demonstrate that in addition to controlling fiber size, the AcvR2B pathway acts to regulate the muscle stem cell niche providing a more favorable environment for muscle regeneration. PMID:29881353

75 FR 15893 - Tire Fuel Efficiency Consumer Information Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

... comparative performance information to inform consumers about the effect of their choices among replacement... Displays, 70 FR 18136 (April 8, 2005). \\4\\ Transportation Research Board Special Report 286, Tires and Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy, National Research Council of the National Academies, 5 (2006) (hereinafter...

Merchandising Techniques and Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Sylvie A.

1981-01-01

Proposes that libraries employ modern booksellers' merchandising techniques to improve circulation of library materials. Using displays in various ways, the methods and reasons for weeding out books, replacing worn book jackets, and selecting new books are discussed. Suggestions for learning how to market and 11 references are provided. (RBF)

Personal Alarm System

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

2015-04-17

Software that runs on smartphones and desktop web browsers and notifies border officials of radiation alarms. It displays images and data associated with an alarm and provides a variety of reports. DOE had a need for discrete notification. PAS replaces the lights and sounds of a Radiation Portal Monitor.

The impact of changes in LVEF and renal function on the prognosis of ICD patients after elective device replacement.

PubMed

Vandenberk, Bert; Robyns, Tomas; Garweg, Christophe; Floré, Vincent; Foulon, Stefaan; Voros, Gabor; Ector, Joris; Willems, Rik

2017-10-01

A proportion of patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in prevention of sudden cardiac death will only receive their first appropriate ICD therapy (AT) after device replacement. Clinical reassessment at the time of replacement could be helpful to guide the decision to replace or not in the future. All patients with an ICD for primary or secondary prevention in ischemic (ICM) or nonischemic cardiomyopathy were included in a single-center retrospective registry. The association of changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; cut-off at 35%), worsening renal function (decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate > 15 mL/min), and worsening New York Heart Association class at elective device replacement with mortality and AT was analyzed using adjusted Cox regression analysis. A total of 238 (33%) out of 727 patients received elective device replacement (86.1% male, 74.4% ICM, 42.9% primary prevention). During this replacement 20.2% received a device upgrade. The mean time to replacement was 6.4 ± 2.0 years and mean follow-up after replacement was 3.4 ± 3.0 years. Of patients who did not receive AT before replacement 23.1% received their first AT after replacement. Worsening renal function (hazard ratio [HR] 2.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.50-5.18) and a consistently LVEF ≤35% compared to a consistently LVEF >35% (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.10-4.19) at the time of replacement were independent predictors of mortality. Independent predictors of first AT after replacement could not be identified. Although reassessment of LVEF and renal function at replacement can be helpful in predicting total mortality, the clinical utility to guide reimplantation seemed limited. Our experience indicates that approximately 25% of patients received their first AT only after replacement. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) performs a low flyby at Los Angeles International Airport, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) lands at Los Angeles International Airport, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Type T reference function suitability for low temperature applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowell, D.

2013-09-01

Type T thermocouples are commonly used in industrial measurement applications due to their accuracy relative to other thermocouple types, low cost, and the ready availability of measurement equipment. Type T thermocouples are very effective when used in differential measurements, as there is no cold junction compensation necessary for the connections to the measurement equipment. Type T's published accuracy specifications result in its frequent use in low temperature applications. An examination of over 328 samples from a number of manufacturers has been completed for this investigation. Samples were compared to a Standard Platinum Resistance Thermometer (SPRT) at the LN2 boiling point along with four other standardized measurement points using a characterized ice point reference, low-thermal EMF scanner and an 8.5 digit multimeter, and the data compiled and analyzed. The test points were approximately -196 °C, -75 °C, 0 °C, +100 °C, and +200 °C. These data show an anomaly in the conformance to the reference functions where the reference functions meet at 0 °C. Additionally, in the temperature region between -100 °C to -200 °C, a positive offset of up to 5.4 °C exists between the reference function equations published in the ASTM E230-06 for the nitrogen point and the measured response of the actual wire. This paper will examine the historical and technological reasons for this anomaly in the both the ASTM and IEC reference functions. At the request of the author and the Proceedings Editor the above article has been replaced with a corrected version. The original PDF file supplied to AIP Publishing contained several figures with missing information/characters—caused by processes used to generate the PDF file. All figures were affected by this error. The article has been replaced and these figures now display correctly. The corrected article was published on 7 November 2013.

Long-Lived Flexible Displays Employing Efficient and Stable Inverted Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Fukagawa, Hirohiko; Sasaki, Tsubasa; Tsuzuki, Toshimitsu; Nakajima, Yoshiki; Takei, Tatsuya; Motomura, Genichi; Hasegawa, Munehiro; Morii, Katsuyuki; Shimizu, Takahisa

2018-05-29

Although organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are promising for use in applications such as in flexible displays, reports of long-lived flexible OLED-based devices are limited due to the poor environmental stability of OLEDs. Flexible substrates such as plastic allow ambient oxygen and moisture to permeate into devices, which degrades the alkali metals used for the electron-injection layer in conventional OLEDs (cOLEDs). Here, the fabrication of a long-lived flexible display is reported using efficient and stable inverted OLEDs (iOLEDs), in which electrons can be effectively injected without the use of alkali metals. The flexible display employing iOLEDs can emit light for over 1 year with simplified encapsulation, whereas a flexible display employing cOLEDs exhibits almost no luminescence after only 21 d with the same encapsulation. These results demonstrate the great potential of iOLEDs to replace cOLEDs employing alkali metals for use in a wide variety of flexible organic optoelectronic devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Interface of the transport systems research vehicle monochrome display system to the digital autonomous terminal access communication data bus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Easley, W. C.; Tanguy, J. S.

1986-01-01

An upgrade of the transport systems research vehicle (TSRV) experimental flight system retained the original monochrome display system. The original host computer was replaced with a Norden 11/70, a new digital autonomous terminal access communication (DATAC) data bus was installed for data transfer between display system and host, while a new data interface method was required. The new display data interface uses four split phase bipolar (SPBP) serial busses. The DATAC bus uses a shared interface ram (SIR) for intermediate storage of its data transfer. A display interface unit (DIU) was designed and configured to read from and write to the SIR to properly convert the data from parallel to SPBP serial and vice versa. It is found that separation of data for use by each SPBP bus and synchronization of data tranfer throughout the entire experimental flight system are major problems which require solution in DIU design. The techniques used to accomplish these new data interface requirements are described.

Can a glass cockpit display help (or hinder) performance of novices in simulated flight training?

PubMed

Wright, Stephen; O'Hare, David

2015-03-01

The analog dials in traditional GA aircraft cockpits are being replaced by integrated electronic displays, commonly referred to as glass cockpits. Pilots may be trained on glass cockpit aircraft or encounter them after training on traditional displays. The effects of glass cockpit displays on initial performance and potential transfer effects between cockpit display configurations have yet to be adequately investigated. Flight-naïve participants were trained on either a simulated traditional display cockpit or a simulated glass display cockpit. Flight performance was measured in a test flight using either the same or different cockpit display. Loss of control events and accuracy in controlling altitude, airspeed and heading, workload, and situational awareness were assessed. Preferences for cockpit display configurations and opinions on ease of use were also measured. The results revealed consistently poorer performance on the test flight for participants using the glass cockpit compared to the traditional cockpit. In contrast the post-flight questionnaire data revealed a strong subjective preference for the glass cockpit over the traditional cockpit displays. There was only a weak effect of prior training. The specific glass cockpit display used in this study was subjectively appealing but yielded poorer flight performance in participants with no previous flight experience than a traditional display. Performance data can contradict opinion data. The design of glass cockpit displays may present some difficulties for pilots in the very early stages of training. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Real time monitoring in-vivo micro-environment through the wound heal mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Jack

2013-02-01

One of the In-vivo system's challenge is real time display the sensing information. Usually Ultrasound, CT, MRI, PET are used to get the internal information, this thesis proposed another approach to address the display challenge. Special nano-particles are in-taken or injected to living subject (usually into blood circulation) to sense and collect psychological information when the active particles pass through the tissues of interest. Using the wound healing mechanism, these activated particles (Information collected) can be drifted out to the wound area and adhibited close to the skin, then skin can show different color if the activated particles are concentrated enough in the specific area to create a skin screen. The skin screen can display the blood status, internal organ's temperature, pressure depending the nano-particles' function and their pathway. This approach can also be used to display in-body video if the particles are sensitive and selective enough. In the future, the skin screen can be bio-computer's monitor. The wound healing in an animal model normally divides in four phase: Hemostasis, Inflammation, Proliferation and Maturation. Hemostasis phase is to form a stable clot sealing the damaged vessel. Inflammation phase causes the blood vessels to become leaky releasing plasma and PMN's (polymorphonucleocytes) into the surrounding tissue and provide the first line of defense against infection. Proliferation phase involves replacement of dermal tissues and sometimes subdermal tissues in deeper wounds as well as contraction of the wound. Maturation phase remodels the dermal tissues mainly by fibroblast to produce greater tensile strength. The skin screen wound will be carefully controlled to be triggered at dermis layer.

Cataloguing and displaying Web feeds from French language health sites: a Web 2.0 add-on to a health gateway.

PubMed

Kerdelhué, G; Thirion, B; Dahamna, B; Darmoni, S J

2008-01-01

Among the numerous new functionalities of the Internet, commonly called Web 2.0, Web syndication illustrates the trend for better and faster information sharing. Web feeds (a.k.a RSS feeds), which were used mostly on weblogs at first, are now also widely used in academic, scientific and institutional websites such as PubMed. As very few French language feeds were listed or catalogued in the Health field by the year of 2007, it was decided to implement them in the quality-controlled health gateway CISMeF ([French] acronym for Catalogue and Index of French Language Health Resources on the Internet). Furthermore, making full use of the nature of Web syndication, a Web feed aggregator was put online in to provide a dynamic news gateway called "CISMeF actualités" (http://www.chu-rouen.fr/actualites/). This article describes the process to retrieve and implement the Web feeds in the catalogue and how its terminology was adjusted to describe this new content. It also describes how the aggregator was put online and the features of this news gateway. CISMeF actualités was built accordingly to the editorial policy of CISMeF. Only a part of the Web feeds of the catalogue were included to display the most authoritative sources. Web feeds were also grouped by medical specialties and by countries using the prior indexing of websites with MeSH terms and the so-called metaterms. CISMeF actualités now displays 131 Web feeds across 40 different medical specialities, coming from 5 different countries. It is one example, among many, that static hypertext links can now easily and beneficially be completed, or replaced, by dynamic display of Web content using syndication feeds.

An improved method for LCD displays colorimetric characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tong; Xie, Kai; Wang, Qiaojie; He, Nannan; Ye, Yushan

2018-03-01

The colorimetric characterization of the display can achieve the purpose of precisely controlling the color of the monitor. This paper describes an improved method for estimating the gamma value of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) without using a measurement device was described by Xiao et al. It relies on observer's luminance matching by presenting eight half-tone patterns with luminance from 1/9 to 8/9 of the maximum value of each color channel. Since the previous method lacked partial low frequency information, we partially replaced the half-tone patterns. A large number of experiments show that the color difference is reduced from 3.726 to 2.835, and our half-tone pattern can better estimate the visual gamma value of LCDs.

Work Function Engineering of Graphene

PubMed Central

Garg, Rajni; Dutta, Naba K.; Roy Choudhury, Namita

2014-01-01

Graphene is a two dimensional one atom thick allotrope of carbon that displays unusual crystal structure, electronic characteristics, charge transport behavior, optical clarity, physical & mechanical properties, thermal conductivity and much more that is yet to be discovered. Consequently, it has generated unprecedented excitement in the scientific community; and is of great interest to wide ranging industries including semiconductor, optoelectronics and printed electronics. Graphene is considered to be a next-generation conducting material with a remarkable band-gap structure, and has the potential to replace traditional electrode materials in optoelectronic devices. It has also been identified as one of the most promising materials for post-silicon electronics. For many such applications, modulation of the electrical and optical properties, together with tuning the band gap and the resulting work function of zero band gap graphene are critical in achieving the desired properties and outcome. In understanding the importance, a number of strategies including various functionalization, doping and hybridization have recently been identified and explored to successfully alter the work function of graphene. In this review we primarily highlight the different ways of surface modification, which have been used to specifically modify the band gap of graphene and its work function. This article focuses on the most recent perspectives, current trends and gives some indication of future challenges and possibilities. PMID:28344223

Work Function Engineering of Graphene.

PubMed

Garg, Rajni; Dutta, Naba K; Choudhury, Namita Roy

2014-04-03

Graphene is a two dimensional one atom thick allotrope of carbon that displays unusual crystal structure, electronic characteristics, charge transport behavior, optical clarity, physical & mechanical properties, thermal conductivity and much more that is yet to be discovered. Consequently, it has generated unprecedented excitement in the scientific community; and is of great interest to wide ranging industries including semiconductor, optoelectronics and printed electronics. Graphene is considered to be a next-generation conducting material with a remarkable band-gap structure, and has the potential to replace traditional electrode materials in optoelectronic devices. It has also been identified as one of the most promising materials for post-silicon electronics. For many such applications, modulation of the electrical and optical properties, together with tuning the band gap and the resulting work function of zero band gap graphene are critical in achieving the desired properties and outcome. In understanding the importance, a number of strategies including various functionalization, doping and hybridization have recently been identified and explored to successfully alter the work function of graphene. In this review we primarily highlight the different ways of surface modification, which have been used to specifically modify the band gap of graphene and its work function. This article focuses on the most recent perspectives, current trends and gives some indication of future challenges and possibilities.

Composition, response to pressure, and negative thermal expansion in M IIB IVF 6 (M = Ca, Mg; B = Zr, Nb) [Composition, response to pressure, and negative thermal expansion in A IIB IVF 6; A - Ca, Mg, B - Zr, Nb

DOE PAGES

Hester, Brett R.; Hancock, Justin C.; Lapidus, Saul H.; ...

2016-12-27

CaZrF 6 has recently been shown to combine strong negative thermal expansion (NTE) over a very wide temperature range (at least 10–1000 K) with optical transparency from mid-IR into the UV range. Variable-temperature and high-pressure diffraction has been used to determine how the replacement of calcium by magnesium and zirconium by niobium(IV) modifies the phase behavior and physical properties of the compound. Similar to CaZrF 6, CaNbF 6 retains a cubic ReO 3-type structure down to 10 K and displays NTE up until at least 900 K. It undergoes a reconstructive phase transition upon compression to ~400 MPa at room temperature and pressure-induced amorphization above ~4 GPa. Prior to the first transition, it displays very strong pressure-induced softening. MgZrF 6 adopts a cubic ( Fmmore » $$\\bar{3}$$m) structure at 300 K and undergoes a symmetry-lowering phase transition involving octahedral tilts at ~100 K. Immediately above this transition, it shows modest NTE. Its’ thermal expansion increases upon heating, crossing through zero at ~500 K. Unlike CaZrF 6 and CaNbF 6, it undergoes an octahedral tilting transition upon compression (~370 MPa) prior to a reconstructive transition at ~1 GPa. Cubic MgZrF 6 displays both pressure-induced softening and stiffening upon heating. MgNbF 6 is cubic ( Fm$$\\bar{3}$$m) at room temperature, but it undergoes a symmetry-lowering octahedral tilting transition at ~280 K. It does not display NTE within the investigated temperature range (100–950 K). Furthermore the replacement of Zr(IV) by Nb(IV) leads to minor changes in phase behavior and properties, the replacement of the calcium by the smaller and more polarizing magnesium leads to large changes in both phase behavior and thermal expansion.« less

Composition, response to pressure, and negative thermal expansion in M IIB IVF 6 (M = Ca, Mg; B = Zr, Nb) [Composition, response to pressure, and negative thermal expansion in A IIB IVF 6; A - Ca, Mg, B - Zr, Nb

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

Hester, Brett R.; Hancock, Justin C.; Lapidus, Saul H.

CaZrF 6 has recently been shown to combine strong negative thermal expansion (NTE) over a very wide temperature range (at least 10–1000 K) with optical transparency from mid-IR into the UV range. Variable-temperature and high-pressure diffraction has been used to determine how the replacement of calcium by magnesium and zirconium by niobium(IV) modifies the phase behavior and physical properties of the compound. Similar to CaZrF 6, CaNbF 6 retains a cubic ReO 3-type structure down to 10 K and displays NTE up until at least 900 K. It undergoes a reconstructive phase transition upon compression to ~400 MPa at room temperature and pressure-induced amorphization above ~4 GPa. Prior to the first transition, it displays very strong pressure-induced softening. MgZrF 6 adopts a cubic ( Fmmore » $$\\bar{3}$$m) structure at 300 K and undergoes a symmetry-lowering phase transition involving octahedral tilts at ~100 K. Immediately above this transition, it shows modest NTE. Its’ thermal expansion increases upon heating, crossing through zero at ~500 K. Unlike CaZrF 6 and CaNbF 6, it undergoes an octahedral tilting transition upon compression (~370 MPa) prior to a reconstructive transition at ~1 GPa. Cubic MgZrF 6 displays both pressure-induced softening and stiffening upon heating. MgNbF 6 is cubic ( Fm$$\\bar{3}$$m) at room temperature, but it undergoes a symmetry-lowering octahedral tilting transition at ~280 K. It does not display NTE within the investigated temperature range (100–950 K). Furthermore the replacement of Zr(IV) by Nb(IV) leads to minor changes in phase behavior and properties, the replacement of the calcium by the smaller and more polarizing magnesium leads to large changes in both phase behavior and thermal expansion.« less

Nano-Filament Field Emission Cathode Development Final Report CRADA No. TSB-0731-93

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

Bernhardt, Tony; Fahlen, Ted

At the time the CRADA was established, Silicon Video Corporation, of Cupertino, CA was a one-year-old rapidly growing start-up company. SVC was developing flat panel displays (FPDs) to replace Cathode Ray Terminals (CRTs) for personal computers, work stations and televisions. They planned to base their products on low cost and energy efficient field emission technology. It was universally recognized that the display was both the dominant cost item and differentiating feature of many products such as laptop computers and hand-held electronics and that control of the display technology through U.S. sources was essential to success in these markets. The purposemore » of this CRADA project was to determine if electrochemical planarization would be a viable, inexpensive alternative to current optical polishing techniques for planarizing the surface of a ceramic backplate of a thin film display.« less

Haptic Stylus and Empirical Studies on Braille, Button, and Texture Display

PubMed Central

Kyung, Ki-Uk; Lee, Jun-Young; Park, Junseok

2008-01-01

This paper presents a haptic stylus interface with a built-in compact tactile display module and an impact module as well as empirical studies on Braille, button, and texture display. We describe preliminary evaluations verifying the tactile display's performance indicating that it can satisfactorily represent Braille numbers for both the normal and the blind. In order to prove haptic feedback capability of the stylus, an experiment providing impact feedback mimicking the click of a button has been conducted. Since the developed device is small enough to be attached to a force feedback device, its applicability to combined force and tactile feedback display in a pen-held haptic device is also investigated. The handle of pen-held haptic interface was replaced by the pen-like interface to add tactile feedback capability to the device. Since the system provides combination of force, tactile and impact feedback, three haptic representation methods for texture display have been compared on surface with 3 texture groups which differ in direction, groove width, and shape. In addition, we evaluate its capacity to support touch screen operations by providing tactile sensations when a user rubs against an image displayed on a monitor. PMID:18317520

Haptic stylus and empirical studies on braille, button, and texture display.

PubMed

Kyung, Ki-Uk; Lee, Jun-Young; Park, Junseok

2008-01-01

This paper presents a haptic stylus interface with a built-in compact tactile display module and an impact module as well as empirical studies on Braille, button, and texture display. We describe preliminary evaluations verifying the tactile display's performance indicating that it can satisfactorily represent Braille numbers for both the normal and the blind. In order to prove haptic feedback capability of the stylus, an experiment providing impact feedback mimicking the click of a button has been conducted. Since the developed device is small enough to be attached to a force feedback device, its applicability to combined force and tactile feedback display in a pen-held haptic device is also investigated. The handle of pen-held haptic interface was replaced by the pen-like interface to add tactile feedback capability to the device. Since the system provides combination of force, tactile and impact feedback, three haptic representation methods for texture display have been compared on surface with 3 texture groups which differ in direction, groove width, and shape. In addition, we evaluate its capacity to support touch screen operations by providing tactile sensations when a user rubs against an image displayed on a monitor.

Blocking VEGF signaling delays development of replacement teeth in zebrafish.

PubMed

Crucke, J; Huysseune, A

2015-01-01

The dentition in zebrafish is extremely and richly vascularized, but the function of the vasculature, in view of the continuous replacement of the teeth, remains elusive. Through application of SU5416, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor, we studied the role of the blood vessels in the dentition of the zebrafish. We were unable to show an effect on the development of first-generation teeth as well as first tooth replacement. However, in juvenile fish, a delay was observed in the developmental state of the replacement tooth compared with what was expected based on the maturation state of the functional tooth. Furthermore, we observed a difference between treated and nontreated fish in the distance between blood vessels and developing replacement teeth. In conclusion, our results provide support for a nutritive, rather than an inductive, function of the vasculature in the process of tooth development and replacement. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2014.

105KE Basin Area Radiation Monitor System (ARMS) Acceptance Test Procedure

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

KINKEL, C.C.

1999-12-14

This procedure is intended for the Area Radiation Monitoring System, ARMS, that is replacing the existing Programmable Input-Output Processing System, PIOPS, radiation monitoring system in the 105KE basin. The new system will be referred to as the 105KE ARMS, 105KE Area Radiation Monitoring System. This ATP will ensure calibration integrity of the 105KE radiation detector loops. Also, this ATP will test and document the display, printing, alarm output, alarm acknowledgement, upscale check, and security functions. This ATP test is to be performed after completion of the 105KE ARMS installation. The alarm outputs of the 105KE ARMS will be connected tomore » the basin detector alarms, basin annunciator system, and security Alarm Monitoring System, AMS, located in the 200 area Central Alarm Station (CAS).« less

Visual display and alarm system for wind tunnel static and dynamic loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanly, Richard D.; Fogarty, James T.

1987-01-01

A wind tunnel balance monitor and alarm system developed at NASA Ames Research Center will produce several beneficial results. The costs of wind tunnel delays because of inadvertent balance damage and the costs of balance repair or replacement can be greatly reduced or eliminated with better real-time information on the balance static and dynamic loading. The wind tunnel itself will have enhanced utility with the elimination of overly cautious limits on test conditions. The microprocessor-based system features automatic scaling and 16 multicolored LED bargraphs to indicate both static and dynamic components of the signals from eight individual channels. Five individually programmable alarm levels are available with relay closures for internal or external visual and audible warning devices and other functions such as automatic activation of external recording devices, model positioning mechanisms, or tunnel shutdown.

Visual display and alarm system for wind tunnel static and dynamic loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanly, Richard D.; Fogarty, James T.

1987-01-01

A wind tunnel balance monitor and alarm system developed at NASA Ames Research Center will produce several beneficial results. The costs of wind tunnel delays because of inadvertent balance damage and the costs of balance repair or replacement can be greatly reduced or eliminated with better real-time information on the balance static and dynamic loading. The wind tunnel itself will have enhanced utility with the elimination of overly cautious limits on test conditions. The microprocessor-based system features automatic scaling and 16 multicolored LED bargraphs to indicate both static and dynamic components of the signals from eight individual channels. Five individually programmable alarm levels are available with relay closures for internal or external visual and audible warning devices and other functions such as automatic activation of external recording devices, model positioning mechanism, or tunnel shutdown.

WE-D-204-03: A Six-Year Longitudinal Evaluation of the DICOM GSDF Conformance Stability of LCD Monitors

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

McKenney, S; Bevins, N; Flynn, M

2015-06-15

Purpose: The calibration of monitors in radiology is critical to ensure a standardized reading environment. If left unchecked, monitors initially calibrated to follow the DICOM Grayscale Standard Display Function (GSDF) can fall out of calibration. This work presents a quantitative evaluation of the stability of a cohort of monitors with similar deployment times and clinical utilization. Methods: Fifty-four liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors (NEC L200ME) were deployed for clinical use in 2009. At that time, a subset of eight of these monitors were used to generate a look-up table (LUT) using the open-source software pacsDisplay. The software was used tomore » load the LUT to the graphics card of the computer in order to make the monitors compliant with the GSDF. The luminance response of the monitors was evaluated twice over six years, once in 2011 and again in 2015. Results: As expected, the maximum luminance of the monitors decreased over time, with an average reduction from 2009 of 35% in 2011, and 53% in 2015. The luminance ratio (maximum luminance divided by the minimum) also decreased, with the all of the decrease occurring in the first two years (average 20%). There was an overall increase in relative error compared with the DICOM GSDF from measurement to measurement, indicating that deviation from the GSDF increases with monitor luminance reduction. Along with changes in luminance, several other issues were identified during the testing, including non-uniformities, bad pixels, and missing calibration software. Conclusion: From the initial installation of these monitors, most of the degradation occurred during the first two years, highlighting the importance of routine clinical testing of displays. Following such quality assurance, displays could be either re-calibrated or replaced depending on different thresholds. In addition, other issues not related to luminance could be identified and corrected.« less

Locating Gender Bias and Systemic Discrimination in Public Schooling Bureaucracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jull, Stephen K.

2002-01-01

The current bureaucratic model used in administering public education in Canada displays a systemic gender bias that results from sociopolitical-cultural assumptions concerning gender roles, capitalism, hierarchy, and patriarchy. A proposed neo-bureaucracy would replace individual ownership of success with an accent on teamwork and group…

Reduced posting and marking of flight progress strips for en route air traffic control : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-02-01

The new Display System Replacement (DSR) being implemented in air route traffic control centers (ARTCCs) will allow the data-side controller less room to post Flight Progress Strips (FPSs). We tested a new FPS marking and posting procedure designed t...

Semantic Preview Benefit during Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hohenstein, Sven; Kliegl, Reinhold

2014-01-01

Word features in parafoveal vision influence eye movements during reading. The question of whether readers extract semantic information from parafoveal words was studied in 3 experiments by using a gaze-contingent display change technique. Subjects read German sentences containing 1 of several preview words that were replaced by a target word…

Urban chaos and replacement dynamics in nature and society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanguang

2014-11-01

Replacements resulting from competition are ubiquitous phenomena in both nature and society. The evolution of a self-organized system is always a physical process substituting one type of components for another type of components. A logistic model of replacement dynamics has been proposed in terms of technical innovation and urbanization, but it fails to arouse widespread attention in the academia. This paper is devoted to laying the foundations of general replacement principle by using analogy and induction. The empirical base of this study is urban replacement, including urbanization and urban growth. The sigmoid functions can be employed to model various processes of replacement. Many mathematical methods such as allometric scaling and head/tail breaks can be applied to analyzing the processes and patterns of replacement. Among varied sigmoid functions, the logistic function is the basic and the simplest model of replacement dynamics. A new finding is that replacement can be associated with chaos in a nonlinear system, e.g., urban chaos is just a part of replacement dynamics. The aim of developing replacement theory is at understanding complex interaction and conversion. This theory provides a new way of looking at urbanization, technological innovation and diffusion, Volterra-Lotka’s predator-prey interaction, man-land relation, and dynastic changes resulting from peasant uprising, and all that. Especially, the periodic oscillations and chaos of replacement dynamics can be used to explain and predict the catastrophic occurrences in the physical and human systems.

Regulation of vernal migration in Gambel's white-crowned sparrows: Role of thyroxine and triiodothyronine.

PubMed

Pérez, Jonathan H; Furlow, J David; Wingfield, John C; Ramenofsky, Marilyn

2016-08-01

Appropriate timing of migratory behavior is critical for migrant species. For many temperate zone birds in the spring, lengthening photoperiod is the initial cue leading to morphological, physiological and behavior changes that are necessary for vernal migration and breeding. Strong evidence has emerged in recent years linking thyroid hormone signaling to the photoinduction of breeding in birds while more limited information suggest a potential role in the regulation of vernal migration in photoperiodic songbirds. Here we investigate the development and expression of the vernal migratory life history stage in captive Gambel's white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) in a hypothyroidic state, induced by chemical inhibition of thyroid hormone production. To explore possible variations in the effects of the two thyroid hormones, triiodothyronine and thyroxine, we subsequently performed a thyroid inhibition coupled with replacement therapy. We found that chemical inhibition of thyroid hormones resulted in complete abolishment of mass gain, fattening, and muscle hypertrophy associated with migratory preparation as well as resulting in failure to display nocturnal restlessness behavior. Replacement of thyroxine rescued all of these elements to near control levels while triiodothyronine replacement displayed partial or delayed rescue. Our findings support thyroid hormones as being necessary for the expression of changes in morphology and physiology associated with migration as well as migratory behavior itself. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Probability of the moiré effect in barrier and lenticular autostereoscopic 3D displays.

PubMed

Saveljev, Vladimir; Kim, Sung-Kyu

2015-10-05

The probability of the moiré effect in LCD displays is estimated as a function of angle based on the experimental data; a theoretical function (node spacing) is proposed basing on the distance between nodes. Both functions are close to each other. The connection between the probability of the moiré effect and the Thomae's function is also found. The function proposed in this paper can be used in the minimization of the moiré effect in visual displays, especially in autostereoscopic 3D displays.

Environmental Control Subsystem Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laidlaw, Jacob; Zelik, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B, part of Launch Complex 39, is currently undergoing construction to prepare it for NASA's Space Launch System missions. The Environmental Control Subsystem, which provides the vehicle with an air or nitrogen gas environment, required development of its local and remote display screens. The remote displays, developed by NASA contractors and previous interns, were developed without complete functionality; the remote displays were revised, adding functionality to over 90 displays. For the local displays, multiple test procedures were developed to assess the functionality of the screens, as well as verify requirements. One local display screen was also developed.

Preparation of a novel dual-function strong cation exchange/hydrophobic interaction chromatography stationary phase for protein separation.

PubMed

Zhao, Kailou; Yang, Li; Wang, Xuejiao; Bai, Quan; Yang, Fan; Wang, Fei

2012-08-30

We have explored a novel dual-function stationary phase which combines both strong cation exchange (SCX) and hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) characteristics. The novel dual-function stationary phase is based on porous and spherical silica gel functionalized with ligand containing sulfonic and benzyl groups capable of electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction functionalities, which displays HIC character in a high salt concentration, and IEC character in a low salt concentration in mobile phase employed. As a result, it can be employed to separate proteins with SCX and HIC modes, respectively. The resolution and selectivity of the dual-function stationary phase were evaluated under both HIC and SCX modes with standard proteins and can be comparable to that of conventional IEC and HIC columns. More than 96% of mass and bioactivity recoveries of proteins can be achieved in both HIC and SCX modes, respectively. The results indicated that the novel dual-function column could replace two individual SCX and HIC columns for protein separation. Mixed retention mechanism of proteins on this dual-function column based on stoichiometric displacement theory (SDT) in LC was investigated to find the optimal balance of the magnitude of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between protein and the ligand on the silica surface in order to obtain high resolution and selectivity for protein separation. In addition, the effects of the hydrophobicity of the ligand of the dual-function packings and pH of the mobile phase used on protein separation were also investigated in detail. The results show that the ligand with suitable hydrophobicity to match the electrostatic interaction is very important to prepare the dual-function stationary phase, and a better resolution and selectivity can be obtained at pH 6.5 in SCX mode. Therefore, the dual-function column can replace two individual SCX and HIC columns for protein separation and be used to set up two-dimensional liquid chromatography with a single column (2DLC-1C), which can also be employed to separate three kinds of active proteins completely, such as lysozyme, ovotransferrin and ovalbumin from egg white. The result is very important not only to the development of new 2DLC technology with a single column for proteomics, but also to recombinant protein drug production for saving column expense and simplifying the process in biotechnology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Frequency and impact of informant replacement in Alzheimer disease research.

PubMed

Grill, Joshua D; Zhou, Yan; Karlawish, Jason; Elashoff, David

2015-01-01

Informants serve an essential role in Alzheimer disease research. Were an informant to be replaced during a longitudinal study, this could have negative implications. We used data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set to examine the frequency of informant replacement among Alzheimer disease dementia participants, whether patient and informant characteristics were associated with replacement, and how replacement affected research outcome measures. Informant replacement was common (15.5%) and typically occurred after the first or the second research visit. Adult child (24%) and other (38%) informants were more frequently replaced than spouse informants (10%). Older spouse informant age and younger adult child informant age were associated with replacement. The between-visit change in Functional Assessment Questionnaire scores was greater in patients who replaced informants than in those with stable informants. Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes, Functional Assessment Questionnaire, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory scores showed greater variability in between-visit change in patients who replaced informants compared with those with stable informants. These findings suggest that informant replacement is relatively common, may have implications to study analyses, and warrant further examination in the setting of clinical trials.

Normal mode analysis of isotopic shifts in Raman spectrum of TNT-d5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuemin; Tzeng, Nianfeng; Liu, Yucheng; Junk, Thomas

2017-09-01

A combined experimental-computational study was conducted on the Raman spectrum of TNT-d5 in the present study. It was found that among the 24 hybrid density functional theory (DFT) methods, O3LYP, tHCTHhyb, and B3LYP simulations yielded the strongest Raman bands which were closest to those measured from experiments. Simulations of hybrid DFT methods did not show that deuterium replacements alter orientations of 2- and 6-nitro with respect to phenyl ring, considering a larger size of the methyl group. However, the deuterium replacements apparently changed the reduced masses for all deuterium related vibrations. Although no difference of structural parameters was shown between TNT and its deuterated analogue, discrepancy was indicated in vibrational zero energy from our simulations. O3LYP simulation exhibited 24 deuterium involved vibrations, which were coupled into seven Raman bands of TNT-d5. This phenomenon can account for the experimental Raman band shifts or split of TNT-d5 when compared with the corresponding bands of TNT. The present study and its outcomes provide in-depth microchemical insights of Raman characteristics of TNT and may facilitate the design of nano-structures of SERS substrates for detection of TNT and its degradation products. All intensities displayed in this study were calculated from numerical simulations.

Positive Selection Results in Frequent Reversible Amino Acid Replacements in the G Protein Gene of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

PubMed Central

Botosso, Viviane F.; Zanotto, Paolo M. de A.; Ueda, Mirthes; Arruda, Eurico; Gilio, Alfredo E.; Vieira, Sandra E.; Stewien, Klaus E.; Peret, Teresa C. T.; Jamal, Leda F.; Pardini, Maria I. de M. C.; Pinho, João R. R.; Massad, Eduardo; Sant'Anna, Osvaldo A.; Holmes, Eddie C.; Durigon, Edison L.

2009-01-01

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children under 5 years of age and the elderly, causing annual disease outbreaks during the fall and winter. Multiple lineages of the HRSVA and HRSVB serotypes co-circulate within a single outbreak and display a strongly temporal pattern of genetic variation, with a replacement of dominant genotypes occurring during consecutive years. In the present study we utilized phylogenetic methods to detect and map sites subject to adaptive evolution in the G protein of HRSVA and HRSVB. A total of 29 and 23 amino acid sites were found to be putatively positively selected in HRSVA and HRSVB, respectively. Several of these sites defined genotypes and lineages within genotypes in both groups, and correlated well with epitopes previously described in group A. Remarkably, 18 of these positively selected tended to revert in time to a previous codon state, producing a “flip-flop” phylogenetic pattern. Such frequent evolutionary reversals in HRSV are indicative of a combination of frequent positive selection, reflecting the changing immune status of the human population, and a limited repertoire of functionally viable amino acids at specific amino acid sites. PMID:19119418

Neurocognitive functions after beating heart mitral valve replacement without cross-clamping the aorta.

PubMed

Cicekcioglu, Ferit; Ozen, Anil; Tuluce, Hicran; Tutun, Ufuk; Parlar, Ali Ihsan; Kervan, Umit; Karakas, Sirel; Katircioglu, Salih Fehmi

2008-01-01

Although neurologic outcome after cardiac surgery is well-established, neurocognitive functions after beating heart mitral valve replacement still needs to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare preoperative and postoperative neurocognitive functions in patients who underwent beating heart mitral valve replacement on cardiopulmonary bypass without cross-clamping the aorta. The prospective study included 25 consecutive patients who underwent mitral valve replacement. The operations were carried out on a beating heart method using normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass without cross-clamping the aorta. All patients were evaluated preoperatively (E1) and postoperatively (at sixth day [E2] and second month [E3]) for neurocognitive functions. Neurologic deficit was not observed in the postoperative period. Comparison of the neurocognitive test results, between the preoperative and postoperative assessment for both hemispheric cognitive functions, demonstrated that no deterioration occurred. In the three subsets of left hemispheric cognitive function test evaluation, total verbal learning, delayed recall, and recognition, significant improvements were detected at the postoperative second month (E3) compared to the preoperative results (p = 0.005, 0.01, and 0.047, respectively). Immediate recall and retention were significantly improved within the first postoperative week (E2) when compared to the preoperative results (p = 0.05 and 0.05, respectively). The technique of mitral valve replacement with normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass without cross-clamping of the aorta may be safely used for majority of patients requiring mitral valve replacement without causing deterioration in neurocognitive functions.

Computer system for scanning tunneling microscope automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar, M.; García, A.; Pascual, P. J.; Presa, J.; Santisteban, A.

1987-03-01

A computerized system for the automation of a scanning tunneling microscope is presented. It is based on an IBM personal computer (PC) either an XT or an AT, which performs the control, data acquisition and storage operations, displays the STM "images" in real time, and provides image processing tools for the restoration and analysis of data. It supports different data acquisition and control cards and image display cards. The software has been designed in a modular way to allow the replacement of these cards and other equipment improvements as well as the inclusion of user routines for data analysis.

Countdown Clock Ribbon Cutting

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-01

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, left, and Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of Kennedy's Visitor Complex, celebrate the dedication of the spaceport's historic countdown clock as the newest display at the center's visitor complex. Now located at the entrance to the visitor complex, the spaceport's historic countdown clock was used starting with the launch of Apollo 12 on Nov. 14, 1969. Originally set up at the space center's Press Site, the clock operated through the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, launched on July 8, 2011. The old countdown clock was replaced in 2014 with a modern light emitting diode, or LED, display.

Countdown Clock Ribbon Cutting

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-01

Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, left, and center director Bob Cabana watch as confetti was launched as the spaceport's historic countdown clock is dedicated as the newest display at the entrance to Kennedy's visitor complex. The spaceport's historic countdown clock was used beginning with the launch of Apollo 12 on Nov. 14, 1969. Originally set up at the space center's Press Site, the clock was used through the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, launched on July 8, 2011. The old countdown clock was replaced in 2014 with a modern light emitting diode, or LED, display.

Endeavour Arival LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

Spectators look to the sky with cameras and other devices as the space shuttle Endeavour flies over prior to landing Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, at Los Angeles International Airport. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Endeavour Arival LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

A U.S. Flag is flown out of the top of the Suttle Carrier Aircaft (SCA) as it taxis with space shuttle Endeavour atop Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, at Los Angeles International Airport. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

Spectators watch space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen as it traverses through the streest of Los Angeles on its way to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

Spectators are seen as they watch space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

A spectator photographs the space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

A spectator is seen photographing the space shuttle Endeavour as it is moved to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) performs a low flyby past the tower at Los Angeles International Airport, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) performs a flyby of the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Scott Andrews)

Polyvalent Display of Biomolecules on Live Cells.

PubMed

Shi, Peng; Zhao, Nan; Lai, Jinping; Coyne, James; Gaddes, Erin R; Wang, Yong

2018-06-04

Surface display of biomolecules on live cells offers new opportunities to treat human diseases and perform basic studies. Existing methods are primarily focused on monovalent functionalization, that is, the display of single biomolecules across the cell surface. Here we show that the surface of live cells can be functionalized to display polyvalent biomolecular structures through two-step reactions under physiological conditions. This polyvalent functionalization enables the cell surface to recognize the microenvironment one order of magnitude more effectively than with monovalent functionalization. Thus, polyvalent display of biomolecules on live cells holds great potential for various biological and biomedical applications. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

MiRNAs in β-Cell Development, Identity, and Disease

PubMed Central

Martinez-Sanchez, Aida; Rutter, Guy A.; Latreille, Mathieu

2017-01-01

Pancreatic β-cells regulate glucose metabolism by secreting insulin, which in turn stimulates the utilization or storage of the sugar by peripheral tissues. Insulin insufficiency and a prolonged period of insulin resistance are usually the core components of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although, decreased insulin levels in T2D have long been attributed to a decrease in β-cell function and/or mass, this model has recently been refined with the recognition that a loss of β-cell “identity” and dedifferentiation also contribute to the decline in insulin production. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulatory molecules that display tissue-specific expression patterns and maintain the differentiated state of somatic cells. During the past few years, great strides have been made in understanding how miRNA circuits impact β-cell identity. Here, we review current knowledge on the role of miRNAs in regulating the acquisition of the β-cell fate during development and in maintaining mature β-cell identity and function during stress situations such as obesity, pregnancy, aging, or diabetes. We also discuss how miRNA function could be harnessed to improve our ability to generate β-cells for replacement therapy for T2D. PMID:28123396

Defective B cell tolerance in adenosine deaminase deficiency is corrected by gene therapy

PubMed Central

Sauer, Aisha V.; Morbach, Henner; Brigida, Immacolata; Ng, Yen-Shing; Aiuti, Alessandro; Meffre, Eric

2012-01-01

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene defects are among the most common causes of SCID. Restoration of purine metabolism and immune functions can be achieved by enzyme replacement therapy, or more effectively by bone marrow transplant or HSC gene therapy (HSC-GT). However, autoimmune complications and autoantibody production, including anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), frequently occur in ADA-SCID patients after treatment. To assess whether ADA deficiency affects the establishment of B cell tolerance, we tested the reactivity of recombinant antibodies isolated from single B cells of ADA-SCID patients before and after HSC-GT. We found that before HSC-GT, new emigrant/transitional and mature naive B cells from ADA-SCID patients contained more autoreactive and ANA-expressing clones, indicative of defective central and peripheral B cell tolerance checkpoints. We further observed impaired B cell receptor (BCR) and TLR functions in B cells after ADA inhibition, which may underlie the defects in B cell tolerance. Strikingly, after HSC-GT, ADA-SCID patients displayed quasi-normal early B cell tolerance checkpoints, as evidenced by restored removal of developing autoreactive and ANA-expressing B cells. Hence, ADA plays an essential role in controlling autoreactive B cell counterselection by regulating BCR and TLR functions. PMID:22622038

Functional Requirements for Fab-7 Boundary Activity in the Bithorax Complex

PubMed Central

Wolle, Daniel; Cleard, Fabienne; Aoki, Tsutomu; Deshpande, Girish; Karch, Francois

2015-01-01

Chromatin boundaries are architectural elements that determine the three-dimensional folding of the chromatin fiber and organize the chromosome into independent units of genetic activity. The Fab-7 boundary from the Drosophila bithorax complex (BX-C) is required for the parasegment-specific expression of the Abd-B gene. We have used a replacement strategy to identify sequences that are necessary and sufficient for Fab-7 boundary function in the BX-C. Fab-7 boundary activity is known to depend on factors that are stage specific, and we describe a novel ∼700-kDa complex, the late boundary complex (LBC), that binds to Fab-7 sequences that have insulator functions in late embryos and adults. We show that the LBC is enriched in nuclear extracts from late, but not early, embryos and that it contains three insulator proteins, GAF, Mod(mdg4), and E(y)2. Its DNA binding properties are unusual in that it requires a minimal sequence of >65 bp; however, other than a GAGA motif, the three Fab-7 LBC recognition elements display few sequence similarities. Finally, we show that mutations which abrogate LBC binding in vitro inactivate the Fab-7 boundary in the BX-C. PMID:26303531

Can the ICF osteoarthritis core set represent a future clinical tool in measuring functioning in persons with osteoarthritis undergoing hip and knee joint replacement?

PubMed

Alviar, Maria Jenelyn; Olver, John; Pallant, Julie F; Brand, Caroline; de Steiger, Richard; Pirpiris, Marinis; Bucknill, Andrew; Khan, Fary

2012-11-01

To determine the dimensionality, reliability, model fit, adequacy of the qualifier levels, response patterns across different factors, and targeting of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) osteoarthritis core set categories in people with osteoarthritis undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty. The osteoarthritis core set was rated in 316 persons with osteoarthritis who were either in the pre-operative or within one year post-operative stage. Rasch analyses were performed using the RUMM 2030 program. Twelve of the 13 body functions categories and 13 of the 19 activity and participation categories had good model fit. The qualifiers displayed disordered thresholds necessitating rescoring. There was uneven spread of ICF categories across the full range of the patients' scores indicating off--targeting. Subtest analysis of the reduced ICF categories of body functions and activity and participation showed that the two components could be integrated to form one measure. The results suggest that it is possible to measure functioning using a unidimensional construct based on ICF osteoarthritis core set categories of body functions and activity and participation in this population. However, omission of some categories and reduction in qualifier levels are necessary. Further studies are needed to determine whether better targeting is achieved, particularly during the pre-operative and during the sub-acute care period.

Corrosion on the acetabular liner taper from retrieved modular metal-on-metal total hip replacements.

PubMed

Gascoyne, Trevor C; Dyrkacz, Richard M; Turgeon, Thomas R; Burnell, Colin D; Wyss, Urs P; Brandt, Jan-M

2014-10-01

Eight retrieved metal-on-metal total hip replacements displayed corrosion damage along the cobalt-chromium alloy liner taper junction with the Ti alloy acetabular shell. Scanning electron microscopy indicated the primary mechanism of corrosion to be grain boundary and associated crevice corrosion, which was likely accelerated through mechanical micromotion and galvanic corrosion resulting from dissimilar alloys. Coordinate measurements revealed up to 4.3mm(3) of the cobalt-chromium alloy taper surface was removed due to corrosion, which is comparable to previous reports of corrosion damage on head-neck tapers. The acetabular liner-shell taper appears to be an additional source of metal corrosion products in modular total hip replacements. Patients with these prostheses should be closely monitored for signs of adverse reaction towards corrosion by-products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mitral valve replacement complicated by iatrogenic left ventricular outflow obstruction and paravalvular leak: case report and review of literature.

PubMed

Lee, Justin Z; Tey, Kai R; Mizyed, Ahmad; Hennemeyer, Charles T; Janardhanan, Rajesh; Lotun, Kapildeo

2015-10-09

Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and paravalvular leak (PVL) are relatively uncommon, but are serious complications of prosthetic valve replacement. We present a case that displays the unique therapeutic challenges of treating a patient who developed both LVOT obstruction and mitral PVL after undergoing surgical aortic and mitral valve replacement (MVR). We also describe the use of alcohol septal ablation and albumin-glutaraldehyde (BioGlue) for septal ablation to percutaneously treat the patient's LVOT obstruction, followed by use of an Amplatzer vascular plug for percutaneous closure of an antero-medial mitral PVL associated with severe regurgitation. Percutaneous interventional management of these entities may be considered as an initial therapeutic option, especially in high-risk patients with significant morbidity and mortality of repeat surgical operations.

Unique method of tooth replacement in durophagous placodont marine reptiles, with new data on the dentition of Chinese taxa

PubMed Central

Neenan, James M; Li, Chun; Rieppel, Olivier; Bernardini, Federico; Tuniz, Claudio; Muscio, Giuseppe; Scheyer, Torsten M

2014-01-01

The placodonts of the Triassic period (˜252–201 mya) represent one of the earliest and most extreme specialisations to a durophagous diet of any known reptile group. Exceptionally enlarged crushing tooth plates on the maxilla, dentary and palatine cooperated to form functional crushing areas in the buccal cavity. However, the extreme size of these teeth, combined with the unusual way they occluded, constrained how replacement occurred. Using an extensive micro-computed tomographic dataset of 11 specimens that span all geographic regions and placodont morphotypes, tooth replacement patterns were investigated. In addition, the previously undescribed dental morphologies and formulae of Chinese taxa are described for the first time and incorporated into the analysis. Placodonts have a unique tooth replacement pattern and results follow a phylogenetic trend. The plesiomorphic Placodus species show many replacement teeth at various stages of growth, with little or no discernible pattern. On the other hand, the more derived cyamodontoids tend to have fewer replacement teeth growing at any one time, replacing teeth unilaterally and/or in functional units, thus maintaining at least one functional crushing area at all times. The highly derived placochelyids have fewer teeth and, as a result, only have one or two replacement teeth in the upper jaw. This supports previous suggestions that these taxa had an alternative diet to other placodonts. Importantly, all specimens show at least one replacement tooth growing at the most posterior palatine tooth plates, indicating increased wear at this point and thus the most efficient functional crushing area. PMID:24517163

Breast carcinoma with a predominant duct-replacing component and chondroid matrix production.

PubMed

Tajima, Shogo; Koda, Kenji

2016-12-01

Breast carcinomas that produce chondroid matrix are extremely rare. If the carcinoma is invasive, it is classified as a matrix-producing carcinoma (MPC). Herein, we present a case of a breast carcinoma, which showed duct-replacing growth with chondroid matrix production. A 63-year-old woman underwent fine needle aspiration cytology for suspected malignancy, based on radiological findings. Cellular components showed sufficient atypia to allow a diagnosis of malignancy. A partial mastectomy was performed, and no mass-forming lesion was apparent in the surgically resected specimen. Histopathological examination showed that the carcinoma produced chondroid matrix and grew replacing ducts, which were associated with a small amount of an obvious invasive component without matrix production. Some parts of the duct-replacing component might take the form of expansile invasion due to the absence of residual duct-lining myoepithelial cells; it is difficult to decide whether the duct-replacing component is invasive or not. However, regarding a few tumor nests, they would be recognized as MPC-like intraductal components because of the focal presence of myoepithelial cells around them. Hence, this carcinoma could not be definitely diagnosed as a MPC, even though we believe they are closely related. This is the first reported case of a breast carcinoma displaying duct-replacing growth with chondroid matrix production.

Polyethylene wear in Oxford unicompartmental knee replacement: a retrieval study of 47 bearings.

PubMed

Kendrick, B J L; Longino, D; Pandit, H; Svard, U; Gill, H S; Dodd, C A F; Murray, D W; Price, A J

2010-03-01

The Oxford Unicompartmental Knee replacement (UKR) was introduced as a design to reduce polyethylene wear. There has been one previous retrieval study involving this implant, which reported very low rates of wear in some specimens but abnormal patterns of wear in others. There has been no further investigation of these abnormal patterns. The bearings were retrieved from 47 patients who had received a medial Oxford UKR for anteromedial osteoarthritis of the knee. None had been studied previously. The mean time to revision was 8.4 years (sd 4.1), with 20 having been implanted for over ten years. The macroscopic pattern of polyethylene wear and the linear penetration were recorded for each bearing. The mean rate of linear penetration was 0.07 mm/year. The patterns of wear fell into three categories, each with a different rate of linear penetration; 1) no abnormal macroscopic wear and a normal articular surface, n = 16 (linear penetration rate = 0.01 mm/year); 2) abnormal macroscopic wear and normal articular surfaces with extra-articular impingement, n = 16 (linear penetration rate = 0.05 mm/year); 3) abnormal macroscopic wear and abnormal articular surfaces with intra-articular impingement +/- signs of non-congruous articulation, n = 15 (linear penetration rate = 0.12 mm/year). The differences in linear penetration rate were statistically significant (p < 0.001). These results show that very low rates of polyethylene wear are possible if the device functions normally. However, if the bearing displays suboptimal function (extra-articular, intra-articular impingement or incongruous articulation) the rates of wear increase significantly.

Phenotypic plasticity of mesenchymal stem cells is crucial for mesangial repair in a model of immunoglobulin light chain-associated mesangial damage.

PubMed

Herrera, Guillermo A; Teng, Jiamin; Zeng, Chun; Xu, Hongzhi; Liang, Man; Alexander, J Steven; Liu, Bing; Boyer, Chris; Turbat-Herrera, Elba A

2018-01-01

Mesangiopathies produced by glomerulopathic monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains (GLCs) acting on the glomerular mesangium produce two characteristic lesions: AL-amyloidosis (AL-Am) and light chain deposition disease (LCDD). In both cases, the pathology is centered in the mesangium, where initial and progressive damage occurs. In AL-Am the mesangial matrix is destroyed and replaced by amyloid fibrils and in LCDD, the mesangial matrix is increased and remodeled. The collagen IV rich matrix is replaced by tenascin. In both conditions, mesangial cells (MCs) become apoptotic as a direct effect of the GLCs. MCs were incubated in-vitro with GLCs and animal kidneys were perfused ex-vivo via the renal artery with GLCs, producing expected lesions, and then mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were added to both platforms. Each of the two platforms provided unique information that when put together created a comprehensive evaluation of the processes involved. A "cocktail" with growth and differentiating factors was used to study its effect on mesangial repair. MSCs displayed remarkable phenotypic plasticity during the repair process. The first role of the MSCs after migrating to the affected areas was to dispose of the amyloid fibrils (in AL-Am), the altered mesangial matrix (in LCDD) and apoptotic MCs/debris. To accomplish this task, MSCs transformed into facultative macrophages acquiring an abundance of lysosomes and endocytotic capabilities required to engage in phagocytic functions. Once the mesangial cleaning was completed, MSCs transformed into functional MCs restoring the mesangium to normal. "Cocktail" made the repair process more efficient.

Photo-crosslinked alginate hydrogels support enhanced matrix accumulation by nucleus pulposus cells in vivo.

PubMed

Chou, A I; Akintoye, S O; Nicoll, S B

2009-10-01

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major health concern in the United States. Replacement of the nucleus pulposus (NP) with injectable biomaterials represents a potential treatment strategy for IVD degeneration. The objective of this study was to characterize the extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly and functional properties of NP cell-encapsulated, photo-crosslinked alginate hydrogels in comparison to ionically crosslinked alginate constructs. Methacrylated alginate was synthesized by esterification of hydroxyl groups with methacrylic anhydride. Bovine NP cells were encapsulated in alginate hydrogels by ionic crosslinking using CaCl(2) or through photo-crosslinking upon exposure to long-wave UV light in the presence of a photoinitiator. The hydrogels were evaluated in vitro by gross and histological analysis and in vivo using a murine subcutaneous pouch model. In vivo samples were analyzed for gene expression, ECM localization and accumulation, and equilibrium mechanical properties. Ionically crosslinked hydrogels exhibited inferior proteoglycan accumulation in vitro and were unable to maintain structural integrity in vivo. In further studies, photo-crosslinked alginate hydrogels were implanted for up to 8 weeks to examine NP tissue formation. Photo-crosslinked hydrogels displayed temporal increases in gene expression and assembly of type II collagen and proteoglycans. Additionally, hydrogels remained intact over the duration of the study and the equilibrium Young's modulus increased from 1.24+/-0.09 kPa to 4.31+/-1.39 kPa, indicating the formation of functional matrix with properties comparable to those of the native NP. These findings support the use of photo-crosslinked alginate hydrogels as biomaterial scaffolds for NP replacement.

10 CFR 455.64 - Life-cycle cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...-investment ratio is the ratio of the present value of net cost savings attributable to an energy conservation measure to the present value of the net increase in investment, maintenance and operating, and replacement... present value. The format for displaying life-cycle costs shall be a savings-to-investment ratio. (b) An...

10 CFR 455.64 - Life-cycle cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...-investment ratio is the ratio of the present value of net cost savings attributable to an energy conservation measure to the present value of the net increase in investment, maintenance and operating, and replacement... present value. The format for displaying life-cycle costs shall be a savings-to-investment ratio. (b) An...

10 CFR 455.64 - Life-cycle cost methodology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...-investment ratio is the ratio of the present value of net cost savings attributable to an energy conservation measure to the present value of the net increase in investment, maintenance and operating, and replacement... present value. The format for displaying life-cycle costs shall be a savings-to-investment ratio. (b) An...

Ribosomal Protein Rps26 Influences 80S Ribosome Assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Belyy, Alexander; Levanova, Nadezhda; Tabakova, Irina; Rospert, Sabine; Belyi, Yury

2016-01-01

The eukaryotic ribosome consists of a small (40S) and a large (60S) subunit. Rps26 is one of the essential ribosomal proteins of the 40S subunit and is encoded by two almost identical genes, RPS26a and RPS26b. Previous studies demonstrated that Rps26 interacts with the 5' untranslated region of mRNA via the eukaryote-specific 62-YXXPKXYXK-70 (Y62-K70) motif. Those observations suggested that this peptide within Rps26 might play an important and specific role during translation initiation. By using alanine-scanning mutagenesis and engineered strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we found that single amino acid substitutions within the Y62-K70 motif of Rps26 did not affect the in vivo function of the protein. In contrast, complete deletion of the Y62-K70 segment was lethal. The simultaneous replacement of five conserved residues within the Y62-K70 segment by alanines resulted in growth defects under stress conditions and produced distinct changes in polysome profiles that were indicative of the accumulation of free 60S subunits. Human Rps26 (Rps26-Hs), which displays significant homology with yeast Rps26, supported the growth of an S. cerevisiae Δrps26a Δrps26b strain. However, the Δrps26a Δrps26b double deletion strain expressing Rps26-Hs displayed substantial growth defects and an altered ratio of 40S/60S ribosomal subunits. The combined data strongly suggest that the eukaryote-specific motif within Rps26 does not play a specific role in translation initiation. Rather, the data indicate that Rps26 as a whole is necessary for proper assembly of the 40S subunit and the 80S ribosome in yeast. IMPORTANCE Rps26 is an essential protein of the eukaryotic small ribosomal subunit. Previous experiments demonstrated an interaction between the eukaryote-specific Y62-K70 segment of Rps26 and the 5' untranslated region of mRNA. The data suggested a specific role of the Y62-K70 motif during translation initiation. Here, we report that single-site substitutions within the Y62-K70 peptide did not affect the growth of engineered yeast strains, arguing against its having a critical role during translation initiation via specific interactions with the 5' untranslated region of mRNA molecules. Only the simultaneous replacement of five conserved residues within the Y62-K70 fragment or the replacement of the yeast protein with the human homolog resulted in growth defects and caused significant changes in polysome profiles. The results expand our knowledge of ribosomal protein function and suggest a role of Rps26 during ribosome assembly in yeast.

Virtual slide telepathology workstation of the future: lessons learned from teleradiology.

PubMed

Krupinski, Elizabeth A

2009-08-01

The clinical reading environment for the 21st century pathologist looks very different than it did even a few short years ago. Glass slides are quickly being replaced by digital "virtual slides," and the traditional light microscope is being replaced by the computer display. There are numerous questions that arise however when deciding exactly what this new digital display viewing environment will be like. Choosing a workstation for daily use in the interpretation of digital pathology images can be a very daunting task. Radiology went digital nearly 20 years ago and faced many of the same challenges so there are lessons to be learned from these experiences. One major lesson is that there is no "one size fits all" workstation so users must consider a variety of factors when choosing a workstation. In this article, we summarize some of the potentially critical elements in a pathology workstation and the characteristics one should be aware of and look for in the selection of one. Issues pertaining to both hardware and software aspects of medical workstations will be reviewed particularly as they may impact the interpretation process.

Chunks in expert memory: evidence for the magical number four ... or is it two?

PubMed

Gobet, Fernand; Clarkson, Gary

2004-11-01

This study aims to test the divergent predictions of the chunking theory (Chase & Simon, 1973) and template theory (Gobet & Simon, 1996a, 2000) with respect to the number of chunks held in visual short-term memory and the size of chunks used by experts. We presented game and random chessboards in both a copy and a recall task. In a within-subject design, the stimuli were displayed using two presentation media: (a) physical board and pieces, as in Chase and Simon's (1973) study; and (b) a computer display, as in Gobet and Simon's (1998) study. Results show that, in most cases, no more than three chunks were replaced in the recall task, as predicted by template theory. In addition, with game positions in the computer condition, chess Masters replaced very large chunks (up to 15 pieces), again in line with template theory. Overall, the results suggest that the original chunking theory overestimated short-term memory capacity and underestimated the size of chunks used, in particular with Masters. They also suggest that Cowan's (2001) proposal that STM holds four chunks may be an overestimate.

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

Draelos, Timothy John; Dautenhahn, Nathan; Schroeppel, Richard Crabtree

The security of the widely-used cryptographic hash function SHA1 has been impugned. We have developed two replacement hash functions. The first, SHA1X, is a drop-in replacement for SHA1. The second, SANDstorm, has been submitted as a candidate to the NIST-sponsored SHA3 Hash Function competition.

Status review of field emission displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghrayeb, Joseph; Daniels, Reginald

2001-09-01

Cathode ray tube (CRT) technology dominates the direct view display market. Mature CRT technology for many designs is still the preferred choice. CRT manufacturers have greatly improved the size and weight of the CRT displays. High performance CRTs continue to be in great demand, however, supply have to contend with the vanishing CRT vendor syndrome. Therefore, the vanishing CRT vendor syndrome fuels the search for an alternate display technology source. Within the past 10 years, field emission display (FED) technology had gained momentum and, at one time, was considered the most viable electronic display technology candidate [to replace the CRT]. The FED community had advocated and promised many advantages over active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCD), electro luminescent (EL) or Plasma displays. Some observers, including potential FED manufacturers and the Department of Defense, (especially the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)), consider the FED entry as having leapfrog potential. Despite major investments by US manufacturers as well as Asian manufacturers, reliability and manufacturing difficulties greatly slowed down the advancement of the technology. The FED manufacturing difficulties have caused many would-be FED manufacturing participants to abandon FED research. This paper will examine the trends, which are leading this nascent technology to its downfall. FED technology was once considered to have the potential to leapfrog over AMLCD's dominance in the display industry. At present the FED has suffered severe setbacks and there are very few [FED] manufacturers still pursuing research in the area. These companies have yet to deliver a display beyond the prototype stage.

Payload and General Support Computer (PGSC) Detailed Test Objective (DTO) number 795 postflight report: STS-41

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adolf, Jurine A.; Beberness, Benjamin J.; Holden, Kritina L.

1991-01-01

Since 1983, the Space Transportation System (STS) had routinely flown the GRiD 1139 (80286) laptop computer as a portable onboard computing resource. In the spring of 1988, the GRiD 1530, an 80386 based machine, was chosen to replace the GRiD 1139. Human factors ground evaluations and detailed test objectives (DTO) examined the usability of the available display types under different lighting conditions and various angle deviations. All proved unsuitable due to either flight qualification of usability problems. In 1990, an Electroluminescent (EL) display for the GRiD 1530 became flight qualified and another DTO was undertaken to examine this display on-orbit. Under conditions of indirect sunlight and low ambient light, the readability of the text and graphics was only limited by the observer's distance from the display. Although a problem of direct sunlight viewing still existed, there were no problems with large angular deviations nor dark adaptation. No further evaluations were deemed necessary. The GRiD 1530 with the EL display was accepted by the STS program as the new standard for the PGSC.

Playing RNase P evolution: swapping the RNA catalyst for a protein reveals functional uniformity of highly divergent enzyme forms.

PubMed

Weber, Christoph; Hartig, Andreas; Hartmann, Roland K; Rossmanith, Walter

2014-08-01

The RNase P family is a diverse group of endonucleases responsible for the removal of 5' extensions from tRNA precursors. The diversity of enzyme forms finds its extremes in the eukaryal nucleus where RNA-based catalysis by complex ribonucleoproteins in some organisms contrasts with single-polypeptide enzymes in others. Such structural contrast suggests associated functional differences, and the complexity of the ribonucleoprotein was indeed proposed to broaden the enzyme's functionality beyond tRNA processing. To explore functional overlap and differences between most divergent forms of RNase P, we replaced the nuclear RNase P of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a 10-subunit ribonucleoprotein, with Arabidopsis thaliana PRORP3, a single monomeric protein. Surprisingly, the RNase P-swapped yeast strains were viable, displayed essentially unimpaired growth under a wide variety of conditions, and, in a certain genetic background, their fitness even slightly exceeded that of the wild type. The molecular analysis of the RNase P-swapped strains showed a minor disturbance in tRNA metabolism, but did not point to any RNase P substrates or functions beyond that. Altogether, these results indicate the full functional exchangeability of the highly dissimilar enzymes. Our study thereby establishes the RNase P family, with its combination of structural diversity and functional uniformity, as an extreme case of convergent evolution. It moreover suggests that the apparently gratuitous complexity of some RNase P forms is the result of constructive neutral evolution rather than reflecting increased functional versatility.

Deformable devices with integrated functional nanomaterials for wearable electronics.

PubMed

Kim, Jaemin; Lee, Jongsu; Son, Donghee; Choi, Moon Kee; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2016-01-01

As the market and related industry for wearable electronics dramatically expands, there are continuous and strong demands for flexible and stretchable devices to be seamlessly integrated with soft and curvilinear human skin or clothes. However, the mechanical mismatch between the rigid conventional electronics and the soft human body causes many problems. Therefore, various prospective nanomaterials that possess a much lower flexural rigidity than their bulk counterparts have rapidly established themselves as promising electronic materials replacing rigid silicon and/or compound semiconductors in next-generation wearable devices. Many hybrid structures of multiple nanomaterials have been also developed to pursue both high performance and multifunctionality. Here, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art wearable devices based on one- or two-dimensional nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, single-crystal silicon and oxide nanomembranes, organic nanomaterials and their hybrids) in combination with zero-dimensional functional nanomaterials (e.g., metal/oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots). Starting from an introduction of materials strategies, we describe device designs and the roles of individual ones in integrated systems. Detailed application examples of wearable sensors/actuators, memories, energy devices, and displays are also presented.

Deformable devices with integrated functional nanomaterials for wearable electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jaemin; Lee, Jongsu; Son, Donghee; Choi, Moon Kee; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2016-03-01

As the market and related industry for wearable electronics dramatically expands, there are continuous and strong demands for flexible and stretchable devices to be seamlessly integrated with soft and curvilinear human skin or clothes. However, the mechanical mismatch between the rigid conventional electronics and the soft human body causes many problems. Therefore, various prospective nanomaterials that possess a much lower flexural rigidity than their bulk counterparts have rapidly established themselves as promising electronic materials replacing rigid silicon and/or compound semiconductors in next-generation wearable devices. Many hybrid structures of multiple nanomaterials have been also developed to pursue both high performance and multifunctionality. Here, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art wearable devices based on one- or two-dimensional nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, single-crystal silicon and oxide nanomembranes, organic nanomaterials and their hybrids) in combination with zero-dimensional functional nanomaterials (e.g., metal/oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots). Starting from an introduction of materials strategies, we describe device designs and the roles of individual ones in integrated systems. Detailed application examples of wearable sensors/actuators, memories, energy devices, and displays are also presented.

Enzymatic synthesis of random sequences of RNA and RNA analogues by DNA polymerase theta mutants for the generation of aptamer libraries.

PubMed

Randrianjatovo-Gbalou, Irina; Rosario, Sandrine; Sismeiro, Odile; Varet, Hugo; Legendre, Rachel; Coppée, Jean-Yves; Huteau, Valérie; Pochet, Sylvie; Delarue, Marc

2018-05-21

Nucleic acid aptamers, especially RNA, exhibit valuable advantages compared to protein therapeutics in terms of size, affinity and specificity. However, the synthesis of libraries of large random RNAs is still difficult and expensive. The engineering of polymerases able to directly generate these libraries has the potential to replace the chemical synthesis approach. Here, we start with a DNA polymerase that already displays a significant template-free nucleotidyltransferase activity, human DNA polymerase theta, and we mutate it based on the knowledge of its three-dimensional structure as well as previous mutational studies on members of the same polA family. One mutant exhibited a high tolerance towards ribonucleotides (NTPs) and displayed an efficient ribonucleotidyltransferase activity that resulted in the assembly of long RNA polymers. HPLC analysis and RNA sequencing of the products were used to quantify the incorporation of the four NTPs as a function of initial NTP concentrations and established the randomness of each generated nucleic acid sequence. The same mutant revealed a propensity to accept other modified nucleotides and to extend them in long fragments. Hence, this mutant can deliver random natural and modified RNA polymers libraries ready to use for SELEX, with custom lengths and balanced or unbalanced ratios.

OPTIMIZING POTENTIAL GREEN REPLACEMENT CHEMICALS – BALANCING FUNCTION AND RISK

EPA Science Inventory

An important focus of green chemistry is the design of new chemicals that are inherently less toxic than the ones they might replace, but still retain required functional properties. A variety of methods exist to measure or model both functional and toxicity surrogates that could...

Effect of Display Color on Pilot Performance and Describing Functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chase, Wendell D.

1997-01-01

A study has been conducted with the full-spectrum, calligraphic, computer-generated display system to determine the effect of chromatic content of the visual display upon pilot performance during the landing approach maneuver. This study utilizes a new digital chromatic display system, which has previously been shown to improve the perceived fidelity of out-the-window display scenes, and presents the results of an experiment designed to determine the effects of display color content by the measurement of both vertical approach performance and pilot-describing functions. This method was selected to more fully explore the effects of visual color cues used by the pilot. Two types of landing approaches were made: dynamic and frozen range, with either a landing approach scene or a perspective array display. The landing approach scene was presented with either red runway lights and blue taxiway lights or with the colors reversed, and the perspective array with red lights, blue lights, or red and blue lights combined. The vertical performance measures obtained in this experiment indicated that the pilots performed best with the blue and red/blue displays. and worst with the red displays. The describing-function system analysis showed more variation with the red displays. The crossover frequencies were lowest with the red displays and highest with the combined red/blue displays, which provided the best overall tracking, performance. Describing-function performance measures, vertical performance measures, and pilot opinion support the hypothesis that specific colors in displays can influence the pilots' control characteristics during the final approach.

Quantum many-body intermetallics: Phase stability of Fe3Al and small-gap formation in Fe2VAl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristanovski, Oleg; Richter, Raphael; Krivenko, Igor; Lichtenstein, Alexander I.; Lechermann, Frank

2017-01-01

Various intermetallic compounds harbor subtle electronic correlation effects. To elucidate this fact for the Fe-Al system, we perform a realistic many-body investigation based on a combination of density functional theory with dynamical mean-field theory in a charge self-consistent manner. A better characterization and understanding of the phase stability of bcc-based D 03-Fe3Al through an improved description of the correlated charge density and the magnetic energy is achieved. Upon replacement of one Fe sublattice with V, the Heusler compound Fe2VAl is realized, known to display bad-metal behavior and increased specific heat. Here we document a charge-gap opening at low temperatures in line with previous experimental work. The gap structure does not match conventional band theory and is reminiscent of (pseudo)gap characteristics in correlated oxides.

Visual Multipoles And The Assessment Of Visual Sensitivity To Displayed Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Stanley A.

1989-08-01

The contrast sensitivity function (CSF) is widely used to specify the sensitivity of the visual system. Each point of the CSF specifies the amount of contrast needed to detect a sinusoidal grating of a given spatial frequency. This paper describes a set of five mathematically related visual patterns, called "multipoles," that should replace the CSF for measuring visual performance. The five patterns (ramp, edge, line, dipole and quadrupole) are localized in space rather than being spread out as sinusoidal gratings. The multipole sensitivity of the visual system provides an alternative characterization that complements the CSF in addition to offering several advantages. This paper provides an overview of the properties and uses of the multipole stimuli. This paper is largely a summary of several unpublished manuscripts with excerpts from them. Derivations and full references are omitted here. Please write me if you would like the full manuscripts.

The pilot climate data system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reph, M. G.; Treinish, L. A.; Smith, P. H.

1984-01-01

The Pilot Climate Data System (PCDS) is an interactive scientific information management system for locating, obtaining, manipulating, and displaying climate-research data. The PCDS was developed to manage a large collection of data of interest to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) research community and currently provides such support for approximately twenty data sets. In order to provide the PCDS capabilities, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) has integrated the capabilities of several general-purpose software packages with specialized software for reading and reformatting the supported data sets. These capabilities were integrated in a manner which allows the PCDS to be easily expanded, either to provide support for additional data sets or to provide additional functional capabilities. This also allows the PCDS to take advantage of new technology as it becomes available, since parts of the system can be replaced with more powerful components without significantly affecting the user interface.

Status signals: adaptive benefits of displaying and observing the nonverbal expressions of pride and shame.

PubMed

Martens, Jason P; Tracy, Jessica L; Shariff, Azim F

2012-01-01

A growing body of research suggests that pride and shame are associated with distinct, cross-culturally recognised nonverbal expressions, which are spontaneously displayed in situations of success and failure, respectively. Here, we review these findings, then offer a theoretical account of the adaptive benefits of these displays. We argue that both pride and shame expressions function as social signals that benefit both observers and expressers. Specifically, pride displays function to signal high status, which benefits displayers by according them deference from others, and benefits observers by affording them valuable information about social-learning opportunities. Shame displays function to appease others after a social transgression, which benefits displayers by allowing them to avoid punishment and negative appraisals, and observers by easing their identification of committed group members and followers.

A green-color portable waveguide eyewear display system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Lingbo; Xu, Ke; Wu, Zhengming; Hu, Yingtian; Li, Zhenzhen; Wang, Yongtian; Liu, Juan

2013-08-01

Waveguide display systems are widely used in various display fields, especially in head mounted display. Comparing with the traditional head mounted display system, this device dramatically reduce the size and mass. However, there are still several fatal problems such as high scatting, the cumbersome design and chromatic aberration that should be solved. We designed and fabricated a monochromatic portable eyewear display system consist of a comfortable eyewear device and waveguide system with two holographic gratings located on the substrate symmetrically. We record the gratings on the photopolymer medium with high efficiency and wavelength sensitivity. The light emitting from the micro-display is diffracted by the grating and trapped in the glass substrate by total internal reflection. The relationship between the diffraction efficiency and exposure value is studied and analyzed, and we fabricated the gratings with appropriate diffraction efficiency in a optimization condition. To avoid the disturbance of the stray light, we optimize the waveguide system numerically and perform the optical experiments. With this system, people can both see through the waveguide to obtain the information outside and catch the information from the micro display. After considering the human body engineering and industrial production, we design the structure in a compact and portable way. It has the advantage of small-type configuration and economic acceptable. It is believe that this kind of planar waveguide system is a potentially replaceable choice for the portable devices in future mobile communications.

Tensor voting for image correction by global and local intensity alignment.

PubMed

Jia, Jiaya; Tang, Chi-Keung

2005-01-01

This paper presents a voting method to perform image correction by global and local intensity alignment. The key to our modeless approach is the estimation of global and local replacement functions by reducing the complex estimation problem to the robust 2D tensor voting in the corresponding voting spaces. No complicated model for replacement function (curve) is assumed. Subject to the monotonic constraint only, we vote for an optimal replacement function by propagating the curve smoothness constraint using a dense tensor field. Our method effectively infers missing curve segments and rejects image outliers. Applications using our tensor voting approach are proposed and described. The first application consists of image mosaicking of static scenes, where the voted replacement functions are used in our iterative registration algorithm for computing the best warping matrix. In the presence of occlusion, our replacement function can be employed to construct a visually acceptable mosaic by detecting occlusion which has large and piecewise constant color. Furthermore, by the simultaneous consideration of color matches and spatial constraints in the voting space, we perform image intensity compensation and high contrast image correction using our voting framework, when only two defective input images are given.

Male sexual behavior does not require elevated testosterone in a lizard (Coleonyx elegans, Eublepharidae).

PubMed

Golinski, Alison; John-Alder, Henry; Kratochvíl, Lukáš

2011-01-01

Male sexual behavior depends on gonadal androgens in species of all major vertebrate lineages, including reptiles. However, male sexual behavior includes distinct appetitive and consummatory phases, typically denoted as courtship and mounting, with potentially different hormonal control. Different proximate controls of courtship versus mounting could enable disconnected evolutionary losses and gains of various aspects of male sexual behavior. Male courtship display, which is activated by testosterone (T) in many species, is an ancestral trait in the lizard family Eublepharidae. However, Coleonyx elegans (Yucatan Banded Gecko) lost the courtship display, while retaining a highly simplified male sexual behavior that involves only mounting for copulation. We performed surgical manipulations (castration with and without T replacement in adult males; implantation of adult females with exogenous T) to investigate hormonal mechanisms involved in this evolutionary novelty. Our results indicate that the expression of simplified sexual behavior in C. elegans does not require elevated circulating levels of T, a finding that is previously unreported in lizards. In females, however, exogenous T induced male-like mounting. Thus, the mounting phase of sexual behavior is not activated by T in the traditional sense of this term but probably requires post-natal, maturational organization (if not periodic reorganization) by androgens. We conclude that the simplification of male sexual behavior and its independence from elevated levels of circulating androgens in C. elegans evolved via 1) evolutionary loss of the androgen-activated courtship display and 2) retention of the mounting phase, which has a longer "functional memory" for the effects of androgenic steroids. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural implications of weak Ca2+ block in Drosophila cyclic nucleotide–gated channels

PubMed Central

Lam, Yee Ling; Zeng, Weizhong; Derebe, Mehabaw Getahun

2015-01-01

Calcium permeability and the concomitant calcium block of monovalent ion current (“Ca2+ block”) are properties of cyclic nucleotide–gated (CNG) channel fundamental to visual and olfactory signal transduction. Although most CNG channels bear a conserved glutamate residue crucial for Ca2+ block, the degree of block displayed by different CNG channels varies greatly. For instance, the Drosophila melanogaster CNG channel shows only weak Ca2+ block despite the presence of this glutamate. We previously constructed a series of chimeric channels in which we replaced the selectivity filter of the bacterial nonselective cation channel NaK with a set of CNG channel filter sequences and determined that the resulting NaK2CNG chimeras displayed the ion selectivity and Ca2+ block properties of the parent CNG channels. Here, we used the same strategy to determine the structural basis of the weak Ca2+ block observed in the Drosophila CNG channel. The selectivity filter of the Drosophila CNG channel is similar to that of most other CNG channels except that it has a threonine at residue 318 instead of a proline. We constructed a NaK chimera, which we called NaK2CNG-Dm, which contained the Drosophila selectivity filter sequence. The high resolution structure of NaK2CNG-Dm revealed a filter structure different from those of NaK and all other previously investigated NaK2CNG chimeric channels. Consistent with this structural difference, functional studies of the NaK2CNG-Dm chimeric channel demonstrated a loss of Ca2+ block compared with other NaK2CNG chimeras. Moreover, mutating the corresponding threonine (T318) to proline in Drosophila CNG channels increased Ca2+ block by 16 times. These results imply that a simple replacement of a threonine for a proline in Drosophila CNG channels has likely given rise to a distinct selectivity filter conformation that results in weak Ca2+ block. PMID:26283200

Structural implications of weak Ca2+ block in Drosophila cyclic nucleotide-gated channels.

PubMed

Lam, Yee Ling; Zeng, Weizhong; Derebe, Mehabaw Getahun; Jiang, Youxing

2015-09-01

Calcium permeability and the concomitant calcium block of monovalent ion current ("Ca(2+) block") are properties of cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel fundamental to visual and olfactory signal transduction. Although most CNG channels bear a conserved glutamate residue crucial for Ca(2+) block, the degree of block displayed by different CNG channels varies greatly. For instance, the Drosophila melanogaster CNG channel shows only weak Ca(2+) block despite the presence of this glutamate. We previously constructed a series of chimeric channels in which we replaced the selectivity filter of the bacterial nonselective cation channel NaK with a set of CNG channel filter sequences and determined that the resulting NaK2CNG chimeras displayed the ion selectivity and Ca(2+) block properties of the parent CNG channels. Here, we used the same strategy to determine the structural basis of the weak Ca(2+) block observed in the Drosophila CNG channel. The selectivity filter of the Drosophila CNG channel is similar to that of most other CNG channels except that it has a threonine at residue 318 instead of a proline. We constructed a NaK chimera, which we called NaK2CNG-Dm, which contained the Drosophila selectivity filter sequence. The high resolution structure of NaK2CNG-Dm revealed a filter structure different from those of NaK and all other previously investigated NaK2CNG chimeric channels. Consistent with this structural difference, functional studies of the NaK2CNG-Dm chimeric channel demonstrated a loss of Ca(2+) block compared with other NaK2CNG chimeras. Moreover, mutating the corresponding threonine (T318) to proline in Drosophila CNG channels increased Ca(2+) block by 16 times. These results imply that a simple replacement of a threonine for a proline in Drosophila CNG channels has likely given rise to a distinct selectivity filter conformation that results in weak Ca(2+) block. © 2015 Lam et al.

Animal-Friendly Affinity Reagents: Replacing the Needless in the Haystack.

PubMed

Gray, A C; Sidhu, S S; Chandrasekera, P C; Hendriksen, C F M; Borrebaeck, C A K

2016-12-01

The multibillion-dollar global antibody industry produces an indispensable resource but that is generated using millions of animals. Despite the irrefutable maturation and availability of animal-friendly affinity reagents (AFAs) employing naïve B lymphocyte or synthetic recombinant technologies expressed by phage display, animal immunisation is still authorised for antibody production. Remarkably, replacement opportunities have been overlooked, despite the enormous potential reduction in animal use. Directive 2010/63/EU requires that animals are not used where alternatives exist. To ensure its implementation, we have engaged in discussions with the EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM) and the Directorate General for Environment to carve out an EU-led replacement strategy. Measures must be imposed to avoid outsourcing, regulate commercial production, and ensure that antibody producers are fully supported. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Poly(1,3-propylene sebacate) and Poly(sebacoyl diglyceride): A Pair of Potential Polymers for the Proliferation and Differentiation of Retinal Progenitor Cells.

PubMed

Ni, Ni; Ji, Jing; Chen, Shuo; Zhang, Dandan; Wang, Zi; Shen, Bingqiao; Guo, Chunyu; Zhang, Yi; Wang, Shaofei; Fan, Xianqun; You, Zhengwei; Luo, Min; Gu, Ping

2016-09-01

Using suitable polymers as a carrier for growing and delivering retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) is a promising therapeutic strategy in retinal cell-replacement therapy. Herein recently developed polymer, poly(sebacoyl diglyceride) (PSeD), is selected and its nonhydroxylized counterpart poly(1,3-propylene sebacate) (PPS) is designed to evaluate their potentials for RPC growth and future RPC application. The structures and mechanical properties of the polymers are characterized. The cytocompatibility and effects of these polymers on RPC proliferation, differentiation, and migration are systematically investigated in vitro. Our data show that PPS and PSeD display excellent cytocompatibility with low expression of inflammation and apoptosis factors, which benefit RPC growth. In proliferation assays reveal that RPCs expands well on the polymers, but PPS performs the best for RPC expansion, indicating that PPS can remarkably promote RPC proliferation. In differentiation conditions, RPCs grown on PSeD are more likely to differentiate toward retinal neurons, including photoreceptors, the most interesting type of cells for retinal cell-replacement therapy. Additionally, our results demonstrate that RPCs grown on PSeD display an outstanding ability to migrate. In conclusion, PPS can markedly promote RPC proliferation, whereas PSeD can enhance RPC differentiation toward retinal neurons, suggesting that PSeD and PPS have potential applications in future retinal cell-replacement therapies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Dynamic biomechanical examination of the lumbar spine with implanted total spinal segment replacement (TSSR) utilizing a pendulum testing system.

PubMed

Daniels, Alan H; Paller, David J; Koruprolu, Sarath; Palumbo, Mark A; Crisco, Joseph J

2013-01-01

Biomechanical investigations of spinal motion preserving implants help in the understanding of their in vivo behavior. In this study, we hypothesized that the lumbar spine with implanted total spinal segment replacement (TSSR) would exhibit decreased dynamic stiffness and more rapid energy absorption compared to native functional spinal units under simulated physiologic motion when tested with the pendulum system. Five unembalmed, frozen human lumbar functional spinal units were tested on the pendulum system with axial compressive loads of 181 N, 282 N, 385 N, and 488 N before and after Flexuspine total spinal segment replacement implantation. Testing in flexion, extension, and lateral bending began by rotating the pendulum to 5°; resulting in unconstrained oscillatory motion. The number of rotations to equilibrium was recorded and bending stiffness (N-m/°) was calculated and compared for each testing mode. The total spinal segment replacement reached equilibrium with significantly fewer cycles to equilibrium compared to the intact functional spinal unit at all loads in flexion (p<0.011), and at loads of 385 N and 488 N in lateral bending (p<0.020). Mean bending stiffness in flexion, extension, and lateral bending increased with increasing load for both the intact functional spinal unit and total spinal segment replacement constructs (p<0.001), with no significant differences in stiffness between the intact functional spinal unit and total spinal segment replacement in any of the test modes (p>0.18). Lumbar functional spinal units with implanted total spinal segment replacement were found to have similar dynamic bending stiffness, but absorbed energy at a more rapid rate than intact functional spinal units during cyclic loading with an unconstrained pendulum system. Although the effects on clinical performance of motion preserving devices is not fully known, these results provide further insight into the biomechanical behavior of this device under approximated physiologic loading conditions.

Dynamic Biomechanical Examination of the Lumbar Spine with Implanted Total Spinal Segment Replacement (TSSR) Utilizing a Pendulum Testing System

PubMed Central

Daniels, Alan H.; Paller, David J.; Koruprolu, Sarath; Palumbo, Mark A.; Crisco, Joseph J.

2013-01-01

Background Biomechanical investigations of spinal motion preserving implants help in the understanding of their in vivo behavior. In this study, we hypothesized that the lumbar spine with implanted total spinal segment replacement (TSSR) would exhibit decreased dynamic stiffness and more rapid energy absorption compared to native functional spinal units under simulated physiologic motion when tested with the pendulum system. Methods Five unembalmed, frozen human lumbar functional spinal units were tested on the pendulum system with axial compressive loads of 181 N, 282 N, 385 N, and 488 N before and after Flexuspine total spinal segment replacement implantation. Testing in flexion, extension, and lateral bending began by rotating the pendulum to 5°; resulting in unconstrained oscillatory motion. The number of rotations to equilibrium was recorded and bending stiffness (N-m/°) was calculated and compared for each testing mode. Results The total spinal segment replacement reached equilibrium with significantly fewer cycles to equilibrium compared to the intact functional spinal unit at all loads in flexion (p<0.011), and at loads of 385 N and 488 N in lateral bending (p<0.020). Mean bending stiffness in flexion, extension, and lateral bending increased with increasing load for both the intact functional spinal unit and total spinal segment replacement constructs (p<0.001), with no significant differences in stiffness between the intact functional spinal unit and total spinal segment replacement in any of the test modes (p>0.18). Conclusions Lumbar functional spinal units with implanted total spinal segment replacement were found to have similar dynamic bending stiffness, but absorbed energy at a more rapid rate than intact functional spinal units during cyclic loading with an unconstrained pendulum system. Although the effects on clinical performance of motion preserving devices is not fully known, these results provide further insight into the biomechanical behavior of this device under approximated physiologic loading conditions. PMID:23451222

V/STOL AND digital avionics system for UH-1H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liden, S.

1978-01-01

A hardware and software system for the Bell UH-1H helicopter was developed that provides sophisticated navigation, guidance, control, display, and data acquisition capabilities for performing terminal area navigation, guidance and control research. Two Sperry 1819B general purpose digital computers were used. One contains the development software that performs all the specified system flight computations. The second computer is available to NASA for experimental programs that run simultaneously with the other computer programs and which may, at the push of a button, replace selected computer computations. Other features that provide research flexibility include keyboard selectable gains and parameters and software generated alphanumeric and CRT displays.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The driver of the Over Land Transporter is seen as he maneuvers the space shuttle Endeavour on the streets of Los Angeles as it heads to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Arival LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, right, holds her hand to her heart during the playing of the National Anthem at the welcoming ceremony for space shuttle Endeavour, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, at Los Angeles International Airport. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The driver of the Over Land Transporter (OLT) is seen as he maneuvers the space shuttle Endeavour on the streets of Los Angeles as it heads to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

A spectator on the roof of a building photographs space shuttle Endeavour as it passes by on its way to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC’s Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Endeavour Lands at LAX

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-09-21

Space shuttle Endeavour, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) lands at Los Angeles International Airport, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. The shadow of a NASA F-18 chase jet wing is shown in the foreground. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers.Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Space Shuttle Endeavour Move

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-12

The space shuttle Endeavour moves out of the Los Angeles International Airport and onto the streets of Los Angeles to make its way to its new home at the California Science Center, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Beginning Oct. 30, the shuttle will be on display in the CSC's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, embarking on its new mission to commemorate past achievements in space and educate and inspire future generations of explorers. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Regularity Results for a Class of Functionals with Non-Standard Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acerbi, Emilio; Mingione, Giuseppe

We consider the integral functional under non-standard growth assumptions that we call p(x) type: namely, we assume that a relevant model case being the functional Under sharp assumptions on the continuous function p(x)>1 we prove regularity of minimizers. Energies exhibiting this growth appear in several models from mathematical physics.

Assessment "as" Learning in Music Education: The Risk of "Criteria Compliance" Replacing "Learning" in the Scandinavian Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferm Almqvist, Cecilia; Vinge, John; Väkevä, Lauri; Zandén, Olle

2017-01-01

Recent reforms in England and the USA give evidence that teaching methods and content can change rapidly, given a strong external pressure, for example through economic incentives, inspections, school choice, and public display of schools' and pupils' performances. Educational activities in the Scandinavian countries have increasingly become…

Eye Movements and Display Change Detection during Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slattery, Timothy J.; Angele, Bernhard; Rayner, Keith

2011-01-01

In the boundary change paradigm (Rayner, 1975), when a reader's eyes cross an invisible boundary location, a preview word is replaced by a target word. Readers are generally unaware of such changes due to saccadic suppression. However, some readers detect changes on a few trials and a small percentage of them detect many changes. Two experiments…

75 FR 23579 - Airworthiness Directives; DASSAULT AVIATION Model FALCON 900EX and MYSTERE-FALCON 900 Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-04

... asymmetry detection system to verify proper functioning, and repair if necessary; repetitive replacement of... detection system to verify proper functioning, and repair if necessary; repetitive replacement of the...

Effect of partial replacement of pork meat with an olive oil organogel on the physicochemical and sensory quality of dry-ripened venison sausages.

PubMed

Utrilla, M C; García Ruiz, A; Soriano, A

2014-08-01

A venison salchichon was made using varying proportions of olive oil to replace the traditional pork meat and to obtain a healthier product. Six types of salchichon were produced. The control type contained 75% lean venison and 25% pork meat; in the other types, 15%, 25%, 35%, 45% and 55% of the pork meat were replaced by olive oil introduced in the form of an organogel (olive oil emulsified with soy protein and water). All types were satisfactory in terms of physicochemical characteristics (pH, a(w), moisture loss) and instrumental colour throughout ripening, and displayed acceptable levels of lipolysis (acidity index) and lipid oxidation (TBARS). Higher proportions of olive oil prompted an increase in monounsaturated fatty acid content (mainly C18:1). All six types of salchichon were judged acceptable by consumers, the highest scores being given to those in which no more than 25% of the pork meat was replaced by olive oil. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

21 CFR 870.3925 - Replacement heart valve.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Replacement heart valve. 870.3925 Section 870.3925...) MEDICAL DEVICES CARDIOVASCULAR DEVICES Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices § 870.3925 Replacement heart valve. (a) Identification. A replacement heart valve is a device intended to perform the function of any...

21 CFR 870.3925 - Replacement heart valve.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Replacement heart valve. 870.3925 Section 870.3925...) MEDICAL DEVICES CARDIOVASCULAR DEVICES Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices § 870.3925 Replacement heart valve. (a) Identification. A replacement heart valve is a device intended to perform the function of any...

21 CFR 870.3925 - Replacement heart valve.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Replacement heart valve. 870.3925 Section 870.3925...) MEDICAL DEVICES CARDIOVASCULAR DEVICES Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices § 870.3925 Replacement heart valve. (a) Identification. A replacement heart valve is a device intended to perform the function of any...

21 CFR 870.3925 - Replacement heart valve.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Replacement heart valve. 870.3925 Section 870.3925...) MEDICAL DEVICES CARDIOVASCULAR DEVICES Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices § 870.3925 Replacement heart valve. (a) Identification. A replacement heart valve is a device intended to perform the function of any...

21 CFR 870.3925 - Replacement heart valve.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Replacement heart valve. 870.3925 Section 870.3925...) MEDICAL DEVICES CARDIOVASCULAR DEVICES Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices § 870.3925 Replacement heart valve. (a) Identification. A replacement heart valve is a device intended to perform the function of any...

Effect of color on pilot performance and transfer functions using a full-spectrum, calligraphic, color display system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chase, W. D.

1976-01-01

The use of blue and red color in out-of-window cockpit displays, in full-spectrum calligraphic computer-generated display systems, is studied with attention given to pilot stereographic depth perception and response to visual cues. Displays for vertical approach, with dynamic and frozen-range landing approach and perspective arrays, are analyzed. Pilot transfer function and the transfer function associated with the contrasted approach and perspective arrays are discussed. Out-of-window blue lights are perceived by pilots as indicating greater distance depth, red lights as indicating proximity. The computer-generated chromatic display was adapted to flight simulators for the tests.

Toward reducing immunogenicity of enzyme replacement therapy: altering the specificity of human β-glucuronidase to compensate for α-iduronidase deficiency.

PubMed

Chuang, Huai-Yao; Suen, Ching-Shu; Hwang, Ming-Jing; Roffler, Steve R

2015-11-01

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is an effective treatment for many patients with lysosomal storage disorders caused by deficiency in enzymes involved in cell metabolism. However, immune responses that develop against the administered enzyme in some patients can hinder therapeutic efficacy and cause serious side effects. Here we investigated the feasibility of a general approach to decrease ERT immunogenicity by altering the specificity of a normal endogenous enzyme to compensate for a defective enzyme. We sought to identify human β-glucuronidase variants that display α-iduronidase activity, which is defective in mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type I patients. A human β-glucuronidase library was screened by the Enzyme Cleavable Surface-Tethered All-purpose Screen sYstem to isolate variants that exhibited 100-290-fold greater activity against the α-iduronidase substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl α-l-iduronide and 7900-24 500-fold enzymatic specificity shift when compared with wild-type β-glucuronidase. In vitro treatment of MPS I cells with the β-glucuronidase variants significantly restored lysosome appearance similar to treatment with α-iduronidase. Our study suggests that β-glucuronidase variants can be isolated to display α-iduronidase activity and produce significant phenotype improvement of MPS I cells. This strategy may represent a possible approach to produce enzymes that display therapeutic benefits with potentially less immunogenicity. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A review of contemporary methods for the presentation of scientific uncertainty.

PubMed

Makinson, K A; Hamby, D M; Edwards, J A

2012-12-01

Graphic methods for displaying uncertainty are often the most concise and informative way to communicate abstract concepts. Presentation methods currently in use for the display and interpretation of scientific uncertainty are reviewed. Numerous subjective and objective uncertainty display methods are presented, including qualitative assessments, node and arrow diagrams, standard statistical methods, box-and-whisker plots,robustness and opportunity functions, contribution indexes, probability density functions, cumulative distribution functions, and graphical likelihood functions.

Bio-nanocapsules displaying various immunoglobulins as an active targeting-based drug delivery system.

PubMed

Tatematsu, Kenji; Iijima, Masumi; Yoshimoto, Nobuo; Nakai, Tadashi; Okajima, Toshihide; Kuroda, Shun'ichi

2016-04-15

The bio-nanocapsule (BNC) is an approximately 30-nm particle comprising the hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope L protein and a lipid bilayer. The L protein harbors the HBV-derived infection machinery; therefore, BNC can encapsulate payloads such as drugs, nucleic acids, and proteins and deliver them into human hepatocytes specifically in vitro and in vivo. To diversify the possible functions of BNC, we generated ZZ-BNC by replacing the domain indispensable for the human hepatotrophic property of BNC (N-terminal region of L protein) with the tandem form of the IgG Fc-binding Z domain of Staphylococcus aureus protein A. Thus, the ZZ-BNC is an active targeting-based drug delivery system (DDS) nanocarrier that depends on the specificity of the IgGs displayed. However, the Z domain limits the animal species and subtypes of IgGs that can be displayed on ZZ-BNC. In this study, we introduced into BNC an Ig κ light chain-binding B1 domain of Finegoldia magna protein L (protein-L B1 domain) and an Ig Fc-binding C2 domain of Streptococcus species protein G (protein-G C2 domain) to produce LG-BNC. The LL-BNC was constructed in a similar way using a tandem form of the protein-L B1 domain. Both LG-BNC and LL-BNC could display rat IgGs, mouse IgG1, human IgG3, and human IgM, all of which not binding to ZZ-BNC, and accumulate in target cells in an antibody specificity-dependent manner. Thus, these BNCs could display a broad spectrum of Igs, significantly improving the prospects for BNCs as active targeting-based DDS nanocarriers. We previously reported that ZZ-BNC, bio-nanocapsule deploying the IgG-binding Z domain of protein A, could display cell-specific antibody in an oriented immobilization manner, and act as an active targeting-based DDS nanocarrier. Since the Z domain can only bind to limited types of Igs, we generated BNCs deploying other Ig-binding domains: LL-BNC harboring the tandem form of Ig-binding domain of protein L, and LG-BNC harboring the Ig binding domains of protein L and protein G sequentially. Both BNCs could display a broader spectrum of Igs than does the ZZ-BNC. When these BNCs displayed anti-CD11c IgG or anti-EGFR IgG, both of which cannot bind to Z domain, they could bind to and then enter their respective target cells. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of stereoscopic display with visual function and interview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okuyama, Fumio

1999-05-01

The influence of binocular stereoscopic (3D) television display on the human eye were compared with one of a 2D display, using human visual function testing and interviews. A 40- inch double lenticular display was used for 2D/3D comparison experiments. Subjects observed the display for 30 minutes at a distance 1.0 m, with a combination of 2D material and one of 3D material. The participants were twelve young adults. Main optometric test with visual function measured were visual acuity, refraction, phoria, near vision point, accommodation etc. The interview consisted of 17 questions. Testing procedures were performed just before watching, just after watching, and forty-five minutes after watching. Changes in visual function are characterized as prolongation of near vision point, decrease of accommodation and increase in phoria. 3D viewing interview results show much more visual fatigue in comparison with 2D results. The conclusions are: 1) change in visual function is larger and visual fatigue is more intense when viewing 3D images. 2) The evaluation method with visual function and interview proved to be very satisfactory for analyzing the influence of stereoscopic display on human eye.

ORF phage display to identify cellular proteins with different functions.

PubMed

Li, Wei

2012-09-01

Open reading frame (ORF) phage display is a new branch of phage display aimed at improving its efficiency to identify cellular proteins with specific binding or functional activities. Despite the success of phage display with antibody libraries and random peptide libraries, phage display with cDNA libraries of cellular proteins identifies a high percentage of non-ORF clones encoding unnatural short peptides with minimal biological implications. This is mainly because of the uncontrollable reading frames of cellular proteins in conventional cDNA libraries. ORF phage display solves this problem by eliminating non-ORF clones to generate ORF cDNA libraries. Here I summarize the procedures of ORF phage display, discuss the factors influencing its efficiency, present examples of its versatile applications, and highlight evidence of its capability of identifying biologically relevant cellular proteins. ORF phage display coupled with different selection strategies is capable of delineating diverse functions of cellular proteins with unique advantages. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chalcopyrite disease in sphalerite: pathology and epidemiology.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barton, P.B.; Bethke, P.M.

1987-01-01

This descriptive paper identifies three widely occurring textures designated as 'watermelon', 'dusting' and 'bimodal' that characterize the replacement of original Fe-bearing sphalerite by an aggregate of chalcopyrite and low-Fe sphalerite as an integral part of the mineralization process. Replacement probably predominates over alternative modes of origin for small chalcopyrite blebs in sphalerite from most vein and sea-floor massive sulphide deposits that formed in the 200-400oC temperature range and that have not been subsequently subjected to higher T. Sphalerite from the epithermal Ag-Pb-Zn deposit at Creede, Colorado, displays a rich variety of features ("bead chains') that are primary crystal dislocations decorated by exsolved chalcopyrite.-J.A.Z.

Structure, attachment, replacement and growth of teeth in bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1776), a teleost with deeply socketed teeth.

PubMed

Bemis, William E; Giuliano, Anne; McGuire, Betty

2005-01-01

Tooth replacement poses many questions about development, pattern formation, tooth attachment mechanisms, functional morphology and the evolution of vertebrate dentitions. Although most vertebrate species have polyphyodont dentitions, detailed knowledge of tooth structure and replacement is poor for most groups, particularly actinopterygians. We examined the oral dentition of the bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, a pelagic and coastal marine predator, using a sample of 50 individuals. The oral teeth are located on the dentary and premaxillary bones, and we scored each tooth locus in the dentary and premaxillary bones using a four-part functional classification: absent (A), incoming (I), functional (F=fully ankylosed) or eroding (E). The homodont oral teeth of Pomatomus are sharp, deeply socketed and firmly ankylosed to the bone of attachment. Replacement is intraosseus and occurs in alternate tooth loci with long waves of replacement passing from rear to front. The much higher percentage of functional as opposed to eroding teeth suggests that replacement rates are low but that individual teeth are quickly lost once erosion begins. Tooth number increases ontogenetically, ranging from 15-31 dentary teeth and 15-39 premaxillary teeth in the sample studied. Teeth increase in size with every replacement cycle. Remodeling of the attachment bone occurs continuously to accommodate growth. New tooth germs originate from a discontinuous dental lamina and migrate from the lingual (dentary) or labial (premaxillary) epithelium through pores in the bone of attachment into the resorption spaces beneath the existing teeth. Pomatomus shares unique aspects of tooth replacement with barracudas and other scombroids and this supports the interpretation that Pomatomus is more closely related to scombroids than to carangoids.

A timely reminder about stimulus display times and other presentation parameters on CRTs and newer technologies.

PubMed

Bauer, Ben

2015-09-01

Scientific experimentation requires specification and control of independent variables with accurate measurement of dependent variables. In Vision Sciences (here broadly including experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, psychophysics, and clinical vision), proper specification and control of stimulus rendering (already a thorny issue) may become more problematic as several newer display technologies replace cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in the lab. The present paper alerts researchers to spatiotemporal differences in display technologies and how these might affect various types of experiments. Parallels are drawn to similar challenges and solutions that arose during the change from cabinet-style tachistoscopes to computer driven CRT tachistoscopes. Technical papers outlining various strengths and limitations of several classes of display devices are introduced as a resource for the reader wanting to select appropriate displays for different presentation requirements. These papers emphasise the need to measure rather than assume display characteristics because manufacturers' specifications and software reports/settings may not correspond with actual performance. This is consistent with the call by several Vision Science and Psychological Science bodies to increase replications and increase detail in Method sections. Finally, several recent tachistoscope-based experiments, which focused on the same question but were implemented with different technologies, are compared for illustrative purposes. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Detection of hepatitis B virus core antigen by phage display mediated TaqMan real-time immuno-PCR.

PubMed

Monjezi, Razieh; Tan, Sheau Wei; Tey, Beng Ti; Sieo, Chin Chin; Tan, Wen Siang

2013-01-01

The core antigen (HBcAg) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the markers for the identification of the viral infection. The main purpose of this study was to develop a TaqMan real-time detection assay based on the concept of phage display mediated immuno-PCR (PD-IPCR) for the detection of HBcAg. PD-IPCR combines the advantages of immuno-PCR (IPCR) and phage display technology. IPCR integrates the versatility of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the sensitivity and signal generation power of PCR. Whereas, phage display technology exploits the physical association between the displayed peptide and the encoding DNA within the same phage particle. In this study, a constrained peptide displayed on the surface of an M13 recombinant bacteriophage that interacts tightly with HBcAg was applied as a diagnostic reagent in IPCR. The phage displayed peptide and its encoding DNA can be used to replace monoclonal antibody (mAb) and chemically bound DNA, respectively. This method is able to detect as low as 10ng of HBcAg with 10(8)pfu/ml of the recombinant phage which is about 10,000 times more sensitive than the phage-ELISA. The PD-IPCR provides an alternative means for the detection of HBcAg in human serum samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A distributed system of wireless signs using Gyricon electronic paper displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprague, Robert A.

2006-04-01

The proliferation of digital information is leading to a wide range of applications which make it desirable to display data easily in many locations, all changeable and updateable. The difficulty in achieving such ubiquitous displays is the cost of signage, the cost of installation, and the software and systems to control the information being sent to each of these signs. In this paper we will talk about a networked system of such signs which are made from gyricon electronic paper. Gyricon electronic paper is a reflective, bistable display which can be made in large web sheets at a reasonable price. Since it does not require a backlight nor does it require power to refresh the display image, such technology is ideal for making signs which can be run on batteries with extremely long battery life, often not needing replacement for years. The display also has a very broad illumination scattering profile which makes it readily viewable from any angle. The basic operating mechanism of the display, its manufacturing technique, and achieved performance will be described, along with the description of a networked solution using many such signs controlled with system software to identify speakers and meetings in conference rooms, hospitality suites, or classrooms in universities. Systems will also be shown which are adapted to retail pricing signage and others which can be used for large format outdoor billboards.

Multifunctional recombinant phycobiliprotein-based fluorescent constructs and phycobilisome display

DOEpatents

Glazer, Alexander N.; Cai, Yuping

2007-01-30

The invention provides multifunctional fusion constructs which are rapidly incorporated into a macromolecular structure such as a phycobilisome such that the fusion proteins are separated from one another and unable to self-associate. The invention provides methods and compositions for displaying a functional polypeptide domain on an oligomeric phycobiliprotein, including fusion proteins comprising a functional displayed domain and a functional phycobiliprotein domain incorporated in a functional oligomeric phycobiliprotein. The fusion proteins provide novel specific labeling reagents.

Multifunctional recombinant phycobiliprotein-based fluorescent constructs and phycobilisome display

DOEpatents

Glazer, Alexander N.; Cai, Yuping

2007-02-13

The invention provides multifunctional fusion constructs which are rapidly incorporated into a macromolecular structure such as a phycobilisome such that the fusion proteins are separated from one another and unable to self-associate. The invention provides methods and compositions for displaying a functional polypeptide domain on an oligomeric phycobiliprotein. including fusion proteins comprising a functional displayed domain and a functional phycobiliprotein domain incorporated in a functional oligomeric phycobiliprotein. The fusion proteins provide novel specific labeling reagents.

Multifunctional recombinant phycobiliprotein-based fluorescent constructs and phycobilisome display

DOEpatents

Glazer, Alexander N.; Cai, Yuping

2003-11-18

The invention provides multifunctional fusion constructs which are rapidly incorporated into a macromolecular structure such as a phycobilisome such that the fusion proteins are separated from one another and unable to self-associate. The invention provides methods and compositions for displaying a functional polypeptide domain on an oligomeric phycobiliprotein, including fusion proteins comprising a functional displayed domain and a functional phycobiliprotein domain incorporated in a functional oligomeric phycobiliprotein. The fusion proteins provide novel specific labeling reagents.

Comparative study of graphene and its derivative materials as an electrode in OLEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Anshika; Kumar, Brijesh

2018-04-01

In current scenario, the organic materials have given a revolutionary evolution in the electronics industry. As, the organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) have almost replaced the conventional technologies due to the use of organic based materials. However, the next generations OLEDs are intensively desired nowadays for high definition display technology. There are various concern involved in the successful design of OLEDs. Electrodes are one of the electrical conductors, which play a vital role in the construction of OLEDs. The performance of OLED is majorly affected by the material used for electrodes. Due to the requirement of transparent, flexible and inexpensive anodes in bottom emissive OLEDs, ITO was replaced by graphene material. Graphene is a single layer 2-dimensional transparent carbon allotrope which showed prodigious potential to escalate the device performance. Although graphene demonstrated impressive characteristics in various applications, it showed unfavorable work function for many other devices. Thus, derivative materials of graphene such as graphene oxide, graphane and β - graphdiyne were synthesized by several researchers. By comparing graphene and its derivatives as an anode of OLEDs, it has been found that graphene oxide showed the preeminent performance among all. In this paper, all the comparisons are investigated by using a standard device constructed by piling layers of anode/ m_MTDATA/ NPB/ Alq3: QAD/ Alq3/ cathode in TCAD ATLAS device simulator.

Method and apparatus for calibrating a tiled display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Chung-Jen (Inventor); Johnson, Michael J. (Inventor); Chandrasekhar, Rajesh (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A display system that can be calibrated and re-calibrated with a minimal amount of manual intervention. To accomplish this, one or more cameras are provided to capture an image of the display screen. The resulting captured image is processed to identify any non-desirable characteristics, including visible artifacts such as seams, bands, rings, etc. Once the non-desirable characteristics are identified, an appropriate transformation function is determined. The transformation function is used to pre-warp the input video signal that is provided to the display such that the non-desirable characteristics are reduced or eliminated from the display. The transformation function preferably compensates for spatial non-uniformity, color non-uniformity, luminance non-uniformity, and other visible artifacts.

Visualizing bacterial tRNA identity determinants and antideterminants using function logos and inverse function logos

PubMed Central

Freyhult, Eva; Moulton, Vincent; Ardell, David H.

2006-01-01

Sequence logos are stacked bar graphs that generalize the notion of consensus sequence. They employ entropy statistics very effectively to display variation in a structural alignment of sequences of a common function, while emphasizing its over-represented features. Yet sequence logos cannot display features that distinguish functional subclasses within a structurally related superfamily nor do they display under-represented features. We introduce two extensions to address these needs: function logos and inverse logos. Function logos display subfunctions that are over-represented among sequences carrying a specific feature. Inverse logos generalize both sequence logos and function logos by displaying under-represented, rather than over-represented, features or functions in structural alignments. To make inverse logos, a compositional inverse is applied to the feature or function frequency distributions before logo construction, where a compositional inverse is a mathematical transform that makes common features or functions rare and vice versa. We applied these methods to a database of structurally aligned bacterial tDNAs to create highly condensed, birds-eye views of potentially all so-called identity determinants and antideterminants that confer specific amino acid charging or initiator function on tRNAs in bacteria. We recovered both known and a few potentially novel identity elements. Function logos and inverse logos are useful tools for exploratory bioinformatic analysis of structure–function relationships in sequence families and superfamilies. PMID:16473848

Biocular vehicle display optical designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, H.; Carter, Tom

2012-06-01

Biocular vehicle display optics is a fast collimating lens (f / # < 0.9) that presents the image of the display at infinity to both eyes of the viewer. Each eye captures the scene independently and the brain merges the two images into one through the overlapping portions of the images. With the recent conversion from analog CRT based displays to lighter, more compact active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLED) digital image sources, display optical designs have evolved to take advantage of the higher resolution AMOLED image sources. To maximize the field of view of the display optics and fully resolve the smaller pixels, the digital image source is pre-magnified by relay optics or a coherent taper fiber optics plate. Coherent taper fiber optics plates are used extensively to: 1. Convert plano focal planes to spherical focal planes in order to eliminate Petzval field curvature. This elimination enables faster lens speed and/or larger field of view of eye pieces, display optics. 2. Provide pre-magnification to lighten the work load of the optics to further increase the numerical aperture and/or field of view. 3. Improve light flux collection efficiency and field of view by collecting all the light emitted by the image source and guiding imaging light bundles toward the lens aperture stop. 4. Reduce complexity of the optical design and overall packaging volume by replacing pre-magnification optics with a compact taper fiber optics plate. This paper will review and compare the performance of biocular vehicle display designs without and with taper fiber optics plate.

Migration of the digital interactive breast-imaging teaching file

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Fei; Sickles, Edward A.; Huang, H. K.; Zhou, Xiaoqiang

1998-06-01

The digital breast imaging teaching file developed during the last two years in our laboratory has been used successfully at UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) as a routine teaching tool for training radiology residents and fellows in mammography. Building on this success, we have ported the teaching file from an old Pixar imaging/Sun SPARC 470 display system to our newly designed telemammography display workstation (Ultra SPARC 2 platform with two DOME Md5/SBX display boards). The old Pixar/Sun 470 system, although adequate for fast and high-resolution image display, is 4- year-old technology, expensive to maintain and difficult to upgrade. The new display workstation is more cost-effective and is also compatible with the digital image format from a full-field direct digital mammography system. The digital teaching file is built on a sophisticated computer-aided instruction (CAI) model, which simulates the management sequences used in imaging interpretation and work-up. Each user can be prompted to respond by making his/her own observations, assessments, and work-up decisions as well as the marking of image abnormalities. This effectively replaces the traditional 'show-and-tell' teaching file experience with an interactive, response-driven type of instruction.

Temporal Properties of Liquid Crystal Displays: Implications for Vision Science Experiments

PubMed Central

Elze, Tobias; Tanner, Thomas G.

2012-01-01

Liquid crystal displays (LCD) are currently replacing the previously dominant cathode ray tubes (CRT) in most vision science applications. While the properties of the CRT technology are widely known among vision scientists, the photometric and temporal properties of LCDs are unfamiliar to many practitioners. We provide the essential theory, present measurements to assess the temporal properties of different LCD panel types, and identify the main determinants of the photometric output. Our measurements demonstrate that the specifications of the manufacturers are insufficient for proper display selection and control for most purposes. Furthermore, we show how several novel display technologies developed to improve fast transitions or the appearance of moving objects may be accompanied by side–effects in some areas of vision research. Finally, we unveil a number of surprising technical deficiencies. The use of LCDs may cause problems in several areas in vision science. Aside from the well–known issue of motion blur, the main problems are the lack of reliable and precise onsets and offsets of displayed stimuli, several undesirable and uncontrolled components of the photometric output, and input lags which make LCDs problematic for real–time applications. As a result, LCDs require extensive individual measurements prior to applications in vision science. PMID:22984458

Sound transmission in archaic and modern whales: anatomical adaptations for underwater hearing.

PubMed

Nummela, Sirpa; Thewissen, J G M; Bajpai, Sunil; Hussain, Taseer; Kumar, Kishor

2007-06-01

The whale ear, initially designed for hearing in air, became adapted for hearing underwater in less than ten million years of evolution. This study describes the evolution of underwater hearing in cetaceans, focusing on changes in sound transmission mechanisms. Measurements were made on 60 fossils of whole or partial skulls, isolated tympanics, middle ear ossicles, and mandibles from all six archaeocete families. Fossil data were compared with data on two families of modern mysticete whales and nine families of modern odontocete cetaceans, as well as five families of noncetacean mammals. Results show that the outer ear pinna and external auditory meatus were functionally replaced by the mandible and the mandibular fat pad, which posteriorly contacts the tympanic plate, the lateral wall of the bulla. Changes in the ear include thickening of the tympanic bulla medially, isolation of the tympanoperiotic complex by means of air sinuses, functional replacement of the tympanic membrane by a bony plate, and changes in ossicle shapes and orientation. Pakicetids, the earliest archaeocetes, had a land mammal ear for hearing in air, and used bone conduction underwater, aided by the heavy tympanic bulla. Remingtonocetids and protocetids were the first to display a genuine underwater ear where sound reached the inner ear through the mandibular fat pad, the tympanic plate, and the middle ear ossicles. Basilosaurids and dorudontids showed further aquatic adaptations of the ossicular chain and the acoustic isolation of the ear complex from the skull. The land mammal ear and the generalized modern whale ear are evolutionarily stable configurations, two ends of a process where the cetacean mandible might have been a keystone character. 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A preliminary study of head-up display assessment techniques. 2: HUD symbology and panel information search time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guercio, J. G.; Haines, R. F.

1978-01-01

Twelve commercial pilots were shown 50 high-fidelity slides of a standard aircraft instrument panel with the airspeed, altitude, ADI, VSI, and RMI needles in various realistic orientations. Fifty slides showing an integrated head-up display (HUD) symbology containing an equivalent number of flight parameters as above (with flight path replacing VSI) were also shown. Each subject was told what flight parameter to search for just before each slide was exposed and was given as long as needed (12 sec maximum) to respond by verbalizing the parameter's displayed value. The results for the 100-percent correct data indicated that: there was no significant difference in mean reaction time (averaged across all five flight parameters) between the instrument panel and HUD slides; and a statistically significant difference in mean reaction time was found in responding to different flight parameters.

Flat-panel video resolution LED display system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wareberg, P. G.; Kennedy, D. I.

The system consists of a 128 x 128 element X-Y addressable LED array fabricated from green-emitting gallium phosphide. The LED array is interfaced with a 128 x 128 matrix TV camera. Associated electronics provides for seven levels of grey scale above zero with a grey scale ratio of square root of 2. Picture elements are on 0.008 inch centers resulting in a resolution of 125 lines-per-inch and a display area of approximately 1 sq. in. The LED array concept lends itself to modular construction, permitting assembly of a flat panel screen of any desired size from 1 x 1 inch building blocks without loss of resolution. A wide range of prospective aerospace applications exist extending from helmet-mounted systems involving small dedicated arrays to multimode cockpit displays constructed as modular screens. High-resolution LED arrays are already used as CRT replacements in military film-marking reconnaissance applications.

Supporting Common Ground Development in the Operation Room through Information Display Systems

PubMed Central

Feng, Yuanyuan; Mentis, Helena M.

2016-01-01

Effective information sharing is crucial for clinical team coordination. Most information display systems have been designed to replace verbal communication. However, information may not be available for capture before a communication event and information needs often become clear and evident through an evolving discourse. Thus, to build tools to support clinical team in situ information sharing, we need a better understanding of how evolving information needs are identified and satisfied. In this study, we used sequential analysis techniques to explore the ways communication and information sharing events between an attending surgeon and a resident change throughout a laparoscopic surgery. We demonstrate how common ground is developed and maintained, and how information needs change through the efforts of grounding. From our findings, we suggest that the design for information display systems could encourage communication and support the articulation work that is necessary to accomplish the information sharing. PMID:28269936

Reduction of display artifacts by random sampling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahumada, A. J., Jr.; Nagel, D. C.; Watson, A. B.; Yellott, J. I., Jr.

1983-01-01

The application of random-sampling techniques to remove visible artifacts (such as flicker, moire patterns, and paradoxical motion) introduced in TV-type displays by discrete sequential scanning is discussed and demonstrated. Sequential-scanning artifacts are described; the window of visibility defined in spatiotemporal frequency space by Watson and Ahumada (1982 and 1983) and Watson et al. (1983) is explained; the basic principles of random sampling are reviewed and illustrated by the case of the human retina; and it is proposed that the sampling artifacts can be replaced by random noise, which can then be shifted to frequency-space regions outside the window of visibility. Vertical sequential, single-random-sequence, and continuously renewed random-sequence plotting displays generating 128 points at update rates up to 130 Hz are applied to images of stationary and moving lines, and best results are obtained with the single random sequence for the stationary lines and with the renewed random sequence for the moving lines.

Supporting Common Ground Development in the Operation Room through Information Display Systems.

PubMed

Feng, Yuanyuan; Mentis, Helena M

2016-01-01

Effective information sharing is crucial for clinical team coordination. Most information display systems have been designed to replace verbal communication. However, information may not be available for capture before a communication event and information needs often become clear and evident through an evolving discourse. Thus, to build tools to support clinical team in situ information sharing, we need a better understanding of how evolving information needs are identified and satisfied. In this study, we used sequential analysis techniques to explore the ways communication and information sharing events between an attending surgeon and a resident change throughout a laparoscopic surgery. We demonstrate how common ground is developed and maintained, and how information needs change through the efforts of grounding. From our findings, we suggest that the design for information display systems could encourage communication and support the articulation work that is necessary to accomplish the information sharing.

An investigation of the validity of six measures of physical function in people awaiting joint replacement surgery of the hip or knee.

PubMed

Gill, Stephen D; de Morton, Natalie A; Mc Burney, Helen

2012-10-01

To assess and compare the validity of six physical function measures in people awaiting hip or knee joint replacement. Eighty-two people awaiting hip or knee replacement were assessed using six physical function measures including the WOMAC Function scale, SF-36 Physical Function scale, SF-36 Physical Component Summary scale, Patient Specific Functional Scale, 30-second chair stand test, and 50-foot timed walk. Validity was assessed using a head-to-head comparison design. Convergent validity was demonstrated with significant correlations between most measures (Spearman's rho 0.22 to 0.71). The Patient Specific Functional Scale had the lowest correlations with other measures of physical function. Discriminant validity was demonstrated with low correlations between mental health and physical function scores (Spearman's rho -0.12 to 0.33). Only the WOMAC Function scale, 30-second chair stand test, and 50-foot timed walk demonstrated known groups validity when scores for participants who walked with a gait aid were compared with those who did not. Standardized response means and Guyatt's responsiveness indexes indicated that the SF-36 was the least responsive measure. For those awaiting joint replacement surgery of the hip or knee, the current investigation found that the WOMAC Function scale, 30-second chair stand test, and 50-foot timed walk demonstrated the most evidence of validity. The Patient Specific Functional Scale might complement other measures by capturing a different aspect of physical function.

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

The space shuttle Endeavour is seen as workers prepare for the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

An Assessment of the Red Maple Resource in the Northeastern United States

Treesearch

Delton R., Jr. Alderman; Matthew S. Bumgardner; John E. Baumgras; John E. Baumgras

2005-01-01

The red maple resource in the northeastern United States has exhibited dramatic gains in the past 3 decades in terms of stem numbers and net volume. Growing stock and sawtimber volumes have displayed extraordinary growth compared to other species, and red maple is replacing important market species that have historically been used in the Northeast. The increase in red...

Virtual slide telepathology workstation of the future: lessons learned from teleradiology☆

PubMed Central

Krupinski, Elizabeth A.

2013-01-01

Summary The clinical reading environment for the 21st century pathologist looks very different than it did even a few short years ago. Glass slides are quickly being replaced by digital “virtual slides,” and the traditional light microscope is being replaced by the computer display. There are numerous questions that arise however when deciding exactly what this new digital display viewing environment will be like. Choosing a workstation for daily use in the interpretation of digital pathology images can be a very daunting task. Radiology went digital nearly 20 years ago and faced many of the same challenges so there are lessons to be learned from these experiences. One major lesson is that there is no “one size fits all” workstation so users must consider a variety of factors when choosing a workstation. In this article, we summarize some of the potentially critical elements in a pathology workstation and the characteristics one should be aware of and look for in the selection of one. Issues pertaining to both hardware and software aspects of medical workstations will be reviewed particularly as they may impact the interpretation process. PMID:19552939

Cell biology of sarcomeric protein engineering: disease modeling and therapeutic potential.

PubMed

Thompson, Brian R; Metzger, Joseph M

2014-09-01

The cardiac sarcomere is the functional unit for myocyte contraction. Ordered arrays of sarcomeric proteins, held in stoichiometric balance with each other, respond to calcium to coordinate contraction and relaxation of the heart. Altered sarcomeric structure-function underlies the primary basis of disease in multiple acquired and inherited heart disease states. Hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies are caused by inherited mutations in sarcomeric genes and result in altered contractility. Ischemia-mediated acidosis directly alters sarcomere function resulting in decreased contractility. In this review, we highlight the use of acute genetic engineering of adult cardiac myocytes through stoichiometric replacement of sarcomeric proteins in these disease states with particular focus on cardiac troponin I. Stoichiometric replacement of disease causing mutations has been instrumental in defining the molecular mechanisms of hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy in a cellular context. In addition, taking advantage of stoichiometric replacement through gene therapy is discussed, highlighting the ischemia-resistant histidine-button, A164H cTnI. Stoichiometric replacement of sarcomeric proteins offers a potential gene therapy avenue to replace mutant proteins, alter sarcomeric responses to pathophysiologic insults, or neutralize altered sarcomeric function in disease. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Clinical study on patellar replacement in total knee arthroplasty].

PubMed

Bao, Liang; Gao, Zhihui; Shi, Xiaoqiang; Fang, Xiaomin; Jin, Qunhua

2013-01-01

To evaluate the influence of patellar replacement on total knee arthroplasty by comparing with non patellar replacement. Between September 2010 and November 2010, 63 patients (63 knees) with osteoarthritis who met the selection criteria and underwent total knee arthroplasty, were randomly divided into 2 groups: patellar replacement in 32 cases (replacement group), non patellar replacement in 31 cases (non patellar replacement group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, disease duration, osteoarthritis grading, the clinical and functional scores of American Knee Society Score (KSS), the patellar tilt angle, tibiofemoral angle, and patellar ligament ratio between 2 groups (P > 0.05), they were comparable. After 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months of operation, clinical and imaging evaluation methods were used to assessment the effectiveness. Primary healing of incision was obtained in all patients of 2 groups. Deep venous thrombosis occurred in 6 cases of replacement group and in 8 cases of non patellar replacement group. All patients were followed up 12 months. The postoperative incidence of anterior knee pain in replacement group was significantly lower than that in non patellar replacement group (P < 0.05) at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation. No significant difference was found in the postoperative KSS clinical score between 2 groups at each time point (P > 0.05). The joint function score of the replacement group was significantly higher than that of the non patellar replacement group at the other time point (P < 0.05) except the score at 6 weeks and 3 months. Significant difference was found in the patella score between 2 groups at 12 months (P < 0.05), but no significant difference at the other time points (P > 0.05). X-ray film showed no patellar fracture and dislocation, or loosening and breakage of internal fixation. At 12 months after operation, the tibiofemoral angle, the patellar ligament ratio, and the patellar tilt angle showed no significant difference between 2 groups (P > 0.05). Patella replacement can improve knee function score and the patella score, and reduce the incidence of postoperative anterior knee pain.

Software Support during a Control Room Upgrade

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

Michele Joyce; Michael Spata; Thomas Oren

2005-09-21

In 2004, after 14 years of accelerator operations and commissioning, Jefferson Lab renovated its main control room. Changes in technology and lessons learned during those 14 years drove the control room redesign in a new direction, one that optimizes workflow and makes critical information and controls available to everyone in the control room. Fundamental changes in a variety of software applications were required to facilitate the new operating paradigm. A critical component of the new control room design is a large-format video wall that is used to make a variety of operating information available to everyone in the room. Analogmore » devices such as oscilloscopes and function generators are now displayed on the video wall through two crosspoint switchers: one for analog signals and another for video signals. A new software GUI replaces manual configuration of the oscilloscopes and function generators and helps automate setup. Monitoring screens, customized for the video wall, now make important operating information visible to everyone, not just a single operator. New alarm handler software gives any operator, on any workstation, access to all alarm handler functionality, and multiple users can now contribute to a single electronic logbook entry. To further support the shift to distributed access and control, many applications have been redesigned to run on servers instead of on individual workstations.« less

Functional Requirements for Fab-7 Boundary Activity in the Bithorax Complex.

PubMed

Wolle, Daniel; Cleard, Fabienne; Aoki, Tsutomu; Deshpande, Girish; Schedl, Paul; Karch, Francois

2015-11-01

Chromatin boundaries are architectural elements that determine the three-dimensional folding of the chromatin fiber and organize the chromosome into independent units of genetic activity. The Fab-7 boundary from the Drosophila bithorax complex (BX-C) is required for the parasegment-specific expression of the Abd-B gene. We have used a replacement strategy to identify sequences that are necessary and sufficient for Fab-7 boundary function in the BX-C. Fab-7 boundary activity is known to depend on factors that are stage specific, and we describe a novel ∼700-kDa complex, the late boundary complex (LBC), that binds to Fab-7 sequences that have insulator functions in late embryos and adults. We show that the LBC is enriched in nuclear extracts from late, but not early, embryos and that it contains three insulator proteins, GAF, Mod(mdg4), and E(y)2. Its DNA binding properties are unusual in that it requires a minimal sequence of >65 bp; however, other than a GAGA motif, the three Fab-7 LBC recognition elements display few sequence similarities. Finally, we show that mutations which abrogate LBC binding in vitro inactivate the Fab-7 boundary in the BX-C. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Automated system function allocation and display format: Task information processing requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Czerwinski, Mary P.

1993-01-01

An important consideration when designing the interface to an intelligent system concerns function allocation between the system and the user. The display of information could be held constant, or 'fixed', leaving the user with the task of searching through all of the available information, integrating it, and classifying the data into a known system state. On the other hand, the system, based on its own intelligent diagnosis, could display only relevant information in order to reduce the user's search set. The user would still be left the task of perceiving and integrating the data and classifying it into the appropriate system state. Finally, the system could display the patterns of data. In this scenario, the task of integrating the data is carried out by the system, and the user's information processing load is reduced, leaving only the tasks of perception and classification of the patterns of data. Humans are especially adept at this form of display processing. Although others have examined the relative effectiveness of alphanumeric and graphical display formats, it is interesting to reexamine this issue together with the function allocation problem. Currently, Johnson Space Center is the test site for an intelligent Thermal Control System (TCS), TEXSYS, being tested for use with Space Station Freedom. Expert TCS engineers, as well as novices, were asked to classify several displays of TEXSYS data into various system states (including nominal and anomalous states). Three different display formats were used: fixed, subset, and graphical. The hypothesis tested was that the graphical displays would provide for fewer errors and faster classification times by both experts and novices, regardless of the kind of system state represented within the display. The subset displays were hypothesized to be the second most effective display format/function allocation condition, based on the fact that the search set is reduced in these displays. Both the subset and the graphic display conditions were hypothesized to be processed more efficiently than the fixed display conditions.

Structural and functional characterization of phosphomimetic mutants of cytochrome c at threonine 28 and serine 47.

PubMed

Guerra-Castellano, Alejandra; Díaz-Moreno, Irene; Velázquez-Campoy, Adrián; De la Rosa, Miguel A; Díaz-Quintana, Antonio

2016-04-01

Protein function is frequently modulated by post-translational modifications of specific residues. Cytochrome c, in particular, is phosphorylated in vivo at threonine 28 and serine 47. However, the effect of such modifications on the physiological functions of cytochrome c - namely, the transfer of electrons in the respiratory electron transport chain and the triggering of programmed cell death - is still unknown. Here we replace each of these two residues by aspartate, in order to mimic phosphorylation, and report the structural and functional changes in the resulting cytochrome c variants. We find that the T28D mutant causes a 30-mV decrease on the midpoint redox potential and lowers the affinity for the distal site of Arabidopsis thaliana cytochrome c1 in complex III. Both the T28D and S47D variants display a higher efficiency as electron donors for the cytochrome c oxidase activity of complex IV. In both protein mutants, the peroxidase activity is significantly higher, which is related to the ability of cytochrome c to leave the mitochondria and reach the cytoplasm. We also find that both mutations at serine 47 (S47D and S47A) impair the ability of cytoplasmic cytochrome c to activate the caspases cascade, which is essential for triggering programmed cell death. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association Between Age of Beginning Primary School and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Gökçe, Sebla; Yazgan, Yanki; Ayaz, Ayşe Burcu; Kayan, Esengül; Yusufoğlu, Canan; Carkaxhiu Bulut, Gresa; Aslan Genç, Herdem; Dedeoğlu, Ceyda; Demirhan, Seçil; Sancak, Arzu; Saridoğan, Gökçe Elif

2017-01-01

In April 2012, the Turkish national education system was modified, and the compulsory school age of entry (first grade) was redefined as a minimum of 60 months and a maximum of 66 months (replacing the former minimum criterion of 72 months). In this study, we hypothesized that students starting school before 72 months (the previous age standard for the first grade) may experience (1) a greater number of symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and (2) lower functioning in social, behavioral, and academic domains. We performed a cross-sectional community-based study in the first and second grades of all primary schools (4356 students) located in the Kadıköy county of Istanbul, Turkey. Teachers completed Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham version IV and Conners' Teacher's report forms for symptoms of ADHD, the Perceived Competence Scale for functioning, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Among first graders, the group that began primary school before the age of 72 months had a higher ADHD prevalence than both of the groups that began primary school between the ages of 72 to 77 months and 78 to 83 months (p < .001 for both groups). ADHD symptoms diminished and academic, social, and behavioral functioning improved with age for the first and second grade students. The probability of displaying ADHD symptoms (and caseness) is greater among the "earlier" beginners, whereas the "conventional" classmates exhibited better academic, social, and behavioral functioning.

Cellulosome-based, Clostridium-derived multi-functional enzyme complexes for advanced biotechnology tool development: advances and applications.

PubMed

Hyeon, Jeong Eun; Jeon, Sang Duck; Han, Sung Ok

2013-11-01

The cellulosome is one of nature's most elegant and elaborate nanomachines and a key biological and biotechnological macromolecule that can be used as a multi-functional protein complex tool. Each protein module in the cellulosome system is potentially useful in an advanced biotechnology application. The high-affinity interactions between the cohesin and dockerin domains can be used in protein-based biosensors to improve both sensitivity and selectivity. The scaffolding protein includes a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) that attaches strongly to cellulose substrates and facilitates the purification of proteins fused with the dockerin module through a one-step CBM purification method. Although the surface layer homology (SLH) domain of CbpA is not present in other strains, replacement of the cell surface anchoring domain allows a foreign protein to be displayed on the surface of other strains. The development of a hydrolysis enzyme complex is a useful strategy for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), enabling microorganisms with biomass hydrolysis activity. Thus, the development of various configurations of multi-functional protein complexes for use as tools in whole-cell biocatalyst systems has drawn considerable attention as an attractive strategy for bioprocess applications. This review provides a detailed summary of the current achievements in Clostridium-derived multi-functional complex development and the impact of these complexes in various areas of biotechnology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Treatment with specific soluble factors promotes the functional maturation of transcription factor-mediated, pancreatic transdifferentiated cells.

PubMed

Motoyama, Hiroaki; Kobayashi, Akira; Yokoyama, Takahide; Shimizu, Akira; Sakai, Hiroshi; Notake, Tsuyoshi; Fukushima, Kentaro; Miyagawa, Shin-Ichi

2018-01-01

Pancreatic lineage-specific transcription factors (TFs) display instructive roles in converting adult cells to endocrine pancreatic cells through a process known as transdifferentiation. However, little is known about potential factors capable of accelerating transdifferentiation following transduction to achieve the functional maturation of transdifferentiated cells. In this study, we demonstrated, using adult liver-derived progenitor cells, that soluble factors utilized in pancreatic differentiation protocols of pluripotent stem cells promote functional maturation of TFs-mediated transdifferentiated cells. Treatment with an N2 supplement in combination with three soluble factors (glucagon-like peptide-1 [GLP-1] receptor agonist, notch inhibitor, and transforming growth factor-β [TGF-β] inhibitor) enhanced liver-to-pancreas transdifferentiation based on the following findings: i) the incidence of c-peptide-positive cells increased by approximately 1.2-fold after the aforementioned treatment; ii) the c-peptide expression level in the treated cells increased by approximately 12-fold as compared with the level in the untreated cells; iii) the treated cells secreted insulin in a glucose-dependent manner, whereas the untreated cells did not; and iv) transplantation of treated-transdifferentiated cells into streptozotocin-induced immunodeficient diabetic mice led to the amelioration of hyperglycemia. These results suggest that treatment with specific soluble factors promotes the functional maturation of transdifferentiated cells. Our findings could facilitate the development of new modalities for cell-replacement therapy for patients with diabetes.

Species replacement by a nonnative salmonid alters ecosystem function by reducing prey subsidies that support riparian spiders

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benjamin, J.R.; Fausch, K.D.; Baxter, C.V.

2011-01-01

Replacement of a native species by a nonnative can have strong effects on ecosystem function, such as altering nutrient cycling or disturbance frequency. Replacements may cause shifts in ecosystem function because nonnatives establish at different biomass, or because they differ from native species in traits like foraging behavior. However, no studies have compared effects of wholesale replacement of a native by a nonnative species on subsidies that support consumers in adjacent habitats, nor quantified the magnitude of these effects. We examined whether streams invaded by nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in two regions of the Rocky Mountains, USA, produced fewer emerging adult aquatic insects compared to paired streams with native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii), and whether riparian spiders that depend on these prey were less abundant along streams with lower total insect emergence. As predicted, emergence density was 36% lower from streams with the nonnative fish. Biomass of brook trout was higher than the cutthroat trout they replaced, but even after accounting for this difference, emergence was 24% lower from brook trout streams. More riparian spiders were counted along streams with greater total emergence across the water surface. Based on these results, we predicted that brook trout replacement would result in 6-20% fewer spiders in the two regions. When brook trout replace cutthroat trout, they reduce cross-habitat resource subsidies and alter ecosystem function in stream-riparian food webs, not only owing to increased biomass but also because traits apparently differ from native cutthroat trout. ?? 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Selective hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane catalyzed by trace Pd decorated Ag/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by galvanic replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jingya; Han, Yuxiang; Fu, Heyun; Wan, Haiqin; Xu, Zhaoyi; Zheng, Shourong

2018-01-01

Ag catalysts decorated by trace Pd supported on γ-Al2O3 with different structure and chemical properties were prepared using a combined impregnation and galvanic replacement method. For comparison, monometallic Ag/γ-Al2O3 and Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using the impregnation method. Gas-phase catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane to ethylene was investigated on those catalysts. The structures and chemical compositions of bimetallic Pd-Ag particles in the catalysts were controlled by adjusting Pd replacement amount. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and in-situ FTIR spectroscopy of CO adsorption. The results demonstrated that contiguous Pd sites dominated in the monometallic Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalyst, while Pd atoms were separately decorated on the surface of Ag particles in the bimetallic Pd-Ag/γ-Al2O3 catalysts when Pd replacement amount was below 0.30 wt.%. At Pd replacement amount of 0.30 wt.%, Pd ensembles with contiguous Pd sites developed in the bimetallic catalyst. Thus, monometallic Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalyst displayed negligible ethylene selectivity toward the catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane, while bimetallic Pd-Ag/γ-Al2O3 catalyst with a Pd replacement amount of 0.13 wt.% exhibited 94.6% of ethylene selectivity. Furthermore, selectivity to incompletely dechlorinated byproduct chloroethylene decreased with Pd replacement amount, due to the enhanced decoration effect of Pd on large Ag ensembles. Findings in this work provide a promising bimetallic catalyst prepared by galvanic replacement for the selective catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane.

Display nonlinearity in digital image processing for visual communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peli, Eli

1992-11-01

The luminance emitted from a cathode ray tube (CRT) display is a nonlinear function (the gamma function) of the input video signal voltage. In most analog video systems, compensation for this nonlinear transfer function is implemented in the camera amplifiers. When CRT displays are used to present psychophysical stimuli in vision research, the specific display nonlinearity usually is measured and accounted for to ensure that the luminance of each pixel in the synthetic image property represents the intended value. However, when using digital image processing, the linear analog-to-digital converters store a digital image that is nonlinearly related to the displayed or recorded image. The effect of this nonlinear transformation on a variety of image-processing applications used in visual communications is described.

Display nonlinearity in digital image processing for visual communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peli, Eli

1991-11-01

The luminance emitted from a cathode ray tube, (CRT) display is a nonlinear function (the gamma function) of the input video signal voltage. In most analog video systems, compensation for this nonlinear transfer function is implemented in the camera amplifiers. When CRT displays are used to present psychophysical stimuli in vision research, the specific display nonlinearity usually is measured and accounted for to ensure that the luminance of each pixel in the synthetic image properly represents the intended value. However, when using digital image processing, the linear analog-to-digital converters store a digital image that is nonlinearly related to the displayed or recorded image. This paper describes the effect of this nonlinear transformation on a variety of image-processing applications used in visual communications.

A new dynamic tactile display for reconfigurable braille: implementation and tests.

PubMed

Motto Ros, Paolo; Dante, Vittorio; Mesin, Luca; Petetti, Erminio; Del Giudice, Paolo; Pasero, Eros

2014-01-01

Different tactile interfaces have been proposed to represent either text (braille) or, in a few cases, tactile large-area screens as replacements for visual displays. None of the implementations so far can be customized to match users' preferences, perceptual differences and skills. Optimal choices in these respects are still debated; we approach a solution by designing a flexible device allowing the user to choose key parameters of tactile transduction. We present here a new dynamic tactile display, a 8 × 8 matrix of plastic pins based on well-established and reliable piezoelectric technology to offer high resolution (pin gap 0.7mm) as well as tunable strength of the pins displacement, and refresh rate up to 50s(-1). It can reproduce arbitrary patterns, allowing it to serve the dual purpose of providing, depending on contingent user needs, tactile rendering of non-character information, and reconfigurable braille rendering. Given the relevance of the latter functionality for the expected average user, we considered testing braille encoding by volunteers a benchmark of primary importance. Tests were performed to assess the acceptance and usability with minimal training, and to check whether the offered flexibility was indeed perceived by the subject as an added value compared to conventional braille devices. Different mappings between braille dots and actual tactile pins were implemented to match user needs. Performances of eight experienced braille readers were defined as the fraction of correct identifications of rendered content. Different information contents were tested (median performance on random strings, words, sentences identification was about 75%, 85%, 98%, respectively, with a significant increase, p < 0.01), obtaining statistically significant improvements in performance during the tests (p < 0.05). Experimental results, together with qualitative ratings provided by the subjects, show a good acceptance and the effectiveness of the proposed solution.

A new dynamic tactile display for reconfigurable braille: implementation and tests

PubMed Central

Motto Ros, Paolo; Dante, Vittorio; Mesin, Luca; Petetti, Erminio; Del Giudice, Paolo; Pasero, Eros

2014-01-01

Different tactile interfaces have been proposed to represent either text (braille) or, in a few cases, tactile large-area screens as replacements for visual displays. None of the implementations so far can be customized to match users' preferences, perceptual differences and skills. Optimal choices in these respects are still debated; we approach a solution by designing a flexible device allowing the user to choose key parameters of tactile transduction. We present here a new dynamic tactile display, a 8 × 8 matrix of plastic pins based on well-established and reliable piezoelectric technology to offer high resolution (pin gap 0.7mm) as well as tunable strength of the pins displacement, and refresh rate up to 50s−1. It can reproduce arbitrary patterns, allowing it to serve the dual purpose of providing, depending on contingent user needs, tactile rendering of non-character information, and reconfigurable braille rendering. Given the relevance of the latter functionality for the expected average user, we considered testing braille encoding by volunteers a benchmark of primary importance. Tests were performed to assess the acceptance and usability with minimal training, and to check whether the offered flexibility was indeed perceived by the subject as an added value compared to conventional braille devices. Different mappings between braille dots and actual tactile pins were implemented to match user needs. Performances of eight experienced braille readers were defined as the fraction of correct identifications of rendered content. Different information contents were tested (median performance on random strings, words, sentences identification was about 75%, 85%, 98%, respectively, with a significant increase, p < 0.01), obtaining statistically significant improvements in performance during the tests (p < 0.05). Experimental results, together with qualitative ratings provided by the subjects, show a good acceptance and the effectiveness of the proposed solution. PMID:24782756

Formation of a successional dental lamina in the zebrafish (Danio rerio): support for a local control of replacement tooth initiation.

PubMed

Huysseune, Ann

2006-01-01

In order to test whether the formation of a replacement tooth bud in a continuously replacing dentition is linked to the functional state of the tooth predecessor, I examined the timing of development of replacement teeth with respect to their functional predecessors in the pharyngeal dentition of the zebrafish. Observations based on serial semithin sections of ten specimens, ranging in age from four week old juveniles to adults, indicate that (i) a replacement tooth germ develops at the distal end of an epithelial structure, called the successional dental lamina, budding off from the crypt epithelium surrounding the erupted part of a functional tooth; (ii) there appears to be a developmental link between the eruption of a tooth and the formation of a successional dental lamina and (iii) there can be a time difference between successional lamina formation and initiation of the new tooth germ, i.e., the successional dental lamina can remain quiescent for some time. The data suggest that the formation of a successional lamina and the differentiation of a replacement tooth germ from this lamina, are two distinct phases of a process and possibly under a different control. The strong spatio-temporal coincidence of eruption of a tooth and development of a successional dental lamina is seen as evidence for a local control over tooth replacement.

LCS Master Console Event Message Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Uyen

2014-01-01

System monitoring and control (SMC) message browsers receive so many messages daily that operators are unable to keep track all of them. Important messages are often mixed up among the less important ones. My job is to reduce the messages so that warning and emergency messages can be seen easily and therefore, responded promptly. There are multiple methods to achieve this. Firstly, messages that look the same should not appear many times in the message browser. Instead, the message should appear only once but with a number that counts the times that it appears. This method is called duplicate message suppression. Messages that display "normal" or "advisory" alarm level should be suppressed. Secondly, messages that update the most recent status of a system should replace the old-status messages. This method is called state based message correlation. Thirdly, some unnecessary messages should be sent straight to history after being displayed or not displayed at all. For an example, normal messages that are not a response to an operator's action should not be displayed. I also work on fixing messages that are not color-coded and formatted properly.

Architectural design of deep metallic sub-wavelength grating for practical holography display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, WenLiang; Shen, Chuan; Zhang, MingHua; Wei, Sui; Wang, XiangXiang; Wang, Ye

2017-10-01

Spatial light modulator (SLM) is the core device of holographic display, which requires a large space-bandwidth product (SBP), especially needing a wide viewing angle. According to the grating theory, the scale of the holographic display unit should be close to the wavelength of light. The transmission resonances of deep metallic sub-wavelength grating structure, which is produced by the surface plasmon and Fabry-Perot (FP) resonance based on metal grating phenomenon of Wood's anomaly, especially the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure provides a theoretical and effective technique for enhancing the reflection resonances and can be used for implementing the holographic display unit technology. In this paper, we replace the top electrode layer of the LCOS with a metallic deep sub-wavelength grating structure and change the grating period, slit width and spacer thickness. The simulation results by aid of CST software are given, which demonstrate that the improved device with dielectric medium parameter within liquid crystal refractive rate range (1.4 1.7) can reach 0 to 2π phase modulation in the visible wavelength range. Moreover, it also decrease the difficulty of device processing.

Ribosomal Protein Rps26 Influences 80S Ribosome Assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PubMed Central

Belyy, Alexander; Levanova, Nadezhda; Tabakova, Irina; Rospert, Sabine

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The eukaryotic ribosome consists of a small (40S) and a large (60S) subunit. Rps26 is one of the essential ribosomal proteins of the 40S subunit and is encoded by two almost identical genes, RPS26a and RPS26b. Previous studies demonstrated that Rps26 interacts with the 5′ untranslated region of mRNA via the eukaryote-specific 62-YXXPKXYXK-70 (Y62–K70) motif. Those observations suggested that this peptide within Rps26 might play an important and specific role during translation initiation. By using alanine-scanning mutagenesis and engineered strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we found that single amino acid substitutions within the Y62–K70 motif of Rps26 did not affect the in vivo function of the protein. In contrast, complete deletion of the Y62–K70 segment was lethal. The simultaneous replacement of five conserved residues within the Y62–K70 segment by alanines resulted in growth defects under stress conditions and produced distinct changes in polysome profiles that were indicative of the accumulation of free 60S subunits. Human Rps26 (Rps26-Hs), which displays significant homology with yeast Rps26, supported the growth of an S. cerevisiae Δrps26a Δrps26b strain. However, the Δrps26a Δrps26b double deletion strain expressing Rps26-Hs displayed substantial growth defects and an altered ratio of 40S/60S ribosomal subunits. The combined data strongly suggest that the eukaryote-specific motif within Rps26 does not play a specific role in translation initiation. Rather, the data indicate that Rps26 as a whole is necessary for proper assembly of the 40S subunit and the 80S ribosome in yeast. IMPORTANCE Rps26 is an essential protein of the eukaryotic small ribosomal subunit. Previous experiments demonstrated an interaction between the eukaryote-specific Y62–K70 segment of Rps26 and the 5′ untranslated region of mRNA. The data suggested a specific role of the Y62–K70 motif during translation initiation. Here, we report that single-site substitutions within the Y62–K70 peptide did not affect the growth of engineered yeast strains, arguing against its having a critical role during translation initiation via specific interactions with the 5′ untranslated region of mRNA molecules. Only the simultaneous replacement of five conserved residues within the Y62–K70 fragment or the replacement of the yeast protein with the human homolog resulted in growth defects and caused significant changes in polysome profiles. The results expand our knowledge of ribosomal protein function and suggest a role of Rps26 during ribosome assembly in yeast. PMID:27303706

The dominant role of side chains in supramolecular double helical organisation in synthetic tripeptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Ankita; Tiwari, Priyanka; Dutt Konar, Anita

2018-06-01

Peptide self-assembled nanostructures have attracted attention recently owing to their promising applications in diversified avenues. To validate the importance of sidechains in supramolecular architectural stabilization, herein this report describes the self-assembly propensities involving weak interactions in a series of model tripeptides Boc-Xaa-Aib-Yaa-OMe I-IV, (where Xaa = 4-F-Phe/NMeSer/Ile & Yaa = Tyr in peptide I-III respectively and Xaa = 4-F-Phe & Yaa = Ile in peptide IV) differing in terminal side chains. The solid state structural analysis reveals that tripeptide (I) displays supramolecular preference for double helical architecture. However, when slight modification has been introduced in the N-terminal side chains disfavour the double helical organisation (Peptide II and III). Indeed the peptides display sheet like ensemble within the framework. Besides replacement of C-terminal Tyr by Ile in peptide I even do not promote the architecture, emphasizing the dominant role of balance of side chains in stabilizing double helical organisation. The CD measurements, concentration dependant studies, NMR titrations and ROESY spectra are well in agreement with the solid state conformational investigation. Moreover the morphological experiments utilizing FE-SEM, support the heterogeneity present in the peptides. Thus this work may not only hold future promise in understanding the structure and function of neurodegenerative diseases but also assist in rational design of protein modification in biologically active peptides.

First-principles study of the electronic properties and discharge profile of AgNa(VO2F2)2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onoue, Masatoshi; Trimarchi, Giancarlo; Freeman, Arthur J.

2014-03-01

Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) require batteries with high capacities and high discharge rates to ensure the optimal operation of the device over several years. Ag2V4O11 has been a cathode material of choice for the ICDs owing to its high capacity and fast rate of electronic discharge. To reduce ICD size and improve ICD performance, a new cathode material would need to display a higher volumetric capacity and redox potential. Recently, the new cathode compound AgNa(VO2F2)2 (SSVOF) was synthesized and displayed favorable voltage for sodium-ion batteries. However, the discharge reaction has been unclear. In this presentation, we study the discharge reaction of SSVOF through DFT calculations. All calculations are performed within the PAW method using the GGA and GGA + U functionals. Among several possible reactions, we focus on the reaction Ag X + A --> AX + Ag, where X is Na(VO2F2)2 and A is Li or Na. In this reaction, the discharge occurs by replacing Ag with A. The calculated discharge potential for Li is 3.3 V in GGA and 2.9 V in GGA + U and that for Na is 3.1 V in GGA and 2.8 V in GGA + U . These values are consistent with the experimental ones. Supported by the DOE ER46536 Program.

The Plasmodium serine-type SERA proteases display distinct expression patterns and non-essential in vivo roles during life cycle progression of the malaria parasite.

PubMed

Putrianti, Elyzana D; Schmidt-Christensen, Anja; Arnold, Iris; Heussler, Volker T; Matuschewski, Kai; Silvie, Olivier

2010-06-01

Parasite proteases play key roles in several fundamental steps of the Plasmodium life cycle, including haemoglobin degradation, host cell invasion and parasite egress. Plasmodium exit from infected host cells appears to be mediated by a class of papain-like cysteine proteases called 'serine repeat antigens' (SERAs). A SERA subfamily, represented by Plasmodium falciparum SERA5, contains an atypical active site serine residue instead of a catalytic cysteine. Members of this SERAser subfamily are abundantly expressed in asexual blood stages, rendering them attractive drug and vaccine targets. In this study, we show by antibody localization and in vivo fluorescent tagging with the red fluorescent protein mCherry that the two P. berghei serine-type family members, PbSERA1 and PbSERA2, display differential expression towards the final stages of merozoite formation. Via targeted gene replacement, we generated single and double gene knockouts of the P. berghei SERAser genes. These loss-of-function lines progressed normally through the parasite life cycle, suggesting a specialized, non-vital role for serine-type SERAs in vivo. Parasites lacking PbSERAser showed increased expression of the cysteine-type PbSERA3. Compensatory mechanisms between distinct SERA subfamilies may thus explain the absence of phenotypical defect in SERAser disruptants, and challenge the suitability to develop potent antimalarial drugs based on specific inhibitors of Plasmodium serine-type SERAs.

New Way of Characterizing the State of the Ring Current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, R.; Bao, S.; Gkioulidou, M.; Yang, J.; Toffoletto, F.

2017-12-01

The flux tube entropy S is invariant in ideal MHD and is a good way to characterize the degree to which a closed flux tube is loaded with particle energy. Flux tube entropy generally increases with increasing geocentric distance. A flux tube that is injected from the plasma sheet into the ring current tends to be a bubble that has a lower S value than typical plasma sheet flux tubes, and it tends to penetrate to a position where the surroundings matches its S. From this point of view, a good way to characterize the state of the ring current is through the function dF/dS, which specifies how much magnetic flux is occupied by tubes with different degrees of loading. By displaying dF/dS curves before and during storm main phases simulated with the RCM-E code, we determine that, in the model, the injection of the stormtime ring current consists of replacing pre-storm low-S flux tubes with tubes from the plasma sheet that have a certain limited range of S, which is well below typical plasma-sheet values. We also display dF/dS curves for passes by the Van Allen Probes before and during storm main phases, and compare with the RCM-E-derived curves, to gain insight into the nature of the flux tubes that are injected to form the real storm-time ring current.

Two dimensional eye tracking: Sampling rate of forcing function

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornseth, J. P.; Monk, D. L.; Porterfield, J. L.; Mcmurry, R. L.

1978-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the minimum update rate of a forcing function display required for the operator to approximate the tracking performance obtained on a continuous display. In this study, frequency analysis was used to determine whether there was an associated change in the transfer function characteristics of the operator. It was expected that as the forcing function display update rate was reduced, from 120 to 15 samples per second, the operator's response to the high frequency components of the forcing function would show a decrease in gain, an increase in phase lag, and a decrease in coherence.

The synergistic antimicrobial effects of novel bombinin and bombinin H peptides from the skin secretion of Bombina orientalis.

PubMed

Xiang, Jie; Zhou, Mei; Wu, Yuxin; Chen, Tianbao; Shaw, Chris; Wang, Lei

2017-10-31

Bombinin and bombinin H are two antimicrobial peptide (AMP) families initially discovered from the skin secretion of Bombina that share the same biosynthetic precursor-encoding cDNAs, but have different structures and physicochemical properties. Insight into their possible existing relationship lead us to perform the combination investigations into their anti-infectious activities. In this work, we report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of two novel AMPs belonging to bombinin and bombinin H families from secretions of Bombina orientalis Their mature peptides (BHL-bombinin and bombinin HL), coded by single ORF, were chemically synthesized along with an analogue peptide that replaced L-leucine with D-leucine from the second position of the N-terminus (bombinin HD). CD analysis revealed that all of them displayed well-defined α-helical structures in membrane mimicking environments. Furthermore, BHL-bombinin displayed broad-spectrum bactericidal activities on a wide range of microorganisms, while bombinin H only exhibited a mildly bacteriostatic effect on the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus The combination potency of BHL-bombinin with either bombinin HL or bombinin HD showed the synergistic inhibition activities against S. aureus (fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI): 0.375). A synergistic effect has also been observed between bombinin H and ampicillin, which was further systematically evaluated and confirmed by in vitro time-killing investigations. Haemolytic and cytotoxic examinations exhibited a highly synergistic selectivity and low cytotoxicity on mammalian cells of these three peptides. Taken together, the discovery of the potent synergistic effect of AMPs in a single biosynthetic precursor with superior functional selectivity provides a promising strategy to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens in clinical therapy. © 2017 The Author(s).

Flagellin based biomimetic coatings: From cell-repellent surfaces to highly adhesive coatings.

PubMed

Kovacs, Boglarka; Patko, Daniel; Szekacs, Inna; Orgovan, Norbert; Kurunczi, Sandor; Sulyok, Attila; Khanh, Nguyen Quoc; Toth, Balazs; Vonderviszt, Ferenc; Horvath, Robert

2016-09-15

Biomimetic coatings with cell-adhesion-regulating functionalities are intensively researched today. For example, cell-based biosensing for drug development, biomedical implants, and tissue engineering require that the surface adhesion of living cells is well controlled. Recently, we have shown that the bacterial flagellar protein, flagellin, adsorbs through its terminal segments to hydrophobic surfaces, forming an oriented monolayer and exposing its variable D3 domain to the solution. Here, we hypothesized that this nanostructured layer is highly cell-repellent since it mimics the surface of the flagellar filaments. Moreover, we proposed flagellin as a carrier molecule to display the cell-adhesive RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) peptide sequence and induce cell adhesion on the coated surface. The D3 domain of flagellin was replaced with one or more RGD motifs linked by various oligopeptides modulating flexibility and accessibility of the inserted segment. The obtained flagellin variants were applied to create surface coatings inducing cell adhesion and spreading to different levels, while wild-type flagellin was shown to form a surface layer with strong anti-adhesive properties. As reference surfaces synthetic polymers were applied which have anti-adhesive (PLL-g-PEG poly(l-lysine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)) or adhesion inducing properties (RGD-functionalized PLL-g-PEG). Quantitative adhesion data was obtained by employing optical biochips and microscopy. Cell-adhesion-regulating coatings can be simply formed on hydrophobic surfaces by using the developed flagellin-based constructs. The developed novel RGD-displaying flagellin variants can be easily obtained by bacterial production and can serve as alternatives to create cell-adhesion-regulating biomimetic coatings. In the present work, we show for the first time that. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recurrent pannus formation causing prosthetic aortic valve dysfunction: Is excision without valve re-replacement applicable?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Prosthetic valve dysfunction at aortic position is commonly caused by pannus formation. The exact etiology is not known. It arises from ventricular aspect of the prosthesis encroaching its leaflets causing stenosis or it may remain localized causing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction without affecting valve function. The difference in location entails different approaches in management. Such a pathology requires surgical excision of the pannus with or without valve re-replacement. A recurrent pannus was observed in a female patient who needed repeated surgical intervention to excise a localized pannus without re-replacement of a well functioning prosthetic valve. Management of our case presents several questions, whether recurrence of pannus is caused by sparing the prosthetic valve, is it simply an exaggeration of an inflammatory healing process in certain individuals or is it ideal to re-replace the valve despite a well preserved function. PMID:22747790

Recurrent pannus formation causing prosthetic aortic valve dysfunction: is excision without valve re-replacement applicable?

PubMed

Darwazah, Ahmad K

2012-06-29

Prosthetic valve dysfunction at aortic position is commonly caused by pannus formation. The exact etiology is not known. It arises from ventricular aspect of the prosthesis encroaching its leaflets causing stenosis or it may remain localized causing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction without affecting valve function.The difference in location entails different approaches in management. Such a pathology requires surgical excision of the pannus with or without valve re-replacement.A recurrent pannus was observed in a female patient who needed repeated surgical intervention to excise a localized pannus without re-replacement of a well functioning prosthetic valve.Management of our case presents several questions, whether recurrence of pannus is caused by sparing the prosthetic valve, is it simply an exaggeration of an inflammatory healing process in certain individuals or is it ideal to re-replace the valve despite a well preserved function.

Autotransplantation of a mandibular third molar: a case report with 5 years of follow-up.

PubMed

Chagas e Silva, Mauro Henrique; Lacerda, Mariane Floriano Lopes Santos; Chaves, Maria das Graças Afonso Miranda; Campos, Celso Neiva

2013-01-01

This paper describes the autologous transplantation of a mandibular right third molar to replace the residual roots of the second molar in the same quadrant, preserving function and aesthetics. A 5-year clinical and radiographic follow-up was undertaken. After transplantation, the donor tooth received endodontic treatment and placement of calcium hydroxide, which was periodically replaced every 3 months until the filling of the root canals, totalizing a period of 1-year, when apical closure was confirmed. The tooth was in perfect functional and aesthetic conditions 5 years after beginning of treatment. Autotransplantation is a feasible option for replacing missing teeth when a donor tooth is available. The autotransplantation of a right mandibular third molar with compromised function and aesthetics to replace the residual roots resulting from coronal destruction due to extensive carious lesion of the second molar in the same quadrant was a viable treatment alternative.

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Functional replacement of real property in public ownership. 710.509 Section 710.509 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.509...

A search for new glucophores by isosteric replacement of carboxylic function.

PubMed

Polański, J; Jarzembek, K; Łysiak, V

2000-11-01

We used arylsulfonylalkanoic acids as parent structures for designing new potential sweeteners. The Kohonen maps of the molecular electrostatic potential of the possible bioisosteric replacements of carboxylic function have been simulated and used for the selection of the potential synthetic targets which are now under synthesis.

Single crystalline thin films as a novel class of electrocatalysts

DOE PAGES

Snyder, Joshua; Markovic, Nenad; Stamenkovic, Vojislav

2013-01-01

The ubiquitous use of single crystal metal electrodes has garnered invaluable insight into the relationship between surface atomic structure and functional electrochemical properties. But, the sensitivity of their electrochemical response to surface orientation and the amount of precious metal required can limit their use. We present here a generally applicable procedure for producing thin metal films with a large proportion of atomically flat (111) terraces without the use of an epitaxial template. Thermal annealing in a controlled atmosphere induces long-range ordering of magnetron sputtered thin metal films deposited on an amorphous substrate. The ordering transition in these thin metal filmsmore » yields characteristic (111) electrochemical signatures with minimal amount of material and provides an adequate replacement for oriented bulk single crystals. Our procedure can be generalized towards a novel class of practical multimetallic thin film based electrocatalysts with tunable near-surface compositional profile and morphology. Annealing of atomically corrugated sputtered thin film Pt-alloy catalysts yields an atomically smooth structure with highly crystalline, (111)-like ordered and Pt segregated surface that displays superior functional properties, bridging the gap between extended/bulk surfaces and nanoscale systems.« less

Threonine-4 of mammalian RNA polymerase II CTD is targeted by Polo-like kinase 3 and required for transcriptional elongation

PubMed Central

Hintermair, Corinna; Heidemann, Martin; Koch, Frederic; Descostes, Nicolas; Gut, Marta; Gut, Ivo; Fenouil, Romain; Ferrier, Pierre; Flatley, Andrew; Kremmer, Elisabeth; Chapman, Rob D; Andrau, Jean-Christophe; Eick, Dirk

2012-01-01

Eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (Pol II) has evolved an array of heptad repeats with the consensus sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7 at the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the large subunit (Rpb1). Differential phosphorylation of Ser2, Ser5, and Ser7 in the 5′ and 3′ regions of genes coordinates the binding of transcription and RNA processing factors to the initiating and elongating polymerase complexes. Here, we report phosphorylation of Thr4 by Polo-like kinase 3 in mammalian cells. ChIPseq analyses indicate an increase of Thr4-P levels in the 3′ region of genes occurring subsequently to an increase of Ser2-P levels. A Thr4/Ala mutant of Pol II displays a lethal phenotype. This mutant reveals a global defect in RNA elongation, while initiation is largely unaffected. Since Thr4 replacement mutants are viable in yeast we conclude that this amino acid has evolved an essential function(s) in the CTD of Pol II for gene transcription in mammalian cells. PMID:22549466

A Dynamic Competition Simulation for Worldwide Big-size TV Market Using Lotka-Volterra Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wu-Tung Terry; Li, Yiming; Hung, Chih-Young

2009-08-01

Technological innovation is characterized by the substitution of new technologies for full-fledged ones in the development of new products, processes and techniques. Global TV market is seeing a price down-spiral for FPD(Flat Panel Display)-TVs, replacement of CRT by LCD, and consumer's defection to larger screen. The LCD-TV market started in Japan from 2003 and took off globally from 2005. LCD panel production is moving toward larger sizes. In the 35″-39″ size market, the price/performance ratio of LCD-TV is better than that of PDP. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the demand function of worldwide big-size (35″-39″) TVs including LCD and PDP with an explicit consideration of market competition. The demand function was estimated using Lotka-Volterra model, a famous competitive diffusion model. The results exhibit a kind of predator-prey relationship, in which the PDP market was hunted by LCD product. In addition, the coefficients of difference equations of Lotka-Volterra model in this analysis are also used to forecast the future market of the big-size LCD and PDP.

Reduced hematopoietic reserves in DNA interstrand crosslink repair-deficient Ercc1−/− mice

PubMed Central

Prasher, Joanna M; Lalai, Astrid S; Heijmans-Antonissen, Claudia; Ploemacher, Robert E; Hoeijmakers, Jan H J; Touw, Ivo P; Niedernhofer, Laura J

2005-01-01

The ERCC1-XPF heterodimer is a structure-specific endonuclease involved in both nucleotide excision repair and interstrand crosslink repair. Mice carrying a genetic defect in Ercc1 display symptoms suggestive of a progressive, segmental progeria, indicating that disruption of one or both of these DNA damage repair pathways accelerates aging. In the hematopoietic system, there are defined age-associated changes for which the cause is unknown. To determine if DNA repair is critical to prolonged hematopoietic function, hematopoiesis in Ercc1−/− mice was compared to that in young and old wild-type mice. Ercc1−/− mice (3-week-old) exhibited multilineage cytopenia and fatty replacement of bone marrow, similar to old wild-type mice. In addition, the proliferative reserves of hematopoietic progenitors and stress erythropoiesis were significantly reduced in Ercc1−/− mice compared to age-matched controls. These features were not seen in nucleotide excision repair-deficient Xpa−/− mice, but are characteristic of Fanconi anemia, a human cancer syndrome caused by defects in interstrand crosslink repair. These data support the hypothesis that spontaneous interstrand crosslink damage contributes to the functional decline of the hematopoietic system associated with aging. PMID:15692571

Conjugated polymer-titania nanoparticle hybrid films: random lasing action and ultrasensitive detection of explosive vapors.

PubMed

Deng, Changmin; He, Qingguo; He, Chao; Shi, Liqi; Cheng, Jiangong; Lin, Tong

2010-04-08

We have first demonstrated that a random laser action generated by a hybrid film composed of a semiconducting organic polymer (SOP) and TiO(2) nanoparticles can be used to detect 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) vapors. The hybrid film was fabricated by spin-casting SOP solution dispersed with nanosized TiO(2) particles on quartz glass. The SOP in the hybrid film functioned as both the gain medium and the sensory transducer. A random lasing action was observed with a certain pump power when the size (diameter of 50 nm) and concentration (8.9 x 10(12)/cm(3)) of TiO(2) nanoparticles were optimized. Measurements of fluorescence quenching behavior of the hybrid film in TNT vapor atmosphere (10 ppb) showed that attenuated lasing in optically pumped hybrid film displayed a sensitivity to vapors of explosives more than 20 times higher than was observed from spontaneous emission. This phenomenon has been explained with the four-level laser model. Since the sensory transducer used in the hybrid polymer/nanoparticles system could be replaced by other functional materials, the concept developed could be extended to more general domains of chemical or environment detection.

Artefacts of PET/CT images

PubMed Central

Pettinato, C; Nanni, C; Farsad, M; Castellucci, P; Sarnelli, A; Civollani, S; Franchi, R; Fanti, S; Marengo, M; Bergamini, C

2006-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive imaging modality, which is clinically widely used both for diagnosis and accessing therapy response in oncology, cardiology and neurology. Fusing PET and CT images in a single dataset would be useful for physicians who could read the functional and the anatomical aspects of a disease in a single shot. The use of fusion software has been replaced in the last few years by integrated PET/CT systems, which combine a PET and a CT scanner in the same gantry. CT images have the double function to correct PET images for attenuation and can fuse with PET for a better visualization and localization of lesions. The use of CT for attenuation correction yields several advantages in terms of accuracy and patient comfort, but can also introduce several artefacts on PET-corrected images. PET/CT image artefacts are due primarily to metallic implants, respiratory motion, use of contrast media and image truncation. This paper reviews different types artefacts and their correction methods. PET/CT improves image quality and image accuracy. However, to avoid possible pitfalls the simultaneous display of both Computed Tomography Attenuation Corrected (CTAC) and non corrected PET images, side by side with CT images is strongly recommended. PMID:21614340

High-luminance LEDs replace incandescent lamps in new applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, David L.

1997-04-01

The advent of high luminance AlInGaP and InGaN LED technologies has prompted the use of LED devices in new applications formally illuminated by incandescent lamps. The luminous efficiencies of these new LED technologies equals or exceeds that attainable with incandescent sources, with reliability factors that far exceed those of incandescent sources. The need for a highly efficient, dependable, and cost effective replacement for incandescent lamps is being fulfilled with high luminance LED lamps. This paper briefly described some of the new applications incorporating high luminance LED lamps, traffic signals and roadway signs for traffic management, automotive exterior lighting, active matrix and full color displays for commercial advertising, and commercial aircraft panel lighting and military aircraft NVG compatible lighting.

A microprocessor-based system for continuous monitoring of radiation levels around the CERN PS and PSB accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agoritsas, V.; Beck, F.; Benincasa, G. P.; Bovigny, J. P.

1986-06-01

This paper describes a new beam loss monitor system which has been installed in the PS and PSB machines, replacing an earlier system. The new system is controlled by a microprocessor which can operate independently of the accelerator control system, though setting up and central display are usually done remotely, using the standard control system facilities.

Advanced Technology for Portable Personal Visualization.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-01

interactive radiosity . 6 Advanced Technology for Portable Personal Visualization Progress Report January-June 1992 9 2.5 Virtual-Environment Ultrasound...the system, with support for textures, model partitioning, more complex radiosity emitters, and the replacement of model parts with objects from our...model libraries. "* Add real-time, interactive radiosity to the display program on Pixel-Planes 5. "* Move the real-time model mesh-generation to the

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

California Governor Jerry Brown speaks from a podium underneath the space shuttle Endeavour during the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

A police officer is seen underneath the wing of the space shuttle Endeavour during the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa addresses a class of fourth graders during the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Application of computer graphics in the design of custom orthopedic implants.

PubMed

Bechtold, J E

1986-10-01

Implementation of newly developed computer modelling techniques and computer graphics displays and software have greatly aided the orthopedic design engineer and physician in creating a custom implant with good anatomic conformity in a short turnaround time. Further advances in computerized design and manufacturing will continue to simplify the development of custom prostheses and enlarge their niche in the joint replacement market.

Applying Human Factors Evaluation and Design Guidance to a Nuclear Power Plant Digital Control System

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

Thomas Ulrich; Ronald Boring; William Phoenix

2012-08-01

The United States (U.S.) nuclear industry, like similar process control industries, has moved toward upgrading its control rooms. The upgraded control rooms typically feature digital control system (DCS) displays embedded in the panels. These displays gather information from the system and represent that information on a single display surface. In this manner, the DCS combines many previously separate analog indicators and controls into a single digital display, whereby the operators can toggle between multiple windows to monitor and control different aspects of the plant. The design of the DCS depends on the function of the system it monitors, but revolvesmore » around presenting the information most germane to an operator at any point in time. DCSs require a carefully designed human system interface. This report centers on redesigning existing DCS displays for an example chemical volume control system (CVCS) at a U.S. nuclear power plant. The crucial nature of the CVCS, which controls coolant levels and boration in the primary system, requires a thorough human factors evaluation of its supporting DCS. The initial digital controls being developed for the DCSs tend to directly mimic the former analog controls. There are, however, unique operator interactions with a digital vs. analog interface, and the differences have not always been carefully factored in the translation of an analog interface to a replacement DCS. To ensure safety, efficiency, and usability of the emerging DCSs, a human factors usability evaluation was conducted on a CVCS DCS currently being used and refined at an existing U.S. nuclear power plant. Subject matter experts from process control engineering, software development, and human factors evaluated the DCS displays to document potential usability issues and propose design recommendations. The evaluation yielded 167 potential usability issues with the DCS. These issues should not be considered operator performance problems but rather opportunities identified by experts to improve upon the design of the DCS. A set of nine design recommendations was developed to address these potential issues. The design principles addressed the following areas: (1) color, (2) pop-up window structure, (3) navigation, (4) alarms, (5) process control diagram, (6) gestalt grouping, (7) typography, (8) terminology, and (9) data entry. Visuals illustrating the improved DCS displays accompany the design recommendations. These nine design principles serve as the starting point to a planned general DCS style guide that can be used across the U.S. nuclear industry to aid in the future design of effective DCS interfaces.« less

A COTS-Based Replacement Strategy for Aging Avionics Computers

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-12-01

Communication Control Unit. A COTS-Based Replacement Strategy for Aging Avionics Computers COTS Microprocessor Real Time Operating System New Native Code...Native Code Objec ts Native Code Thread Real - Time Operating System Legacy Function x Virtual Component Environment Context Switch Thunk Add-in Replace

High prevalence of iatrogenic hyperthyroidism in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation in an anticoagulation clinic.

PubMed

Krishnan, Sandeep Kumar; Dohrmann, Mary L; Brietzke, Stephen A; Fleming, David A; Flaker, Greg C

2011-01-01

In elderly patients with established atrial fibrillation (AF) who are receiving thyroid replacement, regular testing for thyroid function is often not performed, placing the patient at risk for iatrogenic hyperthyroidism. Of 215 patients followed in an anticoagulation clinic, 41 were receiving thyroid replacement and 15 of these were found to have hyperthyroidism. Eight had documented AF coincident with abnormal thyroid function. In addition, only 22 patients on thyroid replacement had an annual TSH. In conclusion, iatrogenic hyperthyroidism may frequently be missed in AF patients because of inadequate monitoring of serum TSH. Thyroid replacement is common in elderly patients with AF followed in an anticoagulation clinic. Laboratory evidence of hyperthyroidism occurred in 37%, usually in patients with higher doses of thyroid replacement, and often associated with AF. The frequency of iatrogenic hyperthyroidism may be underestimated in patients with AF since many patients who receive thyroid replacement therapy are not monitored regularly with serum TSH.

Membrane Lipid Replacement for chronic illnesses, aging and cancer using oral glycerolphospholipid formulations with fructooligosaccharides to restore phospholipid function in cellular membranes, organelles, cells and tissues.

PubMed

Nicolson, Garth L; Ash, Michael E

2017-09-01

Membrane Lipid Replacement is the use of functional, oral supplements containing mixtures of cell membrane glycerolphospholipids, plus fructooligosaccharides (for protection against oxidative, bile acid and enzymatic damage) and antioxidants, in order to safely replace damaged, oxidized, membrane phospholipids and restore membrane, organelle, cellular and organ function. Defects in cellular and intracellular membranes are characteristic of all chronic medical conditions, including cancer, and normal processes, such as aging. Once the replacement glycerolphospholipids have been ingested, dispersed, complexed and transported, while being protected by fructooligosaccharides and several natural mechanisms, they can be inserted into cell membranes, lipoproteins, lipid globules, lipid droplets, liposomes and other carriers. They are conveyed by the lymphatics and blood circulation to cellular sites where they are endocytosed or incorporated into or transported by cell membranes. Inside cells the glycerolphospholipids can be transferred to various intracellular membranes by lipid globules, liposomes, membrane-membrane contact or by lipid carrier transfer. Eventually they arrive at their membrane destinations due to 'bulk flow' principles, and there they can stimulate the natural removal and replacement of damaged membrane lipids while undergoing further enzymatic alterations. Clinical trials have shown the benefits of Membrane Lipid Replacement in restoring mitochondrial function and reducing fatigue in aged subjects and chronically ill patients. Recently Membrane Lipid Replacement has been used to reduce pain and other symptoms as well as removing hydrophobic chemical contaminants, suggesting that there are additional new uses for this safe, natural medicine supplement. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Lipid Therapy: Drugs Targeting Biomembranes edited by Pablo V. Escribá. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A head-mounted compressive three-dimensional display system with polarization-dependent focus switching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chang-Kun; Moon, Seokil; Lee, Byounghyo; Jeong, Youngmo; Lee, Byoungho

2016-10-01

A head-mounted compressive three-dimensional (3D) display system is proposed by combining polarization beam splitter (PBS), fast switching polarization rotator and micro display with high pixel density. According to the polarization state of the image controlled by polarization rotator, optical path of image in the PBS can be divided into transmitted and reflected components. Since optical paths of each image are spatially separated, it is possible to independently focus both images at different depth positions. Transmitted p-polarized and reflected s-polarized images can be focused by convex lens and mirror, respectively. When the focal lengths of the convex lens and mirror are properly determined, two image planes can be located in intended positions. The geometrical relationship is easily modulated by replacement of the components. The fast switching of polarization realizes the real-time operation of multi-focal image planes with a single display panel. Since it is possible to conserve the device characteristic of single panel, the high image quality, reliability and uniformity can be retained. For generating 3D images, layer images for compressive light field display between two image planes are calculated. Since the display panel with high pixel density is adopted, high quality 3D images are reconstructed. In addition, image degradation by diffraction between physically stacked display panels can be mitigated. Simple optical configuration of the proposed system is implemented and the feasibility of the proposed method is verified through experiments.

Unilateral total hip replacement patients with symptomatic leg length inequality have abnormal hip biomechanics during walking.

PubMed

Li, Junyan; McWilliams, Anthony B; Jin, Zhongmin; Fisher, John; Stone, Martin H; Redmond, Anthony C; Stewart, Todd D

2015-06-01

Symptomatic leg length inequality accounts for 8.7% of total hip replacement related claims made against the UK National Health Service Litigation authority. It has not been established whether symptomatic leg length inequality patients following total hip replacement have abnormal hip kinetics during gait. Hip kinetics in 15 unilateral total hip replacement patients with symptomatic leg length inequality during gait was determined through multibody dynamics and compared to 15 native hip healthy controls and 15 'successful' asymptomatic unilateral total hip replacement patients. More significant differences from normal were found in symptomatic leg length inequality patients than in asymptomatic total hip replacement patients. The leg length inequality patients had altered functions defined by lower gait velocity, reduced stride length, reduced ground reaction force, decreased hip range of motion, reduced hip moment and less dynamic hip force with a 24% lower heel-strike peak, 66% higher mid-stance trough and 37% lower toe-off peak. Greater asymmetry in hip contact force was also observed in leg length inequality patients. These gait adaptions may affect the function of the implant and other healthy joints in symptomatic leg length inequality patients. This study provides important information for the musculoskeletal function and rehabilitation of symptomatic leg length inequality patients. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass in patients on thyroid replacement therapy for subnormal thyroid function - prevalence and short-term outcome.

PubMed

Szomstein, Samuel; Avital, Shmuel; Brasesco, Oscar; Mehran, Amir; Cabral, Jose M; Rosenthal, Raul

2004-01-01

Hypothyroidism is associated with increased body weight. Weight gain may occur despite normal levels of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) achieved by replacement therapy. We evaluated the prevalence of patients on thyroid replacement for subnormal thyroid function who were operated on for morbid obesity and monitored their postoperative weight loss pattern. Data was identified from a prospectively accrued database of patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP) or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) for morbid obesity from February 2000 to November 2001. All patients with subnormal thyroid function, diagnosed by past thyroid function tests and treated by an endocrinologist, who were on thyroid replacement therapy, were identified; 5 of these were matched for age, gender, preoperative body mass index (BMI) and surgical procedure (LRYGBP) to 5 non-hypothyroid patients. Weight loss at 3 and 9 months after surgery was compared between the 2 groups. 192 patients underwent LRYGBP (n=155) or LAGB (n=37). Of the 21 patients (10.9%) on thyroid replacement identified, 14 were primary, 4 were postablative, and 3 were post-surgical; 17 underwent LRYGBP. All patients had normal preoperative serum levels of TSH and T4. Comparison of the 2 matched groups of patients revealed no difference in weight loss at 3 and 9 months after surgery (P=1.0). The prevalence of euthyroid patients on thyroid replacement for subnormal thyroid function who undergo surgical intervention for morbid obesity is high. Short-term weight loss in these patients is comparable to normal thyroid patients. Longer follow-up may be necessary to demonstrate the weight loss pattern in this group.

Functional Proteomics to Identify Moderators of CD8+ T-Cell Function in Melanoma

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

could then be used to develop imaging agents that are targeted to the TILs. We used an M13 phage vector, which displays a pentavalent peptide as...of the identified transcript. To directly indentify inhibitory molecules, we have proposed to use phage - display expression libraries to perform...of TCD8. 3. To determine the ligands for molecules that can modulate the TCD8 functional state. Body: A. Phage Screen Summary Phage display

Double-heterojunction nanorod light-responsive LEDs for display applications.

PubMed

Oh, Nuri; Kim, Bong Hoon; Cho, Seong-Yong; Nam, Sooji; Rogers, Steven P; Jiang, Yiran; Flanagan, Joseph C; Zhai, You; Kim, Jae-Hwan; Lee, Jungyup; Yu, Yongjoon; Cho, Youn Kyoung; Hur, Gyum; Zhang, Jieqian; Trefonas, Peter; Rogers, John A; Shim, Moonsub

2017-02-10

Dual-functioning displays, which can simultaneously transmit and receive information and energy through visible light, would enable enhanced user interfaces and device-to-device interactivity. We demonstrate that double heterojunctions designed into colloidal semiconductor nanorods allow both efficient photocurrent generation through a photovoltaic response and electroluminescence within a single device. These dual-functioning, all-solution-processed double-heterojunction nanorod light-responsive light-emitting diodes open feasible routes to a variety of advanced applications, from touchless interactive screens to energy harvesting and scavenging displays and massively parallel display-to-display data communication. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Latest developments in a multi-user 3D display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surman, Phil; Sexton, Ian; Bates, Richard; Lee, Wing Kai; Hopf, Klaus; Koukoulas, Triantaffilos

2005-11-01

De Montfort University, in conjunction with the Heinrich Hertz Institute, is developing a 3D display that is targeted specifically at the television market. It is capable of supplying 3D to several viewers who do not have to wear special glasses, and who are able to move freely over a room-sized area. The display consists of a single liquid crystal display that presents the same stereo pair to every viewer by employing spatial multiplexing. This presents a stereo pair on alternate pixel rows, with the conventional backlight replaced by novel steering optics controlled by the output of a head position tracker. Illumination is achieved using arrays of coaxial optical elements in conjunction with high-density white light emitting diode arrays. The operation of the steering and multiplexing optics in the prototype display are explained. The results obtained from a prototype built under the European Union-funded ATTEST 3D television project are described. The performance of this model was not optimum, but was sufficient to prove that the principle of operation is viable for a 3D television display. A second prototype, incorporating improvements based on experience gained, is currently under construction and this is also described. The prototype is capable of being developed into a display appropriate for a production model that will enable 3D television to come to market within the next ten years. With the current widespread usage of flat panel displays it is likely that customer preference will be for a hang-on-the-wall 3D display, and this challenge will be met by reconfiguring the optics and incorporating novel optical addressing techniques.

The effect of time in use on the display performance of the iPad.

PubMed

Caffery, Liam J; Manthey, Kenneth L; Sim, Lawrence H

2016-07-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes to the luminance, luminance uniformity and conformance to the digital imaging and communication in medicine greyscale standard display function (GSDF) as a function of time in use for the iPad. Luminance measurements of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Group 18 task group (TG18) luminance uniformity and luminance test patterns (TG18-UNL and TG18-LN8) were performed using a calibrated near-range luminance meter. Nine sets of measurements were taken, where the time in use of the iPad ranged from 0 to 2500 h. The maximum luminance (Lmax) of the display decreased (367-338 cdm(-2)) as a function of time. The minimum luminance remained constant. The maximum non-uniformity coefficient was 11%. Luminance uniformity decreased slightly as a function of time in use. The conformance of the iPad deviated from the GSDF curve at commencement of use. Deviation did not increase as a function of time in use. This study has demonstrated that the iPad display exhibits luminance degradation typical of liquid crystal displays. The Lmax of the iPad fell below the American College of Radiology-AAPM-Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine recommendations for primary displays (>350 cdm(-2)) at approximately 1000 h in use. The Lmax recommendation for secondary displays (>250 cdm(-2)) was exceeded during the entire study. The maximum non-uniformity coefficient did not exceed the recommendations for either primary or secondary displays. The deviation from the GSDF exceeded the recommendations of the TG18 for use as either a primary or secondary display. The brightness, uniformity and contrast response are reasonably stable over the useful lifetime of the device; however, the device fails to meet the contrast response standard for either a primary or secondary display.

Primary hypothyroidism in the community: Lower daily dosages of levothyroxine replacement therapy for Asian patients.

PubMed

Tan, Ngiap Chuan; Chew, Rong Quan; Koh, Yi Ling Eileen; Subramanian, Reena Chandini; Sankari, Usha; Meyappan, Meykkumar; Cho, Li Wei

2017-02-01

The goal of treatment in patients with primary hypothyroidism is to attain euthyroidism guided by the stipulated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels range so as to minimize any potential long-term adverse effects. However, various factors may result in their Levothyroxine (T4) under and over-replacement.Our study aimed to evaluate the mean daily dose of L-T4 replacement for Asian patients with primary hypothyroidism. The secondary aims were to determine the proportion of those who were either over or under-replaced, and the factors associated with their thyroid function status and replacement adherence.Data collected using questionnaire survey from targeted patients managed in a typical public primary care center in Singapore: socio-demographic characteristics, clinical parameters, laboratory investigations, mean daily L-T4-replacement doses, and replacement regimens. The thyroid status of patients was classified based on thyroid function investigations.Complete data of 229 patients were analyzed. A total of 59.8% of patients had TSH within the normal range, 27.5% and 12.7% were under and over-replaced, respectively. About 60% of Asian patients with primary hypothyroidism achieved normal TSH status requiring average of 1.1 μg of daily L-T4/kgBW (kg body weight). Subjects who were over-replaced had a higher daily L-T4 dose/kgBW when compared to the euthyroid and the under replaced groups. Those with L-T4 over-replacement were largely due to excessive dosage. Patients who were younger, from lower socioeconomic strata, and higher BMI were more likely to be over or under-replaced.Majority of Asian patients with hypothyroidism required replacement of 1.1 μg of daily L-T4/kgBW. Their thyroid status was influenced by demographic and dosing factors.

Method and system for providing work machine multi-functional user interface

DOEpatents

Hoff, Brian D [Peoria, IL; Akasam, Sivaprasad [Peoria, IL; Baker, Thomas M [Peoria, IL

2007-07-10

A method is performed to provide a multi-functional user interface on a work machine for displaying suggested corrective action. The process includes receiving status information associated with the work machine and analyzing the status information to determine an abnormal condition. The process also includes displaying a warning message on the display device indicating the abnormal condition and determining one or more corrective actions to handle the abnormal condition. Further, the process includes determining an appropriate corrective action among the one or more corrective actions and displaying a recommendation message on the display device reflecting the appropriate corrective action. The process may also include displaying a list including the remaining one or more corrective actions on the display device to provide alternative actions to an operator.

Visualizing the anatomical-functional correlation of the human brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, YuKuang; Rockwood, Alyn P.; Reiman, Eric M.

1995-04-01

Three-dimensional tomographic images obtained from different modalities or from the same modality at different times provide complementary information. For example, while PET shows brain function, images from MRI identify anatomical structures. In this paper, we investigate the problem of displaying available information about structures and function together. Several steps are described to achieve our goal. These include segmentation of the data, registration, resampling, and display. Segmentation is used to identify brain tissue from surrounding tissues, especially in the MRI data. Registration aligns the different modalities as closely as possible. Resampling arises from the registration since two data sets do not usually correspond and the rendering method is most easily achieved if the data correspond to the same grid used in display. We combine several techniques to display the data. MRI data is reconstructed from 2D slices into 3D structures from which isosurfaces are extracted and represented by approximating polygonalizations. These are then displayed using standard graphics pipelines including shaded and transparent images. PET data measures the qualitative rates of cerebral glucose utilization or oxygen consumption. PET image is best displayed as a volume of luminous particles. The combination of both display methods allows the viewer to compare the functional information contained in the PET data with the anatomically more precise MRI data.

Replacement Behaviors for Identified Functions of Challenging Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matson, Johnny L.; Shoemaker, Mary E.; Sipes, Megan; Horovitz, Max; Worley, Julie A.; Kozlowski, Alison M.

2011-01-01

Functional assessment has become a major feature of learning-based research. A critical element of the majority of these studies includes not only methods and procedures to identify the cause of the challenging behavior, but to establish replacement treatment methods. By far the most common intervention in the 176 studies we reviewed was…

Ross procedure for ascending aortic replacement.

PubMed

Elkins, R C; Lane, M M; McCue, C

1999-06-01

Patients with aortic valve disease and aneurysm or dilatation of the ascending aorta require both aortic valve replacement and treatment of their ascending aortic disease. In children and young adults, the Ross operation is preferred when the aortic valve requires replacement, but the efficacy of extending this operation to include replacement of the ascending aorta or reduction of the dilated aorta has not been tested. We reviewed the medical records of 18 (5.9%) patients with aortic valve disease and an ascending aortic aneurysm and 26 (8.5%) patients with dilation of the ascending aorta, subgroups of 307 patients who had a Ross operation between August 1986 and February 1998. We examined operative and midterm results, including recent echocardiographic assessment of autograft valve function and ability of the autograft root and ascending aortic repair or replacement to maintain normal structural integrity. There was one operative death (2%) related to a perioperative stroke. Forty-two of 43 survivors have normal autograft valve function, with trace to mild autograft valve insufficiency, and one patient has moderate insufficiency at the most recent echocardiographic evaluation. None of the patients has dilatation of the autograft root or of the replaced or reduced ascending aorta. Early results with extension of the Ross operation to include replacement of an ascending aortic aneurysm or vertical aortoplasty for reduction of a dilated ascending aorta are excellent, with autograft valve function equal to that seen in similar patients without ascending aortic disease.

RE12 derivatives displaying Vaccinia H1-related phosphatase (VHR) inhibition in the presence of detergent and their anti-proliferative activity against HeLa cells.

PubMed

Thuaud, Frédéric; Kojima, Shuntaro; Hirai, Go; Oonuma, Kana; Tsuchiya, Ayako; Uchida, Takako; Tsuchimoto, Teruhisa; Sodeoka, Mikiko

2014-05-01

New derivatives of Vaccinia H1-related phosphatase (VHR) inhibitor RE12 (5) were designed by replacing the long straight alkyl chain with other hydrophobic functionalities containing two aromatic rings, with the aim of obtaining potent, cell-active inhibitors. We established a direct coupling reaction between tetronic acid derivative and thioimidate to prepare the RE derivatives 6a-6i efficiently. These compounds all showed VHR-inhibitory activity in the presence of 0.001% NP-40, whereas RE12 (5) was inactive under this condition, even at 100 μM. Further structure-activity studies focused on terminal substitution afforded trifluoromethyl derivative 6k (RE176) and nitro derivative 6l (RE177). The IC50 value of 6l in the presence of NP-40 was almost equivalent to that of RE12 (5) in its absence. Compound 6k (RE176) potently inhibited proliferation of HeLa cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transplantation of enteric nervous system stem cells rescues nitric oxide synthase deficient mouse colon

PubMed Central

McCann, Conor J.; Cooper, Julie E.; Natarajan, Dipa; Jevans, Benjamin; Burnett, Laura E.; Burns, Alan J.; Thapar, Nikhil

2017-01-01

Enteric nervous system neuropathy causes a wide range of severe gut motility disorders. Cell replacement of lost neurons using enteric neural stem cells (ENSC) is a possible therapy for these life-limiting disorders. Here we show rescue of gut motility after ENSC transplantation in a mouse model of human enteric neuropathy, the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS−/−) deficient mouse model, which displays slow transit in the colon. We further show that transplantation of ENSC into the colon rescues impaired colonic motility with formation of extensive networks of transplanted cells, including the development of nNOS+ neurons and subsequent restoration of nitrergic responses. Moreover, post-transplantation non-cell-autonomous mechanisms restore the numbers of interstitial cells of Cajal that are reduced in the nNOS−/− colon. These results provide the first direct evidence that ENSC transplantation can modulate the enteric neuromuscular syncytium to restore function, at the organ level, in a dysmotile gastrointestinal disease model. PMID:28671186

Synthesis and Biological Activity of 2',3'-iso-Aryl-abscisic Acid Analogs.

PubMed

Wan, Chuan; Wang, Mingan; Yang, Dongyan; Han, Xiaoqiang; Che, Chuanliang; Ding, Shanshan; Xiao, Yumei; Qin, Zhaohai

2017-12-15

2',3'- iso -Benzoabscisic acid ( iso -PhABA), an excellent selective abscisic acid (ABA) analog, was developed in our previous work. In order to find its more structure-activity information, some structural modifications were completed in this paper, including the substitution of phenyl ring and replacing the ring with heterocycles. Thus, 16 novel analogs of iso -PhABA were synthesized and screened with three bioassays, Arabidopsis and lettuce seed germination and rice seedling elongation. Some of them, i.e., 2',3'- iso -pyridoabscisic acid ( iso -PyABA) and 2',3'- iso -franoabscisic acid ( iso -FrABA), displayed good bioactivities that closed to iso -PhABA and natural (+)-ABA. Some others, for instance, substituted- iso -PhABA, exhibited certain selectivity to different physiological process when compared to iso -PhABA or (+)-ABA. These analogs not only provided new candidates of ABA-like synthetic plant growth regulators (PGRs) for practical application, but also new potential selective agonist/antagonist for probing the specific function of ABA receptors.

Facing the Spectator

PubMed Central

Koenderink, Jan; van Doorn, Andrea; Pinna, Baingio

2016-01-01

We investigated the familiar phenomenon of the uncanny feeling that represented people in frontal pose invariably appear to “face you” from wherever you stand. We deploy two different methods. The stimuli include the conventional one—a flat portrait rocking back and forth about a vertical axis—augmented with two novel variations. In one alternative, the portrait frame rotates whereas the actual portrait stays motionless and fronto-parallel; in the other, we replace the (flat!) portrait with a volumetric object. These variations yield exactly the same optical stimulation in frontal view, but become grossly different in very oblique views. We also let participants sample their momentary awareness through “gauge object” settings in static displays. From our results, we conclude that the psychogenesis of visual awareness maintains a number—at least two, but most likely more—of distinct spatial frameworks simultaneously involving “cue–scission.” Cues may be effective in one of these spatial frameworks but ineffective or functionally different in other ones. PMID:27895885

Option pricing for stochastic volatility model with infinite activity Lévy jumps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Xiaoli; Zhuang, Xintian

2016-08-01

The purpose of this paper is to apply the stochastic volatility model driven by infinite activity Lévy processes to option pricing which displays infinite activity jumps behaviors and time varying volatility that is consistent with the phenomenon observed in underlying asset dynamics. We specially pay attention to three typical Lévy processes that replace the compound Poisson jumps in Bates model, aiming to capture the leptokurtic feature in asset returns and volatility clustering effect in returns variance. By utilizing the analytical characteristic function and fast Fourier transform technique, the closed form formula of option pricing can be derived. The intelligent global optimization search algorithm called Differential Evolution is introduced into the above highly dimensional models for parameters calibration so as to improve the calibration quality of fitted option models. Finally, we perform empirical researches using both time series data and options data on financial markets to illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.

STS-84 oxygen generator for Mir on display at SPACEHAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Representatives of RSC Energia in Russia and other onlookers in the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility examine an oxygen generator which the Space Shuttle Atlantis will carry to the Russian Mir Space Station on Mission STS-84. Sergei Romanov, second from right in the white shirt, is the spokesperson for generator manufacturer RSC Energia. The nearly 300-pound generator will be strapped down on the inside surface of a SPACEHAB Double Module for the trip to Mir. It will replace one of two Mir units that have been malfunctioning recently. The generator functions by electrolysis, which separates water into its oxygen and hydrogen components. The hydrogen is vented and the oxygen is used for breathing by the Mir crew. The generator is 4.2 feet in length and 1.4 feet in diameter. STS-84, which is planned to include a Mir crew exchange of astronaut C. Michael Foale for Jerry M. Linenger, is targeted for a May 15 liftoff. It will be the sixth Shuttle-Mir docking.

On Asymptotic Properties of a Number Theoretic Function Arising out of a Spin Chain Modelin Statistical Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallies, J.; Özlük, A.; Peter, M.; Snyder, C.

Let Let N be a positive integer and define Φ(N) as the number of matrices, C, which are products of A and B, where both A and B must occur, such that the trace, Tr(C)=N. It has been conjectured that see [10]. In this note we consider the summatory function and show that

Verification of the change blindness phenomenon while managing critical events on a combat information display.

PubMed

DiVita, Joseph; Obermayer, Richard; Nugent, William; Linville, James M

2004-01-01

Change blindness occurs when humans are unable to detect significant changes in objects and scenes after their attention is momentarily diverted. Because change blindness is relevant in many applied settings, the current study investigated the phenomenon in the context of tasks performed by naval command and control system personnel. Operators of such systems are often heavily loaded with concurrent visual search, situation assessment, voice communications, and control-display manipulation tasks at large, physically dispersed tactical situation displays. As the operators' attention shifts from one display to another, it creates an opportunity for changes to occur on unattended screens with potentially negative consequences. Our results show that on a display containing 8 objects of interest, considerable change blindness was demonstrated in that participants required 2 or more selections to correctly identify a changed object on nearly 1/3 of the test trials. Further, operator performance on 15% of the trials was equivalent to randomly guessing with replacement after making 3 incorrect selections. This research underscores the need for developing effective countermeasures to the change blindness phenomenon. Actual or potential uses of this research include interface design of computer workstations for military, nuclear power industry, air traffic control, crisis response center, and hospital emergency room applications.

Operator modeling in commerical aviation: Cognitive models, intelligent displays, and pilot's assistants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Govindaraj, T.; Mitchell, C. M.

1994-01-01

One of the goals of the National Aviation Safety/Automation program is to address the issue of human-centered automation in the cockpit. Human-centered automation is automation that, in the cockpit, enhances or assists the crew rather than replacing them. The Georgia Tech research program focused on this general theme, with emphasis on designing a computer-based pilot's assistant, intelligent (i.e, context-sensitive) displays, and an intelligent tutoring system for understanding and operating the autoflight system. In particular, the aids and displays were designed to enhance the crew's situational awareness of the current state of the automated flight systems and to assist the crew's situational awareness of the current state of the automated flight systems and to assist the crew in coordinating the autoflight system resources. The activities of this grant included: (1) an OFMspert to understand pilot navigation activities in a 727 class aircraft; (2) an extension of OFMspert to understand mode control in a glass cockpit, Georgia Tech Crew Activity Tracking System (GT-CATS); (3) the design of a training system to teach pilots about the vertical navigation portion of the flight management system -VNAV Tutor; and (4) a proof-of-concept display, using existing display technology, to facilitate mode awareness, particularly in situations in which controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) is a potential.

Functional display of family 11 endoxylanases on the surface of phage M13.

PubMed

Beliën, T; Hertveldt, K; Van den Brande, K; Robben, J; Van Campenhout, S; Volckaert, G

2005-02-09

Two family 11 endoxylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) were functionally displayed on the surface of bacteriophage M13. The genes encoding endo-1,4-xylanase I from Aspergillus niger (ExlA) and endo-1,4-xylanase A from Bacillus subtilis (XynA) were fused to the gene encoding the minor coat protein g3p in phagemid vector pHOS31. Phage rescue resulted in functional monovalent display of the enzymes as was demonstrated by three independent tests. Firstly, purified recombinant phage particles showed a clear hydrolytic activity in an activity assay based on insoluble, chromagenic arabinoxylan substrate. Secondly, specific binding of endoxylanase displaying phages to immobilized endoxylanase inhibitors was demonstrated by interaction ELISA. Finally, two rounds of selection and amplification in a biopanning procedure against immobilized endoxylanase inhibitor were performed. Phages displaying endoxylanases were strongly enriched from background phages displaying unrelated proteins. These results open perspectives to use phage display for analysing protein-protein interactions at the interface between endoxylanases and their inhibitors. In addition, this technology should enable engineering of endoxylanases into novel variants with altered binding properties towards endoxylanase inhibitors.

Wildland fire effects in silviculturally treated vs. untreated stands of New Mexico and Arizona

Treesearch

Douglas S. Cram; Terrell T. Baker; Jon C. Boren

2006-01-01

Stand-replacement fires, particularly in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, have replaced highfrequency, low-intensity historical fire regimes. We examined whether forest stands treated recently using silvicultural practices would be (1) less susceptible to stand-replacing crownfires, and (2) more ecologically and functionally resilient...

Functionality of Inulin as a Sucrose Replacer in Cookie Baking

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Inulin was evaluated as a sucrose replacer for healthy cookie production with benefits of low glycemic impact and prebiotic soluble fiber. Sucrose (as a reference) and three inulin products of different concentrations (as soluble fibers) were used to explore the effects of sugar-replacer type on so...

Pilot stereotypes for navigation symbols on electronic displays

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-20

There is currently no common symbology standard for the : electronic display of navigation information. The wide : range of display technologies and the different functions : these displays support make it difficult to design symbols : that are easil...

The understanding and self-reported use of emotional display rules in children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Begeer, Sander; Banerjee, Robin; Rieffe, Carolien; Terwogt, Mark Meerum; Potharst, Eva; Stegge, Hedy; Koot, Hans M

2011-08-01

Two studies examined the understanding and self-reported use of rules for the expressive display of emotions in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) and in typically developing children. In Study 1, children from the two groups reported display rules equally often when presented with hypothetical situations that provided clear motives for using display rules, although emotion-masking displays were more commonly identified for vignettes with prosocial rather than self-protective motives. In Study 2, children were interviewed about display rule use in real life. Children with HFASD reported display rules less often, included more prototypical examples, and referred less often to prosocial motives than typically developing children. Children with HFASD appear to be aware of display rules, but are less adept at identifying the interpersonal functions of such rules than their typically developing peers.

36 CFR 1193.43 - Output, display, and control functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... functions. 1193.43 Section 1193.43 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION... and Usability § 1193.43 Output, display, and control functions. All information necessary to operate... amplification, increased signal-to-noise ratio, or combination). For transmitted voice signals, provide a gain...

36 CFR 1193.43 - Output, display, and control functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... functions. 1193.43 Section 1193.43 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION... and Usability § 1193.43 Output, display, and control functions. All information necessary to operate... amplification, increased signal-to-noise ratio, or combination). For transmitted voice signals, provide a gain...

36 CFR 1193.43 - Output, display, and control functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... functions. 1193.43 Section 1193.43 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION... and Usability § 1193.43 Output, display, and control functions. All information necessary to operate... amplification, increased signal-to-noise ratio, or combination). For transmitted voice signals, provide a gain...

36 CFR 1193.43 - Output, display, and control functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... functions. 1193.43 Section 1193.43 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION... and Usability § 1193.43 Output, display, and control functions. All information necessary to operate... amplification, increased signal-to-noise ratio, or combination). For transmitted voice signals, provide a gain...

Ergonomic problems regarding the interactive touch input via screens in onboard and ground-based flight control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzhausen, K. P.; Gaertner, K. P.

1985-01-01

A significant problem concerning the integration of display and switching functions is related to the fact that numerous informative data which have to be processed by man must be read from only a few display devices. A satisfactory ergonomic design of integrated display devices and keyboards is in many cases difficult, because not all functions which can be displayed and selected are simultaneously available. A technical solution which provides an integration of display and functional elements on the basis of the highest flexibility is obtained by using a cathode ray tube with a touch-sensitive screen. The employment of an integrated data input/output system is demonstrated for the cases of onboard and ground-based flight control. Ergonomic studies conducted to investigate the suitability of an employment of touch-sensitive screens are also discussed.

Regional analgesia for improvement of long-term functional outcome after elective large joint replacement.

PubMed

Atchabahian, Arthur; Schwartz, Gary; Hall, Charles B; Lajam, Claudette M; Andreae, Michael H

2015-08-13

Regional analgesia is more effective than conventional analgesia for controlling pain and may facilitate rehabilitation after large joint replacement in the short term. It remains unclear if regional anaesthesia improves functional outcomes after joint replacement beyond three months after surgery. To assess the effects of regional anaesthesia and analgesia on long-term functional outcomes 3, 6 and 12 months after elective major joint (knee, shoulder and hip) replacement surgery. We performed an electronic search of several databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL), and handsearched reference lists and conference abstracts. We updated our search in June 2015. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing regional analgesia versus conventional analgesia in patients undergoing total shoulder, hip or knee replacement. We included studies that reported a functional outcome with a follow-up of at least three months after surgery. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. We contacted study authors for additional information. We included six studies with 350 participants followed for at least three months. All of these studies enrolled participants undergoing total knee replacement. Studies were at least partially blinded. Three studies had a high risk of performance bias and one a high risk of attrition bias, but the risk of bias was otherwise unclear or low.Only one study assessed joint function using a global score. Due to heterogeneity in outcome and reporting, we could only pool three out of six RCTs, with range of motion assessed at three months after surgery used as a surrogate for joint function. All studies had a high risk of detection bias. Using the random-effects model, there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups (mean difference 3.99 degrees, 95% confidence interval (CI) - 2.23 to 10.21; P value = 0.21, 3 studies, 140 participants, very low quality evidence).We did not perform further analyses because immediate adverse effects were not part of the explicit outcomes of any of these typically small studies, and long-term adverse events after regional anaesthesia are rare.None of the included studies elicited or reported long-term adverse effects like persistent nerve damage. More high-quality studies are needed to establish the effects of regional analgesia on function after major joint replacement, as well as on the risk of adverse events (falls).

The influence of optimism on functionality after total hip replacement surgery.

PubMed

Balck, Friedrich; Lippmann, Maike; Jeszenszky, Csilla; Günther, Klaus-Peter; Kirschner, Stephan

2016-08-01

Among other factors, optimism has been shown to significantly influence the course of some diseases (cancer, HIV, coronary heart disease). This study investigated whether optimism of a patient before a total hip replacement can predict the functionality of the lower limbs 3 and 6 months after surgery. A total of 325 patients took part in the study (age: 58.7 years; w: 55%). The functionality was measured with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities arthrosis index, and optimism with the Life Orientation Test. To analyse the influences of age, gender and optimism, general linear models were calculated. In optimistic patients, functionality improved significantly over time. The study showed a clear influence of dispositional optimism on the recovery after total hip replacement in the first 3 months after surgery. © The Author(s) 2015.

Multi-Function Displays: A Guide for Human Factors Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-01

mental workload in rotary wing aircraft . Ergonomics , 36, 1121 - 40. Smith, S., & Mosier, J. (1984). Design guidelines for the user interface for...Monterey Technologies, Inc., except one designated by (*), who is from CAMI. 16. Abstract This guide is designed to assist aircraft ...section. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Multi-Function Displays, Display Design , Avionics, Human Factors Criteria, Aircraft

Fluorescent Lamp Replacement Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per...information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ORGANIZATION. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM...Unclassified 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Fuzzy recurrence plots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, T. D.

2016-12-01

Recurrence plots display binary texture of time series from dynamical systems with single dots and line structures. Using fuzzy recurrence plots, recurrences of the phase-space states can be visualized as grayscale texture, which is more informative for pattern analysis. The proposed method replaces the crucial similarity threshold required by symmetrical recurrence plots with the number of cluster centers, where the estimate of the latter parameter is less critical than the estimate of the former.

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

Vocalist James Ingram sings "I Believe I Can Fly" from underneath the space shuttle Endeavour during the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Acoustic Evaluation of Sanders Associates ACODAC Sensors

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-01

this securing technique because of its susceptibility to in-band resonances. Although this unit was primarily submitted for sensor flow- noise evaluation...of this sensor and prepare it for the required flow- noise evaluation by replacing the defective geophones in the cosine channel. For completeness...channels displayed essentially flat response with a low frequency roll off starting at about 20 Hz and an upper resonance at 3300 Hz. The sensitivity

Gender-specific and gonadectomy-specific effects upon swim analgesia: role of steroid replacement therapy.

PubMed

Romero, M T; Cooper, M L; Komisaruk, B R; Bodnar, R J

1988-01-01

Both gender-specific and gonadectomy-specific effects have been observed for the analgesic responses following continuous and intermittent cold-water swims (CCWS and ICWS respectively): female rats display significantly less analgesia than males, and gonadectomized rats display significantly less analgesia than sham-operated controls. The present study evaluated the effects of steroid replacement therapy with testosterone propionate (TP: 2 mg/kg, SC) upon CCWS and ICWS analgesia on the tail-flick and jump tests and hypothermia in sham-operated or gonadectomized male and female rats. Thirty days following surgery, rats received either no treatment, a sesame oil vehicle or TP for 14 days prior to, and then during testing. Relative to the no treatment condition, repeated vehicle injections in sham-operated rats eliminated the gender-specific, but did not affect the gonadectomy-specific effects upon CCWS and ICWS analgesia. TP reversed the deficits in CCWS and ICWS analgesia observed in both castrated and ovariectomized rats on both pain tests. TP only potentiated CCWS analgesia in sham-operated males on the tail-flick test. TP potentiated CCWS and ICWS hypothermia in gonadectomized rats and in male sham-operated rats. These data indicate that gonadal steroids play a major modulatory role in the etiology of swim analgesia, and that the observed gender effects are sensitive to possible adaptational variables.

Memory for found targets interferes with subsequent performance in multiple-target visual search.

PubMed

Cain, Matthew S; Mitroff, Stephen R

2013-10-01

Multiple-target visual searches--when more than 1 target can appear in a given search display--are commonplace in radiology, airport security screening, and the military. Whereas 1 target is often found accurately, additional targets are more likely to be missed in multiple-target searches. To better understand this decrement in 2nd-target detection, here we examined 2 potential forms of interference that can arise from finding a 1st target: interference from the perceptual salience of the 1st target (a now highly relevant distractor in a known location) and interference from a newly created memory representation for the 1st target. Here, we found that removing found targets from the display or making them salient and easily segregated color singletons improved subsequent search accuracy. However, replacing found targets with random distractor items did not improve subsequent search accuracy. Removing and highlighting found targets likely reduced both a target's visual salience and its memory load, whereas replacing a target removed its visual salience but not its representation in memory. Collectively, the current experiments suggest that the working memory load of a found target has a larger effect on subsequent search accuracy than does its perceptual salience. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Quaternized Q-PEIPAAm-Based Antimicrobial Reverse Thermal Gel: A Potential for Surgical Incision Drapes.

PubMed

Bortot, Maria; Laughter, Melissa Ronni; Stein, Madia; Rocker, Adam; Patel, Vikas; Park, Daewon

2018-05-16

A quaternized reverse thermal gel (RTG) aimed at replacing current surgical incision drapes (SIDs) was designed and characterized. The antimicrobial efficacy of the quaternized RTG was analyzed using both in vitro and in vivo models and was compared to standard SIDs. Polymer characterization was completed using both nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) analysis. Biocompatibility was assessed using a standard cell viability assay. The in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of the polymer was analyzed against four common bacteria species using a time-kill test. The in vivo antimicrobial efficacy of the polymer and standard SIDs were compared using a murine model aimed at mimicking surgical conditions. NMR confirmed the polymer structure and presence of quaternized groups and alkyl chains. The polymer displayed a LCST of 34 °C and a rapid rate of gelation, allowing stable gel formation when applied to skin. Once quaternized, the polymer displayed an increase in kill-rate of bacteria compared to unquaternized polymer. In experiments aimed at mimicking surgical conditions, the quaternized polymer showed statistically comparable bacteria-killing capacity to the standard SID and even surpassed the SID for killing capacity at various time points. A novel approach to replacing current SIDs was developed using an antimicrobial polymer system with RTG properties. The RTG properties of this polymer maintain a liquid state at low temperatures and a gel upon heating, allowing this polymer to form a tight coating when applied to skin. Furthermore, this polymer achieved excellent antimicrobial properties in both in vitro and in vivo models. With further optimization, this polymer system has the potential to replace and streamline presurgical patient preparations through its easy application and beneficial antimicrobial properties.

Retail price and point of sale display of tobacco in the UK: a descriptive study of small retailers.

PubMed

Spanopoulos, Dionysis; Ratschen, Elena; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

2012-01-01

Since the implementation of the 2002 Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act, point-of-sale (PoS) tobacco displays are one of few remaining means of communication between the tobacco industry and customers in the UK. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of tobacco displays in a UK city, and particularly to assess the tobacco prices and promotional offers, types and pack sizes on display. Digital pictures of PoS displays were taken in 117 small retail shops in Nottingham in mid 2010. Data were analysed using Windows Photo Gallery software and SPSS version 16. Just over half (52%) of cigarette packs on display were packs of 20, and 43% packs of 10. Cigarette prices differed substantially between brands, ranging from £4.19 to £6.85 for 20-packs, and from £2.12 to £3.59 for 10-packs. Forty four percent of cigarette packs and 40% of RYO (Roll-Your-Own) tobacco pouches, almost exclusively lower priced brands, were displayed with a pricemark, implying a promotional price offer. Eighty percent of 20-pack cigarette brand or brand variants on sale were priced below the EU-defined Most Popular Price Category (MPPC) for the UK in 2010; 45% were priced below the Weighted Average Price (WAP), which replaced the MPPC in 2011. PoS displays communicate value by displaying a high proportion of lower cost brands, and smaller and hence lower-cost packs, and by displaying price discounts on packs. The MPPC substantially overestimated the prices at which most 20-cigarette packs were available. Removal of PoS displays will prevent this means of price marketing but our study also suggests that minimum pricing of 20-pack cigarettes, prohibition of sale of cigarettes in packs less than 20, and plain packaging to prevent pricemarking are necessary if price is to be used effectively as a tobacco control measure.

Retail Price and Point of Sale Display of Tobacco in the UK: A Descriptive Study of Small Retailers

PubMed Central

Spanopoulos, Dionysis; Ratschen, Elena; McNeill, Ann; Britton, John

2012-01-01

Background Since the implementation of the 2002 Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act, point-of-sale (PoS) tobacco displays are one of few remaining means of communication between the tobacco industry and customers in the UK. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of tobacco displays in a UK city, and particularly to assess the tobacco prices and promotional offers, types and pack sizes on display. Methods Digital pictures of PoS displays were taken in 117 small retail shops in Nottingham in mid 2010. Data were analysed using Windows Photo Gallery software and SPSS version 16. Results Just over half (52%) of cigarette packs on display were packs of 20, and 43% packs of 10. Cigarette prices differed substantially between brands, ranging from £4.19 to £6.85 for 20-packs, and from £2.12 to £3.59 for 10-packs. Forty four percent of cigarette packs and 40% of RYO (Roll-Your-Own) tobacco pouches, almost exclusively lower priced brands, were displayed with a pricemark, implying a promotional price offer. Eighty percent of 20-pack cigarette brand or brand variants on sale were priced below the EU-defined Most Popular Price Category (MPPC) for the UK in 2010; 45% were priced below the Weighted Average Price (WAP), which replaced the MPPC in 2011. Conclusion PoS displays communicate value by displaying a high proportion of lower cost brands, and smaller and hence lower-cost packs, and by displaying price discounts on packs. The MPPC substantially overestimated the prices at which most 20-cigarette packs were available. Removal of PoS displays will prevent this means of price marketing but our study also suggests that minimum pricing of 20-pack cigarettes, prohibition of sale of cigarettes in packs less than 20, and plain packaging to prevent pricemarking are necessary if price is to be used effectively as a tobacco control measure. PMID:22242183

The Real Time Display Builder (RTDB)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kindred, Erick D.; Bailey, Samuel A., Jr.

1989-01-01

The Real Time Display Builder (RTDB) is a prototype interactive graphics tool that builds logic-driven displays. These displays reflect current system status, implement fault detection algorithms in real time, and incorporate the operational knowledge of experienced flight controllers. RTDB utilizes an object-oriented approach that integrates the display symbols with the underlying operational logic. This approach allows the user to specify the screen layout and the driving logic as the display is being built. RTDB is being developed under UNIX in C utilizing the MASSCOMP graphics environment with appropriate functional separation to ease portability to other graphics environments. RTDB grew from the need to develop customized real-time data-driven Space Shuttle systems displays. One display, using initial functionality of the tool, was operational during the orbit phase of STS-26 Discovery. RTDB is being used to produce subsequent displays for the Real Time Data System project currently under development within the Mission Operations Directorate at NASA/JSC. The features of the tool, its current state of development, and its applications are discussed.

Identifying Bacterial Immune Evasion Proteins Using Phage Display.

PubMed

Fevre, Cindy; Scheepmaker, Lisette; Haas, Pieter-Jan

2017-01-01

Methods aimed at identification of immune evasion proteins are mainly rely on in silico prediction of sequence, structural homology to known evasion proteins or use a proteomics driven approach. Although proven successful these methods are limited by a low efficiency and or lack of functional identification. Here we describe a high-throughput genomic strategy to functionally identify bacterial immune evasion proteins using phage display technology. Genomic bacterial DNA is randomly fragmented and ligated into a phage display vector that is used to create a phage display library expressing bacterial secreted and membrane bound proteins. This library is used to select displayed bacterial secretome proteins that interact with host immune components.

Inexpensive Clock for Displaying Planetary or Sidereal Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lux, James

2007-01-01

An inexpensive wall clock has been devised for displaying solar time or sidereal time as it would be perceived on a planet other than the Earth, or for displaying sidereal time on the Earth. The concept of a wall clock synchronized to a period other than the terrestrial mean solar day is not new in itself. What is new here is that the clock is realized through a relatively simple electronic modification of a common battery-powered, quartz-crystal-oscillator-driven wall clock. The essence of the modification is to shut off the internal oscillator of the clock and replace the internal-oscillator output signal with a signal of the required frequency generated by an external oscillator. The unmodified clock electronic circuitry includes a quartz crystal connected to an integrated circuit (IC) that includes, among other parts, a buffer amplifier that conditions the oscillator output. The modification is effected by removing the quartz crystal and connecting the output terminal of the external oscillator, via a capacitor, to the input terminal of the buffer amplifier

Personal graphical communicator.

PubMed

Stephens, Michael; Barrett, Steven

2008-01-01

A device to help a child communicate was requested by an educator. The child cannot read, write, or speak but can recognize symbols and use those symbols to communicate. While this communication works, it doesn't work well in situations where another person does not know how to use the symbols to communicate. For this reason, a device was requested that could display images to a child and play a phrase when that image was chosen. To meet this need an MP3 player like device was constructed. The device stores images and Mpeg-Layer III (MP3) sound clips on a replaceable Secure Digital (SD) card. The images are displayed on a color Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) where the user is able to skip through images to find the phrase that needs to be said. Once found simply hitting the play button will play the sound clip associated with the image. The device is portable and compact for easy use. It uses Universal Serial Bus (USB) to recharge its batteries, communicate with the PC and update the firmware.

Development of a DC Glow Discharge Exhibit for the Demonstration of Plasma Behavior in a Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruder, Daniel

2010-11-01

The DC Glow Discharge Exhibit is intended to demonstrate the effects a magnetic field produces on a plasma in a vacuum chamber. The display, which will be featured as a part of The Liberty Science Center's ``Energy Quest Exhibition,'' consists of a DC glow discharge tube and information panels to educate the general public on plasma and its relation to fusion energy. Wall posters and an information booklet will offer brief descriptions of fusion-based science and technology, and will portray plasma's role in the development of fusion as a viable source of energy. The display features a horse-shoe magnet on a movable track, allowing viewers to witness the effects of a magnetic field upon a plasma. The plasma is created from air within a vacuum averaging between 100-200 mTorr. Signage within the casing describes the hardware components. The display is pending delivery to The Liberty Science Center, and will replace a similar, older exhibit presently at the museum.

Impact of automatic calibration techniques on HMD life cycle costs and sustainable performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speck, Richard P.; Herz, Norman E., Jr.

2000-06-01

Automatic test and calibration has become a valuable feature in many consumer products--ranging from antilock braking systems to auto-tune TVs. This paper discusses HMDs (Helmet Mounted Displays) and how similar techniques can reduce life cycle costs and increase sustainable performance if they are integrated into a program early enough. Optical ATE (Automatic Test Equipment) is already zeroing distortion in the HMDs and thereby making binocular displays a practical reality. A suitcase sized, field portable optical ATE unit could re-zero these errors in the Ready Room to cancel the effects of aging, minor damage and component replacement. Planning on this would yield large savings through relaxed component specifications and reduced logistic costs. Yet, the sustained performance would far exceed that attained with fixed calibration strategies. Major tactical benefits can come from reducing display errors, particularly in information fusion modules and virtual `beyond visual range' operations. Some versions of the ATE described are in production and examples of high resolution optical test data will be discussed.

Improvement in the assessment of wear of total knee replacements using coordinate-measuring machine techniques.

PubMed

Blunt, L A; Bills, P J; Jiang, X-Q; Chakrabarty, G

2008-04-01

Total joint replacement is one of the most common elective surgical procedures performed worldwide, with an estimate of 1.5x 10(6) operations performed annually. Currently joint replacements are expected to function for 10-15 years; however, with an increase in life expectancy, and a greater call for knee replacement due to increased activity levels, there is a requirement to improve their function to offer longer-term improved quality of life for patients. Wear analysis of total joint replacements has long been an important means in determining failure mechanisms and improving longevity of these devices. The effectiveness of the coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) technique for assessing volumetric material loss during simulated life testing of a replacement knee joint has been proved previously by the present authors. The purpose of the current work is to present an improvement to this method for situations where no pre-wear data are available. To validate the method, simulator tests were run and gravimetric measurements taken throughout the test, such that the components measured had a known wear value. The implications of the results are then discussed in terms of assessment of joint functionality and development of standardized CMM-based product standards. The method was then expanded to allow assessment of clinically retrieved bearings so as to ascertain a measure of true clinical wear.

36 CFR § 1193.43 - Output, display, and control functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... functions. § 1193.43 Section § 1193.43 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND... Accessibility and Usability § 1193.43 Output, display, and control functions. All information necessary to... amplification, increased signal-to-noise ratio, or combination). For transmitted voice signals, provide a gain...

Engineering M13 for phage display.

PubMed

Sidhu, S S

2001-09-01

Phage display is achieved by fusing polypeptide libraries to phage coat proteins. The resulting phage particles display the polypeptides on their surfaces and they also contain the encoding DNA. Library members with particular functions can be isolated with simple selections and polypeptide sequences can be decoded from the encapsulated DNA. The technology's success depends on the efficiency with which polypeptides can be displayed on the phage surface, and significant progress has been made in engineering M13 bacteriophage coat proteins as improved phage display platforms. Functional display has been achieved with all five M13 coat proteins, with both N- and C-terminal fusions. Also, coat protein mutants have been designed and selected to improve the efficiency of heterologous protein display, and in the extreme case, completely artificial coat proteins have been evolved specifically as display platforms. These studies demonstrate that the M13 phage coat is extremely malleable, and this property can be used to engineer the phage particle specifically for phage display. These improvements expand the utility of phage display as a powerful tool in modern biotechnology.

Structural requirements for thioester bond formation in human complement component C3. Reassessment of the role of thioester bond integrity on the conformation of C3.

PubMed

Isaac, L; Isenman, D E

1992-05-15

A unique thioester bond, formed between the side chains of neighboring C and Q residues, is present in complement components C3 and C4 and the protease inhibitor alpha 2-macroglobulin. This structure is essential for mediating covalent attachment to target acceptors and also for maintaining these proteins in their native conformation. An examination of the residues in the immediate vicinity of the C and Q reveals a very high degree of sequence similarity among the three proteins which crosses species barriers. The following is the sequence flanking the thioester residues in C3, the highly conserved amino acids being underlined and the the thioester-forming residues being indicated by italics: 1005V-T-P-S-G-C-G-E-Q-N-M-I-G-M-T-P-T1021. Through a site-directed mutagenesis and cDNA expression approach, we have examined the importance of the conserved amino acids in the formation, stability, and function of the thioester bond in C3. The behavior of the mutants fell into three categories. The potential loss in peptide backbone flexibility by the replacement of G1009 by A or S was permissive to thioester formation and function as was replacement of M1015 by the still fairly bulky residue F. In contrast, replacement of M1015 by A resulted in an alpha-chain which was highly unstable toward proteolytic degradation. The third category, which included mutant molecules P1007G, P1020G, E1012Q, and Q1013N, displayed an unusual phenotype in which both the autolytic fragmentation and the hemolytic activity characteristics of thioester-intact molecules were absent. However, like their wildtype counterpart, these molecules retained the ability to be cleaved by C3 convertase (C4b2a), a conformation-dependent property that is normally lost in the conversion of native C3 to thioester-hydrolyzed C3(H2O). Since an identical functional profile was obtained when the thioester was deliberately prevented from forming in the mutant C1010A, we conclude that if a stable thioester fails to form during biosynthesis, at least parts of the mature protein can adopt a more native-like conformation than is the case when the thioester is first formed and then hydrolyzed in the mature protein. In view of these new findings, the interpretation of the previously observed correlation between the loss of thioester integrity and the adoption of a C3b-like conformation must be reassessed.

Enhanced Vertical Perception through Head-Related Impulse Response Customization Based on Pinna Response Tuning in the Median Plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Ki Hoon; Park, Youngjin

Human's ability to perceive elevation of a sound and distinguish whether a sound is coming from the front or rear strongly depends on the monaural spectral features of the pinnae. In order to realize an effective virtual auditory display by HRTF (head-related transfer function) customization, the pinna responses were isolated from the median HRIRs (head-related impulse responses) of 45 individual HRIRs in the CIPIC HRTF database and modeled as linear combinations of 4 or 5 basic temporal shapes (basis functions) per each elevation on the median plane by PCA (principal components analysis) in the time domain. By tuning the weight of each basis function computed for a specific height to replace the pinna response in the KEMAR HRIR at the same height with the resulting customized pinna response and listening to the filtered stimuli over headphones, 4 individuals with normal hearing sensitivity were able to create a set of HRIRs that outperformed the KEMAR HRIRs in producing vertical effects with reduced front/back ambiguity in the median plane. Since the monaural spectral features of the pinnae are almost independent of azimuthal variation of the source direction, similar vertical effects could also be generated at different azimuthal directions simply by varying the ITD (interaural time difference) according to the direction as well as the size of each individual's own head.

A new collagen biomatrix of equine origin versus a cadaveric dura graft for the repair of dural defects--a comparative animal experimental study.

PubMed

Knopp, U; Christmann, F; Reusche, E; Sepehrnia, A

2005-08-01

Numerous types of materials have been evaluated over the past decades in the quest for the ideal dural replacement, but no product fully meets all the applicable criteria. This paper presents the long-term results of an animal trial of a collagen biomatrix (TISSUDURA, Baxter AG, Vienna/Austria) for the repair and regeneration of dural defects. This product provides a matrix with a special layer structure and consists of pure naturally cross-linked collagen of equine origin. The comparable material is Tutoplast Dura, a human cadaveric-derived dural graft preserved in a multiple stage chemical process. Bihemispheric parietotoccipital dural defects of a defined size were induced in 25 sheep and subsequently closed with the collagen graft or Tutoplast Dura, respectively. Postoperative neurological abnormalities did not occur in any animal. There were no signs of graft rejection or formation of cerebrospinal fluid fistulae. The collagen graft site displayed histological signs as early as 2 weeks postoperatively consistent with a moderate Iymphocytic inflammatory response and infiltration with fibroblasts and macrophages. The graft subsequently developed a neodura-like connective tissue architecture. The Tutoplast Dura showed only minimal cellular infiltration, and again the surrounding structures displayed a mild inflammatory response. 24 weeks postoperatively, the dura and neomembrane were barely distinguishable at the collagen biomatrix site, but the Tutoplast Dura displayed inadequate fusion with the dural border and was encapsulated in a connective tissue layer. The outcomes demonstrate that the collagen graft can be used for dura reconstruction as a temporary dural replacement and at the same time as a biomatrix for dural regeneration.

Mutation Pattern of Paired Immunoglobulin Heavy and Light Variable Domains in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia B Cells

PubMed Central

Ghiotto, Fabio; Marcatili, Paolo; Tenca, Claudya; Calevo, Maria Grazia; Yan, Xiao-Jie; Albesiano, Emilia; Bagnara, Davide; Colombo, Monica; Cutrona, Giovanna; Chu, Charles C; Morabito, Fortunato; Bruno, Silvia; Ferrarini, Manlio; Tramontano, Anna; Fais, Franco; Chiorazzi, Nicholas

2011-01-01

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients display leukemic clones bearing either germline or somatically mutated immunoglobulin heavy variable (IGHV ) genes. Most information on CLL immunoglobulins (Igs), such as the definition of stereotyped B-cell receptors (BCRs), was derived from germline unmutated Igs. In particular, detailed studies on the distribution and nature of mutations in paired heavy- and light-chain domains of CLL clones bearing mutated Igs are lacking. To address the somatic hyper-mutation dynamics of CLL Igs, we analyzed the mutation pattern of paired IGHV–diversity-joining (IGHV-D-J ) and immunoglobulin kappa/lambda variable-joining (IGK/LV-J ) rearrangements of 193 leukemic clones that displayed ≥2% mutations in at least one of the two immunoglobulin variable (IGV ) genes (IGHV and/or IGK/LV ). The relationship between the mutation frequency in IGHV and IGK/LV complementarity determining regions (CDRs) and framework regions (FRs) was evaluated by correlation analysis. Replacement (R) mutation frequency within IGK/LV chain CDRs correlated significantly with mutation frequency of paired IGHV CDRs in λ but not κ isotype CLL clones. CDRs of IGKV-J rearrangements displayed a lower percentage of R mutations than IGHVs. The frequency/pattern of mutations in kappa CLL Igs differed also from that in κ-expressing normal B cells described in the literature. Instead, the mutation frequency within the FRs of IGHV and either IGKV or IGLV was correlated. Notably, the amount of diversity introduced by replaced amino acids was comparable between IGHVs and IGKVs. The data indicate a different mutation pattern between κ and λ isotype CLL clones and suggest an antigenic selection that, in κ samples, operates against CDR variation. PMID:21785810

Features and limitations of mobile tablet devices for viewing radiological images.

PubMed

Grunert, J H

2015-03-01

Mobile radiological image display systems are becoming increasingly common, necessitating a comparison of the features of these systems, specifically the operating system employed, connection to stationary PACS, data security and rang of image display and image analysis functions. In the fall of 2013, a total of 17 PACS suppliers were surveyed regarding the technical features of 18 mobile radiological image display systems using a standardized questionnaire. The study also examined to what extent the technical specifications of the mobile image display systems satisfy the provisions of the Germany Medical Devices Act as well as the provisions of the German X-ray ordinance (RöV). There are clear differences in terms of how the mobile systems connected to the stationary PACS. Web-based solutions allow the mobile image display systems to function independently of their operating systems. The examined systems differed very little in terms of image display and image analysis functions. Mobile image display systems complement stationary PACS and can be used to view images. The impacts of the new quality assurance guidelines (QS-RL) as well as the upcoming new standard DIN 6868 - 157 on the acceptance testing of mobile image display units for the purpose of image evaluation are discussed. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Noise tolerant illumination optimization applied to display devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassarly, William J.; Irving, Bruce

2005-02-01

Display devices have historically been designed through an iterative process using numerous hardware prototypes. This process is effective but the number of iterations is limited by the time and cost to make the prototypes. In recent years, virtual prototyping using illumination software modeling tools has replaced many of the hardware prototypes. Typically, the designer specifies the design parameters, builds the software model, predicts the performance using a Monte Carlo simulation, and uses the performance results to repeat this process until an acceptable design is obtained. What is highly desired, and now possible, is to use illumination optimization to automate the design process. Illumination optimization provides the ability to explore a wider range of design options while also providing improved performance. Since Monte Carlo simulations are often used to calculate the system performance but those predictions have statistical uncertainty, the use of noise tolerant optimization algorithms is important. The use of noise tolerant illumination optimization is demonstrated by considering display device designs that extract light using 2D paint patterns as well as 3D textured surfaces. A hybrid optimization approach that combines a mesh feedback optimization with a classical optimizer is demonstrated. Displays with LED sources and cold cathode fluorescent lamps are considered.

Method and system for monitoring and displaying engine performance parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbott, Terence S. (Inventor); Person, Lee H., Jr. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

The invention is believed a major improvement that will have a broad application in governmental and commercial aviation. It provides a dynamic method and system for monitoring and simultaneously displaying in easily scanned form the available, predicted, and actual thrust of a jet aircraft engine under actual operating conditions. The available and predicted thrusts are based on the performance of a functional model of the aircraft engine under the same operating conditions. Other critical performance parameters of the aircraft engine and functional model are generated and compared, the differences in value being simultaneously displayed in conjunction with the displayed thrust values. Thus, the displayed information permits the pilot to make power adjustments directly while keeping him aware of total performance at a glance of a single display panel.

Scream-embrace displays in wild black-horned capuchin monkeys.

PubMed

Lynch Alfaro, Jessica

2008-06-01

Reintroduction of capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) into their social group in captivity can elicit sirena screams and embraces. Captive scream-embrace displays are male biased, and females never perform sirena screams. One hypothesis is that scream-embrace displays serve a tension-reduction or reconciliatory function between males with conflicting interests. Alternatively, these displays may function to maintain strong affiliative bonds between friendly male dyads. Scream and/or embrace displays in wild Brazilian black-horned capuchins were analyzed for social and ecological contexts, behavioral components, and individuals involved. Seventy-two displays were observed during the 199-day study period. Among the 66 displays for which both members could be identified by sex, there were 42 occurrences of male-male dyads, 17 of male-female dyads, and seven of female-female dyads. Scream-embrace dyads were male-male pairs significantly more often than expected from group membership, and the alpha male was the only male to engage in scream-embrace displays with females. Female-female pairs did embrace, but never emitted sirena screams. Displays most commonly occurred in "reunion" contexts, primarily the reuniting of subgroups after hours or days out of contact, but also after intergroup encounters, and across groups in "intergroup" displays. Displays were rare, but socially contagious, and subgroup reunions could elicit multiple displays in rapid succession. Although the occurrence of screams and embraces was positively correlated, both behaviors also occurred independently, and their functions may be different. Male sirena screams may be honest advertisements of united alliances, directed toward a third party, whereas the embrace may be a risky affiliative signal, directed primarily within the dyad. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

75 FR 42790 - Exelon Generation Company, LLC; Clinton Power Station; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-22

... functions, and replace a Mechanical Maintenance person with a NLO. The regulation at 10 CFR 50.54(q) states... assigned other functions, and replace a Mechanical Maintenance person with a NLO. According to the licensee... to plant personnel work assignments. No changes will be made to plant buildings or the site property...

A Real-Time Phase Vector Display for EEG Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finger, Herbert J.; Anliker, James E.; Rimmer, Tamara

1973-01-01

A real-time, computer-based, phase vector display system has been developed which will output a vector whose phase is equal to the delay between a trigger and the peak of a function which is quasi-coherent with respect to the trigger. The system also contains a sliding averager which enables the operator to average successive trials before calculating the phase vector. Data collection, averaging and display generation are performed on a LINC-8 computer. Output displays appear on several X-Y CRT display units and on a kymograph camera/oscilloscope unit which is used to generate photographs of time-varying phase vectors or contourograms of time-varying averages of input functions.

Multi-function displays : a guide for human factors evaluation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

This guide is designed to assist aircraft certification personnel and avionics : manufacturers in evaluating the human factors aspects of Multi-function Displays : (MFDs) for FAA certification. The guide focuses specifically on human factors and : do...

Software Verification of Orion Cockpit Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biswas, M. A. Rafe; Garcia, Samuel; Prado, Matthew; Hossain, Sadad; Souris, Matthew; Morin, Lee

2017-01-01

NASA's latest spacecraft Orion is in the development process of taking humans deeper into space. Orion is equipped with three main displays to monitor and control the spacecraft. To ensure the software behind the glass displays operates without faults, rigorous testing is needed. To conduct such testing, the Rapid Prototyping Lab at NASA's Johnson Space Center along with the University of Texas at Tyler employed a software verification tool, EggPlant Functional by TestPlant. It is an image based test automation tool that allows users to create scripts to verify the functionality within a program. A set of edge key framework and Common EggPlant Functions were developed to enable creation of scripts in an efficient fashion. This framework standardized the way to code and to simulate user inputs in the verification process. Moreover, the Common EggPlant Functions can be used repeatedly in verification of different displays.

Preliminary Effect of Synthetic Vision Systems Displays to Reduce Low-Visibility Loss of Control and Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accidents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaab, Louis J.; Takallu, Mohammad A.

2002-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effectiveness of Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) flight displays as a means of eliminating Low Visibility Loss of Control (LVLOC) and Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents by low time general aviation (GA) pilots. A series of basic maneuvers were performed by 18 subject pilots during transition from Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) to Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), with continued flight into IMC, employing a fixed-based flight simulator. A total of three display concepts were employed for this evaluation. One display concept, referred to as the Attitude Indicator (AI) replicated instrumentation common in today's General Aviation (GA) aircraft. The second display concept, referred to as the Electronic Attitude Indicator (EAI), featured an enlarged attitude indicator that was more representative of a glass display that also included advanced flight symbology, such as a velocity vector. The third concept, referred to as the SVS display, was identical to the EAI except that computer-generated terrain imagery replaced the conventional blue-sky/brown-ground of the EAI. Pilot performance parameters, pilot control inputs and physiological data were recorded for post-test analysis. Situation awareness (SA) and qualitative pilot comments were obtained through questionnaires and free-form interviews administered immediately after the experimental session. Initial pilot performance data were obtained by instructor pilot observations. Physiological data (skin temperature, heart rate, and muscle flexure) were also recorded. Preliminary results indicate that far less errors were committed when using the EAI and SVS displays than when using conventional instruments. The specific data example examined in this report illustrates the benefit from SVS displays to avoid massive loss of SA conditions. All pilots acknowledged the enhanced situation awareness provided by the SVS display concept. Levels of pilot stress appear to be correlated with skin temperature measurements.

The research on a novel type of the solar-blind UV head-mounted displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shun-long

2011-08-01

Ultraviolet technology of detecting is playing a more and more important role in the field of civil application, especially in the corona discharge detection, in modern society. Now the UV imaging detector is one of the most important equipments in power equipment flaws detection. And the modern head-mounted displays (HMDs) have shown the applications in the fields of military, industry production, medical treatment, entertainment, 3D visualization, education and training. We applied the system of head-mounted displays to the UV image detection, and a novel type of head-mounted displays is presented: the solar-blind UV head-mounted displays. And the structure is given. By the solar-blind UV head-mounted displays, a real-time, isometric and visible image of the corona discharge is correctly displayed upon the background scene where it exists. The user will see the visible image of the corona discharge on the real scene rather than on a small screen. Then the user can easily find out the power equipment flaws and repair them. Compared with the traditional UV imaging detector, the introducing of the HMDs simplifies the structure of the whole system. The original visible spectrum optical system is replaced by the eye in the solar-blind UV head-mounted displays. And the optical image fusion technology would be used rather than the digital image fusion system which is necessary in traditional UV imaging detector. That means the visible spectrum optical system and digital image fusion system are not necessary. This makes the whole system cheaper than the traditional UV imaging detector. Another advantage of the solar-blind UV head-mounted displays is that the two hands of user will be free. So while observing the corona discharge the user can do some things about it. Therefore the solar-blind UV head-mounted displays can make the corona discharge expose itself to the user in a better way, and it will play an important role in corona detection in the future.

Designing and evaluating symbols for electronic displays of navigation information : symbol stereotypes and symbol-feature rules

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-30

There is currently no common symbology standard for the electronic display of navigation information. The wide range of display technology and the different functions these displays support makes it difficult to design symbols that are easily recogni...

Correlation between plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels and changes in New York Heart Association functional class, left atrial size, left ventricular size and function after mitral and/or aortic valve replacement.

PubMed

Elasfar, Abdelfatah

2012-01-01

Elevated plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels have been demonstrated in patients with chronic valvular disease. We designed the present study to assess whether changes in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels after mitral, aortic and double mitral and aortic valve replacement reflect changes in heart failure (HF) symptoms including New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and changes in left atrium (LA) size, left ventricle (LV) size and LV function. A prospective observational nonrandomized study among consecutive patients undergoing mitral and/or aortic valve replacement in our center. The study population consisted of 24 patients (mean [SD] age of 55.3 [16.2] years, 58% were males) who underwent surgical mitral valve replacement (12 patients), aortic valve replacement (8 patients) and combined mitral and aortic valve replacement (4 patients). NT-proBNP measurements, transthoracic echocardiography and NYHA class assessments were performed before and 6 months after surgery. The decrease in NT-proBNP was associated with decrease in left atrial dimension (r = 0.73, P < .002), LV end-diastolic dimension (r=0.65, P=.001), LV end-systolic dimension (r=0.53, P=.036), and increase in ejection fraction (r=-0.65, P=.001) after 6 months postoperatively. Furthermore, a decreasing NT-proBNP was associated with improvement in NYHA class. NT-proBNP levels after mitral, aortic and double valve replacement correlates with changes in HF manifestations as well as changes in LA size and LV dimension and function. Thus, we hypothesize that interval measurement of the NT-proBNP level at clinic visits can allow early detection of any clinical deterioration as well as the possibility of assessment of the long-term outcome of those patients.

The association between radiographic severity and pre-operative function in patients undergoing primary knee replacement for osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Dowsey, Michelle M; Dieppe, Paul; Lohmander, Stefan; Castle, David; Liew, Danny; Choong, Peter F M

2012-12-01

To determine the association between radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) and pre-operative function in patients undergoing primary knee replacement. Single centre study examining pre-operative outcomes in a consecutive series of 525 patients who underwent primary knee replacement for OA between January 2006 and December 2007. Pre-operative data included: demographics, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) status and OA in the contralateral knee. The International Knee Society (IKS) rating and Short Form-12 (SF-12) were recorded for each patient. Pre-operative radiographs were read by a single observer for Kellgren and Lawrence (K&L) grading and Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) atlas features. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the strength of associations between radiographic OA severity and function, adjusting for clinically relevant variables. Lateral tibiofemoral osteophyte grade was an independent predictor of pre-operative function as determined by the functional sub-scale of the IKS in patients undergoing primary knee replacement (coefficient=2.58, p=0.033). No associations were evident between pre-operative function and modified K&L, joint space narrowing, Ahlbäck attrition and coronal plane deformity. Other statistically significant predictors of poorer pre-operative function included: advancing age, female gender, knee pain and poorer SF-12 mental component summary scores which including osteophyte grade accounted for 24.6% of the variation in functional scores, (r=0.496). Osteophytes in the lateral compartment of the knee were associated with pre-operative function in patients with advanced knee OA. Further studies are required which examine individual radiographic features specifically in patients with advanced knee OA to determine their relationship to pre-operative pain and function. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Leaving Moderate Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation Alone at the Time of Pulmonary Valve Replacement: A Worthwhile Approach.

PubMed

Kogon, Brian; Mori, Makoto; Alsoufi, Bahaaldin; Kanter, Kirk; Oster, Matt

2015-06-01

Pulmonary valve disruption in patients with tetralogy of Fallot and congenital pulmonary stenosis often results in pulmonary insufficiency, right ventricular dilation, and tricuspid valve regurgitation. Management of functional tricuspid regurgitation at the time of subsequent pulmonary valve replacement remains controversial. Our aims were to (1) analyze tricuspid valve function after pulmonary valve replacement through midterm follow-up and (2) determine the benefits, if any, of concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty. Thirty-five patients with tetralogy of Fallot or congenital pulmonary stenosis were analyzed. All patients had been palliated in childhood by disrupting the pulmonary valve, and all patients had at least moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation at the time of subsequent pulmonary valve replacement. Preoperative and serial postoperative echocardiograms were analyzed. Pulmonary and tricuspid regurgitation, along with right ventricular dilation and dysfunction were scored as 0 (none), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), and 3 (severe). Right ventricular volume and area were also calculated. Comparisons were made between patients who underwent pulmonary valve replacement alone and those who underwent concomitant tricuspid valve annuloplasty. At 1 month after pulmonary valve replacement, there were significant reductions in pulmonary valve regurgitation (mean 3 vs 0.39, p < 0.0001), tricuspid valve regurgitation (mean 2.33 vs 1.3, p < 0.0001), and in right ventricular dilation, volume, and area. There was no difference in the degree of tricuspid regurgitation 1 month postoperatively between patients who underwent concomitant tricuspid annuloplasty and those who underwent pulmonary valve replacement alone (mean 1.31 vs 1.29, p = 0.81). However, at latest follow-up (mean 7.0 ± 2.8 years), the degree of tricuspid regurgitation was significantly higher in the concomitant annuloplasty group (mean 1.87 vs 1.12, p = 0.005). In patients with at least moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation, significant improvement in tricuspid valve function and right ventricular size occurs in the first postoperative month after pulmonary valve replacement, irrespective of concomitant tricuspid valve annuloplasty. The tricuspid valve appears to function better over the midterm if annuloplasty is not performed. Copyright © 2015 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systematic bacterialization of yeast genes identifies a near-universally swappable pathway

PubMed Central

Kachroo, Aashiq H; Laurent, Jon M; Akhmetov, Azat; Szilagyi-Jones, Madelyn; McWhite, Claire D; Zhao, Alice; Marcotte, Edward M

2017-01-01

Eukaryotes and prokaryotes last shared a common ancestor ~2 billion years ago, and while many present-day genes in these lineages predate this divergence, the extent to which these genes still perform their ancestral functions is largely unknown. To test principles governing retention of ancient function, we asked if prokaryotic genes could replace their essential eukaryotic orthologs. We systematically replaced essential genes in yeast by their 1:1 orthologs from Escherichia coli. After accounting for mitochondrial localization and alternative start codons, 31 out of 51 bacterial genes tested (61%) could complement a lethal growth defect and replace their yeast orthologs with minimal effects on growth rate. Replaceability was determined on a pathway-by-pathway basis; codon usage, abundance, and sequence similarity contributed predictive power. The heme biosynthesis pathway was particularly amenable to inter-kingdom exchange, with each yeast enzyme replaceable by its bacterial, human, or plant ortholog, suggesting it as a near-universally swappable pathway. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25093.001 PMID:28661399

Pathogen Reduced, Plasmalyte Extended Stored Platelets

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

products of very different signal strengths . In May 2017 we modified the protocol to replace the chromium label with a second indium label of fresh...failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO...determine the efficacy of using a pathogen inactivation technique (Mirasol) coupled with a platelet additive solution (PAS) to extend the life of stored

Alternatives for Ground-Based, Large-Aperture Optical Space Surveillance Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE SEP 2013 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED...be replaced with a filter if required. Distribution A: Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited 3 Fig. 1. Three dimensional...most advanced, wide-field survey telescopes in the world . The telescope images a patch of sky three times larger than that covered by GEODSS and

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

David D. McBride, director of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, speaks from a podium underneath the space shuttle Endeavour during the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

President and CEO of the California Science Center Jeffrey N. Rudolph speaks from a podium underneath the space shuttle Endeavour during the grand opening ceremony for the center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

Members of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy perform “Men in Black” choreographed by the legendary Debbie Allen during the grand opening ceremony for the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Processing and Development of Nano-Scale HA Coatings for Biomedical Application

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

thickness of the film has been processed and tested as a more effective orthopedic/ dental implant coating. The present study aims to increase the service...life of an orthopedic/ dental implant by creating materials that form a strong, long lasting, bond with the Ti substrate as well as juxtaposed bone... dental replacement surgery may quickly return to a normal active lifestyle. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis displayed that the

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

Chief Executive Officer of the Planetary Society, Bill Nye "The Science Guy", acts as emcee from a podium underneath the space shuttle Endeavour during the grand opening ceremony for the center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Tools virtualization for command and control systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piszczek, Marek; Maciejewski, Marcin; Pomianek, Mateusz; Szustakowski, Mieczysław

2017-10-01

Information management is an inseparable part of the command process. The result is that the person making decisions at the command post interacts with data providing devices in various ways. Tools virtualization process can introduce a number of significant modifications in the design of solutions for management and command. The general idea involves replacing physical devices user interface with their digital representation (so-called Virtual instruments). A more advanced level of the systems "digitalization" is to use the mixed reality environments. In solutions using Augmented reality (AR) customized HMI is displayed to the operator when he approaches to each device. Identification of device is done by image recognition of photo codes. Visualization is achieved by (optical) see-through head mounted display (HMD). Control can be done for example by means of a handheld touch panel. Using the immersive virtual environment, the command center can be digitally reconstructed. Workstation requires only VR system (HMD) and access to information network. Operator can interact with devices in such a way as it would perform in real world (for example with the virtual hands). Because of their procedures (an analysis of central vision, eye tracking) MR systems offers another useful feature of reducing requirements for system data throughput. Due to the fact that at the moment we focus on the single device. Experiments carried out using Moverio BT-200 and SteamVR systems and the results of experimental application testing clearly indicate the ability to create a fully functional information system with the use of mixed reality technology.

Hard copies for digital medical images: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blume, Hartwig R.; Muka, Edward

1995-04-01

This paper is a condensed version of an invited overview on the technology of film hard-copies used in radiology. Because the overview was given to an essentially nonmedical audience, the reliance on film hard-copies in radiology is outlined in greater detail. The overview is concerned with laser image recorders generating monochrome prints on silver-halide films. The basic components of laser image recorders are sketched. The paper concentrates on the physical parameters - characteristic function, dynamic range, digitization resolution, modulation transfer function, and noise power spectrum - which define image quality and information transfer capability of the printed image. A preliminary approach is presented to compare the printed image quality with noise in the acquired image as well as with the noise of state-of- the-art cathode-ray-tube display systems. High-performance laser-image- recorder/silver-halide-film/light-box systems are well capable of reproducing acquired radiologic information. Most recently development was begun toward a display function standard for soft-copy display systems to facilitate similarity of image presentation between different soft-copy displays as well as between soft- and hard-copy displays. The standard display function is based on perceptional linearization. The standard is briefly reviewed to encourage the printer industry to adopt it, too.

The rapidly evolving centromere-specific histone has stringent functional requirements in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Ravi, Maruthachalam; Kwong, Pak N; Menorca, Ron M G; Valencia, Joel T; Ramahi, Joseph S; Stewart, Jodi L; Tran, Robert K; Sundaresan, Venkatesan; Comai, Luca; Chan, Simon W-L

2010-10-01

Centromeres control chromosome inheritance in eukaryotes, yet their DNA structure and primary sequence are hypervariable. Most animals and plants have megabases of tandem repeats at their centromeres, unlike yeast with unique centromere sequences. Centromere function requires the centromere-specific histone CENH3 (CENP-A in human), which replaces histone H3 in centromeric nucleosomes. CENH3 evolves rapidly, particularly in its N-terminal tail domain. A portion of the CENH3 histone-fold domain, the CENP-A targeting domain (CATD), has been previously shown to confer kinetochore localization and centromere function when swapped into human H3. Furthermore, CENP-A in human cells can be functionally replaced by CENH3 from distantly related organisms including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have used cenh3-1 (a null mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana) to replace endogenous CENH3 with GFP-tagged variants. A H3.3 tail domain-CENH3 histone-fold domain chimera rescued viability of cenh3-1, but CENH3's lacking a tail domain were nonfunctional. In contrast to human results, H3 containing the A. thaliana CATD cannot complement cenh3-1. GFP-CENH3 from the sister species A. arenosa functionally replaces A. thaliana CENH3. GFP-CENH3 from the close relative Brassica rapa was targeted to centromeres, but did not complement cenh3-1, indicating that kinetochore localization and centromere function can be uncoupled. We conclude that CENH3 function in A. thaliana, an organism with large tandem repeat centromeres, has stringent requirements for functional complementation in mitosis.

Folding and Function of a T4 Lysozyme Containing 10 Consecutive Alanines Illustrate the Redundancy of Information in an Amino Acid Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinz, Dirk W.; Baase, Walt A.; Matthews, Brian W.

1992-05-01

Single and multiple Xaa -> Ala substitutions were constructed in the α-helix comprising residues 39-50 in bacteriophage T4 lysozyme. The variant with alanines at 10 consecutive positions (A40-49) folds normally and has activity essentially the same as wild type, although it is less stable. The crystal structure of this polyalanine mutant displays no significant change in the main-chain atoms of the helix when compared with the wild-type structure. The individual substitutions of the solvent-exposed residues Asn-40, Ser-44, and Glu-45 with alanine tend to increase the thermostability of the protein, whereas replacements of the buried or partially buried residues Lys-43 and Leu-46 are destabilizing. The melting temperature of the lysozyme in which Lys-43 and Leu-46 are retained and positions 40, 44, 45, 47, and 48 are substituted with alanine (i.e., A40-42/44-45/47-49) is increased by 3.1^circC relative to wild type at pH 3.0, but reduced by 1.6^circC at pH 6.7. In the case of the charged amino acids Glu-45 and Lys-48, the changes in melting temperature indicate that the putative salt bridge between these two residues contributes essentially nothing to the stability of the protein. The results clearly demonstrate that there is considerable redundancy in the sequence information in the polypeptide chain; not every amino acid is essential for folding. Also, further evidence is provided that the replacement of fully solvent-exposed residues within α-helices with alanines may be a general way to increase protein stability. The general approach may permit a simplification of the protein folding problem by retaining only amino acids proven to be essential for folding and replacing the remainder with alanine.

Displaying uncertainty: investigating the effects of display format and specificity.

PubMed

Bisantz, Ann M; Marsiglio, Stephanie Schinzing; Munch, Jessica

2005-01-01

We conducted four studies regarding the representation of probabilistic information. Experiments 1 through 3 compared performance on a simulated stock purchase task, in which information regarding stock profitability was probabilistic. Two variables were manipulated: display format for probabilistic information (blurred and colored icons, linguistic phrases, numeric expressions, and combinations) and specificity level (in which the number and size of discrete steps into which the probabilistic information was mapped differed). Results indicated few performance differences attributable to display format; however, performance did improve with greater specificity. Experiment 4, in which participants generated membership functions corresponding to three display formats, found a high degree of similarity in functions across formats and participants and a strong relationship between the shape of the membership function and the intended meaning of the representation. These results indicate that participants can successfully interpret nonnumeric representations of uncertainty and can use such representations in a manner similar to the way numeric expressions are used in a decision-making task. Actual or potential applications of this research include the use of graphical representations of uncertainty in systems such as command and control and situation displays.

A case of severe chlorite poisoning successfully treated with early administration of methylene blue, renal replacement therapy, and red blood cell transfusion: case report.

PubMed

Gebhardtova, Andrea; Vavrinec, Peter; Vavrincova-Yaghi, Diana; Seelen, Mark; Dobisova, Anna; Flassikova, Zora; Cikova, Andrea; Henning, Robert H; Yaghi, Aktham

2014-08-01

The case of a 55-year-old man who attempted suicide by ingesting <100 mL of 28% sodium chlorite solution is presented. On arrival in the intensive care unit, the patient appeared cyanotic with lowered consciousness and displayed anuria and chocolate brown serum.Initial laboratory tests revealed 40% of methemoglobin. The formation of methemoglobin was effectively treated with methylene blue (10% after 29 hours).To remove the toxin, and because of the anuric acute renal failure, the patient received renal replacement therapy. Despite these therapeutic measures, the patient developed hemolytic anemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation, which were treated with red blood cell transfusion and intermittent hemodialysis. These interventions led to the improvement of his condition and the patient eventually fully recovered. Patient gave written informed consent.This is the third known case of chlorite poisoning that has been reported. Based upon this case, we suggest the management of sodium chlorite poisoning to comprise the early administration of methylene blue, in addition to renal replacement therapy and transfusion of red blood cells.

A Case of Severe Chlorite Poisoning Successfully Treated With Early Administration of Methylene Blue, Renal Replacement Therapy, and Red Blood Cell Transfusion

PubMed Central

Gebhardtova, Andrea; Vavrinec, Peter; Vavrincova-Yaghi, Diana; Seelen, Mark; Dobisova, Anna; Flassikova, Zora; Cikova, Andrea; Henning, Robert H.; Yaghi, Aktham

2014-01-01

Abstract The case of a 55-year-old man who attempted suicide by ingesting <100 mL of 28% sodium chlorite solution is presented. On arrival in the intensive care unit, the patient appeared cyanotic with lowered consciousness and displayed anuria and chocolate brown serum. Initial laboratory tests revealed 40% of methemoglobin. The formation of methemoglobin was effectively treated with methylene blue (10% after 29 hours). To remove the toxin, and because of the anuric acute renal failure, the patient received renal replacement therapy. Despite these therapeutic measures, the patient developed hemolytic anemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation, which were treated with red blood cell transfusion and intermittent hemodialysis. These interventions led to the improvement of his condition and the patient eventually fully recovered. Patient gave written informed consent. This is the third known case of chlorite poisoning that has been reported. Based upon this case, we suggest the management of sodium chlorite poisoning to comprise the early administration of methylene blue, in addition to renal replacement therapy and transfusion of red blood cells. PMID:25144325

Multimodal information Management: Evaluation of Auditory and Haptic Cues for NextGen Communication Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Begault, Durand R.; Bittner, Rachel M.; Anderson, Mark R.

2012-01-01

Auditory communication displays within the NextGen data link system may use multiple synthetic speech messages replacing traditional ATC and company communications. The design of an interface for selecting amongst multiple incoming messages can impact both performance (time to select, audit and release a message) and preference. Two design factors were evaluated: physical pressure-sensitive switches versus flat panel "virtual switches", and the presence or absence of auditory feedback from switch contact. Performance with stimuli using physical switches was 1.2 s faster than virtual switches (2.0 s vs. 3.2 s); auditory feedback provided a 0.54 s performance advantage (2.33 s vs. 2.87 s). There was no interaction between these variables. Preference data were highly correlated with performance.

Improving land vehicle situational awareness using a distributed aperture system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortin, Jean; Bias, Jason; Wells, Ashley; Riddle, Larry; van der Wal, Gooitzen; Piacentino, Mike; Mandelbaum, Robert

2005-05-01

U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Communications Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) has performed early work to develop a Distributed Aperture System (DAS). The DAS aims at improving the situational awareness of armored fighting vehicle crews under closed-hatch conditions. The concept is based on a plurality of sensors configured to create a day and night dome of surveillance coupled with heads up displays slaved to the operator's head to give a "glass turret" feel. State-of-the-art image processing is used to produce multiple seamless hemispherical views simultaneously available to the vehicle commander, crew members and dismounting infantry. On-the-move automatic cueing of multiple moving/pop-up low silhouette threats is also done with the possibility to save/revisit/share past events. As a first step in this development program, a contract was awarded to United Defense to further develop the Eagle VisionTM system. The second-generation prototype features two camera heads, each comprising four high-resolution (2048x1536) color sensors, and each covering a field of view of 270°hx150°v. High-bandwidth digital links interface the camera heads with a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based custom processor developed by Sarnoff Corporation. The processor computes the hemispherical stitch and warp functions required for real-time, low latency, immersive viewing (360°hx120°v, 30° down) and generates up to six simultaneous extended graphics array (XGA) video outputs for independent display either on a helmet-mounted display (with associated head tracking device) or a flat panel display (and joystick). The prototype is currently in its last stage of development and will be integrated on a vehicle for user evaluation and testing. Near-term improvements include the replacement of the color camera heads with a pixel-level fused combination of uncooled long wave infrared (LWIR) and low light level intensified imagery. It is believed that the DAS will significantly increase situational awareness by providing the users with a day and night, wide area coverage, immersive visualization capability.

Regional analgesia for improvement of long-term functional outcome after elective large joint replacement

PubMed Central

Atchabahian, Arthur; Schwartz, Gary; Hall, Charles B; Lajam, Claudette M; Andreae, Michael H

2015-01-01

Background Regional analgesia is more effective than conventional analgesia for controlling pain and may facilitate rehabilitation after large joint replacement in the short term. It remains unclear if regional anaesthesia improves functional outcomes after joint replacement beyond three months after surgery. Objectives To assess the effects of regional anaesthesia and analgesia on long-term functional outcomes 3, 6 and 12 months after elective major joint (knee, shoulder and hip) replacement surgery. Search methods We performed an electronic search of several databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL), and handsearched reference lists and conference abstracts. We updated our search in June 2015. Selection criteria We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing regional analgesia versus conventional analgesia in patients undergoing total shoulder, hip or knee replacement. We included studies that reported a functional outcome with a follow-up of at least three months after surgery. Data collection and analysis We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. We contacted study authors for additional information. Main results We included six studies with 350 participants followed for at least three months. All of these studies enrolled participants undergoing total knee replacement. Studies were at least partially blinded. Three studies had a high risk of performance bias and one a high risk of attrition bias, but the risk of bias was otherwise unclear or low. Only one study assessed joint function using a global score. Due to heterogeneity in outcome and reporting, we could only pool three out of six RCTs, with range of motion assessed at three months after surgery used as a surrogate for joint function. All studies had a high risk of detection bias. Using the random-effects model, there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups (mean difference 3.99 degrees, 95% confidence interval (CI) − 2.23 to 10.21; P value = 0.21, 3 studies, 140 participants, very low quality evidence). We did not perform further analyses because immediate adverse effects were not part of the explicit outcomes of any of these typically small studies, and long-term adverse events after regional anaesthesia are rare. None of the included studies elicited or reported long-term adverse effects like persistent nerve damage. Authors’ conclusions More high-quality studies are needed to establish the effects of regional analgesia on function after major joint replacement, as well as on the risk of adverse events (falls). PMID:26269416

[Retrospective study about periodontal ligament healing of replanted permanent teeth in children].

PubMed

Bai, J; Zhao, Y M; Qin, M

2015-04-18

To analyze the prognosis about periodontal ligament healing of replanted permanent teeth in children and to examine the associated factors. The sample consisted of 49 children with 61 avulsed permanent teeth, whose injuries had been managed in the period from 2000 to 2012. The clinical data of replanted teeth were collected, and the follow-up period was no less than 12 months. The factors were analyzed in relation to postoperative outcomes, classified as functional periodontal healing (FH), infection-related (inflammatory) resorption (IRR) and replacement resorption (RR). The functional healing rate was 23.0%, while replacement resorption rate was 72.1%. The replacement resorption (ankylosis) was usually observed earlier by clinical examination than by radiographic examination. 86.0% (40/47) resorptive processes were diagnosed within the first year. Physiological storages, such as milk, saline and saliva were significantly better to periodontal ligament healing than nonphysiological storages, such as tap water and sterilizing solutions (chloramine and alcohol). Functional healing was found significantly more frequent in canines and premolars. The factor significantly affecting periodontal ligament healing is storage medium. Replacement resorption is the most common type of root resorption. The replacement resorption diagnosis must combine the radiographic examination with the clinical examination. It is better to follow up more than 1 year after tooth replantation.

Survey of multi-function display and control technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiger, R. J.; Farrell, R. J.; Tonkin, M. H.

1982-01-01

The NASA orbiter spacecraft incorporates a complex array of systems, displays and controls. The incorporation of discrete dedicated controls into a multi-function display and control system (MFDCS) offers the potential for savings in weight, power, panel space and crew training time. The technology applicable to the development of a MFDCS for orbiter application is surveyed. Technology thought to be applicable presently or in the next five years is highlighted. Areas discussed include display media, data handling and processing, controls and operator interactions and the human factors considerations which are involved in a MFDCS design. Several examples of applicable MFDCS technology are described.

Are Current Insulin Pumps Accessible to Blind and Visually Impaired People?

PubMed Central

Burton, Darren M.; Uslan, Mark M.; Blubaugh, Morgan V.; Clements, Charles W.

2009-01-01

Background In 2004, Uslan and colleagues determined that insulin pumps (IPs) on the market were largely inaccessible to blind and visually impaired persons. The objective of this study is to determine if accessibility status changed in the ensuing 4 years. Methods Five IPs on the market in 2008 were acquired and analyzed for key accessibility traits such as speech and other audio output, tactual nature of control buttons, and the quality of visual displays. It was also determined whether or not a blind or visually impaired person could independently complete tasks such as programming the IP for insulin delivery, replacing batteries, and reading manuals and other documentation. Results It was found that IPs have not improved in accessibility since 2004. None have speech output, and with the exception of the Animas IR 2020, no significantly improved visual display characteristics were found. Documentation is still not completely accessible. Conclusion Insulin pumps are relatively complex devices, with serious health consequences resulting from improper use. For IPs to be used safely and independently by blind and visually impaired patients, they must include voice output to communicate all the information presented on their display screens. Enhancing display contrast and the size of the displayed information would also improve accessibility for visually impaired users. The IPs must also come with accessible user documentation in alternate formats. PMID:20144301

Are current insulin pumps accessible to blind and visually impaired people?

PubMed

Burton, Darren M; Uslan, Mark M; Blubaugh, Morgan V; Clements, Charles W

2009-05-01

In 2004, Uslan and colleagues determined that insulin pumps (IPs) on the market were largely inaccessible to blind and visually impaired persons. The objective of this study is to determine if accessibility status changed in the ensuing 4 years. Five IPs on the market in 2008 were acquired and analyzed for key accessibility traits such as speech and other audio output, tactual nature of control buttons, and the quality of visual displays. It was also determined whether or not a blind or visually impaired person could independently complete tasks such as programming the IP for insulin delivery, replacing batteries, and reading manuals and other documentation. It was found that IPs have not improved in accessibility since 2004. None have speech output, and with the exception of the Animas IR 2020, no significantly improved visual display characteristics were found. Documentation is still not completely accessible. Insulin pumps are relatively complex devices, with serious health consequences resulting from improper use. For IPs to be used safely and independently by blind and visually impaired patients, they must include voice output to communicate all the information presented on their display screens. Enhancing display contrast and the size of the displayed information would also improve accessibility for visually impaired users. The IPs must also come with accessible user documentation in alternate formats. 2009 Diabetes Technology Society.

Polychromatic plots: graphical display of multidimensional data.

PubMed

Roederer, Mario; Moody, M Anthony

2008-09-01

Limitations of graphical displays as well as human perception make the presentation and analysis of multidimensional data challenging. Graphical display of information on paper or by current projectors is perforce limited to two dimensions; the encoding of information from other dimensions must be overloaded into the two physical dimensions. A number of alternative means of encoding this information have been implemented, such as offsetting data points at an angle (e.g., three-dimensional projections onto a two-dimensional surface) or generating derived parameters that are combinations of other variables (e.g., principal components). Here, we explore the use of color to encode additional dimensions of data. PolyChromatic Plots are standard dot plots, where the color of each event is defined by the values of one, two, or three of the measurements for that event. The measurements for these parameters are mapped onto an intensity value for each primary color (red, green, or blue) based on different functions. In addition, differential weighting of the priority with which overlapping events are displayed can be defined by these same measurements. PolyChromatic Plots can encode up to five independent dimensions of data in a single display. By altering the color mapping function and the priority function, very different displays that highlight or de-emphasize populations of events can be generated. As for standard black-and-white dot plots, frequency information can be significantly biased by this display; care must be taken to ensure appropriate interpretation of the displays. PolyChromatic Plots are a powerful display type that enables rapid data exploration. By virtue of encoding as many as five dimensions of data independently, an enormous amount of information can be gleaned from the displays. In many ways, the display performs somewhat like an unsupervised cluster algorithm, by highlighting events of similar distributions in multivariate space.

Apollo experience report: Crew station integration. Volume 2: Crew station displays and controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Langdoc, W. A.; Nassman, D. A.

1975-01-01

The functional requirements for the Apollo displays and controls system are presented. The configuration of the displays, controls, and panels for both the command module and the lunar module are described, and the design development and operational experience of the displays and controls system are discussed. Pertinent recommendations for future displays and controls system design efforts are made.

Method and apparatus for an optical function generator for seamless tiled displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Michael (Inventor); Chen, Chung-Jen (Inventor)

2004-01-01

Producing seamless tiled images from multiple displays includes measuring a luminance profile of each of the displays, computing a desired luminance profile for each of the displays, and determining a spatial gradient profile of each of the displays based on the measured luminance profile and the computed desired luminance profile. The determined spatial gradient profile is applied to a spatial filter to be inserted into each of the displays to produce the seamless tiled display image.

The VIS-AD data model: Integrating metadata and polymorphic display with a scientific programming language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hibbard, William L.; Dyer, Charles R.; Paul, Brian E.

1994-01-01

The VIS-AD data model integrates metadata about the precision of values, including missing data indicators and the way that arrays sample continuous functions, with the data objects of a scientific programming language. The data objects of this data model form a lattice, ordered by the precision with which they approximate mathematical objects. We define a similar lattice of displays and study visualization processes as functions from data lattices to display lattices. Such functions can be applied to visualize data objects of all data types and are thus polymorphic.

Generation and characterization of Atoh1-Cre knock-in mouse line

PubMed Central

Yang, Hua; Xie, Xiaoling; Deng, Min; Chen, Xiaowei; Gan, Lin

2010-01-01

Summary Atoh1 encodes a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor required for the development of the inner ear sensory epithelia, the dorsal spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, and intestinal secretory cells. In this study to create a genetic tool for the research on gene function in the ear sensory organs, we generated an Atoh1-Cre knock-in mouse line by replacing the entire Atoh1 coding sequences with the Cre coding sequences. Atoh1Cre/+mice were viable, fertile, and displayed no visible defects whereas the Atoh1Cre/Cremice died perinatally. The spatiotemporal activities of Cre recombinase were examined by crossing Atoh1-Cre mice with the R26R-lacZ conditional reporter mice. Atoh1-Cre activities were detected in the developing inner ear, the hindbrain, the spinal cord, and the intestine. In the inner ear, Atoh1-Cre activities were confined to the sensory organs in which lacZ expression is detected in nearly all of the hair cells and in many supporting cells. Thus, Atoh1-Cre mouse line serves as a useful tool for the functional study of genes in the inner ear. In addition, our results demonstrate that Atoh1 is expressed in the common progenitors destined for both hair and supporting cells. PMID:20533400

Label-free biodetection using a smartphone.

PubMed

Gallegos, Dustin; Long, Kenneth D; Yu, Hojeong; Clark, Peter P; Lin, Yixiao; George, Sherine; Nath, Pabitra; Cunningham, Brian T

2013-06-07

Utilizing its integrated camera as a spectrometer, we demonstrate the use of a smartphone as the detection instrument for a label-free photonic crystal biosensor. A custom-designed cradle holds the smartphone in fixed alignment with optical components, allowing for accurate and repeatable measurements of shifts in the resonant wavelength of the sensor. Externally provided broadband light incident upon an entrance pinhole is subsequently collimated and linearly polarized before passing through the biosensor, which resonantly reflects only a narrow band of wavelengths. A diffraction grating spreads the remaining wavelengths over the camera's pixels to display a high resolution transmission spectrum. The photonic crystal biosensor is fabricated on a plastic substrate and attached to a standard glass microscope slide that can easily be removed and replaced within the optical path. A custom software app was developed to convert the camera images into the photonic crystal transmission spectrum in the visible wavelength range, including curve-fitting analysis that computes the photonic crystal resonant wavelength with 0.009 nm accuracy. We demonstrate the functionality of the system through detection of an immobilized protein monolayer, and selective detection of concentration-dependent antibody binding to a functionalized photonic crystal. We envision the capability for an inexpensive, handheld biosensor instrument with web connectivity to enable point-of-care sensing in environments that have not been practical previously.

Fab Chaperone-Assisted RNA Crystallography (Fab CARC).

PubMed

Sherman, Eileen; Archer, Jennifer; Ye, Jing-Dong

2016-01-01

Recent discovery of structured RNAs such as ribozymes and riboswitches shows that there is still much to learn about the structure and function of RNAs. Knowledge learned can be employed in both biochemical research and clinical applications. X-ray crystallography gives unparalleled atomic-level structural detail from which functional inferences can be deduced. However, the difficulty in obtaining high-quality crystals and their phasing information make it a very challenging task. RNA crystallography is particularly arduous due to several factors such as RNA's paucity of surface chemical diversity, lability, repetitive anionic backbone, and flexibility, all of which are counterproductive to crystal packing. Here we describe Fab chaperone assisted RNA crystallography (CARC), a systematic technique to increase RNA crystallography success by facilitating crystal packing as well as expediting phase determination through molecular replacement of conserved Fab domains. Major steps described in this chapter include selection of a synthetic Fab library displayed on M13 phage against a structured RNA crystallization target, ELISA for initial choice of binding Fabs, Fab expression followed by protein A affinity then cation exchange chromatography purification, final choice of Fab by binding specificity and affinity as determined by a dot blot assay, and lastly gel filtration purification of a large quantity of chosen Fabs for crystallization.

Electron transfer function versus oxygen delivery: a comparative study for several hexacoordinated globins across the animal kingdom.

PubMed

Kiger, Laurent; Tilleman, Lesley; Geuens, Eva; Hoogewijs, David; Lechauve, Christophe; Moens, Luc; Dewilde, Sylvia; Marden, Michael C

2011-01-01

Caenorhabditis elegans globin GLB-26 (expressed from gene T22C1.2) has been studied in comparison with human neuroglobin (Ngb) and cytoglobin (Cygb) for its electron transfer properties. GLB-26 exhibits no reversible binding for O(2) and a relatively low CO affinity compared to myoglobin-like globins. These differences arise from its mechanism of gaseous ligand binding since the heme iron of GLB-26 is strongly hexacoordinated in the absence of external ligands; the replacement of this internal ligand, probably the E7 distal histidine, is required before binding of CO or O(2) as for Ngb and Cygb. Interestingly the ferrous bis-histidyl GLB-26 and Ngb, another strongly hexacoordinated globin, can transfer an electron to cytochrome c (Cyt-c) at a high bimolecular rate, comparable to those of inter-protein electron transfer in mitochondria. In addition, GLB-26 displays an unexpectedly rapid oxidation of the ferrous His-Fe-His complex without O(2) actually binding to the iron atom, since the heme is oxidized by O(2) faster than the time for distal histidine dissociation. These efficient mechanisms for electron transfer could indicate a family of hexacoordinated globin which are functionally different from that of pentacoordinated globins.

Observation of Binding and Rotation of Methane and Hydrogen within a Functional Metal–Organic Framework

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The key requirement for a portable store of natural gas is to maximize the amount of gas within the smallest possible space. The packing of methane (CH4) in a given storage medium at the highest possible density is, therefore, a highly desirable but challenging target. We report a microporous hydroxyl-decorated material, MFM-300(In) (MFM = Manchester Framework Material, replacing the NOTT designation), which displays a high volumetric uptake of 202 v/v at 298 K and 35 bar for CH4 and 488 v/v at 77 K and 20 bar for H2. Direct observation and quantification of the location, binding, and rotational modes of adsorbed CH4 and H2 molecules within this host have been achieved, using neutron diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering experiments, coupled with density functional theory (DFT) modeling. These complementary techniques reveal a very efficient packing of H2 and CH4 molecules within MFM-300(In), reminiscent of the condensed gas in pure component crystalline solids. We also report here, for the first time, the experimental observation of a direct binding interaction between adsorbed CH4 molecules and the hydroxyl groups within the pore of a material. This is different from the arrangement found in CH4/water clathrates, the CH4 store of nature. PMID:27410670

On the Structure and Function of the Phytoene Desaturase CRTI from Pantoea ananatis, a Membrane-Peripheral and FAD-Dependent Oxidase/Isomerase

PubMed Central

Gemmecker, Sandra; Poussin-Courmontagne, Pierre; Mailliot, Justine; McEwen, Alastair G.; Ghisla, Sandro; Al-Babili, Salim; Cavarelli, Jean; Beyer, Peter

2012-01-01

CRTI-type phytoene desaturases prevailing in bacteria and fungi can form lycopene directly from phytoene while plants employ two distinct desaturases and two cis-tans isomerases for the same purpose. This property renders CRTI a valuable gene to engineer provitamin A-formation to help combat vitamin A malnutrition, such as with Golden Rice. To understand the biochemical processes involved, recombinant CRTI was produced and obtained in homogeneous form that shows high enzymatic activity with the lipophilic substrate phytoene contained in phosphatidyl-choline (PC) liposome membranes. The first crystal structure of apo-CRTI reveals that CRTI belongs to the flavoprotein superfamily comprising protoporphyrinogen IX oxidoreductase and monoamine oxidase. CRTI is a membrane-peripheral oxidoreductase which utilizes FAD as the sole redox-active cofactor. Oxygen, replaceable by quinones in its absence, is needed as the terminal electron acceptor. FAD, besides its catalytic role also displays a structural function by enabling the formation of enzymatically active CRTI membrane associates. Under anaerobic conditions the enzyme can act as a carotene cis-trans isomerase. In silico-docking experiments yielded information on substrate binding sites, potential catalytic residues and is in favor of single half-site recognition of the symmetrical C40 hydrocarbon substrate. PMID:22745782

Effect of steroid replacement on thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity in Addison's disease with primary hypothyroidism

PubMed Central

Sahoo, Jaya Prakash; Selviambigapathy, Jayakumar; Kamalanathan, Sadishkumar; Nagarajan, K.; Vivekanandan, Muthupillai

2016-01-01

Background: Steroid replacement without thyroxine supplementation normalizes thyroid function test (TFT) in some but not all Addison's disease patients with primary hypothyroidism. Both autoimmune and nonautoimmune mechanisms contribute to this improvement in TFT. However, the documentation of the change in thyroid autoimmunity after cortisol replacement is very limited in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of steroid replacement on TFT and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO-Ab) titer in Addison's disease with primary hypothyroidism. Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted in a tertiary care center in South India. Six Addison's disease patients with primary hypothyroidism, who were only on steroid replacement, were included in the study. Low serum cortisol (<83 nmol/L) with high plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (>22 pmol/L) and/or hyperpigmentation of skin/mucous membranes was considered as the diagnostic criteria for Addison's disease. Primary hypothyroidism (both overt and subclinical) was defined as high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with/without low free thyroxine (fT4). TFT and anti-TPO-Ab were performed before and after steroid replacement in all of them. Results: Poststeroid replacement, there was a normalization of TSH in all but one subjects. In overt hypothyroidism patients, fT4 also normalized. The improvement in TFT was not associated with decreasing titer of the anti-TPO-Ab in all six patients. However, there was a significant difference in TSH after steroid replacement compared to the baseline status. Conclusions: The concept of normalization of primary hypothyroidism with cortisol replacement in patients with Addison's disease should be recognized to avoid iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis caused by thyroxine replacement. Both autoimmune and nonautoimmune mechanisms contribute to these alterations. PMID:27042409

Effect of steroid replacement on thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity in Addison's disease with primary hypothyroidism.

PubMed

Sahoo, Jaya Prakash; Selviambigapathy, Jayakumar; Kamalanathan, Sadishkumar; Nagarajan, K; Vivekanandan, Muthupillai

2016-01-01

Steroid replacement without thyroxine supplementation normalizes thyroid function test (TFT) in some but not all Addison's disease patients with primary hypothyroidism. Both autoimmune and nonautoimmune mechanisms contribute to this improvement in TFT. However, the documentation of the change in thyroid autoimmunity after cortisol replacement is very limited in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of steroid replacement on TFT and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO-Ab) titer in Addison's disease with primary hypothyroidism. This observational study was conducted in a tertiary care center in South India. Six Addison's disease patients with primary hypothyroidism, who were only on steroid replacement, were included in the study. Low serum cortisol (<83 nmol/L) with high plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (>22 pmol/L) and/or hyperpigmentation of skin/mucous membranes was considered as the diagnostic criteria for Addison's disease. Primary hypothyroidism (both overt and subclinical) was defined as high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with/without low free thyroxine (fT4). TFT and anti-TPO-Ab were performed before and after steroid replacement in all of them. Poststeroid replacement, there was a normalization of TSH in all but one subjects. In overt hypothyroidism patients, fT4 also normalized. The improvement in TFT was not associated with decreasing titer of the anti-TPO-Ab in all six patients. However, there was a significant difference in TSH after steroid replacement compared to the baseline status. The concept of normalization of primary hypothyroidism with cortisol replacement in patients with Addison's disease should be recognized to avoid iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis caused by thyroxine replacement. Both autoimmune and nonautoimmune mechanisms contribute to these alterations.

Hierarchy revealed in the specification of three skeletal fates by Sox9 and Runx2.

PubMed

Eames, B Frank; Sharpe, Paul T; Helms, Jill A

2004-10-01

Across vertebrates, there are three principal skeletal tissues: bone, persistent cartilage, and replacement cartilage. Although each tissue has a different evolutionary history and functional morphology, they also share many features. For example, they function as structural supports, they are comprised of cells embedded in collagen-rich extracellular matrix, and they derive from a common embryonic stem cell, the osteochondroprogenitor. Occasionally, homologous skeletal elements can change tissue type through phylogeny. Together, these observations raise the possibility that skeletal tissue identity is determined by a shared set of genes. Here, we show that misexpression of either Sox9 or Runx2 can substitute bone with replacement cartilage or can convert persistent cartilage into replacement cartilage and vice versa. Our data also suggest that these transcription factors function in a molecular hierarchy in which chondrogenic factors dominate. We propose a binary molecular code that determines whether skeletal tissues form as bone, persistent cartilage, or replacement cartilage. Finally, these data provide insights into the roles that master regulatory genes play during evolutionary change of the vertebrate skeleton.

Enzyme replacement therapy of Fabry disease.

PubMed

Clarke, Joe T R; Iwanochko, R Mark

2005-08-01

Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A and results in pain, progressive renal impairment, cardiomyopathy, and cerebrovascular disease. The results of two major randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials and open-label extensions have shown that replacement of the deficient enzyme with either of two preparations of recombinant human alpha-galactosidase A, agalsidase-alfa, and agalsidase-beta is safe. Biweekly i.v. infusions of 0.2 mg/kg of agalsidase-alfa were associated with a significant decrease in pain and stabilization of renal function. Biweekly infusions of 1 mg/kg of agalsidase-beta were associated with virtually complete clearing of accumulated glycolipid substrate from renal and cutaneous capillary endothelial cells. Several smaller, open-label studies, along with observations made in the course of monitoring large numbers of patients on enzyme replacement therapy, indicated that treatment stabilizes renal function and produces significant improvements in myocardial mass and function. Treatment of Fabry disease by enzyme replacement has a significant impact on at least some serious complications of the disease.

Effects of balance and proprioceptive training on total hip and knee replacement rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Domínguez-Navarro, Fernando; Igual-Camacho, Celedonia; Silvestre-Muñoz, Antonio; Roig-Casasús, Sergio; Blasco, José María

2018-05-01

Balance and proprioceptive deficits are frequently persistent after total joint replacement, limiting functionality and involving altered movement patterns and difficulties in walking and maintaining postural control among patients. The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the short- and mid-term effects of proprioceptive and balance training for patients undergoing total knee and hip replacement. This is a systematic review of literature. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, PEDro, and Scopus were the databases searched. The review included randomized clinical trials in which the experimental groups underwent a training aimed at improving balance and proprioception, in addition to conventional care. The studies had to assess at least one of the following outcomes: self-reported functionality or balance (primary outcomes), knee function, pain, falls, or quality of life. Eight trials were included, involving 567 participants. The quantitative synthesis found a moderate to high significant effect of balance and proprioceptive trainings on self-reported functionality and balance after total knee replacement. The effects were maintained at mid-term in terms of balance alone. Conversely, preoperative training did not enhance outcomes after total hip arthroplasty. The synthesis showed that, in clinical terms, balance trainings are a convenient complement to conventional physiotherapy care to produce an impact on balance and functionality after knee replacement. If outcomes such as improvement in pain, knee range of movement, or patient quality of life are to be promoted, it would be advisable to explore alternative proposals specifically targeting these goals. Further research is needed to confirm or discard the current evidence ultimately, predominantly in terms of the effects on the hips and those yielded by preoperative interventions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SU-E-P-29: Testing Display Monitors for GSDF Compliance - a Practical Approach

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

Gauntt, D

2015-06-15

Purpose: To develop a simple technique for testing display monitors for compliance with the DICOM Grayscale Standard Display Function (GSDF), in accordance with the recommendations of AAPM Task Group 18. Methods: We have developed a spreadsheet that can be used to compare both the luminance response and contrast response of a display to the GSDF, using luminance measurements of the SMPTE test pattern. The contrast response compares the slope of the GSDF j-index as a function of pixel value to that of the GSDF function, and should lie within the range 0.85 to 1.15. Results: We present the results ofmore » measurements both of primary diagnostic displays and of ultrasound and acquisition workstations, all at a tertiary care hospital. The Barco displays in the radiographic reading rooms are GSDF compliant or nearly so, while those in the ultrasound reading rooms and at the acquisition workstations generally show significantly higher contrast at low luminance levels than they would if GSDF compliant, and lower contrast at high luminance levels. Conclusion: The spreadsheet that we developed allows a simple comparison of measured display contrast response to the GSDF. Although we used the SMPTE pattern, the same technique could be used with other grayscale patterns, such as TG18-QC and TG18-PQC.« less

Initial Development of a Metric to Describe the Level of Safety Associated with Piloting an Aircraft with Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartolone, Anthony P.; Glabb, Louis J.; Hughes, Monica F.; Parrish, Russell V.

2005-01-01

Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) displays provide pilots with a continuous view of terrain combined with integrated guidance symbology in an effort to increase situation awareness (SA) and decrease workload during operations in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). It is hypothesized that SVS displays can replicate the safety and operational flexibility of flight in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), regardless of actual out-the-window (OTW) visibility or time of day. Significant progress has been made towards evolving SVS displays as well as demonstrating their ability to increase SA compared to conventional avionics in a variety of conditions. While a substantial amount of data has been accumulated demonstrating the capabilities of SVS displays, the ability of SVS to replicate the safety and operational flexibility of VMC flight performance in all visibility conditions is unknown to any specific degree. In order to more fully quantify the relationship of flight operations in IMC with SVS displays to conventional operations conducted in VMC, a fundamental comparison to current day general aviation (GA) flight instruments was warranted. Such a comparison could begin to establish the extent to which SVS display concepts are capable of maintaining an "equivalent level of safety" with the round dials they could one day replace, for both current and future operations. A combination of subjective and objective data measures were used to quantify the relationship between selected components of safety that are associated with flying an approach. Four information display methods ranging from a "round dials" baseline through a fully integrated SVS package that includes terrain, pathway based guidance, and a strategic navigation display, were investigated in this high fidelity simulation experiment. In addition, a broad spectrum of pilots, representative of the GA population, were employed for testing in an attempt to enable greater application of the results and determine if "equivalent levels of safety" are achievable through the incorporation of SVS technology regardless of a pilot's flight experience.

Parallax barrier engineering for image quality improvement in an autostereoscopic 3D display.

PubMed

Kim, Sung-Kyu; Yoon, Ki-Hyuk; Yoon, Seon Kyu; Ju, Heongkyu

2015-05-18

We present a image quality improvement in a parallax barrier (PB)-based multiview autostereoscopic 3D display system under a real-time tracking of positions of a viewer's eyes. The system presented exploits a parallax barrier engineered to offer significantly improved quality of three-dimensional images for a moving viewer without an eyewear under the dynamic eye tracking. The improved image quality includes enhanced uniformity of image brightness, reduced point crosstalk, and no pseudoscopic effects. We control the relative ratio between two parameters i.e., a pixel size and the aperture of a parallax barrier slit to improve uniformity of image brightness at a viewing zone. The eye tracking that monitors positions of a viewer's eyes enables pixel data control software to turn on only pixels for view images near the viewer's eyes (the other pixels turned off), thus reducing point crosstalk. The eye tracking combined software provides right images for the respective eyes, therefore producing no pseudoscopic effects at its zone boundaries. The viewing zone can be spanned over area larger than the central viewing zone offered by a conventional PB-based multiview autostereoscopic 3D display (no eye tracking). Our 3D display system also provides multiviews for motion parallax under eye tracking. More importantly, we demonstrate substantial reduction of point crosstalk of images at the viewing zone, its level being comparable to that of a commercialized eyewear-assisted 3D display system. The multiview autostereoscopic 3D display presented can greatly resolve the point crosstalk problem, which is one of the critical factors that make it difficult for previous technologies for a multiview autostereoscopic 3D display to replace an eyewear-assisted counterpart.

3D Stereo Data Visualization and Representation

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

will see a stereo image" (29:219). See (28) and (32) for more detail. "• Lenticular Display - The idea is stimulated by the limitation of parallax...barriers to replace the slits with a cylindrical lenses. According to Bruce Lane, "a particularly valuable feature of lenticular is the multiple viewing...the object close to the optical axis and place the object close to the spherical mirror’s focus length. 48 " Astigmatism - Astigmatism is the

An Intuitive Graphical User Interface for Small UAS

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-01

reduced from two to one . The stock displays, including video with text overlay on one and FalconView on the other, are replaced with a single, graphics...INTRODUCTION Tactical UAVs such as the Raven, Puma and Wasp are often used by dismounted warfighters on missions that require a high degree of mobility by...the operators on the ground. The current ground control stations (GCS) for the Wasp, Raven and Puma tactical UAVs require two people and two user

Human Factors Workshop on Aviation (4th) Transcript Held at Atlantic City, New Jersey on 13-15 May 1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

and some specific examples of problems and recom- mended solutions . At the third workshop, we continued the process of defining and discussing the... procurement . The replacement of computer and display equipment in a system that must * support continuous operation without degradation in service...all facilities are equally busy . We have also been running, with the assistance of our Transportation Systems Center and the MITRE Corporation, a

Measuring Fracture Times Of Ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shlichta, Paul J.; Bister, Leo; Bickler, Donald G.

1989-01-01

Electrical measurements complement or replace fast cinematography. Electronic system measures microsecond time intervals between impacts of projectiles on ceramic tiles and fracture tiles. Used in research on ceramics and ceramic-based composite materials such as armor. Hardness and low density of ceramics enable them to disintegrate projectiles more efficiently than metals. Projectile approaches ceramic tile specimen. Penetrating foil squares of triggering device activate display and recording instruments. As ceramic and resistive film break oscilloscope plots increase in electrical resistance of film.

Endeavour Grand Opening Ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-30

NASA Astronauts, from left, Danny Olivas, Garrett Reisman, Barbara Morgan, and, NASA Associate Administrator for Education and Astronaut, Leland Melvin give high fives to school children as they enter the California Science center's Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Los Angeles. Endeavour, built as a replacement for space shuttle Challenger, completed 25 missions, spent 299 days in orbit, and orbited Earth 4,671 times while traveling 122,883,151 miles. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Computer Graphics in Research: Some State -of-the-Art Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, R.; And Others

1975-01-01

A description is given of the structure and functional characteristics of three types of interactive computer graphic systems, developed by the Department of Computer Science at Carnegie-Mellon; a high-speed programmable display capable of displaying 50,000 short vectors, flicker free; a shaded-color video display for the display of gray-scale…

Laser Optometric Assessment Of Visual Display Viewability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murch, Gerald M.

1983-08-01

Through the technique of laser optometry, measurements of a display user's visual accommodation and binocular convergence were used to assess the visual impact of display color, technology, contrast, and work time. The studies reported here indicate the potential of visual-function measurements as an objective means of improving the design of visual displays.

A novel helper phage for HaloTag-mediated co-display of enzyme and substrate on phage.

PubMed

Delespaul, Wouter; Peeters, Yves; Herdewijn, Piet; Robben, Johan

2015-05-01

Phage display is an established technique for the molecular evolution of peptides and proteins. For the selection of enzymes based on catalytic activity however, simultaneous coupling of an enzyme and its substrate to the phage surface is required. To facilitate this process of co-display, we developed a new helper phage displaying HaloTag, a modified haloalkane dehalogenase that binds specifically and covalently to functionalized haloalkane ligands. The display of functional HaloTag was demonstrated by capture on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads, after coupling a biotinylated haloalkane ligand, or after on-phage extension of a DNA oligonucleotide primer with a biotinylated nucleotide by phi29 DNA polymerase. We also achieved co-display of HaloTag and phi29 DNA polymerase, thereby opening perspectives for the molecular evolution of this enzyme (and others) towards new substrate specificities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cell-surface display of enzymes by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for synthetic biology.

PubMed

Tanaka, Tsutomu; Kondo, Akihiko

2015-02-01

In yeast cell-surface displays, functional proteins, such as cellulases, are genetically fused to an anchor protein and expressed on the cell surface. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is often utilized as a cell factory for the production of fuels, chemicals, and proteins, is the most commonly used yeast for cell-surface display. To construct yeast cells with a desired function, such as the ability to utilize cellulose as a substrate for bioethanol production, cell-surface display techniques for the efficient expression of enzymes on the cell membrane need to be combined with metabolic engineering approaches for manipulating target pathways within cells. In this Minireview, we summarize the recent progress of biorefinery fields in the development and application of yeast cell-surface displays from a synthetic biology perspective and discuss approaches for further enhancing cell-surface display efficiency. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.

The Formal Specification of a Visual display Device: Design and Implementation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-01

The use of these data structures with their defined operations, give the programmer a very powerful instructions set. Like the DPU code generator in...which any AM hosted machine could faithfully display. 27 In- general , most applications have no need to create images from a data structure representing...formation of standard functional interfaces to these resources. OS’s generally do not provide a functional interface to either the processor or the display2

Incorporation of an aldehyde function in oligonucleotides.

PubMed

Tilquin, J M; Dechamps, M; Sonveaux, E

2001-01-01

A nucleotide-like phosphoramidite building block that has the nucleic base replaced by the tert-butyldimethylsilyl-protected styrene glycol was synthesized. After the automatic synthesis of an oligonucleotide incorporating this synthon, the benzaldehyde function was generated by fluoride deprotection and oxidation by sodium periodate. In a similar manner, an oligonucleotide where a nucleic base was replaced by the (CH2)8CH=O chain was synthesized and conjugated with biotin derivatives.

Biochemical functionalization of peptide nanotubes with phage displayed peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swaminathan, Swathi; Cui, Yue

2016-09-01

The development of a general approach for the biochemical functionalization of peptide nanotubes (PNTs) could open up existing opportunities in both fundamental studies as well as a variety of applications. PNTs are spontaneously assembled organic nanostructures made from peptides. Phage display has emerged as a powerful approach for identifying selective peptide binding motifs. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the biochemical functionalization of PNTs via peptides identified from a phage display peptide library. The phage-displayed peptides are shown to recognize PNTs. These advances further allow for the development of bifunctional peptides for the capture of bacteria and the self-assembly of silver particles onto PNTs. We anticipate that these results could provide significant opportunities for using PNTs in both fundamental studies and practical applications, including sensors and biosensors nanoelectronics, energy storage devices, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

Safety and efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy in the nephropathy of Fabry disease

PubMed Central

Fervenza, Fernando C; Torra, Roser; Warnock, David G

2008-01-01

Kidney involvement with progressive loss of kidney function (Fabry nephropathy) is an important complication of Fabry disease, an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder arising from deficiency of α-galactosidase activity. Clinical trials have shown that enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human α-galactosidase clears globotriaosylceramide from kidney cells, and can stabilize kidney function in patients with mild to moderate Fabry nephropathy. Recent trials show that patients with more advanced Fabry nephropathy and overt proteinuria do not respond as well to ERT alone, but can benefit from anti-proteinuric therapy given in conjunction with ERT. This review focuses on the use of enzyme replacement therapy with agalsidase-alfa and agalsidase-beta in adults with Fabry nephropathy. The current results are reviewed and evaluated. The issues of dosing of enzyme replacement therapy, the use of adjunctive agents to control urinary protein excretion, and the individual factors that affect disease severity are reviewed. PMID:19707461

From the Cover: Cell-replacement therapy for diabetes: Generating functional insulin-producing tissue from adult human liver cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapir, Tamar; Shternhall, Keren; Meivar-Levy, Irit; Blumenfeld, Tamar; Cohen, Hamutal; Skutelsky, Ehud; Eventov-Friedman, Smadar; Barshack, Iris; Goldberg, Iris; Pri-Chen, Sarah; Ben-Dor, Lya; Polak-Charcon, Sylvie; Karasik, Avraham; Shimon, Ilan; Mor, Eytan; Ferber, Sarah

2005-05-01

Shortage in tissue availability from cadaver donors and the need for life-long immunosuppression severely restrict the large-scale application of cell-replacement therapy for diabetic patients. This study suggests the potential use of adult human liver as alternate tissue for autologous beta-cell-replacement therapy. By using pancreatic and duodenal homeobox gene 1 (PDX-1) and soluble factors, we induced a comprehensive developmental shift of adult human liver cells into functional insulin-producing cells. PDX-1-treated human liver cells express insulin, store it in defined granules, and secrete the hormone in a glucose-regulated manner. When transplanted under the renal capsule of diabetic, immunodeficient mice, the cells ameliorated hyperglycemia for prolonged periods of time. Inducing developmental redirection of adult liver offers the potential of a cell-replacement therapy for diabetics by allowing the patient to be the donor of his own insulin-producing tissue. pancreas | transdifferentiation

Exponential localization of Wannier functions in insulators.

PubMed

Brouder, Christian; Panati, Gianluca; Calandra, Matteo; Mourougane, Christophe; Marzari, Nicola

2007-01-26

The exponential localization of Wannier functions in two or three dimensions is proven for all insulators that display time-reversal symmetry, settling a long-standing conjecture. Our proof relies on the equivalence between the existence of analytic quasi-Bloch functions and the nullity of the Chern numbers (or of the Hall current) for the system under consideration. The same equivalence implies that Chern insulators cannot display exponentially localized Wannier functions. An explicit condition for the reality of the Wannier functions is identified.

Functional evolution and structural conservation in chimeric cytochromes p450: calibrating a structure-guided approach.

PubMed

Otey, Christopher R; Silberg, Jonathan J; Voigt, Christopher A; Endelman, Jeffrey B; Bandara, Geethani; Arnold, Frances H

2004-03-01

Recombination generates chimeric proteins whose ability to fold depends on minimizing structural perturbations that result when portions of the sequence are inherited from different parents. These chimeric sequences can display functional properties characteristic of the parents or acquire entirely new functions. Seventeen chimeras were generated from two CYP102 members of the functionally diverse cytochrome p450 family. Chimeras predicted to have limited structural disruption, as defined by the SCHEMA algorithm, displayed CO binding spectra characteristic of folded p450s. Even this small population exhibited significant functional diversity: chimeras displayed altered substrate specificities, a wide range in thermostabilities, up to a 40-fold increase in peroxidase activity, and ability to hydroxylate a substrate toward which neither parent heme domain shows detectable activity. These results suggest that SCHEMA-guided recombination can be used to generate diverse p450s for exploring function evolution within the p450 structural framework.

The Chronic Detrimental Impact of Interruptions in a Simulated Submarine Track Management Task.

PubMed

Loft, Shayne; Sadler, Andreas; Braithwaite, Janelle; Huf, Samuel

2015-12-01

The objective of this article is to examine the extent to which interruptions negatively impact situation awareness and long-term performance in a submarine track management task where pre- and postinterruption display scenes remained essentially identical. Interruptions in command and control task environments can degrade performance well beyond the first postinterruption action typically measured for sequential static tasks, because individuals need to recover their situation awareness for multiple unfolding display events. Participants in the current study returned to an unchanged display scene following interruption and therefore could be more immune to such long-term performance deficits. The task required participants to monitor a display to detect contact heading changes and to make enemy engagement decisions. Situation awareness (Situation Present Assessment Method) and subjective workload (NASA-Task Load Index) were measured. The interruption replaced the display for 20 s with a blank screen, during which participants completed a classification task. Situation awareness after returning from interruption was degraded. Participants were slower to make correct engagement decisions and slower and less accurate in detecting heading changes, despite these task decisions being made at least 40 s following the interruption. Interruptions negatively impacted situation awareness and long-term performance because participants needed to redetermine the location and spatial relationship between the displayed contacts when returning from interruption, either because their situation awareness for the preinterruption scene decayed or because they did not encode the preinterruption scene. Interruption in work contexts such as submarines is unavoidable, and further understanding of how operators are affected is required to improve work design and training. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Automatic optical inspection of regular grid patterns with an inspection camera used below the Shannon-Nyquist criterion for optical resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Flávio P.; Forte, Paulo M. F.; Felgueiras, Paulo E. R.; Bret, Boris P. J.; Belsley, Michael S.; Nunes-Pereira, Eduardo J.

2017-02-01

An Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) system for optical inspection of imaging devices used in automotive industry using an inspecting optics of lower spatial resolution than the device under inspection is described. This system is robust and with no moving parts. The cycle time is small. Its main advantage is that it is capable of detecting and quantifying defects in regular patterns, working below the Shannon-Nyquist criterion for optical resolution, using a single low resolution image sensor. It is easily scalable, which is an important advantage in industrial applications, since the same inspecting sensor can be reused for increasingly higher spatial resolutions of the devices to be inspected. The optical inspection is implemented with a notch multi-band Fourier filter, making the procedure especially fitted for regular patterns, like the ones that can be produced in image displays and Head Up Displays (HUDs). The regular patterns are used in production line only, for inspection purposes. For image displays, functional defects are detected at the level of a sub-image display grid element unit. Functional defects are the ones impairing the function of the display, and are preferred in AOI to the direct geometric imaging, since those are the ones directly related with the end-user experience. The shift in emphasis from geometric imaging to functional imaging is critical, since it is this that allows quantitative inspection, below Shannon-Nyquist. For HUDs, the functional detect detection addresses defects resulting from the combined effect of the image display and the image forming optics.

Active learning in optics and photonics: Liquid Crystal Display in the do-it-yourself

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vauderwange, Oliver; Haiss, Ulrich; Wozniak, Peter; Israel, Kai; Curticapean, Dan

2015-10-01

Monitors are in the center of media productions and hold an important function as the main visual interface. Tablets and smartphones are becoming more and more important work tools in the media industry. As an extension to our lecture contents an intensive discussion of different display technologies and its applications is taking place now. The established LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology and the promising OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology are in the focus. The classic LCD is currently the most important display technology. The paper will present how the students should develop sense for display technologies besides the theoretical scientific basics. The workshop focuses increasingly on the technical aspects of the display technology and has the goal of deepening the students understanding of the functionality by building simple Liquid Crystal Displays by themselves. The authors will present their experience in the field of display technologies. A mixture of theoretical and practical lectures has the goal of a deeper understanding in the field of digital color representation and display technologies. The design and development of a suitable learning environment with the required infrastructure is crucial. The main focus of this paper is on the hands-on optics workshop "Liquid Crystal Display in the do-it-yourself".

Electrokinetic supercharging with a system-induced terminator and an optimized capillary versus electrode configuration for parts-per-trillion detection of rare-earth elements in CZE.

PubMed

Xu, Zhongqi; Kawahito, Kouji; Ye, Xiaoxue; Timerbaev, Andrei R; Hirokawa, Takeshi

2011-05-01

A further improvement of electrokinetic supercharging (EKS) methodology has been proposed, with the objective to enhance the sensitivity of the conventional CZE-UV method down to a single-digit part per trillion (ppt) level. The advanced EKS procedure is based on a novel phenomenon displaying the formation of a zone with an increased concentration of the hydrogen ion, capable to perform the function of a terminator, behind the sample zone upon electrokinetic injection. In combination with a visualizing co-ion of BGE, protonated 4-methylbenzylamine, acting as the leading ion, such system-induced terminator a effected the transient ITP state to efficiently concentrate cationic analytes prior to CZE. Furthermore, to amass more analyte ions within the effective electric field at the injection stage, a standard sample vial was replaced with an elongated vial that allowed the sample volume to be increased from 500 to 900 μL. Alongside, this replacement made the upright distance between the electrode and the capillary tips prolonged to 40.0 mm to achieve high-efficiency electrokinetic injection. The computer simulation was used for profiling analyte concentration, pH, and field strength in order to delineate formation of the terminator during sample injection. The proposed preconcentration strategy afforded an enrichment factor of 80,000 and thereby the LODs of rare-earth metal ions at the ppt level, e.g. 0.04 nM (6.7 ng/L) for erbium(III). Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Forward Genetics Defines Xylt1 as a Key, Conserved Regulator of Early Chondrocyte Maturation and Skeletal Length

PubMed Central

Mis, Emily K.; Liem, Karel F.; Kong, Yong; Schwartz, Nancy B.; Domowicz, Miriam; Weatherbee, Scott D.

2014-01-01

The long bones of the vertebrate body are built by the initial formation of a cartilage template that is later replaced by mineralized bone. The proliferation and maturation of the skeletal precursor cells (chondrocytes) within the cartilage template and their replacement by bone is a highly coordinated process which, if misregulated, can lead to a number of defects including dwarfism and other skeletal deformities. This is exemplified by the fact that abnormal bone development is one of the most common types of human birth defects. Yet, many of the factors that initiate and regulate chondrocyte maturation are not known. We identified a recessive dwarf mouse mutant (pug) from an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screen. pug mutant skeletal elements are patterned normally during development, but display a ~20% length reduction compared to wild-type embryos. We show that the pug mutation does not lead to changes in chondrocyte proliferation but instead promotes premature maturation and early ossification, which ultimately leads to disproportionate dwarfism. Using sequence capture and high-throughput sequencing, we identified a missense mutation in the Xylosyltransferase 1 (Xylt1) gene in pug mutants. Xylosyltransferases catalyze the initial step in glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain addition to proteoglycan core proteins, and these modifications are essential for normal proteoglycan function. We show that the pug mutation disrupts Xylt1 activity and subcellular localization, leading to a reduction in GAG chains in pug mutants. The pug mutant serves as a novel model for mammalian dwarfism and identifies a key role for proteoglycan modification in the initiation of chondrocyte maturation. PMID:24161523

Directed evolution of P-glycoprotein cysteines reveals site-specific, non-conservative substitutions that preserve multidrug resistance.

PubMed

Swartz, Douglas J; Mok, Leo; Botta, Sri K; Singh, Anukriti; Altenberg, Guillermo A; Urbatsch, Ina L

2014-06-25

Pgp (P-glycoprotein) is a prototype ABC (ATP-binding-cassette) transporter involved in multidrug resistance of cancer. We used directed evolution to replace six cytoplasmic Cys (cysteine) residues in Pgp with all 20 standard amino acids and selected for active mutants. From a pool of 75000 transformants for each block of three Cys, we identified multiple mutants that preserved drug resistance and yeast mating activity. The most frequent substitutions were glycine and serine for Cys427 (24 and 20%, respectively) and Cys1070 (37 and 25%) of the Walker A motifs in the NBDs (nucleotide-binding domains), Cys1223 in NBD2 (25 and 8%) and Cys638 in the linker region (24 and 16%), whereas close-by Cys669 tolerated glycine (16%) and alanine (14%), but not serine (absent). Cys1121 in NBD2 showed a clear preference for positively charged arginine (38%) suggesting a salt bridge with Glu269 in the ICL2 (intracellular loop 2) may stabilize domain interactions. In contrast, three Cys residues in transmembrane α-helices could be successfully replaced by alanine. The resulting CL (Cys-less) Pgp was fully active in yeast cells, and purified proteins displayed drug-stimulated ATPase activities indistinguishable from WT (wild-type) Pgp. Overall, directed evolution identified site-specific, non-conservative Cys substitutions that allowed building of a robust CL Pgp, an invaluable new tool for future functional and structural studies, and that may guide the construction of other CL proteins where alanine and serine have proven unsuccessful.

Post-natal molecular adaptations in anteromedial and posterolateral bundles of the ovine anterior cruciate ligament: one structure with two parts or two distinct ligaments?

PubMed

Huebner, Kyla D; O'Brien, Etienne J O; Heard, Bryan J; Chung, May; Achari, Yamini; Shrive, Nigel G; Frank, Cyril B

2012-01-01

The human anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a composite structure of two anatomically distinct bundles: an anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL) bundles. Tendons are often used as autografts for surgical reconstruction of ACL following severe injury. However, despite successful surgical reconstruction, some people experience re-rupture and later development of osteoarthritis. Understanding the structure and molecular makeup of normal ACL is essential for its optimal replacement. Reportedly the two bundles display different tensions throughout joint motion and may be fundamentally different. This study assessed the similarities and differences in ultrastructure and molecular composition of the AM and PL bundles to test the hypothesis that the two bundles of the ACL develop unique characteristics with maturation. ACLs from nine mature and six immature sheep were compared. The bundles were examined for mRNA and protein levels of collagen types I, III, V, and VI, and two proteoglycans. The fibril diameter composition of the two bundles was examined with transmission electron microscopy. Maturation does alter the molecular and structural composition of the two bundles of ACL. Although the PL band appears to mature slower than the AM band, no significant differences were detected between the bundles in the mature animals. We thus reject our hypothesis that the two ACL bundles are distinct. The two anatomically distinct bundles of the sheep ACL can be considered as two parts of one structure at maturity and material that would result in a structure of similar functionality can be used to replace each ACL bundle in the sheep.

Color calibration of liquid crystal displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazes, Albert N.; Braudaway, Gordon W.; Christensen, James; Cordes, Michael; DeCain, Don; Lien, Shui-Chih A.; Mintzer, Frederick C.; Wright, Steven L.

1999-04-01

For more than a decade the Image Applications department at IBMs Watson Research Center has been involved in cultural and commercial imaging projects that demand high-fidelity color reproduction of precious objects like paintings, illuminated manuscripts or jewelry. Our primary display media have been high-resolution cathode ray tubes (CRT), but for the last three years our customers have been replacing them with liquid crystal displays (LCD). The color calibration model we have been using for the CRT is the one described in the literature. It assumes that the chromas of the primaries are independent of intensity, that the colors produced from them are additive and that the intensity of black is almost zero. We measured several models of LCDs and observed that they poorly satisfied these assumptions at medium to low intensities. This becomes noticeable if the image has dark areas or if the display is viewed under a weak ambient light. In this paper, we use a modified version of the CRT model to calibrate the LCD. First we measure four sets of red, green, blue and gray patches. THen we determine the correction factor needed to make, at each level,the sum of the primaries equal to the corresponding gray. Finally, we use these factors to modify the data of red, green and blue.

A novel non-sense mutation in the SLC2A10 gene of an arterial tortuosity syndrome patient of Kurdish origin.

PubMed

Zaidi, Syed H E; Meyer, Sascha; Peltekova, Vanya D; Lindinger, Angelika; Teebi, Ahmad S; Faiyaz-Ul-Haque, Muhammad

2009-07-01

Arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder in which patients display tortuosity of arteries in addition to hyperextensible skin, joint laxity, and other connective tissue features. This syndrome is caused by mutations in the SLC2A10 gene. In this article we describe an ATS girl of Kurdish origin who, in addition to arterial tortuosity and connective tissue features, displays stomach displacement within the thorax and bilateral hip dislocation. Clinical details of this patient have been reported previously. Sequencing of the SLC2A10 gene identified a novel homozygous non-sense c.756C>A mutation in this patient's DNA. This mutation in the SLC2A10 gene replaces a cysteine encoding codon with a stop signal. This is believed to cause a premature truncation of GLUT10 protein in this patient. We conclude that patients of Kurdish origin who display arterial tortuosity associated with skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility, and characteristic facial features may carry mutations in the SLC2A10 gene.

Realization of Multi-Stable Ground States in a Nematic Liquid Crystal by Surface and Electric Field Modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwag, Jin Seog; Kim, Young-Ki; Lee, Chang Hoon; Kim, Jae-Hoon

2015-06-01

Owing to the significant price drop of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and the efforts to save natural resources, LCDs are even replacing paper to display static images such as price tags and advertising boards. Because of a growing market demand on such devices, the LCD that can be of numerous surface alignments of directors as its ground state, the so-called multi-stable LCD, comes into the limelight due to the great potential for low power consumption. However, the multi-stable LCD with industrial feasibility has not yet been successfully performed. In this paper, we propose a simple and novel configuration for the multi-stable LCD. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that a battery of stable surface alignments can be achieved by the field-induced surface dragging effect on an aligning layer with a weak surface anchoring. The simplicity and stability of the proposed system suggest that it is suitable for the multi-stable LCDs to display static images with low power consumption and thus opens applications in various fields.

Non-iridescent Transmissive Structural Color Filter Featuring Highly Efficient Transmission and High Excitation Purity

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Vivek Raj; Lee, Sang-Shin; Kim, Eun-Soo; Choi, Duk-Yong

2014-01-01

Nanostructure based color filtering has been considered an attractive replacement for current colorant pigmentation in the display technologies, in view of its increased efficiencies, ease of fabrication and eco-friendliness. For such structural filtering, iridescence relevant to its angular dependency, which poses a detrimental barrier to the practical development of high performance display and sensing devices, should be mitigated. We report on a non-iridescent transmissive structural color filter, fabricated in a large area of 76.2 × 25.4 mm2, taking advantage of a stack of three etalon resonators in dielectric films based on a high-index cavity in amorphous silicon. The proposed filter features a high transmission above 80%, a high excitation purity of 0.93 and non-iridescence over a range of 160°, exhibiting no significant change in the center wavelength, dominant wavelength and excitation purity, which implies no change in hue and saturation of the output color. The proposed structure may find its potential applications to large-scale display and imaging sensor systems. PMID:24815530

Distinctive Resting State Network Disruptions Among Alzheimer's Disease, Subcortical Vascular Dementia, and Mixed Dementia Patients.

PubMed

Kim, Hee Jin; Cha, Jungho; Lee, Jong-Min; Shin, Ji Soo; Jung, Na-Yeon; Kim, Yeo Jin; Choe, Yearn Seong; Lee, Kyung Han; Kim, Sung Tae; Kim, Jae Seung; Lee, Jae Hong; Na, Duk L; Seo, Sang Won

2016-01-01

Recent advances in resting-state functional MRI have revealed altered functional networks in Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially those of the default mode network (DMN) and central executive network (CEN). However, few studies have evaluated whether small vessel disease (SVD) or combined amyloid and SVD burdens affect the DMN or CEN. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SVD or combined amyloid and SVD burdens affect the DMN or CEN. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the resting-state functional connectivity within DMN and CEN in 37 Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB)(+) AD, 37 PiB(-) subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD), 13 mixed dementia patients, and 65 normal controls. When the resting-state DMN of PiB(+) AD and PiB(-) SVaD patients were compared, the PiB(+) AD patients displayed lower functional connectivity in the inferior parietal lobule while the PiB(-) SVaD patients displayed lower functional connectivity in the medial frontal and superior frontal gyri. Compared to the PiB(-) SVaD or PiB(+) AD, the mixed dementia patients displayed lower functional connectivity within the DMN in the posterior cingulate gyrus. When the resting-state CEN connectivity of PiB(+) AD and PiB(-) SVaD patients were compared, the PiB(-) SVaD patients displayed lower functional connectivity in the anterior insular region. Compared to the PiB(-) SVaD or PiB(+) AD, the mixed dementia patients displayed lower functional connectivity within the CEN in the inferior frontal gyrus. Our findings suggest that in PiB(+) AD and PiB(-) SVaD, there is divergent disruptions in resting-state DMN and CEN. Furthermore, patients with combined amyloid and SVD burdens exhibited more disrupted resting-state DMN and CEN than patients with only amyloid or SVD burden.

SCIENCE BRIEF: REHABILITATION OF WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

System rehabilitation is the application of infrastructure repair, renewal and replacement technologies in order to reinstate functionality of a wastewater system or subsystem. The proper balance of the repair, renewal, and replacement depends on the condition assessment, the lif...

Phage as a template to grow bone mineral nanocrystals.

PubMed

Cao, Binrui; Xu, Hong; Mao, Chuanbin

2014-01-01

Phage display is a biotechnique that fuses functional peptides on the outer surface of filamentous phage by inserting DNA encoding the peptides into the genes of its coat proteins. The resultant peptide-displayed phage particles have been widely used as biotemplates for the synthesis of functional hybrid nanomaterials. Here, we describe the bioengineering of M13 filamentous phage to surface-display bone mineral (hydroxyapatite (HAP))-nucleating peptides derived from dentin matrix protein-1 and using the engineered phage as a biotemplate to grow HAP nanocrystals.

Prototype Packaged Databases and Software in Health

PubMed Central

Gardenier, Turkan K.

1980-01-01

This paper describes the recent demand for packaged databases and software for health applications in light of developments in mini-and micro-computer technology. Specific features for defining prospective user groups are discussed; criticisms generated for large-scale epidemiological data use as a means of replacing clinical trials and associated controls are posed to the reader. The available collaborative efforts for access and analysis of jointly structured health data are stressed, with recommendations for new analytical techniques specifically geared to monitoring data such as the CTSS (Cumulative Transitional State Score) generated for tacking ongoing patient status over time in clinical trials. Examples of graphic display are given from the Domestic Information Display System (DIDS) which is a collaborative multi-agency effort to computerize and make accessible user-specified U.S. and local maps relating to health, environment, socio-economic and energy data.

Enabling a Community to Dissect an Organism: Overview of the Neurospora Functional Genomics Project

PubMed Central

Dunlap, Jay C.; Borkovich, Katherine A.; Henn, Matthew R.; Turner, Gloria E.; Sachs, Matthew S.; Glass, N. Louise; McCluskey, Kevin; Plamann, Michael; Galagan, James E.; Birren, Bruce W.; Weiss, Richard L.; Townsend, Jeffrey P.; Loros, Jennifer J.; Nelson, Mary Anne; Lambreghts, Randy; Colot, Hildur V.; Park, Gyungsoon; Collopy, Patrick; Ringelberg, Carol; Crew, Christopher; Litvinkova, Liubov; DeCaprio, Dave; Hood, Heather M.; Curilla, Susan; Shi, Mi; Crawford, Matthew; Koerhsen, Michael; Montgomery, Phil; Larson, Lisa; Pearson, Matthew; Kasuga, Takao; Tian, Chaoguang; Baştürkmen, Meray; Altamirano, Lorena; Xu, Junhuan

2013-01-01

A consortium of investigators is engaged in a functional genomics project centered on the filamentous fungus Neurospora, with an eye to opening up the functional genomic analysis of all the filamentous fungi. The overall goal of the four interdependent projects in this effort is to acccomplish functional genomics, annotation, and expression analyses of Neurospora crassa, a filamentous fungus that is an established model for the assemblage of over 250,000 species of nonyeast fungi. Building from the completely sequenced 43-Mb Neurospora genome, Project 1 is pursuing the systematic disruption of genes through targeted gene replacements, phenotypic analysis of mutant strains, and their distribution to the scientific community at large. Project 2, through a primary focus in Annotation and Bioinformatics, has developed a platform for electronically capturing community feedback and data about the existing annotation, while building and maintaining a database to capture and display information about phenotypes. Oligonucleotide-based microarrays created in Project 3 are being used to collect baseline expression data for the nearly 11,000 distinguishable transcripts in Neurospora under various conditions of growth and development, and eventually to begin to analyze the global effects of loss of novel genes in strains created by Project 1. cDNA libraries generated in Project 4 document the overall complexity of expressed sequences in Neurospora, including alternative splicing alternative promoters and antisense transcripts. In addition, these studies have driven the assembly of an SNP map presently populated by nearly 300 markers that will greatly accelerate the positional cloning of genes. PMID:17352902

Ethnicity and patient's perception of risk in joint replacement surgery.

PubMed

Gandhi, Rajiv; Razak, Fahad; Davey, J Roderick; Mahomed, Nizar N

2008-08-01

Despite much evidence showing racial disparities in the use of surgical procedures, it is unknown whether ethnicity affects perception of surgical risk. We surveyed 1609 patients undergoing primary hip or knee replacement surgery. Relevant covariates including demographic data, body mass index (BMI), sex, comorbidities, education, and ethnicity were recorded. Pain and joint functional status were assessed at baseline and at 1-year followup with the Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain and function scores. Risk perception was assessed with 3 survey questions. Non-European patients had greater functional disability and pain prior to surgery and demonstrated significantly greater perception of risk than European patients (p < 0.001). Independent of other covariates, non-European ethnicity was an independent predictor of a greater perception of risk (p < 0.05). Patient ethnicity is an important factor to consider in understanding a patient's perception of risk in joint replacement surgery.

Practical whole-tooth restoration utilizing autologous bioengineered tooth germ transplantation in a postnatal canine model

PubMed Central

Ono, Mitsuaki; Oshima, Masamitsu; Ogawa, Miho; Sonoyama, Wataru; Hara, Emilio Satoshi; Oida, Yasutaka; Shinkawa, Shigehiko; Nakajima, Ryu; Mine, Atsushi; Hayano, Satoru; Fukumoto, Satoshi; Kasugai, Shohei; Yamaguchi, Akira; Tsuji, Takashi; Kuboki, Takuo

2017-01-01

Whole-organ regeneration has great potential for the replacement of dysfunctional organs through the reconstruction of a fully functional bioengineered organ using three-dimensional cell manipulation in vitro. Recently, many basic studies of whole-tooth replacement using three-dimensional cell manipulation have been conducted in a mouse model. Further evidence of the practical application to human medicine is required to demonstrate tooth restoration by reconstructing bioengineered tooth germ using a postnatal large-animal model. Herein, we demonstrate functional tooth restoration through the autologous transplantation of bioengineered tooth germ in a postnatal canine model. The bioengineered tooth, which was reconstructed using permanent tooth germ cells, erupted into the jawbone after autologous transplantation and achieved physiological function equivalent to that of a natural tooth. This study represents a substantial advancement in whole-organ replacement therapy through the transplantation of bioengineered organ germ as a practical model for future clinical regenerative medicine. PMID:28300208

A rationally designed peptide IA-2-P2 against type 1 diabetes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

PubMed

Shen, Lili; Lu, Shiping; Huang, Dongcheng; Li, Guoliang; Liu, Kunfeng; Cao, Rongyue; Zong, Li; Jin, Liang; Wu, Jie

2017-05-01

Recent studies have investigated the potential of type 1 diabetes mellitus-related autoantigens, such as heat shock protein 60, to induce immunological tolerance or to suppress the immune response. A functional 24-residue peptide derived from heat shock protein 60 (P277) has shown anti-type 1 diabetes mellitus potential in experimental animals and in clinical studies, but it also carries a potential atherogenic effect. In this study, we have modified P277 to retain an anti-type 1 diabetes mellitus effect and minimize the atherogenic potential by replacing the P277 B epitope with another diabetes-associated autoantigen, insulinoma antigen-2 (IA-2), to create the fusion peptide IA-2-P2. In streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL/6J mice, the IA-2-P2 peptide displayed similar anti-diabetic effects to the control P277 peptide. Also, the IA-2-P2 peptide did not show atherogenic activity in a rabbit model. Our findings indicate the potential of IA-2-P2 as a promising vaccine against type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Designing of skull defect implants using C1 rational cubic Bezier and offset curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Najihah; Majid, Ahmad Abd; Piah, Abd Rahni Mt; Rajion, Zainul Ahmad

2015-05-01

Some of the reasons to construct skull implant are due to head trauma after an accident or an injury or an infection or because of tumor invasion or when autogenous bone is not suitable for replacement after a decompressive craniectomy (DC). The main objective of our study is to develop a simple method to redesign missing parts of the skull. The procedure begins with segmentation, data approximation, and estimation process of the outer wall by a C1 continuous curve. Its offset curve is used to generate the inner wall. A metaheuristic algorithm, called harmony search (HS) is a derivative-free real parameter optimization algorithm inspired from the musical improvisation process of searching for a perfect state of harmony. In this study, data approximation by a rational cubic Bézier function uses HS to optimize position of middle points and value of the weights. All the phases contribute significantly in making our proposed technique automated. Graphical examples of several postoperative skulls are displayed to show the effectiveness of our proposed method.

Heterogeneity of adult masseter muscle satellite cells with cardiomyocyte differentiation potential.

PubMed

Huang, Wei; Liang, Jialiang; Feng, Yuliang; Jia, Zhanfeng; Jiang, Lin; Cai, Wenfeng; Paul, Christian; Gu, Jianguo G; Stambrook, Peter J; Millard, Ronald W; Zhu, Xiao-Lan; Zhu, Ping; Wang, Yigang

2018-05-26

Although resident cardiac stem cells have been reported, regeneration of functional cardiomyocytes (CMs) remains a challenge. The present study identifies an alternative progenitor source for CM regeneration without the need for genetic manipulation or invasive heart biopsy procedures. Unlike limb skeletal muscles, masseter muscles (MM) in the mouse head are developed from Nkx2-5 mesodermal progenitors. Adult masseter muscle satellite cells (MMSCs) display heterogeneity in developmental origin and cell phenotypes. The heterogeneous MMSCs that can be characterized by cell sorting based on stem cell antigen-1 (Sca1) show different lineage potential. While cardiogenic potential is preserved in Sca1 + MMSCs as shown by expression of cardiac progenitor genes (including Nkx2-5), skeletal myogenic capacity is maintained in Sca1 - MMSCs with Pax7 expression. Sca1 + MMSC-derived beating cells express cardiac genes and exhibit CM-like morphology. Electrophysiological properties of MMSC-derived CMs are demonstrated by calcium transients and action potentials. These findings show that MMSCs could serve as a novel cell source for cardiomyocyte replacement. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Polyphosphate Deficiency in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Associated with Enhanced Drug Susceptibility and Impaired Growth in Guinea Pigs

PubMed Central

Singh, Mamta; Arora, Garima; Kumar, Santosh; Tiwari, Prabhakar; Kidwai, Saqib

2013-01-01

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a linear polymer of hundreds of phosphate residues linked by ATP-like phosphoanhydride bonds, is found in all organisms and performs a wide variety of functions. This study shows that polyP accumulation occurs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis upon exposure to various stress conditions. M. tuberculosis possesses a single homolog of ppk-1, and we have disrupted ppk-1 in the M. tuberculosis genome by allelic replacement. The mutant strain exhibited negligible levels of intracellular polyP, decreased expression of sigF and phoP, and reduced growth in the stationary phase and displayed a survival defect in response to nitrosative stress and in THP-1 macrophages compared to the wild-type strain. We report that reduction in polyP levels is associated with increased susceptibility of M. tuberculosis to certain TB drugs and impairs its ability to cause disease in guinea pigs. These results suggest that polyP contributes to persistence of M. tuberculosis in vitro and plays an important role in the physiology of bacteria residing within guinea pigs. PMID:23585537

Design, synthesis and evaluation of dialkyl 4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-6-yl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-1-substituted pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylates as potential anticonvulsants and their molecular properties prediction.

PubMed

Prasanthi, G; Prasad, K V S R G; Bharathi, K

2013-08-01

The present study is on the development of dialkyl 4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-6-yl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-1-substituted pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate derivatives as isosteric analogues of isradipine and nifedipine, by the replacement of benzofurazanyl and 2-nitrophenyl groups respectively with benzo[d][1,3]dioxo-6-yl group, as potential anticonvulsants. Fivfteen new derivatives (8a-8o) were synthesized and tested for anticonvulsant activity using maximal electroshock and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole induced seizure methods. Compound 8f possessing free NH group in 1,4-dihydropyridine ring, diethyl ester functionality at the positions 3 and 5 showed significant anticonvulsant and antioxidant activities. This was also supported by molecular properties prediction data. Selected compounds were evaluated for antinociceptive activity in capsaicin induced nociception assay at 10 mg/kg body weight, but displayed no significant activity at the tested dose. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Brownmillerite thin films as fast ion conductors for ultimate-performance resistance switching memory.

PubMed

Acharya, Susant Kumar; Jo, Janghyun; Raveendra, Nallagatlla Venkata; Dash, Umasankar; Kim, Miyoung; Baik, Hionsuck; Lee, Sangik; Park, Bae Ho; Lee, Jae Sung; Chae, Seung Chul; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Jung, Chang Uk

2017-07-27

An oxide-based resistance memory is a leading candidate to replace Si-based flash memory as it meets the emerging specifications for future memory devices. The non-uniformity in the key switching parameters and low endurance in conventional resistance memory devices are preventing its practical application. Here, a novel strategy to overcome the aforementioned challenges has been unveiled by tuning the growth direction of epitaxial brownmillerite SrFeO 2.5 thin films along the SrTiO 3 [111] direction so that the oxygen vacancy channels can connect both the top and bottom electrodes rather directly. The controlled oxygen vacancy channels help reduce the randomness of the conducting filament (CF). The resulting device displayed high endurance over 10 6 cycles, and a short switching time of ∼10 ns. In addition, the device showed very high uniformity in the key switching parameters for device-to-device and within a device. This work demonstrates a feasible example for improving the nanoscale device performance by controlling the atomic structure of a functional oxide layer.

XAS and XMCD studies of magnetic properties modifications of Pt/Co/Au and Pt/Co/Pt trilayers induced by Ga⁺ ions irradiation.

PubMed

Mazalski, Piotr; Sveklo, Iosif; Kurant, Zbigniew; Ollefs, Katharina; Rogalev, Andrei; Wilhelm, Fabrice; Fassbender, Juergen; Baczewski, Lech Tomasz; Wawro, Andrzej; Maziewski, Andrzej

2015-05-01

Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of Pt/Co/Au and Pt/Co/Pt trilayers subjected to 30 keV Ga(+) ion irradiation are compared. In two-dimensional maps of these properties as a function of cobalt thickness and ion fluence, two branches with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) for Pt/Co/Pt trilayers are well distinguished. The replacement of the Pt capping layer with Au results in the two branches still being visible but the in-plane anisotropy for the low-fluence branch is suppressed whereas the high-fluence branch displays PMA. The X-ray absorption spectra and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectra are discussed and compared with non-irradiated reference samples. The changes of their shapes and peak amplitude, particularly for the high-fluence branch, are related to the modifications of the local environment of Co(Pt) atoms and the etching effects induced by ion irradiation. Additionally, in irradiated trilayers the XMCD measurements at the Pt L2,3-edge reveal an increase of the magnetic moment induced in Pt atoms.