A Bulk Comptonization Model for the Prompt GRB Emission and its Relation to the Fermi GRB Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazanas, Demosthenes

2010-01-01

We present a model in which the GRB prompt emission at E E(sub peak) is due to bulk Comptonization by the relativistic blast wave motion of either its own synchrotron photons of ambient photons of the stellar configuration that gave birth to the GRB. The bulk Comptonization process then induces the production of relativistic electrons of Lorentz factor equal to that of the blast wave through interactions with its ambient protons. The inverse compton emission of these electrons produces a power law component that extends to multi GeV energies in good agreement with the LAT GRB observations.

Analysis of a boron-carbide-drum-controlled critical reactor experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, W. T.

1972-01-01

In order to validate methods and cross sections used in the neutronic design of compact fast-spectrum reactors for generating electric power in space, an analysis of a boron-carbide-drum-controlled critical reactor was made. For this reactor the transport analysis gave generally satisfactory results. The calculated multiplication factor for the most detailed calculation was only 0.7-percent Delta k too high. Calculated reactivity worth of the control drums was $11.61 compared to measurements of $11.58 by the inverse kinetics methods and $11.98 by the inverse counting method. Calculated radial and axial power distributions were in good agreement with experiment.

Optimum Design of Anti-Siphon Device used to Prevent Cerebrospinal Fluid from Overdraining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Jong Yun; Lee, Chong Sun; Suh, Chang Min

The present study investigated design parameters of an anti-siphon device used with shunt valves to treat patients with hydrocephalus. Structural analyses were performed to understand roles of design variables and optimize performance of the diaphragm-type anti-siphon device (hereafter referred to as the ASD). Experiments were performed on the lab-made product and showed good agreements with the numerical simulations. Using the simulations, we were able to design a more physiological ASD which gave equal opening pressures in both supine and upright postures. Tissue encapsulization phenomenon was also simulated and the results indicated underdrainage of CSF in the upright position of the patient.

Costing for long-term care: the development of Scottish health service resource utilization groups as a casemix instrument.

PubMed

Urquhart, J; Kennie, D C; Murdoch, P S; Smith, R G; Lennox, I

1999-03-01

to create a casemix measure with a limited number of categories which discriminate in terms of resource use and will assist in the development of a currency for contracting for the provision of health care. nursing staff completed a questionnaire providing clinical data and also gave estimates of relative patient resource use; ward-based costs were collected from appropriate unit managers. National Health Service continuing-care wards in 50 Scottish hospitals. 2783 long-stay patients aged 65 years and over. inter-rater reliability was assessed using 1402 patients; percentage agreement between raters for individual variables varied from 68% for feeding to 97% for clinically complex treatments. Nursing costs gave 62% agreement given categories of high, medium and low. The Scottish health service resource utilization groups (SHRUG) measure was developed using 606 cases, and 67% consistency was achieved for the five categories. The relative weights for the SHRUG categories ranged from 0.56 to 1.41. The five categories explain 35% of variance in costs. the five SHRUG casemix categories show good discrimination in terms of costs. The SHRUG measure compares favourably with diagnosis-related groups in the acute sector and with other casemix instruments for long-term care previously piloted in the UK. SHRUG is a useful measurement instrument in assessing the resource needs of elderly people in long-term care.

Investigation of graphene-on-metal substrates for SPR-based sensor using finite-difference time domain.

PubMed

Said, Fairus Atida; Menon, Pulliyaseri Susthitha; Rajendran, Venkatachalam; Shaari, Sahbudin; Majlis, Burhanuddin Y

2017-12-01

In this study, the authors investigated the effects of a single layer graphene as a coating layer on top of metal thin films such as silver, gold, aluminum and copper using finite-difference time domain method. To enhance the resolution of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, it is necessary to increase the SPR reflectivity and decrease the full-width-half maximum (FWHM) of the SPR curve so that there is minimum uncertainty in the determination of the resonance dip. Numerical data was verified with analytical and experimental data where all the data were in good agreement with resonance angle differing in <10% due to noise present in components such as humidity and temperature. In further analysis, reflectivity and FWHM were compared among four types of metal with various thin film thicknesses where graphene was applied on top of the metal layers, and data was compared against pure conventional metal thin films. A 60 nm-thick Au thin film results in higher performance with reflectivity of 92.4% and FWHM of 0.88° whereas single layer graphene-on-60 nm-thick Au gave reflectivity of 91.7% and FWHM of 1.32°. However, a graphene-on-40 nm-thick Ag also gave good performance with narrower FWHM of 0.88° and reflection spectra of 89.2%.

Characterization of commercial rigid polyurethane foams used as bone analogs for implant testing.

PubMed

Calvert, Kayla L; Trumble, Kevin P; Webster, Thomas J; Kirkpatrick, Lynn A

2010-05-01

Mechanical properties and microstructure characterization of a series of graded commercial rigid polyurethane foams commonly used to mimic trabecular bone in testing orthopaedic devices is reported. Compressive testing conducted according to ASTM standard F1839-08, which requires large specimens (50.8 mm x 50.8 mm x 25.4 mm blocks) gave elastic modulus and compressive strength values ranging from 115 to 794 MPa and 4.7 to 24.7 MPa, respectively, for foams having densities of 0.240-0.641 g/cm(3). All these results were within the requirements of the specification for the corresponding grades. Compression testing using smaller specimens (7.5 mm diameter x 15 mm) typical of testing bone, gave results in good agreement with those obtained in the standard tests. Microstructural measurements showed the average pore size ranged from 125 to 234 microm for densities ranging from 0.641 to 0.159 g/cm(3), respectively. The relative modulus as a function of relative density of the foams fit well to the model of Gibson and Ashby. Cyclic testing revealed hysteresis in the lower density foams with a loading modulus statistically equivalent to that measured in monotonic testing. Shore DO durometry (hardness) measurements show good correlations to elastic modulus and compressive strength. The results suggest additional parameters to consider for the evaluation of polyurethane foams for bone analog applications.

Use of LANDSAT 2 data technique to estimate silverleaf sunflower infestation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, A. J.; Escobar, D. E.; Gausman, H. W.; Everitt, J. H. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

The feasibility of the technique using the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (LANDSAT-2) multispectral scanner (MSS) was tested; to distinguish silverleaf sunflowers (Helianthus argophyllus Torr. and Gray) from other plant species and to estimate the hectarage percent of its infestation. Sunflowers gave high mean digital counts in all four LANDSAT MSS bands that were manifested as a pinkish image response on the LANDSAT color composite imagery. Photo- and LANDSAT-estimated hectare percentages for silverleaf sunflower within a 23,467 ha study area were 9.1 and 9.5%, respectively. The geographic occurrence of sunflower areas on the line-printer recognition map was in good agreement with their known aerial photographic locations.

Stresses in and general instability of monocoque cylinders with cutouts II : calculation of the stresses in a cylinder with a symmetric cutout

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoff, N J; Boley, Bruno A; Klein, Bertram

1945-01-01

A numerical procedure is presented for the calculation of the stresses in a monocoque cylinder with a cutout. In the procedure the structure is broken up into a great many units; the forces in these units corresponding to specified distortions of the units are calculated; a set of linear equations is established expressing the equilibrium conditions of the units in the distorted state; and the simultaneous linear equations are solved. A fully worked out numerical example, corresponding to the application of a pure bending moment, gave results in good agreement with experiments carried out earlier at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.

Generalization of the subsonic kernel function in the s-plane, with applications to flutter analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cunningham, H. J.; Desmarais, R. N.

1984-01-01

A generalized subsonic unsteady aerodynamic kernel function, valid for both growing and decaying oscillatory motions, is developed and applied in a modified flutter analysis computer program to solve the boundaries of constant damping ratio as well as the flutter boundary. Rates of change of damping ratios with respect to dynamic pressure near flutter are substantially lower from the generalized-kernel-function calculations than from the conventional velocity-damping (V-g) calculation. A rational function approximation for aerodynamic forces used in control theory for s-plane analysis gave rather good agreement with kernel-function results, except for strongly damped motion at combinations of high (subsonic) Mach number and reduced frequency.

A study of elastic and plastic stress concentration factors due to notches and fillets in flat plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardrath, Herbert F; Ohman, Lachlan

1953-01-01

Six large 24s-t3 aluminum-alloy-sheet specimens containing various notches or fillets were tested in tension to determine their stress concentration factors in both the elastic and plastic ranges. The elastic stress concentration factors were found to be slightly higher than those calculated by Neuber's method and those obtained photoelastically by Frocht. The results showed further that the stress concentration factor decreases as strains at the discontinuity enter the plastic range. A generalization of Stowell's relation for the plastic stress concentration factor at a circular hole in an infinite plate was applied to the specimen shapes tested and gave good agreement with test results.

Inter-reader agreement in HRCT detection of pleural plaques and asbestosis in participants with previous occupational exposure to asbestos.

PubMed

Laurent, François; Paris, Christophe; Ferretti, Gilbert R; Beigelman, Catherine; Montaudon, Michel; Latrabe, Valerie; Jankowski, A; Badachi, Yasmina; Clin, Bénédicte; Gislard, Antoine; Letourneux, Marc; Luc, Amandine; Schorlé, Evelyne; Brochard, Patrick; Ameille, Jacques; Pairon, Jean-Claude

2014-12-01

To investigate inter-reader agreement for the detection of pleural and parenchymal abnormalities using CT in a large cross-sectional study comprising information on individual cumulative exposure to asbestos. The project was approved by the hospital ethics committee, and all patients received information on the study and gave their written informed consent. In 5511 CT scans performed in a cohort of retired workers previously exposed to asbestos and volunteering to participate in a multiregional survey programme (Asbestos Related Diseases Cohort, ARDCO), double randomised standardised readings, triple in case of disagreement, were performed by seven trained expert radiologists specialised in thoracic imaging and blind to the initial interpretation. Inter-reader agreement was evaluated by calculating the κ-weighted coefficient between pairs of expert readers and results of routine practice and final diagnosis after expert reading. κ-Weighted coefficients between trained experts ranged from 0.28 to 0.52 (fair to good), 0.59 to 0.86 (good to excellent) and 0.11 to 0.66 (poor to good) for the diagnosis of asbestosis, pleural plaques and fibrosis of the visceral pleura, respectively. κ-Weighted coefficients between results of routine practice and final diagnosis after expert reading were 0.13 (poor), 0.53 (moderate) and 0.11 (poor) for the diagnosis of asbestosis, pleural plaques and fibrosis of the visceral pleura, respectively. Interpretation of benign asbestos-related thoracic abnormalities requires standardisation of the reading and trained readers, particularly for participants asking for compensation, and with a view to the longitudinal survey of asbestos-exposed workers. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Standardization of a fluconazole bioassay and correlation of results with those obtained by high-pressure liquid chromatography.

PubMed Central

Rex, J H; Hanson, L H; Amantea, M A; Stevens, D A; Bennett, J E

1991-01-01

An improved bioassay for fluconazole was developed. This assay is sensitive in the clinically relevant range (2 to 40 micrograms/ml) and analyzes plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid specimens; bioassay results correlate with results obtained by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Bioassay and HPLC analyses of spiked plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid samples (run as unknowns) gave good agreement with expected values. Analysis of specimens from patients gave equivalent results by both HPLC and bioassay. HPLC had a lower within-run coefficient of variation (less than 2.5% for HPLC versus less than 11% for bioassay) and a lower between-run coefficient of variation (less than 5% versus less than 12% for bioassay) and was more sensitive (lower limit of detection, 0.1 micrograms/ml [versus 2 micrograms/ml for bioassay]). The bioassay is, however, sufficiently accurate and sensitive for clinical specimens, and its relative simplicity, low sample volume requirement, and low equipment cost should make it the technique of choice for analysis of routine clinical specimens. PMID:1854166

Fuel droplet burning rates at high pressures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canada, G. S.; Faeth, G. M.

1972-01-01

Combustion of methanol, ethanol, propanol -1, n - pentane, n - heptane and n - decane was observed in air under natural convection conditions at pressures up to 100 atm. The droplets were simulated by porous spheres with diameters in the range 0.63 - 1.90 cm. The pressure levels of the tests were high enough so that near critical combustion was observed for methanol and ethanol. Measurements were made of the burning rate and liquid surface temperatures of the fuels. The data were compared with variable property analysis of the combustion process, including a correction for natural convection. The burning rate predictions of the various theories were similar and in fair agreement with the data. The high pressure theory gave the best prediction for the liquid surface temperatures of ethanol and propanol -1 at high pressure. The experiments indicated the approach of critical burning conditions for methanol and ethanol at pressures on the order of 80 - 100 atm, which was in good agreement with the predictions of both the low and high pressure analysis.

The development of a structured rating schedule (the BAS) to assess skills in breaking bad news

PubMed Central

Miller, S J; Hope, T; Talbot, D C

1999-01-01

There has been considerable interest in how doctors break bad news, with calls from within the profession and from patients for doctors to improve their communication skills. In order to aid clinical training and assessment of the skills used in breaking bad news there is a need for a reliable, practical and valid, structured rating schedule. Such a rating schedule was compiled from agreed criteria in the literature. Video-taped recordings of simulated consultations breaking bad news were independently assessed by three raters using the schedule and compared to three experts who gave global ratings. The primary outcome measures were internal consistency of the schedule and level of agreement between raters. The internal consistency was high with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.93. Agreement between raters using the schedule was moderate to good. The majority of the variation in scores was due to the differences in skills demonstrated in the interviews. The agreement between raters not using the schedule was poor. The BAS provides a simple to use, reliable, and consistent rating schedule for assessing skills used in breaking bad news. It could be a valuable aid to teaching this difficult task. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:10360657

The Wall Interference of a Wind Tunnel of Elliptic Cross Section

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tani, Itiro; Sanuki, Matao

1944-01-01

The wall interference is obtained for a wind tunnel of elliptic section for the two cases of closed and open working sections. The approximate and exact methods used gave results in practically good agreement. Corresponding to the result given by Glauert for the case of the closed rectangular section, the interference is found to be a minimum for a ratio of minor to major axis of 1:square root of 6 This, however, is true only for the case where the span of the airfoil is small in comparison with the width of the tunnel. For a longer airfoil the favorable ellipse is flatter. In the case of the open working section the circular shape gives the minimum interference.

Decay of homogeneous turbulence from a specified state

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deissler, R. G.

1972-01-01

The homogeneous turbulence problem is formulated by first specifying the multipoint velocity correlations or their spectral equivalents at an initial time. Those quantities, together with the correlation or spectral equations, are then used to calculate initial time derivatives of correlations or spectra. The derivatives in turn are used in time series to calculate the evolution of turbulence quantities with time. When the problem is treated in this way, the correlation equations are closed by the initial specification of the turbulence and no closure assumption is necessary. An exponential series which is an iterative solution of the Navier stokes equations gave much better results than a Taylor power series when used with the limited available initial data. In general, the agreement between theory and experiment was good.

ANALYSIS OF DRUG-PROTEIN BINDING BY ULTRAFAST AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY USING IMMOBILIZED HUMAN SERUM ALBUMIN

PubMed Central

Mallik, Rangan; Yoo, Michelle J.; Briscoe, Chad J.; Hage, David S.

2010-01-01

Human serum albumin (HSA) was explored for use as a stationary phase and ligand in affinity microcolumns for the ultrafast extraction of free drug fractions and the use of this information for the analysis of drug-protein binding. Warfarin, imipramine, and ibuprofen were used as model analytes in this study. It was found that greater than 95% extraction of all these drugs could be achieved in as little as 250 ms on HSA microcolumns. The retained drug fraction was then eluted from the same column under isocratic conditions, giving elution in less than 40 s when working at 4.5 mL/min. The chromatographic behavior of this system gave a good fit with that predicted by computer simulations based on a reversible, saturable model for the binding of an injected drug with immobilized HSA. The free fractions measured by this method were found to be comparable to those determined by ultrafiltration, and equilibrium constants estimated by this approach gave good agreement with literature values. Advantages of this method include its speed and the relatively low cost of microcolumns that contain HSA. The ability of HSA to bind many types of drugs also creates the possibility of using the same affinity microcolumn to study and measure the free fractions for a variety of pharmaceutical agents. These properties make this technique appealing for use in drug binding studies and in the high-throughput screening of new drug candidates. PMID:20227701

Multidisciplinary analysis of Skylab photography for highway engineering purposes. [Maine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoeckeler, E. G.; Woodman, R. G. (Principal Investigator); Farrell, R. S.

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The greatly increased resolution of ground features by Skylab as compared with LANDSAT is considered to be best in the S190B high resolution film, followed by S190A camera stations 4, 5, and 6 respectfully. Results of the study of vegetation damage sites using data derived from S190A film were disappointing. The major cause of detection problems is the graininess of the CIR film. Good results were achieved for the hydrology-land use study. Both camera systems gave better agreement with the ground truth than did LANDSAT imagery. Surficial geology and glacial landform areas were clearly visible in single scenes. Several previously unmapped or unknown features were detected, especially in eastern coastal Maine.

Measurement of neutron spectra in the AWE workplace using a Bonner sphere spectrometer.

PubMed

Danyluk, Peter

2010-12-01

A Bonner sphere spectrometer has been used to measure the neutron spectra in eight different workplace areas at AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment). The spectra were analysed by the National Physical Laboratory using their principal unfolding code STAY'SL and the results were also analysed by AWE using a bespoke parametrised unfolding code. The bespoke code was designed specifically for the AWE workplace and is very simple to use. Both codes gave results, in good agreement. It was found that the measured fluence rate varied from 2 to 70 neutrons cm⁻² s⁻¹ (± 10%) and the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) varied from 0.5 to 57 µSv h⁻¹ (± 20%). A detailed description of the development and use of the bespoke code is presented.

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

Igarashi, Noriyuki, E-mail: noriyuki.igarashi@kek.jp; Nitani, Hiroaki; Takeichi, Yasuo

BL-15A is a new x-ray undulator beamline at the Photon Factory. It will be dedicated to two independent research activities, simultaneous XAFS/XRF/XRD experiments, and SAXS/WAXS/GI-SAXS studies. In order to supply a choice of micro-focus, low-divergence and collimated beams, a double surface bimorph mirror was recently developed. To achieve further mirror surface optimization, the pencil beam scanning method was applied for “in-situ” beam inspection and the Inverse Matrix method was used for determination of optimal voltages on the piezoelectric actuators. The corrected beam profiles at every focal spot gave good agreement with the theoretical values and the resultant beam performance ismore » promising for both techniques. Quick and stable switching between highly focused and intense collimated beams was established using this new mirror with the simple motorized stages.« less

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

Jackson, L.L.; Engleman, E.E.; Peard, J.L.

Sulfur was determined in plants and lichens by combustion of the sample and infrared detection of evolved sulfur dioxide using an automated sulfur analyzer. Vanadium pentaoxide was used as a combustion accelerator. Pelletization of the sample prior to combustion was not found to be advantageous. Washing studies showed that leaching of sulfur was not a major factor in the sample preparation. The combustion-IR analysis usually gave higher sulfur content than the turbidimetric analysis as well as shorter analysis time. Relative standard deviations of less than 7% were obtained by the combustion-IR technique when sulfur levels in plant material range frommore » 0.05 to 0.70%. Determination of sulfur in National Bureau of Standards botanical reference materials showed good agreement between the combustion-IR technique and other instrumental procedures. Seven NBS botanical reference materials were analyzed.« less

Rapid combined assay for Salmonella detection in food samples.

PubMed

Gadó, I; Major, P; Király, M; Pláveczky, M G

2000-01-01

A rapid method was developed to detect salmonellae in food samples. The method gave a possibility to obtain results after 28 h 30 min. The preenrichment in buffered peptone water lasted for 6 h, the enrichment in Rappaport-Vassiliadis medium was applied for 18 h followed by PCR with INVA1-INVA2 primer pair, adapting Chiu and Ou's method. This procedure was suitable to demonstrate salmonella contamination at min. 10 cfu/25 g sample. Out of 18 samples there was a good agreement between the results of the conventional and rapid methods in case of 17 samples. PCR with SPVC1-SPVC2 primer pair informing about the presence of virulence plasmid was performed in separate tubes, because decreased sensitivity was observed in case of multiplex PCR.

Determination of Lead in Blood by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry1

PubMed Central

Selander, Stig; Cramér, Kim

1968-01-01

Lead in blood was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, using a wet ashing procedure and a procedure in which the proteins were precipitated with trichloroacetic acid. In both methods the lead was extracted into isobutylmethylketone before measurement, using ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate as chelator. The simpler precipitation procedure was shown to give results identical with those obtained with the ashing technique. In addition, blood specimens were examined by the precipitation method and by spectral analysis, which method includes wet ashing of the samples, with good agreement. All analyses were done on blood samples from `normal' persons or from lead-exposed workers, and no additions of inorganic lead were made. The relatively simple protein precipitation technique gave accurate results and is suitable for the large-scale control of lead-exposed workers. PMID:5663425

Diastereo- and regioselective addition of thioamide dianions to imines and aziridines: synthesis of N-thioacyl-1,2-diamines and N-thioacyl-1,3-diamines.

PubMed

Shibahara, Fumitoshi; Kobayashi, Shun-ichiro; Maruyama, Toshifumi; Murai, Toshiaki

2013-01-02

Addition reactions of thioamide dianions that were derived from N-arylmethyl thioamides to imines and aziridines were carried out. The reactions of imines gave the addition products of N-thioacyl-1,2-diamines in a highly diastereoselective manner in good-to-excellent yields. The diastereomeric purity of these N-thioacyl-1,2-diamines could be enriched by simple recrystallization. The reduction of N-thioacyl-1,2-diamines with LiAlH(4) gave their corresponding 1,2-diamines in moderate-to-good yields with retention of their stereochemistry. The oxidative-desulfurization/cyclization of an N-thioacyl-1,2-diamine in CuCl(2)/O(2) and I(2)/pyridine systems gave the cyclized product in moderate yield and the trans isomer was obtained as the sole product. On the other hand, a similar cyclization reaction with antiformin (aq. NaClO) as an oxidant gave the cis isomer as the major product. The reactions of N-tosylaziridines gave the addition products of N-thioacyl-1,3-diamines with low diastereoselectivity but high regioselectivity and in good-to-excellent yields. The use of AlMe(3) as an additive improved the efficiency and regioselectivity of the reaction. The stereochemistry of the obtained products was determined by X-ray diffraction. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Interobserver variability in the radiological assessment of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including perfusion MRI in glioblastoma multiforme.

PubMed

Kerkhof, M; Hagenbeek, R E; van der Kallen, B F W; Lycklama À Nijeholt, G J; Dirven, L; Taphoorn, M J B; Vos, M J

2016-10-01

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has limited value for differentiation of true tumor progression and pseudoprogression in treated glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) may be helpful in the differentiation of these two phenomena. Here interobserver variability in routine radiological evaluation of GBM patients is assessed using MRI, including PWI. Three experienced neuroradiologists evaluated MR scans of 28 GBM patients during temozolomide chemoradiotherapy at three time points: preoperative (MR1) and postoperative (MR2) MR scan and the follow-up MR scan after three cycles of adjuvant temozolomide (MR3). Tumor size was measured both on T1 post-contrast and T2 weighted images according to the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria. PW images of MR3 were evaluated by visual inspection of relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) color maps and by quantitative rCBV measurements of enhancing areas with highest rCBV. Image interpretability of PW images was also scored. Finally, the neuroradiologists gave a conclusion on tumor status, based on the interpretation of both T1 and T2 weighted images (MR1, MR2 and MR3) in combination with PWI (MR3). Interobserver agreement on visual interpretation of rCBV maps was good (κ = 0.63) but poor on quantitative rCBV measurements and on interpretability of perfusion images (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.37 and κ = 0.23, respectively). Interobserver agreement on the overall conclusion of tumor status was moderate (κ = 0.48). Interobserver agreement on the visual interpretation of PWI color maps was good. However, overall interpretation of MR scans (using both conventional and PW images) showed considerable interobserver variability. Therefore, caution should be applied when interpreting MRI results during chemoradiation therapy. © 2016 EAN.

Quality-of-life perception by Parkinson's disease patients and caregivers.

PubMed

Balash, Y; Korczyn, A D; Knaani, J; Migirov, A A; Gurevich, T

2017-08-01

The quality-of-life (QoL) perception by Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and their caregivers (CG) has not been studied in depth. To examine patient/proxy agreements on the PD QoL Questionnaire (PDQ-39), the Scale of Quality of Life of Care-Givers (SQLC) and the Multidimensional Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI). Patients with PD and their CG completed the above-mentioned questionnaires about themselves and each other. The intraclass correlations between their scores (paired t test) were compared. Twelve patient-CG pairs were studied. Agreements for QoL items were strong and comparable for the total scores of the PDQ-39, SQLC and MCSI questionnaires (75.4% ± 14%; 78.1% ± 14.1% and 78.2% ± 14.3%, respectively). Agreements ranged from moderate to strong (0.57-0.88, P≤.05) for the patients' physical condition (PDQ-39 items 3, 5, 6, 8, 12-15, 23, 24, 35), mental concentration (item 31) and depression (item 17). Disagreements were apparent in 20%-25% of the pairs and were particularly significant for PDQ-39 items #33 and #25 (embarrassment of patients in public and distressing dreams or hallucinations), in which the CG gave higher scores than the patients. Agreements between patients with PD and CG were generally good for most, but not all, of the PDQ-39, SQLC and MCSI domains. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Determination of total sulfur in lichens and plants by combustion-infrared analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jackson, L.L.; Engleman, E.E.; Peard, J.L.

1985-01-01

Sulfur was determined in plants and lichens by combustion of the sample and infrared detection of evolved sulfur dioxide using an automated sulfur analyzer. Vanadium pentaoxide was used as a combustion accelerator. Pelletization of the sample prior to combustion was not found to be advantageous. Washing studies showed that leaching of sulfur was not a major factor in the sample preparation. The combustion-IR analysis usually gave higher sulfur content than the turbidimetric analysis as well as shorter analysis time. Relative standard deviations of less than 7% were obtained by the combustion-IR technique when sulfur levels in plant material ranged from 0.05 to 0.70%. Determination of sulfur in National Bureau of Standards botanical reference materials showed good agreement between the combustion-IR technique and other instrumental procedures. Seven NBS botanical reference materials were analyzed.

Application of a finite-element model to low-frequency sound insulation in dwellings.

PubMed

Maluski, S P; Gibbs, B M

2000-10-01

The sound transmission between adjacent rooms has been modeled using a finite-element method. Predicted sound-level difference gave good agreement with experimental data using a full-scale and a quarter-scale model. Results show that the sound insulation characteristics of a party wall at low frequencies strongly depend on the modal characteristics of the sound field of both rooms and of the partition. The effect of three edge conditions of the separating wall on the sound-level difference at low frequencies was examined: simply supported, clamped, and a combination of clamped and simply supported. It is demonstrated that a clamped partition provides greater sound-level difference at low frequencies than a simply supported. It also is confirmed that the sound-pressure level difference is lower in equal room than in unequal room configurations.

Elastic-plastic finite-element analyses of thermally cycled single-edge wedge specimens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaufman, A.

1982-01-01

Elastic-plastic stress-strain analyses were performed for single-edge wedge alloys subjected to thermal cycling in fluidized beds. Three cases (NASA TAZ-8A alloy under one cycling condition and 316 stainless steel alloy under two cycling conditions) were analyzed by using the MARC nonlinear, finite-element computer program. Elastic solutions from MARC showed good agreement with previously reported solutions that used the NASTRAN and ISO3DQ computer programs. The NASA TAZ-8A case exhibited no plastic strains, and the elastic and elastic-plastic analyses gave identical results. Elastic-plastic analyses of the 316 stainless steel alloy showed plastic strain reversal with a shift of the mean stresses in the compressive direction. The maximum equivalent total strain ranges for these cases were 13 to 22 percent greater than that calculated from elastic analyses.

Back-Face Strain for Monitoring Stable Crack Extension in Precracked Flexure Specimens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salem, Jonathan A.; Ghosn, Louis J.

2010-01-01

Calibrations relating back-face strain to crack length in precracked flexure specimens were developed for different strain gage sizes. The functions were verified via experimental compliance measurements of notched and precracked ceramic beams. Good agreement between the functions and experiments occurred, and fracture toughness was calculated via several operational methods: maximum test load and optically measured precrack length; load at 2 percent crack extension and optical precrack length; maximum load and back-face strain crack length. All the methods gave vary comparable results. The initiation toughness, K(sub Ii) , was also estimated from the initial compliance and load.The results demonstrate that stability of precracked ceramics specimens tested in four-point flexure is a common occurrence, and that methods such as remotely-monitored load-point displacement are only adequate for detecting stable extension of relatively deep cracks.

Modeling and estimation of a low degree geopotential model from terrestrial gravity data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pavlis, Nikolaos K.

1988-01-01

The development of appropriate modeling and adjustment procedures for the estimation of harmonic coefficients of the geopotential, from surface gravity data was studied, in order to provide an optimum way of utilizing the terrestrial gravity information in combination solutions currently developed at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, for use in the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission. The mathematical modeling was based on the fundamental boundary condition of the linearized Molodensky boundary value problem. Atmospheric and ellipsoidal corrections were applied to the surface anomalies. Terrestrial gravity solutions were found to be in good agreement with the satellite ones over areas which are well surveyed (gravimetrically), such as North America or Australia. However, systematic differences between the terrestrial only models and GEMT1, over extended regions in Africa, the Soviet Union, and China were found. In Africa, gravity anomaly differences on the order of 20 mgals and undulation differences on the order of 15 meters, over regions extending 2000 km in diameter, occur. Comparisons of the GEMT1 implied undulations with 32 well distributed Doppler derived undulations gave an RMS difference of 2.6 m, while corresponding comparison with undulations implied by the terrestrial solution gave RMS difference on the order of 15 m, which implies that the terrestrial data in that region are substantially in error.

sym-Trisubstituted 1,3,5-Triazine Derivatives as Promising Organic Corrosion Inhibitors for Steel in Acidic Solution.

PubMed

El-Faham, Ayman; Dahlous, Kholood A; Al Othman, Zeid A; Al-Lohedan, Hamad A; El-Mahdy, Gamal A

2016-03-31

Triazine derivatives, namely, 2,4,6-tris(quinolin-8-yloxy)-1,3,5-triazine (T3Q), N²,N⁴,N⁶-tris(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine (T3AMPy) and 2,2',2''-[(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tris(azanediyl)] tris(ethan-1-ol) (T3EA) were synthesized and their inhibition of steel corrosion in hydrochloric acid solution was investigated using electrochemical techniques. The corrosion protection of the prepared compounds increased with increasing concentration and reached up to 98% at 250 ppm. The adsorption of T3Q, T3AMPy, and T3EA on the steel surface was in accordance with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The electrochemical results revealed that T3Q, T3AMPy and T3EA act as excellent organic inhibitors and can labeled as mixed type inhibitors. The efficiencies of the tested compounds were affected by the nature of the side chain present in the triazine ring, where T3EA gave the least inhibition while T3Q and T3AMPy gave higher and almost the same inhibition effects. The inhibition efficiencies obtained from the different electrochemical techniques were in good agreement.

Volume estimation of small phantoms and rat kidneys using three-dimensional ultrasonography and a position sensor.

PubMed

Strømmen, Kenneth; Stormark, Tor André; Iversen, Bjarne M; Matre, Knut

2004-09-01

To evaluate the accuracy of small volume estimation, both in vivo and in vitro, measurements with a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) system were carried out. A position sensor was used and the transmitting frequency was 10 MHz. Balloons with known volumes were scanned while rat kidneys were scanned in vivo and in vitro. The Archimedes' principle was used to estimate the true volume. For balloons, the 3D US system gave very good agreement with true volumes in the volume range 0.1 to 10.0 mL (r = 0.999, n = 45, mean difference +/- 2SD = 0.245 +/- 0.370 mL). For rat kidneys in vivo (volume range 0.6 to 2.7 mL) the method was less accurate (r = 0.800, n = 10, mean difference +/- 2SD = -0.288 +/- 0.676 mL). For rat kidneys in vitro (volume range 0.3 to 2.7 mL) the results showed good agreement (r = 0.981, n = 23, mean difference +/- 2SD = 0.039 +/- 0.254 mL). For balloons, kidneys in vivo and in vitro, the mean percentage error was 9.3 +/- 4.8%, -17.1 +/- 17.4%, and 4.6 +/- 11.5%, respectively. This method can estimate the volume of small phantoms and rat kidneys and opens new possibilities for volume measurements of small objects and the study of organ function in small animals. (E-mail ).

Fretting Fatigue with Cylindrical-On-Flat Contact: Crack Nucleation, Crack Path and Fatigue Life

PubMed Central

Noraphaiphipaksa, Nitikorn; Manonukul, Anchalee; Kanchanomai, Chaosuan

2017-01-01

Fretting fatigue experiments and finite element analysis were carried out to investigate the influence of cylindrical-on-flat contact on crack nucleation, crack path and fatigue life of medium-carbon steel. The location of crack nucleation was predicted using the maximum shear stress range criterion and the maximum relative slip amplitude criterion. The prediction using the maximum relative slip amplitude criterion gave the better agreement with the experimental result, and should be used for the prediction of the location of crack nucleation. Crack openings under compressive bulk stresses were found in the fretting fatigues with flat-on-flat contact and cylindrical-on-flat contacts, i.e., fretting-contact-induced crack openings. The crack opening stress of specimen with flat-on-flat contact was lower than those of specimens with cylindrical-on-flat contacts, while that of specimen with 60-mm radius contact pad was lower than that of specimen with 15-mm radius contact pad. The fretting fatigue lives were estimated by integrating the fatigue crack growth curve from an initial propagating crack length to a critical crack length. The predictions of fretting fatigue life with consideration of crack opening were in good agreement with the experimental results. PMID:28772522

The Role of Nonlocal Heat Flow in Hohlraums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Town, R. P. J.; Short, R. W.; Verdon, C. P.; Afeyan, B. B.; Glenzer, S. H.; Suter, L. J.

1997-11-01

Glenzer,(Submitted to Physical Review Letters.)* using the Thomson scattering technique, has measured the time evolution of the electron temperature in scale-1 hohlraums. The measured peak electron temperature was 5 keV. Lasnex simulations, using a flux-limited Spitzer heat diffusion model with the standard sharp-cutoff flux limiter of 0.05, gave a peak electron temperature of only 3 keV. Good agreement between simulation and experiment was found when Lasnex simulations employed a time-varying flux limiter, which had a value of 0.01 when the main drive came on. The need to severly inhibit heat transport over the entire volume of hot plasma at late time suggests that nonlocal heat flow could be important in explaining these experimental observations. In this presentation we will report on Fokker--Planck calculations of idealized hohlraums and compare them to standard hydrodynamic calculations using flux-limited Spitzer heat flow. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC03-92SF19460. Also, work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-ENG-48.

Comparison of LVEF assessed by 2D echocardiography, gated blood pool SPECT, 99mTc tetrofosmin gated SPECT, and 18F-FDG gated PET with ERNV in patients with CAD and severe LV dysfunction.

PubMed

Raja, Senthil; Mittal, Bhagwant R; Santhosh, Sampath; Bhattacharya, Anish; Rohit, Manoj K

2014-11-01

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the single most important predictor of prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (ERNV) is considered the most reliable technique for assessing LVEF. Most of these patients undergo two dimensional (2D) echocardiography and myocardial viability study using gated myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or gated F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET. However, the accuracy of LVEF assessed by these methods is not clear. This study has been designed to assess the correlation and agreement between the LVEF measured by 2D echocardiography, gated blood pool single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), Tc tetrofosmin gated SPECT, and F-FDG gated PET with ERNV in CAD patients with severe LV dysfunction. Patients with CAD and severe LV dysfunction [ejection fraction (EF) <35 assessed by 2D echocardiography] were prospectively included in the study. These patients underwent ERNV along with gated blood pool SPECT, Tc tetrofosmin gated SPECT, and F-FDG gated PET as per the standard protocol for myocardial viability assessment and LVEF calculation. Spearman's coefficient of correlation (r) was calculated for the different sets of values with significance level kept at a P-value less than 0.05. Bland-Altman plots were inspected to visually assess the between-agreement measurements from different methods. Forty-one patients were prospectively included. LVEF calculated by various radionuclide methods showed good correlation with ERNV as follows: gated blood pool SPECT, r=0.92; MPI gated SPECT, r=0.85; and F-FDG gated PET, r=0.76. However, the correlation between 2D echocardiography and ERNV was poor (r=0.520). The Bland-Altman plot for LVEF measured by all radionuclide methods showed good agreement with ERNV. However, agreement between 2D echocardiography and ERNV is poor, as most of the values in this plot gave a negative difference for low EF and a positive difference for high EF. The mean difference between various techniques [2D echocardiography (a), gated blood pool SPECT (b), MPI gated SPECT (c), F-FDG gated PET (d)] and ERNV (e) was as follows: (a)-(e), 3.3; (b)-(e), 5; (c)-(e), 1.1; and (d)-(e), 2.9. The best possible correlation and agreement was found between MPI gated SPECT and ERNV. This study showed good correlation and agreement between MPI gated SPECT and F-FDG gated PET with ERNV for LVEF calculation in CAD patients with severe LV dysfunction. Thus, subjecting patients who undergo viability assessment by MPI gated SPECT or F-FDG gated PET to a separate procedure like ERNV for LVEF assessment may not be warranted. As the gated blood pool SPECT also showed good correlation and agreement with ERNV for LVEF assessment in CAD patients with severe LV dysfunction, with better characteristics than ERNV, it can be routinely used whenever accurate LVEF assessment is needed.

Herbicides for Forest Plantations

Treesearch

H. H. Hadley; C. B. Briscoe

1966-01-01

MSMA, sodium cacodylate, diquat, aminotriazole, paraquat + surfactant, 2,4-0 amine, ametryne, and picram were tested for use as herbicides in forest plantations. MSMA gave best weed control per dollar of her bicide. Picram also gave good control on dry sites, although more expensive than MSMA, but damaged planted trees. When herbicides were applied during or just...

THE DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF THERMOMETER-WELL ASSEMBLIES.

DTIC Science & Technology

parameter models of the thermometric system were constructed and gave acceptable agreement with the experimental results. These models can be used to predict the dynamic behavior of any similar thermometer system. (Author)

On optical imaging through aircraft turbulent boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutton, G. W.

1980-01-01

Optical resolution quality as affected by aircraft turbulent boundary layers is analyzed. Wind-tunnel data was analyzed to obtained the variation of boundary layer turbulence scale length and mass density rms fluctuations with Mach number. The data gave good agreement with a mass density fluctuation turbulence spectrum that is either isotropic of orthogonally anisotropic. The data did not match an isotropic turbulence velocity spectrum which causes an anisotropic non-orthogonal mass density fluctuation spectrum. The results indicate that the average mass density rms fluctuation is about 10% of the maximum mass density across the boundary layer and that the transverse turbulence scale size is about 10% of the boundary layer thickness. The results indicate that the effect of the turbulent boundary layer is large angle scattering which decreases contrast but not resolution. Using extinction as a criteria the range of acceptable aircraft operating conditions are given.

Solid, liquid, and interfacial properties of TiAl alloys: parameterization of a new modified embedded atom method model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shoutian; Ramu Ramachandran, Bala; Wick, Collin D.

2018-02-01

New interatomic potentials for pure Ti and Al, and binary TiAl were developed utilizing the second nearest neighbour modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) formalism. The potentials were parameterized to reproduce multiple properties spanning bulk solids, solid surfaces, solid/liquid phase changes, and liquid interfacial properties. This was carried out using a newly developed optimization procedure that combined the simple minimization of a fitness function with a genetic algorithm to efficiently span the parameter space. The resulting MEAM potentials gave good agreement with experimental and DFT solid and liquid properties, and reproduced the melting points for Ti, Al, and TiAl. However, the surface tensions from the model consistently underestimated experimental values. Liquid TiAl’s surface was found to be mostly covered with Al atoms, showing that Al has a significant propensity for the liquid/air interface.

Relativistic Quark Model Based Description of Low Energy NN Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antalik, R.; Lyubovitskij, V. E.

A model describing the NN scattering phase shifts is developed. Two nucleon interactions induced by meson exchange forces are constructed starting from π, η, η‧ pseudoscalar-, the ρ, ϕ, ω vector-, and the ɛ(600), a0, f0(1400) scalar — meson-nucleon coupling constants, which we obtained within a relativistic quantum field theory based quark model. Working within the Blankenbecler-Sugar-Logunov-Tavkhelidze quasipotential dynamics, we describe the NN phase shifts in a relativistically invariant way. In this procedure we use phenomenological form factor cutoff masses and effective ɛ and ω meson-nucleon coupling constants, only. Resulting NN phase shifts are in a good agreement with both, the empirical data, and the entirely phenomenological Bonn OBEP model fit. While the quality of our description, evaluated as a ratio of our results to the Bonn OBEP model χ2 ones is about 1.2, other existing (semi)microscopic results gave qualitative results only.

Validation of a partial coherence interferometry method for estimating retinal shape

PubMed Central

Verkicharla, Pavan K.; Suheimat, Marwan; Pope, James M.; Sepehrband, Farshid; Mathur, Ankit; Schmid, Katrina L.; Atchison, David A.

2015-01-01

To validate a simple partial coherence interferometry (PCI) based retinal shape method, estimates of retinal shape were determined in 60 young adults using off-axis PCI, with three stages of modeling using variants of the Le Grand model eye, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Stage 1 and 2 involved a basic model eye without and with surface ray deviation, respectively and Stage 3 used model with individual ocular biometry and ray deviation at surfaces. Considering the theoretical uncertainty of MRI (12-14%), the results of the study indicate good agreement between MRI and all three stages of PCI modeling with <4% and <7% differences in retinal shapes along horizontal and vertical meridians, respectively. Stage 2 and Stage 3 gave slightly different retinal co-ordinates than Stage 1 and we recommend the intermediate Stage 2 as providing a simple and valid method of determining retinal shape from PCI data. PMID:26417496

Validation of a partial coherence interferometry method for estimating retinal shape.

PubMed

Verkicharla, Pavan K; Suheimat, Marwan; Pope, James M; Sepehrband, Farshid; Mathur, Ankit; Schmid, Katrina L; Atchison, David A

2015-09-01

To validate a simple partial coherence interferometry (PCI) based retinal shape method, estimates of retinal shape were determined in 60 young adults using off-axis PCI, with three stages of modeling using variants of the Le Grand model eye, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Stage 1 and 2 involved a basic model eye without and with surface ray deviation, respectively and Stage 3 used model with individual ocular biometry and ray deviation at surfaces. Considering the theoretical uncertainty of MRI (12-14%), the results of the study indicate good agreement between MRI and all three stages of PCI modeling with <4% and <7% differences in retinal shapes along horizontal and vertical meridians, respectively. Stage 2 and Stage 3 gave slightly different retinal co-ordinates than Stage 1 and we recommend the intermediate Stage 2 as providing a simple and valid method of determining retinal shape from PCI data.

Solid, liquid, and interfacial properties of TiAl alloys: parameterization of a new modified embedded atom method model.

PubMed

Sun, Shoutian; Ramachandran, Bala Ramu; Wick, Collin D

2018-02-21

New interatomic potentials for pure Ti and Al, and binary TiAl were developed utilizing the second nearest neighbour modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) formalism. The potentials were parameterized to reproduce multiple properties spanning bulk solids, solid surfaces, solid/liquid phase changes, and liquid interfacial properties. This was carried out using a newly developed optimization procedure that combined the simple minimization of a fitness function with a genetic algorithm to efficiently span the parameter space. The resulting MEAM potentials gave good agreement with experimental and DFT solid and liquid properties, and reproduced the melting points for Ti, Al, and TiAl. However, the surface tensions from the model consistently underestimated experimental values. Liquid TiAl's surface was found to be mostly covered with Al atoms, showing that Al has a significant propensity for the liquid/air interface.

Numerical simulations of unsteady transonic flow in diffusers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liou, M.-S.; Coakley, T. J.

1982-01-01

Forced and naturally occurring, self-sustaining oscillations of transonic flows in two-dimensional diffusers were computed using MacCormack's hybrid method. Depending upon the shock strengths and the area ratios, the flow was fully attached or separated by either the shock or the adverse pressure gradient associated with the enlarging diffuser area. In the case of forced oscillations, a sinusoidal plane pressure wave at frequency 300 Hz was prescribed at the exit. A sufficiently large amount of data were acquired and Fourier analyzed. The distrbutions of time-mean pressures, the power spectral density, and the amplitude with phase angle along the top wall and in the core region were determined. Comparison with experimental results for the forced oscillation generally gave very good agreement; some success was achieved for the case of self-sustaining oscillation despite substantial three-dimensionality in the test. An observation of the sequence of self-sustaining oscillations was given.

Performance simulation of the JPL solar-powered distiller. Part 1: Quasi-steady-state conditions. [for cooling microwave equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yung, C. S.; Lansing, F. L.

1983-01-01

A 37.85 cu m (10,000 gallons) per year (nominal) passive solar powered water distillation system was installed and is operational in the Venus Deep Space Station. The system replaced an old, electrically powered water distiller. The distilled water produced with its high electrical resistivity is used to cool the sensitive microwave equipment. A detailed thermal model was developed to simulate the performance of the distiller and study its sensitivity under varying environment and load conditions. The quasi-steady state portion of the model is presented together with the formulas for heat and mass transfer coefficients used. Initial results indicated that a daily water evaporation efficiency of 30% can be achieved. A comparison made between a full day performance simulation and the actual field measurements gave good agreement between theory and experiment, which verified the model.

Assessing the reliability of FTIR spectroscopy measurements and validity of bioelectrical impedance analysis as a surrogate measure of body composition among children and adolescents aged 8-19 years attending schools in Kampala, Uganda.

PubMed

Ndagire, Catherine T; Muyonga, John H; Isabirye, Dan; Odur, Benard; Somda, Serge M A; Bukenya, Richard; Andrade, Juan E; Nakimbugwe, Dorothy

2018-06-04

Accurate measurement of body composition in children and adolescents is important as the quantities of fat and fat-free mass have implications for health risk. The objectives of the present study were: to determine the reliability of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements and; compare the Fat Mass (FM), Fat Free Mass (FFM) and body fat percentage (%BF) values determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to those determined by deuterium dilution method (DDM) to identify correlations and agreement between the two methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 203 children and adolescents aged 8-19 years attending schools in Kampala city, Uganda. Pearson product-moment correlation at 5% significance level was considered for assessing correlations. Bland Altman analysis was used to examine the agreement between of FTIR measurements and between estimates by DDM and BIA.. Reliability of measurements was determined by Cronbach's alpha. There was good agreement between the in vivo D 2 O saliva enrichment measurements at 3 and 4 h among the studied age groups based on Bland-Altman plots. Cronbach's alpha revealed that measurements of D 2 O saliva enrichment had very good reliability. For children and young adolescents, DDM and BIA gave similar estimates of FFM, FM, and %BF. Among older adolescents, BIA significantly over-estimated FFM and significantly under-estimated FM and %BF compared to estimates by DDM. The correlation between FFM, FM and %BF estimates by DDM and BIA was high and significant among young and older adolescents and for FFM among children. Reliability of the FTIR spectroscopy measurements was very good among the studied population. BIA is suitable for assessing body composition among children (8-9 years) and young adolescents (10-14 years) but not among older adolescents (15-19 years) in Uganda. The body composition measurements of older adolescents determined by DDM can be predicted using those provided by BIA using population-specific regression equations.

Assessment of the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of sediment spiked with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Rončević, Srđan; Spasojević, Jelena; Maletić, Snežana; Jazić, Jelena Molnar; Isakovski, Marijana Kragulj; Agbaba, Jasmina; Grgić, Marko; Dalmacija, Božo

2016-02-01

Large amounts of sediment are dredged globally every year. This sediment is often contaminated with low concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and other organic pollutants. Some of this sediment is disposed of on land, creating a need for risk assessment of the sediment disposal method, to minimize the degradation of environmental quality and prevent risks to human health. Evaluating the available fractions of certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is very important, as in the presence of various organisms, they are believed to be easily subject to the processes of bioaccumulation, biosorption and transformation. In order to determine the applicability of applying these methods for the evaluation of pollutant bioavailability in sediments, the desorption kinetics from the sediment of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of Tenax and XAD4 were examined over the course of 216 h. Changes in the PAH concentrations in dredged sediments using five different seed plants during a short time of period (10 days) were also followed. Using chemical extraction techniques with Tenax and XAD4, a time of around 24 h is enough to achieve equilibrium for all four PAHs. Results showed good agreement between the seed accumulation and PAH extraction methods with both agents. If we compare the two extraction techniques, XAD4 gave better results for phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene, and Tenax gave better results for chrysene.

The Chace air indicator.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

The study reported here has revealed very poor agreement between air contents determined by the Chace air indicator (CAI) and those by the pressure method. In tests of highway concretes the pressure method gave values typically 30% higher than antici...

Theoretical Calculations for Electron Impact Ionization of Atoms and Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amami, Sadek Mohamed Fituri

In the last twenty years, significant progress has been made for the theoretical treatment of electron impact ionization (e,2e) of atoms and molecules and, for some cases, very nice agreement between experiment and theory has been achieved. In particular, excellent agreement between theory and experiment and theory has been achieved for ionization of hydrogen and helium. However, agreement between experiment and theory is not nearly as good for ionization of larger atoms and molecules. In the first part of this dissertation, different theoretical approaches will be employed to study the triply differential cross section (TDCS) for low and intermediate energy electron-impact ionization of Neon and Argon for different orbital states. There is a very recent interest in studying ionization of Laser aligned atoms in order to get a better understanding about electron impact ionization of molecules. In the next part of this dissertation, results will be presented for electron-impact ionization of three laser aligned atoms, Mg, Ca, and Na. The comparison between the theory and experiment showed that our three body distorted wave (3DW) model gave excellent agreement with experiment in the scattering plane but very poor agreement perpendicular to the scattering plane. An explanation for this poor agreement out of the scattering plane has been provided by comparing our theoretical results with those of the time depended close coupling (TDCC) model and this explanation is also provided in this dissertation. Recently, significant attention has been directed towards obtaining a better under-standing of electron-impact ionization of molecules which are significantly more challenging than atoms. In the last part of this dissertation, results will be presented for electron-impact ionization of three different molecules (N2 , H2O, and CH4) which have been studied comprehensively using different theoretical approximations for different types of geometries. The published papers in section two contain a detailed analysis and discussion for each of these topics.

Synthesis, structure, theoretical and experimental in vitro antioxidant/pharmacological properties of α-aryl, N-alkyl nitrones, as potential agents for the treatment of cerebral ischemia.

PubMed

Samadi, Abdelouahid; Soriano, Elena; Revuelta, Julia; Valderas, Carolina; Chioua, Mourad; Garrido, Ignacio; Bartolomé, Begoña; Tomassolli, Isabelle; Ismaili, Lhassane; González-Lafuente, Laura; Villarroya, Mercedes; García, Antonio G; Oset-Gasque, María J; Marco-Contelles, José

2011-01-15

The synthesis, structure, theoretical and experimental in vitro antioxidant properties using the DPPH, ORAC, and benzoic acid, as well as preliminary in vitro pharmacological activities of (Z)-α-aryl and heteroaryl N-alkyl-nitrones 6-15, 18, 19, 21, and 23, is reported. In the in vitro antioxidant activity, for the DPPH radical test, only nitrones bearing free phenol groups gave the best RSA (%) values, nitrones 13 and 14 showing the highest values in this assay. In the ORAC analysis, the most potent radical scavenger was nitrone indole 21, followed by the N-benzyl benzene-type nitrones 10 and 15. Interestingly enough, the archetypal nitrone 7 (PBN) gave a low RSA value (1.4%) in the DPPH test, or was inactive in the ORAC assay. Concerning the ability to scavenge the hydroxyl radical, all the nitrones studied proved active in this experiment, showing high values in the 94-97% range, the most potent being nitrone 14. The theoretical calculations for the prediction of the antioxidant power, and the potential of ionization confirm that nitrones 9 and 10 are among the best compounds in electron transfer processes, a result that is also in good agreement with the experimental values in the DPPH assay. The calculated energy values for the reaction of ROS (hydroxyl, peroxyl) with the nitrones predict that the most favourable adduct-spin will take place between nitrones 9, 10, and 21, a fact that would be in agreement with their experimentally observed scavenger ability. The in vitro pharmacological analysis showed that the neuroprotective profile of the target molecules was in general low, with values ranging from 0% to 18.7%, in human neuroblastoma cells stressed with a mixture of rotenone/oligomycin-A, being nitrones 18, and 6-8 the most potent, as they show values in the range 24-18.4%. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plastic Stress-strain Relations for 75S-T6 Aluminum Alloy Subjected to Biaxial Tensile Stresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marin, Joseph; Ulrich, B H; Hughes, W P

1951-01-01

In this investigation, the material tested was a 75S-T6 aluminum alloy and the stresses were essentially biaxial and tensile. The biaxial tensile stresses were produced in a specially designed testing machine by subjecting a thin-walled tubular specimen to axial tension and internal pressure. Plastic stress-strain relations for various biaxial stress conditions were obtained using a clip-type SR-4 strain gage. Three types of tests were made: Constant-stress-ratio tests, variable-stress-ratio tests, and special tests. The constant-stress-ratio test results gave control data and showed the influence of biaxial stresses on the yield, fracture, and ultimate strength of the material. By means of the variable-stress-ratio tests, it is possible to determine whether there is any significant difference between the flow and deformation type of theory. Finally, special tests were conducted to check specific assumptions made in the theories of plastic flow. The constant-stress-ratio tests show that the deformation theory based on the octahedral, effective; or significant stress-strain relations is in approximate agreement with the test results. The variable-stress-ratio tests show that both the deformation and flow theory are in equally good agreement with the test results.

Comparison of potential field solutions for Carrington Rotation 2144

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Keiji; Yang, Shangbin; Deng, Yuagyong

2016-02-01

We examined differences among the coronal magnetic field structures derived with the potential field source surface (PFSS) model for Carrington Rotation 2144, from 21 November to 19 December 2013. We used the synoptic maps of solar photospheric magnetic field from four observatories, the Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG), Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI), and Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO). We tested two smoothing methods, Gaussian and boxcar averaging, and correction of unbalanced net magnetic flux. The solutions of three-dimensional coronal magnetic field are significantly different each other. An open-field region derived with HSOS data agrees best with the corresponding coronal hole observed by Solar Dynamics Observatories/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, while HMI data yielded best agreements with the near-Earth OMNI database. The GONG data overall gave agreements as good as the HMI. The PFSS calculations using WSO data were least sensitive to the choices we examined in this work. Differences in PFSS solutions using different choices and parameters in smoothing imply that the photospheric magnetic field distributions with size of several degrees at midlatitude and low-latitude regions can be decisive, at least, in the examined period. To better determine the global solar corona, therefore, further evaluation of influences from compact bipolar magnetic field is needed.

17O NMR spectroscopy of substituted methyleneindanones: relationship between chemical shift and oxygen atom electron density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Arvind; Boykin, David W.

1993-07-01

17O NMR spectroscopic data for eigth β-substituted methyleneindanones obtained at natural abundance in acetonitrile at 75°C are reported. 17O NMR data for ten para-substituted E-benzalindanones, enriched with 17O, were recorded in acetonitrile at 75°C. The 17O NMR data for the E-benzalindanones gave good correlations with sigma plus values, with literature carbonyl IR stretching frequencies, and with literature 17O NMR carbonyl data of chalcones and 5-aryl-2,3-furandiones. The carbonyl oxygen atom electron density (AM1) gave good correlation with the carbonyl 17O NMR chemical shift of both β-substituted methyleneindanones and the E-benzalindanones.

Who Recommends Long-Term Care Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Robert L.; Bershadsky, Boris; Bershadsky, Julie

2006-01-01

Purpose: Making good consumer decisions requires having good information. This study compared long-term-care recommendations among various types of health professionals. Design and Methods: We gave randomly varied scenarios to a convenience national sample of 211 professionals from varying disciplines and work locations. For each scenario, we…

Performance evaluation of a tailor-made passive sampler for monitoring of tropospheric ozone.

PubMed

Ozden, Ozlem; Döğeroğlu, Tuncay

2012-09-01

This study presents the performance evaluation of a tailor-made passive sampler developed for the monitoring of tropospheric ozone. The performance of the passive sampler was tested in the field conditions in terms of accuracy, precision, blank values, detection limit, effects of some parameters such as sampling site characteristics and sampling period on the field blanks, self-consistency, experimental and theoretical uptake rates, shelf life and comparison with commercial passive samplers. There was an agreement (R (2) = 0.84) between the responses of passive sampler and the continuous automatic analyser. The accuracy of the sampler, expressed as percent relative error, was obtained lower than 15%. Method precision in terms of coefficient of variance for three simultaneously applied passive samplers was 12%. Sampler detection limit was 2.42 μg m(-3) for an exposure period of 1 week, and the sampler can be stored safely for a period of up to 8 weeks before exposure. Satisfactory self-consistency results showed that extended periods gave the same integrated response as a series of short-term samplers run side by side. The uptake rate of ozone was found to be 10.21 mL min(-1) in a very good agreement with the theoretical uptake rate (10.32 mL min(-1)). The results of the comparison study conducted against a commercially available diffusion tube (Gradko diffusion tube) showed a good linear relationship (R (2) = 0.93) between two passive samplers. The sampler seems suitable to be used in large-scale measurements of ozone where no data are available or the number of existing automated monitors is not sufficient.

Calculation of Electronic and Optical Properties of AgGaO2 Polymorphs Using Many-Body Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadsetani, Mehrdad; Nejatipour, Reihan

2018-02-01

Ab initio calculations based on many-body perturbation theory have been used to study the electronic and optical properties of AgGaO2 in rhombohedral, hexagonal, and orthorhombic phases. GW calculations showed that AgGaO2 is an indirect-bandgap semiconductor in all three phases with energy bandgap of 2.35 eV, 2.23 eV, and 2.07 eV, in good agreement with available experimental values. By solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave basis, optical properties of the AgGaO2 polymorphs were calculated and compared with those obtained using the GW-corrected random phase approximation (RPA) and with existing experimental data. Strong anisotropy in the optical absorption spectra was observed, and the excitonic structures which were absent in the RPA calculations were reproduced in GWBSE calculations, in good agreement with the optical absorption spectrum of the rhombohedral phase. While modifying peak positions and intensities of the absorption spectra, the GWBSE gave rise to the redistribution of oscillator strengths. In comparison with the z-polarized response, excitonic effects in the x-polarized response were dominant. In the x- (and y-) polarized responses of r- and h-AgGaO2, spectral features and excitonic effects occur at the lower energies, but in the case of o-AgGaO2, the spectral structures of the z-polarized response occur at lower energies. In addition, the low-energy loss functions of AgGaO2 were calculated and compared using the GWBSE approach. Spectral features in the energy loss function components near the bandgap region were attributed to corresponding excitonic structures in the imaginary part of the dielectric function.

Isometric contractions of motor units in a fast twitch muscle of the cat

PubMed Central

Bagust, J.; Knott, Sarah; Lewis, D. M.; Luck, J. C.; Westerman, R. A.

1973-01-01

1. Isosmetric contractions of cat flexor digitorum longus whole muscles and of functionally isolated motor units have been measured under conditions similar to those used by Buller & Lewis (1965a). 2. Motor unit twitch time to peak was inversely related to axonal conduction velocity. The logarithm of tetanic tension was directly related to conduction velocity. These relationships suggest that each motoneurone has an influence on the muscle fibres which it innervates. 3. The ratio of twitch to tetanic tension was directly related to the time to peak of the motor unit. This fact might be explained by variation between motor units of the duration of `active state'. 4. The muscle length at which tension was maximal varied between motor units and the optima were found over the range of muscle lengths which could occur in the body. Slow motor units had longer optimal lengths. 5. The sample of motor units was considered to be unbiased because the distribution of axon conduction velocities was compatible with reported motor fibre diameter spectra of the muscle nerve. The mean motor unit tetanic tension gave a reasonable estimate of the number of α-motor axons in the muscle nerve. Twitch tensions gave a value that was 40% higher. 6. Motor unit and whole muscle data were in good agreement for length-tetanus tension curves, for times to peak and for twitch-tetanus ratios at long muscle lengths. PMID:4715372

Performance estimation of a Venturi scrubber using a computational model for capturing dust particles with liquid spray.

PubMed

Pak, S I; Chang, K S

2006-12-01

A Venturi scrubber has dispersed three-phase flow of gas, dust, and liquid. Atomization of a liquid jet and interaction between the phases has a large effect on the performance of Venturi scrubbers. In this study, a computational model for the interactive three-phase flow in a Venturi scrubber has been developed to estimate pressure drop and collection efficiency. The Eulerian-Lagrangian method is used to solve the model numerically. Gas flow is solved using the Eulerian approach by using the Navier-Stokes equations, and the motion of dust and liquid droplets, described by the Basset-Boussinesq-Oseen (B-B-O) equation, is solved using the Lagrangian approach. This model includes interaction between gas and droplets, atomization of a liquid jet, droplet deformation, breakup and collision of droplets, and capture of dust by droplets. A circular Pease-Anthony Venturi scrubber was simulated numerically with this new model. The numerical results were compared with earlier experimental data for pressure drop and collection efficiency, and gave good agreements.

Focusing a fountain of neutral cesium atoms with an electrostatic lens triplet

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

Kalnins, Juris G.; Amini, Jason M.; Gould, Harvey

2005-10-15

An electrostatic lens with three focusing elements in an alternating-gradient configuration is used to focus a fountain of cesium atoms in their ground (strong-field-seeking) state. The lens electrodes are shaped to produce only sextupole plus dipole equipotentials which avoids adding the unnecessary nonlinear forces present in cylindrical lenses. Defocusing between lenses is greatly reduced by having all of the main electric fields point in the same direction and be of nearly equal magnitude. The addition of the third lens gave us better control of the focusing strength in the two transverse planes and allowed focusing of the beam to halfmore » the image size in both planes. The beam envelope was calculated for lens voltages selected to produced specific focusing properties. The calculations, starting from first principles, were compared with measured beam sizes and found to be in good agreement. Application to fountain experiments, atomic clocks, and focusing polar molecules in strong-field-seeking states is discussed.« less

Optimization of a novel improver gel formulation for Barbari flat bread using response surface methodology.

PubMed

Pourfarzad, Amir; Haddad Khodaparast, Mohammad Hossein; Karimi, Mehdi; Mortazavi, Seyed Ali

2014-10-01

Nowadays, the use of bread improvers has become an essential part of improving the production methods and quality of bakery products. In the present study, the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimum improver gel formulation which gave the best quality, shelf life, sensory and image properties for Barbari flat bread. Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL), diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglyceride (DATEM) and propylene glycol (PG) were constituents of the gel and considered in this study. A second-order polynomial model was fitted to each response and the regression coefficients were determined using least square method. The optimum gel formulation was found to be 0.49 % of SSL, 0.36 % of DATEM and 0.5 % of PG when desirability function method was applied. There was a good agreement between the experimental data and their predicted counterparts. Results showed that the RSM, image processing and texture analysis are useful tools to investigate, approximate and predict a large number of bread properties.

Determination of residual solvents in pharmaceuticals by thermal desorption-GC/MS.

PubMed

Hashimoto, K; Urakami, K; Fujiwara, Y; Terada, S; Watanabe, C

2001-05-01

A novel method for the determination of residual solvents in pharmaceuticals by thermal desorption (TD)-GC/MS has been established. A programmed temperature pyrolyzer (double shot pyrolyzer) is applied for the TD. This method does not require any sample pretreatment and allows very small amounts of the sample. Directly desorbed solvents from intact pharmaceuticals (ca. 1 mg) in the desorption cup (5 mm x 3.8 mm i.d.) were cryofocused at the head of a capillary column prior to a GC/MS analysis. The desorption temperature was set at a point about 20 degrees C higher than the melting point of each sample individually, and held for 3 min. The analytical results using 7 different pharmaceuticals were in agreement with those obtained by direct injection (DI) of the solution, followed by USP XXIII. This proposed TD-GC/MS method was demonstrated to be very useful for the identification and quantification of residual solvents. Furthermore, this method was simple, allowed rapid analysis and gave good repeatability.

Density functional theory calculations of the turbostratically disordered compound [ ( SnSe ) 1 + y ] m ( VSe 2 ) n

DOE PAGES

Rudin, Sven P.; Johnson, David C.

2015-04-30

Among composite materials that layer constituent substances of nanoscale thicknesses, [(SnSe)1+y ]m(VSe2)n emerges as an example where the constituents retain incommensurate lattice structures. Perpendicular to the stacking direction, the system exhibits random translations and random rotations on average, i.e., turbostratic disorder, with local regions showing twelvefold diffraction patterns. Earlier theoretical work on these structures showed that combining density functional theory with an empirical treatment of the van der Waals interaction gave structural parameters in good agreement with experiment, but no attempt was made to examine the relative orientations. Here we approximate the extended system with one extended constituent and onemore » finite constituent, which allows the treatment of all relative orientations on equal footing. Furthermore, the calculations show how the twelvefold periodicity follows from how the ions of the SnSe layer lock in with favored positions relative to the VSe2 layer, and the associated energy scale supports arguments for the overall turbostratic disorder.« less

Substituent effects on the enantioselective retention of anti-HIV 5-aryl-delta 2-1,2,4-oxadiazolines on R,R-DACH-DNB chiral stationary phase.

PubMed

Altomare, C; Cellamare, S; Carotti, A; Barreca, M L; Chimirri, A; Monforte, A M; Gasparrini, F; Villani, C; Cirilli, M; Mazza, F

1996-01-01

A series of racemic 3-phenyl-4-(1-adamantyl)-5-X-phenyl- delta 2-1,2,4-oxadiazo lines (PAdOx) were directly resolved by HPLC using a Pirkle-type stationary phase containing N,N'-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-1(R),2(R)-diaminocyclohexane as chiral selector. The more retained enantiomers have S configuration, as demonstrated by X-ray crystallography and circular dichroism measurements. The influence of aromatic ring substituents on enantioselective retention was quantitatively assessed by traditional linear free energy-related (LFER) equations and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). In good agreement with previous findings, the results from this study indicate that the increase in retention (k') is favoured mainly by the phi-basicity and the hydrophilicity of solute, whereas enantioselectivity (alpha) can be satisfactorily modeled by electronic and bulk parameters or CoMFA descriptors. The LFER equations and CoMFA models gave helpful insights into chiral recognition mechanisms.

Synthesis of the natural product building block 5-(3-bromophenyl)-4-hydroxy-5-methylhexan-2-one and its chiral characterization by using chiroptical spectroscopy.

PubMed

De Gussem, Ewoud; Cornelus, Jelle; Pieters, Sam; Van den Bossche, Dries; Van der Eycken, Johan; Herrebout, Wouter; Bultinck, Patrick

2013-10-07

The absolute configuration of 5-(3-bromophenyl)-4-hydroxy-5-methylhexan-2-one, an intermediate in the synthesis of various natural products, is assigned by using vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and optical rotatory dispersion (ORD). Experimental spectra were compared to density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the molecule with known configuration. These three techniques independently confirm that the absolute configuration is (S)-5-(3-bromophenyl)-4-hydroxy-5-methylhexan-2-one, thus enabling us to assign the absolute configuration with high reliability. The reliability of the VCD analysis was assessed quantitatively by using the CompareVOA program. We found that, in cases in which the agreement between theory and experiment was very good, a value of 10 cm(-1) for the triangular weighting function gave a more-realistic discriminative power between enantiomers than the default value of 20 cm(-1). Copyright © 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of analytical procedures for prediction of turbulent boundary layers on a porous wall

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Towne, C. E.

1974-01-01

An analytical study has been made to determine how well current boundary layer prediction techniques work when there is mass transfer normal to the wall. The data that were considered in this investigation were for two-dimensional, incompressible, turbulent boundary layers with suction and blowing. Some of the bleed data were taken in an adverse pressure gradient. An integral prediction method was used three different porous wall skin friction relations, in addition to a solid-surface relation for the suction cases. A numerical prediction method was also used. Comparisons were made between theoretical and experimental skin friction coefficients, displacement and momentum thicknesses, and velocity profiles. The integral method with one of the porous wall skin friction laws gave very good agreement with data for most of the cases considered. The use of the solid-surface skin friction law caused the integral to overpredict the effectiveness of the bleed. The numerical techniques also worked well for most of the cases.

Describing Peripancreatic Collections According to the Revised Atlanta Classification of Acute Pancreatitis: An International Interobserver Agreement Study.

PubMed

Bouwense, Stefan A; van Brunschot, Sandra; van Santvoort, Hjalmar C; Besselink, Marc G; Bollen, Thomas L; Bakker, Olaf J; Banks, Peter A; Boermeester, Marja A; Cappendijk, Vincent C; Carter, Ross; Charnley, Richard; van Eijck, Casper H; Freeny, Patrick C; Hermans, John J; Hough, David M; Johnson, Colin D; Laméris, Johan S; Lerch, Markus M; Mayerle, Julia; Mortele, Koenraad J; Sarr, Michael G; Stedman, Brian; Vege, Santhi Swaroop; Werner, Jens; Dijkgraaf, Marcel G; Gooszen, Hein G; Horvath, Karen D

2017-08-01

Severe acute pancreatitis is associated with peripancreatic morphologic changes as seen on imaging. Uniform communication regarding these morphologic findings is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment. For the original 1992 Atlanta classification, interobserver agreement is poor. We hypothesized that for the revised Atlanta classification, interobserver agreement will be better. An international, interobserver agreement study was performed among expert and nonexpert radiologists (n = 14), surgeons (n = 15), and gastroenterologists (n = 8). Representative computed tomographies of all stages of acute pancreatitis were selected from 55 patients and were assessed according to the revised Atlanta classification. The interobserver agreement was calculated among all reviewers and subgroups, that is, expert and nonexpert reviewers; interobserver agreement was defined as poor (≤0.20), fair (0.21-0.40), moderate (0.41-0.60), good (0.61-0.80), or very good (0.81-1.00). Interobserver agreement among all reviewers was good (0.75 [standard deviation, 0.21]) for describing the type of acute pancreatitis and good (0.62 [standard deviation, 0.19]) for the type of peripancreatic collection. Expert radiologists showed the best and nonexpert clinicians the lowest interobserver agreement. Interobserver agreement was good for the revised Atlanta classification, supporting the importance for widespread adaption of this revised classification for clinical and research communications.

Analytical and experimental vibration studies of a 1/8-scale shuttle orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinson, L. D.

1975-01-01

Natural frequencies and mode shapes for four symmetric vibration modes and four antisymmetric modes are compared with predictions based on NASTRAN finite-element analyses. Initial predictions gave poor agreement with test data; an extensive investigation revealed that the major factors influencing agreement were out-of-plane imperfections in fuselage panels and a soft fin-fuselage connection. Computations with a more refined analysis indicated satisfactory frequency predictions for all modes studied, within 11 percent of experimental values.

Comparison of two computer codes for crack growth analysis: NASCRAC Versus NASA/FLAGRO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stallworth, R.; Meyers, C. A.; Stinson, H. C.

1989-01-01

Results are presented from the comparison study of two computer codes for crack growth analysis - NASCRAC and NASA/FLAGRO. The two computer codes gave compatible conservative results when the part through crack analysis solutions were analyzed versus experimental test data. Results showed good correlation between the codes for the through crack at a lug solution. For the through crack at a lug solution, NASA/FLAGRO gave the most conservative results.

17O NMR studies on 4- and 4'-substituted chalcones and p-substituted β-nitrostyrenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boykin, D. W.; Baumstark, A. L.; Balakrishnan, P.; Perjéssy, A.; Hrnc˜iar, P.

The 17O NMR chemical shift data for 17O-enriched 4- and 4'-chalcones in toluene at 90°C and for p-substituted β-nitrostyrenes (natural abundance) in acetonitrile at 70°C are reported. The SCS (substituent chemical shift) range for the 4-chalcones p-CH 3O to p-NO 2 is 16.3 ppm; the range for the 4'-chalcones p-CH 3O to p-NO 2 is 32.4 ppm. The SCS range for the p-substituted-β-nitrostyrenes p-CH 3O to p-NO 2 is 13.2 ppm. The data for the three series gave good correlations with σ + constants, while the Dual Substitutent Parameter treatment only slightly improved the correlations using σ R+ constants. Plots of the 17O chemical shifts for both 4- and 4'-chalcones with 17O data for acetophenones and correlation of 17O chemical shift data for the β-nitrostyrenes with that of nitrobenzenes gave good correlations. Plots of the 17O data for all the three series with their respective functional group stretching frequencies gave fair correlations.

20 CFR 416.2171 - Duration of agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... end the agreement; and (3) The State does not give a good reason for keeping the agreement in force beyond the ending date we selected. If the State does provide a good reason, the termination will be...

24 CFR 1000.244 - If the recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has been unsuccessful... recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has... recipient's Area ONAP. The request must detail a good faith effort by the recipient, identify the housing...

24 CFR 1000.244 - If the recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has been unsuccessful... recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has... recipient's Area ONAP. The request must detail a good faith effort by the recipient, identify the housing...

Inter-observer and intra-observer agreement on interpretation of uroflowmetry curves of kindergarten children.

PubMed

Chang, Shang-Jen; Yang, Stephen S D

2008-12-01

To evaluate the inter-observer and intra-observer agreement on the interpretation of uroflowmetry curves of children. Healthy kindergarten children were enrolled for evaluation of uroflowmetry. Uroflowmetry curves were classified as bell-shaped, tower, plateau, staccato and interrupted. Only the bell-shaped curves were regarded as normal. Two urodynamists evaluated the curves independently after reviewing the definitions of the different types of uroflowmetry curve. The senior urodynamist evaluated the curves twice 3 months apart. The final conclusion was made when consensus was reached. Agreement among observers was analyzed using kappa statistics. Of 190 uroflowmetry curves eligible for analysis, the intra-observer agreement in interpreting each type of curve and interpreting normalcy vs abnormality was good (kappa=0.71 and 0.68, respectively). Very good inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.81) on normalcy and good inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.73) on types of uroflowmetry were observed. Poor inter-observer agreement existed on the classification of specific types of abnormal uroflowmetry curves (kappa=0.07). Uroflowmetry is a good screening tool for normalcy of kindergarten children, while not a good tool to define the specific types of abnormal uroflowmetry.

Assessing the validity and intra-observer agreement of the MIDAM-LTC; an instrument measuring factors that influence personal dignity in long-term care facilities

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Patients who are cared for in long-term care facilities are vulnerable to lose personal dignity. An instrument measuring factors that influence dignity can be used to better target dignity-conserving care to an individual patient, but no such instrument is yet available for the long-term care setting. The aim of this study was to create the Measurement Instrument for Dignity AMsterdam - for Long-Term Care facilities (MIDAM-LTC) and to assess its validity and intra-observer agreement. Methods Thirteen items specific for the LTC setting were added to the earlier developed, more general MIDAM. The MIDAM-LTC consisted of 39 symptoms or experiences for which presence as well as influence on dignity were asked, and a single item score for overall personal dignity. Questionnaires containing the MIDAM-LTC were administered face-to-face at two moments (with a 1-week interval) to 95 nursing home residents residing on general medical wards of six nursing homes in the Netherlands. Constructs related to dignity (WHO Well-Being Five Index, quality of life and physical health status) were also measured. Ten residents answered the questions while thinking aloud. Content validity, construct validity and intra-observer agreement were examined. Results Nine of the 39 items barely exerted influence on dignity. Eight of them could be omitted from the MIDAM-LTC, because the thinking aloud method revealed sensible explanations for their small influence on dignity. Residents reported that they missed no important items. Hypotheses to support construct validity, about the strength of correlations between on the one hand personal dignity and on the other hand well-being, quality of life or physical health status, were confirmed. On average, 83% of the scores given for each item’s influence on dignity were practically consistent over 1 week, and more than 80% of the residents gave consistent scores for the single item score for overall dignity. Conclusion The MIDAM-LTC has good content validity, construct validity and intra-observer agreement. By omitting 8 items from the instrument, a good balance between comprehensiveness and feasibility is realised. The MIDAM-LTC allows researchers to examine the concept of dignity more closely in the LTC setting, and can assist caregivers in providing dignity-conserving care. PMID:24512296

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)—Section 1605 of the... building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international...

Do Principals Fire the Worst Teachers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Brian A.

2011-01-01

This article takes advantage of a unique policy change to examine how principals make decisions regarding teacher dismissal. In 2004, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Chicago Teachers Union signed a new collective bargaining agreement that gave principals the flexibility to dismiss probationary teachers for any reason and without the…

Estimating Infiltration Rates for a Loessal Silt Loam Using Soil Properties

Treesearch

M. Dean Knighton

1978-01-01

Soil properties were related to infiltration rates as measured by single-ringsteady-head infiltometers. The properties showing strong simple correlations were identified. Regression models were developed to estimate infiltration rate from several soil properties. The best model gave fair agreement to measured rates at another location.

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements... repair of a public building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered...

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)—Section 1605 of the... building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international...

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements... repair of a public building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered...

New donor-acceptor conjugates based on a trifluorenylporphyrin linked to a redox-switchable ruthenium unit.

PubMed

Merhi, Areej; Zhang, Xu; Yao, Dandan; Drouet, Samuel; Mongin, Olivier; Paul, Frédéric; Williams, J A Gareth; Fox, Mark A; Paul-Roth, Christine O

2015-05-28

Reactions of the 16-electron ruthenium complex [Ru(dppe)2Cl][PF6] with metal-free and zinc ethynylphenyltrifluorenylporphyrins and respectively, gave the new dyads and with ethynylruthenium group as a potential electron donor and the porphyrin as a potential electron acceptor. The redox properties of the porphyrins were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and UV spectroelectrochemistry (SEC), which reveal that the monocation and monoanion of metal-free porphyrin are stable under these conditions whereas the formation of the corresponding radical cation or anion of the zinc porphyrin was accompanied by partial decomplexation of the zinc ion. Oxidations of the dyads and gave stable radical cations as probed using IR, NIR and UV SEC methods. These cations show similar NIR and IR bands to those reported for the known 17-electron [Ru(dppe)2(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh)Cl](+) radical cation. Remarkably, the dyad has four stable redox states +2/+1/0/-1 where the second oxidation and first reduction processes take place at the porphyrin unit. Simulated absorption spectra on at optimised geometries obtained by TD-DFT computations with the CAM-B3LYP functional are shown to be in very good agreement with the observed UV absorption spectra of . The spectra of and their oxidised and reduced species were interpreted with the aid of the TD-DFT data. Fluorescence measurements reveal that the dyads and are only weakly emitting compared to and , indicative of quenching of the porphyrinic singlet excited state by the ruthenium centre.

Good Agreements Make Good Friends

PubMed Central

Han, The Anh; Pereira, Luís Moniz; Santos, Francisco C.; Lenaerts, Tom

2013-01-01

When starting a new collaborative endeavor, it pays to establish upfront how strongly your partner commits to the common goal and what compensation can be expected in case the collaboration is violated. Diverse examples in biological and social contexts have demonstrated the pervasiveness of making prior agreements on posterior compensations, suggesting that this behavior could have been shaped by natural selection. Here, we analyze the evolutionary relevance of such a commitment strategy and relate it to the costly punishment strategy, where no prior agreements are made. We show that when the cost of arranging a commitment deal lies within certain limits, substantial levels of cooperation can be achieved. Moreover, these levels are higher than that achieved by simple costly punishment, especially when one insists on sharing the arrangement cost. Not only do we show that good agreements make good friends, agreements based on shared costs result in even better outcomes. PMID:24045873

You Gave A Good Speech But Did Anyone Believe You?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennefrund, William L.

1977-01-01

Outlines points for achieving credibility in public speaking situations. Available from: Association Management, American Society of Association Executives, 1101 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. (MH)

Do Principals Fire the Worst Teachers? NBER Working Paper No. 15715

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Brian A.

2010-01-01

This paper takes advantage of a unique policy change to examine how principals make decisions regarding teacher dismissal. In 2004, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) signed a new collective bargaining agreement that gave principals the flexibility to dismiss probationary teachers for any reason and without the…

First results of GPS time transfer to Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luck, J. M.; Woodger, J. R.; Wells, J. E.; Churchill, P. N.; Clements, P. A.

1985-01-01

A Global Positioning System time transfer unit built by NBS under contract to JPL was installed at Tidbinbilla Deep Space Communications Complex of the NASA Deep Space Network in June 1983. It has been used to estimate the relationship to UTC(USNO MC) of the Tidbinbilla frequency and time system TID(FTS) based on a hydrogen maser, and thence to estimate the performance of the Australian free-running time scale UTC(AUS). Data from the first three months has been analyzed three ways: by two-hop common view using JPL as intermediary; by long-arc interpolation of measurements against space vehicle clocks; and by long-arc interpolation of GPS-Time results. Residuals from a single quadratic fit through three months of UTC(USNO MC) - TID (FTS) results were white noise with standard error 15 ns, and a flying clock measurement gave 70 ns agreement. A straight line fit through results UTC(USNO MC) - UTC (AUS) gave 90 ns standard error and 120 bns agreement. It is proposed to use the GPS measurements to steer UTS(AUS) to UTC(BIH), and to rename the existing time scale TA(AUS).

First Results of GPS Time Transfer to Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mck.luck, J.; Woodger, J. R.; Wells, J. E.; Churchill, P. N.; Clements, P. A.

1984-01-01

A global positioning system (GPS) time transfer unit was installed at Tidbinbilla Deep Space Communications Complex of the DSN in June 1983. It was used to estimate the relationship to UTC(USNO MC) of the Tidbinbilla frequency and time system TID(FTS) based on a hydrogen maser, and to estimate the performance of the Australian free-running time scale UTC(AUS). Data from the first 3 months were analyzed three ways: by two-hop common view using JPL as intermediary; by long-arc interpolation of measurements against space vehicle clocks; and by long arc interpolation of GPS-Time results. Residuals from a single quadratic fit through 3 months of UTC(USNO MC) -TID(FTS) results were white noise with standard error 15 ns, and a flying clock measurement gave 70 ns agreement. A straight line fit through results UTC(USNO MC) - UTC(AUS) gave 90 ns standard error and 120 ns agreement. It is proposed to use the GPS measurements to steer UTC(AUS) to UTC(BIH), and to rename the existing time scale TA(AUS).

Comparison of observed rheological properties of hard wheat flour dough with predictions of the Giesekus-Leonov, White-Metzner and Phan-Thien Tanner models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dhanasekharan, M.; Huang, H.; Kokini, J. L.; Janes, H. W. (Principal Investigator)

1999-01-01

The measured rheological behavior of hard wheat flour dough was predicted using three nonlinear differential viscoelastic models. The Phan-Thien Tanner model gave good zero shear viscosity prediction, but overpredicted the shear viscosity at higher shear rates and the transient and extensional properties. The Giesekus-Leonov model gave similar predictions to the Phan-Thien Tanner model, but the extensional viscosity prediction showed extension thickening. Using high values of the mobility factor, extension thinning behavior was observed but the predictions were not satisfactory. The White-Metzner model gave good predictions of the steady shear viscosity and the first normal stress coefficient but it was unable to predict the uniaxial extensional viscosity as it exhibited asymptotic behavior in the tested extensional rates. It also predicted the transient shear properties with moderate accuracy in the transient phase, but very well at higher times, compared to the Phan-Thien Tanner model and the Giesekus-Leonov model. None of the models predicted all observed data consistently well. Overall the White-Metzner model appeared to make the best predictions of all the observed data.

[Tibio-talo-calcaneal arthrodesis by retrograde intramedullary nail--a case report].

PubMed

Lipiński, Łukasz; Synder, Marek; Sibiński, Marcin

2011-01-01

We described a case of 64 year old overweight women, who was treated with revision tibio-talo-calcaneal artrodesis with the use of retrograde intramedullary nail. The procedure was performed after failed primary arthrodesis with the use of lateral approach and fibula osteotomy. Stabilization with intramedullary nail gave good clinical and functional result with a good bone healing.

Can the prevalence of high blood drug concentrations in a population be estimated by analysing oral fluid? A study of tetrahydrocannabinol and amphetamine.

PubMed

Gjerde, Hallvard; Verstraete, Alain

2010-02-25

To study several methods for estimating the prevalence of high blood concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol and amphetamine in a population of drug users by analysing oral fluid (saliva). Five methods were compared, including simple calculation procedures dividing the drug concentrations in oral fluid by average or median oral fluid/blood (OF/B) drug concentration ratios or linear regression coefficients, and more complex Monte Carlo simulations. Populations of 311 cannabis users and 197 amphetamine users from the Rosita-2 Project were studied. The results of a feasibility study suggested that the Monte Carlo simulations might give better accuracies than simple calculations if good data on OF/B ratios is available. If using only 20 randomly selected OF/B ratios, a Monte Carlo simulation gave the best accuracy but not the best precision. Dividing by the OF/B regression coefficient gave acceptable accuracy and precision, and was therefore the best method. None of the methods gave acceptable accuracy if the prevalence of high blood drug concentrations was less than 15%. Dividing the drug concentration in oral fluid by the OF/B regression coefficient gave an acceptable estimation of high blood drug concentrations in a population, and may therefore give valuable additional information on possible drug impairment, e.g. in roadside surveys of drugs and driving. If good data on the distribution of OF/B ratios are available, a Monte Carlo simulation may give better accuracy. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproducibility, interrater agreement, and age-related changes of fractional anisotropy measures at 3T in healthy subjects: effect of the applied b-value.

PubMed

Bisdas, S; Bohning, D E; Besenski, N; Nicholas, J S; Rumboldt, Z

2008-06-01

There is no reproducibility study of fractional anisotropy (FA) measurements at 3T using regions of interest (ROIs). Our purpose was to establish the extent and statistical significance of the interrater variability, the variability observed with 2 different b-values, and in 2 separate scanning sessions. Twelve healthy volunteers underwent MR imaging twice. MR imaging was performed on a 3T unit, and FA maps were analyzed independently by 2 observers using ROIs positioned in the corpus callosum, internal capsules, corticospinal tracts, and right thalamus. Changes in FA values (x10(3)) measured with 2 b-values (700 and 1000 s/mm(2)), age-related differences, interobserver agreement, and measurement reproducibility were assessed. In the right internal capsule genu (FA = 702/728; b = 1000/700 s/mm(2)) and the left anterior limb of the internal capsule (AIC; FA = 617/745; b = 1000/700 s/mm(2)), the FA values were significantly different between the 2 b-values (P = .02 and .05, respectively). Significant age-related differences in FA were observed in the genu of the corpus callosum and in the left AIC. Interrater measurements showed fair-to-moderate agreement for most anatomic structures. The lowest significant change for a single subject regarding any FA values between the 2 sessions was in the corpus callosum (4%), whereas the highest one was in the corticospinal tracts (27%). The Bland-Altman plot analysis showed that the 1000-s/mm(2) b-value gave satisfactorily reproducible measurements equally good or better than the 700-s/mm(2) b-value. The reproducibility of FA estimates using ROIs was satisfactory. Measurements with a b-value at 1000 s/mm(2) showed superior reproducibility in most anatomic locations.

Prospective assessment of interobserver agreement for defecography in fecal incontinence.

PubMed

Dobben, Annette C; Wiersma, Tjeerd G; Janssen, Lucas W M; de Vos, Rien; Terra, Maaike P; Baeten, Cor G; Stoker, Jaap

2005-11-01

The primary aim of our study was to determine the interobserver agreement of defecography in diagnosing enterocele, anterior rectocele, intussusception, and anismus in fecal-incontinent patients. The subsidiary aim was to evaluate the influence of level of experience on interpreting defecography. Defecography was performed in 105 consecutive fecal-incontinent patients. Observers were classified by level of experience and their findings were compared with the findings of an expert radiologist. The quality of the expert radiologist's findings was evaluated by an intraobserver agreement procedure. Intraobserver agreement was good to very good except for anismus: incomplete evacuation after 30 sec (kappa, 0.55) and puborectalis impression (kappa, 0.54). Interobserver agreement for enterocele and rectocele was good (kappa, 0.66 for both) and for intussusception, fair (kappa, 0.29). Interobserver agreement for anismus: incomplete evacuation after 30 sec was moderate (kappa, 0.47), and for anismus: puborectalis impression was fair (kappa, 0.24). Agreement in grading of enterocele and rectocele was good (kappa, 0.64 and 0.72, respectively) and for intussusception, fair (kappa, 0.39). Agreement separated by experience level was very good for rectocele (kappa, 0.83) and grading of rectoceles (kappa, 0.83) and moderate for intussusception (kappa, 0.44) at the most experienced level. For enterocele and grading, experience level did not influence the reproducibility. Reproducibility for enterocele, anterior rectocele, and severity grading is good, but for intussusception is fair to moderate. For anismus, the diagnosis of incomplete evacuation after 30 sec is more reproducible than puborectalis impression. The level of experience seems to play a role in diagnosing anterior rectocele and its grading and in diagnosing intussusception.

Spectrophotometric determination of some histamine H1-antagonists drugs in their pharmaceutical preparations.

PubMed

Hassan, Wafaa S; El-Henawee, Magda M; Gouda, Ayman A

2008-01-01

Two rapid, simple and sensitive extractive specrophotometric methods has been developed for the determination of three histamine H1-antagonists drugs, e.g., chlorphenoxamine hydrochloride (CPX), diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPH) and clemastine (CMT) in bulk and in their pharmaceutical formulations. The first method depend upon the reaction of molybdenum(V) thiocyanate ions (Method A) with the cited drugs to form stable ion-pair complexes which extractable with methylene chloride, the orange red color complex was determined colorimetrically at lambda(max) 470nm. The second method is based on the formation of an ion-association complex with alizarin red S as chromogenic reagents in acidic medium (Method B), which is extracted into chloroform. The complexes have a maximum absorbance at 425 and 426nm for (DPH or CMT) and CPX, respectively. Regression analysis of Beer-Lambert plots showed a good correlation in the concentration ranges of 5.0-40 and 5-70microgmL(-1) for molybdenum(V) thiocyanate (Method A) and alizarin red S (Method B), respectively. For more accurate analysis, Ringbom optimum concentration ranges were calculated. The molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity, detection and quantification limits were calculated. Applications of the procedure to the analysis of various pharmaceutical preparations gave reproducible and accurate results. Further, the validity of the procedure was confirmed by applying the standard addition technique and the results obtained in good agreement well with those obtained by the official method.

Spectrophotometric determination of some histamine H1-antagonists drugs in their pharmaceutical preparations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Wafaa S.; El-Henawee, Magda M.; Gouda, Ayman A.

2008-01-01

Two rapid, simple and sensitive extractive specrophotometric methods has been developed for the determination of three histamine H1-antagonists drugs, e.g., chlorphenoxamine hydrochloride (CPX), diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPH) and clemastine (CMT) in bulk and in their pharmaceutical formulations. The first method depend upon the reaction of molybdenum(V) thiocyanate ions (Method A) with the cited drugs to form stable ion-pair complexes which extractable with methylene chloride, the orange red color complex was determined colorimetrically at λmax 470 nm. The second method is based on the formation of an ion-association complex with alizarin red S as chromogenic reagents in acidic medium (Method B), which is extracted into chloroform. The complexes have a maximum absorbance at 425 and 426 nm for (DPH or CMT) and CPX, respectively. Regression analysis of Beer-Lambert plots showed a good correlation in the concentration ranges of 5.0-40 and 5-70 μg mL -1 for molybdenum(V) thiocyanate (Method A) and alizarin red S (Method B), respectively. For more accurate analysis, Ringbom optimum concentration ranges were calculated. The molar absorptivity, Sandell sensitivity, detection and quantification limits were calculated. Applications of the procedure to the analysis of various pharmaceutical preparations gave reproducible and accurate results. Further, the validity of the procedure was confirmed by applying the standard addition technique and the results obtained in good agreement well with those obtained by the official method.

Development of a colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip for detection of lymphocystis disease virus in fish.

PubMed

Sheng, X Z; Song, J L; Zhan, W B

2012-10-01

To develop a gold immunochromatographic test strip for on-site rapid detection of lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV). Monodispersional colloidal gold and gold-labelled anti-LCDV monoclonal antibody (McAb) 2D11 were prepared and characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Gold-labelled probe was used as the detection antibody, and goat anti-mouse IgG at the control line and anti-LCDV McAb 1A8 at the test line of the test strip served as the capture antibody. The positive results could be easily judged by the presence of a red test line with naked eye within 10 min. The test strip, in good agreement with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dot-blotting in sensitivity and LCDV detection, gave a detection limit of 1 μg ml(-1) of LCDV and was stable for 6 months at room temperature and 12 months at 4°C. The test strip was specific, simple and convenient for rapid detection of LCDV presenting good stability and reproducibility. This ready-to-use test strip allows on-site rapid detection of LCDV in fish without the requirement of specialized equipments and professional personnel, which could augment the practical application for diagnosis of LCDV even in disadvantage areas. © 2012 The Authors Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Possibilities of LA-ICP-MS technique for the spatial elemental analysis of the recent fish scales: Line scan vs. depth profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holá, Markéta; Kalvoda, Jiří; Nováková, Hana; Škoda, Radek; Kanický, Viktor

2011-01-01

LA-ICP-MS and solution based ICP-MS in combination with electron microprobe are presented as a method for the determination of the elemental spatial distribution in fish scales which represent an example of a heterogeneous layered bone structure. Two different LA-ICP-MS techniques were tested on recent common carp ( Cyprinus carpio) scales: A line scan through the whole fish scale perpendicular to the growth rings. The ablation crater of 55 μm width and 50 μm depth allowed analysis of the elemental distribution in the external layer. Suitable ablation conditions providing a deeper ablation crater gave average values from the external HAP layer and the collagen basal plate. Depth profiling using spot analysis was tested in fish scales for the first time. Spot analysis allows information to be obtained about the depth profile of the elements at the selected position on the sample. The combination of all mentioned laser ablation techniques provides complete information about the elemental distribution in the fish scale samples. The results were compared with the solution based ICP-MS and EMP analyses. The fact that the results of depth profiling are in a good agreement both with EMP and PIXE results and, with the assumed ways of incorporation of the studied elements in the HAP structure, suggests a very good potential for this method.

Evaluation of the acoustoelectric effect in the thickness direction of c-plane ZnO single crystals by Brillouin scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Shota; Yanagitani, Takahiko; Takayanagi, Shinji; Ichihashi, Hayato; Shibagaki, Yoshiaki; Hayashi, Hiromichi; Matsukawa, Mami

2017-06-01

Longitudinal wave velocity dispersion in ZnO single crystals, owing to the acoustoelectric effect, has been investigated by Brillouin scattering. The resistivity dependence of the longitudinal wave velocity in a c-plane ZnO single crystal was theoretically estimated and experimentally investigated. Velocity dispersion owing to the acoustoelectric effect was observed in the range 0.007-10 Ωm. The observed velocity dispersion shows a similar tendency to the theoretical estimation and gives the piezoelectric stiffened and unstiffened wave velocities. However, the measured dispersion curve shows a characteristic shift from the theoretical curve. One possible reason is the carrier mobility in the sample, which could be lower than the reported value. The measurement data gave the piezoelectric stiffened and unstiffened longitudinal wave velocities, from which the electromechanical coupling coefficient k33 was determined. The value of k33 is in good agreement with reported values. This method is promising for noncontact evaluation of electromechanical coupling. In particular, it could be for evaluation of the unknown piezoelectricity in the thickness direction of semiconductive materials and film resonators.

Evaluation of the Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratio Measured with the Dipsticks Clinitek Atlas PRO 12.

PubMed

Hermida, Fernando J; Soto, Sonia; Benitez, Alfonso J

2016-01-01

Screening for urine proteins is recommended for the detection of albuminuria in high risk groups. The aim of this study was to compare the Clinitek Atlas PRO12 reagent urine strip with quantitative methods for the determination of protein/creatinine ratio and to evaluate the usefulness of the semi-quantitative Clinitek Atlas PRO12 reagent urine strip as a tool in the early detection of albuminuria among the general population. Six hundred first morning urine specimens were collected from outpatients with various clinical conditions. The results showed that the test data for the urine dipstick Clinitek Atlas PRO12 show good agreement with the quantitative measurement of protein, creatinine and protein/creatinine ratio. In addition, this study shows that 97.2% of the samples which gave "normal" protein/creatinine ratios by the semi-quantitative method, showed albumin/creatinine ratio < 30 mg/g by the quantitative methods. Our results show that Clinitek Atlas PRO12 reagent strips can be used for the purposes of albuminuria screening in the general population.

Visible micro-Raman spectroscopy for determining glucose content in beverage industry.

PubMed

Delfino, I; Camerlingo, C; Portaccio, M; Ventura, B Della; Mita, L; Mita, D G; Lepore, M

2011-07-15

The potential of Raman spectroscopy with excitation in the visible as a tool for quantitative determination of single components in food industry products was investigated by focusing the attention on glucose content in commercial sport drinks. At this aim, micro-Raman spectra in the 600-1600cm(-1) wavenumber shift region of four sport drinks were recorded, showing well defined and separated vibrational fingerprints of the various contained sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose). By profiting of the spectral separation of some peculiar peaks, glucose content was quantified by using a multivariate statistical analysis based on the interval Partial Least Square (iPLS) approach. The iPLS model needed for data analysis procedure was built by using glucose aqueous solutions at known sugar concentrations as calibration data. This model was then applied to sport drink spectra and gave predicted glucose concentrations in good agreement with the values obtained by using a biochemical assay. These results represent a significant step towards the development of a fast and simple method for the on-line glucose quantification in products of food and beverage industry. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gene-expression programming for flip-bucket spillway scour.

PubMed

Guven, Aytac; Azamathulla, H Md

2012-01-01

During the last two decades, researchers have noticed that the use of soft computing techniques as an alternative to conventional statistical methods based on controlled laboratory or field data, gave significantly better results. Gene-expression programming (GEP), which is an extension to genetic programming (GP), has nowadays attracted the attention of researchers in prediction of hydraulic data. This study presents GEP as an alternative tool in the prediction of scour downstream of a flip-bucket spillway. Actual field measurements were used to develop GEP models. The proposed GEP models are compared with the earlier conventional GP results of others (Azamathulla et al. 2008b; RMSE = 2.347, δ = 0.377, R = 0.842) and those of commonly used regression-based formulae. The predictions of GEP models were observed to be in strictly good agreement with measured ones, and quite a bit better than conventional GP and the regression-based formulae. The results are tabulated in terms of statistical error measures (GEP1; RMSE = 1.596, δ = 0.109, R = 0.917) and illustrated via scatter plots.

Prolonged Wars: A Post-Nuclear Challenge

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-10-01

tried to prevent international food and medical aid from reaching SPLA-controlled areas by delaying the signing of agreements with the United Nations...adequate water, food, medical , and other supplies. Tactical intelligence was inconsistent and poorly coordinated with actual combat operations. Soviet...strategies . . . gave ZANA time to muster political and manpower support from its greatest potential strength—the overwhelmingly, and increasingly

Interobserver Agreement on Endoscopic Classification of Oesophageal Varices in Children.

PubMed

D'Antiga, Lorenzo; Betalli, Pietro; De Angelis, Paola; Davenport, Mark; Di Giorgio, Angelo; McKiernan, Patrick J; McLin, Valerie; Ravelli, Paolo; Durmaz, Ozlem; Talbotec, Cecile; Sturm, Ekkehard; Woynarowski, Marek; Burroughs, Andrew K

2015-08-01

Data regarding agreement on endoscopic features of oesophageal varices in children with portal hypertension (PH) are scant. The aim of this study was to evaluate endoscopic visualisation and classification of oesophageal varices in children by several European clinicians, to build a rational basis for future multicentre trials. Endoscopic pictures of the distal oesophagus of 100 children with a clinical diagnosis of PH were distributed to 10 endoscopists. Observers were requested to classify variceal size according to a 3-degree scale (small, medium, and large, class A), a 2-degree scale (small and large, class B), and to recognise red wales (presence or absence, class Red). Overall agreement was considered fair if Fleiss and Cohen κ test was ≥0.30, good if ≥0.40, excellent if ≥0.60, and perfect if ≥0.80. Agreement between observers was fair with class A (κ = 0.34) and class B (κ = 0.38), and good with class Red (κ = 0.49). The agreement was good on presence versus absence of varices (class A = 0.53, class B = 0.48). The agreement among the observers was good in class A when endoscopic features of severe PH (medium and large sizes, red marks) were grouped and compared with mild features (absent and small varices) (κ = 0.58). Experts working in different centres show a fairly good agreement on endoscopic features of PH in children, although a better training of paediatric endoscopists may improve the agreement in grading severity of varices in this setting.

Intramodality and intermodality agreement in radiography and computed tomography of equine distal limb fractures.

PubMed

Crijns, C P; Martens, A; Bergman, H-J; van der Veen, H; Duchateau, L; van Bree, H J J; Gielen, I M V L

2014-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly accessible in equine referral hospitals. To document the level of agreement within and between radiography and CT in characterising equine distal limb fractures. Retrospective descriptive study. Images from horses that underwent radiographic and CT evaluation for suspected distal limb fractures were reviewed, including 27 horses and 3 negative controls. Using Cohen's kappa and weighted kappa analysis, the level of agreement among 4 observers for a predefined set of diagnostic characteristics for radiography and CT separately and for the level of agreement between the 2 imaging modalities were documented. Both CT and radiography had very good intramodality agreement in identifying fractures, but intermodality agreement was lower. There was good intermodality and intramodality agreement for anatomical localisation and the identification of fracture displacement. Agreement for articular involvement, fracture comminution and fracture fragment number was towards the lower limit of good agreement. There was poor to fair intermodality agreement regarding fracture orientation, fracture width and coalescing cracks; intramodality agreement was higher for CT than for radiography for these features. Further studies, including comparisons with surgical and/or post mortem findings, are required to determine the sensitivity and specificity of CT and radiography in the diagnosis and characterisation of equine distal limb fractures. © 2013 EVJ Ltd.

Urinary iodine: comparison of a simple method for its determination in microplates with measurement by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry

PubMed Central

Haap, Michael; Roth, Heinz Jürgen; Huber, Thomas; Dittmann, Helmut; Wahl, Richard

2017-01-01

The aim of our study was to develop and validate an inexpensive, rapid, easy to use quantitative method to determine urinary iodine without major procurement costs for equipment. The rationale behind introducing this method is the increasing demand for urinary iodine assessments. Our study included 103 patients (76 female, 27 male), age (arithmetic mean) 52 ± 17.3 years. Urinary iodine was determined in microplates by a modification of the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. The results were compared with inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for iodine, considered as reference method. Geometric mean of urinary iodine determined by the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction method was 62.69 μg/l (95% confidence interval 53.16–73.92) whereas by the ICP-MS method it was 65.53 μg/l (95% confidence interval 54.77–78.41). Passing-Bablok regression equations for both methods gave y = 3.374 + 0.873x (y: Sandell-Kolthoff method, x: ICP-MS). Spearman´s correlation coefficient was 0.981, indicating a very high degree of agreement between the two methods. Bland-Altman plots showed no significant systematic difference between the two methods. The modified Sandell-Kolthoff method using microtiter plate technique presented here is a simple, inexpensive semi-automated method to determine urinary iodine with very little toxic waste. Comparison with the ICP-MS-technique yielded a good agreement between the two methods. PMID:28045077

Location and magnetic relaxation properties of the stable tyrosine radical in photosystem II.

PubMed

Innes, J B; Brudvig, G W

1989-02-07

Dipolar interactions with neighboring metal ions can cause enhanced spin-lattice relaxation of free radicals. We have applied the theory of dipolar relaxation enhancement and shown that the dependence of the enhanced relaxation on the protein structure surrounding the free radical can be used to obtain distances from the free radical to the protein surface. To test the theoretical predictions, we have examined the effect of added Dy3+ complexes on the microwave power saturation of free radicals in two protein complexes of known structure: myoglobin nitroxide and the reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Three cases have been considered: (1) metal ions bound to a specific site, (2) metal ions bound randomly over the protein surface, and (3) metal ions distributed randomly in solution. Only case 3, which assumes no specific binding, gave good agreement between the distances obtained by using the two model systems. The effect of added Dy3+ complexes on the microwave power saturation of signal IIslow from photosystem II (PSII) was used to determine the location of the stable tyrosine radical giving rise to signal IIslow. Assuming that the surface of a membrane-bound protein can be approximated as planar, we have obtained distances from the tyrosine radical to the membrane surface in thylakoids, in PSII membranes, and in Tris-washed PSII membranes. The distances we have determined are in good agreement with those predicted on the basis of a structural homology between the D1 and D2 subunits of PSII and the structurally characterized L and M subunits of the reaction center from purple non-sulfur bacteria. We have also examined the temperature dependence of the microwave power at half-saturation (P1/2) of signal IIslow from 4 to 200 K in dark-adapted PSII membranes. Above 70 K, the P1/2 increases as T2.5, which is consistent with a Raman relaxation mechanism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Understanding magnetic remanence acquisition through combined synthetic sediment deposition experiments and numerical simulations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilardello, D.

2014-12-01

Understanding depositional remanent magnetizations (DRMs) bears implications on interpreting paleomagnetic and paleointensity records extracted from sedimentary rocks. Laboratory deposition experiments have yielded DRMs with shallow remanent inclinations and revealed a field dependence of the magnetization (M), which is orders of magnitude lower than the saturation remanence. To investigate these observations further, experiments involving differently shaped particles were performed. Spherical particles confirmed the field dependence of both the inclination error and M and the fact that the DRM acquired experimentally is lower than saturation. A sediment concentration dependence of the inclination error was observed, indicating a dependance of the inclination error on the sediment load/burial depth or the sedimentation rate. Other outcome was the certainty that spherical particles alone can lead to substantial inclination shallowing. Numerical simulations of settling spherical particles indicated that DRM should be ~10 times lower than the saturation remanence and predicted that rolling of the grains on the sediment surface and particle interactions during settling can produce a substantial shallowing of the inclination and lowering of the remanence, bringing the simulations in close agreement to the experimental results. Experiments involving platy particles, instead allowed interesting comparisons and gave insight into the behavior of differently shaped particles, for instance yielding smaller amounts of shallowing than spheres, in contrast to general belief. Viewing DRM as an anisotropic process allows fitting the experimental results with tensors (kDRM). The ratios of kvertical over khorizontal are in good agreement to the ratios of M obtained in vertical over horizontal experimental fields, which should be equivalent to the widely used inclination shallowing factor f. Experimental results were highly repeatabile, however not always as repeatable for both M and inclination (direction) for both particle shapes, heighlighting that while a sediment might carry a stable remanent direction, it may not always be a particularily good paleointensity recorder.

[Beeckman's medical learning by reading].

PubMed

Honma, Eio

2008-01-01

Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637) is a self-learning man. He learned medicine by his reading medical books (contemporary and classic). In this paper I study how Beeckman read and understood them. He did not merely memorize them. But he gave some supplementary explanations to their (he thought) insufficient passages, sometimes criticized them and gave mechanical explanation that was based on atomism with hydrostatics. We can find similar ways of reading in the works of Lucretius and Cardano which young Beeckman read repeatedly. Beeckman learned the way of explaining natural phenomena with atomism from Lucretius' De rerum natura, and the way of explaining mechanics with natural philosophy and of demonstrating the principles of natural philosophy with machines from Cardano's De subtilitate. Beeckman's interactive reading is a good style of self-learning, but to avoid some bad effects of self-learning, he had to talk actually to a good respondent such as young Descartes.

Exploration of freely available web-interfaces for comparative homology modelling of microbial proteins.

PubMed

Nema, Vijay; Pal, Sudhir Kumar

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to find the best suited freely available software for modelling of proteins by taking a few sample proteins. The proteins used were small to big in size with available crystal structures for the purpose of benchmarking. Key players like Phyre2, Swiss-Model, CPHmodels-3.0, Homer, (PS)2, (PS)(2)-V(2), Modweb were used for the comparison and model generation. Benchmarking process was done for four proteins, Icl, InhA, and KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and RpoB of Thermus Thermophilus to get the most suited software. Parameters compared during analysis gave relatively better values for Phyre2 and Swiss-Model. This comparative study gave the information that Phyre2 and Swiss-Model make good models of small and large proteins as compared to other screened software. Other software was also good but is often not very efficient in providing full-length and properly folded structure.

Analysis of three different equations for predicting quadriceps femoris muscle strength in patients with COPD *

PubMed Central

Nellessen, Aline Gonçalves; Donária, Leila; Hernandes, Nidia Aparecida; Pitta, Fabio

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: To compare equations for predicting peak quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle force; to determine the agreement among the equations in identifying QF muscle weakness in COPD patients; and to assess the differences in characteristics among the groups of patients classified as having or not having QF muscle weakness by each equation. Methods: Fifty-six COPD patients underwent assessment of peak QF muscle force by dynamometry (maximal voluntary isometric contraction of knee extension). Predicted values were calculated with three equations: an age-height-weight-gender equation (Eq-AHWG); an age-weight-gender equation (Eq-AWG); and an age-fat-free mass-gender equation (Eq-AFFMG). Results: Comparison of the percentage of predicted values obtained with the three equations showed that the Eq-AHWG gave higher values than did the Eq-AWG and Eq-AFFMG, with no difference between the last two. The Eq-AHWG showed moderate agreement with the Eq-AWG and Eq-AFFMG, whereas the last two also showed moderate, albeit lower, agreement with each other. In the sample as a whole, QF muscle weakness (< 80% of predicted) was identified by the Eq-AHWG, Eq-AWG, and Eq-AFFMG in 59%, 68%, and 70% of the patients, respectively (p > 0.05). Age, fat-free mass, and body mass index are characteristics that differentiate between patients with and without QF muscle weakness. Conclusions: The three equations were statistically equivalent in classifying COPD patients as having or not having QF muscle weakness. However, the Eq-AHWG gave higher peak force values than did the Eq-AWG and the Eq-AFFMG, as well as showing greater agreement with the other equations. PMID:26398750

Intra- and inter-observer agreement on diagnosis of Dupuytren disease, measurements of severity of contracture, and disease extent.

PubMed

Broekstra, Dieuwke C; Lanting, Rosanne; Werker, Paul M N; van den Heuvel, Edwin R

2015-08-01

Dupuytren disease (DD) is a fibrosing disease affecting the palmar aponeurosis, and is mostly treated by surgery based on measurement of severity of flexion contracture of the fingers. Literature concerning the measurement reliability is scarce. This study aimed to determine the intra- and inter-observer agreement of four variables for diagnosing DD, determining severity of contracture, and disease extent. One of them is a new measurement on the area of nodules and cords for measuring the disease extent in early disease stages. An agreement study (n = 54) was performed by two trained investigators. Agreement was calculated per finger, based on an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using a latent variable model on subjects for diagnosis and Tubiana stage. For total passive extension deficit (TPED) and the area of nodules and cords, agreement was calculated with an ICC using a one-way random effects model with subject as random effect. Inter-observer agreement was very good for diagnosing DD (ICC: 95.5%-99.9%) and good to very good for classifying Tubiana stage (ICC: 73.5%-94.9%). Agreements for area and TPED were moderate (middle finger) to very good (ICC: 48.4%-98.6% and 45.0%-99.5%, respectively). Intra-observer agreement was slightly higher on average than inter-observer agreement. Overall, the intra- and inter-observer agreement in diagnosing DD, and determining the severity of flexion contracture is high. Also, the newly introduced variable area of nodules and cords has high intra- and inter-observer agreement, indicating that it is suitable to measure disease extent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simplification and Standardization of Dot-ELISA for Human Schistosomiasis Mansoni

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

Cross-reactivity between the S. mansoni antigen and human fascioliasis sera was noticed in 2 out of 8 patient sera. Good correlation between the...small tients with fascioliasis were tested, 2 gave weakly positive reactions with SWAP, but none cross- reacted with SEA. TABLE I. Comparison between...other editions a;. obsolete ... .,.. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIEDE 17/88 (Contd.) 19. fascioliasis sera was noticed in 2 out of 8 patient sera. Good

Biological indicators for low temperature steam and formaldehyde sterilization: investigation of the effect of change in temperature and formaldehyde concentration on spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus NCIMB 8224.

PubMed

Wright, A M; Hoxey, E V; Soper, C J; Davies, D J

1996-03-01

Five strains of Bacillus stearothermophilus have been studied to identify a spore strain to be used as a biological indicator organism for low temperature steam and formaldehyde sterilization. Three strains gave poor reproducibility of batch size and growth index and were discarded. The other two strains gave good reproducibility with a high growth index and gave rise to linear survivor curves when exposed to 5% aqueous formaldehyde. However, only NCIMB 8224 sporulates on a simpler medium and as it was the most resistant to formaldehyde, it was further studied. Tests were carried out in a modified miniclave and factors studied included temperature of the steam and formaldehyde concentration. All studies confirmed the suitability of this strain as a biological indicator organism.

Low-cost field test kits for arsenic detection in water.

PubMed

Das, Joyati; Sarkar, Priyabrata; Panda, Jigisha; Pal, Priyabrata

2014-01-01

Arsenic, a common contaminant of groundwater, affects human health adversely. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the maximum recommended contamination level of arsenic in drinking water is 10 μg/L. The purpose of this research was to develop user-friendly kits for detection of arsenic to measure at least up to 10 μg/L in drinking water, so that a preventive measure could be taken. Two different kits for detection of total arsenic in water are reported here. First, the arsenic in drinking water was converted to arsine gas by a strong reducing agent. The arsine produced was then detected by paper strips via generation of color due to reaction with either mercuric bromide (KIT-1) or silver nitrate (KIT-2). These were previously immobilized on the detector strip. The first one gave a yellow color and the second one grey. Both of these kits could detect arsenic contamination within a range of 10 μg/L-250 μg/L. The detection time for both the kits was only 7 min. The kits exhibited excellent performance compared to other kits available in the market with respect to detection time, ease of operation, cost and could be easily handled by a layman. The field trials with these kits gave very satisfactory results. A study on interference revealed that these kits could be used in the presence of 24 common ions present in the arsenic contaminated water. Though the kits were meant for qualitative assay, the results with unknown concentrations of real samples, when compared with atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) were in good agreement as revealed by the t-test.

Measuring track densities in lunar grains by image analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanford, George E.

1993-01-01

We have developed techniques to use digitized scanning electron micrographs and computer image analysis programs to measure track densities in lunar soil grains. Tracks were formed by highly ionizing solar energetic particles and cosmic rays during near surface exposure on the Moon. The track densities are related to the exposure conditions (depth and time). Distributions of the number of grains as a function of their track densities can reveal the modality of soil maturation. We used a sample that had already been etched in 6 N NaOH at 118 C for 15 h to reveal tracks. We determined that back-scattered electron images taken at 50 percent contrast and approximately 49.8 percent brightness produced suitable high contrast images for analysis. We ascertained gray-scale thresholds of interest: 0-230 for tracks, 231 for masked regions, and 232-255 for background. We found no need to set an upper size limit for distinguishing tracks. We did use lower limits to exclude noise: 16 pixels at 15000x, 4 pixels at 10000x, 2 pixels at 6800x, and 0 pixels at 4600x. We used computer counting and measurement of area to obtain track densities. We found an excellent correlation with manual measurements for track densities below 1x10(exp 8) sq cm. For track densities between 1x10(exp 8) sq cm to 1x10(exp 9) sq cm, we found that a regression formula using the percentage area covered by tracks gave good agreement with manual measurements. Finally we used these new techniques to obtain a track density distribution that gave more detail and was more rapidly obtained than using manual techniques 15 years ago.

Microphysiometric analysis of human α1a-adrenoceptor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells

PubMed Central

Taniguchi, Takanobu; Inagaki, Rika; Murata, Satoshi; Akiba, Isamu; Muramatsu, Ikunobu

1999-01-01

The human recombinant α1a-adrenoceptor (AR) has been stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Four stable clones, aH4, aH5, aH6 and aH7, expressing 30, 370, 940 and 2900 fmol AR mg−1 protein, respectively, have been employed to characterize this AR subtype using radioligand binding and microphysiometry to measure extracellular acidification rates.Noradrenaline (NA) gave concentration-dependent responses in microphysiometry with increasing extracellular acidification rates. The potency of NA increased as the receptor density increased; pEC50 values of NA for the clones aH4, aH5, aH6 and aH7 were 6.9, 7.5, 7.8 and 8.1, respectively. This increase of potency according to receptor density indicates the presence of spare receptor for NA. Methoxamine, phenylephrine, oxymetazoline and clonidine also gave concentration-dependent responses with various intrinsic activities.Antagonists shifted concentration-response curves for NA rightward in a concentration-dependent manner. Schild analysis revealed that the affinity profile of this AR subtype to antagonists in the clone aH7 had a typical pattern for the α1a-AR; high affinity for prazosin and WB 4101, and low affinity for BMY7378 (pA2=9.5, 9.8 and 7.3, respectively). This profile is similar in the case of the clone aH4. These affinities were in good agreement with those obtained in binding experiments.These results have demonstrated that (1) classical receptor theory can be applied in microphysiometry, and (2) microphysiometry is a useful tool to investigate the pharmacological characterization of α1a-AR. PMID:10433504

The 2004 Sumatra tsunami in the southeastern Pacific: Coastal and offshore measurements and numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C. W.; Eble, M. C.; Rabinovich, A.; Titov, V. V.

2016-12-01

The Mw = 9.3 megathrust earthquake of December 26, 2004 off the coast of Sumatra generated a catastrophic tsunami that crossed the Indian Ocean and was widespread in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans being recorded by a great number of coastal tide gauges located in 15-25 thousand kilometers from the source area. The data from these instruments throughout the world oceans enabled estimates of various statistical parameters and energy decay of this event. However, only very few open-ocean records of this tsunami had been obtained. A unique high-resolution record of this tsunami from DART 32401 located offshore of northern Chile, combined with the South American mainland tide gauge measurements and the data from three island stations (San Felix, Juan Fernandez and Easter) enabled us to examine far-field characteristics of the event in the southeastern Pacific and to compare the results of global numerical simulations with observations. The maximum wave height measured at DART 32401 was only 1.8 cm but the signal was very clear and reliable. Despite their small heights, the waves demonstrated consistent spatial and temporal structure and good agreement with DART 46405/NeMO records in the NE Pacific. The travel time from the source area to DART 32401 was 25h 55min in good agreement with the computed travel time (25h 45min) and consistent with the times obtained from the nearby coastal tide gauges. This agreement was much better than it followed from the direct travel time estimation based classical kinematic theory that gave the travel time approximately 1.5 hrs shorter than observed. The later actual arrival of the 2004 tsunami waves corresponds to the most energetically economic path along the mid-ocean ridge wave-guides, which is distinctly reproduced by the numerical model. Also, the numerical model described well the frequency content, amplitudes and general structure of the observed waves at this DART and the three island stations. Maximum wave heights in this region were identified at Arica (72 cm) and Callao (65 cm). The open-ocean and coastal records indicate that the 2004 tsunami wave energy occupied the period band of 6 min to 3.7 hrs with the main energy concentrated at periods of 30 to 70 min and peak values at 40 min.

47 CFR 51.301 - Duty to negotiate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) INTERCONNECTION... shall negotiate in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements to fulfill the duties established... in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements described in paragraph (a) of this section. (c...

47 CFR 51.301 - Duty to negotiate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) INTERCONNECTION... shall negotiate in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements to fulfill the duties established... in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements described in paragraph (a) of this section. (c...

Reproducibility of the index of orthognathic functional treatment need scores derived from plaster study casts and their three-dimensional digital equivalents: a pilot study.

PubMed

McCrory, Emma; McGuinness, Niall Jp; Ulhaq, Aman

2018-06-01

To determine the reproducibility of Index of Orthognathic Functional Treatment Need (IOFTN) scores derived from plaster casts and their three-dimensional (3D) digital equivalents. Pilot study, prospective analytical. UK hospital orthodontic department. Thirty casts and their digital equivalents, representing the pre-treatment malocclusions of patients requiring orthodontic-orthognathic surgical treatment, were scored by four clinicians using IOFTN. Casts were scanned using a 3Shape digital scanner and 3D models produced using OrthoAnalyzer TM (3Shape Ltd, Copenhagen, Denmark). Examiners independently determined the IOFTN scores for the casts and digital models, to test their inter- and intra-operator reliability using weighted Kappa scores. Intra-operator agreement with IOFTN major categories (1-5: treatment need) was very good for plaster casts (0.83-0.98) and good-very good for digital models (0.78-0.83). Inter-operator agreement was moderate-very good for casts (0.58-0.82) and good-very good for digital models (0.65-0.92). Intra-operator agreement with IOFTN sub-categories (1-14: feature of malocclusion) was good-very good for casts (0.70-0.97) and digital models (0.80-0.94). Inter-operator agreement was moderate-good for casts (0.53-0.77); and moderate-very good for the digital models (0.58-0.90). Digital models are an acceptable alternative to plaster casts for examining the malocclusion of patients requiring combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgical treatment and determining treatment need.

Nitrogen Dioxide Total Column Over Terra Nova Bay Station - Antarctica - During 2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bortoli, D.; Ravegnani, F.; Giovanelli, G.; Petritoli, A.; Kostadinov, I.

GASCOD (Gas Analyzer Spectrometer Correlating Optical Differences), installed at the Italian Antarctic Station of Terra Nova Bay (TNB) - 74.69S, 164.12E - since 1995, carried out a full dataset of zenith scattered light measurements for the year 2001. The application of DOAS methodology to the collected data gave as final results, the slant column values for nitrogen dioxide. The seasonal variation shows a maxi- mum in the summer and it is in good agreement with the results obtained by other authors. The data analysis is performed by using different parameters like the po- tential vorticity (PV) at 500 K and the atmospheric temperatures at the same level. After the verification of the linear dependency between the NO2 slant column values and the temperature of NO2 cross section utilized in the DOAS algorithm, the actual stratospheric temperatures (from ECMWF) over TNB are applied to the results. The sensible changes in the nitrogen dioxide slant column values allow to highlight the good matching between the NO2 AM/PM ratio and the potential vorticity at 500 K. The NO2 slant column values follow the variations of the stratospheric temperature mainly during the spring season, when the lowest temperatures are observed and the ozone-hole phenomena mainly occur. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The author Daniele Bortoli was financially supported by the "Subprograma Ciência e Tecnologia do Ter- ceiro Quadro Comunitário de Apoio". The National Program for Antarctic Research (PNRA) supported this research.

Highly Sensitive and Validated Spectrophotometric Technique for the Assay of Some Antidepressant Drugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deepakumari, H. N.; Prashanth, M. K.; Kumar, B. C. Vasantha; Revanasiddappa, H. D.

2015-01-01

The present paper describes a simple, rapid, reproducible, and highly sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of the tricyclic antidepressant drugs: amitriptyline hydrochloride (AMT), imipramine hydrochloride (IMH), clomipramine hydrochloride (CPH) and desipramine hydrochloride (DPH) in pure and in pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on the bromination of the above drugs with known excess of bromine. The unreacted bromine is determined based on its ability to bleach the dye methyl red quantitatively at 520 nm. Regression analysis of Beer-Lambert plots showed a good correlation in the concentration range 0.0-2.5, 0-1.4, 0-1.4, and 0-1.0 μg/ml for AMT, IMH, CPH, and DPH, respectively. The molar absorptivity values were found to be 0.65 × 105, 1.41 × 105, 1.93 × 105, and 2.96 × 105l/mol/cm, with the corresponding Sandell's sensitivity values were 0.0048, 0.0022, 0.0018, and 0.0010 μg/cm2 for AMT, IMH, CPH, and DPH, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) are also reported for the developed method. Intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision was established according to the current ICH guidelines. Application of the procedure to the analysis of various pharmaceutical preparations gave reproducible and accurate results. Further, the validity of the proposed method was confirmed by applying the standard addition technique, and the results obtained are in good agreement with those obtained by the official method.

International Drug Control Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-23

domestic law or international drug control agreements. Narcotic drugs include cannabis, cannabis resin, coca leaf , cocaine, heroin, and opium...differently, a kilogram of powder cocaine is far more difficult to detect than the 300 to 500 kilograms of coca leaf that are required to make that same...1961 Convention gave countries practicing coca leaf chewing 25 years following the Convention’s entry into force to abolish coca leaf chewing. 85 See

Analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six point-of-care testing urine analysers for urinary tract infection in general practice

PubMed Central

Schot, Marjolein J C; van Delft, Sanne; Kooijman-Buiting, Antoinette M J; de Wit, Niek J; Hopstaken, Rogier M

2015-01-01

Objective Various point-of-care testing (POCT) urine analysers are commercially available for routine urine analysis in general practice. The present study compares analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six different POCT urine analysers for diagnosing urinary tract infection in general practice. Setting All testing procedures were performed at a diagnostic centre for primary care in the Netherlands. Urine samples were collected at four general practices. Primary and secondary outcome measures Analytical performance and agreement of the POCT analysers regarding nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes, with the laboratory reference standard, was the primary outcome measure, and analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and Cohen's κ coefficient for agreement. Secondary outcome measures were the user-friendliness of the POCT analysers, in addition to other characteristics of the analysers. Results The following six POCT analysers were evaluated: Uryxxon Relax (Macherey Nagel), Urisys 1100 (Roche), Clinitek Status (Siemens), Aution 11 (Menarini), Aution Micro (Menarini) and Urilyzer (Analyticon). Analytical performance was good for all analysers. Compared with laboratory reference standards, overall agreement was good, but differed per parameter and per analyser. Concerning the nitrite test, the most important test for clinical practice, all but one showed perfect agreement with the laboratory standard. For leucocytes and erythrocytes specificity was high, but sensitivity was considerably lower. Agreement for leucocytes varied between good to very good, and for the erythrocyte test between fair and good. First-time users indicated that the analysers were easy to use. They expected higher productivity and accuracy when using these analysers in daily practice. Conclusions The overall performance and user-friendliness of all six commercially available POCT urine analysers was sufficient to justify routine use in suspected urinary tract infections in general practice. PMID:25986635

Vaginal vault suspension during hysterectomy for benign indications: a prospective register study of agreement on terminology and surgical procedure.

PubMed

Bonde, Lisbeth; Noer, Mette Calundann; Møller, Lars Alling; Ottesen, Bent; Gimbel, Helga

2017-07-01

Several suspension methods are used to try to prevent pelvic organ prolapse (POP) after hysterectomy. We aimed to evaluate agreement on terminology and surgical procedure of these methods. We randomly chose 532 medical records of women with a history of hysterectomy from the Danish Hysterectomy and Hysteroscopy Database (DHHD). Additionally, we video-recorded 36 randomly chosen hysterectomies. The hysterectomies were registered in the DHHD. The material was categorized according to predefined suspension methods. Agreement compared suspension codes in DHHD (gynecologists' registrations) with medical records (gynecologists' descriptions) and with videos (reviewers' categorizations) respectively. Whether the vaginal vault was suspended (pooled suspension) or not (no suspension method + not described) was analyzed, in addition to each suspension method. Regarding medical records, agreement on terminology was good among patients undergoing pooled suspension in cases of hysterectomy via the abdominal and vaginal route (agreement 78.7, 92.3%). Regarding videos, agreement on surgical procedure was good among pooled suspension patients in cases of hysterectomy via the abdominal, laparoscopic, and vaginal routes (agreement 88.9, 97.8, 100%). Agreement on individual suspension methods differed regarding both medical records (agreement 0-90.1%) and videos (agreement 0-100%). Agreement on terminology and surgical procedure regarding suspension method was good in respect of pooled suspension. However, disagreement was observed when individual suspension methods and operative details were scrutinized. Better consensus of terminology and surgical procedure is warranted to enable further research aimed at preventing POP among women undergoing hysterectomy.

Decreased Sperm Motility Retarded ICSI Fertilization Rate in Severe Oligozoospermia but Good-Quality Embryo Transfer Had Achieved the Prospective Clinical Outcomes.

PubMed

Zheng, Jufeng; Lu, Yongning; Qu, Xianqin; Wang, Peng; Zhao, Luiwen; Gao, Minzhi; Shi, Huijuan; Jin, Xingliang

Spermatozoa motility is the critical parameter to affect the treatment outcomes during assisted reproductive technologies (ART), but its reproductive capability remains a little informed in condition of severe male factor infertility. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the effects of reduced sperm motility on the embryological and clinical outcomes in intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment of severe oligozoospermia. 966 cycles (812 couples) of severe oligozoospermia diagnosed by spermatozoa count ≤ 5 × 106/mL and motile spermatozoa ≤ 2 × 106/mL were divided into four groups in according to the number of motile spermatozoa in one ejaculate on the day of oocyte retrieval (Group B-E). The control (Group A) was 188 cycles of moderate oligozoospermia with spermatozoa count > 5 × 106/mL and motile spermatozoa > 2 × 106/mL. All female partners were younger than 35 years of age. Logistic regression analyzed embryological outcomes (the rates of fertilization, cleavage and good-quality embryo) and clinical outcomes (the rates of pregnancy, implantation, early miscarriage and live birth). Quality of embryo transfer (ET) was divided into three classes as continuous factor to test the effects of embryo quality on clinical outcomes. The reduction in the number of motile sperm in four groups of severe oligozoospermia gave rise to comparable inability of the fertilization (p < 0.001) and a decreased rate of good-quality embryo at Day 3 (p < 0.001) by compared to the control. The cleavage rate of the derived zygotes was similar to the control. ET classes significantly affected the clinical outcomes (p < 0.001). Class I ET gave rise to similar rates of clinical outcomes between five groups, but Class II and Class III ET retarded the rates of pregnancy, implantation and live birth and this particularly occurred in Group C, D and E. The rate of early miscarriage was not comparably different between groups. Overall rates in all groups were 41.26% clinical pregnancy, 25.74% implantation and 36.32% live birth, which gave live birth to 252 girls and 252 boys. The reduction of motile spermatozoa in severe oligozoospermia decreased the rates of fertilization and good-quality embryo. Obtaining and transfer of good-quality embryos was the good prognostic to achieve prospective clinical outcomes regardless of the severity of oligozoospermia.

Agreement between PRE2DUP register data modeling method and comprehensive drug use interview among older persons

PubMed Central

Taipale, Heidi; Tanskanen, Antti; Koponen, Marjaana; Tolppanen, Anna-Maija; Tiihonen, Jari; Hartikainen, Sirpa

2016-01-01

Background PRE2DUP is a modeling method that generates drug use periods (ie, when drug use started and ended) from drug purchases recorded in dispensing-based register data. It is based on the evaluation of personal drug purchasing patterns and considers hospital stays, possible stockpiling of drugs, and package information. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate person-level agreement between self-reported drug use in the interview and drug use modeled from dispensing data with PRE2DUP method for various drug classes used by older persons. Methods Self-reported drug use was assessed from the GeMS Study including a random sample of persons aged ≥75 years from the city of Kuopio, Finland, in 2006. Drug purchases recorded in the Prescription register data of these persons were modeled to determine drug use periods with PRE2DUP modeling method. Agreement between self-reported drug use on the interview date and drug use calculated from register-based data was compared in order to find the frequently used drugs and drug classes, which was evaluated by Cohen’s kappa. Kappa values 0.61–0.80 were considered to represent good and 0.81–1.00 as very good agreement. Results Among 569 participants with mean age of 82 years, the agreement between interview and register data was very good for 75% and very good or good for 93% of the studied drugs or drug classes. Good or very good agreement was observed for drugs that are typically used on regular bases, whereas “as needed” drugs represented poorer results. Conclusion PRE2DUP modeling method validly describes regular drug use among older persons. For most of drug classes investigated, PRE2DUP-modeled register data described drug use as well as interview-based data which are more time-consuming to collect. Further studies should be conducted by comparing it with other methods and in different drug user populations. PMID:27785101

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

Acoustic Signature from Flames as a Combustion Diagnostic Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-01

empirical visual flame length had to be input to the computer for the inversion method to give good results. That is, if the experiment cnd inversion...method were asked to yield the flame length , poor results were obtained. Since this wa3 part of the information sought for practical application of the...to small experimental uncertainty. The method gave reasonably good results for the open flame but substantial input (the flame length ) had to be

International trade regulation and publicly funded health care in Canada.

PubMed

Ostry, A S

2001-01-01

The World Trade Organization (WTO) creates new challenges for the Canadian health care system, arguably one of the most "socialized" systems in the world today. In particular, the WTO's enhanced trade dispute resolution powers, enforceable with sanctions, may make Canadian health care vulnerable to corporate penetration, particularly in the pharmaceutical and private health services delivery sectors. The Free Trade Agreement and its extension, the North American Free Trade Agreement, gave multinational pharmaceutical companies greater freedom in Canada at the expense of the Canadian generic drug industry. Recent challenges by the WTO have continued this process, which will limit the health care system's ability to control drug costs. And pressure is growing, through WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services and moves by the Alberta provincial government to privatize health care delivery, to open up the Canadian system to corporate penetration. New WTO agreements will bring increasing pressure to privatize Canada's public health care system and limit government's ability to control pharmaceutical costs.

Exploration of freely available web-interfaces for comparative homology modelling of microbial proteins

PubMed Central

Nema, Vijay; Pal, Sudhir Kumar

2013-01-01

Aim: This study was conducted to find the best suited freely available software for modelling of proteins by taking a few sample proteins. The proteins used were small to big in size with available crystal structures for the purpose of benchmarking. Key players like Phyre2, Swiss-Model, CPHmodels-3.0, Homer, (PS)2, (PS)2-V2, Modweb were used for the comparison and model generation. Results: Benchmarking process was done for four proteins, Icl, InhA, and KatG of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and RpoB of Thermus Thermophilus to get the most suited software. Parameters compared during analysis gave relatively better values for Phyre2 and Swiss-Model. Conclusion: This comparative study gave the information that Phyre2 and Swiss-Model make good models of small and large proteins as compared to other screened software. Other software was also good but is often not very efficient in providing full-length and properly folded structure. PMID:24023424

High-purity silica reflecting heat shield development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Congdon, W. M.

1974-01-01

A high-purity, fused-silica reflecting heat shield for the thermal protection of outer-planet probes was developed. Factors that strongly influence the performance of a silica heat shield were studied. Silica-bonded silica configurations, each prepared by a different technique, were investigated and rated according to its relative merits. Slip-casting was selected as the preferred fabrication method because it produced good reflectivity and good strength, and is relatively easy to scale up for a full-size outer-planet probe. The slips were cast using a variety of different particle sizes: continuous particle-size slips; monodisperse particle-size slips; and blends of monodisperse particle-size slips were studied. In general, smaller particles gave the highest reflectance. The monodisperse slips as well as the blend slips gave a higher reflectance than the continuous particle-size slips. An upgraded and fused natural quartz was used to study the effects of microstructure on reflectance and as the baseline to ascertain the increase in reflectance obtained from using a higher-purity synthetic material.

Agreement between Gonioscopic Examination and Swept Source Fourier Domain Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Donna; Minnal, Vandana R.

2016-01-01

Purpose. To evaluate interobserver, intervisit, and interinstrument agreements for gonioscopy and Fourier domain anterior segment optical coherence tomography (FD ASOCT) for classifying open and narrow angle eyes. Methods. Eighty-six eyes with open or narrow anterior chamber angles were included. The superior angle was classified open or narrow by 2 of 5 glaucoma specialists using gonioscopy and imaged by FD ASOCT in the dark. The superior angle of each FD ASOCT image was graded as open or narrow by 2 masked readers. The same procedures were repeated within 6 months. Kappas for interobserver and intervisit agreements for each instrument and interinstrument agreements were calculated. Results. The mean age was 50.9 (±18.4) years. Interobserver agreements were moderate to good for both gonioscopy (0.57 and 0.69) and FD ASOCT (0.58 and 0.75). Intervisit agreements were moderate to excellent for both gonioscopy (0.53 to 0.86) and FD ASOCT (0.57 and 0.85). Interinstrument agreements were fair to good (0.34 to 0.63), with FD ASOCT classifying more angles as narrow than gonioscopy. Conclusions. Both gonioscopy and FD ASOCT examiners were internally consistent with similar interobserver and intervisit agreements for angle classification. Agreement between instruments was fair to good, with FD ASOCT classifying more angles as narrow than gonioscopy. PMID:27990300

Wave Probe - New Instrument For Space Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korepanov, V.; Dudkin, F.

2007-12-01

The dispersion relations are very important for the wave activity study in space plasmas. One of the most efficient methods for their analysis is the simultaneous measurements of spatial current density and magnetic field fluctuations during such a wave process. Whereas the measurement of the magnetic field is a routine task realized onboard practically every spacecraft (SC), the direct measurement of spatial current density (SCD) still remains a complicated scientific and technological problem. First attempt to solve it was executed in late 60-ties by a group headed by F. Mozer. They proposed and launched in a rocket experiment the device named "Split Langmuir Probe" (SLP) - two conducting plates separated by a thin insulated split. Unfortunately this experiment failed what diverted the attention of experimenters in space branch from this instrument for many years, practically till now. But the importance to know the SCD stimulated the development of new principles and devices to measure it. A short review of known versions is discussed. The newly evoked interest to this problem caused next attempt to improve the SLP construction and methodology of its application for SCD measurements, which resulted in first successful attempt in 1985: the measured SCD onboard Prognos-10 SC in the bow shock region was in rather good agreement with the calculated value. This attempt was continued onboard Interball-Tail SC (1995-2000) where again a qualitatively good coincidence of measured and calculated values was observed. The obtained experience and further theoretical research allowed developing a new instrument - Wave Probe - which is a combination of induction magnetometer and SLP in one body. Both on-ground tests in plasma chamber and the spatial experiment executed onboard Ukrainian "Sich-1M" SC (2004) showed that the combined in-situ simultaneous measurements of SCD and magnetic field fluctuations allowed obtaining the wave number of the whistler wave. The same wave number was calculated theoretically from dispersion relations of whistler wave using known ionosphere model and the comparison of measured and calculated values of both wave number and SCD gave a good quantitative agreement. The details of theoretical and experimental study are discussed in the report. There is a pleasant duty of the authors to thank Prof. F. Mozer and Prof. S. Klimov for continuous attention and practical support of this work. It was also supported by NSAU contract No 1-02/03.

Quality of life in patients with dental conditions: comparing patients' and providers' evaluation.

PubMed

Sampogna, F; Johansson, V; Axtelius, B; Abeni, D; Söderfeldt, B

2009-12-01

To measure the agreement between patients and their caregivers in evaluating patients' oral quality of life. Cross-sectional study. Data collected in four Swedish dental clinics in 2004. Consecutive patients. Data were completed for 444 patients. Fifteen dentists and 12 dental hygienists agreed to participate. For each patient, the patient him/herself and his/her caregiver completed the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), a specific instrument used to measure quality of life in oral conditions, with higher scores indicating a worse quality of life. Information on personal and clinical characteristics of patients were also collected. Median OHIP-14 scores given by caregivers and patients were calculated and compared in different subgroups of patients. Cohen's kappa was calculated to measure the agreement between the evaluation of patients and caregivers. OHIP-14 scores median values were 3.0 among patients and 9.0 among caregivers. Caregivers always gave a higher score than patients, especially in older patients and patients with lower education. The concordance between patients' and caregivers' evaluation was very low (for different OHIP-14 cutoffs: Cohen's kappa from 0.10 to 0.15). In this study, great discrepancies were observed between patients and caregivers in the evaluation of patients' oral quality of life, with caregivers overestimating the burden of dental conditions on patients. It is important to improve patient-caregiver communication, in order to increase patient satisfaction and provide better care. A good patient-caregiver relationship is essential for the patients' well-being and their adherence to treatment.

Computation and analysis of the transverse current autocorrelation function, Ct(k,t), for small wave vectors: A molecular-dynamics study for a Lennard-Jones fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogelsang, R.; Hoheisel, C.

1987-02-01

Molecular-dynamics (MD) calculations are reported for three thermodynamic states of a Lennard-Jones fluid. Systems of 2048 particles and 105 integration steps were used. The transverse current autocorrelation function, Ct(k,t), has been determined for wave vectors of the range 0.5<||k||σ<1.5. Ct(k,t) was fitted by hydrodynamic-type functions. The fits returned k-dependent decay times and shear viscosities which showed a systematic behavior as a function of k. Extrapolation to the hydrodynamic region at k=0 gave shear viscosity coefficients in good agreement with direct Green-Kubo results obtained in previous work. The two-exponential model fit for the memory function proposed by other authors does not provide a reasonable description of the MD results, as the fit parameters show no systematic wave-vector dependence, although the Ct(k,t) functions are somewhat better fitted. Similarly, the semiempirical interpolation formula for the decay time based on the viscoelastic concept proposed by Akcasu and Daniels fails to reproduce the correct k dependence for the wavelength range investigated herein.

Probability density function of the intensity of a laser beam propagating in the maritime environment.

PubMed

Korotkova, Olga; Avramov-Zamurovic, Svetlana; Malek-Madani, Reza; Nelson, Charles

2011-10-10

A number of field experiments measuring the fluctuating intensity of a laser beam propagating along horizontal paths in the maritime environment is performed over sub-kilometer distances at the United States Naval Academy. Both above the ground and over the water links are explored. Two different detection schemes, one photographing the beam on a white board, and the other capturing the beam directly using a ccd sensor, gave consistent results. The probability density function (pdf) of the fluctuating intensity is reconstructed with the help of two theoretical models: the Gamma-Gamma and the Gamma-Laguerre, and compared with the intensity's histograms. It is found that the on-ground experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The results obtained above the water paths lead to appreciable discrepancies, especially in the case of the Gamma-Gamma model. These discrepancies are attributed to the presence of the various scatterers along the path of the beam, such as water droplets, aerosols and other airborne particles. Our paper's main contribution is providing a methodology for computing the pdf function of the laser beam intensity in the maritime environment using field measurements.

Compartmental modelling of the pharmacokinetics of a breast cancer resistance protein.

PubMed

Grandjean, Thomas R B; Chappell, Mike J; Yates, James T W; Jones, Kevin; Wood, Gemma; Coleman, Tanya

2011-11-01

A mathematical model for the pharmacokinetics of Hoechst 33342 following administration into a culture medium containing a population of transfected cells (HEK293 hBCRP) with a potent breast cancer resistance protein inhibitor, Fumitremorgin C (FTC), present is described. FTC is reported to almost completely annul resistance mediated by BCRP in vitro. This non-linear compartmental model has seven macroscopic sub-units, with 14 rate parameters. It describes the relationship between the concentration of Hoechst 33342 and FTC, initially spiked in the medium, and the observed change in fluorescence due to Hoechst 33342 binding to DNA. Structural identifiability analysis has been performed using two methods, one based on the similarity transformation/exhaustive modelling approach and the other based on the differential algebra approach. The analyses demonstrated that all models derived are uniquely identifiable for the experiments/observations available. A kinetic modelling software package, namely FACSIMILE (MPCA Software, UK), was used for parameter fitting and to obtain numerical solutions for the system equations. Model fits gave very good agreement with in vitro data provided by AstraZeneca across a variety of experimental scenarios. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Sunshine Duration around a Building in an Urban Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, J. E.; Kim, J.

2017-12-01

In this study, sunshine duration around a building in a building-congested district in Busan, Korea was analyzed using a numerical model. This model considers sunshine duration blocking caused by topography and buildings and it is properly applicable to evaluation of sunshine duration environment in urban areas. The 2 km Í 2 km area where the building with 45-m height was located at the center was selected as a target area. We selected the target period from December 21 to December 23, 2015, considering the winter solstice (December 22, 2015) when it is expected to have the largest effect of sunshine blocking due to buildings. We validated the calculated solar altitude and azimuth angles against those provided by Korea astronomy and space science institute (KASI) and the calculated results gave very good agreement with those provided by KASI. Topography and buildings used as the input data of the model were constructed using a geographic information system (GIS) data. In order to analyze, in detail, the change in sunshine duration caused by the construction of the building, the sunshine duration on the roof and walls (eastern, western, southern, northern side) were investigated before and after the construction.

Development of a belt-type wearable sensor system with multi-function for home health care

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ban, Yunho; Choi, Samjin; Jiang, Zhongwei; Park, Chanwon

2005-12-01

Some reports show that the physiological information measured in hospital is not enough without the one measured in home. The physiological information monitored in home, therefore, is strongly required recently. The goal of this research is to develop a wearable and tractable sensor system for detecting biomedical signals such as cardiac rhythm, respiration, body movement, and percentage of body fat (%BF) and for home health care. A belt type sensor for this purpose is developed, which consists of sensing materials of PVDF film and conductive fabrics. Also several data processing techniques, such as the discrete wavelet transform, cross correlation and adaptive filtering method, were introduced to eliminate noises and base wandering and to extract the specified components. The ECG and respiration signals obtained by the proposed belt type sensor system gave good agreements with commercial medical system. Furthermore, the body fat (%BF) measurement based on the four-electrode BIA was also built in the belt sensor. The body fat was calculated by measuring the body impedance from the belt type sensor and compared with the predicted %BF measured by the commercial adipometer (TBF-607). The results validated also the efficiency of the belt type sensor system.

Synthesis and high (pressure, temperature) stability of ZnTiO3 polymorphs studied by Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernert, T.; Ruiz-Fuertes, J.; Bayarjargal, L.; Winkler, B.

2015-05-01

The phase-purity of ilmenite-type ZnTiO3 prepared by the ceramic method was investigated in dependence of the conditions during ball milling. The previously proposed addition of 2 ml ethanol to the starting materials led to a significant contamination of the product phase after a subsequent sintering process at 1073 K. However, by omitting ethanol this synthesis route led to a phase-pure sample of ZnTiO3 as confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. High-temperature high-pressure experiments gave an ilmenite-type to perovskite-type phase boundary with a slope of dT/dP∼-135 K GPa-1 crossing ambient temperature conditions at ∼ 24 GPa in good agreement with previous calculations. Room-temperature high-pressure Raman spectroscopy experiments have shown the stability of the ilmenite-type phase up to a pressure of at least 38.5 GPa, the highest pressure applied in this study, indicating the presence of a kinetic barrier in this phase transition. The synthesis of ferroelectric LiNbO3-type ZnTiO3 was confirmed by second harmonic generation.

VS30, site amplifications and some comparisons: The Adapazari (Turkey) case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozcep, Tazegul; Ozcep, Ferhat; Ozel, Oguz

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of VS30 in site amplifications in the Adapazari region, Turkey. To fulfil this aim, amplifications from VS30 measurements were compared with earthquake data for different soil types in the seismic design codes. The Adapazari area was selected as the study area, and shear-wave velocity distribution was obtained by the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASWs) method at 100 sites for the top 50 m of soil. Aftershock data following the Mw 7.4 Izmit earthquake of 17 August 1999 gave magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.6 at six stations installed in and around the Adapazari Basin, at Babalı, Şeker, Genç, Hastane, Toyota and Imar. This data was used to estimate site amplifications by the reference-station method. In addition, the fundamental periods of the station sites were estimated by the single station method. Site classifications based on VS30 in the seismic design codes were compared with the fundamental periods and amplification values. It was found that site amplifications (from earthquake data) and relevant spectra (from VS30) are not in good agreement for soils in Adapazari (Turkey).

A study of using femtosecond LIBS in analyzing metallic thin film-semiconductor interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galmed, A. H.; Kassem, A. K.; von Bergmann, H.; Harith, M. A.

2011-01-01

Metals and metal alloys are usually employed as interconnections to guide electrical signals between components into the very large scale integrated (VLSI) devices. These devices demand higher complexity, better performance and lower cost. Thin film is a common geometry for these metallic applications, requiring a substrate for rigidity. Accurate depth profile analysis of coatings is becoming increasingly important with expanding industrial use in technological fields. A number of articles devoted to LIBS applications for depth-resolved analysis have been published in recent years. In the present work, we are studying the ability of femtosecond LIBS to make depth profiling for a Ti thin film of thickness 213 nm deposited onto a silicon (100) substrate before and after thermal annealing. The measurements revealed that an average ablation rates of 15 nm per pulse have been achieved. The thin film was examined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), while the formation of the interface was examined using Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS) before and after annealing. To verify the depth profiling results, a theoretical simulation model is presented that gave a very good agreement with the experimental results.

Kinetics of self-decomposition and hydrogen atom transfer reactions of substituted phthalimide N-oxyl radicals in acetic acid.

PubMed

Cai, Yang; Koshino, Nobuyoshi; Saha, Basudeb; Espenson, James H

2005-01-07

Kinetic data have been obtained for three distinct types of reactions of phthalimide N-oxyl radicals (PINO(.)) and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) derivatives. The first is the self-decomposition of PINO(.) which was found to follow second-order kinetics. In the self-decomposition of 4-methyl-N-hydroxyphthalimide (4-Me-NHPI), H-atom abstraction competes with self-decomposition in the presence of excess 4-Me-NHPI. The second set of reactions studied is hydrogen atom transfer from NHPI to PINO(.), e.g., PINO(.) + 4-Me-NHPI <=> NHPI + 4-Me-PINO(.). The substantial KIE, k(H)/k(D) = 11 for both forward and reverse reactions, supports the assignment of H-atom transfer rather than stepwise electron-proton transfer. These data were correlated with the Marcus cross relation for hydrogen-atom transfer, and good agreement between the experimental and the calculated rate constants was obtained. The third reaction studied is hydrogen abstraction by PINO(.) from p-xylene and toluene. The reaction becomes regularly slower as the ring substituent on PINO(.) is more electron donating. Analysis by the Hammett equation gave rho = 1.1 and 1.8 for the reactions of PINO(.) with p-xylene and toluene, respectively.

Optimization and evaluation of clarithromycin floating tablets using experimental mixture design.

PubMed

Uğurlu, Timucin; Karaçiçek, Uğur; Rayaman, Erkan

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to prepare and evaluate clarithromycin (CLA) floating tablets using experimental mixture design for treatment of Helicobacter pylori provided by prolonged gastric residence time and controlled plasma level. Ten different formulations were generated based on different molecular weight of hypromellose (HPMC K100, K4M, K15M) by using simplex lattice design (a sub-class of mixture design) with Minitab 16 software. Sodium bicarbonate and anhydrous citric acid were used as gas generating agents. Tablets were prepared by wet granulation technique. All of the process variables were fixed. Results of cumulative drug release at 8th h (CDR 8th) were statistically analyzed to get optimized formulation (OF). Optimized formulation, which gave floating lag time lower than 15 s and total floating time more than 10 h, was analyzed and compared with target for CDR 8th (80%). A good agreement was shown between predicted and actual values of CDR 8th with a variation lower than 1%. The activity of clarithromycin contained optimizedformula against H. pylori were quantified using well diffusion agar assay. Diameters of inhibition zones vs. log10 clarithromycin concentrations were plotted in order to obtain a standard curve and clarithromycin activity.

The scaling of model test results to predict intake hot gas reingestion for STOVL aircraft with augmented vectored thrust engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penrose, C. J.

1987-01-01

The difficulties of modeling the complex recirculating flow fields produced by multiple jet STOVL aircraft close to the ground have led to extensive use of experimental model tests to predict intake Hot Gas Reingestion (HGR). Model test results reliability is dependent on a satisfactory set of scaling rules which must be validated by fully comparable full scale tests. Scaling rules devised in the U.K. in the mid 60's gave good model/full scale agreement for the BAe P1127 aircraft. Until recently no opportunity has occurred to check the applicability of the rules to the high energy exhaust of current ASTOVL aircraft projects. Such an opportunity has arisen following tests on a Tethered Harrier. Comparison of this full scale data and results from tests on a model configuration approximating to the full scale aircraft geometry has shown discrepancies between HGR levels. These discrepancies although probably due to geometry and other model/scale differences indicate some reexamination of the scaling rules is needed. Therefore the scaling rules are reviewed, further scaling studies planned are described and potential areas for further work are suggested.

Ca/Na selectivity coefficients from the Poisson-Boltzmann theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedström, Magnus; Karnland, Ola

As a model for ion equilibrium in montmorillonite, the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation was solved for two parallel charged surfaces in contact with an external NaCl/CaCl 2 mixed solution. The ion concentration profiles in the montmorillonite interlayer were obtained from the PB equation and integration of those gave the occupancy of Na + and Ca 2+ in the clay. That information together with the composition of the external electrolyte were then used for the calculation of the Gaines-Thomas selectivity coefficient K GT. The predictions from the model were compared to experimental data from batch as well as compacted conditions, and the agreement was generally good. With a surface layer-charge density of one unit charge per 145 Å 2, which is close to the value for Wyoming-type montmorillonite, the calculated selectivity coefficients were found to vary from about 4 in batch to 8 in compacted montmorillonite with dry density ∼1700 kg/m 3. From the point of view of assessing the evolution, with regard to sodium-calcium ion exchange, of the bentonite buffer in a repository for spent nuclear fuel, these results justify the use of data obtained in batch experiments.

Folding Free Energy Landscape of the Decapeptide Chignolin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Xianghua; Wang, Jihua

Chignolin is an artificially designed ten-residue (GYDPETGTWG) folded peptide, which is the smallest protein and provides a good template for protein folding. In this work, we completed four explicit water molecular dynamics simulations of Chignolin folding using GROMOS and OPLS-AA force fields from extended initial states without any experiment informations. The four-folding free energy landscapes of the peptide has been drawn. The folded state of Chignolin has been successfully predicated based on the free energy landscapes. The four independent simulations gave similar results. (i) The four free energy landscapes have common characters. They are fairly smooth, barrierless, funnel-like and downhill without intermediate state, which consists with the experiment. (ii) The different extended initial structures converge at similar folded structures with the lowest free energy under GROMOS and OPLS-AA force fields. In the GROMOS force field, the backbone RMSD of the folded structures from the NMR native structure of Chignolin is only 0.114 nm, which is a stable structure in this force field. In the OPLS-AA force field, the similar results have been obtained. In addition, the smallest RMSD structure is in better agreement with the NMR native structure but unlikely stable in the force field.

75 FR 72987 - Brokers of Household Goods Transportation by Motor Vehicle

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-29

... revise broker marketing materials, forms, and orders for service, including technical writing, Web site... are FMCSA-authorized household goods motor carriers with which the broker has a written agreement, as... broker has a written agreement, as required by Sec. 371.115. We agree that brokers should not...

Standardized volume rendering for magnetic resonance angiography measurements in the abdominal aorta.

PubMed

Persson, A; Brismar, T B; Lundström, C; Dahlström, N; Othberg, F; Smedby, O

2006-03-01

To compare three methods for standardizing volume rendering technique (VRT) protocols by studying aortic diameter measurements in magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) datasets. Datasets from 20 patients previously examined with gadolinium-enhanced MRA and with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for abdominal aortic aneurysm were retrospectively evaluated by three independent readers. The MRA datasets were viewed using VRT with three different standardized transfer functions: the percentile method (Pc-VRT), the maximum-likelihood method (ML-VRT), and the partial range histogram method (PRH-VRT). The aortic diameters obtained with these three methods were compared with freely chosen VRT parameters (F-VRT) and with maximum intensity projection (MIP) concerning inter-reader variability and agreement with the reference method DSA. F-VRT parameters and PRH-VRT gave significantly higher diameter values than DSA, whereas Pc-VRT gave significantly lower values than DSA. The highest interobserver variability was found for F-VRT parameters and MIP, and the lowest for Pc-VRT and PRH-VRT. All standardized VRT methods were significantly superior to both MIP and F-VRT in this respect. The agreement with DSA was best for PRH-VRT, which was the only method with a mean error below 1 mm and which also had the narrowest limits of agreement (95% of cases between 2.1 mm below and 3.1 mm above DSA). All the standardized VRT methods compare favorably with MIP and VRT with freely selected parameters as regards interobserver variability. The partial range histogram method, although systematically overestimating vessel diameters, gives results closest to those of DSA.

Agreement Between Autorefraction and Subjective Refraction in Keraring-Implanted Keratoconic Eyes.

PubMed

Al-Tuwairqi, Waleed S; Ogbuehi, Kelechi C; Razzouk, Haya; Alanazi, Mana A; Osuagwu, Uchechukwu L

2017-03-01

To assess the agreement between subjective refraction and autorefraction and to explore the relationship between the magnitude of higher order aberration, and visual acuity and refraction, before and after keraring implantation. This prospective, randomized, interventional study enrolled 27 subjects (mean age 28.1±6.5 years) with keratoconus. Noncycloplegic refraction was performed subjectively by one clinician and with an autorefractor by another clinician, before and 6 months after surgery. The limit of agreement (LoA) between methods was assessed, and the relationships between the corrected distance visual acuity, logMAR on the one hand and refraction measurements and higher-order aberrations on the other, were examined. The agreement in mean spherical equivalent refraction (MSER) between methods was good postoperatively but poor preoperatively. The autorefractor gave a more myopic refraction than subjective refraction preoperatively (-3.28±3.06 D; LoA -9.27 to +2.71 D, P<0.0001) and postoperatively (-0.63±1.64 D; LoA -3.85 to +2.58 D, P=0.055), and returned higher negative cylinders preoperatively (-1.10±1.17 D; LoA -3.40 to +1.19 D, P<0.0001) and postoperatively (-1.08±1.27 D; LoA -3.60 to +1.41 D, P<0.0001) in keratoconic eyes. The difference in MSER between methods was significantly related to the refractive error at both visits (P<0.05) and to the magnitude of higher-order aberrations in keratoconic eyes preoperatively (P<0.05). The logMAR visual acuity achieved subjectively worsened as the magnitude of higher-order aberrations increased preoperatively (P<0.001). The autorefractor returns values that are significantly more myopic in MSER and higher negative cylinders than subjective refraction, preoperatively, but the MSER was similar between devices postoperatively. The autorefactor seems a valid starting point for subjective refraction in keratoconic eyes treated with keraring, but the cylinder should be corrected by about +1 D. The instruments agree more in less myopic than high myopic eyes.

A millimeter wave Josephson mixer employing a high-T(c) GdBaCuO point contact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsson, H. K.; Claeson, T.; Eriksson, S.; Johansson, L.-G.; Mcgrath, W. R.

1987-01-01

A Josephson effect heterodyne mixer for the millimeter wave band was investigated employing high-T(c) GdBaCuO point contacts. Mixer performance was in qualitative agreement with theory. A mixing response was observed up to 55 K, the highest operating temperature achieved for such a device to date. The voltage separation of RF-induced steps gave a value of h/2e = 2.08 x 10 to the -15th V s, which is in excellent agreement with the value expected for Cooper pairs. In addition, the temperature dependence of the I(0)R product was found to agree with Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory in the weak coupling limit.

An intercomparison of NEL and DHL water flow facilities using a twin orifice plate flowmeter assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejong, J.; Spencer, E. A.

1983-01-01

A 205 mm transfer standard orifice plate meter assembly, consisting of two orifice plates in series separated by a length of pipe containing a flow straightener, was calibrated in two water flow facilities. Results show that the agreement in the characteristics of such a differential pressure transfer standard package is within 0.17% over a 10:1 range from flow rates of approximately 8 to 80 l/sec. When the range over which the comparison was made was limited to that for which the calibration graphs gave straight lines, the agreement is 0.1% in 3 of the 4 calibrations (0.17% in the fourth).

Inter-Rater Reliability of Provider Interpretations of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Food and Symptom Journals

PubMed Central

Chung, Chia-Fang; Xu, Kaiyuan; Dong, Yi; Schenk, Jeanette M.; Cain, Kevin; Munson, Sean; Heitkemper, Margaret M.

2017-01-01

There are currently no standardized methods for identifying trigger food(s) from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) food and symptom journals. The primary aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater reliability of providers’ interpretations of IBS journals. A second aim was to describe whether these interpretations varied for each patient. Eight providers reviewed 17 IBS journals and rated how likely key food groups (fermentable oligo-di-monosaccharides and polyols, high-calorie, gluten, caffeine, high-fiber) were to trigger IBS symptoms for each patient. Agreement of trigger food ratings was calculated using Krippendorff’s α-reliability estimate. Providers were also asked to write down recommendations they would give to each patient. Estimates of agreement of trigger food likelihood ratings were poor (average α = 0.07). Most providers gave similar trigger food likelihood ratings for over half the food groups. Four providers gave the exact same written recommendation(s) (range 3–7) to over half the patients. Inter-rater reliability of provider interpretations of IBS food and symptom journals was poor. Providers favored certain trigger food likelihood ratings and written recommendations. This supports the need for a more standardized method for interpreting these journals and/or more rigorous techniques to accurately identify personalized IBS food triggers. PMID:29113044

Interrater agreement in the interpretation of neonatal electroencephalography in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

Wusthoff, Courtney J; Sullivan, Joseph; Glass, Hannah C; Shellhaas, Renée A; Abend, Nicholas S; Chang, Taeun; Tsuchida, Tammy N

2017-03-01

Research using neonatal electroencephalography (EEG) has been limited by a lack of a standardized classification system and interpretation terminology. In 2013, the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) published a guideline for standardized terminology and categorization in the description of continuous EEG in neonates. We sought to assess interrater agreement for this neonatal EEG categorization system as applied by a group of pediatric neurophysiologists. A total of 60 neonatal EEG studies were collected from three institutions. All EEG segments were from term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Three pediatric neurophysiologists independently reviewed each record using the ACNS standardized scoring system. Unweighted kappa values were calculated for interrater agreement of categorical data across multiple observers. Interrater agreement was very good for identification of seizures (κ = 0.93, p < 0.001), with perfect agreement in 95% of records (57 of 60). Interrater agreement was moderate for classifying records as normal or having any abnormality (κ = 0.49, p < 0.001), with perfect agreement in 78% of records (47 of 60). Interrater agreement was good in classifying EEG backgrounds on a 5-category scale (normal, excessively discontinuous, burst suppression, status epilepticus, or electrocerebral inactivity) (κ = 0.70, p < 0.001), with perfect agreement in 72% of records (43 of 60). Other specific background features had lower agreement, including voltage (κ = 0.41, p < 0.001), variability (κ = 0.35, p < 0.001), symmetry (κ = 0.18, p = 0.01), presence of abnormal sharp waves (κ < 0.20, p < 0.05), and presence of brief rhythmic discharges (κ < 0.20, p < 0.05). We found good or very good interrater agreement applying the ACNS system for identification of seizures and classification of EEG background. Other specific EEG features showed limited interrater agreement. Of importance to both clinicians and researchers, our findings support using the ACNS system in identifying seizures and classifying backgrounds of neonatal EEG recordings, but also suggest limited reproducibility for certain other EEG features. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International League Against Epilepsy.

Methacrylate derivatives incorporating pyroglutamic acid.

PubMed

Smith, Tara J; Mathias, Lon J

2002-01-01

Methacrylates containing pyroglutamic acid were synthesized in good yields. Methyl alpha-pyroglutamyl methylacrylate (PyMM) and methyl alpha-pyroglutamidoundecanoyl methylacrylate (PyUM) give very fast photopolymerization rates both in homopolymerizations and with widely used commercial monomers N-vinyl pyrrolidinone (NVP) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). Soluble or cross-linked homopolymers can be obtained depending upon polymerization temperature. Pyroglutamic methacrylates polymerize without added initiator in the melt. Solution cast, photocured, and thermally cured coatings gave good to excellent adhesion to poly(ethylene terephthalate) and glass surfaces.

A comparison between implicit and hybrid methods for the calculation of steady and unsteady inlet flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coakley, T. J.; Hsieh, T.

1985-01-01

Numerical simulation of steady and unsteady transonic diffuser flows using two different computer codes are discussed and compared with experimental data. The codes solve the Reynolds-averaged, compressible, Navier-Stokes equations using various turbulence models. One of the codes has been applied extensively to diffuser flows and uses the hybrid method of MacCormack. This code is relatively inefficient numerically. The second code, which was developed more recently, is fully implicit and is relatively efficient numerically. Simulations of steady flows using the implicit code are shown to be in good agreement with simulations using the hybrid code. Both simulations are in good agreement with experimental results. Simulations of unsteady flows using the two codes are in good qualitative agreement with each other, although the quantitative agreement is not as good as in the steady flow cases. The implicit code is shown to be eight times faster than the hybrid code for unsteady flow calculations and up to 32 times faster for steady flow calculations. Results of calculations using alternative turbulence models are also discussed.

When Good Gifts Go Bad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strout, Erin

2006-01-01

Conrad Colbrandt gave Saint Mary's College of California a financial permission slip to dream big--a $112-million pledge to support new construction and endowments. From the time that Colbrandt made his pledge in 1997 until 2004, talk of new athletics facilities and classroom buildings became real architectural plans. However, all of those plans…

JCAHO gets lukewarm reviews from its CEO opinion survey.

PubMed

Koska, M T

1990-05-05

CEOs from 923 hospitals gave the JCAHO mixed reviews in a recent survey: 38 percent thought JCAHO's performance had improved over the past five years; 26 percent thought it had worsened; and 27 percent saw no change. Depending upon who you talk to, the results are either good or bad.

Computed Tomography Assessment of Hepatic Metastases of Breast Cancer with Revised Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Criteria (Version 1.1): Inter-Observer Agreement.

PubMed

Ghobrial, Fady Emil Ibrahim; Eldin, Manal Salah; Razek, Ahmed Abdel Khalek Abdel; Atwan, Nadia Ibrahim; Shamaa, Sameh Sayed Ahmed

2017-01-01

To assess inter-observer agreement of revised RECIST criteria (version 1.1) for computed tomography assessment of hepatic metastases of breast cancer. A prospective study was conducted in 28 female patients with breast cancer and with at least one measurable metastatic lesion in the liver that was treated with 3 cycles of anthracycline-based chemotherapy. All patients underwent computed tomography of the abdomen with 64-row multi- detector CT at baseline and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy for response assessment. Image analysis was performed by 2 observers, based on the RECIST criteria (version 1.1). Computed tomography revealed partial response of hepatic metastases in 7 patients (25%) by one observer and in 10 patients (35.7%) by the other observer, with good inter-observer agreement (k=0.75, percent agreement of 89.29%). Stable disease was detected in 19 patients (67.8%) by one observer and in 16 patients (57.1%) by the other observer, with good agreement (k=0.774, percent agreement of 89.29%). Progressive disease was detected in 2 patients (7.2%) by both observers, with perfect agreement (k=1, percent agreement of 100%). The overall inter-observer agreement in the CT-based response assessment of hepatic metastasis between the two observers was good ( k =0.793, percent agreement of 89.29%). We concluded that computed tomography is a reliable and reproducible imaging modality for response assessment of hepatic metastases of breast cancer according to the RECIST criteria (version 1.1).

Analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six point-of-care testing urine analysers for urinary tract infection in general practice.

PubMed

Schot, Marjolein J C; van Delft, Sanne; Kooijman-Buiting, Antoinette M J; de Wit, Niek J; Hopstaken, Rogier M

2015-05-18

Various point-of-care testing (POCT) urine analysers are commercially available for routine urine analysis in general practice. The present study compares analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six different POCT urine analysers for diagnosing urinary tract infection in general practice. All testing procedures were performed at a diagnostic centre for primary care in the Netherlands. Urine samples were collected at four general practices. Analytical performance and agreement of the POCT analysers regarding nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes, with the laboratory reference standard, was the primary outcome measure, and analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and Cohen's κ coefficient for agreement. Secondary outcome measures were the user-friendliness of the POCT analysers, in addition to other characteristics of the analysers. The following six POCT analysers were evaluated: Uryxxon Relax (Macherey Nagel), Urisys 1100 (Roche), Clinitek Status (Siemens), Aution 11 (Menarini), Aution Micro (Menarini) and Urilyzer (Analyticon). Analytical performance was good for all analysers. Compared with laboratory reference standards, overall agreement was good, but differed per parameter and per analyser. Concerning the nitrite test, the most important test for clinical practice, all but one showed perfect agreement with the laboratory standard. For leucocytes and erythrocytes specificity was high, but sensitivity was considerably lower. Agreement for leucocytes varied between good to very good, and for the erythrocyte test between fair and good. First-time users indicated that the analysers were easy to use. They expected higher productivity and accuracy when using these analysers in daily practice. The overall performance and user-friendliness of all six commercially available POCT urine analysers was sufficient to justify routine use in suspected urinary tract infections in general practice. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Cost, price and profit: what influences students' decisions about fundraising?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawatzki, Carly; Goos, Merrilyn

2018-02-01

This article examines some of the complexities associated with developing financially literate, enterprising young Australians through school education. We aimed to explore what seems to influence students in pricing goods for sale within their school community. Data were collected from more than 300 years 5 and 6 students (10-12 years of age) in four government primary schools in urban Darwin. Students were asked to respond to problem contexts involving fundraising as an example of an enterprise activity. The findings reveal that familiarity with fundraising initiatives, personal values, and language and literacy skills shaped the responses students gave. Students who gave loss-making and break-even responses were price conscious, but also tended to confuse terminology influencing mathematisation—i.e., "cost", "price" and "profit". Students who gave profit-making responses applied reasoning that was mathematical, financial and entrepreneurial, giving explanations that distinguished between these terms. We argue that these insights contribute to our understanding how upper primary school students interpret and respond to financial problems, with useful implications for schools and teachers.

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

Gajjar, Anant; /Liverpool U.

Measurements of the di-photon cross section have been made in the central region and are found to be in good agreement with NLO QCD predictions. The cross section of events containing a photon and additional heavy flavor jet have also been measured, as well as the ratio of photon + b to photon + c. The statistically limited sample shows good agreement with Leading Order predictions.

[How to write and publish a scientific article in stomatology].

PubMed

Gao, X J

2017-12-09

The general principles and key points in writing of a scientific article in stomatology were interpreted based on the national guideline and the author's personal experiences in the present article. Efforts should be made by the authors focusing on core information, refinement and description of their papers. In the second half of the article, the general process of paper review was introduced. The article also gave suggestions on how to response to the reviewers' questions. It is well recognized that a good scientific journal was created by good authors, good reviewers and good editors. The author proposed that efforts by above mentioned three parties should be gathered to make more valuable, delicately designed and well performed clinical research articles be published.

[The advantages and disadvantages of Artemisia princeps and A. montana].

PubMed

Oda, R

2000-01-01

In Japan, Moxa is made from Artemisia princeps and A. montana P. which are plants of the composiae family. Evaluations of the superiority or inferiority of these raw materials for Moxa have been confusing. The judgement of superiority or inferiority is roughly based on the strenght of the fragrance and somewhat of down. When I investigated 14 kinds of documents from the Edo period to the Showa period, 10 of the documents gave good evaluations for Artemisia princeps. On the other hand the remaining four gave good evaluations for A. montana P. But there is quite an opposite opinion, because the four deemed good for Artemisia princeps were misunderstood regarding the discrimination of Artemisia princeps and A. montana P. Since correcting them, each material has seven good evaluations, tying the score. Therefore, I researched the contents of the principal ingredient, Cineole, using an important evaluation index and the fragrances were compared measuring both materials, which were collected from different places. The results to examining six kinds of Artemisia princeps, and eight kinds of A. montana P. (14 kinds in total) are as follows: The A. montana P. contents Cineole was more abundant than the other on average. However, it is from three to five times the change by the growing both ground, and superiority or inferiority cannot be decided indiscriminately. When quality is evaluated, it is necessary to clarify the materials orgin. Generally speaking, the fragrance of A. montana P. is stronger than the other.

Micro-blast waves using detonation transmission tubing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samuelraj, I. Obed; Jagadeesh, G.; Kontis, K.

2013-07-01

Micro-blast waves emerging from the open end of a detonation transmission tube were experimentally visualized in this study. A commercially available detonation transmission tube was used (Nonel tube, M/s Dyno Nobel, Sweden), which is a small diameter tube coated with a thin layer of explosive mixture (HMX + traces of Al) on its inner side. The typical explosive loading for this tube is of the order of 18 mg/m of tube length. The blast wave was visualized using a high speed digital camera (frame rate 1 MHz) to acquire time-resolved schlieren images of the resulting flow field. The visualization studies were complemented by computational fluid dynamic simulations. An analysis of the schlieren images showed that although the blast wave appears to be spherical, it propagates faster along the tube axis than along a direction perpendicular to the tube axis. Additionally, CFD analysis revealed the presence of a barrel shock and Mach disc, showing structures that are typical of an underexpanded jet. A theory in use for centered large-scale explosions of intermediate strength (10 < Δ {p}/{p}_0 ≲ 0.02) gave good agreement with the blast trajectory along the tube axis. The energy of these micro-blast waves was found to be 1.25 ± 0.94 J and the average TNT equivalent was found to be 0.3. The repeatability in generating these micro-blast waves using the Nonel tube was very good (± 2 %) and this opens up the possibility of using this device for studying some of the phenomena associated with muzzle blasts in the near future.

Chemistry of 1,1,2,2,9,9,10,10-octafluoro-[2,2]-paracyclophane: Its synthesis and reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Jian-Xin

This dissertation describes the first example of the synthesis of 1,1,2,2,9,9,10,10-octafluoro[2.2]paracyclophane (AF4) under non-high-dilution conditions. Under very mild reaction conditions, bis-p-(chlorodifluoromethyl)benzene (TFPX dichloride) and its derivatives reacted with Zn dust in N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMA) (Zinc method) affording the corresponding AF4 and its derivatives in moderate to good yields. Purification of products was also studied and an efficient purification process was developed. A new and very cheap method for preparation of TFPX dichloride is also disclosed. Using the very cheap fluorinating reagent, anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF), 1,4-bis(trichloromethyl)benezene or its derivatives were converted to TFPX and its derivatives in high yields (F/Cl exchange reaction). With the success of the Zinc method and F/Cl exchange reaction, highly pure AF4 thus can be provided to the semiconductor industry and academy research scientists in large quantity and at a very low price. Starting from AF4, numerous AF4 derivatives were synthesized using convenient reaction conditions. Reaction of AF4 with fuming nitric acid at room temperature gave mono-nitroAF4 in almost quantitative yield. Reduction of the mono-nitroAF4 with iron powder in the presence of HCl in alcoholic solvent gave the aminoAF4 in 90% yield. Via the diazonium salt intermediate, iodoAF4 was also obtained in good yield. Under similar reaction conditions, disubstituted AF4 derivatives were also prepared in good yields. Heating a mixture of AF4, trifluoroacetyl peroxide and dichloromethane gave the trifluoromethylated dimeric AF4 as a mixture of diastereomers. When these products were heated to 170--180°C in the presence of I 2, 4-trifluoromethyl-AF4 was obtained in almost 87% yield. X-ray structural analysis showed that the C-C bond connecting the two cyclophane moieties to be longer than the normal C-C bond. Kinetic studies, conducted in the presence of excess amount of hydrogen donor, showed this bond to be quite weak. Oxidation of AF4 with HIO3 in the presence of catalytic amount of H2SO4 in trifluoroacetic acid gave AF4 quinone in one step. AF4 quinone can be easily reduced to the hydroquinone by Na 2S2O4 aqueous solution.

A Window into New Teachers' Minds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon; Mammo, Behailu

2016-01-01

The authors--directors of the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program that recruits new teachers to help students in high-needs schools learn math and science--gave participants in their program the chance to present a metaphor or symbol for good teaching. Each novice teacher presented an artifact or image and described what that artifact represented to…

On Becoming a Teacher: "They Just Gave Me a Key and Said, 'Good Luck'."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camp, William G.; Heath-Camp, Betty

The induction process for vocational education teachers was examined in a research study. A literature review indicated a growing research base illuminating the induction problems, successes, and needs of beginning teachers and other research proposing a general theory of human development. Major research activities included nominal group…

Simple Messages Help Set the Record Straight about Scientific Agreement on Human-Caused Climate Change: The Results of Two Experiments

PubMed Central

Myers, Teresa A.; Maibach, Edward; Peters, Ellen; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2015-01-01

Human-caused climate change is happening; nearly all climate scientists are convinced of this basic fact according to surveys of experts and reviews of the peer-reviewed literature. Yet, among the American public, there is widespread misunderstanding of this scientific consensus. In this paper, we report results from two experiments, conducted with national samples of American adults, that tested messages designed to convey the high level of agreement in the climate science community about human-caused climate change. The first experiment tested hypotheses about providing numeric versus non-numeric assertions concerning the level of scientific agreement. We found that numeric statements resulted in higher estimates of the scientific agreement. The second experiment tested the effect of eliciting respondents’ estimates of scientific agreement prior to presenting them with a statement about the level of scientific agreement. Participants who estimated the level of agreement prior to being shown the corrective statement gave higher estimates of the scientific consensus than respondents who were not asked to estimate in advance, indicating that incorporating an “estimation and reveal” technique into public communication about scientific consensus may be effective. The interaction of messages with political ideology was also tested, and demonstrated that messages were approximately equally effective among liberals and conservatives. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. PMID:25812121

Simple messages help set the record straight about scientific agreement on human-caused climate change: the results of two experiments.

PubMed

Myers, Teresa A; Maibach, Edward; Peters, Ellen; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2015-01-01

Human-caused climate change is happening; nearly all climate scientists are convinced of this basic fact according to surveys of experts and reviews of the peer-reviewed literature. Yet, among the American public, there is widespread misunderstanding of this scientific consensus. In this paper, we report results from two experiments, conducted with national samples of American adults, that tested messages designed to convey the high level of agreement in the climate science community about human-caused climate change. The first experiment tested hypotheses about providing numeric versus non-numeric assertions concerning the level of scientific agreement. We found that numeric statements resulted in higher estimates of the scientific agreement. The second experiment tested the effect of eliciting respondents' estimates of scientific agreement prior to presenting them with a statement about the level of scientific agreement. Participants who estimated the level of agreement prior to being shown the corrective statement gave higher estimates of the scientific consensus than respondents who were not asked to estimate in advance, indicating that incorporating an "estimation and reveal" technique into public communication about scientific consensus may be effective. The interaction of messages with political ideology was also tested, and demonstrated that messages were approximately equally effective among liberals and conservatives. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Stability of a pH-sensitive polymer matrix

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

Northrup, M.A.; Langry, K.; Angel, S.M.

1990-03-01

A ratiometric pH-sensitive fluorescent dye (hydroxypyrenetrisulfonic acid) was covalently attached to an acrylamide polymer. These pH-sensitive copolymers were either covalently bonded to the end of an optical fiber or polymerized into separate gels. Long-term, accelerated aging studies were performed on the fibers and gels in 43{degree}C distilled H{sub 2}O. The fiber-immobilized optrodes gave good pH responses for up to 2 months. The pH-sensitive gels were physically attached to optical fibers and gave very good pH responses for over one year. These physically immobilized, one-year-old, pH-sensitive copolymers provided optrodes with linear pH responses between pH 6 and 8 and resolution greatermore » than 0.25 pH unit. A simple photostability experiment on these optrodes showed that they were very photostable. The results of this study indicate that pH-sensitive copolymers in a simple optrode design can be employed as pH sensors with useful lifetimes exceeding one year. 11 refs., 6 figs.« less

Education in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement: Kabuki Theatre Meets "Danse Macabre"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, John

2016-01-01

The Good Friday Agreement (1998) between the UK and Irish governments, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, heralded a significant step forward in securing peace and stability for this troubled region of the British Isles. From the new-found stability, the previous fits and starts of education reform were replaced by a…

High Performance Computing Multicast

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

responsiveness, first-tier applications often implement replicated in- memory key-value stores , using them to store state or to cache data from services...alternative that replicates data , combines agreement on update ordering with amnesia freedom, and supports both good scalability and fast response. A...alternative that replicates data , combines agreement on update ordering with amnesia freedom, and supports both good scalability and fast response

Test-retest reliability and agreement of the SPI-Questionnaire to detect symptoms of digital ischemia in elite volleyball players.

PubMed

van de Pol, Daan; Zacharian, Tigran; Maas, Mario; Kuijer, P Paul F M

2017-06-01

The Shoulder posterior circumflex humeral artery Pathology and digital Ischemia - questionnaire (SPI-Q) has been developed to enable periodic surveillance of elite volleyball players, who are at risk for digital ischemia. Prior to implementation, assessing reliability is mandatory. Therefore, the test-retest reliability and agreement of the SPI-Q were evaluated among the population at risk. A questionnaire survey was performed with a 2-week interval among 65 elite male volleyball players assessing symptoms of cold, pale and blue digits in the dominant hand during or after practice or competition using a 4-point Likert scale (never, sometimes, often and always). Kappa (κ) and percentage of agreement (POA) were calculated for individual symptoms, and to distinguish symptomatic and asymptomatic players. For the individual symptoms, κ ranged from "poor" (0.25) to "good" (0.63), and POA ranged from "moderate" (78%) to "good" (97%). To classify symptomatic players, the SPI-Q showed "good" reliability (κ = 0.83; 95%CI 0.69-0.97) and "good" agreement (POA = 92%). The current study has proven the SPI-Q to be reliable for detecting elite male indoor volleyball players with symptoms of digital ischemia.

Can we perceptually rate alaryngeal voice? Developing the Sunderland Tracheoesophageal Voice Perceptual Scale.

PubMed

Hurren, A; Hildreth, A J; Carding, P N

2009-12-01

To investigate the inter and intra reliability of raters (in relation to both profession and expertise) when judging two alaryngeal voice parameters: 'Overall Grade' and 'Neoglottal Tonicity'. Reliable perceptual assessment is essential for surgical and therapeutic outcome measurement but has been minimally researched to date. Test of inter and intra rater agreement from audio recordings of 55 tracheoesophageal speakers. Cancer Unit. Twelve speech and language therapists and ten Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons. Perceptual voice parameters of 'Overall Grade' rated with a 0-3 equally appearing interval scale and 'Neoglottal Tonicity' with an 11-point bipolar semantic scale. All raters achieved 'good' agreement for 'Overall Grade' with mean weighted kappa coefficients of 0.78 for intra and 0.70 for inter-rater agreement. All raters achieved 'good' intra-rater agreement for 'Neoglottal Tonicity' (0.64) but inter-rater agreement was only 'moderate' (0.40). However, the expert speech and language therapists sub-group attained 'good' inter-rater agreement with this parameter (0.63). The effect of 'Neoglottal Tonicity' on 'Overall Grade' was examined utilising only expert speech and language therapists data. Linear regression analysis resulted in an r-squared coefficient of 0.67. Analysis of the perceptual impression of hypotonicity and hypertonicity in relation to mean 'Overall Grade' score demonstrated neither tone was linked to a more favourable grade (P = 0.42). Expert speech and language therapist raters may be the optimal judges for tracheoesophageal voice assessment. Tonicity appears to be a good predictor of 'Overall Grade'. These scales have clinical applicability to investigate techniques that facilitate optotonic neoglottal voice quality.

Proliferation assessment in breast carcinomas using digital image analysis based on virtual Ki67/cytokeratin double staining.

PubMed

Røge, Rasmus; Riber-Hansen, Rikke; Nielsen, Søren; Vyberg, Mogens

2016-07-01

Manual estimation of Ki67 Proliferation Index (PI) in breast carcinoma classification is labor intensive and prone to intra- and interobserver variation. Standard Digital Image Analysis (DIA) has limitations due to issues with tumor cell identification. Recently, a computer algorithm, DIA based on Virtual Double Staining (VDS), segmenting Ki67-positive and -negative tumor cells using digitally fused parallel cytokeratin (CK) and Ki67-stained slides has been introduced. In this study, we compare VDS with manual stereological counting of Ki67-positive and -negative cells and examine the impact of the physical distance of the parallel slides on the alignment of slides. TMAs, containing 140 cores of consecutively obtained breast carcinomas, were stained for CK and Ki67 using optimized staining protocols. By means of stereological principles, Ki67-positive and -negative cell profiles were counted in sampled areas and used for the estimation of PIs of the whole tissue core. The VDS principle was applied to both the same sampled areas and the whole tissue core. Additionally, five neighboring slides were stained for CK in order to examine the alignment algorithm. Correlation between manual counting and VDS in both sampled areas and whole core was almost perfect (correlation coefficients above 0.97). Bland-Altman plots did not reveal any skewness in any data ranges. There was a good agreement in alignment (>85 %) in neighboring slides, whereas agreement decreased in non-neighboring slides. VDS gave similar results compared with manual counting using stereological principles. Introduction of this method in clinical and research practice may improve accuracy and reproducibility of Ki67 PI.

Evaluation of a microwave method for dry matter determination in faecal samples from weaned pigs with or without clinical diarrhoea.

PubMed

Pedersen, Ken Steen; Stege, Helle; Nielsen, Jens Peter

2011-07-01

Microwave drying as a procedure for determination of faecal dry matter in weaned pigs was evaluated and clinical relevant cut-off values between faecal consistency scores were determined. Repeatability and reproducibility were evaluated. Overall coefficient of variation was 0.03. The 95% confidence limits for any future faecal subsample examined by any operator in any replica were ± 0.85% faecal dry matter. Robustness in relation to weight of wet faeces was evaluated. The weight categories were 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 g. Samples of 0.5 g gave significantly different mean faecal dry matter content compared to weighing of 1.0-3.0 g. Agreement with freeze-drying was evaluated. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was 0.94. On average the faecal dry matter values was 1.7% (SD=1.99%) higher in freeze dried compared to micro waved samples. Non-parametric ROC analyses were used to determine optimal faecal dry matter cut-off values for clinical faecal consistency scores. The 4 consistency scores were score 1=firm and shaped, score 2=soft and shaped, score 3=loose and score 4=watery. The cut-off values were score 1: faecal dry matter content >19.5%, score 2: faecal dry matter content ≤ 19.5% and >18.0%, score 3: faecal dry matter content ≤ 18.0% and >11.3%, score 4: faecal dry matter content ≤ 11.3%. In conclusion, the microwave procedure has an acceptable repeatability/reproducibility and good agreement with freeze drying can be expected. A minimum of 1.0 g of wet faeces must be used for analyses. Faecal dry matter cut-off values between 4 different clinical consistency scores were determined. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the Electron Density Variation During the 21 August 2017 Solar Eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinisch, B. W.; Dandenault, P. B.; Galkin, I. A.; Hamel, R.; Richards, P. G.

2018-02-01

This paper presents a comparison of modeled and measured electron densities for the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse across the USA. The location of the instrument was (43.81°N, 247.32°E) where the maximum obscuration of 99.6% occurred at 17.53 hr UT on 21 August. The solar apparent time was 9.96 hr, and the duration of the eclipse was 2.7 hr. It was found that if it is assumed that there are no chromosphere emissions at totality, 30% coronal emission remaining at totality gave the best fit to the electron density variation at 150 km. The 30% coronal emission estimate has uncertainties associated with respect to uncertainties in the solar spectrum, the measured electron density, and the amount of chromosphere emissions remaining at totality. The agreement between the modeled and measured electron densities is excellent at 150 km with the assumed 30% coronal emission at totality. At other altitudes, the agreement is very good, but the altitude profile would be improved if the model peak electron density (NmF2) decayed more slowly to better match the data. The minimum NmF2 in the model occurs 10 min after totality when it decreases to 0.55 from its noneclipse value. The minimum of the NmF2 data occurs between 6 and 10 min after totality but is 15% larger. The total electron content decreases to 0.65 of its preeclipse value. These relative changes agree well with those predicted by others prior to the eclipse.

Effect of magnetism and atomic order on static atomic displacements in the Invar alloy Fe-27 at.% Pt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sax, C. R.; Schönfeld, B.; Ruban, A. V.

2015-08-01

Fe-27 at.% Pt was aged at 1123 K and quenched to room temperature (RT) to set up a state of thermal equilibrium. The local atomic arrangement was studied by diffuse x-ray scattering above (at 427 K) and below (at RT) the Curie temperature as well as at RT under a saturating magnetic field. The separated short-range order scattering remained unchanged for all three states, with maxima at 100 positions. Effective pair interaction parameters determined by the inverse Monte Carlo method gave an order-disorder transition temperature of about 1088 K, close to direct experimental findings. The species-dependent static atomic displacements for the first two shells show large differences, with a strong increase in magnitude from the state at 427 K over RT to the state under saturating magnetic field. This outcome is in agreement with an increase in atomic volume of Fe with increasing local magnetic moment. Electronic-structure calculations closely reproduce the values for the static atomic displacements in the ferromagnetic state, and predict their dependence on the atomic configuration. They also reveal a strong dependence of the magnetic exchange interactions in Fe-Pt on the atomic configuration state and lattice parameter. In particular, the increase of the Curie temperature in a random state relative to that in the ordered one is demonstrated to be related to the corresponding change of the magnetic exchange interactions due to the different local atomic chemical environment. There exists a similar strong concentration dependence of the chemical interactions as in the case of magnetic exchange interactions. Theoretical effective interactions for Fe-27 at.% Pt alloy are in good agreement with experimental results, and they also reproduce well the L1 2-A1 transition temperature.

Agreement in electrocardiogram interpretation in patients with septic shock.

PubMed

Mehta, Sangeeta; Granton, John; Lapinsky, Stephen E; Newton, Gary; Bandayrel, Kristofer; Little, Anjuli; Siau, Chuin; Cook, Deborah J; Ayers, Dieter; Singer, Joel; Lee, Terry C; Walley, Keith R; Storms, Michelle; Cooper, Jamie; Holmes, Cheryl L; Hebert, Paul; Gordon, Anthony C; Presneill, Jeff; Russell, James A

2011-09-01

The reliability of electrocardiogram interpretation to diagnose myocardial ischemia in critically ill patients is unclear. In adults with septic shock, we assessed intra- and inter-rater agreement of electrocardiogram interpretation, and the effect of knowledge of troponin values on these interpretations. Prospective substudy of a randomized trial of vasopressin vs. norepinephrine in septic shock. Nine Canadian intensive care units. Adults with septic shock requiring at least 5 μg/min of norepinephrine for 6 hrs. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms were recorded before study drug, and 6 hrs, 2 days, and 4 days after study drug initiation. Two physician readers, blinded to patient data and group, independently interpreted electrocardiograms on three occasions (first two readings were blinded to patient data; third reading was unblinded to troponin). To calibrate and refine definitions, both readers initially reviewed 25 trial electrocardiograms representing normal to abnormal. Cohen's Kappa and the φ statistic were used to analyze intra- and inter-rater agreement. One hundred twenty-one patients (62.2 ± 16.5 yrs, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II 28.6 ± 7.7) had 373 electrocardiograms. Blinded to troponin, readers 1 and 2 interpreted 46.4% and 30.0% of electrocardiograms as normal, and 15.3% and 12.3% as ischemic, respectively. Intrarater agreement was moderate for overall ischemia (κ 0.54 and 0.58), moderate/good for "normal" (κ 0.69 and 0.55), fair to good for specific signs of ischemia (ST elevation, T inversion, and Q waves, reader 1 κ 0.40 to 0.69; reader 2 κ 0.56 to 0.70); and good/very good for atrial arrhythmias (κ 0.84 and 0.79) and bundle branch block (κ 0.88 and 0.79). Inter-rater agreement was fair for ischemia (κ 0.29), moderate for ST elevation (κ 0.48), T inversion (κ 0.52), and Q waves (κ 0.44), good for bundle branch block (κ 0.78), and very good for atrial arrhythmias (κ 0.83). Inter-rater agreement for ischemia improved from fair to moderate (κ 0.52, p = .028) when unblinded to troponin. In patients with septic shock, inter-rater agreement of electrocardiogram interpretation for myocardial ischemia was fair, and improved with troponin knowledge.

CD4 Lymphocyte Enumeration and Hemoglobin Assessment Aid for Priority Decisions: A Multisite Evaluation of the BD FACSPresto™ System

PubMed Central

Thakar, Madhuri; Angira, Francis; Pattanapanyasat, Kovit; Wu, Alan H.B.; O’Gorman, Maurice; Zeng, Hui; Qu, Chenxue; Mahajan, Bharati; Sukapirom, Kasama; Chen, Danying; Hao, Yu; Gong, Yan; Indig, Monika De Arruda; Graminske, Sharon; Orta, Diana; d’Empaire, Nicole; Lu, Beverly; Omana-Zapata, Imelda; Zeh, Clement

2017-01-01

Background: The BD FACSPresto™ system uses capillary and venous blood to measure CD4 absolute counts (CD4), %CD4 in lymphocytes, and hemoglobin (Hb) in approximately 25 minutes. CD4 cell count is used with portable CD4 counters in resource-limited settings to manage HIV/AIDS patients. A method comparison was performed using capillary and venous samples from seven clinical laboratories in five countries. The BD FACSPresto system was assessed for variability between laboratory, instrument/operators, cartridge lots and within-run at four sites. Methods: Samples were collected under approved voluntary consent. EDTA-anticoagulated venous samples were tested for CD4 and %CD4 T cells using the gold-standard BD FACSCalibur™ system, and for Hb, using the Sysmex® KX-21N™ analyzer. Venous and capillary samples were tested on the BD FACSPresto system. Matched data was analyzed for bias (Deming linear regression and Bland-Altman methods), and for concordance around the clinical decision point. The coefficient of variation was estimated per site, instrument/operator, cartridge-lot and between-runs. Results: For method comparison, 93% of the 720 samples were from HIV-positive and 7% from HIV-negative or normal subjects. CD4 and %CD4 T cells venous and capillary results gave slopes within 0.96–1.05 and R2 ≥0.96; Hb slopes were ≥1.00 and R2 ≥0.89. Variability across sites/operators gave %CV <5.8% for CD4 counts, <1.9% for %CD4 and <3.2% for Hb. The total %CV was <7.7% across instrument/cartridge lot. Conclusion: The BD FACSPresto system provides accurate, reliable, precise CD4/%CD4/Hb results compared to gold-standard methods, irrespective of venous or capillary blood sampling. The data showed good agreement between the BD FACSPresto, BD FACSCalibur and Sysmex systems. PMID:29290885

CD4 Lymphocyte Enumeration and Hemoglobin Assessment Aid for Priority Decisions: A Multisite Evaluation of the BD FACSPresto™ System.

PubMed

Thakar, Madhuri; Angira, Francis; Pattanapanyasat, Kovit; Wu, Alan H B; O'Gorman, Maurice; Zeng, Hui; Qu, Chenxue; Mahajan, Bharati; Sukapirom, Kasama; Chen, Danying; Hao, Yu; Gong, Yan; Indig, Monika De Arruda; Graminske, Sharon; Orta, Diana; d'Empaire, Nicole; Lu, Beverly; Omana-Zapata, Imelda; Zeh, Clement

2017-01-01

The BD FACSPresto ™ system uses capillary and venous blood to measure CD4 absolute counts (CD4), %CD4 in lymphocytes, and hemoglobin (Hb) in approximately 25 minutes. CD4 cell count is used with portable CD4 counters in resource-limited settings to manage HIV/AIDS patients. A method comparison was performed using capillary and venous samples from seven clinical laboratories in five countries. The BD FACSPresto system was assessed for variability between laboratory, instrument/operators, cartridge lots and within-run at four sites. Samples were collected under approved voluntary consent. EDTA-anticoagulated venous samples were tested for CD4 and %CD4 T cells using the gold-standard BD FACSCalibur ™ system, and for Hb, using the Sysmex ® KX-21N ™ analyzer. Venous and capillary samples were tested on the BD FACSPresto system. Matched data was analyzed for bias (Deming linear regression and Bland-Altman methods), and for concordance around the clinical decision point. The coefficient of variation was estimated per site, instrument/operator, cartridge-lot and between-runs. For method comparison, 93% of the 720 samples were from HIV-positive and 7% from HIV-negative or normal subjects. CD4 and %CD4 T cells venous and capillary results gave slopes within 0.96-1.05 and R 2 ≥0.96; Hb slopes were ≥1.00 and R 2 ≥0.89. Variability across sites/operators gave %CV <5.8% for CD4 counts, <1.9% for %CD4 and <3.2% for Hb. The total %CV was <7.7% across instrument/cartridge lot. The BD FACSPresto system provides accurate, reliable, precise CD4/%CD4/Hb results compared to gold-standard methods, irrespective of venous or capillary blood sampling. The data showed good agreement between the BD FACSPresto, BD FACSCalibur and Sysmex systems.

Agreement between questionnaire and medical records on some health and socioeconomic problems among poisoning cases

PubMed Central

Fathelrahman, Ahmed I

2009-01-01

Background The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the agreement between questionnaire and medical records on some health and socioeconomic problems among poisoning cases. Methods Cross-sectional sample of 100 poisoning cases consecutively admitted to the Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia during the period from September 2003 to February 2004 were studied. Data on health and socioeconomic problems were collected both by self-administered questionnaire and from medical records. Agreement between the two sets of data was assessed by calculating the concordance rate, Kappa (k) and PABAK. McNemar statistic was used to test differences between categories. Results Data collected by questionnaire and medical records showed excellent agreement on the "marital status"; good agreements on "chronic illness", "psychiatric illness", and "previous history of poisoning"; and fair agreements on "at least one health problem", and "boy-girl friends problem". PABAK values suggest better agreements' measures. Conclusion There were excellent to good agreements between questionnaire and medical records on the marital status and most of the health problems and fair to poor agreements on the majority of socioeconomic problems. The implications of those findings were discussed. PMID:19751526

19 CFR 10.451 - Originating goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.451 Originating goods. A good imported into the customs territory of the United States...

Reproducibility of dynamically represented acoustic lung images from healthy individuals

PubMed Central

Maher, T M; Gat, M; Allen, D; Devaraj, A; Wells, A U; Geddes, D M

2008-01-01

Background and aim: Acoustic lung imaging offers a unique method for visualising the lung. This study was designed to demonstrate reproducibility of acoustic lung images recorded from healthy individuals at different time points and to assess intra- and inter-rater agreement in the assessment of dynamically represented acoustic lung images. Methods: Recordings from 29 healthy volunteers were made on three separate occasions using vibration response imaging. Reproducibility was measured using quantitative, computerised assessment of vibration energy. Dynamically represented acoustic lung images were scored by six blinded raters. Results: Quantitative measurement of acoustic recordings was highly reproducible with an intraclass correlation score of 0.86 (very good agreement). Intraclass correlations for inter-rater agreement and reproducibility were 0.61 (good agreement) and 0.86 (very good agreement), respectively. There was no significant difference found between the six raters at any time point. Raters ranged from 88% to 95% in their ability to identically evaluate the different features of the same image presented to them blinded on two separate occasions. Conclusion: Acoustic lung imaging is reproducible in healthy individuals. Graphic representation of lung images can be interpreted with a high degree of accuracy by the same and by different reviewers. PMID:18024534

The Bond Dissociation Energies of 1-Butene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Langhoff, Stephen R. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The bond dissociation energies of 1-butene and several calibration systems are computed using the G2(MP2) approach. The agreement between the calibration systems and experiment is very good. The computed values for 1-butene are compared with calibration systems and the agreement between the computed results for 1-butene and the "rule of thumb" values from the smaller systems is remarkably good.

Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals on STPSat-1

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-22

mesospheric OH density profiles. It also measured the Rayleigh scattered background from the clear atmosphere and solar scattering from polar mesospheric... Microwave Limb Sounder OH data shows good agreement between 60 and 90 km altitude for several latitudes and seasons. We also find good agreement of the... background signals observed by SHIMMER and MAHRSI under similar lighting conditions revealed that MAHRSI radiances are systematically smaller than

The passive transfer of immunity to Taenia ovis in lambs via colostrum.

PubMed

Sutton, R J

1979-09-01

Colostrum from ewes that had been repeatedly exposed to cestode infection, whether or not their immunity was boosted by vaccination with Taenia ovis, transferred a strong immunity to the lambs. Susceptible ewes, not recently exposed to tapeworm eggs, gave no protection to their lambs via the colostrum. There was no evidence that colostrum-deprived lambs were more susceptible to infection with T ovis than lambs that received colostrum from non-immune ewes. Colostrum from naturally immune vaccinated ewes gave good protection to lambs for up to six weeks but thereafter the effect was variable. The immunity that developed in susceptible ewes after vaccination with activated embryos was not passed on to the lambs via the colostrum.

A multimedia fate and chemical transport modeling system for pesticides: II. Model evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Rong; Scholtz, M. Trevor; Yang, Fuquan; Sloan, James J.

2011-07-01

Pesticides have adverse health effects and can be transported over long distances to contaminate sensitive ecosystems. To address problems caused by environmental pesticides we developed a multimedia multi-pollutant modeling system, and here we present an evaluation of the model by comparing modeled results against measurements. The modeled toxaphene air concentrations for two sites, in Louisiana (LA) and Michigan (MI), are in good agreement with measurements (average concentrations agree to within a factor of 2). Because the residue inventory showed no soil residues at these two sites, resulting in no emissions, the concentrations must be caused by transport; the good agreement between the modeled and measured concentrations suggests that the model simulates atmospheric transport accurately. Compared to the LA and MI sites, the measured air concentrations at two other sites having toxaphene soil residues leading to emissions, in Indiana and Arkansas, showed more pronounced seasonal variability (higher in warmer months); this pattern was also captured by the model. The model-predicted toxaphene concentration fraction on particles (0.5-5%) agrees well with measurement-based estimates (3% or 6%). There is also good agreement between modeled and measured dry (1:1) and wet (within a factor of less than 2) depositions in Lake Ontario. Additionally this study identified erroneous soil residue data around a site in Texas in a published US toxaphene residue inventory, which led to very low modeled air concentrations at this site. Except for the erroneous soil residue data around this site, the good agreement between the modeled and observed results implies that both the US and Mexican toxaphene soil residue inventories are reasonably good. This agreement also suggests that the modeling system is capable of simulating the important physical and chemical processes in the multimedia compartments.

19 CFR 10.605 - Goods classifiable as goods put up in sets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.605 Goods classifiable as goods... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Goods classifiable as goods put up in sets. 10.605 Section 10.605 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

Physiotherapist agreement when visually rating movement quality during lower extremity functional screening tests.

PubMed

Whatman, Chris; Hing, Wayne; Hume, Patria

2012-05-01

To investigate physiotherapist agreement in rating movement quality during lower extremity functional tests using two visual rating methods and physiotherapists with differing clinical experience. Clinical measurement. Six healthy individuals were rated by 44 physiotherapists. These raters were in three groups (inexperienced, novice, experienced). Video recordings of all six individuals performing four lower extremity functional tests were visually rated (dichotomous or ordinal scale) using two rating methods (overall or segment) on two occasions separated by 3-4 weeks. Intra and inter-rater agreement for physiotherapists was determined using overall percentage agreement (OPA) and the first order agreement coefficient (AC1). Intra-rater agreement for overall and segment methods ranged from slight to almost perfect (OPA: 29-96%, AC1: 0.01 to 0.96). AC1 agreement was better in the experienced group (84-99% likelihood) and for dichotomous rating (97-100% likelihood). Inter-rater agreement ranged from fair to good (OPA: 45-79%; AC1: 0.22-0.71). AC1 agreement was not influenced by clinical experience but was again better using dichotomous rating. Physiotherapists' visual rating of movement quality during lower extremity functional tests resulted in slight to almost perfect intra-rater agreement and fair to good inter-rater agreement. Agreement improved with increased level of clinical experience and use of dichotomous rating. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pancake Ice Thickness Mapping in the Beaufort Sea From Wave Dispersion Observed in SAR Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wadhams, P.; Aulicino, G.; Parmiggiani, F.; Persson, P. O. G.; Holt, B.

2018-03-01

The early autumn voyage of RV Sikuliaq to the southern Beaufort Sea in 2015 offered very favorable opportunities for observing the properties and thicknesses of frazil-pancake ice types. The operational region was overlaid by a dense network of retrieved satellite imagery, including synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed (CSK). This enabled us to fully test and apply the SAR-waves technique, first developed by Wadhams and Holt (1991), for deriving the thickness of frazil-pancake icefields from changed wave dispersion. A line of subimages from a main SAR image (usually CSK) is analyzed running into the ice along the main wave direction. Each subimage is spectrally analyzed to yield a wave number spectrum, and the change in the shape of the spectrum between open water and ice, or between two thicknesses of ice, is interpreted in terms of the viscous equations governing wave propagation in frazil-pancake ice. For each of the case studies considered here, there was good or acceptable agreement on thickness between the extensive in situ observations and the SAR-wave calculation. In addition, the SAR-wave analysis gave, parametrically, effective viscosities for the ice covering a consistent and narrow range of 0.03-0.05 m2 s-1.

A case study on the in silico absorption simulations of levothyroxine sodium immediate-release tablets.

PubMed

Kocic, Ivana; Homsek, Irena; Dacevic, Mirjana; Grbic, Sandra; Parojcic, Jelena; Vucicevic, Katarina; Prostran, Milica; Miljkovic, Branislava

2012-04-01

The aim of this case study was to develop a drug-specific absorption model for levothyroxine (LT4) using mechanistic gastrointestinal simulation technology (GIST) implemented in the GastroPlus™ software package. The required input parameters were determined experimentally, in silico predicted and/or taken from the literature. The simulated plasma profile was similar and in a good agreement with the data observed in the in vivo bioequivalence study, indicating that the GIST model gave an accurate prediction of LT4 oral absorption. Additionally, plasma concentration-time profiles were simulated based on a set of experimental and virtual in vitro dissolution data in order to estimate the influence of different in vitro drug dissolution kinetics on the simulated plasma profiles and to identify biorelevant dissolution specification for LT4 immediate-release (IR) tablets. A set of experimental and virtual in vitro data was also used for correlation purposes. In vitro-in vivo correlation model based on the convolution approach was applied in order to assess the relationship between the in vitro and in vivo data. The obtained results suggest that dissolution specification of more than 85% LT4 dissolved in 60 min might be considered as biorelevant dissolution specification criteria for LT4 IR tablets. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quantitative comparisons between experimentally measured 2D carbon radiation and Monte Carlo impurity (MCI) code simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, T. E.; Finkenthal, D. F.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; Leonard, A. W.; Porter, G. D.; West, W. P.

Experimentally measured carbon line emissions and total radiated power distributions from the DIII-D divertor and scrape-off layer (SOL) are compared to those calculated with the Monte Carlo impurity (MCI) model. A UEDGE [T.D. Rognlien et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 196-198 (1992) 347] background plasma is used in MCI with the Roth and Garcia-Rosales (RG-R) chemical sputtering model [J. Roth, C. García-Rosales, Nucl. Fusion 36 (1992) 196] and/or one of six physical sputtering models. While results from these simulations do not reproduce all of the features seen in the experimentally measured radiation patterns, the total radiated power calculated in MCI is in relatively good agreement with that measured by the DIII-D bolometric system when the Smith78 [D.L. Smith, J. Nucl. Mater. 75 (1978) 20] physical sputtering model is coupled to RG-R chemical sputtering in an unaltered UEDGE plasma. Alternatively, MCI simulations done with UEDGE background ion temperatures along the divertor target plates adjusted to better match those measured in the experiment resulted in three physical sputtering models which when coupled to the RG-R model gave a total radiated power that was within 10% of measured value.

Effect of helmet liner systems and impact directions on severity of head injuries sustained in ballistic impacts: a finite element (FE) study.

PubMed

Tse, Kwong Ming; Tan, Long Bin; Yang, Bin; Tan, Vincent Beng Chye; Lee, Heow Pueh

2017-04-01

The current study aims to investigate the effectiveness of two different designs of helmet interior cushion, (Helmet 1: strap-netting; Helmet 2: Oregon Aero foam-padding), and the effect of the impact directions on the helmeted head during ballistic impact. Series of ballistic impact simulations (frontal, lateral, rear, and top) of a full-metal-jacketed bullet were performed on a validated finite element head model equipped with the two helmets, to assess the severity of head injuries sustained in ballistic impacts using both head kinematics and biomechanical metrics. Benchmarking with experimental ventricular and intracranial pressures showed that there is good agreement between the simulations and experiments. In terms of extracranial injuries, top impact had the highest skull stress, still without fracturing the skull. In regard to intracranial injuries, both the lateral and rear impacts generally gave the highest principal strains as well as highest shear strains, which exceed the injury thresholds. Off-cushion impacts were found to be at higher risk of intracranial injuries. The study also showed that the Oregon Aero foam pads helped to reduce impact forces. It also suggested that more padding inserts of smaller size may offer better protection. This provides some insights on future's helmet design against ballistic threats.

Life test results of OLED-XL long-life devices for use in active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays for head mounted applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellowes, David A.; Wood, Michael V.; Hastings, Arthur R., Jr.; Ghosh, Amalkumar P.; Prache, Olivier

2007-04-01

eMagin Corporation has recently developed long-life OLED-XL devices for use in their AMOLED microdisplays for head-worn applications. AMOLED displays have been known to exhibit high levels of performance with regards to contrast, response time, uniformity, and viewing angle, but a lifetime improvement has been perceived to be essential for broadening the applications of OLED's in the military and in the commercial market. The new OLED-XL devices gave the promise of improvements in usable lifetime over 6X what the standard full color, white, and green devices could provide. The US Army's RDECOM CERDEC NVESD performed life tests on several standard and OLED-XL panels from eMagin under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Displays were tested at room temperature, utilizing eMagin's Design Reference Kit driver, allowing computer controlled optimization, brightness adjustment, and manual temperature compensation. The OLED Usable Lifetime Model, developed under a previous NVESD/eMagin SPIE paper presented at DSS 2005, has been adjusted based on the findings of these tests. The result is a better understanding of the applicability of AMOLEDs in military and commercial head mounted systems: where good fits are made, and where further development might be needed.

Theoretical modeling and experimental validation of a torsional piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Feng; Zhou, Wanlu; Kaluvan, Suresh; Zhang, Haifeng; Zuo, Lei

2018-04-01

Vibration energy harvesting has been extensively studied in recent years to explore a continuous power source for sensor networks and low-power electronics. Torsional vibration widely exists in mechanical engineering; however, it has not yet been well exploited for energy harvesting. This paper presents a theoretical model and an experimental validation of a torsional vibration energy harvesting system comprised of a shaft and a shear mode piezoelectric transducer. The piezoelectric transducer position on the surface of the shaft is parameterized by two variables that are optimized to obtain the maximum power output. The piezoelectric transducer can work in d 15 mode (pure shear mode), coupled mode of d 31 and d 33, and coupled mode of d 33, d 31 and d 15, respectively, when attached at different angles. Approximate expressions of voltage and power are derived from the theoretical model, which gave predictions in good agreement with analytical solutions. Physical interpretations on the implicit relationship between the power output and the position parameters of the piezoelectric transducer is given based on the derived approximate expression. The optimal position and angle of the piezoelectric transducer is determined, in which case, the transducer works in the coupled mode of d 15, d 31 and d 33.

The Influence of the External Signal Modulation Waveform and Frequency on the Performance of a Photonic Forced Oscillator.

PubMed

Sánchez-Castro, Noemi; Palomino-Ovando, Martha Alicia; Estrada-Wiese, Denise; Valladares, Nydia Xcaret; Del Río, Jesus Antonio; de la Mora, Maria Beatriz; Doti, Rafael; Faubert, Jocelyn; Lugo, Jesus Eduardo

2018-05-21

Photonic crystals have been an object of interest because of their properties to inhibit certain wavelengths and allow the transmission of others. Using these properties, we designed a photonic structure known as photodyne formed by two porous silicon one-dimensional photonic crystals with an air defect between them. When the photodyne is illuminated with appropriate light, it allows us to generate electromagnetic forces within the structure that can be maximized if the light becomes localized inside the defect region. These electromagnetic forces allow the microcavity to oscillate mechanically. In the experiment, a chopper was driven by a signal generator to modulate the laser light that was used. The driven frequency and the signal modulation waveform (rectangular, sinusoidal or triangular) were changed with the idea to find optimal conditions for the structure to oscillate. The microcavity displacement amplitude, velocity amplitude and Fourier spectrum of the latter and its frequency were measured by means of a vibrometer. The mechanical oscillations are modeled and compared with the experimental results and show good agreement. For external frequency values of 5 Hz and 10 Hz, the best option was a sinusoidal waveform, which gave higher photodyne displacements and velocity amplitudes. Nonetheless, for an external frequency of 15 Hz, the best option was the rectangular waveform.

The Influence of the External Signal Modulation Waveform and Frequency on the Performance of a Photonic Forced Oscillator

PubMed Central

Sánchez-Castro, Noemi; Palomino-Ovando, Martha Alicia; Estrada-Wiese, Denise; Valladares, Nydia Xcaret; del Río, Jesus Antonio; Doti, Rafael; Faubert, Jocelyn; Lugo, Jesus Eduardo

2018-01-01

Photonic crystals have been an object of interest because of their properties to inhibit certain wavelengths and allow the transmission of others. Using these properties, we designed a photonic structure known as photodyne formed by two porous silicon one-dimensional photonic crystals with an air defect between them. When the photodyne is illuminated with appropriate light, it allows us to generate electromagnetic forces within the structure that can be maximized if the light becomes localized inside the defect region. These electromagnetic forces allow the microcavity to oscillate mechanically. In the experiment, a chopper was driven by a signal generator to modulate the laser light that was used. The driven frequency and the signal modulation waveform (rectangular, sinusoidal or triangular) were changed with the idea to find optimal conditions for the structure to oscillate. The microcavity displacement amplitude, velocity amplitude and Fourier spectrum of the latter and its frequency were measured by means of a vibrometer. The mechanical oscillations are modeled and compared with the experimental results and show good agreement. For external frequency values of 5 Hz and 10 Hz, the best option was a sinusoidal waveform, which gave higher photodyne displacements and velocity amplitudes. Nonetheless, for an external frequency of 15 Hz, the best option was the rectangular waveform. PMID:29883393

Surfactant-assisted emulsification dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction using 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone as a chelating agent coupled with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the speciation of chromium in water and rice samples.

PubMed

Dokpikul, Nattawut; Chaiyasith, Wipharat Chuachuad; Sananmuang, Ratana; Ampiah-Bonney, Richmond J

2018-04-25

A novel method was developed by SAE-DLLME for chromium speciation in water and rice samples using 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) as a chelating reagent by ETAAS. The speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was achieved by complexation of Cr(III)-TTA and the total Cr was measured after reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 0.02-2.50 µg L -1 , with a detection limit of 0.0052 µg L -1 . The %RSD was in range of 2.90-3.30% at 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 µg L -1 of Cr(III), n = 5 and the EF was 54.47. The method was applied to chromium speciation and total chromium determination in real samples and gave recoveries in the range of 96.2-103.5% and 97.1-102.7% for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in water samples and 93.7-103.5% of total Cr in rice samples. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by analysis of SRM 1573a with good agreement compared to the certified value. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spectroscopic and DFT studies of flurbiprofen as dimer and its Cu(II) and Hg(II) complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagdinc, Seda; Pir, Hacer

2009-07-01

The vibrational study in the solid state of flurbiprofen and its Cu(II) and Hg(II) complexes was performed by IR and Raman spectroscopy. The changes observed between the IR and Raman spectra of the ligand and of the complexes allowed us to establish the coordination mode of the metal in both complexes. The comparative vibrational analysis of the free ligand and its complexes gave evidence that flurbiprofen binds metal (II) through the carboxylate oxygen. The fully optimized equilibrium structure of flurbiprofen and its metal complexes was obtained by density functional B3LYP method by using LanL2DZ and 6-31 G(d,p) basis sets. The harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman scattering activities of flurbiprofen were calculated by density functional B3LYP methods by using 6-31G(d,p) basis set. The scaled theoretical wavenumbers showed very good agreement with the experimental values. The electronic properties of the free molecule and its complexes were also performed at B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Detailed interpretations of the infrared and Raman spectra of flurbiprofen are reported. The UV-vis spectra of flurbiprofen and its metal complexes were also investigated in organic solvents.

Optical Fourier filtering for whole lens assessment of progressive power lenses.

PubMed

Spiers, T; Hull, C C

2000-07-01

Four binary filter designs for use in an optical Fourier filtering set-up were evaluated when taking quantitative measurements and when qualitatively mapping the power variation of progressive power lenses (PPLs). The binary filters tested were concentric ring, linear grating, grid and "chevron" designs. The chevron filter was considered best for quantitative measurements since it permitted a vernier acuity task to be used for measuring the fringe spacing, significantly reducing errors, and it also gave information on the polarity of the lens power. The linear grating filter was considered best for qualitatively evaluating the power variation. Optical Fourier filtering and a Nidek automatic focimeter were then used to measure the powers in the distance and near portions of five PPLs of differing design. Mean measurement error was 0.04 D with a maximum value of 0.13 D. Good qualitative agreement was found between the iso-cylinder plots provided by the manufacturer and the Fourier filter fringe patterns for the PPLs indicating that optical Fourier filtering provides the ability to map the power distribution across the entire lens aperture without the need for multiple point measurements. Arguments are presented that demonstrate that it should be possible to derive both iso-sphere and iso-cylinder plots from the binary filter patterns.

Influence of internal composition on physicochemical properties of alginate aqueous-core capsules.

PubMed

Ben Messaoud, Ghazi; Sánchez-González, Laura; Probst, Laurent; Desobry, Stéphane

2016-05-01

To enhance physicochemical properties of alginate aqueous-core capsules, conventional strategies were focused in literature on designing composite and coated capsules. In the present study, own effect of liquid-core composition on mechanical and release properties was investigated. Capsules were prepared by dripping a CaCl2 solution into an alginate gelling solution. Viscosity of CaCl2 solution was adjusted by adding cationic, anionic and non-ionic naturally derived polymers, respectively chitosan, xanthan gum and guar gum. In parallel, uniform alginate hydrogels were prepared by different methods (pouring, in situ forming and mixing). Mechanical stability of capsules and plane hydrogels were respectively evaluated by compression experiments and small amplitude oscillatory shear rheology and then correlated. Capsules permeability was evaluated by monitoring diffusion of encapsulated cochineal dye, riboflavin and BSA. The core-shell interactions were investigated by ATR-FTIR. Results showed that inner polymer had an impact on membrane stability and could act as an internal coating or provide mechanical reinforcement. Mechanical properties of alginate capsules were in a good agreement with rheological behavior of plane hydrogels. Release behavior of the entrapped molecules changed considerably. This study demonstrated the importance of aqueous-core composition, and gave new insights for possible adjusting of microcapsules physicochemical properties by modulating core-shell interactions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A portable and affordable extensional rheometer for field testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallmark, Bart; Bryan, Matthew; Bosson, Ed; Butler, Simon; Hoier, Tom; Magens, Ole; Pistre, Nicolas; Pratt, Lee; Ward, Betsy-Ann; Wibberley, Sam; Wilson, D. Ian

2016-12-01

Extensional shear testing is often needed to characterise the behaviour of complex fluids found in industry and nature. Traditional extensional rheometers are typically expensive, fragile and heavy and are only suited to making measurements in a laboratory environment. For some applications, it is necessary to make in situ rheological measurements where, for example, fluid properties change rapidly over time or where laboratory facilities are unavailable. This paper reports the development and validation of an inexpensive, lightweight and robust ‘open source’ extensional rheometer, Seymour II. Validation was carried out experimentally and computationally. Measurements on a Newtonian fluid (492 mPa s Brookfield silicone oil) yielded results of 510  ±  51 mPa s; these are comfortably within the range of  ±10% which other authors have quoted for extensional techniques using laboratory rheometers. Comparison of the observed filament thinning dynamics to those obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) gave good qualitative agreement. Use of Seymour II at the University of Cambridge Botanic Gardens revealed that the mucilage of the ‘crane flower’, Strelitzia reginae, was a viscoelastic fluid whose extensional response could be described by a two-mode Giesekus equation. Engineering drawings and image analysis code for Seymour II are available for download at the project website, www.seymourII.org/.

19 CFR 10.761 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement General... applicable to imported goods under the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (the MFTA) signed on June 15, 2004, and under the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 118...

19 CFR 10.501 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement General... applicable to imported goods under the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (the SFTA) signed on May 6, 2003, and under the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 117...

32 CFR 37.580 - What is recovery of funds and when should I consider including it in my TIA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD GRANT AND AGREEMENT REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business.... Recovery of funds is a good tool in the right circumstances, at the discretion of the agreements officer...

32 CFR 37.580 - What is recovery of funds and when should I consider including it in my TIA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD GRANT AND AGREEMENT REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business.... Recovery of funds is a good tool in the right circumstances, at the discretion of the agreements officer...

Investigating Various Thresholds as Immunohistochemistry Cutoffs for Observer Agreement.

PubMed

Ali, Asif; Bell, Sarah; Bilsland, Alan; Slavin, Jill; Lynch, Victoria; Elgoweini, Maha; Derakhshan, Mohammad H; Jamieson, Nigel B; Chang, David; Brown, Victoria; Denley, Simon; Orange, Clare; McKay, Colin; Carter, Ross; Oien, Karin A; Duthie, Fraser R

2017-10-01

Clinical translation of immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers requires reliable and reproducible cutoffs or thresholds for interpretation of immunostaining. Most IHC biomarker research focuses on the clinical relevance (diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive utility) of cutoffs, with less emphasis on observer agreement using these cutoffs. From the literature, we identified 3 commonly used cutoffs of 10% positive epithelial cells, 20% positive epithelial cells, and moderate to strong staining intensity (+2/+3 hereafter) to use for investigating observer agreement. A series of 36 images of microarray cores stained for 4 different IHC biomarkers, with variable staining intensity and percentage of positive cells, was used for investigating interobserver and intraobserver agreement. Seven pathologists scored the immunostaining in each image using the 3 cutoffs for positive and negative staining. Kappa (κ) statistic was used to assess the strength of agreement for each cutoff. The interobserver agreement between all 7 pathologists using the 3 cutoffs was reasonably good, with mean κ scores of 0.64, 0.59, and 0.62, respectively, for 10%, 20%, and +2/+3 cutoffs. A good agreement was observed for experienced pathologists using the 10% cutoff, and their agreement was statistically higher than for junior pathologists (P=0.02). In addition, the mean intraobserver agreement for all 7 pathologists using the 3 cutoffs was reasonably good, with mean κ scores of 0.71, 0.60, and 0.73, respectively, for 10%, 20%, and +2/+3 cutoffs. For all 3 cutoffs, a positive correlation was observed with perceived ease of interpretation (P<0.003). Finally, cytoplasmic-only staining achieved higher agreement using all 3 cutoffs than mixed staining patterns. All 3 cutoffs investigated achieve reasonable strength of agreement, modestly decreasing interobserver and intraobserver variability in IHC interpretation. These cutoffs have previously been used in cancer pathology, and this study provides evidence that these cutoffs can be reproducible between practicing pathologists.

Agreement between self-reported data on medicine use and prescription records vary according to method of analysis and therapeutic group.

PubMed

Nielsen, Merete Willemoes; Søndergaard, Birthe; Kjøller, Mette; Hansen, Ebba Holme

2008-09-01

This study compared national self-reported data on medicine use and national prescription records at the individual level. Data from the nationally representative Danish health survey conducted in 2000 (n=16,688) were linked at the individual level to national prescription records covering 1999-2000. Kappa statistics and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Applying the legend time method to medicine groups used mainly on a chronic basis revealed good to very good agreement between the two data sources, whereas medicines used as needed showed fair to moderate agreement. When a fixed-time window was applied for analysis, agreement was unchanged for medicines used mainly on a chronic basis, whereas agreement increased somewhat compared to the legend time method when analyzing medicines used as needed. Agreement between national self-reported data and national prescription records differed according to method of analysis and therapeutic group. A fixed-time window is an appropriate method of analysis for most therapeutic groups.

Pine breeding in the United States

Treesearch

J. W. Duffield; Palmer Stockwell

1950-01-01

Trees fit into the general rule that (the plants and animals which nature gave us have not been considered quite good enough. For millions of years, it is true, nature has developed a breathtaking variety of forms, each wonderfully adapted to its surroundings. Changes in climate or the conformation of the earth's surface have caused the extinction of some forms...

On the Post Hoc Power in Testing Mean Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Ke-Hai; Maxwell, Scott

2005-01-01

Retrospective or post hoc power analysis is recommended by reviewers and editors of many journals. Little literature has been found that gave a serious study of the post hoc power. When the sample size is large, the observed effect size is a good estimator of the true power. This article studies whether such a power estimator provides valuable…

Localized blastomycosis-like pyoderma with good response to cotrimoxazol and cryotherapy.

PubMed

Su, Ozlem; Demirkesen, Cuyan; Onsun, Nahide

2004-05-01

Blastomycosis-like pyoderma is an unusual, exaggerated, vegetative-tissue reaction to a prolonged primary or secondary bacterial infection. It is a rare disease, usually seen in immunocompromized patients. We report a case of localized blastomycosis-like pyoderma responding poorly to classic treatments, but that gave a dramatic response to a combination treatment of cotrimoxazol and cryotherapy.

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of Dracontomelon dao.

PubMed

Khan, M R; Omoloso, A D

2002-07-01

The crude methanolic extracts of the leaves, stem and root barks of Drancantomelon dao and their subsequent partitioning (petrol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol) gave fractions which demonstrated a very good level of broad spectrum antibacterial activity. The dichloromethane and butanol fractions of the leaf were the most active. Only the leaf fractions had antifungal activity, particularly the dichloromethane and butanol.

Some Applications of Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-08-01

heated probe - E1 mass spectra of certain metal carboxylates 3 , where M4 (OCOR)60 is often the parent vapour-phase species. In fact, Zn3 (OCOCH 3)30+ is...using FABMS(1 7J. A Rhodium based catalyst complex also gave good spectra(1)- Metal carboxylates are common corrosion products(1 3 ). Figure 10 shows the

The 1980-81 AFOSR-HTTM-Stanford Conference on Complex Turbulent Flows: Comparison of Computation & Experiment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

1968, 1969 and 1972 Confereaces. Zec -tain items at. the list delineate problems needing research (reattachment zones, *iv/bou j.Azy layer interactions...viscous energy equation--each in unaveraged form. As Peter Bradshaw has put it, God gave us one good model. Why should there be another model that is

Can journalistic "false balance" distort public perception of consensus in expert opinion?

PubMed

Koehler, Derek J

2016-03-01

Media critics have expressed concern that journalistic "false balance" can distort the public's perceptions of what ought to be noncontroversial subjects (e.g., climate change). I report several experiments testing the influence of presenting conflicting comments from 2 experts who disagree on an issue (balance condition) in addition to a complete count of the number of experts on a panel who favor either side. Compared with a control condition, who received only the complete count, participants in the balance condition gave ratings of the perceived agreement among the experts that did not discriminate as clearly between issues with and without strong expert consensus. Participants in the balance condition also perceived less agreement among the experts in general, and were less likely to think that there was enough agreement among experts on the high-consensus issues to guide government policy. Evidently, "false balance" can distort perceptions of expert opinion even when participants would seem to have all the information needed to correct for its influence. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of Solar Eclipses in El Nino/La Nina Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, B. C.

2005-08-01

The first hint of the fact that solar eclipses mark the enhanced storms called El Nino or La Nina, came from the article by Robert Allan on analysis of frequencies of these events (2001, perhaps Fourier analysis). One mystery was the cause of a cycle with period 15 to 20 years. But the Saros Series of solar eclipses has a period of 18+ years. Then we had the data from Galapagos Islands for the whole 20th century (Philander 2004). The graph of high and low temperatures indicates El Ninos and La Ninas. A search through charts of solar eclipses for those with good locations for bringing high tides at the Tropics, gave a good picture: those at the eastern coast of the pacific Ocean gave El Ninos, and those at the west gave La Ninas. More than half of the peaks and troughs on the temperature graph can be identified with solar eclipses. We looked more closely at a few events that caused great storms. They are described in J. M. Nash's book, ``El Nino" (2002). The most striking case is that of the 1998 Feb. 22 solar eclipse, which corresponds to the so-called El Nino of 1997-98. In conclusion, I would say that the annual El nino effect is due to the sun's travel between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. But the enhanced El Niino/La Nina is due to the coming together of sun and moon in the solar eclipses, which seem to come irregularly.

Normal modes of a small gamelan gong.

PubMed

Perrin, Robert; Elford, Daniel P; Chalmers, Luke; Swallowe, Gerry M; Moore, Thomas R; Hamdan, Sinin; Halkon, Benjamin J

2014-10-01

Studies have been made of the normal modes of a 20.7 cm diameter steel gamelan gong. A finite-element model has been constructed and its predictions for normal modes compared with experimental results obtained using electronic speckle pattern interferometry. Agreement was reasonable in view of the lack of precision in the manufacture of the instrument. The results agree with expectations for an axially symmetric system subject to small symmetry breaking. The extent to which the results obey Chladni's law is discussed. Comparison with vibrational and acoustical spectra enabled the identification of the small number of modes responsible for the sound output when played normally. Evidence of non-linear behavior was found, mainly in the form of subharmonics of true modes. Experiments using scanning laser Doppler vibrometry gave satisfactory agreement with the other methods.

Information Technology Management: DoD Organization Information Assurance Management of Information Technology Goods and Services Acquired Through Interagency Agreements

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-23

Information Technology Management Department of Defense Office of Inspector General February 23, 2006 AccountabilityIntegrityQuality DoD...Organization Information Assurance Management of Information Technology Goods and Services Acquired Through Interagency Agreements (D-2006-052) Report...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2006 to 00-00-2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Information Technology Management: DoD Organization Information

Heat-transfer distributions on a 0.013-scale shuttle solid rocket booster at Mach 3.70 and angles of attack from 0 deg to 180 deg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamb, M.; Stallings, R. L., Jr.

1976-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel to estimate the peak aerodynamic heating on the space shuttle solid rocket booster during the descent phase of its flight. Heat transfer measurements were obtained using 0.013 scale models instrumented with thermocouples at a Mach number of 3.70, Reynolds number per meter of 11.48 million, and angles of attack from 0 to 180 deg. At angles of attack of 0 and 180 deg, heat transfer measurements on the cylindrical section of the model between the conical nose and ring interaction region were in good agreement with flat plate strip theory for laminar and turbulent flow. At angles of attack up to 30 deg, measurements on this section of the model were in good agreement with laminar swept-cylinder theory, whereas at angles of attack from 120 to 180 deg, the measurements were in good agreement with turbulent swept-cylinder theory. The good agreement with turbulent theory indicated that large flow disturbances created by the nozzle and afterbody flare at these large angles of attack influenced the downstream heating primarily by promoting boundary layer transition. Measurements obtained at 90 deg angle of attack were indicative of laminar flow.

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.764 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

Indium/TFA-catalyzed synthesis of tetracyclic [6,5,5,6] indole ring, via a tandem cycloannulation of β-oxodithioester with tryptamine.

PubMed

Singh, Thokchom Prasanta; Bhattarcharya, Suman; Singh, Okram Mukherjee

2013-04-19

The cycloannulation of β-oxodithioesters and tryptamine in dichloromethane in the presence of a catalytic amount of InCl3 and TFA gave the novel 5-aryl/heteroaryl 2a(1),9b-dihydro-1H-2a,5a-diaza-cyclopenta[jk]fluorene-3(2H)-thiones in moderate to good yields. The reaction was proposed to involve a tandem transformation of thioamide, protonation, and dehydrative cyclization. KMnO4-oxidation of these newly prepared compounds yielded oxidative desulfurization products in good yields.

Toe-to-hand transfer.

PubMed

Yoshimura, M

1980-07-01

Toe-to-hand transfer was performed in 28 patients, involving 33 fingers, using microvascular technique. Of this number, 26 patients (31 fingers) had experienced trauma, and the remaining 2 patients (2 fingers) had a congenital deformity. The toew used for grafting were the great toe (1), the second tow (30), and third toe (2). Success was achieved in all cases, sensory recovery was good, and remarkable improvement was attained in function and cosmetic appearance. Metacarpal hand, amputation of thumb, and amputation thumb and three fingers were good indications for this procedure, which gave satisfactory aesthetic results, even in patients with amputation of single digits.

Theory and Practice in Nature Conservation - Where to Seek Sustainability?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirek, Zbigniew; Witkowski, Zbigniew

2017-12-01

Contemporary nature conservation is the subject of serious disputes, with biocentrists emphasising the superiority of the good of nature, while anthropocentrists believe that conservation space should also take account of the good of humankind. The dispute concerns two very important values perceived differently, and not resolvable within any scientifi c framework. The authors postulate a return to the Christian roots of our civilisation. It was God who gave human beings the goods He had created, expecting them to be used in line with His plan. The man who lost God's plan, destroys the life of nature as well as his own. The postulated solution is the proper shaping of conscience, to condition biodiversity conservation in line with the idea of sustainable development.

An automated microplate-based method for monitoring DNA strand breaks in plasmids and bacterial artificial chromosomes

PubMed Central

Rock, Cassandra; Shamlou, Parviz Ayazi; Levy, M. Susana

2003-01-01

A method is described for high-throughput monitoring of DNA backbone integrity in plasmids and artificial chromosomes in solution. The method is based on the denaturation properties of double-stranded DNA in alkaline conditions and uses PicoGreen fluorochrome to monitor denaturation. In the present method, fluorescence enhancement of PicoGreen at pH 12.4 is normalised by its value at pH 8 to give a ratio that is proportional to the average backbone integrity of the DNA molecules in the sample. A good regression fit (r2 > 0.98) was obtained when results derived from the present method and those derived from agarose gel electrophoresis were compared. Spiking experiments indicated that the method is sensitive enough to detect a proportion of 6% (v/v) molecules with an average of less than two breaks per molecule. Under manual operation, validation parameters such as inter-assay and intra-assay variation gave values of <5% coefficient of variation. Automation of the method showed equivalence to the manual procedure with high reproducibility and low variability within wells. The method described requires as little as 0.5 ng of DNA per well and a 96-well microplate can be analysed in 12 min providing an attractive option for analysis of high molecular weight vectors. A preparation of a 116 kb bacterial artificial chromosome was subjected to chemical and shear degradation and DNA integrity was tested using the method. Good correlation was obtained between time of chemical degradation and shear rate with fluorescence response. Results obtained from pulsed- field electrophoresis of sheared samples were in agreement with those obtained using the microplate-based method. PMID:12771229

Artificial neural network modeling and optimization of ultrahigh pressure extraction of green tea polyphenols.

PubMed

Xi, Jun; Xue, Yujing; Xu, Yinxiang; Shen, Yuhong

2013-11-01

In this study, the ultrahigh pressure extraction of green tea polyphenols was modeled and optimized by a three-layer artificial neural network. A feed-forward neural network trained with an error back-propagation algorithm was used to evaluate the effects of pressure, liquid/solid ratio and ethanol concentration on the total phenolic content of green tea extracts. The neural network coupled with genetic algorithms was also used to optimize the conditions needed to obtain the highest yield of tea polyphenols. The obtained optimal architecture of artificial neural network model involved a feed-forward neural network with three input neurons, one hidden layer with eight neurons and one output layer including single neuron. The trained network gave the minimum value in the MSE of 0.03 and the maximum value in the R(2) of 0.9571, which implied a good agreement between the predicted value and the actual value, and confirmed a good generalization of the network. Based on the combination of neural network and genetic algorithms, the optimum extraction conditions for the highest yield of green tea polyphenols were determined as follows: 498.8 MPa for pressure, 20.8 mL/g for liquid/solid ratio and 53.6% for ethanol concentration. The total phenolic content of the actual measurement under the optimum predicated extraction conditions was 582.4 ± 0.63 mg/g DW, which was well matched with the predicted value (597.2mg/g DW). This suggests that the artificial neural network model described in this work is an efficient quantitative tool to predict the extraction efficiency of green tea polyphenols. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of experimentally and theoretically determined radiation characteristics of photosynthetic microorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandilian, Razmig; Pruvost, Jérémy; Artu, Arnaud; Lemasson, Camille; Legrand, Jack; Pilon, Laurent

2016-05-01

This paper aims to experimentally and directly validate a recent theoretical method for predicting the radiation characteristics of photosynthetic microorganisms. Such predictions would facilitate light transfer analysis in photobioreactors (PBRs) to control their operation and to maximize their production of biofuel and other high-value products. The state of the art experimental method can be applied to microorganisms of any shape and inherently accounts for their non-spherical and heterogeneous nature. On the other hand, the theoretical method treats the microorganisms as polydisperse homogeneous spheres with some effective optical properties. The absorption index is expressed as the weighted sum of the pigment mass absorption cross-sections and the refractive index is estimated based on the subtractive Kramers-Kronig relationship given an anchor refractive index and wavelength. Here, particular attention was paid to green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii grown under nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-limited conditions and to Chlorella vulgaris grown under nitrogen-replete conditions. First, relatively good agreement was found between the two methods for determining the mass absorption and scattering cross-sections and the asymmetry factor of both nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-limited C. reinhardtii with the proper anchor point. However, the homogeneous sphere approximation significantly overestimated the absorption cross-section of C. vulgaris cells. The latter were instead modeled as polydisperse coated spheres consisting of an absorbing core containing pigments and a non-absorbing but strongly refracting wall made of sporopollenin. The coated sphere approximation gave good predictions of the experimentally measured integral radiation characteristics of C. vulgaris. In both cases, the homogeneous and coated sphere approximations predicted resonance in the scattering phase function that were not observed experimentally. However, these approximations were sufficiently accurate to predict the fluence rate and local rate of photon absorption in PBRs.

A Time for Flexible Donor Agreements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Gerald B.

2003-01-01

Discusses why volatile markets and new donor expectations make now a good time to rework payout rates and gift agreements to bolster financial and strategic performance. Suggests seven options for action. (EV)

Agreement between FRAX scores calculated with and without bone mineral density in women with osteopenia in Turkey.

PubMed

Olmez Sarikaya, Nese; Kapar Yavasi, Secil; Tan, Gulten; Satiroglu, Servet; Yildiz, Arife Hilal; Oz, Bengi; Yoleri, Ozlem; Memis, Asuman

2014-12-01

This study aimed to analyze the agreement between FRAX scores calculated with and without femoral neck (FN) bone mineral density (BMD) and to investigate the resultant treatment recommendations in women with osteopenia. A cross-sectional review of postmenopausal women who were referred for DXA evaluation was conducted. One hundred twenty-nine postmenopausal women aged 40 years and older with osteopenia [FN T-score between -1 and (-2.5)] were recruited for the study. Absolute agreement between FRAX scores calculated with and without BMD was analyzed by intraclass correlation analysis (ICC). Thresholds recommended by National Osteoporosis Foundation were used for treatment recommendations. Correlation between demographic factors and the difference in BMD+ and BMD- FRAX scores was analyzed by Spearman correlation test. Agreement levels and treatment recommendations were also analyzed in 112/129 patients without previous fracture. Agreement between BMD+ and BMD- MO and hip FRAX scores was good (ICC 0.867) and fair to good (ICC 0.641), respectively. In patients without previous fracture, agreement between MO and hip fracture probabilities was good (ICC = 0.838 and ICC = 0.778, respectively). Treatment recommendations with respect to treatment threshold of ≥3 for hip fracture probabilities were identical in 120/129 (93 %) cases. Difference between BMD+ and BMD- fracture probabilities was correlated with age and FN BMD. In most cases, FRAX without BMD provided the same treatment recommendations as FRAX with BMD in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. Exclusion of patients with previous fracture yielded better agreement levels.

Validation of the Italian version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R).

PubMed

Sacco, Simona; Altobelli, Emma; Pistarini, Caterina; Cerone, Davide; Cazzulani, Benedetta; Carolei, Antonio

2011-01-01

To validate the Italian version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). Two observers applied the Italian version of the CRS-R to selected patients. On day 1, observer A and B independently scored each patient; the comparison of their observations was used to evaluate inter-observer agreement. On day 2, observer A completed a second evaluation and the comparison of this observation with that obtained on day 1 by the same observer was used to evaluate test-re-test agreement. For each evaluation, also diagnostic impression (vegetative state/minimally conscious state) was reported. Thirty-eight patients were evaluated (mean age ± SD, 58.9 ± 13.8 years). Inter-observer (ρ = 0.81; p < 0.001) as well as test-re-test agreement (ρ = 0.97; p < 0.001) for the total score was high. Inter-observer agreement was excellent for the communication sub-scale, good for the auditory, visual and motor sub-scales and moderate for the oromotor/verbal and arousal sub-scales. Test-re-test agreement was excellent for the visual, motor, oromotor/verbal and communication sub-scales, good for the auditory sub-scale and moderate for the arousal sub-scale. When considering the diagnostic impression, inter-observer agreement was good (κ = 0.75; p < 0.001) and test-re-test agreement was excellent (κ = 0.92; p < 0.001). The Italian version of the CRS-R can be administered reliably and can be also employed to discriminate patients in vegetative and in minimally conscious state.

Synthesis of 5-thiodidehydropyranylcytosine derivatives as potential anti-HIV agents.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Yuichi; Yamazaki, Yoshiko; Saito, Yukako; Natori, Yoshihiro; Imamichi, Tomozumi; Takahata, Hiroki

2011-06-01

As a part of our ongoing efforts to identify new anti-HIV agents, a 5'-thiopyrano-nucleoside derivative 4, designed based on 4'-thioD4C 1 and cyclohexenylnucleoside 3, was synthesized. The dihydrothiopyran skeleton of 4 was constructed by the ring closing metathesis of 21 which was synthesized from but-2-yne-1,4-diol. After converting the protecting group from MOM to TBS followed by oxidation, a Pummerer-type thioglycosylation reaction of 24 with persilylated uracil gave the desired 5-thiodihydrothiopyranyluracils 25 and 26 as a mixture of anomers. The conversion of 25 to a cytosine derivative and subsequent deprotection gave a 5-thiodidehydropyranosylcytosine derivative 4 in good yield. The anti-HIV activity of 4 was also evaluated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Properties of flakeboards from hardwoods growing on southern pine sites

Treesearch

C. -Y. Hse

1975-01-01

Boards 0.5 inch thick were made from 3-inch-long flakes of 9 species of southern hardwoods commonly found on pine sites. The main effects of species were due to variation in wood density; low-density species compacted readily when pressed, and the resulting good flake contact improved bonding and gave boards of high strength. With species having specific gravities...

Production of compost with bagasse and vinasses for cane crop in Brazil

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

Park, Y.K.; Castro Gomez, R.J.H.

1982-10-01

Recent laboratory experiments have shown that a mixture of bagasse, animal manure and vinasse can be transformed into compost suitable for agriculture. The factors necessary for good composting are discussed, these include the carbon-nitrogen ratio, moisture, aeration and temperature. A mixture of 300 kg cane bagasse and 38 kg poultry manure moistened with vinasse gave the best results.

Practical Guidelines for Evaluating Sampling Designs in Survey Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fan, Xitao; Wang, Lin

The popularity of sample surveys in evaluation and research makes it necessary for consumers to tell a good survey from a poor one. Several sources were identified that gave advice on how to evaluate a sample design used in a survey study. The sources are either too limited or too extensive to be useful practically. The purpose of this paper is to…

Six Criteria for Survey Sample Design Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lin; Fan, Xitao

The popularity of the sample survey in educational research makes it necessary for consumers to tell a good study from a poor one. Several sources were identified that gave advice on how to evaluate a sample design. The sources are either limited or too extensive to use in a practical sense. The purpose of this paper is to recommend six important…

Properties of flakeboards from hardwoods growing on southern pine sites

Treesearch

Chung-Yun Hse

1975-01-01

Boards 0.5 inch thick were made from 3-inch-long flakes of 9 species of southern hardwoods commonly found on pine sites. The main effects of species were doe to variation in wood density; low-density species compacted readily when pressed, and the resulting good flake contact improved bonding and gave boards of high strength. With species having specific gravities...

About Those Tests I Gave You... An Open Letter to My Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dandrea, Ruth Ann

2012-01-01

This article presents the author's open letter to her students. In her letter, the author apologizes to her students for the state's narrow and deceptive standardized test. She asserts that she does not oppose rigorous testing and she understands the purpose of evaluation. A good test can measure achievement and even inspire. But, she argues that…

Performance of a new hand-held device for exhaled nitric oxide measurement in adults and children.

PubMed

Alving, K; Janson, C; Nordvall, L

2006-04-20

Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measurement has been shown to be a valuable tool in the management of patients with asthma. Up to now, most measurements have been done with stationary, chemiluminescence-based NO analysers, which are not suitable for the primary health care setting. A hand-held NO analyser which simplifies the measurement would be of value both in specialized and primary health care. In this study, the performance of a new electrochemical hand-held device for exhaled NO measurements (NIOX MINO) was compared with a standard stationary chemiluminescence unit (NIOX). A total of 71 subjects (6-60 years; 36 males), both healthy controls and atopic patients with and without asthma were included. The mean of three approved exhalations (50 ml/s) in each device, and the first approved measurement in the hand-held device, were compared with regard to NO readings (Bland-Altman plots), measurement feasibility (success rate with 6 attempts) and repeatability (intrasubject SD). Success rate was high (> or = 84%) in both devices for both adults and children. The subjects represented a FENO range of 8-147 parts per billion (ppb). When comparing the mean of three measurements (n = 61), the median of the intrasubject difference in exhaled NO for the two devices was -1.2 ppb; thus generally the hand-held device gave slightly higher readings. The Bland-Altman plot shows that the 95% limits of agreement were -9.8 and 8.0 ppb. The intrasubject median difference between the NIOX and the first approved measurement in the NIOX MINO was -2.0 ppb, and limits of agreement were -13.2 and 10.2 ppb. The median repeatability for NIOX and NIOX MINO were 1.1 and 1.2 ppb, respectively. The hand-held device (NIOX MINO) and the stationary system (NIOX) are in clinically acceptable agreement both when the mean of three measurements and the first approved measurement (NIOX MINO) is used. The hand-held device shows good repeatability, and it can be used successfully on adults and most children. The new hand-held device will enable the introduction of exhaled NO measurements into the primary health care.

Identification of Past and Recent Parvovirus B19 Infection in Immunocompetent Individuals by Quantitative PCR and Enzyme Immunoassays: a Dual-Laboratory Study

PubMed Central

Hedman, Lea; Dhanilall, Pravesh; Kantola, Kalle; Nurmi, Visa; Söderlund-Venermo, Maria; Brown, Kevin E.; Hedman, Klaus

2014-01-01

Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a member of the family Parvoviridae, genus Erythrovirus. B19V-specific IgG and IgM react differently against conformational and linear epitopes of VP1 and VP2 antigens, leading to the development of IgG avidity and epitope type specificity (ETS) enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for distinguishing past from recent infection. Additionally, B19V viral load determination (by quantitative PCR [qPCR]) is increasingly used in the staging of B19V infection. In this study, the utility of these methods is compared. A panel of 78 sera was jointly tested by the Virus Reference Department (VRD), London, United Kingdom, and the Haartman Institute (HI), Helsinki, Finland, using a number of EIAs, e.g., B19V-specific IgG and IgM, IgG avidity, and ETS EIAs. At VRD, the sera were also tested by a B19V viral load PCR (qPCR). By consensus analysis, 43 (55.1%) sera represented past infection, 28 (35.9%) sera represented recent infection, and 7 (9.0%) sera were indeterminate. Both VRD B19V qPCR and HI B19V VP2 IgM EIA gave the highest agreement with consensus interpretation for past or recent infection, with an overall agreement of 99% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92 to 100) and positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% (95% CI, 87 to 100). Nine sera designated as representing past infection by consensus analysis were B19V IgM positive by a commercial VRD B19V IgM EIA and B19V IgM negative by a new HI in-house B19V VP2 IgM EIA. A new VRD B19V IgG avidity EIA showed good (>95%) agreement (excluding equivocal results) with consensus interpretations for past or recent infection. Correct discrimination of past from recent B19V infection was achieved through application of qPCR or by appropriate selection of EIAs. PMID:24403307

A chest radiograph scoring system in patients with severe acute respiratory infection: a validation study.

PubMed

Taylor, Emma; Haven, Kathryn; Reed, Peter; Bissielo, Ange; Harvey, Dave; McArthur, Colin; Bringans, Cameron; Freundlich, Simone; Ingram, R Joan H; Perry, David; Wilson, Francessa; Milne, David; Modahl, Lucy; Huang, Q Sue; Gross, Diane; Widdowson, Marc-Alain; Grant, Cameron C

2015-12-29

The term severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) encompasses a heterogeneous group of respiratory illnesses. Grading the severity of SARI is currently reliant on indirect disease severity measures such as respiratory and heart rate, and the need for oxygen or intensive care. With the lungs being the primary organ system involved in SARI, chest radiographs (CXRs) are potentially useful for describing disease severity. Our objective was to develop and validate a SARI CXR severity scoring system. We completed validation within an active SARI surveillance project, with SARI defined using the World Health Organization case definition of an acute respiratory infection with a history of fever, or measured fever of ≥ 38 °C; and cough; and with onset within the last 10 days; and requiring hospital admission. We randomly selected 250 SARI cases. Admission CXR findings were categorized as: 1 = normal; 2 = patchy atelectasis and/or hyperinflation and/or bronchial wall thickening; 3 = focal consolidation; 4 = multifocal consolidation; and 5 = diffuse alveolar changes. Initially, four radiologists scored CXRs independently. Subsequently, a pediatrician, physician, two residents, two medical students, and a research nurse independently scored CXR reports. Inter-observer reliability was determined using a weighted Kappa (κ) for comparisons between radiologists; radiologists and clinicians; and clinicians. Agreement was defined as moderate (κ > 0.4-0.6), good (κ > 0.6-0.8) and very good (κ > 0.8-1.0). Agreement between the two pediatric radiologists was very good (κ = 0.83, 95% CI 0.65-1.00) and between the two adult radiologists was good (κ = 0.75, 95% CI 0.57-0. 93). Agreement of the clinicians with the radiologists was moderate-to-good (pediatrician:κ = 0.65; pediatric resident:κ = 0.69; physician:κ = 0.68; resident:κ = 0.67; research nurse:κ = 0.49, medical students: κ = 0.53 and κ = 0.56). Agreement between clinicians was good-to-very good (pediatrician vs. physician:κ = 0.85; vs. pediatric resident:κ = 0.81; vs. medicine resident:κ = 0.76; vs. research nurse:κ = 0.75; vs. medical students:κ = 0.63 and 0.66). Following review of discrepant CXR report scores by clinician pairs, κ values for radiologist-clinician agreement ranged from 0.59 to 0.70 and for clinician-clinician agreement from 0.97 to 0.99. This five-point CXR scoring tool, suitable for use in poorly- and well-resourced settings and by clinicians of varying experience levels, reliably describes SARI severity. The resulting numerical data enables epidemiological comparisons of SARI severity between different countries and settings.

Preliminary study: Moisture-polymer interaction. Stuby objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, L. C.

1985-01-01

The problems associated with mathematically modeling water-module interaction phenomena, including sorption and desorption, diffusion, and permeation are discussed. With reliable analytical models, an extensive materials data base, and solar radiation surface meteorological observations (SOLMET) weather data, predicting module lifetimes in realistic environments can become a practical reality. The status of the present techniques of simulating the various transport mechanisms was reported. The Dent model (a modified Brunauer-Emmet-Teller) approach represented polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sorption data. A 100-layer material model and Fick's diffusion model gave diffusivity values exhibiting adequate agreement with those measured for PVB. Diffusivity of PVB is concentration dependent, decreasing as the water content in PVB increases. The temperature dependence of diffusion in PVB is well modeled by the Arrhenius rate equation. Equilibrium conductivity and leakage current data are well represented by Hearle's model for bulk ionic conductivity. A nodal network analysis using the Systems Improved Numerical Differencing Analyzer (SINDA) Thermal Analyzer gave reasonable correlation with measurable data. It is concluded that realistic lifetime predictions seem to be feasible.

If parents establish a no-smoking agreement with their offspring, does this prevent adolescents from smoking? Findings from three Dutch studies.

PubMed

den Exter Blokland, Endy A W; Engels, Rutger C; Harakeh, Zeena; Hale, William W; Meeus, Wim

2009-08-01

Data from three studies were used to investigate whether the establishment of a no-smoking agreement is related to lower odds of adolescent smoking. The prevalence of a no-smoking agreement was first explored by using a national sample involving 4,501 Dutch adolescents. Second, data from a longitudinal study among 595 early adolescents and their parents were used to test whether establishing a no-smoking agreement prevents adolescents from smoking. Third, the authors tested among 856 early- and mid-adolescents and their parents, whether in addition to the establishment of a no-smoking agreement, the frequency and quality of communication on smoking issues had an effect on adolescent smoking. The findings do not support that establishing a no-smoking agreement is an effective deterrent with regard to adolescent smoking. Parents who want to prevent smoking might consider focusing their efforts on establishing a good quality of communication on smoking issues whereas parents who just talk a lot about smoking issues without considering the quality of their communication might do more harm than good.

19 CFR 10.570 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Singapore.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.570 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.1034 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Korea.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.1034 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.1034 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Korea.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.1034 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.3034 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Colombia.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.3034 Goods re... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.827 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Bahrain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.827 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.934 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Peru.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.934 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment that...

19 CFR 10.570 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Singapore.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.570 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.827 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Bahrain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.827 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.934 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Peru.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.934 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment that...

19 CFR 10.787 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Morocco.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.787 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.787 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Morocco.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.787 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.490 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Chile.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.490 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.3034 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Colombia.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.3034 Goods re... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.787 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Morocco.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.787 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.2034 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Panama.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.2034 Goods re... alteration” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.490 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Chile.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.490 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.570 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Singapore.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.570 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.570 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Singapore.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.570 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.827 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Bahrain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.827 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.570 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Singapore.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.570 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.827 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Bahrain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.827 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.827 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Bahrain.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.827 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.1034 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Korea.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.1034 Goods re-entered... alterations” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment...

19 CFR 10.787 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Morocco.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.787 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.490 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Chile.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.490 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.934 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Peru.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.934 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment that...

19 CFR 10.787 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Morocco.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.787 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.490 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Chile.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.490 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.490 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Chile.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.490 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, addition, renovation, re-dyeing, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which...

19 CFR 10.771 - Textile or apparel goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.771 Textile or apparel goods. (a) De minimis. Except as provided in paragraph... specific rules specified in General Note 27(h), HTSUS, textile or apparel goods classifiable as goods put up in sets for retail sale as provided for in General Rule of Interpretation 3, HTSUS, will not be...

76 FR 697 - United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-06

... OFTA sets forth the rules for determining whether an imported good qualifies as an originating good of... value-content, i.e., at least 35 percent of the good's appraised value must be attributed to the cost or....2 explains that the term ``new or different article of commerce'' means a good that has been...

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International..., maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods...

Plus Disease in Retinopathy of Prematurity: Improving Diagnosis by Ranking Disease Severity and Using Quantitative Image Analysis.

PubMed

Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Campbell, J Peter; Erdogmus, Deniz; Tian, Peng; Kedarisetti, Dharanish; Moleta, Chace; Reynolds, James D; Hutcheson, Kelly; Shapiro, Michael J; Repka, Michael X; Ferrone, Philip; Drenser, Kimberly; Horowitz, Jason; Sonmez, Kemal; Swan, Ryan; Ostmo, Susan; Jonas, Karyn E; Chan, R V Paul; Chiang, Michael F

2016-11-01

To determine expert agreement on relative retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) disease severity and whether computer-based image analysis can model relative disease severity, and to propose consideration of a more continuous severity score for ROP. We developed 2 databases of clinical images of varying disease severity (100 images and 34 images) as part of the Imaging and Informatics in ROP (i-ROP) cohort study and recruited expert physician, nonexpert physician, and nonphysician graders to classify and perform pairwise comparisons on both databases. Six participating expert ROP clinician-scientists, each with a minimum of 10 years of clinical ROP experience and 5 ROP publications, and 5 image graders (3 physicians and 2 nonphysician graders) who analyzed images that were obtained during routine ROP screening in neonatal intensive care units. Images in both databases were ranked by average disease classification (classification ranking), by pairwise comparison using the Elo rating method (comparison ranking), and by correlation with the i-ROP computer-based image analysis system. Interexpert agreement (weighted κ statistic) compared with the correlation coefficient (CC) between experts on pairwise comparisons and correlation between expert rankings and computer-based image analysis modeling. There was variable interexpert agreement on diagnostic classification of disease (plus, preplus, or normal) among the 6 experts (mean weighted κ, 0.27; range, 0.06-0.63), but good correlation between experts on comparison ranking of disease severity (mean CC, 0.84; range, 0.74-0.93) on the set of 34 images. Comparison ranking provided a severity ranking that was in good agreement with ranking obtained by classification ranking (CC, 0.92). Comparison ranking on the larger dataset by both expert and nonexpert graders demonstrated good correlation (mean CC, 0.97; range, 0.95-0.98). The i-ROP system was able to model this continuous severity with good correlation (CC, 0.86). Experts diagnose plus disease on a continuum, with poor absolute agreement on classification but good relative agreement on disease severity. These results suggest that the use of pairwise rankings and a continuous severity score, such as that provided by the i-ROP system, may improve agreement on disease severity in the future. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

JPRS Report, East Europe

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-28

depending on the kind of goods imported. As a result of the bilateral agreement a huge market has opened up for Hungary, a market , which at the same time...customs duty surcharge. There is a good chance that a very large, new market may be found as a result of the trade agreement, for example, for Hungarian... market ; the market does not exert its effects . But a constraint to make decisions has evolved, notably the fact that based on an earlier law enterprise

INTERNET PROTOCOL SUITE.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-04

In 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) committed the United States, Canada and Mexico to facilitate movements of people and goods among the three member countries. In a subsequent agreement in February, 1995, Canada and the United S...

Avoiding or restricting defectors in public goods games?

PubMed

Han, The Anh; Pereira, Luís Moniz; Lenaerts, Tom

2015-02-06

When creating a public good, strategies or mechanisms are required to handle defectors. We first show mathematically and numerically that prior agreements with posterior compensations provide a strategic solution that leads to substantial levels of cooperation in the context of public goods games, results that are corroborated by available experimental data. Notwithstanding this success, one cannot, as with other approaches, fully exclude the presence of defectors, raising the question of how they can be dealt with to avoid the demise of the common good. We show that both avoiding creation of the common good, whenever full agreement is not reached, and limiting the benefit that disagreeing defectors can acquire, using costly restriction mechanisms, are relevant choices. Nonetheless, restriction mechanisms are found the more favourable, especially in larger group interactions. Given decreasing restriction costs, introducing restraining measures to cope with public goods free-riding issues is the ultimate advantageous solution for all participants, rather than avoiding its creation. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Plasma Discharge Initiation of Explosives in Rock Blasting Application: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jae-Ou, Chae; Young-Jun, Jeong; V, M. Shmelev; A, A. Denicaev; V, M. Poutchkov; V, Ravi

2006-07-01

A plasma discharge initiation system for the explosive volumetric combustion charge was designed, investigated and developed for practical application. Laboratory scale experiments were carried out before conducting the large scale field tests. The resultant explosions gave rise to less noise, insignificant seismic vibrations and good specific explosive consumption for rock blasting. Importantly, the technique was found to be safe and environmentally friendly.

Quality control of estrogen receptor assays.

PubMed

Godolphin, W; Jacobson, B

1980-01-01

Four types of material have been used for the quality control of routine assays of estrogen receptors in human breast tumors. Pieces of hormone-dependent Nb rat mammary tumors gave a precision about 40%. Rat uteri and rat tumors pulverized at liquid nitrogen temperature and stored as powder yielded precision about 30%. Powdered and lyophilised human tumors appear the best with precision as good as 17%.

Increasing Breast Cancer Surveillance Among African American Breast Cancer Survivors

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

excellent or very good. Further, 100% gave the strongest endorsement (“a lot”) that the DVD 9 reflected their culture , was relevant to them as...faith is emphasized along with the information they receive  Spirituality and faith is often an important part of the cultures of people of African...African Which ethnic group (i.e. Igbo, Yoruba )? _______________________________________ Afro-Latina Which group (i.e., Puerto

Processing Words Varying in Personal Familiarity (Based on Reading and Spelling) by Poor Readers and Age-Matched and Reading-Matched Controls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corcos, Evelyne; Willows, Dale M.

2009-01-01

To evaluate whether performance differences between good and poor readers relate to reading-specific cognitive factors that result from engaging in reading activities and other experiential factors, the authors gave students in Grades 4 and 6 a perceptual identification test of words not only drawn from their personal lexicon but also varying in…

Rare 2-Substituted Purine Nucleosides

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-01

of 10 with the tributyltin enolate of acetone gave 24 in good yields. Compound 24 can be easily deprotected to 1 with tetrabutylammonium fluoride. It...was achieved through the use of ethyl vinyltributyltin ether. This organostannane was prepared by the radical coupling of tributyltin hydride with...from the reaction of the 2-iodo compound 19 with vinyl- tributyltin under palladium catalysis, followed by deprotection with trimethylsilyl iodide

Solvolysis of para-substituted cumyl chlorides. Brown and Okamoto's electrophilic substituent constants revisited using continuum solvent models.

PubMed

DiLabio, Gino A; Ingold, K U

2004-03-05

Brown and Okamoto (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1958, 80, 4979) derived their electrophilic substitutent constants, sigma(p)+, from the relative rates of solvolysis of ring-substituted cumyl chlorides in an acetone/water solvent mixture. Application of the Hammett equation to the rates for the meta-substituted cumyl chlorides, where there could be no resonance interaction with the developing carbocation, gave a slope, rho(+) = -4.54 ( identical with 6.2 kcal/mol free energy). Rates for the para-substituted chlorides were then used to obtain sigma(p)+ values. We have calculated gas-phase C-Cl heterolytic bond dissociation enthalpy differences, Delta BDE(het) (= BDE(het)(4-YC(6)H(4)CMe(2)Cl) - BDE(het)(C(6)H(5)CMe(2)Cl)), for 16 of the 4-Y substituents employed by Brown and Okamoto. The plot of Delta BDE(het) vs sigma(p)+ gave rho(+) (SD) = 16.3 (2.3) kcal/mol, i.e., a rho(+) value roughly 2.5 times greater than experiment. Inclusion of solvation (water) energies, calculated using three continuum solvent models, reduced rho(+) and SD. The computationally least expensive model used, SM5.42R (Li et al. Theor. Chem. Acc. 1999, 103, 9) gave the best agreement with experiment. This model yielded rho(+) (SD) = 7.7 (0.9) kcal/mol, i.e., a rho(+) value that is only 24% larger than experiment.

19 CFR 10.890 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Oman.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.890 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, renovation, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which does not destroy the...

19 CFR 10.890 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Oman.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.890 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, renovation, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which does not destroy the...

19 CFR 10.890 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Oman.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.890 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, renovation, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which does not destroy the...

19 CFR 10.890 - Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in Oman.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Goods re-entered after repair or alteration in... States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Goods Returned After Repair Or Alteration § 10.890 Goods re-entered...” means restoration, renovation, cleaning, re-sterilizing, or other treatment which does not destroy the...

Low-energy electron-impact single ionization of helium

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

Colgan, J.; Pindzola, M. S.; Childers, G.

2006-04-15

A study is made of low-energy electron-impact single ionization of ground-state helium. The time-dependent close-coupling method is used to calculate total integral, single differential, double differential, and triple differential ionization cross sections for impact electron energies ranging from 32 to 45 eV. For all quantities, the calculated cross sections are found to be in very good agreement with experiment, and for the triple differential cross sections, good agreement is also found with calculations made using the convergent close-coupling technique.

Total knee arthroplasty: good agreement of clinical severity scores between patients and consultants.

PubMed

Ebinesan, Ananthan D; Sarai, Bhupinder S; Walley, Gayle; Bridgman, Stephen; Maffulli, Nicola

2006-07-31

Nearly 20,000 patients per year in the UK receive total knee arthroplasty (TKA). One of the problems faced by the health services of many developed countries is the length of time patients spend waiting for elective treatment. We therefore report the results of a study in which the Salisbury Priority Scoring System (SPSS) was used by both the surgeon and their patients to ascertain whether there were differences between the surgeon generated and patient generated Salisbury Priority Scores. The Salisbury Priority Scoring System (SPSS) was used to assign relative priority to patients with knee osteoarthritis as part of a randomised controlled trial comparing the standard medial parapatellar approach versus the sub-vastus approach in TKA. The operating surgeons and each patient completed the SPSS at the same pre-assessment clinic. The SPSS assesses four criteria, namely progression of disease, pain or distress, disability or dependence on others, and loss of usual occupation. Crosstabs and agreement measures (Cohen's kappa) were performed. Overall, the four SPSS criteria showed a kappa value of 0.526, 0.796, 0.813, and 0.820, respectively, showing moderate to very good agreement between the patient and the operating consultant. Male patients showed better agreement than female patients. The Salisbury Priority Scoring System is a good means of assessing patients' needs in relation to elective surgery, with high agreement between the patient and the operating surgeon.

49 CFR 375.409 - May household goods brokers provide estimates?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... REGULATIONS TRANSPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE; CONSUMER PROTECTION REGULATIONS... there is a written agreement between the broker and you, the carrier, adopting the broker's estimate as...

Application of good practices as described by the NEPSI agreement coincides with a strong decline in the exposure to respiratory crystalline silica in Finnish workplaces.

PubMed

Tuomi, Tapani; Linnainmaa, Markku; Väänänen, Virpi; Reijula, Kari

2014-08-01

To protect the health of those occupationally exposed to respirable crystalline silica, the main industries in European Union associated with exposure to respirable silica, agreed on appropriate measures for the improvement of working conditions through the application of good practices, as part of 'The Agreement on Workers Health Protection through the Good Handling and Use of Crystalline Silica and Products Containing it' (NEPSI agreement), signed in April 2006. The present paper examines trends in exposure to respirable crystalline silica in Finland prior to and following the implementation of the NEPSI agreement and includes a working example of the NEPSI approach in the concrete industry. Data derived from workplace exposure assessments during the years 1994-2013 are presented, including 2556 air samples collected mostly indoors, from either the breathing zone of workers or from stationary points usually at a height of 1.5 m above the floor, with the aim to estimate average exposure of workers to respiratory crystalline silica during an 8-h working day. The aim was, to find out how effective this unique approach has been in the management of one of the major occupational hazards in the concerned industries. Application of good practices as described by the NEPSI agreement coincides with a strong decline in the exposure to respirable crystalline silica in Finnish workplaces, as represented by the clientele of Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. During the years followed in the present study, we see a >10-fold decrease in the average and median exposures to respirable silica. Prior to the implementation of the NEPSI agreement, >50% of the workplace measurements yielded results above the OEL8 h (0.2mg m(-3)). As of present (2013), circa 10% of the measurements are above of or identical to the OEL8 h (0.05mg m(-3)). © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Detection of soil moisture and snow characteristics from Skylab. [Texas and Kansas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eagleman, J. R. (Principal Investigator); Lin, W. C.; Hardy, N.; Sloan, R.; Parashar, S. K.; Perry, C.; League, L.; Engling, M.; Pogge, E. C.; Moore, R. K.

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The most significant result is the good response of the passive radiometers, particularly the L-band radiometer, to changing soil moisture conditions near the surface of the earth. Radiometer response was very good for the five complete data sets consisting of three passes across Texas and two passes across Kansas. When data from the five different passes were combined, the correlation between the S194 radiometric temperature and soil moisture content remained high with a value of -0.96. The performance of the S193 passive radiometer was less consistent; however, one data set gave a very high correlation of -0.95. The scatterometer response to soil moisture at incidence angles near 30 deg was not as good as for the radiometers.

Morphological evolution of nanocrystal metal-on-insulator films grown by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warrender, Jeffrey Michael

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) film growth differs from conventional thermal deposition in two essential ways: the depositing species arrive in short bursts of 10--100mus, and with 10--100 eV of kinetic energy. This thesis presents a comprehensive study of the influence of these separate characteristics of the PLD flux on film growth, with the goal of understanding what mechanisms and processes govern PLD morphology evolution. A theoretical description of the early stages of pulsed, non-energetic growth is presented, with the principal results being a discussion of the dimensionless parameters that must be controlled to achieve data collapse for a variety of conditions; the identification of at least four different island size distribution shapes, which characterize the growth mode being observed; and a rate equation formalism for pulsed deposition that gives excellent agreement with results from kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations. The model system of metal-on-insulator film growth has been studied extensively for thermal deposition, and is known to exhibit a characteristic morphological progression beginning with isolated three-dimensional islands and ending with a percolating, continuous film that conducts electrically. Two separate experimental investigations are reported for PLD growth of this system. In the fast, the details of the PLD pulse are held constant and the pulse frequency is varied; this amounts to varying the time-averaged deposition flux. Non-energetic KMC simulations, which take into account only the pulsed nature of the flux, predicted that, for the case where surface diffusion is very fast compared to the pulse frequency and the deposition rate, percolation thickness would scale with pulse frequency with an exponent of -0.34. Experiments performed at 93°C and 135°C gave scaling exponents of -0.31 and -0.34 respectively, in good agreement with the KMC prediction. The experiments also showed good data collapse when maintaining a constant value B/f, where B is the coalescence "efficiency" and f is the pulse frequency. A separate experimental investigation was performed to compare PLD with thermal deposition under otherwise identical background and substrate conditions; this amounts to studying the effect of varying the average deposition flux. For this case, non-energetic simulations predict that PLD deposits, by virtue of having smaller and more densely spaced islands, would reach percolation with relatively less deposition. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project.

PubMed

Singh, Amika S; Vik, Froydis N; Chinapaw, Mai J M; Uijtdewilligen, Léonie; Verloigne, Maïté; Fernández-Alvira, Juan M; Stomfai, Sarolta; Manios, Yannis; Martens, Marloes; Brug, Johannes

2011-12-09

Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items.

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. Objective To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. Methods We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Results Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items. PMID:22152048

Adaptation and validation of a commercial head phantom for cranial radiosurgery dosimetry end-to-end audit.

PubMed

Dimitriadis, Alexis; Palmer, Antony L; Thomas, Russell A S; Nisbet, Andrew; Clark, Catharine H

2017-06-01

To adapt and validate an anthropomorphic head phantom for use in a cranial radiosurgery audit. Two bespoke inserts were produced for the phantom: one for providing the target and organ at risk for delineation and the other for performing dose measurements. The inserts were tested to assess their positional accuracy. A basic treatment plan dose verification with an ionization chamber was performed to establish a baseline accuracy for the phantom and beam model. The phantom and inserts were then used to perform dose verification measurements of a radiosurgery plan. The dose was measured with alanine pellets, EBT extended dose film and a plastic scintillation detector (PSD). Both inserts showed reproducible positioning (±0.5 mm) and good positional agreement between them (±0.6 mm). The basic treatment plan measurements showed agreement to the treatment planning system (TPS) within 0.5%. Repeated film measurements showed consistent gamma passing rates with good agreement to the TPS. For 2%-2 mm global gamma, the mean passing rate was 96.7% and the variation in passing rates did not exceed 2.1%. The alanine pellets and PSD showed good agreement with the TPS (-0.1% and 0.3% dose difference in the target) and good agreement with each other (within 1%). The adaptations to the phantom showed acceptable accuracies. The presence of alanine and PSD do not affect film measurements significantly, enabling simultaneous measurements by all three detectors. Advances in knowledge: A novel method for thorough end-to-end test of radiosurgery, with capability to incorporate all steps of the clinical pathway in a time-efficient and reproducible manner, suitable for a national audit.

A comparison of theoretical and experimental pressure distributions for two advanced fighter wings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haney, H. P.; Hicks, R. M.

1981-01-01

A comparison was made between experimental pressure distributions measured during testing of the Vought A-7 fighter and the theoretical predictions of four transonic potential flow codes. Isolated wind and three wing-body codes were used for comparison. All comparisons are for transonic Mach numbers and include both attached and separate flows. In general, the wing-body codes gave better agreement with the experiment than did the isolated wing code but, because of the greater complexity of the geometry, were found to be considerably more expensive and less reliable.

The Countess Margaret of Henneberg and her 365 children.

PubMed Central

Bondeson, J; Molenkamp, A

1996-01-01

According to an obscure medieval legend, the Countess Margaret of Henneberg, a notable Dutch noblewoman, gave birth to 365 children in the year 1276. The haughty Countess had insulted a poor beggar woman carrying twins, since she believed that a pair of twins must have different fathers, and that their mother must be an adultress. She was punished by God, and gave birth to 365 minute children on Good Friday, 1276. The Countess died shortly after, together with her offspring, in the village of Loosduinen near The Hague. The Countess and her numerous brood were frequently described in historical and obstetrical works. To this day, a memorial tablet and two basins, representing those in which the 365 children were baptized, are to be seen in the church of Loosduinen. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 PMID:9014889

Thermometric titrations of amines with nitrosyl perchlorate in acetonitrile solvent.

PubMed

Gündüz, T; Kiliç, E; Cakirer, O

1996-05-01

Thirteen aliphatic and four aromatic amines, namely diethylamine, triethylamine, n-propylamine, di-n-propylamine, tri-n-butylamine, isopropylamine, di-isopropylamine, n-butylamine, di-n-butylamine, tri-n-butylamine, isobutylamine, sec-butylamine, tert-butylamine, aniline, N,N-dimethylaniline, 2-nitroaniline and 4-nitroaniline were titrated thermometrically with nitrosyl perchlorate in acetonitrile solvent. All the aliphatic amines gave very well-shaped thermometric titration curves. The calculated recovery values of the amines were very good. In comparison, the aromatic amines, aniline and N,N-dimethylaniline gave rather well-shaped titration curves, but the recovery values were fairly low. 2-Nitro- and 4-nitro anilines gave no thermometric response at all. The heats of reaction of the amines with nitrosyl perchlorate are rather high. However, the average heat of reaction of the aromatic amines is approximately two-thirds that of the average heat of the aliphatic amines. To support this method all the amines were also titrated potentiometrically and very similar results to those obtained with the thermometric method are seen. The nitrosyl ion is a Lewis acid, strong enough to titrate quantitatively aliphatic amines in acetonitrile solvent, but not strong enough to titrate aromatic amines at the required level in the same solvent.

Repellency of essential oil of Piper aduncum against Aedes albopictus in the laboratory.

PubMed

Misni, Norashiqin; Sulaiman, Sallehudin; Othman, Hidayatulfathi; Omar, Baharudin

2009-12-01

The repellent activity of Piper aduncum essential oil against Aedes albopictus was investigated under laboratory conditions with human volunteers. The lowest median effective dose (ED50) value was 1.5 microg/cm2 at 60 sec of exposure when compared to 90 sec (2.1 microg/cm2) and 120 sec (1.8 microg/cm2) of exposure. At 0.4 g, the essential oil gave a high protection (95.2%) against Ae. albopictus bites or landing at 2 h postapplication. The percentage of protection was reduced to 83.3% after 4 h, 64.5% after 6 h, and 51.6% after 8 h postapplication. As a comparison, treatment with 10% deet gave 100% protection against mosquito biting/landing for 4 h postapplication. There was no significant difference in percentage protection reduction between the plant extract and the commercial product deet, respectively (P = 0.739). The essential oil, which was not as good as deet, still gave moderate protection against Ae. albopictus biting even until 4 h postapplication. In conclusion, the P. aduncum essential oil has the potential to be used as a repellent against the dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever vector, Ae. albopictus.

Self-disinfecting plastics for intravenous catheters and prosthetic inserts.

PubMed Central

Kingston, D.; Seal, D. V.; Hill, I. D.

1986-01-01

A disinfectant (2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether: Irgasan, Ciba-Geigy) was incorporated into plastic washers fabricated from ethylvinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene, polypropylene or TPX. Plastics containing 0.2 and 2% Irgasan gave zones of inhibition on nutrient and blood agar plates seeded with micro-organisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Staph. epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis or Candida albicans) even after thorough washing. Exceptionally, C. albicans was inhibited only by 2% Irgasan, and EVA gave good inhibition only against the staphylococci. Similar washers of each plastic were implanted subcutaneously into the flanks of rabbits; before insertion each was washed, had thread woven into it and was surrounded by a plasma clot containing 2 X 10(8) Staph. aureus. All the plastics without Irgasan gave rise to abscesses, none of the plastics impregnated with 2% Irgasan did, though from 2 out of 12 sites small numbers of Staph. aureus were isolated at post mortem. Using either clinical or bacteriological criteria, the results were highly significant (P less than 0.00001 and P less than 0.001 respectively), demonstrating the effectiveness of this technique in preventing plastic-associated infection. Images Fig. 2 Fig. 2(Contd.) PMID:3517154

19 CFR 10.599 - Fungible goods and materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... America-United States Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.599 Fungible goods and materials. (a... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fungible goods and materials. 10.599 Section 10.599 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF...

19 CFR 10.452 - Exclusions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.452 Exclusions. A good will not be considered to be an originating good and a material...

Agreement of Experiment and Theory on the Single Ionization of Helium by Fast Proton Impact.

PubMed

Gassert, H; Chuluunbaatar, O; Waitz, M; Trinter, F; Kim, H-K; Bauer, T; Laucke, A; Müller, Ch; Voigtsberger, J; Weller, M; Rist, J; Pitzer, M; Zeller, S; Jahnke, T; Schmidt, L Ph H; Williams, J B; Zaytsev, S A; Bulychev, A A; Kouzakov, K A; Schmidt-Böcking, H; Dörner, R; Popov, Yu V; Schöffler, M S

2016-02-19

Even though the study of ion-atom collisions is a mature field of atomic physics, large discrepancies between experiment and theoretical calculations are still common. Here we present experimental results with high momentum resolution on the single ionization of helium induced by 1-MeV protons, and we compare these to theoretical calculations. The overall agreement is strikingly good, and even the first Born approximation yields good agreement between theory and experiment. This has been expected for several decades, but so far has not been accomplished. The influence of projectile coherence effects on the measured data is briefly discussed in terms of an ongoing dispute on the existence of nodal structures in the electron angular emission distributions.

Calculated electric dipole moment of NiH X2Delta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walch, S.; Bauschlicher, C. W., Jr.; Langhoff, S. R.

1985-01-01

A calculated dipole moment of 2.39 D at R sub e = 2.79 a sub 0 is reported, obtained from complete active space SCF/configuration interaction calculations plus one natural orbital iteration. The calculation is in good agreement with the experimental value of 2.4 + or - 0.1 D measured for the lowest vibrational level. In agreement with Gray et al. (1985), it is found that the dipole moment is strongly correlated with the 3d electron population; the good agreement with experiment thus provides verification of the mixed state model of NiH. It is concluded that the electric dipole moment of NiH is a sensitive test of the quality of the NiH wave function.

An experimental and theoretical core-level study of tautomerism in guanine.

PubMed

Plekan, Oksana; Feyer, Vitaliy; Richter, Robert; Coreno, Marcello; Vall-Llosera, Gemma; Prince, Kevin C; Trofimov, Alexander B; Zaytseva, Irina L; Moskovskaya, Tatyana E; Gromov, Evgeniy V; Schirmer, Jochen

2009-08-20

The core level photoemission and near edge X-ray photoabsorption spectra of guanine in the gas phase have been measured and the results interpreted with the aid of high level ab initio calculations. Tautomers are clearly identified spectroscopically, and their relative free energies and Boltzmann populations at the temperature of the experiment (600 K) have been calculated and compared with the experimental results and with previous calculations. We obtain good agreement between experiment and the Boltzmann weighted theoretical photoemission spectra, which allows a quantitative determination of the ratio of oxo to hydroxy tautomer populations. For the photoabsorption spectra, good agreement is found for the C 1s and O 1s spectra but only fair agreement for the N 1s edge.

Interobserver reliability of echocardiography for prognostication of normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the interobserver reliability of echocardiographic findings of right ventricle (RV) dysfunction for prognosticating normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods A central panel of cardiologists evaluated echocardiographic studies of 75 patients included in the PROTECT study for the following signs: RV diameter, RV/left ventricular (LV) diameter ratio, hypokinesis of the RV free wall, and tricuspid plane systolic excursion (TAPSE). Investigators used intraclass correlation to assess agreement between the measurements of the central panel and each of the local cardiologists. Investigators used the single weighted kappa statistic to test for agreement between readers of interpretation of RV enlargement and RV hypokinesis. Results The two observers had fair agreement (k = 0.45) for RV enlargement assessed by the RV diameter, and good agreement (k = 0.65) for RV enlargement assessed by the RV/LV diameter ratio. The interobserver reliability of the assessment whether hypokinesis of the RV free wall is present was good (к = 0.70), and whether RV dysfunction (assessed by TAPSE measurement) is present was very good (k = 0.86). The intraclass correlation for the RV/LV diameter ratio was fair (0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.69), for the RV diameter was good (0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-0.80), and for the TAPSE measurement was very good (0.85; 95% CI, 0.77-0.90). On Bland-Altman analysis, the mean differences for RV diameter, RV/LV diameter ratio and TAPSE measurement were 2.33 (±5.38), 0.06 (±0.23) and 0.08 (±2.20), respectively. Conclusion TAPSE measurement is the least user dependent and most reproducible echocardiographic finding of RV dysfunction in normotensive patients with PE. PMID:25092465

Radiographical measurements for distal intra-articular fractures of the radius using plain radiographs and cone beam computed tomography images.

PubMed

Suojärvi, Nora; Sillat, T; Lindfors, N; Koskinen, S K

2015-12-01

Operative treatment of an intra-articular distal radius fracture is one of the most common procedures in orthopedic and hand surgery. The intra- and interobserver agreement of common radiographical measurements of these fractures using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and plain radiographs were evaluated. Thirty-seven patients undergoing open reduction and volar fixation for a distal radius fracture were studied. Two radiologists analyzed the preoperative radiographs and CBCT images. Agreement of the measurements was subjected to intra-class correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman analyses. Plain radiographs provided a slightly poorer level of agreement. For fracture diastasis, excellent intraobserver agreement was achieved for radiographs and good or excellent agreement for CBCT, compared to poor interobserver agreement (ICC 0.334) for radiographs and good interobserver agreement (ICC 0.621) for CBCT images. The Bland-Altman analyses indicated a small mean difference between the measurements but rather large variation using both imaging methods, especially in angular measurements. For most of the measurements, radiographs do well, and may be used in clinical practice. Two different measurements by the same reader or by two different readers can lead to different decisions, and therefore a standardization of the measurements is imperative. More detailed analysis of articular surface needs cross-sectional imaging modalities.

2 CFR 176.140 - Award term-Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 176... Reinvestment Act of 2009 § 176.140 Award term—Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods..., steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international agreements, the agency shall use the award...

2 CFR 176.140 - Award term-Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 176... Reinvestment Act of 2009 § 176.140 Award term—Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods..., steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international agreements, the agency shall use the award...

Relaciones Culturales de Mexico: Convenios de Intercambio Cultural y Asistencia Tecnica (Mexican Cultural Relations: Cultural Exchange and Technical Assistance Agreements).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

n10 p43-83, 1971

1971-01-01

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1500 words) describing briefly Mexico's cultural relations with 23 nations with which she has cultural exchange agreements. The reasons for cultural exchange are stated, such as the belief that cultural relations promote good relations among nations. The agreements concluded between…

Protonation/deprotonation process of Emodin in aqueous solution and pKa determination: UV/Visible spectrophotometric titration and quantum/molecular mechanics calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Cunha, Antonio R.; Duarte, Evandro L.; Lamy, M. Teresa; Coutinho, Kaline

2014-08-01

We combined theoretical and experimental studies to elucidate the important deprotonation process of Emodin in water. We used the UV/Visible spectrophotometric titration curves to obtain its pKa values, pKa1 = 8.0 ± 0.1 and pKa2 = 10.9 ± 0.2. Additionally, we obtained the pKa values of Emodin in the water-methanol mixture (1:3v/v). We give a new interpretation of the experimental data, obtaining apparent pKa1 = 6.2 ± 0.1, pKa2 = 8.3 ± 0.1 and pKa3 > 12.7. Performing quantum mechanics calculations for all possible deprotonation sites and tautomeric isomers of Emodin in vacuum and in water, we identified the sites of the first and second deprotonation. We calculated the standard deprotonation free energy of Emodin in water and the pKa1, using an explicit model of the solvent, with Free Energy Perturbation theory in Monte Carlo simulations obtaining, ΔGaq = 12.1 ± 1.4 kcal/mol and pKa1 = 8.7 ± 0.9. With the polarizable continuum model for the solvent, we obtained ΔGaq = 11.6 ± 1.0 kcal/mol and pKa1 = 8.3 ± 0.7. Both solvent models gave theoretical results in very good agreement with the experimental values.

Structural, photophysical, and theoretical studies of imidazole-based excited-state intramolecular proton transfer molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somasundaram, Sivaraman; Kamaraj, Eswaran; Hwang, Su Jin; Park, Sanghyuk

2018-02-01

Imidazole-based excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) blue fluorescent molecules, 2-(1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenol (BHPI-Cl) and 2-(1-(4-bromophenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenol (BHPI-Br) were designed and synthesized by Debus-Radziszewski method through a one-pot multicomponent reaction in high yield. The synthesized compounds were fully characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR, FT-Raman, GC-Mass, and elemental analysis. The molecular structures in single crystal lattice were studied by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Because of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding, hydroxyphenyl group is planar to the central imidazole ring, while the other phenyl rings gave distorted conformations to the central heterocyclic ring. BHPI-Cl and BHPI-Br molecules showed intense ESIPT fluorescence at 480 nm, because the two twisted phenyl rings on 4- and 5-positions have reduced intermolecular interaction between adjacent molecules in each crystal through a head-to-tail packing manner. Quantum chemical calculations of energies were carried out by (TD-)DFT using B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) basis set to predict the electronic absorption spectra of the compounds, and they showed good agreement between the computational and the experimental values. The thermal analyses of the synthesized molecules were also carried out by TGA/DSC method.

Modelling soil water retention using support vector machines with genetic algorithm optimisation.

PubMed

Lamorski, Krzysztof; Sławiński, Cezary; Moreno, Felix; Barna, Gyöngyi; Skierucha, Wojciech; Arrue, José L

2014-01-01

This work presents point pedotransfer function (PTF) models of the soil water retention curve. The developed models allowed for estimation of the soil water content for the specified soil water potentials: -0.98, -3.10, -9.81, -31.02, -491.66, and -1554.78 kPa, based on the following soil characteristics: soil granulometric composition, total porosity, and bulk density. Support Vector Machines (SVM) methodology was used for model development. A new methodology for elaboration of retention function models is proposed. Alternative to previous attempts known from literature, the ν-SVM method was used for model development and the results were compared with the formerly used the C-SVM method. For the purpose of models' parameters search, genetic algorithms were used as an optimisation framework. A new form of the aim function used for models parameters search is proposed which allowed for development of models with better prediction capabilities. This new aim function avoids overestimation of models which is typically encountered when root mean squared error is used as an aim function. Elaborated models showed good agreement with measured soil water retention data. Achieved coefficients of determination values were in the range 0.67-0.92. Studies demonstrated usability of ν-SVM methodology together with genetic algorithm optimisation for retention modelling which gave better performing models than other tested approaches.

Investigation of the scatter contribution in single photon transmission measurements by means of Monte Carlo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegmann, K.; Adam, L.-E.; Livieratos, L.; Zaers, J.; Bailey, D. L.; Brix, G.

1999-08-01

The fraction of detected scattered radiation in transmission measurements with a single photon transmission (SPT) source of Cesium-137 was investigated by means of Monte Carlo (MC) techniques. The scatter contamination was determined for different energy thresholds and the use of interplane septa. The simulations were validated with measurements performed at the whole-body 3D PET scanner ECAT EXACT 3D (CTI/Siemens, Knoxville, TN), which uses a SPT source. The comparison of the results from the simulations and the measurements shows good agreement. Transmission through a water-filled cylinder (o=20 cm) gave values of the scatter fraction SF of about 27% at a lower level discriminator (LLD) value of 500 keV in the center of the projection. A reduction to 17% was achieved by an increase of the LLD to 600 keV; a relative decrease of 37%. But a corresponding loss of counts by a factor of 1.5 was observed. Furthermore, simulations of the ECAT EXACT HR/sup +/ have been performed, a whale-body PET scanner which can be operated in 2D and 3D mode, but has no SPT mode yet. At a value of the LLD of 500 keV, the simulations showed a decrease of the SF in the 2D mode of 45% relative to the 3D mode for the transmission of the water-filled cylinder.

Modeling Geoelectric Fields and Geomagnetically Induced Currents Around New Zealand to Explore GIC in the South Island's Electrical Transmission Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divett, T.; Ingham, M.; Beggan, C. D.; Richardson, G. S.; Rodger, C. J.; Thomson, A. W. P.; Dalzell, M.

2017-10-01

Transformers in New Zealand's South Island electrical transmission network have been impacted by geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) during geomagnetic storms. We explore the impact of GIC on this network by developing a thin-sheet conductance (TSC) model for the region, a geoelectric field model, and a GIC network model. (The TSC is composed of a thin-sheet conductance map with underlying layered resistivity structure.) Using modeling approaches that have been successfully used in the United Kingdom and Ireland, we applied a thin-sheet model to calculate the electric field as a function of magnetic field and ground conductance. We developed a TSC model based on magnetotelluric surveys, geology, and bathymetry, modified to account for offshore sediments. Using this representation, the thin sheet model gave good agreement with measured impedance vectors. Driven by a spatially uniform magnetic field variation, the thin-sheet model results in electric fields dominated by the ocean-land boundary with effects due to the deep ocean and steep terrain. There is a strong tendency for the electric field to align northwest-southeast, irrespective of the direction of the magnetic field. Applying this electric field to a GIC network model, we show that modeled GIC are dominated by northwest-southeast transmission lines rather than east-west lines usually assumed to dominate.

4D-Qsar Study of Some Pyrazole Pyridine Carboxylic Acid Derivatives by Electron Conformational-Genetic Algorithm Method.

PubMed

Tuzun, Burak; Yavuz, Sevtap Caglar; Sabanci, Nazmiye; Saripinar, Emin

2018-05-13

In the present work, pharmacophore identification and biological activity prediction for 86 pyrazole pyridine carboxylic acid derivatives were made using the electron conformational genetic algorithm approach which was introduced as a 4D-QSAR analysis by us in recent years. In the light of the data obtained from quantum chemical calculations at HF/6-311 G** level, the electron conformational matrices of congruity (ECMC) were constructed by EMRE software. Comparing the matrices, electron conformational submatrix of activity (ECSA, Pha) was revealed that are common for these compounds within a minimum tolerance. A parameter pool was generated considering the obtained pharmacophore. To determine the theoretical biological activity of molecules and identify the best subset of variables affecting bioactivities, we used the nonlinear least square regression method and genetic algorithm. The results obtained in this study are in good agreement with the experimental data presented in the literature. The model for training and test sets attained by the optimum 12 parameters gave highly satisfactory results with R2training= 0.889, q2=0.839 and SEtraining=0.066, q2ext1 = 0.770, q2ext2 = 0.750, q2ext3=0.824, ccctr = 0.941, ccctest = 0.869 and cccall = 0.927. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Lead identification in soil surrounding a used lead acid battery smelter area in Banten, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adventini, N.; Santoso, M.; Lestiani, D. D.; Syahfitri, W. Y. N.; Rixson, L.

2017-06-01

A used lead acid battery smelter generates particulates containing lead that can contaminate the surrounding environment area. Lead is a heavy metal which is harmful to health if it enters the human body through soil, air, or water. An identification of lead in soil samples surrounding formal and informal used lead acid battery smelters area in Banten, Indonesia using EDXRF has been carried out. The EDXRF accuracy and precision evaluated from marine sediment IAEA 457 gave a good agreement to the certified value. A number of 16 soil samples from formal and informal areas and 2 soil samples from control area were taken from surface and subsurface soils. The highest lead concentrations from both lead smelter were approximately 9 folds and 11 folds higher than the reference and control samples. The assessment of lead contamination in soils described in Cf index was in category: moderately and strongly polluted by lead for formal and informal lead smelter. Daily lead intake of children in this study from all sites had exceeded the recommended dietary allowance. The HI values for adults and children living near both lead smelter areas were greater than the value of safety threshold 1. This study finding confirmed that there is a potential health risk for inhabitants surrounding the used lead acid battery smelter areas in Banten, Indonesia.

Synchrotron powder diffraction on Aztec blue pigments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Del Río, M.; Gutiérrez-León, A.; Castro, G. R.; Rubio-Zuazo, J.; Solís, C.; Sánchez-Hernández, R.; Robles-Camacho, J.; Rojas-Gaytán, J.

2008-01-01

Some samples of raw blue pigments coming from an archaeological rescue mission in downtown Mexico City have been characterized using different techniques. The samples, some recovered as a part of a ritual offering, could be assigned to the late Aztec period (XVth century). The striking characteristic of these samples is that they seem to be raw pigments prior to any use in artworks, and it was possible to collect a few μg of pigment after manual grain selection under a microscopy monitoring. All pigments are made of indigo, an organic colorant locally known as añil or xiuhquilitl. The colorant is always found in combination with an inorganic matrix, studied by powder diffraction. In one case the mineral base is palygorskite, a rare clay mineral featuring micro-channels in its structure, well known as the main ingredient of the Maya blue pigment. However, other samples present the minerals sepiolite (a clay mineral of the palygorskite family) and calcite. Another sample contains barite, a mineral never reported in prehispanic paints. We present the results of characterization using high resolution powder diffraction recorded at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BM25A, SpLine beamline) complemented with other techniques. All of them gave consistent results on the composition. A chemical test on resistance to acids was done, showing a high resistance for the palygorskite and eventually sepiolite compounds, in good agreement with the excellent resistance of the Maya blue.

Investigation of the relationships between the thermodynamic phase behavior and gelation behavior of a series of tripodal trisamide compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Li

Low molecular weight organic gelators(LMOGs) are important due to potential applications in many fields. Currently, most of the major studies focus on the empirical explanation of the crystallization for gelator assembly formation and morphologies, few efforts have been devoted to the thermodynamic phase behaviors and the effect of the non-ideal solution behavior on the structure of the resultant gels. In this research, tripodal trisamide compounds, synthesized from tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN) by condensation with different acid chlorides, were studied as model LMOGs due to the simple one-step reaction and the commercially available chemical reactants. Gelation of organic solvents was investigated as a function of concentration and solvent solubility parameter.It has been found that the introduction of branches or cyclic units have dramatically improves the gelation ability compared to linear alkyl peripheral units. Fitting the liquidus lines using the regular solution model and calculation of the trisamide solubility parameter using solubility parameter theory gave good agreement with the trisamide solubility parameter calculated by group contribution methods. These results demonstrate that non-ideal solution behavior is an important factor in the gelation behavior of low molecular mass organic gelators. Understanding and controlling the thermodynamics and phase behaviors of the gel systems will provide effective ways to produce new efficient LMOGs in the future.

An integral equation method for the homogenization of unidirectional fibre-reinforced media; antiplane elasticity and other potential problems.

PubMed

Joyce, Duncan; Parnell, William J; Assier, Raphaël C; Abrahams, I David

2017-05-01

In Parnell & Abrahams (2008 Proc. R. Soc. A 464 , 1461-1482. (doi:10.1098/rspa.2007.0254)), a homogenization scheme was developed that gave rise to explicit forms for the effective antiplane shear moduli of a periodic unidirectional fibre-reinforced medium where fibres have non-circular cross section. The explicit expressions are rational functions in the volume fraction. In that scheme, a (non-dilute) approximation was invoked to determine leading-order expressions. Agreement with existing methods was shown to be good except at very high volume fractions. Here, the theory is extended in order to determine higher-order terms in the expansion. Explicit expressions for effective properties can be derived for fibres with non-circular cross section, without recourse to numerical methods. Terms appearing in the expressions are identified as being associated with the lattice geometry of the periodic fibre distribution, fibre cross-sectional shape and host/fibre material properties. Results are derived in the context of antiplane elasticity but the analogy with the potential problem illustrates the broad applicability of the method to, e.g. thermal, electrostatic and magnetostatic problems. The efficacy of the scheme is illustrated by comparison with the well-established method of asymptotic homogenization where for fibres of general cross section, the associated cell problem must be solved by some computational scheme.

Remote assessment of diabetic foot ulcers using a novel wound imaging system.

PubMed

Bowling, Frank L; King, Laurie; Paterson, James A; Hu, Jingyi; Lipsky, Benjamin A; Matthews, David R; Boulton, Andrew J M

2011-01-01

Telemedicine allows experts to assess patients in remote locations, enabling quality convenient, cost-effective care. To help assess foot wounds remotely, we investigated the reliability of a novel optical imaging system employing a three-dimensional camera and disposable optical marker. We first examined inter- and intraoperator measurement variability (correlation coefficient) of five clinicians examining three different wounds. Then, to assess of the system's ability to identify key clinically relevant features, we had two clinicians evaluate 20 different wounds at two centers, recording observations on a standardized form. Three other clinicians recorded their observations using only the corresponding three-dimensional images. Using the in-person assessment as the criterion standard, we assessed concordance of the remote with in-person assessments. Measurement variation of area was 3.3% for intraoperator and 11.9% for interoperator; difference in clinician opinion about wound boundary location was significant. Overall agreement for remote vs. in-person assessments was good, but was lowest on the subjective clinical assessments, e.g., value of debridement to improve healing. Limitations of imaging included inability to show certain characteristics, e.g., moistness or exudation. Clinicians gave positive feedback on visual fidelity. This pilot study showed that a clinician viewing only the three-dimensional images could accurately measure and assess a diabetic foot wound remotely. © 2010 by the Wound Healing Society.

Atomistic simulation and XAS investigation of Mn induced defects in Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20}

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

Rezende, Marcos V dos S.; Santos, Denise J.; Jackson, Robert A.

2016-06-15

This work reports an investigation of the valence and site occupancy of Mn dopants in Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} (BTO: Mn) host using X-ray Absorption (XAS) and atomistic simulation techniques based on energy minimisation. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) at the Mn K-edges gave typical results for Mn ions with mixed valences of 3+ and 4+. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) results indicated that Mn ions are probably substituted at Ti sites. Atomistic simulation was performed assuming the incorporation of Mn{sup 2+}, Mn{sup 3+} and Mn{sup 4+} ions at either Bi{sup 3+} or Ti{sup 4+} sites, and the resultsmore » were compared to XANES and EXAFS measurements. Electrical conductivity for pure and doped samples was used to evaluate the consistency of the proposed model. - Graphical abstract: The structure of Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} (BTO). Display Omitted - Highlights: • Pure and Mn-doped Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} samples were studied by experimental techniques combined with atomistic simulation. • Good agreement between experimental and simulation results was obtained. • XANES results suggest a mixture of 3+ and 4+ valences for Mn, occupying the Ti4+ site in both cases. • Charge compensation by holes is most energetically favoured, explaining the enhancement observed in AC dark conductivity.« less

European-scale modeling of concentrations and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the pentabromodiphenyl ether product.

PubMed

Prevedouros, K; Jones, K C; Sweetman, A J

2004-11-15

The results from a modeling exercise utilizing the European variant (EVn) BETR multimedia environmental fate model are presented for selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) of the technical penta- (Pe-) bromodiphenyl ether (BDE) product. The objectives of this study were to test PeBDE emission estimates from the literature for Europe by investigating the consistency between model predictions and ambient measurements to address the ability of the model to predict spatial variability and differences between congeners. Concurrently sampled and analyzed passive sampling air data, together with soil and grass data, were used as key model validation tools. The model steady-state simulations gave generally good agreement with measured data for BDE-47 and -99 with greater discrepancies for heavier congeners (e.g., BDE-153). To predict future atmospheric concentration trends, the model was used in its fully dynamic mode over the period 1970--2010. It was predicted that atmospheric concentrations peaked around 1997, declining with an overall "disappearance" half-life of 4.8 years. Soil and grass levels were underestimated by the model; possible reasons for differences with measurement data are further explored. Finally, the importance of temporally and spatially resolved environmental data sets is highlighted, while improved quantification of degradation half-lives is essential to better understand and predict the behavior of BDE congeners in PeBDE.

Ab Initio Anharmonic Analysis of Vibrational Spectra of Uracil Using the Numerical-Analytic Implementation of Operator Van Vleck Perturbation Theory.

PubMed

Krasnoshchekov, Sergey V; Vogt, Natalja; Stepanov, Nikolay F

2015-06-25

The numerical-analytic implementation of the operator version of the canonical Van Vleck second-order vibrational perturbation theory (CVPT2) is employed for a purely ab initio prediction and interpretation of the infrared (IR) and Raman anharmonic spectra of a medium-size molecule of the diketo tautomer of uracil (2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione), which has high biological importance as one of the four RNA nucleobases. A nonempirical, semidiagonal quartic potential energy surface (PES) expressed in normal coordinates was evaluated at the MP2/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The quality of the PES was improved by replacing the harmonic frequencies with the "best" estimated CCSD(T)-based values taken from the literature. The theoretical method is enhanced by an accurate treatment of multiple Fermi and Darling-Dennison resonances with evaluation of the corresponding resonance constants W and K (CVPT2+WK method). A prediction of the anharmonic frequencies as well as IR and Raman intensities was used for a detailed interpretation of the experimental spectra of uracil. Very good agreement between predicted and observed vibrational frequencies has been achieved (RMSD ∼4.5 cm(-1)). The model employed gave a theoretically robust treatment of the multiple resonances in the 1680-1790 cm(-1) region. Our new analysis gives the most reliable reassignments of IR and Raman spectra of uracil available to date.

Patient-specific models of cardiac biomechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnamurthy, Adarsh; Villongco, Christopher T.; Chuang, Joyce; Frank, Lawrence R.; Nigam, Vishal; Belezzuoli, Ernest; Stark, Paul; Krummen, David E.; Narayan, Sanjiv; Omens, Jeffrey H.; McCulloch, Andrew D.; Kerckhoffs, Roy C. P.

2013-07-01

Patient-specific models of cardiac function have the potential to improve diagnosis and management of heart disease by integrating medical images with heterogeneous clinical measurements subject to constraints imposed by physical first principles and prior experimental knowledge. We describe new methods for creating three-dimensional patient-specific models of ventricular biomechanics in the failing heart. Three-dimensional bi-ventricular geometry is segmented from cardiac CT images at end-diastole from patients with heart failure. Human myofiber and sheet architecture is modeled using eigenvectors computed from diffusion tensor MR images from an isolated, fixed human organ-donor heart and transformed to the patient-specific geometric model using large deformation diffeomorphic mapping. Semi-automated methods were developed for optimizing the passive material properties while simultaneously computing the unloaded reference geometry of the ventricles for stress analysis. Material properties of active cardiac muscle contraction were optimized to match ventricular pressures measured by cardiac catheterization, and parameters of a lumped-parameter closed-loop model of the circulation were estimated with a circulatory adaptation algorithm making use of information derived from echocardiography. These components were then integrated to create a multi-scale model of the patient-specific heart. These methods were tested in five heart failure patients from the San Diego Veteran's Affairs Medical Center who gave informed consent. The simulation results showed good agreement with measured echocardiographic and global functional parameters such as ejection fraction and peak cavity pressures.

An integral equation method for the homogenization of unidirectional fibre-reinforced media; antiplane elasticity and other potential problems

PubMed Central

Joyce, Duncan

2017-01-01

In Parnell & Abrahams (2008 Proc. R. Soc. A 464, 1461–1482. (doi:10.1098/rspa.2007.0254)), a homogenization scheme was developed that gave rise to explicit forms for the effective antiplane shear moduli of a periodic unidirectional fibre-reinforced medium where fibres have non-circular cross section. The explicit expressions are rational functions in the volume fraction. In that scheme, a (non-dilute) approximation was invoked to determine leading-order expressions. Agreement with existing methods was shown to be good except at very high volume fractions. Here, the theory is extended in order to determine higher-order terms in the expansion. Explicit expressions for effective properties can be derived for fibres with non-circular cross section, without recourse to numerical methods. Terms appearing in the expressions are identified as being associated with the lattice geometry of the periodic fibre distribution, fibre cross-sectional shape and host/fibre material properties. Results are derived in the context of antiplane elasticity but the analogy with the potential problem illustrates the broad applicability of the method to, e.g. thermal, electrostatic and magnetostatic problems. The efficacy of the scheme is illustrated by comparison with the well-established method of asymptotic homogenization where for fibres of general cross section, the associated cell problem must be solved by some computational scheme. PMID:28588412

Understanding the atmospheric measurement and behavior of perfluorooctanoic acid.

PubMed

Webster, Eva M; Ellis, David A

2012-09-01

The recently reported quantification of the atmospheric sampling artifact for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was applied to existing gas and particle concentration measurements. Specifically, gas phase concentrations were increased by a factor of 3.5 and particle-bound concentrations by a factor of 0.1. The correlation constants in two particle-gas partition coefficient (K(QA)) estimation equations were determined for multiple studies with and without correcting for the sampling artifact. Correction for the sampling artifact gave correlation constants with improved agreement to those reported for other neutral organic contaminants, thus supporting the application of the suggested correction factors for perfluorinated carboxylic acids. Applying the corrected correlation constant to a recent multimedia modeling study improved model agreement with corrected, reported, atmospheric concentrations. This work confirms that there is sufficient partitioning to the gas phase to support the long-range atmospheric transport of PFOA. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Characteristics of community health organizations and decision-makers considering the adoption of motivational interviewing.

PubMed

Williams, Jessica Roberts; Dusablon, Tracy; Williams, Weston O; Blais, Marissa Puckett; Hennessy, Kevin D

2014-07-01

Research related to the adoption of comparative effectiveness research (CER) in mental health practice is limited. This study explores the factors that influence decisions to adopt motivational interviewing (MI)-an evidence-based practice (EBP) grounded in CER-among decision-makers (n = 311) in community health organizations (n = 92). Descriptive analyses focus on organization and decision-maker characteristics and processes that may influence the decision to adopt an EBP, including demographics, structure and operations, readiness, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators. Within-group agreement is examined to determine the degree to which participants within each organization gave similar responses. Results show characteristics differed according to type of organization (community health versus community behavioral health) and position (directors versus staff). Within-group agreement was also influenced by position. These findings indicate different strategies may be needed to best disseminate CER to the two groups.

Early Warning of Food Security Crises in Urban Areas: The Case of Harare, Zimbabwe, 2007

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Molly E.; Funk, Christopher C.

2008-01-01

In 2007, the citizens of Harare, Zimbabwe began experiencing an intense food security crisis. The crisis, due to a complex mix of poor government policies, high inflation rates and production decline due to drought, resulted in a massive increase in the number of food insecure people in Harare. The international humanitarian aid response to this crisis was largely successful due to the early agreement among donors and humanitarian aid officials as to the size and nature of the problem. Remote sensing enabled an early and decisive movement of resources greatly assisting the delivery of food aid in a timely manner. Remote sensing data gave a clear and compelling assessment of significant crop production shortfalls, and provided donors of humanitarian assistance a single number around which they could come to agreement. This use of remote sensing data typifies how remote sensing may be used in early warning systems in Africa.

Towards sustainable agricultural production: Growth and production of three varieties of shallot with some various Nitrobacter bio-fertilizer concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saharuddin; Dungga, N. E.; Syam’un, E.; Amin, A. R.

2018-05-01

Organic production is important for health and eliminates the risk of chemical residues. Taking part on sustainable agriculture production, this research was conducted in January to March 2017. Located in Palajau Village, in Jeneponto Regency, altitude 120 m above sea level, South Sulawesi. The research was aimed to determine the growth and production of shallot varieties and their interaction with Nitrobacter bio-fertilizer. The study conducted in the form of a two-factor factorial experiment using Randomized Block Design as environmental design. The first factor was varieties (Bima, Bangkok and Tajuk), and the second factor was concentration of Nitrobacter bio-fertilizer; control-without fertilizer, 30 and 60 mL of fertilizer per 3000 mL of water. Results show that the varietal treatment of Tajuk gave a good response to the observed parameters, and the Nitrobacter bio-fertilizer treatment of 60 mL of fertilizer 3000 mL of water gave good results on the number of bulbs per cluster, bulbs and dried bulbs per plot (of tons per ha bulbs). Bangkok variety combined with Nitrobacter bio-fertilizer concentration of 60 mL of fertilizer per 3000 mL of water per plot showed the highest yield of bulb that is 9.13 tons per ha compared with Bima and Tajuk varieties.

The use of Cole-Cole plots to compare two multifrequency bioimpedance instruments.

PubMed

Stroud, D B; Cornish, B H; Thomas, B J; Ward, L C

1995-10-01

Two commercially available multifrequency bioimpedance spectrometers (Xitron 4000B and SEAC SFB3) were compared by performing measurements on a set of electronic circuits and by studying 14 healthy volunteers. Output data were plotted as reactance versus resistance and fitted with a semi-circle using a least squares fitting program. In tests with six electronic circuits both instruments produced impedance loci that were well described by semicircular Cole-Cole plots, though there were some minor discrepancies using the Xitron instrument at frequencies above 150 kHz. When tested on the volunteers the SEAC instrument gave very good fits (RMSE = 1.5 Omega) to a semi-circle from 5-600 kHz on all volunteers. The Xitron instrument gave excellent fits to the semi-circle between 5 and 55 kHz (RMSE = 0.7 Omega) but above 55 kHz the phase measurements stayed constant or even increased, confirming the anomalous behaviour reported by other authors. The conclusions to be drawn are that the semicircular plots predicted by the Cole-Cole theory give a very good description of multifrequency impedance data recorded by the SEAC SFB3 instrument, on human subjects, for frequencies between 5 and 600 kHz. The Xitron 4000B is not able to reproduce the theoretically expected results in humans above 55 kHz.

Efficient in situ separation and production of L-lactic acid by Bacillus coagulans using weak basic anion-exchange resin.

PubMed

Zhang, Yitong; Qian, Zijun; Liu, Peng; Liu, Lei; Zheng, Zhaojuan; Ouyang, Jia

2018-02-01

To get rid of the dependence on lactic acid neutralizer, a simple and economical approach for efficient in situ separation and production of L-lactic acid was established by Bacillus coagulans using weak basic anion-exchange resin. During ten tested resins, the 335 weak basic anion-exchange resins demonstrated the highest adsorption capacity and selectivity for lactic acid recovery. The adsorption study of the 335 resins for lactic acid confirmed that it is an efficient adsorbent under fermentation condition. Langmuir models gave a good fit to the equilibrium data at 50 °C and the maximum adsorption capacity for lactic acid by 335 resins was about 402 mg/g. Adsorption kinetic experiments showed that pseudo-second-order kinetics model gave a good fit to the adsorption rate. When it was used for in situ fermentation, the yield of L-lactic acid by B. coagulans CC17 was close to traditional fermentation and still maintained at about 82% even after reuse by ten times. These results indicated that in situ separation and production of L-lactic acid using the 335 resins were efficient and feasible. This process could greatly reduce the dosage of neutralizing agent and potentially be used in industry.

19 CFR 10.521 - Goods eligible for tariff preference level claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Tariff Preference Level § 10.521 Goods eligible for tariff... assembled in Singapore from fabric or yarn produced or obtained outside the territory of Singapore or the...

Maternal recall of breastfeeding duration twenty years after delivery.

PubMed

Natland, Siv Tone; Andersen, Lene Frost; Nilsen, Tom Ivar Lund; Forsmo, Siri; Jacobsen, Geir W

2012-11-23

Studies on the health benefits from breastfeeding often rely on maternal recall of breastfeeding. Although short-term maternal recall has been found to be quite accurate, less is known about long-term accuracy. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of long-term maternal recall of breastfeeding duration. In a prospective study of pregnancy and birth outcome, detailed information on breastfeeding during the child's first year of life was collected from a cohort of Norwegian women who gave birth in 1986-88. Among 374 of the participants, data on breastfeeding initiation and duration were compared to recalled data obtained from mailed questionnaires some 20 years later. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plot, and Kappa statistics were used to assess the agreement between the two sources of data. Logistic regression was used to assess predictors of misreporting breastfeeding duration by more than one month. Recorded and recalled breastfeeding duration were strongly correlated (ICC=0.82, p < 0.001). Nearly two thirds of women recalled their breastfeeding to within one month. Recall data showed a modest median overestimation of about 2 weeks. There were no apparent systematic discrepancies between the two sources of information, but recall error was predicted by the age when infants were introduced to another kind of milk. Across categories of breastfeeding, the overall weighted Kappa statistic showed an almost perfect agreement (κ = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.82 - 0.88). Breastfeeding duration was recalled quite accurately 20 years after mothers gave birth in a population where breastfeeding is common and its duration long.

Comparison of the diagnostic ability of Moorfield’s regression analysis and glaucoma probability score using Heidelberg retinal tomograph III in eyes with primary open angle glaucoma

PubMed Central

Jindal, Shveta; Dada, Tanuj; Sreenivas, V; Gupta, Viney; Sihota, Ramanjit; Panda, Anita

2010-01-01

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of the Heidelberg retinal tomograph (HRT) glaucoma probability score (GPS) with that of Moorfield’s regression analysis (MRA). Materials and Methods: The study included 50 eyes of normal subjects and 50 eyes of subjects with early-to-moderate primary open angle glaucoma. Images were obtained by using HRT version 3.0. Results: The agreement coefficient (weighted k) for the overall MRA and GPS classification was 0.216 (95% CI: 0.119 – 0.315). The sensitivity and specificity were evaluated using the most specific (borderline results included as test negatives) and least specific criteria (borderline results included as test positives). The MRA sensitivity and specificity were 30.61 and 98% (most specific) and 57.14 and 98% (least specific). The GPS sensitivity and specificity were 81.63 and 73.47% (most specific) and 95.92 and 34.69% (least specific). The MRA gave a higher positive likelihood ratio (28.57 vs. 3.08) and the GPS gave a higher negative likelihood ratio (0.25 vs. 0.44).The sensitivity increased with increasing disc size for both MRA and GPS. Conclusions: There was a poor agreement between the overall MRA and GPS classifications. GPS tended to have higher sensitivities, lower specificities, and lower likelihood ratios than the MRA. The disc size should be taken into consideration when interpreting the results of HRT, as both the GPS and MRA showed decreased sensitivity for smaller discs and the GPS showed decreased specificity for larger discs. PMID:20952832

In Vitro Validation of Rapid MR Measurement of Wave Velocity

PubMed

Kraft; Fatouros; Corwin; Fei

1997-05-01

A one-dimensional time-of-flight MR sequence, having a total acquisition time of approximately 60 ms, has been employed to determine flow-wave propagation velocities for pulsatile flow in compliant latex tubes. The results were compared with those of two independent methods and were found to be in good agreement. An extension of the same MR method was used to test the validity of the "water-hammer" relationship as a means to assess pulse pressure. Very good agreement was found with direct manometric determinations of pulse pressure.

Ultraviolet spectrophotometry from Gemini 11 of stars in Orion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, T. H.; Spear, G. G.; Kondo, Y.; Henize, K. G.

1975-01-01

Ultraviolet spectrophotometry in the wavelength region 2600-3600 A is reported for the bright early-type stars beta, eta, gamma, delta, iota, epsilon, sigma, zeta, and kappa Ori. The results are in good agreement with other observations, and, with the possible exception of the supergiants, are in good agreement with recent line-blanketed model atmospheres. There is evidence that the supergiants possess a small ultraviolet deficiency shortward of 3000 A relative to main-sequence stars of similar spectral type. The most extreme example of this phenomenon is the star kappa Ori.

19 CFR 10.607 - Goods eligible for tariff preference level claims.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Tariff Preference Level § 10.607 Goods eligible.... 10.607 Section 10.607 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND... apparel goods provided for in U.S. Note 15(b), Subchapter XV, Chapter 99, HTSUS, that are both cut (or...

10 CFR Appendix B to Part 603 - Flow Down Requirements for Purchases of Goods and Services

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pt. 603, App. B Appendix B to Part 603—Flow Down Requirements for Purchases of Goods... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Flow Down Requirements for Purchases of Goods and Services... requirements that flow down to their purchases of goods or services (e.g., supplies or equipment) under their...

10 CFR Appendix B to Part 603 - Flow Down Requirements for Purchases of Goods and Services

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pt. 603, App. B Appendix B to Part 603—Flow Down Requirements for Purchases of Goods... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Flow Down Requirements for Purchases of Goods and Services... requirements that flow down to their purchases of goods or services (e.g., supplies or equipment) under their...

The development of an instrument to match individuals with disabilities and service animals.

PubMed

Zapf, S A; Rough, R B

There has been an increase in the use of service animals assisting persons with disabilities in the past decade. However many of the service dog agencies do not utilize an assessment that is designed to match the person to the animal in the rehabilitation and psycho-social domains. The purpose of this study was to develop the Service Animal Adaptive Intervention Assessment (SAAIA) and to measure the content validity, inter-rater reliability and clinical utility of the assessment. Two subject groups were used. Subject group one had 43 subjects who measured the content validity and clinical utility of the SAAIA Survey. Subject group two had 12 subjects who measured the inter-rater reliability by completing the SAAIA using information obtained through a video-taped client case scenario. Content validity results indicated a good to high percentage of agreement and a fair percentage of agreement for clinical utility. Inter-rater reliability results indicate good to high agreement on six of the eight variables of the SAAIA. However, the Kappa score indicates low inter-rater reliability. Results indicate the SAAIA has good content validity and inter-rater reliability and fair clinical utility based on percent agreement. However, further research is needed on the reliability of the SAAIA.

76 FR 30499 - To Modify the Rules of Origin for the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, and for Other...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-25

... States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (USPTPA), and on June 24 and June 25, 2007, the Parties to the...(a) of the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act (the ``USPTPA Act... Note 5 to Annex 2.3 of the USPTPA provides that originating goods of Peru shall not be subject to any...

Evolution of collectivity in the N =100 isotones near 170Yb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karayonchev, V.; Régis, J.-M.; Jolie, J.; Blazhev, A.; Altenkirch, R.; Ansari, S.; Dannhoff, M.; Diel, F.; Esmaylzadeh, A.; Fransen, C.; Gerst, R.-B.; Moschner, K.; Müller-Gatermann, C.; Saed-Samii, N.; Stegemann, S.; Warr, N.; Zell, K. O.

2017-03-01

An experiment using the electronic γ -γ fast-timing technique was performed to measure lifetimes of the yrast states in 170Yb. The lifetime of the yrast 2+ state was determined using the slope method. The value of τ =2.33 (3 ) ns is in good agreement with the lifetimes measured using other techniques. The lifetimes of the first 4+ and 6+ states are determined using the generalized centroid difference method. The derived B (E 2 ) values are compared to calculations done using the confined beta soft model and show good agreement with the experimental values. These calculations were extended to the isotonic chain N =100 around 170Yb and show a good quantitative description of the collectivity observed along it.

FABRIC FILTER MODEL SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a series of sensitivity tests of a GCA fabric filter model, as a precursor to further laboratory and/or field tests. Preliminary tests had shown good agreement with field data. However, the apparent agreement between predicted and actual values was bas...

Mutual Funds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dessoff, Alan L.

1993-01-01

There is good reason for college fund raisers and business officers to collaborate on common financial interests. Communication is a key element of such cooperation. Other needs include agreement on accounting and reporting of institutional finances, agreement on stewardship of gifts (particularly with restrictions or endowments), and common…

Using thermodynamic integration MD simulation to compute relative protein-ligand binding free energy of a GSK3β kinase inhibitor and its analogs.

PubMed

Lee, Hsing-Chou; Hsu, Wen-Chi; Liu, An-Lun; Hsu, Chia-Jen; Sun, Ying-Chieh

2014-06-01

Thermodynamic integration molecular dynamics simulation was used to investigate how TI-MD simulation preforms in reproducing relative protein-ligand binding free energy of a pair of analogous GSK3β kinase inhibitors of available experimental data (see Fig. 1), and to predict the affinity for other analogs. The computation for the pair gave a ΔΔG of 1.0 kcal/mol, which was in reasonably good agreement with the experimental value of -0.1 kcal/mol. The error bar was estimated at 0.5 kcal/mol. Subsequently, we employed the same protocol to proceed with simulations to find analogous inhibitors with a stronger affinity. Four analogs with a substitution at one site inside the binding pocket were the first to be tried, but no significant enhancement in affinity was found. Subsequent simulations for another 7 analogs was focused on substitutions at the benzene ring of another site, which gave two analogs (analogs 9 and 10) with ΔΔG values of -0.6 and -0.8 kcal/mol, respectively. Both analogs had a OH group at the meta position and another OH group at the ortho position at the other side of the benzene ring, as shown in Table 3. To explore further, another 4 analogs with this characteristic were investigated. Three analogs with ΔΔG values of -2.2, -1.7 and -1.2 kcal/mol, respectively, were found. Hydrogen bond analysis suggested that the additional hydrogen bonds of the added OH groups with Gln185 and/or Asn64, which did not appear in the reference inhibitor or as an analog with one substitution only in the examined cases, were the main contributors to an enhanced affinity. A prediction for better inhibitors should interest experimentalists of enzyme and/or cell assays. Analysis of the interactions between GSK3β kinase and the investigated analogs will be useful in the design of GSK3β kinase inhibitors for compounds of this class. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trace Explosives Signatures from World War II Unexploded Undersea Ordnance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darrach, M. R.; Chutjian, A.; Plett, G. A.

1998-01-01

Trace explosives signatures of TNT and DNT have been extracted from multiple sediment samples adjacent to unexploded undersea ordnance at Halifax Harbor, Canada. The ordnance was hurled into the harbor during a massive explosion some 50 years earlier, in 1945 after World War II had ended. Laboratory sediment extractions were made using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method in seawater and detection using the Reversal Electron Attachment Detection (READ) technique and, in the case of DNT, a commercial gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Results show that, after more than 50 years in the environment, ordnance that appeared to be physically intact gave good explosives signatures at the parts per billion level, whereas ordnance that had been cracked open during the explosion gave no signatures at the 10 parts per trillion sensitivity level. These measurements appear to provide the first reported data of explosives signatures from undersea unexploded ordnance.

Evidence-based practice guidelines: a survey of subcutaneous dexamethasone administration.

PubMed

Walker, Jackie; Lane, Pauline; McKenzie, Clare

2010-10-01

Searching for good evidence to develop clinical practice guidelines can be challenging, as research may not be published or available. A simple question set the authors on a journey to find evidence related to the nursing administration of subcutaneous dexamethasone in the palliative setting. This article outlines the search for evidence and discusses the survey results to gather expert opinion about the nursing administration of dexamethasone. Survey results indicated that only 39% of community services gave dexamethasone via a bolus injection and 88% gave it via a continuous infusion, mainly for site preservation. The diluents used were water for injection or normal saline. Many procedural aspects were supported by current guidelines, with several services using the New Zealand Waitemata District Health Board's (2008) clinical guidelines. Developing and implementing procedural recommendations for nurses to administer this subcutaneous medication will form the next stage of the project.

Formulation and evaluation of C-Ether fluids as lubricants useful to 260 C. [air breathing engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, F. S.; Miller, D. R.

1980-01-01

Three base stocks were evaluated in bench and bearing tests to determine their suitability for use at bulk oil temperatures (BOT) from -40 C to +260 C. A polyol ester gave good bearing tests at a bulk temperature of 218 C, but only a partially successful run at 274 C. These results bracket the fluid's maximum operating temperature between these values. An extensive screening program selected lubrication additives for a C-ether (modified polyphenyl ether) base stock. One formulation lubricated a bearing for 111 hours at 274 C (BOT), but this fluid gave many deposit related problems. Other C-ether blends produced cage wear or fatigue failures. Studies of a third fluid, a C-ether/disiloxane blend, consisted of bench oxidation and lubrication tests. These showed that some additives react differently in the blend than in pure C-ethers.

Validity of a commercial wearable sleep tracker in adult insomnia disorder patients and good sleepers.

PubMed

Kang, Seung-Gul; Kang, Jae Myeong; Ko, Kwang-Pil; Park, Seon-Cheol; Mariani, Sara; Weng, Jia

2017-06-01

To compare the accuracy of the commercial Fitbit Flex device (FF) with polysomnography (PSG; the gold-standard method) in insomnia disorder patients and good sleepers. Participants wore an FF and actigraph while undergoing overnight PSG. Primary outcomes were intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of the total sleep time (TST) and sleep efficiency (SE), and the frequency of clinically acceptable agreement between the FF in normal mode (FFN) and PSG. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of detecting sleep epochs were compared among FFN, actigraphy, and PSG. The ICCs of the TST between FFN and PSG in the insomnia (ICC=0.886) and good-sleepers (ICC=0.974) groups were excellent, but the ICC of SE was only fair in both groups. The TST and SE were overestimated for FFN by 6.5min and 1.75%, respectively, in good sleepers, and by 32.9min and 7.9% in the insomnia group with respect to PSG. The frequency of acceptable agreement of FFN and PSG was significantly lower (p=0.006) for the insomnia group (39.4%) than for the good-sleepers group (82.4%). The sensitivity and accuracy of FFN in an epoch-by-epoch comparison with PSG was good and comparable to those of actigraphy, but the specificity was poor in both groups. The ICC of TST in the FFN-PSG comparison was excellent in both groups, and the frequency of agreement was high in good sleepers but significantly lower in insomnia patients. These limitations need to be considered when applying commercial sleep trackers for clinical and research purposes in insomnia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accelerated convergence for synchronous approximate agreement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kearns, J. P.; Park, S. K.; Sjogren, J. A.

1988-01-01

The protocol for synchronous approximate agreement presented by Dolev et. al. exhibits the undesirable property that a faulty processor, by the dissemination of a value arbitrarily far removed from the values held by good processors, may delay the termination of the protocol by an arbitrary amount of time. Such behavior is clearly undesirable in a fault tolerant dynamic system subject to hard real-time constraints. A mechanism is presented by which editing data suspected of being from Byzantine-failed processors can lead to quicker, predictable, convergence to an agreement value. Under specific assumptions about the nature of values transmitted by failed processors relative to those transmitted by good processors, a Monte Carlo simulation is presented whose qualitative results illustrate the trade-off between accelerated convergence and the accuracy of the value agreed upon.

Evaluation of the Palutop+4 malaria rapid diagnostic test in a non-endemic setting.

PubMed

van Dijk, David P J; Gillet, Philippe; Vlieghe, Erika; Cnops, Lieselotte; van Esbroeck, Marjan; Jacobs, Jan

2009-12-12

Palutop+4 (All. Diag, Strasbourg, France), a four-band malaria rapid diagnostic test (malaria RDT) targeting the histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP-2), Plasmodium vivax-specific parasite lactate dehydrogenase (Pv-pLDH) and pan Plasmodium-specific pLDH (pan-pLDH) was evaluated in a non-endemic setting on stored whole blood samples from international travellers suspected of malaria. Microscopy corrected by PCR was the reference method. Samples include those infected by Plasmodium falciparum (n = 323), Plasmodium vivax (n = 97), Plasmodium ovale (n = 73) and Plasmodium malariae (n = 25) and 95 malaria negative samples. The sensitivities for the diagnosis of P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale were 85.1%, 66.0%, 32.0% and 5.5%. Sensitivities increased at higher parasite densities and reached 90.0% for P. falciparum >100/microl and 83.8% for P. vivax > 500/microl. Fourteen P. falciparum samples reacted with the Pv-pLDH line, one P. vivax sample with the HRP-2 line, and respectively two and four P. ovale and P. malariae samples reacted with the HRP-2 line. Two negative samples gave a signal with the HRP-2 line. Faint and weak line intensities were observed for 129/289 (44.6%) HRP-2 lines in P. falciparum samples, for 50/64 (78.1%) Pv-pLDH lines in P. vivax samples and for 9/13 (69.2%) pan-pLDH lines in P. ovale and P. malariae samples combined. Inter-observer reliabilities for positive and negative readings were excellent for the HRP-2 and Pv-pLDH lines (overall agreement > 92.0% and kappa-values for each pair of readers >or= 0.88), and good for the pan-pLDH line (85.5% overall agreement and kappa-values >or= 0.74). Palutop+4 performed moderately for the detection of P. falciparum and P. vivax, but sensitivities were lower than those of three-band malaria RDTs.

Stochastic resonance algorithm applied to quantitative analysis for weak chromatographic signals of alkyl halides and alkyl benzenes in water samples.

PubMed

Xiang, Suyun; Wang, Wei; Xia, Jia; Xiang, Bingren; Ouyang, Pingkai

2009-09-01

The stochastic resonance algorithm is applied to the trace analysis of alkyl halides and alkyl benzenes in water samples. Compared to encountering a single signal when applying the algorithm, the optimization of system parameters for a multicomponent is more complex. In this article, the resolution of adjacent chromatographic peaks is first involved in the optimization of parameters. With the optimized parameters, the algorithm gave an ideal output with good resolution as well as enhanced signal-to-noise ratio. Applying the enhanced signals, the method extended the limit of detection and exhibited good linearity, which ensures accurate determination of the multicomponent.

TiO2 supported gold nanoparticles: An efficient photocatalyst for oxidation of alcohol to aldehyde and ketone in presence of visible light irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogoi, Nibedita; Borah, Geetika; Gogoi, Pradip K.; Chetia, Tridip Ranjan

2018-01-01

An efficient heterogeneous photocatalyst composed of Au nanoparticle supported on TiO2 (anatase) is prepared by sol-gel method. This prepared nanocomposite showed good catalytic activity in the oxidation of various alcohols to aldehyde and ketone under irradiation of visible light. Various spectroscopic techniques including UV-Visible absorption spectral studies and photoluminescence study are employed to characterize the catalyst. It was also characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, XPS and ICP-AES analysis. In contrast to air and H2O2, use of TBHP as oxidant gave good yield. The reaction conditions with respect to solvent and amount of catalyst are optimized.

Application of an Unstructured Grid Navier-Stokes Solver to a Generic Helicopter Boby: Comparison of Unstructured Grid Results with Structured Grid Results and Experimental Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mineck, Raymond E.

1999-01-01

An unstructured-grid Navier-Stokes solver was used to predict the surface pressure distribution, the off-body flow field, the surface flow pattern, and integrated lift and drag coefficients on the ROBIN configuration (a generic helicopter) without a rotor at four angles of attack. The results are compared to those predicted by two structured- grid Navier-Stokes solvers and to experimental surface pressure distributions. The surface pressure distributions from the unstructured-grid Navier-Stokes solver are in good agreement with the results from the structured-grid Navier-Stokes solvers. Agreement with the experimental pressure coefficients is good over the forward portion of the body. However, agreement is poor on the lower portion of the mid-section of the body. Comparison of the predicted surface flow patterns showed similar regions of separated flow. Predicted lift and drag coefficients were in fair agreement with each other.

Achieving high value care for all and the perverse incentives of 340B price agreements.

PubMed

Whittington, Melanie D; Campbell, Jonathan D; McQueen, R Brett

2018-04-01

Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act requires drug manufacturers to enter into price agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services. These agreements result in variation in the price paid to acquire a drug by sector, which complicates the price used in cost-effectiveness analyses. We describe the transactions and sectors in a 340B agreement using a multiple sclerosis drug. Cost-effectiveness estimates were calculated for the drug using drug prices from the manufacturer and payer perspective. We found the amount paid to the manufacturer (340B price) was a good value ($118,256 per quality-adjusted life-year); however, from the payer drug cost perspective, good value ($196,683 per quality-adjusted life-year) was not achieved. Given that emerging value frameworks incorporate cost-effectiveness, these price variations may have downstream negative consequences, including inaccurate coverage and reimbursement policy recommendations. Upcoming policy changes to the 340B program should incentivize pricing schemes hinged on transparency and value.

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

Nahar, Sultana N., E-mail: nahar@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

The atomic parameters–oscillator strengths, line strengths, radiative decay rates (A), and lifetimes–for fine structure transitions of electric dipole (E1) type for the astrophysically abundant ion Ne IV are presented. The results include 868 fine structure levels with n≤ 10, l≤ 9, and 1/2≤J≤ 19/2 of even and odd parities, and the corresponding 83,767 E1 transitions. The calculations were carried out using the relativistic Breit–Pauli R-matrix method in the close coupling approximation. The transitions have been identified spectroscopically using an algorithm based on quantum defect analysis and other criteria. The calculated energies agree with the 103 observed and identified energies to withinmore » 3% or better for most of the levels. Some larger differences are also noted. The A-values show good to fair agreement with the very limited number of available transitions in the table compiled by NIST, but show very good agreement with the latest published multi-configuration Hartree–Fock calculations. The present transitions should be useful for diagnostics as well as for precise and complete spectral modeling in the soft X-ray to infra-red regions of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. -- Highlights: •The first application of BPRM method for accurate E1 transitions in Ne IV is reported. •Amount of atomic data (n going up to 10) is complete for most practical applications. •The calculated energies are in very good agreement with most observed levels. •Very good agreement of A-values and lifetimes with other relativistic calculations. •The results should provide precise nebular abundances, chemical evolution etc.« less

40 CFR 33.303 - Are there special rules for loans under EPA financial assistance agreements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROGRAMS Good Faith Efforts § 33.303 Are there special... identified loans comply with the good faith efforts described in § 33.301 and the contract administration...

40 CFR 33.303 - Are there special rules for loans under EPA financial assistance agreements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROGRAMS Good Faith Efforts § 33.303 Are there special... identified loans comply with the good faith efforts described in § 33.301 and the contract administration...

40 CFR 33.303 - Are there special rules for loans under EPA financial assistance agreements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROGRAMS Good Faith Efforts § 33.303 Are there special... identified loans comply with the good faith efforts described in § 33.301 and the contract administration...

40 CFR 33.303 - Are there special rules for loans under EPA financial assistance agreements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROGRAMS Good Faith Efforts § 33.303 Are there special... identified loans comply with the good faith efforts described in § 33.301 and the contract administration...

40 CFR 33.303 - Are there special rules for loans under EPA financial assistance agreements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PROGRAMS Good Faith Efforts § 33.303 Are there special... identified loans comply with the good faith efforts described in § 33.301 and the contract administration...

Comparison of propeller cruise noise data taken in the NASA Lewis 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel with other tunnel and flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittmar, James H.

1989-01-01

The noise of advanced high speed propeller models measured in the NASA 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel has been compared with model propeller noise measured in another tunnel and with full-scale propeller noise measured in flight. Good agreement was obtained for the noise of a model counterrotation propeller tested in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel and in the acoustically treated test section of the Boeing Transonic Wind Tunnel. This good agreement indicates the relative validity of taking cruise noise data on a plate in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel compared with the free-field method in the Boeing tunnel. Good agreement was also obtained for both single rotation and counter-rotation model noise comparisons with full-scale propeller noise in flight. The good scale model to full-scale comparisons indicate both the validity of the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel data and the ability to scale to full size. Boundary layer refraction on the plate provides a limitation to the measurement of forward arc noise in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel at the higher harmonics of the blade passing tone. The use of a validated boundary layer refraction model to adjust the data could remove this limitation.

Comparison of propeller cruise noise data taken in the NASA Lewis 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel with other tunnel and flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittmar, James

1989-01-01

The noise of advanced high speed propeller models measured in the NASA 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel has been compared with model propeller noise measured in another tunnel and with full-scale propeller noise measured in flight. Good agreement was obtained for the noise of a model counterrotation propeller tested in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel and in the acoustically treated test section of the Boeing Transonic Wind Tunnel. This good agreement indicates the relative validity of taking cruise noise data on a plate in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel compared with the free-field method in the Boeing tunnel. Good agreement was also obtained for both single rotation and counter-rotation model noise comparisons with full-scale propeller noise in flight. The good scale model to full-scale comparisons indicate both the validity of the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel data and the ability to scale to full size. Boundary layer refraction on the plate provides a limitation to the measurement of forward arc noise in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel at the higher harmonics of the blade passing tone. The sue of a validated boundary layer refraction model to adjust the data could remove this limitation.

Sedimentological, archeological and historical evidences of paleoclimatic changes during the holocene in the lagoon of Venice (Italy)

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

Bonardi, M.; Canal, E.; Cavazzoni, S.

1997-12-31

Sedimentological investigations and archeological and historical information have allowed to correlate paleoenvironmental and coastline variations, in the Lagoon of Venice, to climatic changes during the Holocene. In particular, we report the results of a detailed study of Holocene sediments, from salt marshes and small islands, taken above and below a level with well dated archeological findings that gave a good indication of the mean sea level.

Furniture Cuttings Made from Logging Residue: The Three-Sided Cant System

Treesearch

Hugh W. Reynolds; James Schroeder

1978-01-01

A new method to make furniture cuttings from the best of logging residues was tested. Bolts 4 through 8 feet long were sawed to three-sided cants. The cants were then resawed to boards and dried. The dried boards were gang ripped and defects removed to obtain clear-one-face cuttings of random width and length. The 6-, 7-, and 8-foot long bolts gave good yields by this...

Heat Treatment Investigation of 4330 Vanadium-Modified Steel

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

the desired properties, using the results from the tensile and subsized Charpy impact tests on the 1 2-inch-diameter stock our further investigations...for the subsized Charpy specimens is shown graphically in Appendix C as a function of tempering temperature. This data gave a good indication that the... Charpy energy for full-sized specimens (0.394-inch-square cross section) would be near our expected values. Due to the dimensions of the subsized

Marius and Trajan: Two Great Roman Strategists

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

soon respected as a good commander upon whom a soldier could count. His fairness of command is best demonstrated in an incident related by Plutarch ...to their discomfort and problems. (10:343) Plutarch also gave credit to Marius for altering the construction of the javelin. Marius replaced one of...Putnam’s Sons, 1927. 10. Plutarch (Translated by John Dryden, Revised by Arthur Hugh Clough). The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. Chicago

Regioselectivity in intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions of dissymmetric fluorinated alkynes.

PubMed

Kizirian, Jean-Claude; Aiguabella, Nuria; Pesquer, Albert; Fustero, Santos; Bello, Paula; Verdaguer, Xavier; Riera, Antoni

2010-12-17

Stoichiometric and catalytic intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions (PKRs) of dissymmetric fluorinated alkynes were performed, affording regioselectively α-fluorinated cyclopentenones. Ethyl 4,4,4-trifluorobutynoate was an excellent substrate; its reaction with norbornadiene gave the corresponding PKR adduct in good yield and complete regioselectivity. Conjugate addition of nitroalkanes or cyanide to this adduct is stereospecific and entails concomitant loss of a trifluoromethyl group. This reaction can be exploited to prepare cyclopentenones featuring quaternary centers.

2 CFR 176.150 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 176... Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods—Section 1605 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009..., steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international agreements, the agency shall use the notice...

2 CFR 176.140 - Award term-Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 176... and Reinvestment Act of 2009 § 176.140 Award term—Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and... that does not involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international agreements...

2 CFR 176.110 - Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel... iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods. (a) If the award official receives a request for an exception based on the cost of certain domestic iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods being unreasonable, in...

2 CFR 176.110 - Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel... Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods. (a) If the award official receives a request for an exception based on the cost of certain domestic iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods...

2 CFR 176.140 - Award term-Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods-Section 1605 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 176... and Reinvestment Act of 2009 § 176.140 Award term—Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and... that does not involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international agreements...

2 CFR 176.110 - Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel... proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods. (a) If the award official receives a request for an exception based on the cost of certain domestic iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods being...

2 CFR 176.110 - Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel... proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods. (a) If the award official receives a request for an exception based on the cost of certain domestic iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods being...

2 CFR 176.110 - Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Evaluating proposals of foreign iron, steel... iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods. (a) If the award official receives a request for an exception based on the cost of certain domestic iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods being unreasonable, in...

A funding model for health visiting (part 2): impact and implementation.

PubMed

Cowley, Sarah

2007-12-01

This is the second of two papers offering the information required to work out how to fund a health visiting service. The first paper gave the basic requirements, while this one identifies and explains the separate components of the service along with issues of scope and skillmix. In this way, it starts to describe the programmes embedded within a generic health visiting service, which is helpful in terms of what might be expected in terms of impact and outcomes. These are described with reference to the new Public Service Agreement targets and other relevant policy.

Knockdown, residual, and antifeedant activity of pyrethroids and home landscape bioinsecticides against Japanese beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on Linden foliage.

PubMed

Baumler, Rebecca E; Potter, Daniel A

2007-04-01

Residual toxicity and leaf protection capability of five pyrethroids, professional and home garden azadirachtin formulations, and six other bioinsecticides for the home landscape were evaluated against the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), on linden, Tilia cordata L. Capacity of intoxicated beetles to recover and subsequently feed and disperse also was evaluated to provide insight on activity characteristics of the different compounds. Intact shoots were sprayed and left in the field for varying intervals before being challenged with beetles in no-choice and choice tests. All pyrethroids except permethrin gave greater leaf protection, knockdown, and kill than did carbaryl, the standard, after 14 d of weathering. Deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, bifenthrin, and lamda-cyhalothrin gave a high level of protection for at least 19 d, and azadirachtin (Azatin XL) deterred feeding in choice tests for as long as 14 d. Home garden formulations containing pyrethrins in canola oil (Pyola) or azadiractin (Neem-Away) gave good short-term (< 3-d) protection. Formulations of capsaicin, rotenone + pyrethrins, kaolin particle film, D-limonene, or garlic extract were ineffective, the latter two formulations being highly phytotoxic to linden. Results of this study should help support updating of guidelines for insecticidal control of Japanese beetles.

Development of flurbiprofen-loaded nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution using sucrose.

PubMed

Oh, Dong Hoon; Yan, Yi-Dong; Kim, Dong Wuk; Kim, Jong Oh; Yong, Chul Soon; Choi, Han-Gon

2014-02-01

A novel flurbiprofen-loaded nanoemulsion which gave uniform emulsion droplets with a narrow size distribution was previously reported to be prepared using membrane emulsification method. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel flurbiprofen-loaded nanoparticle with a narrow size distribution and improved bioavailability. The nanoparticle was prepared by solidifying nanoemulsion using sucrose as a carrier via spray drying method. Its physicochemical properties were investigated using SEM, DSC and PXRD. Furthermore, dissolution and bioavailability in rats were evaluated compared to a flurbiprofen-loaded commercial product. The flurbiprofen-loaded nanoparticles with flurbiprofen/sucrose/surfactant mixture (1/20/2, weight ratio) gave good solidification and no stickiness. They associated with about 70,000-fold improved drug solubility and had a mean size of about 300 nm with a narrow size distribution. Flurbiprofen was present in a changed amorphous state in these nanoparticles. Moreover, the nanoparticles gave significantly shorter Tmax, and higher AUC and Cmax of the drug compared to the commercial product (p < 0.05). In particular, they showed about nine-fold higher AUC of the drug than did the commercial product. These flurbiprofen-loaded nanoparticles prepared with sucrose by the membrane emulsification and spray drying method would be a potential candidate for orally delivering poorly water-soluble flurbiprofen with enhanced bioavailability.

Test with Rhein brown coal in 1-liter oven and fourth report on neutralization of coal and precipitants (in German)

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

Reitz

1942-10-12

A 1.5 liter sump oven, without stirrer, was used for preparation of Rhein coal with different grinding oils. Partial neutralization of the coal, by mixing sulfuric acid or sulfates with wet coal before drying, was sought. Oven precipitation was reduced by addition of street tar (high middle oil content) and Bruex tar (up to 350/sup 0/C) as well as by a mixture of Estonian slate tar oil and anthracitic tar oil in ratio of 80:20, but there was chalk-coke residue similar to caviar found when the oven was disassembled. Fifty percent neutralization of the coal by sulfuric acid as opposedmore » to untreated coal gave some reduced vaporization and lower asphalt content. Iron sulfate catalyst also gave good results; magnesium sulfate, somewhat less. Though not unequivocally, H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ and FeSO/sub 4/ both apparently reduced precipitants. A mixture of magnesium sulfate with iron sulfate gave less favorable results over all. Untreated coal with the previous catalysts produced the undesirable caviar-precipitants. The results of the tests were questionable since exactness in components, viscosity, and other problems hindered reproducing the tests consistently. 2 tables.« less

77 FR 63221 - Waiver of Requirement To Enter Into a Reciprocal Waiver of Claims Agreement With All Customers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-16

... experiments on a locker insert to put into an experimental locker on board the ISS. The Space Act Agreement.... This has been true for indemnification of claims brought by employees. See, e.g., Howard Univ. v. Good...

21 CFR 26.78 - Agreements with other countries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Agreements with other countries. 26.78 Section 26... MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF PHARMACEUTICAL GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE REPORTS, MEDICAL DEVICE QUALITY SYSTEM AUDIT REPORTS, AND CERTAIN MEDICAL DEVICE PRODUCT EVALUATION REPORTS: UNITED STATES AND THE EUROPEAN...

Learning process for performing and analyzing 3D/4D transperineal ultrasound imaging and interobserver reliability study.

PubMed

Siafarikas, F; Staer-Jensen, J; Braekken, I H; Bø, K; Engh, M Ellström

2013-03-01

To evaluate the learning process for acquiring three- and four-dimensional (3D/4D) transperineal ultrasound volumes of the levator hiatus (LH) dimensions at rest, during pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction and on Valsalva maneuver, and for analyzing the ultrasound volumes, as well as to perform an interobserver reliability study between two independent ultrasound examiners. This was a prospective study including 22 women. We monitored the learning process of an inexperienced examiner (IE) performing 3D/4D transperineal ultrasonography and analyzing the volumes. The examination included acquiring volumes during three PFM contractions and three Valsalva maneuvers. LH dimensions were determined in the axial plane. The learning process was documented by estimating agreement between the IE and an experienced examiner (E) using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Agreement was calculated in blocks of 10 ultrasound examinations and analyzed volumes. After the learning process was complete the interobserver reliability for the technique was calculated between these two independent examiners. For offline analysis of the first 10 ultrasound volumes obtained by E, good to very good agreement between E and IE was achieved for all LH measurements except for the left and right levator-urethra gap and pubic arc. For the next 10 analyzed volumes, agreement improved for all LH measurements. Volumes that had been obtained by IE and E were then re-evaluated by IE, and good to very good agreement was found for all LH measurements indicating consistency in volume acquisition. The interobserver reliability study showed excellent ICC values (ICC, 0.81-0.97) for all LH measurements except the pubic arc (ICC = 0.67). 3D/4D transperineal ultrasound is a reliable technique that can be learned in a short period of time. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ionospheric tomography over South Africa: Comparison of MIDAS and ionosondes measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giday, Nigussie M.; Katamzi, Zama T.; McKinnell, Lee-Anne

2016-01-01

This paper aims to show the results of an ionospheric tomography algorithm called Multi-Instrument Data Analysis System (MIDAS) over the South African region. Recorded data from a network of 49-53 Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers over the South African region was used as input for the inversion. The inversion was made for April, July, October and December representing the four distinct seasons (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer respectively) of the year 2012. MIDAS reconstructions were validated by comparing maximum electron density of the F2 layer (NmF2) and peak height (hmF2) values predicted by MIDAS to those derived from three South African ionosonde measurements. The diurnal and seasonal trends of the MIDAS NmF2 values were in good agreement with the respective NmF2 values derived from the ionosondes. In addition, good agreement was found between the two measurements with minimum and maximum coefficients of determination (r2) between 0.84 and 0.96 in all the stations and validation days. The seasonal trend of the NmF2 values over the South Africa region has been reproduced using this inversion which was in good agreement with the ionosonde measurements. Moreover, a comparison of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI-2012) model NmF2 values with the respective ionosonde derived NmF2 values showed to have higher deviation than a similar comparison between the MIDAS reconstruction and the ionosonde measurements. However, the monthly averaged hmF2 values derived from IRI 2012 model showed better agreement than the respective MIDAS reconstructed hmF2 values compared with the ionosonde derived hmF2 values.The performance of the MIDAS reconstruction was observed to deteriorate with increased geomagnetic conditions. MIDAS reconstructed electron density were slightly elevated during three storm periods studied (24 April, 15 July and 8 October) which was in good agreement with the ionosonde measurements.

Experimental validation of the Helmoltz equation for the surface potential of Langmuir monolayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Abed, Abdel I.

2009-10-01

We show in this paper that monolayers of the nonhydrophilic F8H18 semifluorinated n -alkane constitute when spread on the hydrophobic top of an alamethicin Langmuir monolayer, a very good experimental system in order to check the validity of Helmoltz equation. This system allows for a good agreement between measured and calculated surface potentials of unionized Langmuir monolayers. We show also that the relative dielectric constant of the F8H18 monolayer does not vary upon compression of the monolayer, the measured 2.9 value is in a very good agreement with literature data. We attribute this behavior to the self-aggregation of F8H18 molecules in nanosized circular domains whose size remains constant upon compression as shown by atomic force microscopy.

The Adult Personality Functioning Assessment (APFA): factors influencing agreement between subject and informant.

PubMed

Hill, J; Fudge, H; Harrington, R; Pickles, A; Rutter, M

1995-03-01

The Adult Personality Functioning Assessment (APFA) provides ratings of interpersonal and social role performance in six domains over substantial periods of time. Ratings based on subject and informant accounts using the APFA were compared. There was good agreement for estimates of levels of dysfunction, and moderate agreement for type of dysfunction. An anticipated under-reporting of difficulties by subjects was not found. The extent of personality dysfunction was predictive of whether a close informant was available; however, closeness of informant was not consistently associated with subject-informant agreement.

Glossary on the World Trade Organisation and public health: part 2.

PubMed

Labonte, Ronald; Sanger, Matthew

2006-09-01

Part 1 of this glossary introduced different health and trade arguments, overviewed the history of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), defined key "trade talk" terms, and reviewed three WTO treaties concerned with trade in goods (GATT 1994, the Agreement on Agriculture, and the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures). Part 2 reviews five more agreements and the growing number of bilateral and regional trade agreements, and concludes with a commentary on different strategies proposed to ensure that health is not compromised by trade liberalization treaties.

Glossary on the World Trade Organisation and public health: part 2

PubMed Central

Labonte, Ronald; Sanger, Matthew

2006-01-01

Part 1 of this glossary introduced different health and trade arguments, overviewed the history of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), defined key “trade talk” terms, and reviewed three WTO treaties concerned with trade in goods (GATT 1994, the Agreement on Agriculture, and the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures). Part 2 reviews five more agreements and the growing number of bilateral and regional trade agreements, and concludes with a commentary on different strategies proposed to ensure that health is not compromised by trade liberalisation treaties. PMID:16905715

Chemical models of interstellar gas-grain processes. II - The effect of grain-catalysed methane on gas phase evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Paul D.; Charnley, S. B.

1991-01-01

The effects on gas phase chemistry which result from the continuous desorption of methane molecules from grain surfaces are studied. Significant and sustained enhancements in the abundances of several complex hydrocarbon molecules are found, in good agreement with their observed values in TMC-1. The overall agreement is, however, just as good for the case of zero CH4 desorption efficiency. It is thus impossible to determine from the models whether or not the grain-surface production of methane is responsible for the observed abundances of some hydrocarbon molecules.

Bound States in Dimerized and Frustrated Heisenberg Chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouzerar, G.; Sil, S.

Using the Bond-Operator Technique (BOT), we have studied the low energy excitation spectrum of a frustrated dimerized antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain. In particular, we have compared our analytical results with previous Exact Diagonalization (ED) data. Qualitatively, the BOT results are in good agreement with the ED data. And even a very good quantitative agreement is obtained in some parameter region. It is clearly shown that there is only one elementary excitation branch (lowest triplet branch) and that the two other well defined excitations which appear below the continuum, one singlet and one triplet, are bound states of two elementary triplets.

Novel Semiquantitative Bone Marrow Oedema Score and Fracture Score for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of the Active Charcot Foot in Diabetes

PubMed Central

Meacock, L.; Donaldson, Ana; Isaac, A.; Briody, A.; Ramnarine, R.; Edmonds, M. E.; Elias, D. A.

2017-01-01

There are no accepted methods to grade bone marrow oedema (BMO) and fracture on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in Charcot osteoarthropathy. The aim was to devise semiquantitative BMO and fracture scores on foot and ankle MRI scans in diabetic patients with active osteoarthropathy and to assess the agreement in using these scores. Three radiologists assessed 45 scans (Siemens Avanto 1.5T, dedicated foot and ankle coil) and scored independently twenty-two bones (proximal phalanges, medial and lateral sesamoids, metatarsals, tarsals, distal tibial plafond, and medial and lateral malleoli) for BMO (0—no oedema, 1—oedema < 50% of bone volume, and 2—oedema > 50% of bone volume) and fracture (0—no fracture, 1—fracture, and 2—collapse/fragmentation). Interobserver agreement and intraobserver agreement were measured using multilevel modelling and intraclass correlation (ICC). The interobserver agreement for the total BMO and fracture scores was very good (ICC = 0.83, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.76, 0.91) and good (ICC = 0.62; 95% CI 0.48, 0.76), respectively. The intraobserver agreement for the total BMO and fracture scores was good (ICC = 0.78, 95% CI 0.6, 0.95) and fair to moderate (ICC = 0.44; 95% CI 0.14, 0.74), respectively. The proposed BMO and fracture scores are reliable and can be used to grade the extent of bone damage in the active Charcot foot. PMID:29230422

The 27-28 October 1986 FIRE IFO Cirrus case study: Comparison of radiative transfer theory with observations by satellite and aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wielicki, Bruce A.; Suttles, J. T.; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Welch, Ronald M.; Spinhirne, James D.; Wu, Man-Li C.; Starr, David OC.; Parker, Lindsay; Arduini, Robert F.

1989-01-01

Observations of cirrus and altocumulus clouds during the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Regional Experiment (FIRE) are compared to theoretical models of cloud radiative properties. Three tests are performed. First, LANDSAT radiances are used to compare the relationship between nadir reflectance ot 0.83 micron and beam emittance at 11.5 microns with that predicted for model calculations using spherical and nonspherical phase functions. Good agreement is found between observations and theory when water droplets dominate. Poor agreement is found when ice particles dominate, especially using scattering phase functions for spherical particles. Even when compared to a laboratory measured ice particle phase function, the observations show increased side scattered radiation relative to the theoretical calculations. Second, the anisotropy of conservatively scattered radiation is examined using simultaneous multiple angle views of the cirrus from LANDSAT and ER-2 aircraft radiometers. Observed anisotropy gives good agreement with theoretical calculations using the laboratory measured ice particle phase function and poor agreement with a spherical particle phase function. Third, Landsat radiances at 0.83, 1.65, and 2.21 microns are used to infer particle phase and particle size. For water droplets, good agreement is found with King Air FSSP particle probe measurements in the cloud. For ice particles, the LANDSAT radiance observations predict an effective radius of 60 microns versus aircraft observations of about 200 microns. It is suggested that this descrepancy may be explained by uncertainty in the imaginary index of ice and by inadequate measurements of small ice particles by microphysical probes.

Reliability and type of consumer health documents on the World Wide Web: an annotation study.

PubMed

Martin, Melanie J

2011-01-01

In this paper we present a detailed scheme for annotating medical web pages designed for health care consumers. The annotation is along two axes: first, by reliability (the extent to which the medical information on the page can be trusted), second, by the type of page (patient leaflet, commercial, link, medical article, testimonial, or support). We analyze inter-rater agreement among three judges for each axis. Inter-rater agreement was moderate (0.77 accuracy, 0.62 F-measure, 0.49 Kappa) on the page reliability axis and good (0.81 accuracy, 0.72 F-measure, 0.73 Kappa) along the page type axis. We have shown promising results in this study that appropriate classes of pages can be developed and used by human annotators to annotate web pages with reasonable to good agreement. No.

Comparison of Single-Event Transients Induced in an Operational Amplifier (LM124) by Pulsed Laser Light and a Broad Beam of Heavy Ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buchner, Steve; McMorrow, Dale; Poivey, Christian; Howard, James, Jr.; Pease, Rom; Savage, Mark; Boulghassoul, Younis; Massengill, Lloyd

2003-01-01

A comparison of transients from heavy-ion and pulsed-laser testing shows good agreement for many different voltage configurations. The agreement is illustrated by comparing directly individual transients and plots of transient amplitude versus width.

47 CFR 25.263 - Information sharing requirements for SDARS terrestrial repeater operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... SDARS licensee and all potentially affected WCS licensees reach a mutual agreement to provide... SDARS licensee and all potentially affected WCS licensees reach a mutual agreement to provide... notice period. (e) Duty to cooperate. SDARS licensees must cooperate in good faith in the selection and...

77 FR 26599 - Determination Regarding Waiver of Discriminatory Purchasing Requirements With Respect to Goods...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-04

...-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION... INFORMATION: On November 22, 2006, the United States and Colombia entered into the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (``Colombia TPA''). Chapter Nine of the Colombia TPA sets forth certain...

Using Relative Improvement over Chance (RIOC) to Examine Agreement between Tests: Three Case Examples Using Studies of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cairney, John; Streiner, David L.

2011-01-01

Although statistics such as kappa and phi are commonly used to assess agreement between tests, in situations where the base rate of a disorder in a population is low or high, these statistics tend to underestimate actual agreement. This can occur even if the tests are good and the classification of subjects is adequate. Relative improvement over…

Automated lobar quantification of emphysema in patients with severe COPD.

PubMed

Revel, Marie-Pierre; Faivre, Jean-Baptiste; Remy-Jardin, Martine; Deken, Valérie; Duhamel, Alain; Marquette, Charles-Hugo; Tacelli, Nunzia; Bakai, Anne-Marie; Remy, Jacques

2008-12-01

Automated lobar quantification of emphysema has not yet been evaluated. Unenhanced 64-slice MDCT was performed in 47 patients evaluated before bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction. CT images reconstructed with a standard (B20) and high-frequency (B50) kernel were analyzed using a dedicated prototype software (MevisPULMO) allowing lobar quantification of emphysema extent. Lobar quantification was obtained following (a) a fully automatic delineation of the lobar limits by the software and (b) a semiautomatic delineation with manual correction of the lobar limits when necessary and was compared with the visual scoring of emphysema severity per lobe. No statistically significant difference existed between automated and semiautomated lobar quantification (p > 0.05 in the five lobes), with differences ranging from 0.4 to 3.9%. The agreement between the two methods (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) was excellent for left upper lobe (ICC = 0.94), left lower lobe (ICC = 0.98), and right lower lobe (ICC = 0.80). The agreement was good for right upper lobe (ICC = 0.68) and moderate for middle lobe (IC = 0.53). The Bland and Altman plots confirmed these results. A good agreement was observed between the software and visually assessed lobar predominance of emphysema (kappa 0.78; 95% CI 0.64-0.92). Automated and semiautomated lobar quantifications of emphysema are concordant and show good agreement with visual scoring.

Laser-Induced Fluorescence Measurements and Modeling of Nitric Oxide in Counterflow Diffusion Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ravikrishna, Rayavarapu V.

2000-01-01

The feasibility of making quantitative nonintrusive NO concentration ([NO]) measurements in nonpremixed flames has been assessed by obtaining laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements of [NO] in counterflow diffusion flames at atmospheric and higher pressures. Comparisons at atmospheric pressure between laser-saturated fluorescence (LSF) and linear LIF measurements in four diluted ethane-air counterflow diffusion flames with strain rates from 5 to 48/s yielded excellent agreement from fuel-lean to moderately fuel-rich conditions, thus indicating the utility of a model-based quenching correction technique, which was then extended to higher pressures. Quantitative LIF measurements of [NO] in three diluted methane-air counterflow diffusion flames with strain rates from 5 to 35/s were compared with OPPDIF model predictions using the GRI (version 2.11) chemical kinetic mechanism. The comparisons revealed that the GRI mechanism underpredicts prompt-NO by 30-50% at atmospheric pressure. Based on these measurements, a modified reaction rate coefficient for the prompt-NO initiation reaction was proposed which causes the predictions to match experimental data. Temperature measurements using thin filament pyrometry (TFP) in conjunction with a new calibration method utilizing a near-adiabatic H2-air Hencken burner gave very good comparisons with model predictions in these counterflow diffusion flames. Quantitative LIF measurements of [NO] were also obtained in four methane-air counterflow partially-premixed flames with fuel-side equivalence ratios (phi(sub B)) of 1.45, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0. The measurements were in excellent agreement with model predictions when accounting for radiative heat loss. Spatial separation between regions dominated by the prompt and thermal NO mechanisms was observed in the phi(sub B) = 1.45 flame. The modified rate coefficient proposed earlier for the prompt-NO initiation reaction improved agreement between code predictions and measurements in the region where prompt-NO dominates. Finally, LIF measurements of NO were obtained in counterflow diffusion flames at 2 to 5 atm. Comparisons between [NO] measurements and predictions show that the GRI mechanism underpredicts prompt-NO by a factor of two to three at all pressures. In general, the results indicate a need for refinement of the CH chemistry, especially the pressure-dependent CH formation and destruction reactions.

Performance of a new hand-held device for exhaled nitric oxide measurement in adults and children

PubMed Central

Alving, K; Janson, C; Nordvall, L

2006-01-01

Background Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) measurement has been shown to be a valuable tool in the management of patients with asthma. Up to now, most measurements have been done with stationary, chemiluminescence-based NO analysers, which are not suitable for the primary health care setting. A hand-held NO analyser which simplifies the measurement would be of value both in specialized and primary health care. In this study, the performance of a new electrochemical hand-held device for exhaled NO measurements (NIOX MINO) was compared with a standard stationary chemiluminescence unit (NIOX). Methods A total of 71 subjects (6–60 years; 36 males), both healthy controls and atopic patients with and without asthma were included. The mean of three approved exhalations (50 ml/s) in each device, and the first approved measurement in the hand-held device, were compared with regard to NO readings (Bland-Altman plots), measurement feasibility (success rate with 6 attempts) and repeatability (intrasubject SD). Results Success rate was high (≥ 84%) in both devices for both adults and children. The subjects represented a FENO range of 8–147 parts per billion (ppb). When comparing the mean of three measurements (n = 61), the median of the intrasubject difference in exhaled NO for the two devices was -1.2 ppb; thus generally the hand-held device gave slightly higher readings. The Bland-Altman plot shows that the 95% limits of agreement were -9.8 and 8.0 ppb. The intrasubject median difference between the NIOX and the first approved measurement in the NIOX MINO was -2.0 ppb, and limits of agreement were -13.2 and 10.2 ppb. The median repeatability for NIOX and NIOX MINO were 1.1 and 1.2 ppb, respectively. Conclusion The hand-held device (NIOX MINO) and the stationary system (NIOX) are in clinically acceptable agreement both when the mean of three measurements and the first approved measurement (NIOX MINO) is used. The hand-held device shows good repeatability, and it can be used successfully on adults and most children. The new hand-held device will enable the introduction of exhaled NO measurements into the primary health care. PMID:16626491

Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a “cocktail” of non-tumourous elements is a reliable, quick and easy technique for inferring methylation status in glioblastomas and other primary brain tumours

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Our aim was to develop a new protocol for MGMT immunohistochemistry with good agreement between observers and good correlation with molecular genetic tests of tumour methylation. We examined 40 primary brain tumours (30 glioblastomas and 10 oligodendroglial tumours) with our new technique, namely double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a "cocktail" of non-tumour antigens (CD34, CD45 and CD68). We compared the results with single-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA, a recognised molecular genetic technique which we applied as the gold-standard for the methylation status). Results Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT produced a visual separation of tumourous and non-tumourous elements on the same histological slide, making it quick and easy to determine whether tumour cell nuclei were MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative (and thereby infer the methylation status of the tumour). We found good agreement between observers (kappa 0.76) and within observer (kappa 0.84). Furthermore, double-labelling showed good specificity (80%), sensitivity (73.33%), positive predictive value (PPV, 83.33%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 68.75%) compared to MS-MLPA. Double-labelling was quicker and easier to assess than single-labelling and it outperformed quantitative computerised image analysis of MGMT single-labelling in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Conclusions Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a cocktail of non-tumourous elements provides a "one look" method for determining whether tumour cell nuclei are MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative. This can be used to infer the methylation status of the tumour. There is good observer agreement and good specificity, sensitivity, PPV and NPV compared to a molecular gold-standard. PMID:24252243

Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a "cocktail" of non-tumourous elements is a reliable, quick and easy technique for inferring methylation status in glioblastomas and other primary brain tumours.

PubMed

Burke, Elinor; Grobler, Mariana; Elderfield, Kay; Bond, Frances; Crocker, Matthew; Taylor, Rohan; Bridges, Leslie R

2013-06-10

Our aim was to develop a new protocol for MGMT immunohistochemistry with good agreement between observers and good correlation with molecular genetic tests of tumour methylation. We examined 40 primary brain tumours (30 glioblastomas and 10 oligodendroglial tumours) with our new technique, namely double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a "cocktail" of non-tumour antigens (CD34, CD45 and CD68). We compared the results with single-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA, a recognised molecular genetic technique which we applied as the gold-standard for the methylation status). Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT produced a visual separation of tumourous and non-tumourous elements on the same histological slide, making it quick and easy to determine whether tumour cell nuclei were MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative (and thereby infer the methylation status of the tumour). We found good agreement between observers (kappa 0.76) and within observer (kappa 0.84). Furthermore, double-labelling showed good specificity (80%), sensitivity (73.33%), positive predictive value (PPV, 83.33%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 68.75%) compared to MS-MLPA. Double-labelling was quicker and easier to assess than single-labelling and it outperformed quantitative computerised image analysis of MGMT single-labelling in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a cocktail of non-tumourous elements provides a "one look" method for determining whether tumour cell nuclei are MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative. This can be used to infer the methylation status of the tumour. There is good observer agreement and good specificity, sensitivity, PPV and NPV compared to a molecular gold-standard.

Is there a systematic bias of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of the breast if measured on different workstations? An inter- and intra-reader agreement study.

PubMed

Clauser, Paola; Marcon, Magda; Maieron, Marta; Zuiani, Chiara; Bazzocchi, Massimo; Baltzer, Pascal A T

2016-07-01

To evaluate the influence of post-processing systems, intra- and inter-reader agreement on the variability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in breast lesions. Forty-one patients with 41 biopsy-proven breast lesions gave their informed consent and were included in this prospective IRB-approved study. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations were performed at 1.5 T using an EPI-DWI sequence, with b-values of 0 and 1000 s/mm(2). Two radiologists (R1, R2) reviewed the images in separate sessions and measured the ADC for lesion, using MRI-workstation (S-WS), PACS-workstation (P-WS) and a commercial DICOM viewer (O-SW). Agreement was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plots and coefficient of variation (CV). Thirty-one malignant, two high-risk and eight benign mass-like lesions were analysed. Intra-reader agreement was almost perfect (ICC-R1 = 0.974; ICC-R2 = 0.990) while inter-reader agreement was substantial (ICC from 0.615 to 0.682). Bland-Altman plots revealed a significant bias in ADC values measured between O-SW and S-WS (P = 0.025), no further systematic differences were identified. CV varied from 6.8 % to 7.9 %. Post-processing systems may have a significant, although minor, impact on ADC measurements in breast lesions. While intra-reader agreement is high, the main source of ADC variability seems to be caused by inter-reader variation. • ADC provides quantitative information on breast lesions independent from the system used. • ADC measurement using different workstations and software systems is generally reliable. • Systematic, but minor, differences may occur between different post-processing systems. • Inter-reader agreement of ADC measurements exceeded intra-reader agreement.

[The homogeneity of a population of yeasts from Camembert cheeses].

PubMed

Schmidt, J L; Daudin, J J

1983-01-01

Yeasts are found to a large extent in cheeses, more particularly in soft cheeses such as Camembert. The proximity between two species previously identified by standard methods was studied using a factorial discriminant analysis on 326 strains. Twenty-three fermentation and assimilation tests (discriminant variables) gave a fairly good discrimination between species. This treatment has allowed us to confirm the present tendencies noticed in yeast classification and has also enabled us to group some of the species.

13-Helix folding of a β/γ-peptide manifold designed from a "minimal-constraint" blueprint.

PubMed

Grison, Claire M; Robin, Sylvie; Aitken, David J

2016-06-14

A bottom-up design rationale was adopted to devise β/γ-peptide foldamer manifolds which would adopt preferred 13-helix conformations, relying on minimal steric imposition brought by the constituent amino acid residues. In this way, a well-defined 13-helix conformer was revealed for short oligomers of trans-2-aminocyclobutanecarboxylic acid and γ(4)-amino acids in alternation, which gave good topological superposition upon an α-helix motif.

Permanganate Fixation of Plant Cells

PubMed Central

Mollenhauer, Hilton H.

1959-01-01

In an evaluation of procedures explored to circumvent some of the problems of osmium tetroxide-fixation and methacrylate embedding of plant materials, excised segments of root tips of Zea mays were fixed for electron microscopy in potassium permanganate in the following treatment variations: unbuffered and veronal-acetate buffered solutions of 0.6, 2.0, and 5.0 per cent KMnO4 at pH 5.0, 6.0, 6.7, and 7.5, and temperatures of 2–4°C. and 22°C. After fixation the segments were dehydrated, embedded in epoxy resin, sectioned, and observed or photographed. The cells of the central region of the rootcap are described. The fixation procedures employing unbuffered solutions containing 2.0 to 5.0 per cent KMnO4 at a temperature of 22°C. gave particularly good preservation of cell structure and all membrane systems. Similar results were obtained using a solution containing 2.0 per cent KMnO4, buffered with veronal-acetate to pH 6.0, and a fixation time of 2 hours at 22°C. The fixation procedure utilizing veronal-acetate buffered, 0.6 per cent KMnO4 at 2–4°C. and pH 6.7 also gave relatively good preservation of most cellular constituents. However, preservation of the plasma membrane was not so good, nor was the intensity of staining so great, as that with the group of fixatives containing greater concentrations of KMnO4. The other fixation procedures did not give satisfactory preservation of fine structure. A comparison is made of cell structures as fixed in KMnO4 or OsO4. PMID:14423414

The commensurability of environmental geology and petroleum geology

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

Argen, R.J.

1990-05-01

Environmental geology and petroleum geology are practical applications of pure geology. These two applied sciences differ with respect to their philosophical and ethical mandates. A good petroleum geologist finds hydrocarbons, but the role of a good environmental geologist is not well defined. If the good environmental geologist's role is not simply to protect the environment from the good petroleum geologist then how do the mandates of these geologists differ, yet remain compatible If the mandate of a good environmental geologist were to protect every natural resource from all managed use, then the good environmental geologist and the good petroleum geologistmore » would forever be at war. This mandate provides no framework for agreement because it assumes the inherent worth of each natural resource is discoverable. If the mandate of a good environmental geologist is to discover how to maximize the long-term benefits of the managed use of natural resource, then both the good environmental geologist and the good petroleum geologist would agree that no natural resource has inherent worth. The value of a natural resource is not determined by what it is, but by how it enhances the quality of life for a particular class of sentient creatures. An instrumental theory of value will provide a medium for interim disagreement on how to enhance the quality of life for sentient creatures, and also will provide the means for a long-term agreement that the managed use of natural resources enhances the long-term quality of life for sentient creatures.« less

Heterotrophic Nature of the Cell-Free Protein-Synthesizing System from the Strict Chemolithotroph, Thiobacillus thiooxidans

PubMed Central

Amemiya, K.; Umbreit, W. W.

1974-01-01

A cell-free protein-synthesizing system prepared from the strict chemolithotroph, Thiobacillus thiooxidans, was similar to that of heterotrophs. The poly-U directed system had a temperature optimum of 37 C, but in the presence of spermidine (3 mM) the optimum shifted to 45 C. Although growth of the chemolithotroph occurs only in acid conditions, the pH optimum for the cell-free system was pH 7.2. The endogenous-directed activity in the presence or absence of spermidine was maximal at pH 7.8. Spermidine had a stimulatory effect; however, this effect was dependent on the magnesium and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) concentrations. At low Tris concentrations (10 mM), spermidine (3 to 5 mM) could completely replace magnesium. When the Tris concentration was increased (50 mM), spermidine could not replace magnesium. Supernatant and ribosomal fractions from T. thiooxidans were exchanged with those of Bacillus thuringiensis and Escherichia coli, and the ribosomal fraction from the chemolithotroph gave good to moderate stimulation when exchanged with the supernatant from the heterotrophs. On the other hand, the supernatant from T. thiooxidans gave good stimulation when mixed with ribosomes from B. thuringiensis but poor activity with ribosomes from E. coli. Both supernatant and ribosomal fractions prepared from stationary phase extracts of T. thiooxidans were inactive in the cell-free system. PMID:4590488

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

Tang, S; Ho, M; Chen, C

Purpose: The use of log files to perform patient specific quality assurance for both protons and IMRT has been established. Here, we extend that approach to a proprietary log file format and compare our results to measurements in phantom. Our goal was to generate a system that would permit gross errors to be found within 3 fractions until direct measurements. This approach could eventually replace direct measurements. Methods: Spot scanning protons pass through multi-wire ionization chambers which provide information about the charge, location, and size of each delivered spot. We have generated a program that calculates the dose in phantommore » from these log files and compares the measurements with the plan. The program has 3 different spot shape models: single Gaussian, double Gaussian and the ASTROID model. The program was benchmarked across different treatment sites for 23 patients and 74 fields. Results: The dose calculated from the log files were compared to those generate by the treatment planning system (Raystation). While the dual Gaussian model often gave better agreement, overall, the ASTROID model gave the most consistent results. Using a 5%–3 mm gamma with a 90% passing criteria and excluding doses below 20% of prescription all patient samples passed. However, the degree of agreement of the log file approach was slightly worse than that of the chamber array measurement approach. Operationally, this implies that if the beam passes the log file model, it should pass direct measurement. Conclusion: We have established and benchmarked a model for log file QA in an IBA proteus plus system. The choice of optimal spot model for a given class of patients may be affected by factors such as site, field size, and range shifter and will be investigated further.« less

Performance of Four Frailty Classifications in Older Patients With Cancer: Prospective Elderly Cancer Patients Cohort Study.

PubMed

Ferrat, Emilie; Paillaud, Elena; Caillet, Philippe; Laurent, Marie; Tournigand, Christophe; Lagrange, Jean-Léon; Droz, Jean-Pierre; Balducci, Lodovico; Audureau, Etienne; Canouï-Poitrine, Florence; Bastuji-Garin, Sylvie

2017-03-01

Purpose Frailty classifications of older patients with cancer have been developed to assist physicians in selecting cancer treatments and geriatric interventions. They have not been compared, and their performance in predicting outcomes has not been assessed. Our objectives were to assess agreement among four classifications and to compare their predictive performance in a large cohort of in- and outpatients with various cancers. Patients and Methods We prospectively included 1,021 patients age 70 years or older who had solid or hematologic malignancies and underwent a geriatric assessment in one of two French teaching hospitals between 2007 and 2012. Among them, 763 were assessed using four classifications: Balducci, International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) 1, SIOG2, and a latent class typology. Agreement was assessed using the κ statistic. Outcomes were 1-year mortality and 6-month unscheduled admissions. Results All four classifications had good discrimination for 1-year mortality (C-index ≥ 0.70); discrimination was best with SIOG1. For 6-month unscheduled admissions, discrimination was good with all four classifications (C-index ≥ 0.70). For classification into three (fit, vulnerable, or frail) or two categories (fit v vulnerable or frail and fit or vulnerable v frail), agreement among the four classifications ranged from very poor (κ ≤ 0.20) to good (0.60 < κ ≤ 0.80). Agreement was best between SIOG1 and the latent class typology and between SIOG1 and Balducci. Conclusion These four frailty classifications have good prognostic performance among older in- and outpatients with various cancers. They may prove useful in decision making about cancer treatments and geriatric interventions and/or in stratifying older patients with cancer in clinical trials.

M = +1, ± 1 and ± 2 mode helicon wave excitation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.-H.; Yun, S.-M.; Chang, H.-Y.

1996-11-01

The characteristics of M=+1, ± 1 and ± 2 modes helicon wave excited using a solenoid antenna, Nagoya type III and quadrupole antenna respectively are first investigated. The solenoid antenna is constructed by winding a copper cable on a quartz discharge tube. Two dimensional cross-field measurements of ArII optical emission induced by hot electrons are made to investigate RF power deposition: Components of the wave magnetic field measured with a single-turn, coaxial magnetic probe were compared with the field patterns computed for M=+1, ± 1 and ± 2 modes. The M=+1 mode plasma produced by the solenoid antenna has a cylindrical high intensity plasma column, which center is empty. This cylindrical high intensity column results from the rotation of the cross-sectional electric field pattern (right hand circularly polarization). The radial plasma density profile has a peak at r=2.5cm with axisymmetry. It has been found that the radial profile of the plasma density is in good agreement with the computed power deposition profile. The radial profiles of the wave magnetic field are in good agreement with computations. The plasma excited by Nagoya type III antenna has two high intensity columns which results from the linear combination of M=+1 and -1 modes (i.e. plane polarization). The radial plasma density profile is in good agreement with emission intensity profile of ArII line (488nm). The plasma excited by quadrupole antenna has four high intensity columns which results from the linear combination of M=+2 and -2 modes (i.e. plane polarization). In the M=± 2 modes, the radial plasma density profile is also in good agreement with emission intensity profile of ArII line.

High resolution pituitary gland MRI at 7.0 tesla: a clinical evaluation in Cushing's disease.

PubMed

de Rotte, Alexandra A J; Groenewegen, Amy; Rutgers, Dik R; Witkamp, Theo; Zelissen, Pierre M J; Meijer, F J Anton; van Lindert, Erik J; Hermus, Ad; Luijten, Peter R; Hendrikse, Jeroen

2016-01-01

To evaluate the detection of pituitary lesions at 7.0 T compared to 1.5 T MRI in 16 patients with clinically and biochemically proven Cushing's disease. In seven patients, no lesion was detected on the initial 1.5 T MRI, and in nine patients it was uncertain whether there was a lesion. Firstly, two readers assessed both 1.5 T and 7.0 T MRI examinations unpaired in a random order for the presence of lesions. Consensus reading with a third neuroradiologist was used to define final lesions in all MRIs. Secondly, surgical outcome was evaluated. A comparison was made between the lesions visualized with MRI and the lesions found during surgery in 9/16 patients. The interobserver agreement for lesion detection was good at 1.5 T MRI (κ = 0.69) and 7.0 T MRI (κ = 0.62). In five patients, both the 1.5 T and 7.0 T MRI enabled visualization of a lesion on the correct side of the pituitary gland. In three patients, 7.0 T MRI detected a lesion on the correct side of the pituitary gland, while no lesion was visible at 1.5 T MRI. The interobserver agreement of image assessment for 7.0 T MRI in patients with Cushing's disease was good, and lesions were detected more accurately with 7.0 T MRI. Interobserver agreement for lesion detection on 1.5 T MRI was good; Interobserver agreement for lesion detection on 7.0 T MRI was good; 7.0 T enabled confirmation of unclear lesions at 1.5 T; 7.0 T enabled visualization of lesions not visible at 1.5 T.

Quantitative evaluation of patient-specific quality assurance using online dosimetry system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jae-Yong; Shin, Young-Ju; Sohn, Seung-Chang; Min, Jung-Whan; Kim, Yon-Lae; Kim, Dong-Su; Choe, Bo-Young; Suh, Tae-Suk

2018-01-01

In this study, we investigated the clinical performance of an online dosimetry system (Mobius FX system, MFX) by 1) dosimetric plan verification using gamma passing rates and dose volume metrics and 2) error-detection capability evaluation by deliberately introduced machine error. Eighteen volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were studied. To evaluate the clinical performance of the MFX, we used gamma analysis and dose volume histogram (DVH) analysis. In addition, to evaluate the error-detection capability, we used gamma analysis and DVH analysis utilizing three types of deliberately introduced errors (Type 1: gantry angle-independent multi-leaf collimator (MLC) error, Type 2: gantry angle-dependent MLC error, and Type 3: gantry angle error). A dosimetric verification comparison of physical dosimetry system (Delt4PT) and online dosimetry system (MFX), gamma passing rates of the two dosimetry systems showed very good agreement with treatment planning system (TPS) calculation. For the average dose difference between the TPS calculation and the MFX measurement, most of the dose metrics showed good agreement within a tolerance of 3%. For the error-detection comparison of Delta4PT and MFX, the gamma passing rates of the two dosimetry systems did not meet the 90% acceptance criterion with the magnitude of error exceeding 2 mm and 1.5 ◦, respectively, for error plans of Types 1, 2, and 3. For delivery with all error types, the average dose difference of PTV due to error magnitude showed good agreement between calculated TPS and measured MFX within 1%. Overall, the results of the online dosimetry system showed very good agreement with those of the physical dosimetry system. Our results suggest that a log file-based online dosimetry system is a very suitable verification tool for accurate and efficient clinical routines for patient-specific quality assurance (QA).

Breast lesion shape and margin evaluation: BI-RADS based metrics understate radiologists' actual levels of agreement.

PubMed

Rawashdeh, Mohammad; Lewis, Sarah; Zaitoun, Maha; Brennan, Patrick

2018-05-01

While there is much literature describing the radiologic detection of breast cancer, there are limited data available on the agreement between experts when delineating and classifying breast lesions. The aim of this work is to measure the level of agreement between expert radiologists when delineating and classifying breast lesions as demonstrated through Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) and quantitative shape metrics. Forty mammographic images, each containing a single lesion, were presented to nine expert breast radiologists using a high specification interactive digital drawing tablet with stylus. Each reader was asked to manually delineate the breast masses using the tablet and stylus and then visually classify the lesion according to the American College of Radiology (ACR) BI-RADS lexicon. The delineated lesion compactness and elongation were computed using Matlab software. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cohen's kappa were used to assess inter-observer agreement for delineation and classification outcomes, respectively. Inter-observer agreement was fair for BI-RADS shape (kappa = 0.37) and moderate for margin (kappa = 0.58) assessments. Agreement for quantitative shape metrics was good for lesion elongation (ICC = 0.82) and excellent for compactness (ICC = 0.93). Fair to moderate levels of agreement was shown by radiologists for shape and margin classifications of cancers using the BI-RADS lexicon. When quantitative shape metrics were used to evaluate radiologists' delineation of lesions, good to excellent inter-observer agreement was found. The results suggest that qualitative descriptors such as BI-RADS lesion shape and margin understate the actual level of expert radiologist agreement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agreement between ethnicity recorded in two New Zealand health databases: effects of discordance on cardiovascular outcome measures (PREDICT CVD3).

PubMed

Marshall, Roger J; Zhang, Zhongqian; Broad, Joanna B; Wells, Sue

2007-06-01

To assess agreement between ethnicity as recorded by two independent databases in New Zealand, PREDICT and the National Health Index (NHI), and to assess sensitivity of ethnic-specific measures of health outcomes to either ethnicity record. Patients assessed using PREDICT form the study cohort. Ethnicity was recorded for PREDICT and an associated NHI ethnicity code was identified by merge-match linking on an encrypted NHI number. Agreement between ethnicity measures was assessed by kappa scores and scaled rectangle diagrams. A cohort of 18,239 individuals was linked in both PREDICT and NHI databases. The agreement between ethnicity classifications was reasonably good, with overall kappa coefficient of 0.82. There was better agreement for women than men and agreement improved with age and with time since the PREDICT system has been operational. Ethnic-specific cardiovascular (CVD) hospital admission rates were sensitive to ethnicity coding by NHI or PREDICT; rate ratios for ethnic groups, relative to European, based on PREDICT were attenuated towards the null relative to the NHI classification. Agreement between ethnicity was moderately good. Discordances that do exist do not have a substantial effect on prevalence-based measures of effect; however, they do on measurement of the admission of CVD. Different categorisations of ethnicity data from routine (and other) databases can lead to different ethnic-specific estimates of epidemiological effects. There is an imperative to record ethnicity in a rational, systematic and consistent way.

Methods to achieve high interrater reliability in data collection from primary care medical records.

PubMed

Liddy, Clare; Wiens, Miriam; Hogg, William

2011-01-01

We assessed interrater reliability (IRR) of chart abstractors within a randomized trial of cardiovascular care in primary care. We report our findings, and outline issues and provide recommendations related to determining sample size, frequency of verification, and minimum thresholds for 2 measures of IRR: the κ statistic and percent agreement. We designed a data quality monitoring procedure having 4 parts: use of standardized protocols and forms, extensive training, continuous monitoring of IRR, and a quality improvement feedback mechanism. Four abstractors checked a 5% sample of charts at 3 time points for a predefined set of indicators of the quality of care. We set our quality threshold for IRR at a κ of 0.75, a percent agreement of 95%, or both. Abstractors reabstracted a sample of charts in 16 of 27 primary care practices, checking a total of 132 charts with 38 indicators per chart. The overall κ across all items was 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.92) and the overall percent agreement was 94.3%, signifying excellent agreement between abstractors. We gave feedback to the abstractors to highlight items that had a κ of less than 0.70 or a percent agreement less than 95%. No practice had to have its charts abstracted again because of poor quality. A 5% sampling of charts for quality control using IRR analysis yielded κ and agreement levels that met or exceeded our quality thresholds. Using 3 time points during the chart audit phase allows for early quality control as well as ongoing quality monitoring. Our results can be used as a guide and benchmark for other medical chart review studies in primary care.

19 CFR 10.594 - Originating goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.594 Originating goods. Except as otherwise provided in...

Four-Nozzle Benchmark Wind Tunnel Model USA Code Solutions for Simulation of Multiple Rocket Base Flow Recirculation at 145,000 Feet Altitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dougherty, N. S.; Johnson, S. L.

1993-01-01

Multiple rocket exhaust plume interactions at high altitudes can produce base flow recirculation with attendant alteration of the base pressure coefficient and increased base heating. A search for a good wind tunnel benchmark problem to check grid clustering technique and turbulence modeling turned up the experiment done at AEDC in 1961 by Goethert and Matz on a 4.25-in. diameter domed missile base model with four rocket nozzles. This wind tunnel model with varied external bleed air flow for the base flow wake produced measured p/p(sub ref) at the center of the base as high as 3.3 due to plume flow recirculation back onto the base. At that time in 1961, relatively inexpensive experimentation with air at gamma = 1.4 and nozzle A(sub e)/A of 10.6 and theta(sub n) = 7.55 deg with P(sub c) = 155 psia simulated a LO2/LH2 rocket exhaust plume with gamma = 1.20, A(sub e)/A of 78 and P(sub c) about 1,000 psia. An array of base pressure taps on the aft dome gave a clear measurement of the plume recirculation effects at p(infinity) = 4.76 psfa corresponding to 145,000 ft altitude. Our CFD computations of the flow field with direct comparison of computed-versus-measured base pressure distribution (across the dome) provide detailed information on velocities and particle traces as well eddy viscosity in the base and nozzle region. The solution was obtained using a six-zone mesh with 284,000 grid points for one quadrant taking advantage of symmetry. Results are compared using a zero-equation algebraic and a one-equation pointwise R(sub t) turbulence model (work in progress). Good agreement with the experimental pressure data was obtained with both; and this benchmark showed the importance of: (1) proper grid clustering and (2) proper choice of turbulence modeling for rocket plume problems/recirculation at high altitude.

Agreement among Goldmann applanation tonometer, iCare, and Icare PRO rebound tonometers; non-contact tonometer; and Tonopen XL in healthy elderly subjects.

PubMed

Kato, Yoshitake; Nakakura, Shunsuke; Matsuo, Naoko; Yoshitomi, Kayo; Handa, Marina; Tabuchi, Hitoshi; Kiuchi, Yoshiaki

2018-04-01

To evaluate the inter-device agreement among the Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT), iCare and Icare PRO rebound tonometers, non-contact tonometer (NCT), and Tonopen XL tonometer. Sixty healthy elderly subjects were enrolled. The intraocular pressure (IOP) in each subject's right eye was measured thrice using each of the five tonometers. Intra-device agreement was evaluated by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Inter-device agreement was evaluated by ICC and Bland-Altman analyses. ICCs for intra-device agreement for each tonometer were >0.8. IOP as measured by iCare (mean ± SD, 11.6 ± 2.5 mmHg) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that measured by GAT (14.0 ± 2.8 mmHg), NCT (13.6 ± 2.5 mmHg), Tonopen XL (13.7 ± 4.1 mmHg), and Icare PRO (12.6 ± 2.2 mmHg; Bonferroni test). There was no significant difference in mean IOP among GAT, NCT, and Tonopen XL. Regarding inter-device agreement, ICC was lower between Tonopen XL and other tonometers (all ICCs < 0.4). However, ICCs of GAT, iCare, Icare PRO, and NCT showed good agreement (0.576-0.700). The Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the width of the 95% limits of agreement was larger between the Tonopen XL and the other tonometers ranged from 14.94 to 16.47 mmHg. Among the other tonometers, however, the widths of 95% limits of agreement ranged from 7.91 to 9.24 mmHg. There was good inter-device agreement among GAT, rebound tonometers, and NCT. Tonopen XL shows the worst agreement with the other tonometers; therefore, we should pay attention to its' respective IOP. Japan Clinical Trials Register; number: UMIN000011544.

Flow injection determination of aluminium by spectrofluorimetric detection after complexation with N-o-vanillidine-2-amino-p-cresol: the application to natural waters.

PubMed

Kara, Derya; Fisher, Andrew; Hill, Steve J

2008-03-17

An on-line flow injection spectrofluorimetric method for the direct determination of aluminium in water samples is described. The method is based on the reaction of aluminium with N-o-vanillidine-2-amino-p-cresol (OVAC) in acidic medium at pH 4.0 to form a water-soluble complex. The excitation and emission wavelengths were 423.0 and 553.0nm, respectively, at which the OVAC-Al complex gave the maximum fluorescence intensity at pH 4.0 in a 50% methanol-50% water medium at 50 degrees C. An interference from fluoride ions was minimised by the addition of Be(2+). Other ions were found not to interfere at the concentrations likely to be found in natural waters. The proposed methods were validated in terms of linearity, repeatability, detection limit, accuracy and selectivity. Under these conditions, the calibration was linear up to 1000microgL(-1) (r=0.999). The limit of detection (3sigma) for the determination of Al(III) was 0.057microgL(-1) and the precision for multiple determinations of 3ngmL(-1) Al(III) prepared in ultra-pure water was found to be 0.62% (n=10). The Schiff base ligand could be used to determine ultra-trace aluminium from natural waters. Analysis of environmental certified reference materials showed good agreement with the certified values. The procedure was found to be equally applicable to both freshwater and saline solutions, including seawater.

Radiation damage by light- and heavy-ion bombardment of single-crystal LiNbO₃

DOE PAGES

Huang, Hsu-Cheng; Zhang, Lihua; Malladi, Girish; ...

2015-04-14

In this work, a battery of analytical methods including in situ RBS/C, confocal micro-Raman, TEM/STEM, EDS, AFM, and optical microscopy were used to provide a comparative investigation of light- and heavy-ion radiation damage in single-crystal LiNbO₃. High (~MeV) and low (~100s keV) ion energies, corresponding to different stopping power mechanisms, were used and their associated damage events were observed. In addition, sequential irradiation of both ion species was also performed and their cumulative depth-dependent damage was determined. It was found that the contribution from electronic stopping by high-energy heavy ions gave rise to a lower critical fluence for damage formationmore » than for the case of low-energy irradiation. Such energy-dependent critical fluence of heavy-ion irradiation is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than that for the case of light-ion damage. In addition, materials amorphization and collision cascades were seen for heavy-ion irradiation, while for light ion, crystallinity remained at the highest fluence used in the experiment. The irradiation-induced damage is characterized by the formation of defect clusters, elastic strain, surface deformation, as well as change in elemental composition. In particular, the presence of nanometric-scale damage pockets results in increased RBS/C backscattered signal and the appearance of normally forbidden Raman phonon modes. The location of the highest density of damage is in good agreement with SRIM calculations. (author)« less

Radiation damage by light- and heavy-ion bombardment of single-crystal LiNbO₃

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

Huang, Hsu-Cheng; Zhang, Lihua; Malladi, Girish

In this work, a battery of analytical methods including in situ RBS/C, confocal micro-Raman, TEM/STEM, EDS, AFM, and optical microscopy were used to provide a comparative investigation of light- and heavy-ion radiation damage in single-crystal LiNbO₃. High (~MeV) and low (~100s keV) ion energies, corresponding to different stopping power mechanisms, were used and their associated damage events were observed. In addition, sequential irradiation of both ion species was also performed and their cumulative depth-dependent damage was determined. It was found that the contribution from electronic stopping by high-energy heavy ions gave rise to a lower critical fluence for damage formationmore » than for the case of low-energy irradiation. Such energy-dependent critical fluence of heavy-ion irradiation is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than that for the case of light-ion damage. In addition, materials amorphization and collision cascades were seen for heavy-ion irradiation, while for light ion, crystallinity remained at the highest fluence used in the experiment. The irradiation-induced damage is characterized by the formation of defect clusters, elastic strain, surface deformation, as well as change in elemental composition. In particular, the presence of nanometric-scale damage pockets results in increased RBS/C backscattered signal and the appearance of normally forbidden Raman phonon modes. The location of the highest density of damage is in good agreement with SRIM calculations. (author)« less

Functional models for colloid retention in porous media at the triple line.

PubMed

Dathe, Annette; Zevi, Yuniati; Richards, Brian K; Gao, Bin; Parlange, J-Yves; Steenhuis, Tammo S

2014-01-01

Spectral confocal microscope visualizations of microsphere movement in unsaturated porous media showed that attachment at the Air Water Solid (AWS) interface was an important retention mechanism. These visualizations can aid in resolving the functional form of retention rates of colloids at the AWS interface. In this study, soil adsorption isotherm equations were adapted by replacing the chemical concentration in the water as independent variable by the cumulative colloids passing by. In order of increasing number of fitted parameters, the functions tested were the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, the Logistic distribution, and the Weibull distribution. The functions were fitted against colloid concentrations obtained from time series of images acquired with a spectral confocal microscope for three experiments performed where either plain or carboxylated polystyrene latex microspheres were pulsed in a small flow chamber filled with cleaned quartz sand. Both moving and retained colloids were quantified over time. In fitting the models to the data, the agreement improved with increasing number of model parameters. The Weibull distribution gave overall the best fit. The logistic distribution did not fit the initial retention of microspheres well but otherwise the fit was good. The Langmuir isotherm only fitted the longest time series well. The results can be explained that initially when colloids are first introduced the rate of retention is low. Once colloids are at the AWS interface they act as anchor point for other colloids to attach and thereby increasing the retention rate as clusters form. Once the available attachment sites diminish, the retention rate decreases.

Evaluation of soil C-14 data for estimating inert organic matter in the RothC model

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

Rethemeyer, J.; Grootes, P.M.; Brodowski, S.

2007-07-01

Changes in soil organic carbon stocks were simulated with the Rothamsted carbon (RothC) model. We evaluated the calculation of a major input variable, the amount of inert organic matter (IOM), using measurable data. Three different approaches for quantifying IOM were applied to soils with mainly recent organic matter and with carbon contribution from fossil fuels: 1) IOM estimation via total soil organic carbon (SOC); 2) through bulk soil radiocarbon and a mass balance; and 3) by quantifying the portion of black carbon via a specific marker. The results were highly variable in the soil containing lignite-derived carbon and ranged frommore » 8% to 52% inert carbon of total SOC, while nearly similar amounts of 5% to 8% were determined in the soil with mainly recent organic matter. We simulated carbon dynamics in both soils using the 3 approaches for quantifying IOM in combination with carbon inputs derived from measured crop yields. In the soil with recent organic matter, all approaches gave a nearly similar good agreement between measured and modeled data, while in the soil with a fossil carbon admixture, only the C-14 approach was successful in matching the measured data. Although C-14 was useful for initializing RothC, care should be taken when interpreting SOC dynamics in soils containing carbon from fossil fuels, since these reflect the contribution from both natural and anthropogenic carbon sources.« less

Determination of trace amount of cadmium using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction-slotted quartz tube-flame atomic absorption spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fırat, Merve; Bakırdere, Sezgin; Fındıkoğlu, Maral Selin; Kafa, Emine Betül; Yazıcı, Elif; Yolcu, Melda; Büyükpınar, Çağdaş; Chormey, Dotse Selali; Sel, Sabriye; Turak, Fatma

2017-03-01

This study was performed to develop a sensitive analytical method for the determination of cadmium by slotted quartz tube-flame atomic absorption spectrometry (SQT-FAAS) after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). The parameters affecting the cadmium complex formation and its extraction output were optimized to obtain high extraction efficiency. These included the pH and amount of the buffer solution, and the concentration of the ligand. The DLLME method was comprehensively optimized based on the type and amount of extraction solvent, dispersive solvent and salt. The type and period of mixing needed for a more effective extraction was also investigated. In order to further improve the sensitivity for the determination of cadmium, the flame atomic absorption spectrometry was fitted with a slotted quartz tube to increase the residence time of cadmium atoms in the pathway of incident light from a hollow cathode lamp. The limits of detection and quantitation (LOD and LOQ) for the FAAS were found to be 42 and 140 μg L- 1, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, LOD and LOQ of the FAAS after DLLME were calculated as 1.3 and 4.4 μg L- 1, respectively. Combining both optimized parameters of the DLLME and SQT-FAAS gave 0.5 and 1.5 μg L- 1 as LOD and LOQ, respectively. Accuracy of the method was also checked using a wastewater certified reference material (EU-L-2), and the result was in good agreement with the certified value.

Combined use of algorithms for peak picking, peak tracking and retention modelling to optimize the chromatographic conditions for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of fluocinolone acetonide and its degradation products.

PubMed

Fredriksson, Mattias J; Petersson, Patrik; Axelsson, Bengt-Olof; Bylund, Dan

2011-10-17

A strategy for rapid optimization of liquid chromatography column temperature and gradient shape is presented. The optimization as such is based on the well established retention and peak width models implemented in software like e.g. DryLab and LC simulator. The novel part of the strategy is a highly automated processing algorithm for detection and tracking of chromatographic peaks in noisy liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data. The strategy is presented and visualized by the optimization of the separation of two degradants present in ultraviolet (UV) exposed fluocinolone acetonide. It should be stressed, however, that it can be utilized for LC-MS analysis of any sample and application where several runs are conducted on the same sample. In the application presented, 30 components that were difficult or impossible to detect in the UV data could be automatically detected and tracked in the MS data by using the proposed strategy. The number of correctly tracked components was above 95%. Using the parameters from the reconstructed data sets to the model gave good agreement between predicted and observed retention times at optimal conditions. The area of the smallest tracked component was estimated to 0.08% compared to the main component, a level relevant for the characterization of impurities in the pharmaceutical industry. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Furnace Brazing Parameters Optimized by Taguchi Method and Corrosion Behavior of Tube-Fin System of Automotive Condensers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guía-Tello, J. C.; Pech-Canul, M. A.; Trujillo-Vázquez, E.; Pech-Canul, M. I.

2017-08-01

Controlled atmosphere brazing has a widespread industrial use in the production of aluminum automotive heat exchangers. Good-quality joints between the components depend on the initial condition of materials as well as on the brazing process parameters. In this work, the Taguchi method was used to optimize the brazing parameters with respect to corrosion performance for tube-fin mini-assemblies of an automotive condenser. The experimental design consisted of five factors (micro-channel tube type, flux type, peak temperature, heating rate and dwell time), with two levels each. The corrosion behavior in acidified seawater solution pH 2.8 was evaluated through potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze the microstructural features in the joint zone. The results showed that the parameters that most significantly affect the corrosion rate are the type of flux and the peak temperature. The optimal conditions were: micro-channel tube with 4.2 g/m2 of zinc coating, standard flux, 610 °C peak temperature, 5 °C/min heating rate and 4 min dwell time. The corrosion current density value of the confirmation experiment is in excellent agreement with the predicted value. The electrochemical characterization for selected samples gave indication that the brazing conditions had a more significant effect on the kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction than on the kinetics of the metal dissolution reaction.

Gas-chromatographic resolution of enantiomeric secondary alcohols. Stereoselective reductive metabolism of ketones in rabbit-liver cytosol.

PubMed

Gal, J; DeVito, D; Harper, T W

1981-01-01

Chiral secondary alcohols were treated with (S)-(-)-1-phenylethyl isocyanate. For each racemic alcohol, the resulting diastereomeric urethane derivatives were resolved on flexible fused-silica capillary GLC columns with retention times of 15 min or less. Derivatization of individual enantiomers showed that the urethane derivatives of (R)-(-)-2-octanol, (R)-(+)-1-phenylethyl alcohol, and (S)-(+)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-phenylethanol are eluted before the corresponding diastereomers. The procedure is simple and rapid, and is suitable for the determination of the enantiomeric composition of chiral alcohols extracted from biological media. A series of aliphatic alcohols, aryl alkyl carbinols, and arylalkyl alkyl carbinols were resolved with the procedure, and the degree of resolution varied from good to excellent. Eight achiral ketones were incubated, individually, with rabbit-liver 90,000 g supernatant fractions, and the enantiomeric composition of the alcohol metabolites was determined with the GLC procedure. The reductions proceeded with high stereoselectivity to give alcohol products of 90% or greater enantiomeric purity. The reduction of 2-octanone and acetophenone gave predominant alcohols of (S)-configuration, in agreement with the Baumann-Prelog rule. The configuration of the predominant alcohols arising in the reduction of the remainder of the ketones could not be firmly established, but the evidence suggests that they are also of the (S)-configuration. Fluorine or methyl substitution in the ortho position of acetophenone produced an increase in the stereoselectivity, and the alcohol produced from ortho-methylacetophenone was enantiomerically greater than 99% pure.

Temporal patterns, sources, and sinks of C8-C16 hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Mace Head, Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sartin, , J. H.; Halsall, , C. J.; Robertson, , L. A.; Gonard, , R. G.; MacKenzie, , A. R.; Berresheim, , H.; Hewitt, C. N.

2002-10-01

During the 1999 New Particle Formation and Fate in the Coastal Environment (PARFORCE) field campaign, 16 C8-C16 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified in the coastal atmosphere of Mace Head, Ireland. Sampling took place over 24 days, with 12 VOCs routinely quantified. Concentrations were observed in the low <10-150 parts per trillion by volume range, with levels typically in the order of aldehydes > ketones ≥ n-alkanes. Concentrations of these compounds were also measured in shoreline surface seawater. No relationship was observed between atmospheric concentrations and high/low tide events. Many VOCs revealed a temporal pattern in the atmosphere, with highest concentrations measured during the early morning and lowest concentrations in the afternoon. The strongest pattern was observed for the n-alkanes. However, this was dependent on the prevailing air mass direction and the local meteorology. A Lagrangian box model was applied to assess this diurnal cycle, using seawater emissions as a source (based on the seawater concentrations and observed wind speeds), and depletion via OH radicals and dilution by entrainment as sinks (using measured [OH] and boundary layer height data). The model gave good agreement to the observed concentrations for selected air mass types, predicting the daytime decrease in VOC concentrations due to OH radical chemistry and boundary layer growth, and the subsequent increase in VOC concentrations toward evening as both oxidation chemistry diminished and the mixing layer height fell.

26 CFR 1.1241-1 - Cancellation of lease or distributor's agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... marketing or marketing and servicing of goods. It does not apply to agreements for selling intangible... his State. The marketing is accomplished by using the warehouse and trucks acquired before he entered... distributes to frozen-food freezer and locker customers. The terms of his distributorship do not make it...

26 CFR 301.6323(c)-2 - Protection for real property construction or improvement financing agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... agreement described in subparagraph (3) of this paragraph (b), the furnishing of goods and services is... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) PROCEDURE AND ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURE AND ADMINISTRATION... into existence after the tax lien filing, (2) Is in qualified property covered by the terms of a real...

75 FR 65805 - Transfer and Reorganization of Bank Secrecy Act Regulations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-26

... lies not only with the products and services the covered institution offers, but also with the specific... bank routinely posts a particular transaction to its customer's account. (j) Commodity. Any good... service offered. (l) Contract of sale. Any sale, agreement of sale, or agreement to sell as described in...

42 CFR 476.80 - Coordination with Medicare fiscal intermediaries and carriers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... fiscal intermediary or carrier must negotiate in good faith in an effort to reach written agreement. If they cannot reach agreement, CMS will assist them in resolving matters in dispute. (2) The QIO must... denials with respect to cases subject to preadmission review, and outlier claims in hospitals under a...

Synthesis of fused 1,2,4-dithiazines and 1,2,3,5-trithiazepines.

PubMed

Koyioni, Maria; Manoli, Maria; Koutentis, Panayiotis A

2014-10-17

Reacting (Z)-N-(4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)-1H-pyrazol-5-amines 5 with Et2NH and then with concd H2SO4 gives 5H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,2,4]dithiazine-3-carbonitriles 7 in good yields (74-85%) and 6H-pyrazolo[3,4-f][1,2,3,5]trithiazepine-4-carbonitriles 9 as minor products (0-6%). Furthermore, the 1,3-dimethylpyrazole analogue 5a was transformed into the dithiazine 7a in two discrete steps, allowing the isolation of a disulfide intermediate (Z)-2-[(diethylamino)disulfan-yl]-2-[(1H-pyrazol-5-yl)imino]acetonitrile (8a). The one-pot, two-step reaction also worked with electron-rich hydroxy- and methoxy-substituted anilines. Thermolysis of the pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,2,4]dithiazines 7 gave the ring-contracted 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]thiazole-5-carbonitriles 6 (94-100%). With active sulfur, 1,3-dimethyl-5H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,2,4]dithiazine-3-carbonitrile (7a) gave 1,3-dimethyl-6H-pyrazolo[3,4-f][1,2,3,5]trithiazepine-4-carbonitrile (9a), but on prolonged reaction times, it gave 5,7-dimethyl-5H-[1,2,3]dithiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,4]thiazine (13). Finally, in the absence of acid, heating a solution of (Z)-2-[(diethylamino)disulfanyl]-2-[(1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)imino]acetonitrile (8a) gave 4,6,10,12-tetramethyl-6H-pyrazolo[3,4-f]pyrazolo[3',4':4,5]pyrimido[6,1-d][1,2,3,5]trithiazepine-8,12b(10H)-dicarbonitrile (19) (67%).

Review of ultraviolet absorption cross sections of a series of alternative fluorocarbons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molina, Mario J.

1990-01-01

Solar photolysis is likely to contribute to the stratospheric destruction of those alternative fluorocarbons (HFC's) which have two or more chlorine atoms bonded to the same carbon atom. Two of the eight HFC's considered here fall into this category, namely HFC-123 and HFC141b. For these two species there is good agreement among the various measurements of the ultraviolet cross sections in the wavelength region which is important for atmospheric photodissociation, that is, around 200 nm. There is also good agreement for HFC-124, HFC-22 and HFC-142b. These are the three species which contain one chlorine atom per molecule. The agreement in the measurements is poor for the other species, i.e., those that do not contain chlorine, except in so far as to corroborate that solar photolysis should be negligible relative to destruction by hydroxyl radicals.

Planetary Boundary Layer Simulation Using TASS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schowalter, David G.; DeCroix, David S.; Lin, Yuh-Lang; Arya, S. Pal; Kaplan, Michael

1996-01-01

Boundary conditions to an existing large-eddy simulation model have been changed in order to simulate turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. Several options are now available, including the use of a surface energy balance. In addition, we compare convective boundary layer simulations with the Wangara and Minnesota field experiments as well as with other model results. We find excellent agreement of modelled mean profiles of wind and temperature with observations and good agreement for velocity variances. Neutral boundary simulation results are compared with theory and with previously used models. Agreement with theory is reasonable, while agreement with previous models is excellent.

19 CFR 10.769 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.769 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.809 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.769 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.769 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.809 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.809 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.809 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.809 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

19 CFR 10.769 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... manufacture of a good, including: (1) Fuel and energy; (2) Tools, dies, and molds; (3) Spare parts and...) Equipment, devices, and supplies used for testing or inspecting the good; (7) Catalysts and solvents; and (8...

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-25

New Zealand may focus on agricultural goods such as beef and dairy products. The possible inclusion of Vietnam may prove controversial from the...sensitive U.S. agriculture sectors such as beef , lamb, and dairy products. U.S. goods trade with New Zealand is relatively small. New Zealand was...10 Dairy

Development of a reactive-dispersive plume model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyun S.; Kim, Yong H.; Song, Chul H.

2017-04-01

A reactive-dispersive plume model (RDPM) was developed in this study. The RDPM can consider two main components of large-scale point source plume: i) turbulent dispersion and ii) photochemical reactions. In order to evaluate the simulation performance of newly developed RDPM, the comparisons between the model-predicted and observed mixing ratios were made using the TexAQS II 2006 (Texas Air Quality Study II 2006) power-plant experiment data. Statistical analyses show good correlation (0.61≤R≤0.92), and good agreement with the Index of Agreement (0.70≤R≤0.95). The chemical NOx lifetimes for two power-plant plumes (Monticello and Welsh power plants) were also estimated.

Surface tension modelling of liquid Cd-Sn-Zn alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fima, Przemyslaw; Novakovic, Rada

2018-06-01

The thermodynamic model in conjunction with Butler equation and the geometric models were used for the surface tension calculation of Cd-Sn-Zn liquid alloys. Good agreement was found between the experimental data for limiting binaries and model calculations performed with Butler model. In the case of ternary alloys, the surface tension variation with Cd content is better reproduced in the case of alloys lying on vertical sections defined by high Sn to Zn molar fraction ratio. The calculated surface tension is in relatively good agreement with the available experimental data. In addition, the surface segregation of liquid ternary Cd-Sn-Zn and constituent binaries has also been calculated.

A Kernel-Free Particle-Finite Element Method for Hypervelocity Impact Simulation. Chapter 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Young-Keun; Fahrenthold, Eric P.

2004-01-01

An improved hybrid particle-finite element method has been developed for the simulation of hypervelocity impact problems. Unlike alternative methods, the revised formulation computes the density without reference to any kernel or interpolation functions, for either the density or the rate of dilatation. This simplifies the state space model and leads to a significant reduction in computational cost. The improved method introduces internal energy variables as generalized coordinates in a new formulation of the thermomechanical Lagrange equations. Example problems show good agreement with exact solutions in one dimension and good agreement with experimental data in a three dimensional simulation.

Can phronesis save the life of medical ethics?

PubMed

Beresford, E B

1996-09-01

There has been a growing interest in casuistry since the ground breaking work of Jonsen and Toulmin. Casuistry, in their view, offers the possibility of securing the moral agreement that policy makers desire but which has proved elusive to theory driven approaches to ethics. However, their account of casuistry is dependent upon the exercise of phronesis. As recent discussions of phronesis make clear, this requires attention not only to the particulars of the case, but also to the substantive goods at stake in the case. Without agreement on these goods attention to cases is unlikely to secure the productive consensus that Jonson and Toulmin seek.

Direct observations of a flare related coronal and solar wind disturbance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gosling, J. T.; Hildner, E.; Macqueen, R. M.; Munro, R. H.; Poland, A. I.; Ross, C. L.

1975-01-01

Numerous mass ejections from the sun have been detected with orbiting coronagraphs. Here for the first time we document and discuss the direct association of a coronagraph observed mass ejection, which followed a 2B flare, with a large interplanetary shock wave disturbance observed at 1 AU. Estimates of the mass and energy content of the coronal disturbance are in reasonably good agreement with estimates of the mass and energy content of the solar wind disturbance at 1 AU. The energy estimates as well as the transit time of the disturbance are also in good agreement with numerical models of shock wave propagation in the solar wind.

Radiation damage buildup by athermal defect reactions in nickel and concentrated nickel alloys

DOE PAGES

Zhang, S.; Nordlund, K.; Djurabekova, F.; ...

2017-04-12

We develop a new method using binary collision approximation simulating the Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channeling conditions (RBS/C) from molecular dynamics atom coordinates of irradiated cells. The approach allows comparing experimental and simulated RBS/C signals as a function of depth without fitting parameters. The simulated RBS/C spectra of irradiated Ni and concentrated solid solution alloys (CSAs, NiFe and NiCoCr) show a good agreement with the experimental results. The good agreement indicates the damage evolution under damage overlap conditions in Ni and CSAs at room temperature is dominated by defect recombination and migration induced by irradiation rather than activated thermally.

Theoretical and experimental studies of reentry plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, M. G.; Kang, S.

1973-01-01

A viscous shock-layer analysis was developed and used to calculate nonequilibrium-flow species distributions in the plasma layer of the RAM vehicle. The theoretical electron-density results obtained are in good agreement with those measured in flight. A circular-aperture flush-mounted antenna was used to obtain a comparison between theoretical and experimental antenna admittance in the presence of ionized boundary layers of low collision frequency. The electron-temperature and electron-density distributions in the boundary layer were independently measured. The antenna admittance was measured using a four-probe microwave reflectometer and these measured values were found to be in good agreement with those predicted. Measurements were also performed with another type of circular-aperture antenna and good agreement was obtained between the calculations and the experimental results. A theoretical analysis has been completed which permits calculation of the nonequilibrium, viscous shock-layer flow field for a sphere-cone body. Results are presented for two different bodies at several different altitudes illustrating the influences of bluntness and chemical nonequilibrium on several gas dynamic parameters of interest. Plane-wave transmission coefficients were calculated for an approximate space-shuttle body using a typical trajectory.

[Inter-rater reliability and validity of the OPD-CA axes structure and conflict].

PubMed

Benecke, Cord; Bock, Astrid; Wieser, Elke; Tschiesner, Reinhard; Lochmann, Martha; Küspert, Felicia; Schorn, Robert; Viertler, Bernhard; Steinmayr-Gensluckner, Maria

2011-01-01

The manual of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics in childhood and adolescence (OPD-CA) is an instrument meanwhile widespread in the clinical practice to assess psychodynamic dimensions. Publications of inter-rater agreement and validity are still outstanding. This study assessed the interrater-reliability and validity for the axis structure and the axis conflict. 60 adolescents between 14 and 17 years, with and without psychic disorders, were diagnosed with the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics in childhood and adolescence (Arbeitskreis OPD-KJ, 2007) and SCID-II-interviews and questionnaires. A partial sample of 36 OPD-CA-interviews was the data basis for the assessment of inter-rater agreement. Calculations of validity for axis structure and axis conflict were made with the whole sample. Inter-rater agreement for the axis structure and the axis conflict showed good to very good weighted Kappa coefficients among the trained raters. Validity of the axis structure showed good results. The Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics in childhood and adolescence (OPD-CA) allows a reliable diagnostic of axis structure and axis conflict, if the ratings are done on the basis of semistructured videotaped interviews by trained raters. The axis structure shows validity, while the results concerning the validity of the axis conflict remain unclear.

Comparison of Theoretically Predicted Electromagnetic Heavy Ion Cross Sections with CERN SPS and RHIC Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baltz, Anthony J.

2002-10-01

Theoretical predictions for a number of electromagnetically induced reactions have been compared with available ultrarelativistic heavy ion data. Calculations for three atomic process have been confronted with CERN SPS data. Theoretically predicted rates are in good agreement with data[1] for bound-electron positron pairs and ionization of single electron heavy ions. Furthermore, the exact solution of the semi-classical Dirac equation in the ultrarelativistic limit reproduces the perturbative scaling result seen in data[2] for continuum pairs (i.e. cross sections go as Z_1^2 Z_2^2). In the area of electromagnetically induced nuclear and hadronic physics, mutual Coulomb dissociation predictions are in good agreement with RHIC Zero Degree Calorimeter measurements[3], and calculations of coherent vector meson production accompanied by mutual Coulomb dissociation[4] are in good agreement with RHIC STAR data[5]. [1] H. F. Krause et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 80, 1190 (1998). [2] C. R. Vane et al., Phys. Rev. A 56, 3682 (1997). [3] Mickey Chiu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 012302 (2002). [4] Anthony J. Baltz, Spencer R. Klein, and Joakim Nystrand, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 012301 (2002). [5] C. Adler et al., STAR Collaboration, arXiv:nucl-ex/206004.

Comparison of mesospheric VHF radar echoes and rocket probe electron concentration measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Royrvik, O.; Smith, L. G.

1984-01-01

Refractive index irregularities in the equatorial mesosphere have been investigated using both the Jicamarca VHF radar and a rocket-borne Langmuir probe launched from Punta Lobos, Peru. On February 27, 1983, a single layer of turbulence was observed in the upper mesosphere by both experiments. There is very good agreement between the observed radar echo power and the radar scattering cross section calculated from the rocket data when these are interpreted in the context of isotropic turbulence. The inner and outer scales of turbulence have been calculated from both the radar and the rocket data, and good agreement is found. The radar data show indications of large-scale vortices in the layer of irregularities. Rocket data show that the inner scale of turbulence in the upper mesosphere is a few tens of meters and that the Jicamarca radar Bragg wavelength (3 m) is well within the viscous subrange of turbulence in this altitude range. The spectral index in the inertial subrange is close to -5/3, changing to about - 7 at higher wave numbers. Energy dissipation rate in the layer was calculated to be 0.05 W/kg, in good agreement with previous estimates.

Symmetry Breaking and the B3LYP Functional

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Hudgins, Douglas M.; Allamandola, Louis J.; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The infrared spectra of six molecules, each of which contains a five-membered ring, and their cations are determined using density functional theory (DFT); both the B3LYP and BP86 functionals are used. The computed results are compared with the experimental spectra. For the neutral molecules, both methods are in good agreement with experiment. Even the Hartree-Fock (HF) approach is qualitatively correct for the neutrals. For the cations, the HF approach fails, as found for other organic ring systems. The B3LYP and BP86 approaches are in good mutual agreement for five of the six cation spectra, and in good agreement with experiment for four of the five cations where the experimental spectra are available. It is only for the fluoranthene cation, where the BP86 and B3LYP functionals yield different results; the BP86 yields the expected C2v symmetry, while the B3LYP approach breaks symmetry. The experimental spectra supports the BP86 spectra over the B3LYP, but the quality of the experimental spectra does not allow a critical evaluation of the accuracy of the BP86 approach for this difficult system.

Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx--A fully automated assay for both diagnosis and quantification of HIV-1.

PubMed

Nair, Sangeetha Vijaysri; Kim, Hee Cheol; Fortunko, Jacqueline; Foote, Tracy; Peling, Tashi; Tran, Cuong; Nugent, Charles Thomas; Joo, Sunghae; Kang, Youna; Wilkins, Bana; Lednovich, Kristen; Worlock, Andrew

2016-04-01

Separate assays are available for diagnosis and viral load (VL) monitoring of HIV-1. Studies have shown that using a single test for both confirmatory diagnosis and VL increases linkage to care. To validate a single assay for both diagnosis and VL monitoring of HIV-1 on the fully automated Panther platform. Validate the assay by assessing specificity, sensitivity, subtype detection, seroconversion, reproducibility and linearity. Also assess diagnostic agreement with the Procleix(®) Ultrio Elite™ discriminatory assay (Procleix), and agreement of VL results (method comparison) with Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 version 2.0 (CAP/CTM), using clinical samples. The assay was specific (100%) and sensitive with a 95% limit of detection of 12 copies/mL with the 3rd WHO standards. Aptima detected HIV in seroconversion panels 6 and 11 days before p24 antigen and antibody tests, respectively. Diagnostic agreement with Procleix, was 100%. Regression analysis showed good agreement of VL results between Aptima and CAP/CTM with a slope of 1.02, intercept of 0.07, and correlation coefficient (R(2)) of 0.97. Aptima was more sensitive than CAP/CTM. Equivalent quantification was seen on testing clinical samples and isolates belonging to HIV group M, N, O and P and commercially available subtype panels. Assay results were linear (R(2) 0.9994) with standard deviation of <0.17 log copies across assay range. The good specificity, sensitivity, precision, subtype performance and clinical agreement with other assays demonstrated by Aptima combined with the complete automation provided by the Panther platform makes Aptima a good candidate for both VL monitoring and diagnosis of HIV-1. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-parent questionnaire on parenting practices, energy balance-related behaviours and their potential behavioural determinants: the ENERGY-project.

PubMed

Singh, Amika S; Chinapaw, Mai J M; Uijtdewilligen, Léonie; Vik, Froydis N; van Lippevelde, Wendy; Fernández-Alvira, Juan M; Stomfai, Sarolta; Manios, Yannis; van der Sluijs, Maria; Terwee, Caroline; Brug, Johannes

2012-08-13

Insight in parental energy balance-related behaviours, their determinants and parenting practices are important to inform childhood obesity prevention. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. The objective of the current study was to examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the parent questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, assessing parental energy balance-related behaviours, their determinants, and parenting practices among parents of 10-12 year old children. We collected data among parents (n = 316 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 109 in the construct validity study) of 10-12 year-old children in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement.All but one item showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 92 out of 121 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 29 items, construct validity was moderate for 24 and poor for 5 items. The reliability and construct validity of the items of the ENERGY-parent questionnaire on multiple energy balance-related behaviours, their potential determinants, and parenting practices appears to be good. Based on the results of the validity study, we strongly recommend adapting parts of the ENERGY-parent questionnaire if used in future research.

Ab Initio Calculations of Water Line Strengths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwenke, David W.; Partridge, Harry

1998-01-01

We report on the determination of a high quality ab initiu potential energy surface (PES) and dipole moment function for water. This PES is empirically adjusted to improve the agreement between the computed line positions and those from the HITRAN 92 data base with J less than 6 for H2O. The changes in the PES are small, nonetheless including an estimate of core (oxygen 1s) electron correlation greatly improves the agreement with experiment. Using this adjusted PES, we can match 30,092 of the 30,117 transitions in the HITRAN 96 data base for H2O with theoretical lines. The 10,25,50,75, and 90 percentiles of the difference between the calculated and tabulated line positions are -0.11, -0.04, -0.01, 0.02, and 0.07 l/cm. Non-adiabatic effects are not explicitly included. About 3% of the tabulated line positions appear to be incorrect. Similar agreement using this adjusted PES is obtained for the oxygen 17 and oxygen 18 isotopes. For HDO, the agreement is not as good, with root-mean-square error of 0.25 l/cm for lines with J less than 6. This error is reduced to 0.02 l/cm by including a small asymmetric correction to the PES, which is parameterized by simultaneously fitting to HDO md D2O data. Scaling this correction by mass factors yields good results for T2O and HTO. The intensities summed over vibrational bands are usually in good agreement between the calculations and the tabulated results, but individual lines strengths can differ greatly. A high temperature list consisting of 307,721,352 lines is generated for H2O using our PES and dipole moment function.

Rule-based exposure assessment versus case-by-case expert assessment using the same information in a community-based study.

PubMed

Peters, Susan; Glass, Deborah C; Milne, Elizabeth; Fritschi, Lin

2014-03-01

Retrospective exposure assessment in community-based studies is largely reliant on questionnaire information. Expert assessment is often used to assess lifetime occupational exposures, but these assessments generally lack transparency and are very time-consuming. We explored the agreement between a rule-based assessment approach and case-by-case expert assessment of occupational exposures in a community-based study. We used data from a case-control study of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in which parental occupational exposures were originally assigned by expert assessment. Key questions were identified from the completed parent questionnaires and, on the basis of these, rules were written to assign exposure levels to diesel exhaust, pesticides and solvents. We estimated exposure prevalence separately for fathers and mothers, and used κ statistics to assess the agreement between the two exposure assessment methods. Exposures were assigned to 5829 jobs among 1079 men and 6189 jobs among 1234 women. For both sexes, agreement was good for the two assessment methods of exposure to diesel exhaust at a job level (κ=0.70 for men and κ=0.71 for women) and at a person level (κ=0.74 and κ=0.75). The agreement was good to excellent for pesticide exposure among men (κ=0.74 for jobs and κ=0.84 at a person level) and women (κ=0.68 and κ=0.71 at a job and person level, respectively). Moderate to good agreement was observed for assessment of solvent exposure, which was better for women than men. The rule-based assessment approach appeared to be an efficient alternative for assigning occupational exposures in a community-based study for a selection of occupational exposures.

An Experimental Study of Ignition Effects and Flame Growth Over a Thin Solid Fuel in Low-Speed Concurrent Flow Using Drop-Tower Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pettegrew, Richard Dale

1996-01-01

An experimental study of ignition and flame growth over a thin solid fuel in oxidizer flow speeds from 0 to 10 cm/sec concurrent flow was performed. This study examined the differences between ignition using a resistively heated wire (woven in a sawtooth pattern over the leading edge of the fuel), and a straight resistively heated wire augmented by a chemical ignitor doped onto the leading edge of the fuel. Results showed that the chemical system yielded non-uniform ignition bursts, while the system using only the hotwire gave more uniform ignition. At speeds up to 2.5 cm/sec, the chemical system yielded non-uniform pyrolysis fronts, while the hotwire system gave more uniform pyrolysis fronts. At speeds of 5 cm/sec or greater, both systems gave uniform pyrolysis fronts. The chemically-ignited flames tended to become too dim to see faster than the hotwire-ignited flames, and the flame lengths were observed to be shorter (after the initial burst subsided) for the chemical system for all speeds. Flame and pyrolysis element velocities were measured. Temperature profiles for selected tests were measured using thermocouples at the fuel surface and in the gas phase. Comparisons between the flame element velocities and peak temperatures recorded in these tests with calculated spread rates and peak temperatures from a steady-state model are presented. Agreement was found to be within 20% for most flame elements for nominal velocities of 5 cm/sec and 7.5 cm/sec.

(p,$gamma$) ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENTS ON F$sup 19$(p,$alpha$$gamma$)O$sup 16$ AT 340, 598, AND 669 kev (in German)

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

Retz-Schmidt, Th.

1958-10-01

Experimental envestigations of the behavior of the 6.14-Mev radiation in the F/sup 19/(p, alpha gamma )O/sup 16/ reaction gave the following angular distributions: I gamma (669) ~ isotrop, I gamma (598) ~ 1 + 0.17 cos/sup 2/ THETA , and I gamma (340) ~ 1-0.035 cos/sup 2/ THETA . The result in the last case which deviates from earlier measurements is in better agreement with the basic assumption that in addition to the s-protons approximately 1% d-protons participate in the reaction at E/sub p/ = 340 kev. (tr-auth)