[Good governance of publicly-produced health services: ideas for moving forward].

PubMed

Freire, José Manuel; Repullo, Jose Ramon

2011-06-01

The good performance of publicly-produced health services is of vital importance, well beyond the health sector. Taking into account the great complexity of the health services in the public sector due both to their public and professional nature, we identify seven Gordian Knots as being responsible for the most frequent problems of publicly produced health services in Spain and Latin America. From the concept of good governance we take its character as a normative and ethical benchmark and its potential to renew and invigorate the government of the public sector. From comparative analysis of publicly-produced health services in the best performing countries, we extract eight characteristics which contribute significantly to good performance. A final reflection is on the relevance of the importance of offsetting the potential hostility to a reformist impulse of the status-quo with alliances that strengthen public trust and the social contract between health professionals and citizens based on the values of public health systems.

Comparative performance of conventional OPC concrete and HPC designed by densified mixture design algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huynh, Trong-Phuoc; Hwang, Chao-Lung; Yang, Shu-Ti

2017-12-01

This experimental study evaluated the performance of normal ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete and high-performance concrete (HPC) that were designed by the conventional method (ACI) and densified mixture design algorithm (DMDA) method, respectively. Engineering properties and durability performance of both the OPC and HPC samples were studied using the tests of workability, compressive strength, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and electrical surface resistivity. Test results show that the HPC performed good fresh property and further showed better performance in terms of strength and durability as compared to the OPC.

Oxidation behaviour of silicon-free tungsten alloys for use as the first wall material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, F.; Brinkmann, J.; Lindig, S.; Mishra, T. P.; Linsmeier, Ch

2011-12-01

The use of self-passivating tungsten alloys as armour material of the first wall of a fusion power reactor may be advantageous concerning safety issues. In earlier studies good performance of the system W-Cr-Si was demonstrated. Thin films of such alloys showed a strongly reduced oxidation rate compared to pure tungsten. However, the formation of brittle tungsten silicides may be disadvantageous for the powder metallurgical production of bulk W-Cr-Si alloys if a good workability is needed. This paper shows the results of screening tests to identify suitable silicon-free alloys with distinguished self-passivation and a potentially good workability. Of all the tested systems W-Cr-Ti alloys showed the most promising results. The oxidation rate was even lower than the one of W-Cr-Si alloys, the reduction factor was about four orders of magnitude compared to pure tungsten. This performance could be conserved even if the content of alloying elements was reduced.

Hyperspectral data discrimination methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casasent, David P.; Chen, Xuewen

2000-12-01

Hyperspectral data provides spectral response information that provides detailed chemical, moisture, and other description of constituent parts of an item. These new sensor data are useful in USDA product inspection. However, such data introduce problems such as the curse of dimensionality, the need to reduce the number of features used to accommodate realistic small training set sizes, and the need to employ discriminatory features and still achieve good generalization (comparable training and test set performance). Several two-step methods are compared to a new and preferable single-step spectral decomposition algorithm. Initial results on hyperspectral data for good/bad almonds and for good/bad (aflatoxin infested) corn kernels are presented. The hyperspectral application addressed differs greatly from prior USDA work (PLS) in which the level of a specific channel constituent in food was estimated. A validation set (separate from the test set) is used in selecting algorithm parameters. Threshold parameters are varied to select the best Pc operating point. Initial results show that nonlinear features yield improved performance.

Bouc-Wen hysteresis model identification using Modified Firefly Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaman, Mohammad Asif; Sikder, Urmita

2015-12-01

The parameters of Bouc-Wen hysteresis model are identified using a Modified Firefly Algorithm. The proposed algorithm uses dynamic process control parameters to improve its performance. The algorithm is used to find the model parameter values that results in the least amount of error between a set of given data points and points obtained from the Bouc-Wen model. The performance of the algorithm is compared with the performance of conventional Firefly Algorithm, Genetic Algorithm and Differential Evolution algorithm in terms of convergence rate and accuracy. Compared to the other three optimization algorithms, the proposed algorithm is found to have good convergence rate with high degree of accuracy in identifying Bouc-Wen model parameters. Finally, the proposed method is used to find the Bouc-Wen model parameters from experimental data. The obtained model is found to be in good agreement with measured data.

fMRI brain activation in patients with insomnia disorder during a working memory task.

PubMed

Son, Young-Don; Kang, Jae Myeong; Cho, Seong-Jin; Lee, Jung-Sun; Hwang, Hee Young; Kang, Seung-Gul

2018-05-01

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate differences in the functional brain activation of patients with insomnia disorder (n = 21, mean age = 36.6) and of good sleepers (n = 26, mean age = 33.2) without other comorbidities or structural brain abnormalities during a working memory task. All participants completed a clinical questionnaire, were subjected to portable polysomnography (PSG), and performed the working memory task during an fMRI scan. The subjects who were suspected of major sleep disorder and comorbid psychiatric disorders except insomnia disorder were excluded. To compare the brain activation on working memory from the insomnia group with those from the good-sleeper group, a two-sample t test was performed. Statistical significance was determined using 3DClustSim with the updated algorithm to obtain a reasonable cluster size and p value for each analysis. We observed higher levels of brain activation in the right lateral inferior frontal cortex and the right superior temporal pole in the insomnia group compared to good sleepers (cluster-based multiple comparison correction, p < 0.001, k = 34 @ α = 0.01). Thus, patients with insomnia disorder showed increased brain activation during working memory relative to good sleepers, and this may be indicative of compensatory brain activation to maintain cognitive performance in patients with insomnia disorder without other comorbidities.

Linked Data for Software Security Concepts and Vulnerability Descriptions

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

named entity (NE) extractors such as DBpedia Spotlight, Alchemy API1, Extractiv2, OpenCalais3 and Zemanta were compared for their overall performance...presents substantial agreement for URI dis- ambiguation. Alchemy API, although preserving good performance in NE extraction and 1http://www.alchemyapi.com

The Association Between Visual Assessment of Quality of Movement and Three-Dimensional Analysis of Pelvis, Hip, and Knee Kinematics During a Lateral Step Down Test.

PubMed

Rabin, Alon; Portnoy, Sigal; Kozol, Zvi

2016-11-01

Rabin, A, Portnoy, S, and Kozol, Z. The association between visual assessment of quality of movement and three-dimensional analysis of pelvis, hip, and knee kinematics during a lateral step down test. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3204-3211, 2016-Altered movement patterns including contralateral pelvic drop, increased hip adduction, knee abduction, and external rotation have been previously implicated in several lower extremity pathologies. Although various methods exist for assessing movement patterns, real-time visual observation is the most readily available method. The purpose of this study was to determine whether differing visual ratings of trunk, pelvis, and knee alignment, as well as overall quality of movement, are associated with differences in 3-dimensional trunk, pelvis, hip, or knee kinematics during a lateral step down test. Trunk, pelvis, and knee alignment of 30 healthy participants performing the lateral step down were visually rated as "good" or "faulty" based on previously established criteria. An additional categorization of overall quality of movement as either good or moderate was performed based on the aggregate score of each individual rating criterion. Three-dimensional motion analysis of trunk, pelvis, hip, and knee kinematics was simultaneously performed. A faulty pelvis alignment displayed a greater peak contralateral pelvic drop (effect size [ES], 1.65; p < 0.01) and a greater peak hip adduction (ES: 1.04, p = 0.01) compared with participants with a good pelvis alignment. Participants with a faulty knee alignment displayed greater peak knee external rotation compared with participants with a good knee alignment (ES, 0.78; p = 0.02). Participants with an overall moderate quality of movement displayed increased peak contralateral pelvic drop (ES, 1.07; p = 0.01) and peak knee external rotation (ES, 0.72; p = 0.04) compared with those with an overall good quality of movement. Visual rating of quality of movement during a lateral step down test, as performed by an experienced physical therapist, is associated with differences in several kinematics previously implicated in various pathologies.

Low temperature thermal conductivity of alloys used in cryogenic coaxial cables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kushino, Akihiro; Kasai, Soichi

2014-03-01

We have developed thin seamless coaxial cables applied for readout in low temperature experiments below liquid helium temperature. Stainless steel employed as the center and outer electrical conductors of the coaxial cable has adequately low thermal conductivity compared to pure metals and can be used when heat penetration into low temperature stages through cables should be lowered however it has large electrical resistivity which can disturb sensitive measurements. Superconducting NbTi alloy has good performance with rather low thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity. Meanwhile coaxial cables using normal conducting copper alloys such as cupro-nickel, brass, beryllium-copper, phosphor-bronze are advantageous with their good electrical, thermal and cost performances. We investigated thermal conductivity of such alloys after the drawing process into coaxial cables, and compared to expected values without drawing.

Effect of exposure to good vs poor medical trainee performance on attending physician ratings of subsequent performances.

PubMed

Yeates, Peter; O'Neill, Paul; Mann, Karen; Eva, Kevin W

2012-12-05

Competency-based models of education require assessments to be based on individuals' capacity to perform, yet the nature of human judgment may fundamentally limit the extent to which such assessment is accurately possible. To determine whether recent observations of the Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) performance of postgraduate year 1 physicians influence raters' scores of subsequent performances, consistent with either anchoring bias (scores biased similar to previous experience) or contrast bias (scores biased away from previous experience). Internet-based randomized, blinded experiment using videos of Mini-CEX assessments of postgraduate year 1 trainees interviewing new internal medicine patients. Participants were 41 attending physicians from England and Wales experienced with the Mini-CEX, with 20 watching and scoring 3 good trainee performances and 21 watching and scoring 3 poor performances. All then watched and scored the same 3 borderline video performances. The study was completed between July and November 2011. The primary outcome was scores assigned to the borderline videos, using a 6-point Likert scale (anchors included: 1, well below expectations; 3, borderline; 6, well above expectations). Associations were tested in a multivariable analysis that included participants' sex, years of practice, and the stringency index (within-group z score of initial 3 ratings). The mean rating scores assigned by physicians who viewed borderline video performances following exposure to good performances was 2.7 (95% CI, 2.4-3.0) vs 3.4 (95% CI, 3.1-3.7) following exposure to poor performances (difference of 0.67 [95% CI, 0.28-1.07]; P = .001). Borderline videos were categorized as consistent with failing scores in 33 of 60 assessments (55%) in those exposed to good performances and in 15 of 63 assessments (24%) in those exposed to poor performances (P < .001). They were categorized as consistent with passing scores in 5 of 60 assessments (8.3%) in those exposed to good performances compared with 25 of 63 assessments (39.5%) in those exposed to poor performances (P < .001). Sex and years of attending practice were not associated with scores. The priming condition (good vs poor performances) and the stringency index jointly accounted for 45% of the observed variation in raters' scores for the borderline videos (P < .001). In an experimental setting, attending physicians exposed to videos of good medical trainee performances rated subsequent borderline performances lower than those who had been exposed to poor performances, consistent with a contrast bias.

Good social skills despite poor theory of mind: exploring compensation in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Livingston, Lucy Anne; Colvert, Emma; Bolton, Patrick; Happé, Francesca

2018-03-26

It is proposed that some individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can 'compensate' for their underlying difficulties (e.g. in theory of mind; ToM), thus demonstrating relatively few behavioural symptoms, despite continued core cognitive deficits. The mechanisms underpinning compensation are largely unexplored, as is its potential impact on mental health. This study aimed to estimate compensation patterns in ASD, by contrasting overt social behaviour with ToM task performance, in order to compare the characteristics of 'Low' and 'High' Compensators. A total of 136 autistic adolescents, from the ongoing Social Relationships Study, completed a range of cognitive tasks, the Autistic Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and a self-report anxiety questionnaire. Participants were assigned compensation group status; High Compensators demonstrated good ADOS scores despite poor ToM performance, while Low Compensators demonstrated similarly poor ToM, accompanied by poor ADOS scores. High Compensators demonstrated better IQ and executive function (EF), but greater self-reported anxiety, compared with Low Compensators. Such differences were not found when comparing individuals who had good versus poor ADOS scores, when ToM performance was good. Other core autistic characteristics (weak central coherence, nonsocial symptoms) did not differentiate the High and Low Compensators. IQ, EF and anxiety appear to be implicated in the processes by which certain autistic young people can compensate for their underlying ToM difficulties. This tendency to compensate does not appear to reflect the severity of 'hit' for ASD per se, suggesting that well-compensated individuals are not experiencing a milder form of ASD. The construct of compensation in ASD has implications for research and clinical practice. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Confusion in the Ranks: How Good Are England's Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithers, Alan

2013-01-01

Understanding how well English education performs compared with other countries is a valuable exercise, particularly because the information can help England and other countries learn from successful systems. The most recent international league tables of pupil performance differ considerably. England languishes well down the list in PISA 2009,…

Evaluation of a ducted-fan power plant designed for high output and good cruise fuel economy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Behun, M; Rom, F E; Hensley, R V

1950-01-01

Theoretical analysis of performance of a ducted-fan power plant designed both for high-output, high-altitude operation at low supersonic Mach numbers and for good fuel economy at lower fight speeds is presented. Performance of ducted fan is compared with performance (with and without tail-pipe burner) of two hypothetical turbojet engines. At maximum power, the ducted fan has propulsive thrust per unit of frontal area between thrusts obtained by turbojet engines with and without tail-pipe burners. At cruise, the ducted fan obtains lowest thrust specific fuel consumption. For equal maximum thrusts, the ducted fan obtains cruising flight duration and range appreciably greater than turbojet engines.

Parallel integer sorting with medium and fine-scale parallelism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dagum, Leonardo

1993-01-01

Two new parallel integer sorting algorithms, queue-sort and barrel-sort, are presented and analyzed in detail. These algorithms do not have optimal parallel complexity, yet they show very good performance in practice. Queue-sort designed for fine-scale parallel architectures which allow the queueing of multiple messages to the same destination. Barrel-sort is designed for medium-scale parallel architectures with a high message passing overhead. The performance results from the implementation of queue-sort on a Connection Machine CM-2 and barrel-sort on a 128 processor iPSC/860 are given. The two implementations are found to be comparable in performance but not as good as a fully vectorized bucket sort on the Cray YMP.

A comparative evaluation of the analytical performances of Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing, Tosoh HLC-723 G8, Premier Hb9210, and Roche Cobas c501 Tina-quant Gen 2 analyzers for HbA1c determination.

PubMed

Wu, Xiaobin; Chao, Yan; Wan, Zemin; Wang, Yunxiu; Ma, Yan; Ke, Peifeng; Wu, Xinzhong; Xu, Jianhua; Zhuang, Junhua; Huang, Xianzhang

2016-10-15

Haemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) is widely used in the management of diabetes. Therefore, the reliability and comparability among different analytical methods for its detection have become very important. A comparative evaluation of the analytical performances (precision, linearity, accuracy, method comparison, and interferences including bilirubin, triglyceride, cholesterol, labile HbA 1c (LA 1c ), vitamin C, aspirin, fetal haemoglobin (HbF), and haemoglobin E (Hb E)) were performed on Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing (Capillarys 2FP) (Sebia, France), Tosoh HLC-723 G8 (Tosoh G8) (Tosoh, Japan), Premier Hb9210 (Trinity Biotech, Ireland) and Roche Cobas c501 (Roche c501) (Roche Diagnostics, Germany). A good precision was shown at both low and high HbA 1c levels on all four systems, with all individual CVs below 2% (IFCC units) or 1.5% (NGSP units). Linearity analysis for each analyzer had achieved a good correlation coefficient (R 2 > 0.99) over the entire range tested. The analytical bias of the four systems against the IFCC targets was less than ± 6% (NGSP units), indicating a good accuracy. Method comparison showed a great correlation and agreement between methods. Very high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol (≥ 15.28 and ≥ 8.72 mmol/L, respectively) led to falsely low HbA 1c concentrations on Roche c501. Elevated HbF induced false HbA 1c detection on Capillarys 2FP (> 10%), Tosoh G8 (> 30%), Premier Hb9210 (> 15%), and Roche c501 (> 5%). On Tosoh G8, HbE induced an extra peak on chromatogram, and significantly lower results were reported. The four HbA 1c methods commonly used with commercial analyzers showed a good reliability and comparability, although some interference may falsely alter the result.

Performing the good death: the medieval Ars moriendi and contemporary doctors.

PubMed

Thornton, K; Phillips, C B

2009-12-01

Death is inevitable, but dying well is not. Despite the role of medical professionals as overseers of dying in contemporary society, there is comparatively little discourse among doctors about the constituents of a good death. In the 15th century, by contrast, the Ars moriendi portrayed normative medieval ideas about good and bad deaths. At a time when dying could be viewed as a performed battle against damnation, the Ars moriendi codified a set of moral precepts that governed the expression of autonomy, relations between the dying and the living and orientation towards God. In these images, dying well is a moral activity that results from active decisions by the dying person to turn from earthly preoccupations to contemplation of, and submission to, the divine. It is likely in contemporary society that there is a range of understandings of the "good death". While attitudes to personal autonomy may differ, reflectiveness and dying at home in the presence of family (expressed in the Ars moriendi), remain part of many modern notions of the good death. We argue that medical institutions continue to construct death as a performed battle against physical debility, even when patients may have different views of their preferred deaths. The dialectic approach of the Ars moriendi may offer a way for contemporary doctors to reflect critically on the potential dissonance between their own approach to death and the variety of culturally valorised "good deaths".

Assessing Goodness of Fit in Item Response Theory with Nonparametric Models: A Comparison of Posterior Probabilities and Kernel-Smoothing Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sueiro, Manuel J.; Abad, Francisco J.

2011-01-01

The distance between nonparametric and parametric item characteristic curves has been proposed as an index of goodness of fit in item response theory in the form of a root integrated squared error index. This article proposes to use the posterior distribution of the latent trait as the nonparametric model and compares the performance of an index…

Economic Assessment and Budgetary Impact of a Telemedicine Procedure and Spirometry Quality Control in the Primary Care Setting.

PubMed

Marina, Nuria; Bayón, Juan Carlos; López de Santa María, Elena; Gutiérrez, Asunción; Inchausti, Marta; Bustamante, Victor; Gáldiz, Juan B

2016-01-01

To evaluate the economic impact of a telemedicine procedure designed to improve the quality of lung function testing (LFT) in primary care in a public healthcare system, compared with the standard method. The economic impact of 9,039 LFTs performed in 51 health centers (2010-2013) using telespirometry (TS) compared to standard spirometry (SS) was studied. TS costs more per unit than SS (€47.80 vs. €39.70) (2013), but the quality of the TS procedure is superior (84% good quality, compared to 61% using the standard procedure). Total cost of TS was €431,974 (compared with €358,306€ for SS), generating an economic impact of €73,668 (2013). The increase in cost for good quality LFT performed using TS was €34,030 (2010) and €144,295 (2013), while the costs of poor quality tests fell by €15,525 (2010) and 70,627€ (2013). The cost-effectiveness analysis concludes that TS is 23% more expensive and 46% more effective. Healthcare costs consequently fall as the number of LFTs performed by TS rises. Avoiding poor quality, invalid LFTs generates savings that compensate for the increased costs of performing LFTs with TS, making it a cost-effective method. Copyright © 2014 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Comparing spatial regression to random forests for large ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Environmental data may be “large” due to number of records, number of covariates, or both. Random forests has a reputation for good predictive performance when using many covariates, whereas spatial regression, when using reduced rank methods, has a reputation for good predictive performance when using many records. In this study, we compare these two techniques using a data set containing the macroinvertebrate multimetric index (MMI) at 1859 stream sites with over 200 landscape covariates. Our primary goal is predicting MMI at over 1.1 million perennial stream reaches across the USA. For spatial regression modeling, we develop two new methods to accommodate large data: (1) a procedure that estimates optimal Box-Cox transformations to linearize covariate relationships; and (2) a computationally efficient covariate selection routine that takes into account spatial autocorrelation. We show that our new methods lead to cross-validated performance similar to random forests, but that there is an advantage for spatial regression when quantifying the uncertainty of the predictions. Simulations are used to clarify advantages for each method. This research investigates different approaches for modeling and mapping national stream condition. We use MMI data from the EPA's National Rivers and Streams Assessment and predictors from StreamCat (Hill et al., 2015). Previous studies have focused on modeling the MMI condition classes (i.e., good, fair, and po

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.

Comparing soil and pond ash feedlot pen surfaces for environmental management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Removing manure and replacing soil to maintain pen surfaces is expensive. Pond ash (PA), a coal-fired electrical generation by-product, has good support qualities. A study was conducted comparing the performance of pond ash (PA) surfaced pens with soil surface (SS) pens. Four pens of an eight pen se...

Video game performances are preserved in ADHD children compared with controls.

PubMed

Bioulac, Stéphanie; Lallemand, Stéphanie; Fabrigoule, Colette; Thoumy, Anne-Laure; Philip, Pierre; Bouvard, Manuel Pierre

2014-08-01

Although ADHD and excessive video game playing have received some attention, few studies have explored the performances of ADHD children when playing video games. The authors hypothesized that performances of ADHD children would be as good as those of control children in motivating video games tasks but not in the Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II). The sample consisted of 26 ADHD children and 16 control children. Performances of ADHD and control children were compared on three commercially available games, on the repetition of every game, and on the CPT II. ADHD children had lower performances on the CPT II than did controls, but they exhibited equivalent performances to controls when playing video games at both sessions and on all three games. When playing video games, ADHD children present no difference in inhibitory performances compared with control children. This demonstrates that cognitive difficulties in ADHD are task dependent. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Multivariate meta-analysis of individual participant data helped externally validate the performance and implementation of a prediction model.

PubMed

Snell, Kym I E; Hua, Harry; Debray, Thomas P A; Ensor, Joie; Look, Maxime P; Moons, Karel G M; Riley, Richard D

2016-01-01

Our aim was to improve meta-analysis methods for summarizing a prediction model's performance when individual participant data are available from multiple studies for external validation. We suggest multivariate meta-analysis for jointly synthesizing calibration and discrimination performance, while accounting for their correlation. The approach estimates a prediction model's average performance, the heterogeneity in performance across populations, and the probability of "good" performance in new populations. This allows different implementation strategies (e.g., recalibration) to be compared. Application is made to a diagnostic model for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a prognostic model for breast cancer mortality. In both examples, multivariate meta-analysis reveals that calibration performance is excellent on average but highly heterogeneous across populations unless the model's intercept (baseline hazard) is recalibrated. For the cancer model, the probability of "good" performance (defined by C statistic ≥0.7 and calibration slope between 0.9 and 1.1) in a new population was 0.67 with recalibration but 0.22 without recalibration. For the DVT model, even with recalibration, there was only a 0.03 probability of "good" performance. Multivariate meta-analysis can be used to externally validate a prediction model's calibration and discrimination performance across multiple populations and to evaluate different implementation strategies. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ECG-gated imaging of the left atrium and pulmonary veins: Intra-individual comparison of CTA and MRA.

PubMed

Fahlenkamp, U L; Lembcke, A; Roesler, R; Schwenke, C; Huppertz, A; Streitparth, F; Taupitz, M; Hamm, B; Wagner, M

2013-10-01

To compare electrocardiography (ECG)-gated computed tomography angiography (CTA) with ECG-gated magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for assessment of the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PVs). Twenty-nine consecutive patients who underwent both cardiac CTA and MRA were evaluated. Contrast-enhanced CTA was performed with prospective ECG-gating using a 320 detector row CT system. Contrast-enhanced MRA was performed with prospective ECG-gating using a 1.5 T MRI system equipped with a 32 channel cardiac coil. MRA was acquired during free-breathing with a navigator-gated inversion-recovery prepared steady-state free precession sequence. Two readers independently assessed the CTA and MRA images for vascular definition of the PVs (from 0, not visualized, to 4, excellent definition) and ostial PV diameters. Variants of LA anatomy were assessed in consensus. CTA was successfully performed in all patients with a mean radiation exposure of 5.1 ± 2.2 mSv. MRA was successfully performed in 27 of 29 patients (93 %). Visual definition of PVs was rated significantly higher on CTA compared to MRA (p < 0.0001; reader 1: excellent/good ratings of CTA versus MRA: 100% versus 86%; reader 2: excellent/good ratings of CTA versus MRA: 99% versus 89%). Assessment of ostial PV diameters showed good correlation between CTA and MRA (reader 1: Pearson r = 0.91; reader 2: Pearson r = 0.82). Moreover, agreement between both imaging methods for evaluation of variants of LA anatomy was high (agreement rate of 95% (95% CI: 92-99%). ECG-gated CTA provides higher image quality compared to ECG-gated MRA. Nevertheless, both CTA and MRA provided similar information of LA anatomy and ostial PV diameters. Copyright © 2013 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethanol chemiresistor with enhanced discriminative ability from acetone based on Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers.

PubMed

Jiang, Ziqiao; Jiang, Tingting; Wang, Jinfeng; Wang, Zhaojie; Xu, Xiuru; Wang, Zongxin; Zhao, Rui; Li, Zhenyu; Wang, Ce

2015-01-01

We demonstrated a new metal oxides based chemiresistor (MOC), which exhibits fast response/recovery behavior, large sensitivity, and good selectivity to ethanol, enabled by Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers via simple electrospinning and followed by calcination. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) were carefully used to characterize their morphology, structure, and composition. The ethanol sensing performances based on Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers were investigated. Comparing with the pristine SnO2 nanofibers, enhanced ethanol sensing performances (more rapid response/recovery behavior and larger response values) have been achieved owing to the basic SnO2 surface caused by Sr-doping, whereas the acetone sensing performances have been weakened. Thus, good discriminative ability to ethanol from acetone has been realized. Additionally, Sr-doped SnO2 nanofibers also exhibit good selectivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Management of Varicose Veins and Chronic Venous Insufficiency in a Comparative Registry with Nine Venoactive Products in Comparison with Stockings.

PubMed

Belcaro, G; Dugall, M; Luzzi, R; Corsi, M; Ledda, A; Ricci, A; Pellegrini, L; Cesarone, M R; Hosoi, M; Errichi, B M; Cornelli, U; Cotellese, R; Agus, G; Feragalli, B

2017-09-01

The aim of this registry study was to compare products used to control symptoms of CVI. Endpoints of the study were microcirculation, effects on volume changes, and symptoms (analogue scale). Pycnogenol, venoruton, troxerutin, the complex diosmin-hesperidin, Antistax, Mirtoselect (bilberry), escin, and the combination Venoruton-Pycnogenol (VE-PY) were compared with compressions. No safety or tolerability problems were observed. At inclusion, measurements in the groups were comparable: 1,051 patients completed the registry. Best performers : Venoruton, Pycnogenol, and the combination VE-PY produced the best effects on skin flux. These products and the combination VE-PY better improved PO 2 and PCO 2 . The edema score was decreased more effectively with the combination and with Pycnogenol. Venoruton; Antistax also had good results. Considering volumetry, the best performers were the combination PY-VE and the two single products Venoruton and Pycnogenol. Antistax results for edema were also good. The best improvement in symptoms score were obtained with Pycnogenol and compression. A larger decrease in oxidative stress was observed with Pycnogenol, Venoruton, and with the VE-PY combination. Good effects of Antistax were also observed. Parestesias were lower with Pycnogenol and with Antistax. Considering the need for interventions, the best performers were Pycnogenol, VE-PY, and compression. The efficacy of Pycnogenol and the combination are competitive with stockings that do not have the same tolerability in warmer climates. A larger and more prolonged evaluation is suggested to evaluate cost-efficacy (and non-interference with drugs) of these products in the management of CVI. The registry is in progress; other products are in evaluation.

An improved affine projection algorithm for active noise cancellation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Congyan; Wang, Mingjiang; Han, Yufei; Sun, Yunzhuo

2017-08-01

Affine projection algorithm is a signal reuse algorithm, and it has a good convergence rate compared to other traditional adaptive filtering algorithm. There are two factors that affect the performance of the algorithm, which are step factor and the projection length. In the paper, we propose a new variable step size affine projection algorithm (VSS-APA). It dynamically changes the step size according to certain rules, so that it can get smaller steady-state error and faster convergence speed. Simulation results can prove that its performance is superior to the traditional affine projection algorithm and in the active noise control (ANC) applications, the new algorithm can get very good results.

Recursive feature selection with significant variables of support vectors.

PubMed

Tsai, Chen-An; Huang, Chien-Hsun; Chang, Ching-Wei; Chen, Chun-Houh

2012-01-01

The development of DNA microarray makes researchers screen thousands of genes simultaneously and it also helps determine high- and low-expression level genes in normal and disease tissues. Selecting relevant genes for cancer classification is an important issue. Most of the gene selection methods use univariate ranking criteria and arbitrarily choose a threshold to choose genes. However, the parameter setting may not be compatible to the selected classification algorithms. In this paper, we propose a new gene selection method (SVM-t) based on the use of t-statistics embedded in support vector machine. We compared the performance to two similar SVM-based methods: SVM recursive feature elimination (SVMRFE) and recursive support vector machine (RSVM). The three methods were compared based on extensive simulation experiments and analyses of two published microarray datasets. In the simulation experiments, we found that the proposed method is more robust in selecting informative genes than SVMRFE and RSVM and capable to attain good classification performance when the variations of informative and noninformative genes are different. In the analysis of two microarray datasets, the proposed method yields better performance in identifying fewer genes with good prediction accuracy, compared to SVMRFE and RSVM.

Too Much of a Good Thing: Stronger Bilingual Inhibition Leads to Larger Lag-2 Task Repetition Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prior, Anat

2012-01-01

Inhibitory control and monitoring abilities of Hebrew-English bilingual and English monolingual university students were compared, in a paradigm requiring participants to switch between performing three distinct tasks. Inhibitory control was gauged by lag-2 task repetition costs, namely decreased performance on the final trial of sequences of type…

Study of unsteady performance of a twin-entry mixed flow turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bencherif, M. M.; Hamidou, M. K.; Hamel, M.; Abidat, M.

2016-03-01

The aim of this investigation is to study the performance of a twin-entry turbine under pulsed flow conditions. The ANSYS-CFX code is used to solve three-dimensional compressible turbulent flow equations. The computational results are compared with those of a one-dimensional model and experimental data, and good agreement is found.

Comparison between two methodologies for urban drainage decision aid.

PubMed

Moura, P M; Baptista, M B; Barraud, S

2006-01-01

The objective of the present work is to compare two methodologies based on multicriteria analysis for the evaluation of stormwater systems. The first methodology was developed in Brazil and is based on performance-cost analysis, the second one is ELECTRE III. Both methodologies were applied to a case study. Sensitivity and robustness analyses were then carried out. These analyses demonstrate that both methodologies have equivalent results, and present low sensitivity and high robustness. These results prove that the Brazilian methodology is consistent and can be used safely in order to select a good solution or a small set of good solutions that could be compared with more detailed methods afterwards.

HPF Implementation of ARC3D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frumkin, Michael; Yan, Jerry

1999-01-01

We present an HPF (High Performance Fortran) implementation of ARC3D code along with the profiling and performance data on SGI Origin 2000. Advantages and limitations of HPF as a parallel programming language for CFD applications are discussed. For achieving good performance results we used the data distributions optimized for implementation of implicit and explicit operators of the solver and boundary conditions. We compare the results with MPI and directive based implementations.

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and academic performance in youth: the UP&DOWN study.

PubMed

Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Izquierdo-Gomez, Rocio; Gómez-Martínez, Sonia; Padilla-Moledo, Carmen; Castro-Piñero, Jose; Marcos, Ascensión; Veiga, Oscar L

2016-04-01

To examine the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and academic performance in children and adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 1371 youth aged 12.04 ± 2.50 years (685 girls) in Spain during 2011-2012. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed using the KIDMED index (Mediterranean Diet Quality Index in children and adolescents), which includes 16 questions on specific dietary patterns. Levels of adherence were classified into three groups: poor adherence (0-3), average adherence (4-7), and good adherence (8-12). Academic performance was assessed through school records using four indicators: math, language, an average of math and language, and grade point average score. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was related to academic performance (β ranging from 0.107 to 0.148; all P < 0.001) after adjusting for confounders. The group of good adherence to the Mediterranean diet had significantly higher scores in all of the academic indicators compared with the poor group (ranging from +0.429 to 0.464; all P ≤ 0.001); as well as the group of average adherence to the Mediterranean diet had significantly higher scores in all of the academic indicators compared with the poor group (ranging from +0.292 to 0.344; all P ≤ 0.06). There were no differences between the groups of good and average adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet may have a beneficial influence on academic performance in youth. Importantly, the benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on academic performance may be stronger as youth adhered to the optimal Mediterranean diet levels.

Speech reconstruction using a deep partially supervised neural network.

PubMed

McLoughlin, Ian; Li, Jingjie; Song, Yan; Sharifzadeh, Hamid R

2017-08-01

Statistical speech reconstruction for larynx-related dysphonia has achieved good performance using Gaussian mixture models and, more recently, restricted Boltzmann machine arrays; however, deep neural network (DNN)-based systems have been hampered by the limited amount of training data available from individual voice-loss patients. The authors propose a novel DNN structure that allows a partially supervised training approach on spectral features from smaller data sets, yielding very good results compared with the current state-of-the-art.

Good decision-making is associated with an adaptive cardiovascular response to social competitive stress.

PubMed

Alacreu-Crespo, Adrián; Costa, Raquel; Abad-Tortosa, Diana; Salvador, Alicia; Serrano, Miguel Ángel

2018-06-22

Competition elicits different psychological and cardiovascular responses depending on a person's skills. Decision-making has been considered a distal factor that influences competition, but there are no studies analyzing this relationship. Our objective was to analyze whether decision-making affects the response to competition. Specifically, we aimed to test whether good performers on a decision-making test, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), showed an adaptive cardiovascular response to competition. In all, 116 participants (44 women) performed the IGT and were classified into Good or Poor decision-makers. Subsequently, they were exposed to a stress task in two different conditions: a face-to-face competition (winners/losers) or a control condition, while an electrocardiogram was recorded. In the competition group, good decision-makers increased their high-frequency respect to the total heart rate variability (HF/HRV) levels during the task, compared to Poor decision-makers. Again, competition group good decision-makers, showed lower LF and higher HF/HRV reactivity than the control group, which represents lower HRV stress pattern. Moreover, in the group of losers, good decision-makers had a decline in low frequency (LF) during the task and faster recovery than poor decision-makers. In conclusion, good decision-makers have a more adaptive stress response and higher levels of mental effort, based on total HRV interpretation. Decision-making skills could be a factor in a more adaptive cardiovascular response to competition.

Patient ratings of case managers in a medical home: associations with patient satisfaction and health care utilization.

PubMed

Jubelt, Lindsay E; Graham, Jove; Maeng, Daniel D; Li, Huilin; Epstein, Andrew J; Metlay, Joshua P

2014-11-18

Case managers are employed in medical homes to coordinate care for clinically complex patients. To measure the association of patient perceptions of case manager performance with overall satisfaction and subsequent health care utilization. Retrospective cohort study. Integrated health system in Pennsylvania. Members of the health system-owned health plan who 1) received primary care in the health system's clinics, 2) were exposed to clinic-embedded case managers, and 3) completed a survey of satisfaction with care. Survey assessment of case manager performance and overall satisfaction with care and claims-based assessment of case manager performance and subsequent hospitalizations or emergency department visits. Survey measures were dichotomized into very good versus less than very good. A total of 1755 patients (44%) completed the survey and 1415 met study criteria. Survey respondents who reported very good ratings of case manager performance across all items had a higher probability of reporting very good overall satisfaction with care (92.2% vs. 62.5%; P < 0.001) and had a lower incidence of subsequent emergency department visits (incidence rate ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.64 to 0.98]; P = 0.029) but not hospitalizations (incidence rate ratio, 0.92 [CI, 0.75 to 1.11]; P = 0.37) up to 2 years after the survey compared with survey respondents who reported less-than-very good case manager performance on 1 or more questions on the survey. Satisfaction data demonstrated substantial ceiling effects. Survey nonresponse may have introduced bias in the results. Patients' favorable perceptions of case managers are associated with higher overall satisfaction with care and may lower risk for future acute care use. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Impact of Reforms on the Quality and Responsiveness of Universities in the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Tony

2009-01-01

The paper starts with a description of higher education in the United Kingdom and of reforms over the last 50 years. By reference to specified output measures, the performance of UK universities is judged to be good. The factors affecting this performance are postulated by comparing policies and approaches in the United Kingdom with those…

Novel Nanofiber-based Membrane Separators for Lithium-Ion Batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanilmaz, Meltem

Lithium-ion batteries have been widely used in electronic devices including mobile phones, laptop computers, and cameras due to their high specific energy, high energy density, long cycling lifetime, and low self-discharge rate. Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are finding new applications in electric/hybrid vehicles and energy storage for smart grids. To be used in these new applications, novel battery components are needed so that lithiumion batteries with higher cell performance, better safety, and lower cost can be developed. A separator is an important component to obtain safe batteries and its primary function is to prevent electronic contact between electrodes while regulating cell kinetics and ionic flow. Currently, microporous membranes are the most commonly used separator type and they have good mechanical properties and chemical stability. However, their wettability and thermal stabilities are not sufficient for applications that require high operating temperature and high performance. Due to the superior properties such as large specific surface area, small pore size and high porosity, electrospun nanofiber membranes can be good separator candidate for highperformance lithium-ion batteries. In this work, we focus our research on fabricating nanofiber-based membranes to design new high-performance separators with good thermal stability, as well as superior electrochemical performance compared to microporous polyolefin membranes. To combine the good mechanical strength of PP nonwovens with the excellent electrochemical properties of SiO2/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite nanofibers, SiO 2/PVDF composite nanofiber-coated PP nonwoven membranes were prepared. It was found that the addition of SiO2 nanoparticles played an important role in improving the overall performance of these nanofiber-coated nonwoven membranes. Although ceramic/polymer composites can be prepared by encapsulating ceramic particles directly into polymer nanofibers, the performance of the resultant composite membranes is restricted because these nanoparticles are not exposed to liquid electrolytes and have limited effect on improving the cell performance. Hence, we introduced new nanoparticle-on-nanofiber hybrid membrane separators by combining electrospraying with electrospinning techniques. Electrochemical properties were enhanced due to the increased surface area caused by the unique hybrid structure of SiO2 nanoparticles and PVDF nanofibers. To design a high-performance separator with enhanced mechanical properties and good thermal stability, electrospun SiO2/nylon 6,6 nanofiber membranes were fabricated. It was found that SiO2/nylon 6,6 nanofiber membranes had superior thermal stability and mechanical strength. Electrospinning has serious drawbacks such as low spinning rate and high production cost. Centrifugal spinning is a fast, cost-effective and safe alternative to the electrospinning. SiO2/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes were produced by using centrifugal spinning. Compared with commercial microporous polyolefin membranes, SiO2/PAN membranes had larger liquid electrolyte uptake, higher electrochemical oxidation limit, and lower interfacial resistance with lithium. SiO2/PAN membrane separators were assembled into lithium/lithium iron phosphate cells and these cells exhibited good cycling and C-rate performance.

Innovative Formulation Combining Al, Zr and Si Precursors to Obtain Anticorrosion Hybrid Sol-Gel Coating.

PubMed

Genet, Clément; Menu, Marie-Joëlle; Gavard, Olivier; Ansart, Florence; Gressier, Marie; Montpellaz, Robin

2018-05-10

The aim of our study is to improve the aluminium alloy corrosion resistance with Organic-Inorganic Hybrid (OIH) sol-gel coating. Coatings are obtained from unusual formulation with precursors mixing: glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), zirconium (IV) propoxide (TPOZ) and aluminium tri-sec-butoxide (ASB). This formulation was characterized and compared with sol formulations GPTMS/TPOZ and GPTMS/ASB. In each formulation, a corrosion inhibitor, cerium (III) nitrate hexahydrate, is employed to improve the corrosion performance. Coatings obtained from sol based on GPTMS/TPOZ/ASB have good anti-corrosion performances with Natural Salt Spray (NSS) resistance of 500 h for a thickness lower than 4 µm. Contact angle measurement showed a coating hydrophobic behaviour. To understand these performances, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses were performed, results make sol-gel coating condensation evident and are in very good agreement with previous results.

Postflight analysis of the EVCS-LM communications link for the Apollo 15 mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Royston, C. L., Jr.; Eggers, D. S.

1972-01-01

Data from the Apollo 15 mission were used to compare the actual performance of the EVCS to LM communications link with the preflight performance predictions. Based on the results of the analysis, the following conclusions were made: (1) The radio transmission loss data show good correlation with predictions during periods when the radio line of sight was obscured. (2) The technique of predicting shadow losses due to obstacles in the radio line of sight provides a good estimate of the actual shadowing loss. (3) When the transmitter was on an upslope, the radio transmission loss approached the free space loss values as the line of sight to the LM was regained.

Emergency Physicians Are Able to Detect Right Ventricular Dilation With Good Agreement Compared to Cardiology.

PubMed

Rutz, Matt A; Clary, Julie M; Kline, Jeffrey A; Russell, Frances M

2017-07-01

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) is a useful tool in evaluating patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute dyspnea. Prior work has shown that right ventricular (RV) dilation is associated with repeat hospitalizations and shorter life expectancy. Traditionally, RV assessment has been evaluated by cardiologist-interpreted comprehensive echocardiography. The primary goal of this study was to determine the inter-rater reliability between emergency physicians (EPs) and a cardiologist for determining RV dilation on FOCUS performed on ED patients with acute dyspnea. This was a prospective, observational study at two urban academic EDs; patients were enrolled if they had acute dyspnea and a computed tomographic pulmonary angiogram without acute disease. All patients had an EP-performed FOCUS to assess for RV dilation. RV dilation was defined as an RV to left ventricular ratio greater than 1. FOCUS interpretations were compared to a blinded cardiologist FOCUS interpretation using agreement and kappa statistics. Of 84 FOCUS examinations performed on 83 patients, 17% had RV dilation. Agreement and kappa, for EP-performed FOCUS for RV dilation were 89% (95% confidence interval [CI] 80-95%) and 0.68 (95% CI 0.48-0.88), respectively. Emergency physician sonographers are able to detect RV dilation with good agreement when compared to cardiology. These results support the wider use of EP-performed FOCUS to evaluate for RV dilation in ED patients with dyspnea. © 2017 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

The Equivalence Principle Experiment for Spin-Polarized Bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Chang-Huain; Jen, Pin-Yun; Ko, Kai-Li; Li, Keh-Yann; Ni, Wei-Tou; Pan, Sheau-Shi; Shih, Yung-Hui; Tyan, Rong-Jung

We perform an equivalence principle experiment for a magnetically shielded spin-polarized body of Dy6Fe23. We use a single-pan mass comparator to compare the spin-polarized body with an unpolarized group of masses. The equivalence of spin-up and spin-down positions is good to (1.1 ±7.8)×10-9 in earth gravitational field.

Learning from a Masterpiece.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Steve; Jurkovic, Joan

1997-01-01

Compares fine arts and the art of training design. Suggests ways to design programs creatively to transform people's performance: (1) break the rhythm; (2) combine apples and oranges; (3) get out of order; (4) toy with success; and (5) put on a good show. (JOW)

An Analysis of Integrated Child Development Scheme Performance in Contributing to Alleviation of Malnutrition in Two Economically Resurgent States.

PubMed

Ruia, Aparna; Gupta, Rajul Kumar; Bandyopadhyay, Gargi; Gupta, Rajshree R

2018-01-01

Good economic growth is considered synonymous with good nutrition. In recent past, some states (like Bihar and Gujarat) have seen unprecedented economic growth. Despite this and introducing plethora of programs (including integrated child development scheme [ICDS]) to reduce malnutrition, one state might be performing well in reducing malnutrition whereas other with equally high economic growth rate might lag behind. Is mere economic growth good enough to alleviate malnutrition? The aim of the article is to document a critical comparative analysis of malnutrition with special emphasis on ICDS (with respect to finances, infrastructure, training, performance) in the two economically resurgent states of Gujarat and Bihar. An exploratory study using secondary data sources (for ICDS performance) to critically analyze malnutrition status in Bihar and Gujarat. Gujarat, which was criticized for placing excessive emphasis on economic growth, has shown sharp improvement in combating malnutrition. Undernourished children declined from 73.04% in 2007 to 25.09% in 2013, with just 1.6% being severely malnourished. On the other hand, Bihar too exhibited an impressive economic growth but still languishes at bottom with malnutrition rate of 82%. A high economic growth does not have automatic immediate positive gains on malnutrition alleviation.

Benchmark for Peak Detection Algorithms in Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation and a New Neural Network for its Performance Improvement

PubMed Central

Negri, Lucas; Nied, Ademir; Kalinowski, Hypolito; Paterno, Aleksander

2011-01-01

This paper presents a benchmark for peak detection algorithms employed in fiber Bragg grating spectrometric interrogation systems. The accuracy, precision, and computational performance of currently used algorithms and those of a new proposed artificial neural network algorithm are compared. Centroid and gaussian fitting algorithms are shown to have the highest precision but produce systematic errors that depend on the FBG refractive index modulation profile. The proposed neural network displays relatively good precision with reduced systematic errors and improved computational performance when compared to other networks. Additionally, suitable algorithms may be chosen with the general guidelines presented. PMID:22163806

Diagnostic quality of 50 and 100 µm computed radiography compared with screen–film mammography in operative breast specimens

PubMed Central

Pagliari, C M; Hoang, T; Reddy, M; Wilkinson, L S; Poloniecki, J D; Given-Wilson, R M

2012-01-01

Objective To compare reader ratings of the clinical diagnostic quality of 50 and 100 μm computed radiography (CR) systems with screen–film mammography (SFM) in operative specimens. Methods Mammograms of 57 fresh operative breast specimens were analysed by 10 readers. Exposures were made with identical position and compression with three mammographic systems (Fuji 100CR, 50CR and SFM). Images were anonymised and readers blinded to the CR system used. A five-point comparative scoring system (−2 to +2) was used to assess seven quality criteria and overall diagnostic value. Statistical analysis was subsequently performed of reader ratings (n=16 925). Results For most quality criteria, both CR systems were rated as equivalent to or better than SFM. The CR systems were significantly better at demonstrating skin edge and background tissue (p<1×10−5). Microcalcification was best demonstrated on the CR50 system (p<1×10−5). The overall diagnostic value of both CR systems was rated as being as good as or better than SFM (p<1×10−5). Conclusion In this clinical setting, the overall diagnostic performance of both CR systems was as good as or better than SFM, with the CR50 system performing better than the CR100. PMID:22096218

Development of ultracapacitor modules for 42-V automotive electrical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Do Yang; Kim, Young Ho; Kim, Sun Wook; Lee, Suck-Hyun

Two types of ultracapacitor modules have been developed for use as energy-storage devices for 42-V systems in automobiles. The modules show high performance and good reliability in terms of discharge and recharge capability, long-term endurance, and high energy and power. During a 42-V system simulation test of 6-kW power boosting/regenerative braking, the modules demonstrate very good performance. In high-power applications such as 42-V and hybrid vehicle systems, ultracapacitors have many merits compared with batteries, especially with respect to specific power at high rate, thermal stability, charge-discharge efficiency, and cycle-life. Ultracapacitors are also very safe, reliable and environmentally friendly. The cost of ultracapacitors is still high compared with batteries because of the low production scale, but is decreasing very rapidly. It is estimated that the cost of ultracapacitors will decrease to US$ 300 per 42-V module in the near future. Also, the maintenance cost of the ultracapacitor is nearly zero because of its high cycle-life. Therefore, the combined cost of the capacitor and maintenance will be lower than that of batteries in the near future. Overall, comparing performance, price and other parameters of ultracapacitors with batteries, ultracapacitors are the most likely candidate for energy-storage in 42-V systems.

Diagnostic performance of a Lattice Boltzmann-based method for CT-based fractional flow reserve.

PubMed

Giannopoulos, Andreas A; Tang, Anji; Ge, Yin; Cheezum, Michael K; Steigner, Michael L; Fujimoto, Shinichiro; Kumamaru, Kanako K; Chiappino, Dante; Della Latta, Daniele; Berti, Sergio; Chiappino, Sara; Rybicki, Frank J; Melchionna, Simone; Mitsouras, Dimitrios

2018-02-20

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) estimated from coronary computed tomography angiography (CT-FFR) offers non-invasive detection of lesion-specific ischaemia. We aimed to develop and validate a fast CT-FFR algorithm utilising the Lattice Boltzmann method for blood flow simulation (LBM CT-FFR). Sixty-four patients with clinically indicated CTA and invasive FFR measurement from three institutions were retrospectively analysed. CT-FFR was performed using an onsite tool interfacing with a commercial Lattice Boltzmann fluid dynamics cloud-based platform. Diagnostic accuracy of LBM CT-FFR ≤0.8 and percent diameter stenosis >50% by CTA to detect invasive FFR ≤0.8 were compared using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Sixty patients successfully underwent LBM CT-FFR analysis; 29 of 73 lesions in 69 vessels had invasive FFR ≤0.8. Total time to perform LBM CT-FFR was 40±10 min. Compared to invasive FFR, LBM CT-FFR had good correlation (r=0.64), small bias (0.009) and good limits of agreement (-0.223 to 0.206). The AUC of LBM CT-FFR (AUC=0.894, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.792-0.996) was significantly higher than CTA (AUC=0.685, 95% CI: 0.576-0.794) to detect FFR ≤0.8 (p=0.0021). Per-lesion specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of LBM CT-FFR were 97.7%, 79.3%, and 90.4%, respectively. LBM CT-FFR has very good diagnostic accuracy to detect lesion-specific ischaemia (FFR ≤0.8) and can be performed in less than one hour.

Impact of the revised International Prognostic Scoring System, cytogenetics and monosomal karyotype on outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndromes and secondary acute myeloid leukemia evolving from myelodysplastic syndromes: a retrospective multicenter study of the European Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation

PubMed Central

Koenecke, Christian; Göhring, Gudrun; de Wreede, Liesbeth C.; van Biezen, Anja; Scheid, Christof; Volin, Liisa; Maertens, Johan; Finke, Jürgen; Schaap, Nicolaas; Robin, Marie; Passweg, Jakob; Cornelissen, Jan; Beelen, Dietrich; Heuser, Michael; de Witte, Theo; Kröger, Nicolaus

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the revised 5-group International Prognostic Scoring System cytogenetic classification on outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or secondary acute myeloid leukemia who were reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation database. A total of 903 patients had sufficient cytogenetic information available at stem cell transplantation to be classified according to the 5-group classification. Poor and very poor risk according to this classification was an independent predictor of shorter relapse-free survival (hazard ratio 1.40 and 2.14), overall survival (hazard ratio 1.38 and 2.14), and significantly higher cumulative incidence of relapse (hazard ratio 1.64 and 2.76), compared to patients with very good, good or intermediate risk. When comparing the predictive performance of a series of Cox models both for relapse-free survival and for overall survival, a model with simplified 5-group cytogenetics (merging very good, good and intermediate cytogenetics) performed best. Furthermore, monosomal karyotype is an additional negative predictor for outcome within patients of the poor, but not the very poor risk group of the 5-group classification. The revised International Prognostic Scoring System cytogenetic classification allows patients with myelodysplastic syndromes to be separated into three groups with clearly different outcomes after stem cell transplantation. Poor and very poor risk cytogenetics were strong predictors of poor patient outcome. The new cytogenetic classification added value to prediction of patient outcome compared to prediction models using only traditional risk factors or the 3-group International Prognostic Scoring System cytogenetic classification. PMID:25552702

Reliability of corneal dynamic scheimpflug analyser measurements in virgin and post-PRK eyes.

PubMed

Chen, Xiangjun; Stojanovic, Aleksandar; Hua, Yanjun; Eidet, Jon Roger; Hu, Di; Wang, Jingting; Utheim, Tor Paaske

2014-01-01

To determine the measurement reliability of CorVis ST, a dynamic Scheimpflug analyser, in virgin and post-photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) eyes and compare the results between these two groups. Forty virgin eyes and 42 post-PRK eyes underwent CorVis ST measurements performed by two technicians. Repeatability was evaluated by comparing three consecutive measurements by technician A. Reproducibility was determined by comparing the first measurement by technician A with one performed by technician B. Intraobserver and interobserver intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare measured parameters between virgin and post-PRK eyes. The intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT) and 1st applanation time demonstrated good intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility (ICC ≧ 0.90) in virgin and post-PRK eyes. The deformation amplitude showed a good or close to good repeatability and reproducibility in both groups (ICC ≧ 0.88). The CCT correlated positively with 1st applanation time (r = 0.437 and 0.483, respectively, p<0.05) and negatively with deformation amplitude (r = -0.384 and -0.375, respectively, p<0.05) in both groups. Compared to post-PRK eyes, virgin eyes showed longer 1st applanation time (7.29 ± 0.21 vs. 6.96 ± 0.17 ms, p<0.05) and lower deformation amplitude (1.06 ± 0.07 vs. 1.17 ± 0.08 mm, p < 0.05). CorVis ST demonstrated reliable measurements for CCT, IOP, and 1st applanation time, as well as relatively reliable measurement for deformation amplitude in both virgin and post-PRK eyes. There were differences in 1st applanation time and deformation amplitude between virgin and post-PRK eyes, which may reflect corneal biomechanical changes occurring after the surgery in the latter.

Simulation of energy- efficient building prototype using different insulating materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouhaibi, Salma; Belouaggadia, Naoual; Lbibb, Rachid; Ezzine, Mohammed

2018-05-01

The objective of this work is to analyze the energetic efficiency of an individual building including an area of 130 m2 multi-zone, located in the region of FEZ which is characterized by a very hot and dry climate in summer and a quite cold one in winter, by incorporating insulating materials. This study was performed using TRNSYS V16 simulation software during a typical year of the FEZ region. Our simulation consists in developing a comparative study of two types of polystyrene and silica-aerogel insulation materials, in order to determine the best thermal performance. The results show that the thermal insulation of the building envelope is among the most effective solutions that give a significant reduction in energy requirements. Similarly, the use of silica-aerogels gives a good thermal performance, and therefore a good energy gain.

Can Boys Succeed in Later Life if They Can't Read as Well as Girls?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennings, Jack

2011-01-01

In this paper, the author asks the question, "Can Boys Succeed Later in Life if They Can't Read as Well as Girls?" He notes troubling statistics that illustrate lower performance of boys compared to girls, including performance on state reading tests, and graduation rates from both high school and college. He says that the good news is that the…

Professional correlates of insomnia.

PubMed

Léger, Damien; Massuel, Marie-Anne; Metlaine, Arnaud

2006-02-01

Insomnia is a highly prevalent disorder that affects daytime functioning, behavior, and quality of life. Several reports have shown that insomnia impacts on the workforce and is associated with an increased risk of absenteeism. However, few workplace studies have been performed. Our study attempted to evaluate the professional correlates of insomnia by comparing a group of workers with insomnia to a matched group of good sleepers. The main objective measure was absenteeism. Accidents, self-esteem at work, job satisfaction, and efficiency at work were also investigated. Pairs of workers with insomnia (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition definition) and good sleepers, matched by age, sex, and occupational status, were interviewed by their occupational physician and also answered a self-administered questionnaire on work-related criteria. Objective data on absenteeism (number of days absent from work) were provided by the employers' health resource databases. Paris and the Ile de France region (France). Seven hundred eighty-five subjects completed the questionnaire. We retained 369 pair (ie, 738 subjects) for analysis. Insomniacs missed work twice as often as good sleepers. The difference between insomniacs and good sleepers in terms of absenteeism was particularly high for blue-collar workers (odds ratio = 3.0) and men (odds ratio = 2.31). Insomniacs had also a higher accident rate while driving and, strikingly, a 3-fold greater risk of having 2 or 3 serious road accidents. They also reported poor self-esteem at work, less job satisfaction, and less efficiency at work, compared with good sleepers. Our study found an objective increase in absenteeism in insomniacs compared with good sleepers.

A Flemion-based actuator with ionic liquid as solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin; Xu, Chunye; Taya, Minoru; Kuga, Yasuo

2007-04-01

A perfluorinated carboxylic acid membrane, i.e. Flemion, shows improved performance as actuator material compared with Nafion (perfluorinated sulfonic acid). Flemion has a higher ion exchange capacity and good mechanical strength. In particular, Flemion will deform with no back relaxation under applied electrical stimulus. However, with water as solvent, the operation of Flemion in air has serious problems, since water would evaporate quickly in air. Moreover, the electrochemical stability for use in water is around 1 V at room temperature. In previous work, investigations on Nafion with ionic liquid as solvents have been carried out by some researchers and good results have been obtained. In this work, we explore the use of highly stable ionic liquid instead of water as solvent in Flemion. Experimental results indicate that Flemion-based actuators with ionic liquid as solvent have improved stability as compared to the water samples. Although the forces exhibited by Flemion-based actuators with the use of ionic liquid decreased dramatically compared to water, these preliminary results suggest good potential for the use of Flemion with ionic liquid in future applications.

Flemion-based actuator with ionic liquid as solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin; Xu, Chunye; Taya, Minoru; Kuga, Yasuo

2006-03-01

A perfluorinated carboxylic acid membrane, i.e. Flemion, shows improved performance as actuator material compared with Nafion (perfluorinated sulfonic acide). Flemion has a higher ion exchange capacity and good mechanical strength. Especially, Flemion will deform with no back relaxation when applied electrical stimulus. However, with water as solvent, the operation of Flemion in air has serious problems. Since water would evaporate quickly in air. Moreover, the electrochemical stability for use in water is around 1V at room temperature. In previous work, investigations on Nafion with ionic liquid as solvents have been carried out and good results have been obtained. In this work, we explore the use of highly stable ionic liquid instead of water as solvent in Flemion. Experimental results indicate that Flemion based actuators with ionic liquid as solvent have improved stability as compared to the water samples. Although the forces exhibited by Flemion based actuators with the use of ionic liquid decreased dramatically as compared to water, these preliminary results suggest a good potential for use of Flemion with ionic liquid in some applications.

Relationship between dean's letter rankings and later evaluations by residency program directors.

PubMed

Lurie, Stephen J; Lambert, David R; Grady-Weliky, Tana A

2007-01-01

It is not known how well dean's letter rankings predict later performance in residency. To assess the accuracy of dean's letter rankings to predict clinical performance in internship. Participants were medical students who graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in the classes of 2003 and 2004. In their Dean's Letter, each student was ranked as either "Outstanding" (upper quartile), "Excellent" (second quartile), "Very good" (lower 2 quartiles), or "Good" (lowest few percentile). We compared these dean's letter rankings against results of questionnaires sent to program directors 9 months after graduation. Response rate to the questionnaire was 58.9% (109 of 185 eligible graduates). There were no differences in response rate across the four dean's letter ranking categories. Program directors rated students in the top two categories of dean's letter rankings significantly higher than those in the very good group. Students in all three groups were rated significantly higher than those in the good group, F (3, 105) = 13.37, p < .001. Students in the very good group were most variable in their ratings by program directors, with many receiving similarly high ratings as students in the upper 2 groups. There were no differences by gender or specialty. Dean's letter rankings are a significant predictor of later performance in internship among graduates of our medical school. Students in the bottom half of the class are most likely either to underperform or overperform in internship.

The Empower project - a new way of assessing and monitoring test comparability and stability.

PubMed

De Grande, Linde A C; Goossens, Kenneth; Van Uytfanghe, Katleen; Stöckl, Dietmar; Thienpont, Linda M

2015-07-01

Manufacturers and laboratories might benefit from using a modern integrated tool for quality management/assurance. The tool should not be confounded by commutability issues and focus on the intrinsic analytical quality and comparability of assays as performed in routine laboratories. In addition, it should enable monitoring of long-term stability of performance, with the possibility to quasi "real-time" remedial action. Therefore, we developed the "Empower" project. The project comprises four pillars: (i) master comparisons with panels of frozen single-donation samples, (ii) monitoring of patient percentiles and (iii) internal quality control data, and (iv) conceptual and statistical education about analytical quality. In the pillars described here (i and ii), state-of-the-art as well as biologically derived specifications are used. In the 2014 master comparisons survey, 125 laboratories forming 8 peer groups participated. It showed not only good intrinsic analytical quality of assays but also assay biases/non-comparability. Although laboratory performance was mostly satisfactory, sometimes huge between-laboratory differences were observed. In patient percentile monitoring, currently, 100 laboratories participate with 182 devices. Particularly, laboratories with a high daily throughput and low patient population variation show a stable moving median in time with good between-instrument concordance. Shifts/drifts due to lot changes are sometimes revealed. There is evidence that outpatient medians mirror the calibration set-points shown in the master comparisons. The Empower project gives manufacturers and laboratories a realistic view on assay quality/comparability as well as stability of performance and/or the reasons for increased variation. Therefore, it is a modern tool for quality management/assurance toward improved patient care.

Comparing spatial regression to random forests for large environmental data sets

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental data may be “large” due to number of records, number of covariates, or both. Random forests has a reputation for good predictive performance when using many covariates, whereas spatial regression, when using reduced rank methods, has a reputatio...

Semi-supervised vibration-based classification and condition monitoring of compressors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potočnik, Primož; Govekar, Edvard

2017-09-01

Semi-supervised vibration-based classification and condition monitoring of the reciprocating compressors installed in refrigeration appliances is proposed in this paper. The method addresses the problem of industrial condition monitoring where prior class definitions are often not available or difficult to obtain from local experts. The proposed method combines feature extraction, principal component analysis, and statistical analysis for the extraction of initial class representatives, and compares the capability of various classification methods, including discriminant analysis (DA), neural networks (NN), support vector machines (SVM), and extreme learning machines (ELM). The use of the method is demonstrated on a case study which was based on industrially acquired vibration measurements of reciprocating compressors during the production of refrigeration appliances. The paper presents a comparative qualitative analysis of the applied classifiers, confirming the good performance of several nonlinear classifiers. If the model parameters are properly selected, then very good classification performance can be obtained from NN trained by Bayesian regularization, SVM and ELM classifiers. The method can be effectively applied for the industrial condition monitoring of compressors.

Characterization of new functionalized calcium carbonate-polycaprolactone composite material for application in geometry-constrained drug release formulation development.

PubMed

Wagner-Hattler, Leonie; Schoelkopf, Joachim; Huwyler, Jörg; Puchkov, Maxim

2017-10-01

A new mineral-polymer composite (FCC-PCL) performance was assessed to produce complex geometries to aid in development of controlled release tablet formulations. The mechanical characteristics of a developed material such as compactibility, compressibility and elastoplastic deformation were measured. The results and comparative analysis versus other common excipients suggest efficient formation of a complex, stable and impermeable geometries for constrained drug release modifications under compression. The performance of the proposed composite material has been tested by compacting it into a geometrically altered tablet (Tablet-In-Cup, TIC) and the drug release was compared to commercially available product. The TIC device exhibited a uniform surface, showed high physical stability, and showed absence of friability. FCC-PCL composite had good binding properties and good compactibility. It was possible to reveal an enhanced plasticity characteristic of a new material which was not present in the individual components. The presented FCC-PCL composite mixture has the potential to become a successful tool to formulate controlled-release dosage solid forms.

A new cooperative MIMO scheme based on SM for energy-efficiency improvement in wireless sensor network.

PubMed

Peng, Yuyang; Choi, Jaeho

2014-01-01

Improving the energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks (WSN) has attracted considerable attention nowadays. The multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique has been proved as a good candidate for improving the energy efficiency, but it may not be feasible in WSN which is due to the size limitation of the sensor node. As a solution, the cooperative multiple-input multiple-output (CMIMO) technique overcomes this constraint and shows a dramatically good performance. In this paper, a new CMIMO scheme based on the spatial modulation (SM) technique named CMIMO-SM is proposed for energy-efficiency improvement. We first establish the system model of CMIMO-SM. Based on this model, the transmission approach is introduced graphically. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme, a detailed analysis in terms of energy consumption per bit of the proposed scheme compared with the conventional CMIMO is presented. Later, under the guide of this new scheme we extend our proposed CMIMO-SM to a multihop clustered WSN for further achieving energy efficiency by finding an optimal hop-length. Equidistant hop as the traditional scheme will be compared in this paper. Results from the simulations and numerical experiments indicate that by the use of the proposed scheme, significant savings in terms of total energy consumption can be achieved. Combining the proposed scheme with monitoring sensor node will provide a good performance in arbitrary deployed WSN such as forest fire detection system.

An experimental investigation of hingeless helicopter rotor-body stability in hover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bousman, W. G.

1978-01-01

Model tests of a 1.62 m diameter rotor were performed to investigate the aeromechanical stability of coupled rotor-body systems in hover. Experimental measurements were made of modal frequencies and damping over a wide range of rotor speeds. Good data were obtained for the frequencies of the rotor lead-lag regressing mode. The quality of the damping measurements of the body modes was poor due to nonlinear damping in the gimbal ball bearings. Simulated vacuum testing was performed using substitute blades of tantalum that reduced the effective lock number to 0.2% of the model scale value while keeping the blade inertia constant. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions, and the correlation was in general very good.

Assessment of the characteristics and biocompatibility of gelatin sponge scaffolds prepared by various crosslinking methods.

PubMed

Yang, Gang; Xiao, Zhenghua; Long, Haiyan; Ma, Kunlong; Zhang, Junpeng; Ren, Xiaomei; Zhang, Jiang

2018-01-25

This comparative study aims to identify a biocompatible and effective crosslinker for preparing gelatin sponges. Glutaraldehyde (GTA), genipin (GP), 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC), and microbial transglutaminase (mTG) were used as crosslinking agents. The physical properties of the prepared samples were characterized, and material degradation was studied in vitro with various proteases and in vivo through subcutaneous implantation of the sponges in rats. Adipose-derived stromal stem cells (ADSCs) were cultured and inoculated onto the scaffolds to compare the cellular biocompatibility of the sponges. Cellular seeding efficiency and digestion time of the sponges were also evaluated. Cellular viability and proliferation in scaffolds were analyzed by fluorescence staining and MTT assay. All the samples exhibited high porosity, good swelling ratio, and hydrolysis properties; however, material strength, hydrolysis, and enzymolytic properties varied among the samples. GTA-sponge and GP-sponge possessed high compressive moduli, and EDC-sponge exhibited fast degradation performance. GTA and GP sponge implants exerted strong in vivo rejections, and the former showed poor cell growth. mTG-sponge exhibited the optimal comprehensive performance, with good porosity, compressive modulus, anti-degradation ability, and good biocompatibility. Hence, mTG-sponge can be used as a scaffold material for tissue engineering applications.

Optical Performance Of The Gemini Carbon Dioxide Laser Fusion System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. K.; Hayden, J. J.; Liberman, I.

1980-11-01

The performance of the Gemini two beam carbon dioxide laser fusion system was recently upgraded by installation of optical components with improved quality in the final amplifier. A theoretical analysis was conducted in conlunction with measurements of the new performance. The analysis and experimental procedures, and results obtained are reported and compared. Good agreement was found which was within the uncertainties of the analysis and the inaccuracies of the experiments. The focal spot Strehl ratio was between 0.24 and 0.3 for both beams.

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

Sun, Hongyu; Ahmad, Mashkoor, E-mail: mashkoorahmad2003@yahoo.com; Luo, Jun

Graphical abstract: The synthesized SnS{sub 2} nanoflakes decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes hybrid structures exhibit large reversible capacity, superior cycling performance, and good rate capability as compared to pure SnS{sub 2} nanoflakes. - Highlights: • Synthesis of SnS{sub 2} nanoflakes decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes hybrid structures. • Simple solution-phase approach. • Morphology feature of SnS{sub 2}. • Enhanced performance as Li-ion batteries. - Abstract: SnS{sub 2} nanoflakes decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hybrid structures are directly synthesized via a simple solution-phase approach. The as-prepared SnS{sub 2}/MWCNTs structures are investigated as anode materials for Li-ion batteries as compared with SnS{sub 2} nanoflakes.more » It has been found that the composite structure exhibit excellent lithium storage performance with a large reversible capacity, superior cycling performance, and good rate capability as compared to pure SnS{sub 2} nanoflakes. The first discharge and charge capacities have been found to be 1416 and 518 mA h g{sup −1} for SnS{sub 2}/MWCNTs composite electrodes at a current density of 100 mA g{sup −1} between 5 mV and 1.15 V versus Li/Li{sup +}. A stable reversible capacity of ∼510 mA h g{sup −1} is obtained for 50 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance may be attributed to the flake-morphology feature of SnS{sub 2} and the addition of MWCNTs that can hinder the agglomeration of the active materials and improve the conductivity of the composite electrode simultaneously.« less

Synthesis of adenine-modified reduced graphene oxide nanosheets.

PubMed

Cao, Huaqiang; Wu, Xiaoming; Yin, Gui; Warner, Jamie H

2012-03-05

We report here a facile strategy to synthesize the nanocomposite of adenine-modified reduced graphene oxide (AMG) via reaction between adenine and GOCl which is generated from SOCl(2) reacted with graphite oxide (GO). The as-synthesized AMG was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and galvanostatic discharge analysis. The AMG owns about one adenine group per 53 carbon atoms on a graphene sheet, which improves electronic conductivity compared with reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The AMG displays enhanced supercapacitor performance compared with RGO accompanying good stability and good cycling behavior in the supercapacitor.

Chronic Chagas Disease Diagnosis: A Comparative Performance of Commercial Enzyme Immunoassay Tests

PubMed Central

Santos, Fred Luciano Neves; de Souza, Wayner Vieira; da Silva Barros, Michelle; Nakazawa, Mineo; Krieger, Marco Aurélio; de Miranda Gomes, Yara

2016-01-01

There is a significant heterogeneity in reported performance of serological assays for Chagas disease diagnosis. The conventional serology testing in laboratory diagnosis and in blood banks is unsatisfactory because of a high number of inconclusive and misclassified results. We aimed to assess the quality of four commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests for their ability to detect Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in 685 sera samples. Cross-reactivity was assessed by using 748 sera from patients with unrelated diseases. Initially, we found that the reactivity index against T. cruzi antigen was statistically higher in sera from Chagas disease patients compared with those from non-chagasic patients, supporting the notion that all evaluated tests have a good discriminatory ability toward the diagnosis of T. cruzi infection in patients in the chronic phase of the disease. Although all tests were similarly sensitive for diagnosing T. cruzi infection, there were significant variations in terms of specificity and cross-reactivity among them. Indeed, we obtained divergent results when testing sera from patient with unrelated diseases, particularly leishmaniasis, with the levels of cross-reactivity being higher in tests using whole T. cruzi extracts compared with those using recombinant proteins. Our data suggest that all four tests may be used for the laboratory diagnosis and routine blood screening diagnose for Chagas disease. We also emphasize that, despite their general good performance, caution is needed when analyzing the results when these tests are performed in areas where other diseases, particularly leishmaniasis, are endemic. PMID:26976886

Optical performance of multifocal soft contact lenses via a single-pass method.

PubMed

Bakaraju, Ravi C; Ehrmann, Klaus; Falk, Darrin; Ho, Arthur; Papas, Eric

2012-08-01

A physical model eye capable of carrying soft contact lenses (CLs) was used as a platform to evaluate optical performance of several commercial multifocals (MFCLs) with high- and low-add powers and a single-vision control. Optical performance was evaluated at three pupil sizes, six target vergences, and five CL-correcting positions using a spatially filtered monochromatic (632.8 nm) light source. The various target vergences were achieved by using negative trial lenses. A photosensor in the retinal plane recorded the image point-spread that enabled the computation of visual Strehl ratios. The centration of CLs was monitored by an additional integrated en face camera. Hydration of the correcting lens was maintained using a humidity chamber and repeated instillations of rewetting saline drops. All the MFCLs reduced performance for distance but considerably improved performance along the range of distance to near target vergences, relative to the single-vision CL. Performance was dependent on add power, design, pupil, and centration of the correcting CLs. Proclear (D) design produced good performance for intermediate vision, whereas Proclear (N) design performed well at near vision (p < 0.05). AirOptix design exhibited good performance for distance and intermediate vision. PureVision design showed improved performance across the test vergences, but only for pupils ≥4 mm in diameter. Performance of Acuvue bifocal was comparable with other MFCLs, but only for pupils >4 mm in diameter. Acuvue Oasys bifocal produced performance comparable with single-vision CL for most vergences. Direct measurement of single-pass images at the retinal plane of a physical model eye used in conjunction with various MFCLs is demonstrated. This method may have utility in evaluating the relative effectiveness of commercial and prototype designs.

From SPOT 5 to Pleiades HR: evolution of the instrumental specifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosak, A.; Latry, C.; Pascal, V.; Laubier, D.

2017-11-01

Image quality specifications should aimed to fulfil high resolution mission requirements of remote sensing satellites with a minimum cost. The most important trade-off to be taken into account is between Modulation Transfer Function, radiometric noise and sampling scheme. This compromise is the main driver during design optimisation and requirement definition in order to achieve good performances and to minimise the mission cost. For the SPOT 5 satellite, a new compromise had been chosen. The supermode principle of imagery (sampling at 2.5 meter with a pixel size of 5 meter) imp roves the resolution by a factor of four compared with the SPOT 4 satellite (10 meter resolution). This paper presents the image quality specifications of the HRG-SPOT 5 instrument. We introduce all the efforts made on the instrument to achieve good image quality and low radiometric noise, then we compare the results with the SPOT 4 instrument's performances to highlight the improvements achieved. Then, the in-orbit performance will be described. Finally, we will present the new goals of image quality specifications for the new Pleiades-HR satellite for earth observation (0.7 meter resolution) and the instrument concept.

Validation of the Sepsis Severity Score Compared with Updated Severity Scores in Predicting Hospital Mortality in Sepsis Patients.

PubMed

Khwannimit, Bodin; Bhurayanontachai, Rungsun; Vattanavanit, Veerapong

2017-06-01

Recently, the Sepsis Severity Score (SSS) was constructed to predict mortality in sepsis patients. The aim of this study was to compare performance of the SSS with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II-IV, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, and SAPS 3 scores in predicting hospital outcome in sepsis patients. A retroprospective analysis was conducted in the medical intensive care unit of a tertiary university hospital. A total of 913 patients were enrolled; 476 of these patients (52.1%) had septic shock. The median SSS was 80 (range 20-137). The SSS presented good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.892. However, the AUC of the SSS did not differ significantly from that of APACHE II (P = 0.07), SAPS II (P = 0.06), and SAPS 3 (P = 0.11). The APACHE IV score showed the best discrimination with an AUC of 0.948 and the overall performance by a Brier score of 0.096. The AUC of the APACHE IV score was statistically greater than the SSS, APACHE II, SAPS II, and SAPS 3 (P <0.0001 for all) and APACHE III (P = 0.0002). The calibration of all scores was poor with the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H test <0.05. The SSS provided as good discrimination as the APACHE II, SAPS II, and SAPS 3 scores. However, the APACHE IV score had the best discrimination and overall performance in our sepsis patients. The SSS needs to be adapted and modified with new parameters to improve its performance.

Prognostic value of resident clinical performance ratings.

PubMed

Williams, Reed G; Dunnington, Gary L

2004-10-01

This study investigated the concurrent and predictive validity of end-of-rotation (EOR) clinical performance ratings. Surgeon EOR ratings of residents were collected and compared with end-of-year (EOY) progress decisions and to EOR and EOY confidential judgments of resident ability to provide patient care without direct supervision. Eighty percent to 85% of EOR ratings were Excellent or Very Good. Five percent or fewer were Fair or Poor. Almost all residents receiving Excellent or Very Good EOR ratings also received positive EOR judgments about ability to provide patient care without direct supervision. Residents rated Fair or Poor received negative EOR judgments about ability to provide patient care without direct supervision. As the cumulative percent of Good, Fair, and Poor EOR ratings increased, the number of residents promoted without stipulations at the end of the year decreased and the percentage of faculty members who judged the residents capable of providing effective patient care without direct supervision at the end of the year declined. All residents receiving 40% or more EOR ratings below Very Good had stipulations associated with their promotion. Despite use of descriptive anchors on the scale, clinical performance ratings have no direct meaning. Their meaning needs to be established in the same manner as is done in setting normal values for diagnostic tests, ie, by establishing the relationship between EOR ratings and practice outcomes.

Reproducibility and Variability of I/O Performance on BG/Q: Lessons Learned from a Data Aggregation Algorithm

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

Tessier, Francois; Vishwanath, Venkatram

2017-11-28

Reading and writing data efficiently from different tiers of storage is necessary for most scientific simulations to achieve good performance at scale. Many software solutions have been developed to decrease the I/O bottleneck. One wellknown strategy, in the context of collective I/O operations, is the two-phase I/O scheme. This strategy consists of selecting a subset of processes to aggregate contiguous pieces of data before performing reads/writes. In our previous work, we implemented the two-phase I/O scheme with a MPI-based topology-aware algorithm. Our algorithm showed very good performance at scale compared to the standard I/O libraries such as POSIX I/O andmore » MPI I/O. However, the algorithm had several limitations hindering a satisfying reproducibility of our experiments. In this paper, we extend our work by 1) identifying the obstacles we face to reproduce our experiments and 2) discovering solutions that reduce the unpredictability of our results.« less

Natural history of metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients with good performance status (PS) who were treated with only best supportive care (BSC).

PubMed

Ji, Jun Ho; Song, Haa-Na; Kim, Rock Bum; Oh, Sung Yong; Lim, Ho Yeong; Park, Joon Oh; Park, Se Hoon; Kim, Moon Jin; Lee, Soon Il; Ryou, Sung Hyeok; Hwang, In Gyu; Jang, Joung-Soon; Kim, Hong Jun; Choi, Jun Young; Kang, Jung-Hun

2015-03-01

Although chemotherapy is widely recommended for patients with metastatic biliary tract cancer, the natural course of these patients, especially those with good performance status who are indicated for chemotherapy, is not known. We retrospectively reviewed patients with metastatic or locally advanced biliary cancer who were diagnosed at six cancer centers. Patients were eligible if they had good performance (ECOG 0-2) and no history of any treatment for cancer. The primary objective was to evaluate the survival time of patients with advanced biliary cancer with good performance who were untreated. Of the 1677 patients, 204 met the inclusion criteria. The median age and overall survival were 72.0 years and 7.1 months. Overall survival (months) by location was 4.7 for intrahepatic, 9.7 for extrahepatic, 4.4 for gallbladder and 11.2 for ampulla of vater cancer. In subgroup analysis, overall survival of locally advanced biliary cancer was 13.8 months and that of patients with normal carcinoembryonic antigen/carbohydrate antigen 19-9 was 10.6 months. In multivariate analysis, variables that were associated with poor prognosis were metastatic biliary cancer [hazard ratio 2.19 (P = 0.001)], high baseline carcinoembryonic antigen level (defined as >4.0 ng/ml) [hazard ratio 1.51 (P = 0.024)] and high baseline carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level (defined as >100 U/ml) [hazard ratio 1.93 (P = 0.001)]. Advanced biliary tract cancer with good performance status showed modest survival without any treatment. Furthermore, subgroup analysis showed that patients with normal carbohydrate antigen 19-9 or carcinoembryonic antigen level or locally advanced status had favorable survival. Further studies comparing the outcome of chemotherapy with that of best supportive care in patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer are warranted. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effect of pond ash on pen surface properties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Maintaining adequate feedlot pen surfaces is expensive. Pond ash (PA), a coal-fired electrical generation by-product, has good support qualities. A study was conducted comparing the performance of pond ash (PA) surfaced pens with soil surface (SS) pens. Four pens of an eight pen series with dimensio...

38 CFR 41.210 - Subrecipient and vendor determinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AUDITS OF STATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Audits § 41.210 Subrecipient... eligible to receive what Federal financial assistance; (2) Has its performance measured against whether the... funds to carry out a program of the organization as compared to providing goods or services for a...

Language Profiles of Poor Comprehenders in English and French

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Angelo, Nadia; Chen, Xi

2017-01-01

This study explored components of language comprehension (vocabulary, grammar, and higher-level language) skills for poor comprehenders in French immersion. We identified three groups of bilingual comprehenders (poor, average, and good) based on English reading performance and compared their language comprehension skills in English L1 and French…

Behavior of Personality Type Toward Stress and Job Performance: A Study of Healthcare Professionals

PubMed Central

Janjhua, Yasmin; Chandrakanta

2012-01-01

Background: The present paper has examined the sources of stress among the healthcare professionals and the difference between responses of personality type A and type B healthcare professionals toward stressful situations. Further, the difference in the performance of both the personality types has been studied. The relationship between stress and performance among the healthcare professionals in general and with respect to personality type A and type B healthcare professionals in particular has also been investigated. Methods: A total of 160 healthcare professionals of Post Graduate Institute (PGI), Chandigarh, were subjects of this study. Results: Identification with patients, deterioration and complication in the patient condition, and job criticism emerged to be the sources of stress. Significant difference between personality type A and personality type B professionals’ response pertaining to identification with the patients only has been reported. However, type A individuals showed slightly higher inclination as compared to type B individuals on majority of stressful situations. It was further noted that type A individuals had scored higher on almost all the performance indicators as compared to personality type B individuals. The mean difference between the personality types was found to be significant for two performance dimensions, i.e., relationship with colleagues, and teaching and training. Conclusions: The stressful situation relationship with patients was found to have significantly negative impact on the performance factors such as good clinical care and rapport with patients. Daily work was also found to be negatively related to good medical practice. PMID:24479017

Behavior of personality type toward stress and job performance: a study of healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Janjhua, Yasmin; Chandrakanta

2012-07-01

The present paper has examined the sources of stress among the healthcare professionals and the difference between responses of personality type A and type B healthcare professionals toward stressful situations. Further, the difference in the performance of both the personality types has been studied. The relationship between stress and performance among the healthcare professionals in general and with respect to personality type A and type B healthcare professionals in particular has also been investigated. A total of 160 healthcare professionals of Post Graduate Institute (PGI), Chandigarh, were subjects of this study. Identification with patients, deterioration and complication in the patient condition, and job criticism emerged to be the sources of stress. Significant difference between personality type A and personality type B professionals' response pertaining to identification with the patients only has been reported. However, type A individuals showed slightly higher inclination as compared to type B individuals on majority of stressful situations. It was further noted that type A individuals had scored higher on almost all the performance indicators as compared to personality type B individuals. The mean difference between the personality types was found to be significant for two performance dimensions, i.e., relationship with colleagues, and teaching and training. The stressful situation relationship with patients was found to have significantly negative impact on the performance factors such as good clinical care and rapport with patients. Daily work was also found to be negatively related to good medical practice.

Residual effects of zopiclone 7.5 mg on highway driving performance in insomnia patients and healthy controls: a placebo controlled crossover study.

PubMed

Leufkens, T R M; Ramaekers, J G; de Weerd, A W; Riedel, W J; Vermeeren, A

2014-07-01

Residual effects of hypnotics on driving performance have been mainly determined in studies using a standardized driving test with healthy good sleepers. Responses to effects may differ, however, between insomniacs and healthy volunteers due to the underlying sleep disorder. In addition, a majority of insomniacs uses hypnotics chronically resulting in the development of tolerance to impairing effects. Impaired driving performance in healthy volunteers may then be an overestimation of the actual effects in insomniacs. The present study aims to compare the residual effects of zopiclone 7.5 mg on on-the-road driving performance of 16 middle-aged insomniacs chronically using hypnotics (chronic users), 16 middle-aged insomniacs not or infrequently using hypnotics (infrequent users), and 16 healthy, age matched, good sleepers (controls). The study was conducted according to a 3 × 2 double-blind, placebo controlled crossover design, with three groups and two treatment conditions. Treatments were single oral doses of zopiclone 7.5 mg and placebo administered at bedtime (2330 hours). Between 10 and 11 h after administration subjects performed a standardized highway driving test. Zopiclone 7.5 mg significantly impaired on-the-road driving performance in both insomnia groups and healthy controls. The magnitude of impairment was significantly less in the chronic users group as compared with the controls. The smaller magnitude of effects suggests that investigating residual effects of hypnotics in healthy volunteers may yield a minor overestimation of the actual effects in insomnia patients.

Comparative study of turbulence models in predicting hypersonic inlet flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kapoor, Kamlesh; Anderson, Bernhard H.; Shaw, Robert J.

1992-01-01

A numerical study was conducted to analyze the performance of different turbulence models when applied to the hypersonic NASA P8 inlet. Computational results from the PARC2D code, which solves the full two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation, were compared with experimental data. The zero-equation models considered for the study were the Baldwin-Lomax model, the Thomas model, and a combination of the Baldwin-Lomax and Thomas models; the two-equation models considered were the Chien model, the Speziale model (both low Reynolds number), and the Launder and Spalding model (high Reynolds number). The Thomas model performed best among the zero-equation models, and predicted good pressure distributions. The Chien and Speziale models compared wery well with the experimental data, and performed better than the Thomas model near the walls.

Comparative study of turbulence models in predicting hypersonic inlet flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kapoor, Kamlesh; Anderson, Bernhard H.; Shaw, Robert J.

1992-01-01

A numerical study was conducted to analyze the performance of different turbulence models when applied to the hypersonic NASA P8 inlet. Computational results from the PARC2D code, which solves the full two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation, were compared with experimental data. The zero-equation models considered for the study were the Baldwin-Lomax model, the Thomas model, and a combination of the Baldwin-Lomax and Thomas models; the two-equation models considered were the Chien model, the Speziale model (both low Reynolds number), and the Launder and Spalding model (high Reynolds number). The Thomas model performed best among the zero-equation models, and predicted good pressure distributions. The Chien and Speziale models compared very well with the experimental data, and performed better than the Thomas model near the walls.

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.

Variations in Oncologist Recommendations for Chemotherapy for Stage IV Lung Cancer: What Is the Role of Performance Status?

PubMed

Tisnado, Diana; Malin, Jennifer; Kahn, Katherine; Landrum, Mary Beth; Fletcher, Robert; Klabunde, Carrie; Clauser, Steven; Rogers, Selwyn O; Keating, Nancy L

2016-07-01

Chemotherapy prolongs survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. However, few studies have included patients with poor performance status. This study examined rates of oncologists' recommendations for chemotherapy by patient performance status and symptoms and how physician characteristics influence chemotherapy recommendations. We surveyed medical oncologists involved in the care of a population-based cohort of patients with lung cancer from the CanCORS (Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance) study. Physicians were queried about their likelihood to recommend chemotherapy to patients with stage IV lung cancer with varying performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 [good] v 3 [poor]) and presence or absence of tumor-related pain. Repeated measures logistic regression was used to estimate the independent associations of patients' performance status and symptoms and physicians' demographic and practice characteristics with chemotherapy recommendations. Nearly all physicians (adjusted rate, 97% to 99%) recommended chemotherapy for patients with good performance status, and approximately half (adjusted rate, 38% to 53%) recommended chemotherapy for patients with poor performance status (P < .001). Compared with patient factors, physician and practice characteristics were less strongly associated with chemotherapy recommendations in adjusted analyses. Strong consensus among oncologists exists for chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and good performance status. However, the relatively high rate of chemotherapy recommendations for patients with poor performance status despite the unfavorable risk-benefit profile highlights the need for ongoing work to define high-value care in oncology and to implement and evaluate strategies to align incentives for such care. Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Parallel DSMC Solution of Three-Dimensional Flow Over a Finite Flat Plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nance, Robert P.; Wilmoth, Richard G.; Moon, Bongki; Hassan, H. A.; Saltz, Joel

1994-01-01

This paper describes a parallel implementation of the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Runtime library support is used for scheduling and execution of communication between nodes, and domain decomposition is performed dynamically to maintain a good load balance. Performance tests are conducted using the code to evaluate various remapping and remapping-interval policies, and it is shown that a one-dimensional chain-partitioning method works best for the problems considered. The parallel code is then used to simulate the Mach 20 nitrogen flow over a finite-thickness flat plate. It is shown that the parallel algorithm produces results which compare well with experimental data. Moreover, it yields significantly faster execution times than the scalar code, as well as very good load-balance characteristics.

National expenditures, jobs, and economic growth associated with indoor air quality in the United States.

PubMed

Mudarri, David H

2014-05-01

While a number of studies have addressed the economic cost associated with adverse health and productivity effects of poor indoor air quality (IAQ), few have addressed the value of economic expenditures and job creation associated with this industry. This article estimates that the annual sale of IAQ products and services is valued at $18-$30 billion and is associated with approximately 150,000-250,000 current jobs. Compared with other familiar industries, the IAQ market remains relatively small. Given the close association between good IAQ and both job performance of adults and learning performance of children, however, the expenditure to maintain good IAQ in commercial and educational facilities is a useful complement to programs designed to improve education and economic growth.

Chemotherapy Use, Performance Status, and Quality of Life at the End of Life

PubMed Central

Prigerson, Holly G.; Bao, Yuhua; Shah, Manish A.; Paulk, M. Elizabeth; LeBlanc, Thomas W.; Schneider, Bryan J.; Garrido, Melissa M.; Reid, M. Carrington; Berlin, David A.; Adelson, Kerin B.; Neugut, Alfred I.; Maciejewski, Paul K.

2016-01-01

IMPORTANCE Although many patients with end-stage cancer are offered chemotherapy to improve quality of life (QOL), the association between chemotherapy and QOL amid progressive metastatic disease has not been well-studied. American Society for Clinical Oncology guidelines recommend palliative chemotherapy only for solid tumor patients with good performance status. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between chemotherapy use and QOL near death (QOD) as a function of patients’ performance status. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A multi-institutional, longitudinal cohort study of patients with end-stage cancer recruited between September 2002 and February 2008. Chemotherapy use (n = 158 [50.6%]) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status were assessed at baseline (median = 3.8 months before death) and patients with progressive metastatic cancer (N = 312) following at least 1 chemotherapy regimen were followed prospectively until death at 6 outpatient oncology clinics in the United States. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Patient QOD was determined using validated caregiver ratings of patients’ physical and mental distress in their final week. RESULTS Chemotherapy use was not associated with patient survival controlling for clinical setting and patients’ performance status. Among patients with good (ECOG score = 1) baseline performance status, chemotherapy use compared with nonuse was associated with worse QOD (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.75; P = .01). Baseline chemotherapy use was not associated with QOD among patients with moderate (ECOG score = 2) baseline performance status (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.51-2.21; P = .87) or poor (ECOG score = 3) baseline performance status (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.46-3.89; P = .59). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Although palliative chemotherapy is used to improve QOL for patients with end-stage cancer, its use did not improve QOD for patients with moderate or poor performance status and worsened QOD for patients with good performance status. The QOD in patients with end-stage cancer is not improved, and can be harmed, by chemotherapy use near death, even in patients with good performance status. PMID:26203912

Trust Measurement using Multimodal Behavioral Analysis and Uncertainty Aware Trust Calibration

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-05

to estimate their performance based on their estimation on all prior trials. In the meanwhile via comparing the decisions of participants with the...it is easier compared with situations when more trials have been done. It should be noted that if a participant is good at memorizing the previous...them. The proposed study, being quantitative and explorative, are expected to reveal a number of findings that benefit interaction system design and

A survey of the dummy face and human face stimuli used in BCI paradigm.

PubMed

Chen, Long; Jin, Jing; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Xingyu; Cichocki, Andrzej

2015-01-15

It was proved that the human face stimulus were superior to the flash only stimulus in BCI system. However, human face stimulus may lead to copyright infringement problems and was hard to be edited according to the requirement of the BCI study. Recently, it was reported that facial expression changes could be done by changing a curve in a dummy face which could obtain good performance when it was applied to visual-based P300 BCI systems. In this paper, four different paradigms were presented, which were called dummy face pattern, human face pattern, inverted dummy face pattern and inverted human face pattern, to evaluate the performance of the dummy faces stimuli compared with the human faces stimuli. The key point that determined the value of dummy faces in BCI systems were whether dummy faces stimuli could obtain as good performance as human faces stimuli. Online and offline results of four different paradigms would have been obtained and comparatively analyzed. Online and offline results showed that there was no significant difference among dummy faces and human faces in ERPs, classification accuracy and information transfer rate when they were applied in BCI systems. Dummy faces stimuli could evoke large ERPs and obtain as high classification accuracy and information transfer rate as the human faces stimuli. Since dummy faces were easy to be edited and had no copyright infringement problems, it would be a good choice for optimizing the stimuli of BCI systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanical performance of porous concrete pavement containing nano black rice husk ash

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, M. Y. Mohd; Ramadhansyah, P. J.; Rosli, H. Mohd; Ibrahim, M. H. Wan

2018-01-01

This paper presents an experimental research on the performance of nano black rice husk ash on the porous concrete pavement properties. The performance of the porous concrete pavement mixtures was investigated based on their compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength. The results indicated that using nano material from black rice husk ash improved the mechanical properties of porous concrete pavement. In addition, the result of compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strength was increased with increasing in curing age. Finally, porous concrete pavement with 10% replacement levels exhibited an excellent performance with good strength compared to others.

Evaluation of the Aptima HBV Quant assay vs. the COBAS TaqMan HBV test using the high pure system for the quantitation of HBV DNA in plasma and serum samples.

PubMed

Schalasta, Gunnar; Börner, Anna; Speicher, Andrea; Enders, Martin

2018-03-28

Proper management of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection requires monitoring of plasma or serum HBV DNA levels using a highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification test. Because commercially available assays differ in performance, we compared herein the performance of the Hologic Aptima HBV Quant assay (Aptima) to that of the Roche Cobas TaqMan HBV test for use with the high pure system (HPS/CTM). Assay performance was assessed using HBV reference panels as well as plasma and serum samples from chronically HBV-infected patients. Method correlation, analytical sensitivity, precision/reproducibility, linearity, bias and influence of genotype were evaluated. Data analysis was performed using linear regression, Deming correlation analysis and Bland-Altman analysis. Agreement between the assays for the two reference panels was good, with a difference in assay values vs. target <0.5 log. Qualitative assay results for 159 clinical samples showed good concordance (88.1%; κ=0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.651-0.845). For the 106 samples quantitated by both assays, viral load results were highly correlated (R=0.92) and differed on average by 0.09 log, with 95.3% of the samples being within the 95% limit of agreement of the assays. Linearity for viral loads 1-7 log was excellent for both assays (R2>0.98). The two assays had similar bias and precision across the different genotypes tested at low viral loads (25-1000 IU/mL). Aptima has a performance comparable with that of HPS/CTM, making it suitable for use for HBV infection monitoring. Aptima runs on a fully automated platform (the Panther system) and therefore offers a significantly improved workflow compared with HPS/CTM.

Performance of the RAPS4/RAPS4-QF for DSM-5 compared to DSM-IV alcohol use disorders in the general population: Data from the 2000-2010 National Alcohol Surveys.

PubMed

Cherpitel, Cheryl J; Ye, Yu

2015-06-01

A number of relatively short screening instruments have been developed for identifying alcohol use disorders (AUD), but performance has been evaluated against the standard Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental and Behavior Disorders (DSM) criteria, and it is not known how screening instruments may perform based on the newly formulated DSM-5 criteria, which is a radical departure from previous versions of the DSM. Analyzed here is the performance of the RAPS4/RAPS4-QF against DSM-5 criteria for AUD compared to DSM-IV dependence and abuse criteria. Sensitivity and specificity are analyzed in a merged sample of 21,386 respondents from three National Alcohol Surveys of the U.S. general population (2000, 2005, 2010). Sensitivity of the RAPS4 was lower for DSM-5 AUD (62.5%) than for DSM-IV dependence (88%), while the RAPS4-QF was higher for DSM-5 AUD (90.3%) than for DSM-IV abuse (81.3%), or abuse/dependence (85.8%), while maintaining good specificity (84%). Sensitivity of the RAPS4-QF was higher for males (92%) compared to females (86.6%) and highest for whites (93.8%) followed by Hispanics (84.2%) and blacks (82.4%). Screening instruments may not perform similarly for DSM-5 as for DSM-IV AUD, and data here suggest the RAPS4-QF may be a good instrument choice for identifying those meeting criteria for DSM-5 AUD. These data also suggest the need for additional research and a similar evaluation of other commonly used screening instruments for DSM-5 AUD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Training children aged 5-10 years in manual compliance control to improve drawing and handwriting.

PubMed

Bingham, Geoffrey P; Snapp-Childs, Winona

2018-04-12

A large proportion of school-aged children exhibit poor drawing and handwriting. This prevalence limits the availability of therapy. We developed an automated method for training improved manual compliance control and relatedly, prospective control of a stylus. The approach included a difficult training task, while providing parametrically modifiable support that enables the children to perform successfully while developing good compliance control. The task was to use a stylus to push a bead along a 3D wire path. Support was provided by making the wire magnetically attractive to the stylus. Support was progressively reduced as 3D tracing performance improved. We report studies that (1) compared performance of Typically Developing (TD) children and children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), (2) tested training with active versus passive movement, (3) tested progressively reduced versus constant or no support during training, (4) tested children of different ages, (5) tested the transfer of training to a drawing task, (6) tested the specificity of training in respect to the size, shape and dimensionality of figures, and (7) investigated the relevance of the training task to the Beery VMI, an inventory used to diagnose DCD. The findings were as follows. (1) Pre-training performance of TD and DCD children was the same and good with high support but distinct and poor with low support. Support yielded good self-efficacy that motivated training. Post training performance with no support was improved and the same for TD and DCD children. (2) Actively controlled movements were required for improved performance. (3) Progressively reduced support was required for good performance during and after training. (4) Age differences in performance during pre-training were eliminated post-training. (5) Improvements transferred to drawing. (6) There was no evidence of specificity of training in transfer. (7) Disparate Beery scores were reflected in pre-training but not post-training performance. We conclude that the method improves manual compliance control, and more generally, prospective control of movements used in drawing performance. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Relatively speaking: contrast effects influence assessors' scores and narrative feedback.

PubMed

Yeates, Peter; Cardell, Jenna; Byrne, Gerard; Eva, Kevin W

2015-09-01

In prior research, the scores assessors assign can be biased away from the standard of preceding performances (i.e. 'contrast effects' occur). This study examines the mechanism and robustness of these findings to advance understanding of assessor cognition. We test the influence of the immediately preceding performance relative to that of a series of prior performances. Further, we examine whether assessors' narrative comments are similarly influenced by contrast effects. Clinicians (n = 61) were randomised to three groups in a blinded, Internet-based experiment. Participants viewed identical videos of good, borderline and poor performances by first-year doctors in varied orders. They provided scores and written feedback after each video. Narrative comments were blindly content-analysed to generate measures of valence and content. Variability of narrative comments and scores was compared between groups. Comparisons indicated contrast effects after a single performance. When a good performance was preceded by a poor performance, ratings were higher (mean 5.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.79-5.24) than when observation of the good performance was unbiased (mean 4.36, 95% CI 4.14-4.60; p < 0.05, d = 1.3). Similarly, borderline performance was rated lower when preceded by good performance (mean 2.96, 95% CI 2.56-3.37) than when viewed without preceding bias (mean 3.55, 95% CI 3.17-3.92; p < 0.05, d = 0.7). The series of ratings participants assigned suggested that the magnitude of contrast effects is determined by an averaging of recent experiences. The valence (but not content) of narrative comments showed contrast effects similar to those found in numerical scores. These findings are consistent with research from behavioural economics and psychology that suggests judgement tends to be relative in nature. Observing that the valence of narrative comments is similarly influenced suggests these effects represent more than difficulty in translating impressions into a number. The extent to which such factors impact upon assessment in practice remains to be determined as the influence is likely to depend on context. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A wavenumber approach to analysing the active control of plane waves with arrays of secondary sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, Stephen J.; Cheer, Jordan; Bhan, Lam; Shi, Chuang; Gan, Woon-Seng

2018-04-01

The active control of an incident sound field with an array of secondary sources is a fundamental problem in active control. In this paper the optimal performance of an infinite array of secondary sources in controlling a plane incident sound wave is first considered in free space. An analytic solution for normal incidence plane waves is presented, indicating a clear cut-off frequency for good performance, when the separation distance between the uniformly-spaced sources is equal to a wavelength. The extent of the near field pressure close to the source array is also quantified, since this determines the positions of the error microphones in a practical arrangement. The theory is also extended to oblique incident waves. This result is then compared with numerical simulations of controlling the sound power radiated through an open aperture in a rigid wall, subject to an incident plane wave, using an array of secondary sources in the aperture. In this case the diffraction through the aperture becomes important when its size is compatible with the acoustic wavelength, in which case only a few sources are necessary for good control. When the size of the aperture is large compared to the wavelength, and diffraction is less important but more secondary sources need to be used for good control, the results then become similar to those for the free field problem with an infinite source array.

The “Dry-Run” Analysis: A Method for Evaluating Risk Scores for Confounding Control

PubMed Central

Wyss, Richard; Hansen, Ben B.; Ellis, Alan R.; Gagne, Joshua J.; Desai, Rishi J.; Glynn, Robert J.; Stürmer, Til

2017-01-01

Abstract A propensity score (PS) model's ability to control confounding can be assessed by evaluating covariate balance across exposure groups after PS adjustment. The optimal strategy for evaluating a disease risk score (DRS) model's ability to control confounding is less clear. DRS models cannot be evaluated through balance checks within the full population, and they are usually assessed through prediction diagnostics and goodness-of-fit tests. A proposed alternative is the “dry-run” analysis, which divides the unexposed population into “pseudo-exposed” and “pseudo-unexposed” groups so that differences on observed covariates resemble differences between the actual exposed and unexposed populations. With no exposure effect separating the pseudo-exposed and pseudo-unexposed groups, a DRS model is evaluated by its ability to retrieve an unconfounded null estimate after adjustment in this pseudo-population. We used simulations and an empirical example to compare traditional DRS performance metrics with the dry-run validation. In simulations, the dry run often improved assessment of confounding control, compared with the C statistic and goodness-of-fit tests. In the empirical example, PS and DRS matching gave similar results and showed good performance in terms of covariate balance (PS matching) and controlling confounding in the dry-run analysis (DRS matching). The dry-run analysis may prove useful in evaluating confounding control through DRS models. PMID:28338910

Incorporating Sulfur Inside the Pores of Carbons for Advanced Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: An Electrolysis Approach.

PubMed

He, Bin; Li, Wen-Cui; Yang, Chao; Wang, Si-Qiong; Lu, An-Hui

2016-01-26

We have developed an electrolysis approach that allows effective and uniform incorporation of sulfur inside the micropores of carbon nanosheets for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries. The sulfur-carbon hybrid can be prepared with a 70 wt % sulfur loading, in which no nonconductive sulfur agglomerations are formed. Because the incorporated sulfur is electrically connected to the carbon matrix in nature, the hybrid cathode shows excellent electrochemical performance, including a high reversible capacity, good rate capability, and good cycling stability, as compared to one prepared using the popular melt-diffusion method.

Integrated care in the management of chronic diseases: an Italian perspective.

PubMed

Stefani, Ilario; Scolari, Francesca; Croce, Davide; Mazzone, Antonino

2016-12-01

This letter provides a view on the issue of the organizational model of Primary Care Groups (PCGs), which represent a best practice in continuity and appropriateness of care for chronic patients. Our analysis aimed at estimating the impact of PCGs introduction in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The results of our study showed a better performance of PCGs compared with the other General Practitioners of Local Health Authority Milano 1, supporting the conclusion that good care cannot be delivered without good organization of care. Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optical Fiber Grating Hydrogen Sensors: A Review

PubMed Central

Dai, Jixiang; Zhu, Li; Wang, Gaopeng; Xiang, Feng; Qin, Yuhuan; Wang, Min; Yang, Minghong

2017-01-01

In terms of hydrogen sensing and detection, optical fiber hydrogen sensors have been a research issue due to their intrinsic safety and good anti-electromagnetic interference. Among these sensors, hydrogen sensors consisting of fiber grating coated with sensitive materials have attracted intensive research interests due to their good reliability and distributed measurements. This review paper mainly focuses on optical fiber hydrogen sensors associated with fiber gratings and various materials. Their configurations and sensing performances proposed by different groups worldwide are reviewed, compared and discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the challenges for fiber grating hydrogen sensors are also addressed. PMID:28287499

Optical Fiber Grating Hydrogen Sensors: A Review.

PubMed

Dai, Jixiang; Zhu, Li; Wang, Gaopeng; Xiang, Feng; Qin, Yuhuan; Wang, Min; Yang, Minghong

2017-03-12

In terms of hydrogen sensing and detection, optical fiber hydrogen sensors have been a research issue due to their intrinsic safety and good anti-electromagnetic interference. Among these sensors, hydrogen sensors consisting of fiber grating coated with sensitive materials have attracted intensive research interests due to their good reliability and distributed measurements. This review paper mainly focuses on optical fiber hydrogen sensors associated with fiber gratings and various materials. Their configurations and sensing performances proposed by different groups worldwide are reviewed, compared and discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the challenges for fiber grating hydrogen sensors are also addressed.

Improvement of the energy resolution of pixelated CdTe detectors for applications in 0νββ searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleixner, T.; Anton, G.; Filipenko, M.; Seller, P.; Veale, M. C.; Wilson, M. D.; Zang, A.; Michel, T.

2015-07-01

Experiments trying to detect 0νββ are very challenging. Their requirements include a good energy resolution and a good detection efficiency. With current fine pixelated CdTe detectors there is a trade off between the energy resolution and the detection efficiency, which limits their performance. It will be shown with simulations that this problem can be mostly negated by analysing the cathode signal which increases the optimal sensor thickness. We will compare different types of fine pixelated CdTe detectors (Timepix, Dosepix, HEXITEC) from this point of view.

Health Problems among Migrant Farmworkers' Children in the U.S. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Gary

Good health directly affects the educational performance of migrant children. However, there is little nationwide, accurate information on the health status of migrant farmworkers, and even less on their children. This digest summarizes recent information on migrant children's health status. Compared to all U.S. children, migrant children have a…

Performance of DIMTEST-and NOHARM-Based Statistics for Testing Unidimensionality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finch, Holmes; Habing, Brian

2007-01-01

This Monte Carlo study compares the ability of the parametric bootstrap version of DIMTEST with three goodness-of-fit tests calculated from a fitted NOHARM model to detect violations of the assumption of unidimensionality in testing data. The effectiveness of the procedures was evaluated for different numbers of items, numbers of examinees,…

Comparing Three Models of Achievement Goals: Goal Orientations, Goal Standards, and Goal Complexes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senko, Corwin; Tropiano, Katie L.

2016-01-01

Achievement goal theory (Dweck, 1986) initially characterized mastery goals and performance goals as opposites in a good-bad dualism of student motivation. A later revision (Harackiewicz, Barron, & Elliot, 1998) contended that both goals can provide benefits and be pursued together. Perhaps both frameworks are correct: Their contrasting views…

College Hats or Lecture Trousers? Stage Fright and Performance Anxiety in University Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Susie

2007-01-01

This article examines the experience of "stage fright" in teachers in higher education, drawing on the dramaturgical perspective from sociology. Interviews were conducted with 10 "novice" and "expert" lecturers, alongside focus groups with undergraduate students, to compare their perceptions and expectations. The students defined a good lecturer…

The Development of Spoken Language in Deaf Children: Explaining the Unexplained Variance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musselman, Carol; Kircaali-Iftar, Gonul

1996-01-01

This study compared 20 young deaf children with either exceptionally good or exceptionally poor spoken language for their hearing loss, age, and intelligence. Factors associated with high performance included earlier use of binaural ear-level aids, better educated mothers, auditory/verbal or auditory/oral instruction, reliance on spoken language…

Cryogenic liquid-level detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamlet, J.

1978-01-01

Detector is designed for quick assembly, fast response, and good performance under vibratory stress. Its basic parallel-plate open configuration can be adapted to any length and allows its calibration scale factor to be predicted accurately. When compared with discrete level sensors, continuous reading sensor was found to be superior if there is sloshing, boiling, or other disturbance.

Comparative analysis of autofocus functions in digital in-line phase-shifting holography.

PubMed

Fonseca, Elsa S R; Fiadeiro, Paulo T; Pereira, Manuela; Pinheiro, António

2016-09-20

Numerical reconstruction of digital holograms relies on a precise knowledge of the original object position. However, there are a number of relevant applications where this parameter is not known in advance and an efficient autofocusing method is required. This paper addresses the problem of finding optimal focusing methods for use in reconstruction of digital holograms of macroscopic amplitude and phase objects, using digital in-line phase-shifting holography in transmission mode. Fifteen autofocus measures, including spatial-, spectral-, and sparsity-based methods, were evaluated for both synthetic and experimental holograms. The Fresnel transform and the angular spectrum reconstruction methods were compared. Evaluation criteria included unimodality, accuracy, resolution, and computational cost. Autofocusing under angular spectrum propagation tends to perform better with respect to accuracy and unimodality criteria. Phase objects are, generally, more difficult to focus than amplitude objects. The normalized variance, the standard correlation, and the Tenenbaum gradient are the most reliable spatial-based metrics, combining computational efficiency with good accuracy and resolution. A good trade-off between focus performance and computational cost was found for the Fresnelet sparsity method.

Separation and quantitation of debrisoquine and 4-hydroxydebrisoquine in human urine by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Cifuentes, A; Valencia, J; Sanz, E; Sánchez, M J; Rodríguez-Delgado, M A

1997-08-22

A comparative study on the use of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the determination of debrisoquine (D) and its metabolite, 4-hydroxydebrisoquine (4-HD), in human urine is presented. Four different urine pre-treatments are compared for purification of samples prior to their injection in HPLC and CE. The use of a solid-phase extraction with a C18 cartridge provides the best results for the urine sample treatment, with good recoveries, i.e., 94.5% for D and 93.4% for 4-HD, and high reproducibility, i.e., R.S.D. N = 10 values of 1.7% and 1.2%, respectively. Under our separation conditions it is shown that CE is twice as fast and provides slightly better analysis time reproducibility than HPLC for this type of sample. Both the sensitivity and peak area reproducibility are better when HPLC is used. The two techniques show good agreement when employed for determination of phenotypes for hydroxylation, which seems to corroborate the usefulness of CE for this type of study.

A hybrid brain-computer interface based on the fusion of electroencephalographic and electromyographic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leeb, Robert; Sagha, Hesam; Chavarriaga, Ricardo; Millán, José del R.

2011-04-01

Hybrid brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are representing a recent approach to develop practical BCIs. In such a system disabled users are able to use all their remaining functionalities as control possibilities in parallel with the BCI. Sometimes these people have residual activity of their muscles. Therefore, in the presented hybrid BCI framework we want to explore the parallel usage of electroencephalographic (EEG) and electromyographic (EMG) activity, whereby the control abilities of both channels are fused. Results showed that the participants could achieve a good control of their hybrid BCI independently of their level of muscular fatigue. Thereby the multimodal fusion approach of muscular and brain activity yielded better and more stable performance compared to the single conditions. Even in the case of an increasing muscular fatigue a good control (moderate and graceful degradation of the performance compared to the non-fatigued case) and a smooth handover could be achieved. Therefore, such systems allow the users a very reliable hybrid BCI control although they are getting more and more exhausted or fatigued during the day.

External quality assessment for EGFR mutations in Italy: improvements in performances over the time.

PubMed

Normanno, Nicola; Fenizia, Francesca; Castiglione, Francesca; Barberis, Massimo; Taddei, Gian Luigi; Truini, Mauro; De Rosa, Gaetano; Pinto, Carmine; Marchetti, Antonio

2017-01-01

External quality assessment (EQA) schemes are essential procedures to assess the quality level of laboratories performing molecular testing of the epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) gene in non-small cell lung cancer. The Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) and the Italian Society of Pathology (SIAPEC-IAP) organise EGFR EQA programmes to ensure that the Italian laboratories achieve the quality standard levels required. Comparing the 2011, 2013 and 2015 EGFR EQA schemes, it was possible to observe improvements in the methodologies used and the outcomes. The use of direct sequencing was reduced from 78.7% in 2011 to only 14.1% in 2015, whereas the use of pyrosequencing and real-time PCR increased. The number of rounds in which centres using direct sequencing failed was significantly higher than the number of rounds that failed using other methods, both when analysing each single scheme and when combining the three EQAs together. In 2011 and 2013, about 29% of the participants failed the first phase of the programmes, compared with the 13% of centres failing in 2015, suggesting that the switch to more sensitive and robust methods could allow to increase the percentage of good performers. Although the molecular analyses are performed with good quality in Italy, the continuous education carried out by AIOM and SIAPEC-IAP remains a fundamental tool to maintain this quality level.

External quality assessment for EGFR mutations in Italy: improvements in performances over the time

PubMed Central

Normanno, Nicola; Fenizia, Francesca; Castiglione, Francesca; Barberis, Massimo; Taddei, Gian Luigi; Truini, Mauro; De Rosa, Gaetano; Pinto, Carmine; Marchetti, Antonio

2017-01-01

External quality assessment (EQA) schemes are essential procedures to assess the quality level of laboratories performing molecular testing of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in non-small cell lung cancer. The Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) and the Italian Society of Pathology (SIAPEC-IAP) organise EGFR EQA programmes to ensure that the Italian laboratories achieve the quality standard levels required. Comparing the 2011, 2013 and 2015 EGFR EQA schemes, it was possible to observe improvements in the methodologies used and the outcomes. The use of direct sequencing was reduced from 78.7% in 2011 to only 14.1% in 2015, whereas the use of pyrosequencing and real-time PCR increased. The number of rounds in which centres using direct sequencing failed was significantly higher than the number of rounds that failed using other methods, both when analysing each single scheme and when combining the three EQAs together. In 2011 and 2013, about 29% of the participants failed the first phase of the programmes, compared with the 13% of centres failing in 2015, suggesting that the switch to more sensitive and robust methods could allow to increase the percentage of good performers. Although the molecular analyses are performed with good quality in Italy, the continuous education carried out by AIOM and SIAPEC-IAP remains a fundamental tool to maintain this quality level. PMID:29181190

Reliability of Corneal Dynamic Scheimpflug Analyser Measurements in Virgin and Post-PRK Eyes

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiangjun; Stojanovic, Aleksandar; Hua, Yanjun; Eidet, Jon Roger; Hu, Di; Wang, Jingting; Utheim, Tor Paaske

2014-01-01

Purpose To determine the measurement reliability of CorVis ST, a dynamic Scheimpflug analyser, in virgin and post-photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) eyes and compare the results between these two groups. Methods Forty virgin eyes and 42 post-PRK eyes underwent CorVis ST measurements performed by two technicians. Repeatability was evaluated by comparing three consecutive measurements by technician A. Reproducibility was determined by comparing the first measurement by technician A with one performed by technician B. Intraobserver and interobserver intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare measured parameters between virgin and post-PRK eyes. Results The intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT) and 1st applanation time demonstrated good intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility (ICC≧0.90) in virgin and post-PRK eyes. The deformation amplitude showed a good or close to good repeatability and reproducibility in both groups (ICC≧0.88). The CCT correlated positively with 1st applanation time (r = 0.437 and 0.483, respectively, p<0.05) and negatively with deformation amplitude (r = −0.384 and −0.375, respectively, p<0.05) in both groups. Compared to post-PRK eyes, virgin eyes showed longer 1st applanation time (7.29±0.21 vs. 6.96±0.17 ms, p<0.05) and lower deformation amplitude (1.06±0.07 vs. 1.17±0.08 mm, p<0.05). Conclusions CorVis ST demonstrated reliable measurements for CCT, IOP, and 1st applanation time, as well as relatively reliable measurement for deformation amplitude in both virgin and post-PRK eyes. There were differences in 1st applanation time and deformation amplitude between virgin and post-PRK eyes, which may reflect corneal biomechanical changes occurring after the surgery in the latter. PMID:25302580

Simultaneous Versus Sequential Ptosis and Strabismus Surgery in Children.

PubMed

Revere, Karen E; Binenbaum, Gil; Li, Jonathan; Mills, Monte D; Katowitz, William R; Katowitz, James A

The authors sought to compare the clinical outcomes of simultaneous versus sequential ptosis and strabismus surgery in children. Retrospective, single-center cohort study of children requiring both ptosis and strabismus surgery on the same eye. Simultaneous surgeries were performed during a single anesthetic event; sequential surgeries were performed at least 7 weeks apart. Outcomes were ptosis surgery success (margin reflex distance 1 ≥ 2 mm, good eyelid contour, and good eyelid crease); strabismus surgery success (ocular alignment within 10 prism diopters of orthophoria and/or improved head position); surgical complications; and reoperations. Fifty-six children were studied, 38 had simultaneous surgery and 18 sequential. Strabismus surgery was performed first in 38/38 simultaneous and 6/18 sequential cases. Mean age at first surgery was 64 months, with mean follow up 27 months. A total of 75% of children had congenital ptosis; 64% had comitant strabismus. A majority of ptosis surgeries were frontalis sling (59%) or Fasanella-Servat (30%) procedures. There were no significant differences between simultaneous and sequential groups with regards to surgical success rates, complications, or reoperations (all p > 0.28). In the first comparative study of simultaneous versus sequential ptosis and strabismus surgery, no advantage for sequential surgery was seen. Despite a theoretical risk of postoperative eyelid malposition or complications when surgeries were performed in a combined manner, the rate of such outcomes was not increased with simultaneous surgeries. Performing ptosis and strabismus surgery together appears to be clinically effective and safe, and reduces anesthesia exposure during childhood.

Patients With Chondrolabral Pathology Have Bilateral Functional Impairments 12 to 24 Months After Unilateral Hip Arthroscopy: A Cross-sectional Study.

PubMed

Kemp, Joanne L; Risberg, May Arna; Schache, Anthony G; Makdissi, Michael; Pritchard, Michael G; Crossley, Kay M

2016-11-01

Study Design Cross-sectional study. Background Functional task performance in patients with chondrolabral pathology following hip arthroscopy is unknown. Objectives To investigate in people with chondrolabral pathology following hip arthroscopy (1) the bilateral differences in functional task performance compared to controls, (2) the association of hip muscle strength with functional task performance, and (3) the association of functional task performance scores with good outcome, as measured by International Hip Outcome Tool score. Methods Seventy-one patients who had unilateral hip arthroscopy for hip pain and 60 controls were recruited. Patient-reported outcomes included the 4 subscales of the International Hip Outcome Tool. Hip muscle strength measures included abduction, adduction, extension, flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation. Functional tasks assessed included the single hop test, the side bridge test, and the single-leg rise test. For aim 1, analyses of covariance tests were used. For aim 2, stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were used. For aim 3, receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used. Results Compared to controls, the chondrolabral pathology group had significantly worse performance on both legs for each of the functional tasks (P<.001). Greater hip abduction strength was moderately associated with better performance on functional tasks in the chondrolabral pathology group (adjusted R 2 range, 0.197-0.407; P<.001). Cutoff values associated with good outcome were 0.37 (hop distance/height) for the single hop, 16 repetitions for the single-leg rise, and 34 seconds for the side bridge test. Conclusion Patients with hip chondrolabral pathology had reduced functional task performance bilaterally 12 to 24 months after unilateral hip arthroscopy when compared to controls. Level of Evidence Therapy/symptom prevalence, level 3b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(11):947-956. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6577.

Risk factors for treatment failure after allogeneic transplantation of patients with CLL: a report from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

PubMed

Schetelig, J; de Wreede, L C; van Gelder, M; Andersen, N S; Moreno, C; Vitek, A; Karas, M; Michallet, M; Machaczka, M; Gramatzki, M; Beelen, D; Finke, J; Delgado, J; Volin, L; Passweg, J; Dreger, P; Henseler, A; van Biezen, A; Bornhäuser, M; Schönland, S O; Kröger, N

2017-04-01

For young patients with high-risk CLL, BTK-/PI3K-inhibitors or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) are considered. Patients with a low risk of non-relapse mortality (NRM) but a high risk of failure of targeted therapy may benefit most from alloHCT. We performed Cox regression analyses to identify risk factors for 2-year NRM and 5-year event-free survival (using EFS as a surrogate for long-term disease control) in a large, updated EBMT registry cohort (n= 694). For the whole cohort, 2-year NRM was 28% and 5-year EFS 37%. Higher age, lower performance status, unrelated donor type and unfavorable sex-mismatch had a significant adverse impact on 2-year NRM. Two-year NRM was calculated for good- and poor-risk reference patients. Predicted 2-year-NRM was 11 and 12% for male and female good-risk patients compared with 42 and 33% for male and female poor-risk patients. For 5-year EFS, age, performance status, prior autologous HCT, remission status and sex-mismatch had a significant impact, whereas del(17p) did not. The model-based prediction of 5-year EFS was 55% and 64%, respectively, for male and female good-risk patients. Good-risk transplant candidates with high-risk CLL and limited prognosis either on or after failure of targeted therapy should still be considered for alloHCT.

Validity and reliability of a novel measure of activity performance and participation.

PubMed

Murgatroyd, Phil; Karimi, Leila

2016-01-01

To develop and evaluate an innovative clinician-rated measure, which produces global numerical ratings of activity performance and participation. Repeated measures study with 48 community-dwelling participants investigating clinical sensibility, comprehensiveness, practicality, inter-rater reliability, responsiveness, sensitivity and concurrent validity with Barthel Index. Important clinimetric characteristics including comprehensiveness and ease of use were rated >8/10 by clinicians. Inter-rater reliability was excellent on the summary scores (intraclass correlation of 0.95-0.98). There was good evidence that the new outcome measure distinguished between known high and low functional scoring groups, including both responsiveness to change and sensitivity at the same time point in numerous tests. Concurrent validity with the Barthel Index was fair to high (Spearman Rank Order Correlation 0.32-0.85, p > 0.05). The new measure's summary scores were nearly twice as responsive to change compared with the Barthel Index. Other more detailed data could also be generated by the new measure. The Activity Performance Measure is an innovative outcome instrument that showed good clinimetric qualities in this initial study. Some of the results were strong, given the sample size, and further trial and evaluation is appropriate. Implications for Rehabilitation The Activity Performance Measure is an innovative outcome measure covering activity performance and participation. In an initial evaluation, it showed good clinimetric qualities including responsiveness to change, sensitivity, practicality, clinical sensibility, item coverage, inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity with the Barthel Index. Further trial and evaluation is appropriate.

End-of-Kindergarten Spelling Outcomes: How Can Spelling Error Analysis Data Inform Beginning Reading Instruction?

PubMed

Lee, Julia Ai Cheng; Otaiba, Stephanie Al

2017-01-01

In this article, the authors examined the spelling performance of 430 kindergarteners, which included a high risk sample, to determine the relations between end of kindergarten reading and spelling in a high quality language arts setting. The spelling outcomes including the spelling errors between the good and the poor readers were described, analyzed, and compared. The findings suggest that not all the children have acquired the desired standard as outlined by the Common Core State Standards. In addition, not every good reader is a good speller and that not every poor speller is a poor reader. The study shows that spelling tasks that are accompanied by spelling errors analysis provide a powerful window for making instructional sense of children's spelling errors and for individualizing spelling instructional strategies.

An indirect approach to the extensive calculation of relationship coefficients

PubMed Central

Colleau, Jean-Jacques

2002-01-01

A method was described for calculating population statistics on relationship coefficients without using corresponding individual data. It relied on the structure of the inverse of the numerator relationship matrix between individuals under investigation and ancestors. Computation times were observed on simulated populations and were compared to those incurred with a conventional direct approach. The indirect approach turned out to be very efficient for multiplying the relationship matrix corresponding to planned matings (full design) by any vector. Efficiency was generally still good or very good for calculating statistics on these simulated populations. An extreme implementation of the method is the calculation of inbreeding coefficients themselves. Relative performances of the indirect method were good except when many full-sibs during many generations existed in the population. PMID:12270102

The effects of one night of partial sleep deprivation on executive functions in individuals reporting chronic insomnia and good sleepers.

PubMed

Ballesio, Andrea; Cerolini, Silvia; Ferlazzo, Fabio; Cellini, Nicola; Lombardo, Caterina

2018-02-15

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a partial sleep deprivation night on executive functions in participants reporting chronic insomnia and good sleepers using a Task Switching paradigm. Sixteen participants reporting symptoms of chronic insomnia and sixteen good sleepers were tested after a night of habitual sleep and after a night of partial sleep deprivation (5 h of sleep allowed). The Switch Cost (SC) and the Backward Inhibition (BI) were computed as measures of switching attention and response inhibition, respectively. We observed a marginally significant interaction Night × Group on SC (F (1,29)  = 4.06, p = 0.053), η 2  = 0.123. Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) post-hoc revealed a smaller SC after the sleep deprived night relative to the habitual night for the good sleepers (p = 0.027; M = 192.23 ± 201.81 vs M = 98.99 ± 141.16). Differently, participants with insomnia did not show any change after the two nights. Several limitations must be acknowledged including the use of a convenient sample of university students and the use of a single task of cognitive performance. We found that SC was smaller in the good sleepers after a night of partial sleep deprivation compared to a habitual night, indicating a better switching performance. The insomnia group showed no differences in performance after the two experimental nights. Several factors may account for these results, including increased levels of arousal and cognitive effort during task execution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aphasia and text writing.

PubMed

Behrns, Ingrid; Ahlsén, Elisabeth; Wengelin, Asa

2010-01-01

Good writing skills are needed in almost every aspect of life today, and there is a growing interest in research into acquired writing difficulties. Most of the findings reported so far, however, are based on words produced in isolation. The present study deals with the production of entire texts. The aim was to characterize written narratives produced by a group of participants with aphasia. Eight persons aged 28-63 years with aphasia took part in the study. They were compared with a reference group consisting of ten participants aged 21-30 years. All participants were asked to write a personal narrative titled 'I have never been so afraid' and to perform a picture-based story-generation task called the 'Frog Story'. The texts were written on a computer. The group could be divided into participants with low, moderate, and high general performance, respectively. The texts written by the participants in the group with moderate and high writing performance had comparatively good narrative structure despite indications of difficulties on other linguistic levels. Aphasia appeared to influence text writing on different linguistic levels. The impact on overall structure and coherence was in line with earlier findings from the analysis of spoken and written discourse and the implication of this is that the written modality should also be included in language rehabilitation. 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

A Thin Film Flexible Supercapacitor Based on Oblique Angle Deposited Ni/NiO Nanowire Arrays.

PubMed

Ma, Jing; Liu, Wen; Zhang, Shuyuan; Ma, Zhe; Song, Peishuai; Yang, Fuhua; Wang, Xiaodong

2018-06-11

With high power density, fast charging-discharging speed, and a long cycling life, supercapacitors are a kind of highly developed novel energy-storage device that has shown a growing performance and various unconventional shapes such as flexible, linear-type, stretchable, self-healing, etc. Here, we proposed a rational design of thin film, flexible micro-supercapacitors with in-plane interdigital electrodes, where the electrodes were fabricated using the oblique angle deposition technique to grow oblique Ni/NiO nanowire arrays directly on polyimide film. The obtained electrodes have a high specific surface area and good adhesion to the substrate compared with other in-plane micro-supercapacitors. Meanwhile, the as-fabricated micro-supercapacitors have good flexibility and satisfactory energy-storage performance, exhibiting a high specific capacity of 37.1 F/cm³, a high energy density of 5.14 mWh/cm³, a power density of up to 0.5 W/cm³, and good stability during charge-discharge cycles and repeated bending-recovery cycles, respectively. Our micro-supercapacitors can be used as ingenious energy storage devices for future portable and wearable electronic applications.

Stable operation during pilot-scale anaerobic digestion of nutrient-supplemented maize/sugar beet silage.

PubMed

Nges, Ivo Achu; Björn, Annika; Björnsson, Lovisa

2012-08-01

Biogas production from maize/sugar beet silage was studied under mesophilic conditions in a continuous stirred tank reactor pilot-scale process. While energy crop mono-digestion is often performed with very long hydraulic retention times (HRTs), the present study demonstrated an efficient process operating with a 50-day HRT and a corrected total solids (TS(corr)) based organic loading rate of 3.4 kg/m(3)d. The good performance was attributed to supplementation with both macro- and micronutrients and was evidenced by good methane yields (318 m(3)/ton TS(corr)), which were comparable to laboratory maximum expected yields, plus low total volatile fatty acid concentrations (<0.8 g/L). A viscoplastic and thixotropic digester fluid behaviour was observed, and the viscosity problems common in crop mono-digestion were not seen in this study. The effluent also complied with Swedish certification standards for bio-fertilizer for farmland application. Nutrient addition thus rendered a stable biogas process, while the effluent was a good quality bio-fertilizer. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Children's comprehension skill and the understanding of nominal metaphors.

PubMed

Seigneuric, Alix; Megherbi, Hakima; Bueno, Steve; Lebahar, Julie; Bianco, Maryse

2016-10-01

According to Levorato and Cacciari's global elaboration model, understanding figurative language is explained by the same processes and background knowledge that are required for literal language. In this study, we investigated the relation between children's comprehension skill and the ability to understand referential nominal metaphors. Two groups of poor versus good comprehenders (8- to 10-year-olds) matched for word reading and vocabulary skills were invited to identify the referent of nouns used metaphorically or literally in short texts. Compared with good comprehenders, performance of poor comprehenders showed a substantial decrease in the metaphoric condition. Moreover, their performance was strongly affected by the degree of semantic incongruence between the terms of the nominal metaphor. These findings are discussed in relation to several factors, in particular the ability to use contextual information and semantic processing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Randomized Trial Comparing Amniotic Membrane Transplantation with Lamellar Corneal Graft for the Treatment of Corneal Thinning.

PubMed

de Farias, Charles C; Allemann, Norma; Gomes, José Á P

2016-04-01

There are few studies comparing different surgical procedures for the treatment of corneal thinning. Lamellar corneal transplantation (LCT) has been reported to be efficient, but its results can be jeopardized by allograft rejection, opacification, or high astigmatism. Amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) has been considered a good alternative, but it is not as resistant as LCT and the tissue can be reabsorbed after surgery. A prospective, randomized, interventional, and comparative study of consecutive patients with corneal thinning over 6 months was performed. Ophthalmological examination was performed before transplant surgery and then repeated 1, 7, 15, 30, 90, and 180 days after surgery and ultrasound biomicroscopy was performed before and then 30, 90, and 180 days after surgery to assess corneal thinning. Herpes simplex infection was the main cause of corneal thinning (9 eyes), followed by surgery (cataract, glaucoma, 5 cases), rheumatoid arthritis (1), chemical burn (1), perforating trauma (1), previous band keratopathy treatment (1), and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (1). Although all patients showed significant increase in final thickness in the area of thinning, it was higher in those submitted to LCT at 180 days postoperatively. Regardless of the surgical technique, all patients showed epithelialization. Patients undergoing AMT showed an 89% decrease in neovascularization. Final corrected distance visual acuity was better in patients submitted to AMT. LCT proved to be the best option for treating corneal thinning. AMT represents an alternative that allows good visual recovery but does not restore corneal thickness as efficiently as LCT.

On the three-quarter view advantage of familiar object recognition.

PubMed

Nonose, Kohei; Niimi, Ryosuke; Yokosawa, Kazuhiko

2016-11-01

A three-quarter view, i.e., an oblique view, of familiar objects often leads to a higher subjective goodness rating when compared with other orientations. What is the source of the high goodness for oblique views? First, we confirmed that object recognition performance was also best for oblique views around 30° view, even when the foreshortening disadvantage of front- and side-views was minimized (Experiments 1 and 2). In Experiment 3, we measured subjective ratings of view goodness and two possible determinants of view goodness: familiarity of view, and subjective impression of three-dimensionality. Three-dimensionality was measured as the subjective saliency of visual depth information. The oblique views were rated best, most familiar, and as approximating greatest three-dimensionality on average; however, the cluster analyses showed that the "best" orientation systematically varied among objects. We found three clusters of objects: front-preferred objects, oblique-preferred objects, and side-preferred objects. Interestingly, recognition performance and the three-dimensionality rating were higher for oblique views irrespective of the clusters. It appears that recognition efficiency is not the major source of the three-quarter view advantage. There are multiple determinants and variability among objects. This study suggests that the classical idea that a canonical view has a unique advantage in object perception requires further discussion.

Judgments of learning are significantly higher following feedback on relatively good versus relatively poor trials despite no actual learning differences.

PubMed

Carter, Michael J; Smith, Victoria; Ste-Marie, Diane M

2016-02-01

Studies have consistently shown that prospective metacognitive judgments of learning are often inaccurate because humans mistakenly interpret current performance levels as valid indices of learning. These metacognitive discrepancies are strongly related to conditions of practice. Here, we examined how the type of feedback (after good versus poor trials) received during practice and awareness (aware versus unaware) of this manipulation affected judgments of learning and actual learning. After each six-trial block, participants received feedback on their three best trials or three worst trials and half of the participants were made explicitly aware of the type of feedback they received while the other half were unaware. Judgments of learning were made at the end of each six-trial block and before the 24-h retention test. Results indicated no motor performance differences between groups in practice or retention; however, receiving feedback on relatively good compared to relatively poor trials resulted in significantly higher judgments of learning in practice and retention, irrespective of awareness. These results suggest that KR on relatively good versus relatively poor trials can have dissociable effects on judgments of learning in the absence of actual learning differences, even when participants are made aware of their feedback manipulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance of PRISM III and PELOD-2 scores in a pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Gonçalves, Jean-Pierre; Severo, Milton; Rocha, Carla; Jardim, Joana; Mota, Teresa; Ribeiro, Augusto

2015-10-01

The study aims were to compare two models (The Pediatric Risk of Mortality III (PRISM III) and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD-2)) for prediction of mortality in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and recalibrate PELOD-2 in a Portuguese population. To achieve the previous goal, a prospective cohort study to evaluate score performance (standardized mortality ratio, discrimination, and calibration) for both models was performed. A total of 556 patients consecutively admitted to our PICU between January 2011 and December 2012 were included in the analysis. The median age was 65 months, with an interquartile range of 1 month to 17 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5. The median length of PICU stay was 3 days. The overall predicted number of deaths using PRISM III score was 30.8 patients whereas that by PELOD-2 was 22.1 patients. The observed mortality was 29 patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for the two models was 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed a good calibration only for PRISM III (PRISM III: χ (2) = 3.820, p = 0.282; PELOD-2: χ (2) = 9.576, p = 0.022). Both scores had good discrimination. PELOD-2 needs recalibration to be a better reliable prediction tool. • PRISM III (Pediatric Risk of Mortality III) and PELOD (Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction) scores are frequently used to assess the performance of intensive care units and also for mortality prediction in the pediatric population. • Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction 2 is the newer version of PELOD and has recently been validated with good discrimination and calibration. What is New: • In our population, both scores had good discrimination. • PELOD-2 needs recalibration to be a better reliable prediction tool.

Structural insights of Staphylococcus aureus FtsZ inhibitors through molecular docking, 3D-QSAR and molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Ballu, Srilata; Itteboina, Ramesh; Sivan, Sree Kanth; Manga, Vijjulatha

2018-02-01

Filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) is a protein encoded by the FtsZ gene that assembles into a Z-ring at the future site of the septum of bacterial cell division. Structurally, FtsZ is a homolog of eukaryotic tubulin but has low sequence similarity; this makes it possible to obtain FtsZ inhibitors without affecting the eukaryotic cell division. Computational studies were performed on a series of substituted 3-arylalkoxybenzamide derivatives reported as inhibitors of FtsZ activity in Staphylococcus aureus. Quantitative structure-activity relationship models (QSAR) models generated showed good statistical reliability, which is evident from r 2 ncv and r 2 loo values. The predictive ability of these models was determined and an acceptable predictive correlation (r 2 Pred ) values were obtained. Finally, we performed molecular dynamics simulations in order to examine the stability of protein-ligand interactions. This facilitated us to compare free binding energies of cocrystal ligand and newly designed molecule B1. The good concordance between the docking results and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA)/comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) contour maps afforded obliging clues for the rational modification of molecules to design more potent FtsZ inhibitors.

Performance of FFT methods in local gravity field modelling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forsberg, Rene; Solheim, Dag

1989-01-01

Fast Fourier transform (FFT) methods provide a fast and efficient means of processing large amounts of gravity or geoid data in local gravity field modelling. The FFT methods, however, has a number of theoretical and practical limitations, especially the use of flat-earth approximation, and the requirements for gridded data. In spite of this the method often yields excellent results in practice when compared to other more rigorous (and computationally expensive) methods, such as least-squares collocation. The good performance of the FFT methods illustrate that the theoretical approximations are offset by the capability of taking into account more data in larger areas, especially important for geoid predictions. For best results good data gridding algorithms are essential. In practice truncated collocation approaches may be used. For large areas at high latitudes the gridding must be done using suitable map projections such as UTM, to avoid trivial errors caused by the meridian convergence. The FFT methods are compared to ground truth data in New Mexico (xi, eta from delta g), Scandinavia (N from delta g, the geoid fits to 15 cm over 2000 km), and areas of the Atlantic (delta g from satellite altimetry using Wiener filtering). In all cases the FFT methods yields results comparable or superior to other methods.

Electrochemical properties of graphene nanosheets/polyaniline nanofibers composites as electrode for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Xie, Huaqing; Li, Yang; Liu, Jie; Li, Zhuxin

Graphene nanosheets/polyaniline nanofibers (GNS/PANI) composites are synthesized via in situ polymerization of aniline monomer in HClO 4 solution. The PANI nanofibers homogeneously coating on the surface of GNS greatly improve the charge transfer reaction. The GNS/PANI composites exhibit better electrochemical performances than the pure individual components. A remarkable specific capacitance of 1130 F g -1 (based on GNS/PANI composites) is obtained at a scan rate of 5 mV s -1 in 1 M H 2SO 4 solution compared to 402 F g -1 for pure PANI and 270 F g -1 for GNS. The excellent performance is not only due to the GNS which can provide good electrical conductivity and high specific surface area, but also associate with a good redox activity of ordered PANI nanofibers. Moreover, the GNS/PANI composites present excellent long cycle life with 87% specific capacitance retained after 1000 charge/discharge processes. The resulting composites are promising electrode materials for high-performance electrical energy storage devices.

Remarkable Effect of Sodium Alginate Aqueous Binder on Anatase TiO2 as High-Performance Anode in Sodium Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Ling, Liming; Bai, Ying; Wang, Zhaohua; Ni, Qiao; Chen, Guanghai; Zhou, Zhiming; Wu, Chuan

2018-02-14

Sodium alginate (SA) is investigated as the aqueous binder to fabricate high-performance, low-cost, environmentally friendly, and durable TiO 2 anodes in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) for the first time. Compared to the conventional polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder, electrodes using SA as the binder exhibit significant promotion of electrochemical performances. The initial Coulombic efficiency is as high as 62% at 0.1 C. A remarkable capacity of 180 mAh g -1 is achieved with no decay after 500 cycles at 1 C. Even at 10 C (3.4 A g -1 ), it remains 82 mAh g -1 after 3600 cycles with approximate 100% Coulombic efficiency. TiO 2 electrodes with SA binder display less electrolyte decomposition, fewer side reactions, high electrochemistry reaction activity, effective suppression of polarization, and good electrode morphology, which is ascribed to the rich carboxylic groups, high Young's modulus, and good electrochemical stability of SA binder.

Predicting Air Permeability of Handloom Fabrics: A Comparative Analysis of Regression and Artificial Neural Network Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, Ashis; Majumdar, Prabal Kumar; Bannerjee, Debamalya

2013-03-01

This paper presents a comparative analysis of two modeling methodologies for the prediction of air permeability of plain woven handloom cotton fabrics. Four basic fabric constructional parameters namely ends per inch, picks per inch, warp count and weft count have been used as inputs for artificial neural network (ANN) and regression models. Out of the four regression models tried, interaction model showed very good prediction performance with a meager mean absolute error of 2.017 %. However, ANN models demonstrated superiority over the regression models both in terms of correlation coefficient and mean absolute error. The ANN model with 10 nodes in the single hidden layer showed very good correlation coefficient of 0.982 and 0.929 and mean absolute error of only 0.923 and 2.043 % for training and testing data respectively.

Manufacture and performance of carbon/epoxy 3-D woven composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandt, J.; Drechsler, K.; Mohamed, Mansour; Gu, PU

1992-01-01

This paper evaluates 3-D orthogonal woven carbon/epoxy composites. Preforms were manufactured on an automatic 3-D weaving machine developed at N.C. State University. Matrix infiltration was conducted at MBB Central Laboratories. Testing was carried out at both locations and the joint results will be reported. The properties investigated include: interlaminar shear strength, compression, compression after impact, bending, tensile and penetration resistance. The 3-D orthogonal woven composites were compared with laminated and other 3-D composites made with preforms having interlock structure. C-scans were used to examine the quality of infiltration and the damage area after impact. The performance of the composites made from the 3-D orthogonal preforms showed superior properties compared to the other composites. The penetration resistance test showed unexpectedly very good performance.

OAO-3 end of mission power subsystem evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tasevoli, M.

1982-01-01

End of mission tests were performed on the OAO-3 power subsystem in three component areas: solar array, nickel-cadmium batteries and the On-Board Processor (OBP) power boost operation. Solar array evaluation consisted of analyzing array performance characteristics and comparing them to earlier flight data. Measured solar array degradation of 14.1 to 17.7% after 8 1/3 years is in good agreement with theortical radiation damage losses. Battery discharge characteristics were compared to results of laboratory life cycle tests performed on similar cells. Comparison of cell voltage profils reveals close correlation and confirms the validity of real time life cycle simulation. The successful operation of the system in the OBP/power boost regulation mode demonstrates the excellent life, reliability and greater system utilization of power subsystems using maximum power trackers.

The effect of hydraulic bed movement on the quality of chest compressions.

PubMed

Park, Maeng Real; Lee, Dae Sup; In Kim, Yong; Ryu, Ji Ho; Cho, Young Mo; Kim, Hyung Bin; Yeom, Seok Ran; Min, Mun Ki

2017-08-01

The hydraulic height control systems of hospital beds provide convenience and shock absorption. However, movements in a hydraulic bed may reduce the effectiveness of chest compressions. This study investigated the effects of hydraulic bed movement on chest compressions. Twenty-eight participants were recruited for this study. All participants performed chest compressions for 2min on a manikin and three surfaces: the floor (Day 1), a firm plywood bed (Day 2), and a hydraulic bed (Day 3). We considered 28 participants of Day 1 as control and each 28 participants of Day 2 and Day 3 as study subjects. The compression rates, depths, and good compression ratios (>5-cm compressions/all compressions) were compared between the three surfaces. When we compared the three surfaces, we did not detect a significant difference in the speed of chest compressions (p=0.582). However, significantly lower values were observed on the hydraulic bed in terms of compression depth (p=0.001) and the good compression ratio (p=0.003) compared to floor compressions. When we compared the plywood and hydraulic beds, we did not detect significant differences in compression depth (p=0.351) and the good compression ratio (p=0.391). These results indicate that the movements in our hydraulic bed were associated with a non-statistically significant trend towards lower-quality chest compressions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inner work life: understanding the subtext of business performance.

PubMed

Amabile, Teresa M; Kramer, Steven J

2007-05-01

Anyone in management knows that employees have their good days and their bad days--and that, for the most part, the reasons for their ups and downs are unknown. Most managers simply shrug their shoulders at this fact of work life. But does it matter, in terms of performance, if people have more good days than bad days? Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer's new stream of research, based on more than 12,000 diary entries logged by knowledge workers over three years, reveals the dramatic impact of employees' inner work lives--their perceptions, emotions, and motivation levels--on several dimensions of performance. People perform better when their workday experiences include more positive emotions, stronger intrinsic motivation (passion for the work), and more favorable perceptions of their work, their team, their leaders, and their organization. What the authors also found was that managers' behavior dramatically affects the tenor of employees' inner work lives. So what makes a difference to inner work life? When the authors compared the study participants' best days to their worst days, they found that the single most important differentiator was their sense of being able to make progress in their work. The authors also observed interpersonal events working in tandem with progress events. Praise without real work progress, or at least solid efforts toward progress, had little positive impact on people's inner work lives and could even arouse cynicism. On the other hand, good work progress without any recognition--or, worse, with criticism about trivial issues--could engender anger and sadness. Far and away, the best boosts to inner work life were episodes in which people knew they had done good work and their managers appropriately recognized that work.

Decision-directed detector for overlapping PCM/NRZ signals.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, C. D.; Noack, T. L.

1973-01-01

A decision-directed (DD) technique for the detection of overlapping PCM/NRZ signals in the presence of white Gaussian noise is investigated. The performance of the DD detector is represented by probability of error Pe versus input signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To examine how much improvement in performance can be achieved with this technique, Pe's with and without DD feedback are evaluated in parallel. Further, analytical results are compared with those found by Monte Carlo simulations. The results are in good agreement.

Effects of pupil filter patterns in line-scan focal modulation microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Shuhao; Pant, Shilpa; Chen, Rui; Chen, Nanguang

2018-03-01

Line-scan focal modulation microscopy (LSFMM) is an emerging imaging technique that affords high imaging speed and good optical sectioning at the same time. We present a systematic investigation into optimal design of the pupil filter for LSFMM in an attempt to achieve the best performance in terms of spatial resolutions, optical sectioning, and modulation depth. Scalar diffraction theory was used to compute light propagation and distribution in the system and theoretical predictions on system performance, which were then compared with experimental results.

SATCOM antenna siting study on P-3C aircraft, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bensman, D. A.; Marhefka, R. J.

1991-01-01

The NEC-BSC (Basic Scattering Code) was used to study the performance of a SATCOM antenna on a P-3C aircraft. After plate cylinder fields are added to version 3.1 of the NEC-BSC, it is shown that the NEC-BSC can be used to accurately predict the performance of a SATCOM antenna system on a P-3C aircraft. The study illustrates that the NEC-BSC gives good results when compared with scale model measurements provided by Boeing and Lockheed.

The OpenMP Implementation of NAS Parallel Benchmarks and its Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jin, Hao-Qiang; Frumkin, Michael; Yan, Jerry

1999-01-01

As the new ccNUMA architecture became popular in recent years, parallel programming with compiler directives on these machines has evolved to accommodate new needs. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of OpenMP directives for parallelizing the NAS Parallel Benchmarks. Implementation details will be discussed and performance will be compared with the MPI implementation. We have demonstrated that OpenMP can achieve very good results for parallelization on a shared memory system, but effective use of memory and cache is very important.

New lidocaine lozenge as topical anesthesia compared to lidocaine viscous oral solution before upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

PubMed Central

Mogensen, Stine; Treldal, Charlotte; Feldager, Erik; Pulis, Sylvia; Jacobsen, Jette; Andersen, Ove; Rasmussen, Mette

2012-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effect and acceptance of a new lidocaine lozenge compared with a lidocaine viscous oral solution as a pharyngeal anesthetic before upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE), a diagnostic procedure commonly performed worldwide during which many patients experience severe discomfort mostly because of the gag reflex. Participants The single-blinded, randomized, controlled study involved 110 adult patients undergoing diagnostic UGE at the Department of Gastroenterology, Hvidovre University Hospital, Denmark. Methods The patients were randomized to receive either 100 mg lidocaine as a lozenge or 5 mL lidocaine viscous oral solution 2%. Intravenous midazolam was administered if needed. The effect of a lidocaine lozenge in reducing patient discomfort, including the gag reflex, during UGE compared with a lidocaine oral solution was assessed. Results Questionnaires from the patients showed that the gag reflex was acceptable for 64% in the lozenge group compared with 33% in the oral solution group (P = 0.0072). UGE was evaluated as acceptable by 69% in the lozenge group compared with 39% in the oral solution group (P = 0.0092). The taste was evaluated as good by 78% in the lozenge group (P < 0.0001), and 82% found the lozenge to have good texture (P < 0.0001). Conclusion The lozenge reduced the gag reflex, diminished patients’ discomfort during UGE, and was evaluated as having a good taste and texture. The lozenge improved patients’ acceptance of UGE. PMID:22915898

[Development of a Questionnaire Measuring Sexual Mental Health of Tibetan University Students].

PubMed

Chen, Jun-cheng; Yan, Yu-ruo; Ai, Li; Guo, Xue-hua; He, Jian-xiu; Yuan, Ping

2016-05-01

To develop a questionnaire measuring sexual mental health of Tibetan university students. A draft questionnaire was developed with reference to the Sexual Civilization Survey for University Students of New Century and other published literature, and in consultation with experts. The questionnaire was tested in 230 students. Exploratory factor analyses with principal component and varimax orthogonal rotation were performed. Common factors with a > 1 eigenvalues and ≥ 3 loaded items (factor loading ≥ 0.4) were retained. Items with a < 0.4 factor loading, < 0.2 commonality, or falling into a common factor with < 3 items were excluded. The revised questionnaire was administered in another sample of 481 university students. Cronbach's α and split-half reliabilities were estimated. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the construct validity of the questionnaire. Four rounds of exploratory factor analyses reduced the draft questionnaire items from 39 to 34 with a 7-factor structure. The questionnaire had a Cronbach's α of 0.920, 0.898, 0.812, 0.844, 0.787, 0.684, 0.703, and 0.608, and a Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.763, 0.867, 0.742, 0838, 0.746, 0.822, 0.677, and 0.564 for the overall questionnaire and its 7 domains, respectively, suggesting good internal reliability. The structural equation of confirmatory factor analysis fitted well with the raw data: fit index χ²/df 3.736; root mean square residual (RMR) 0.081; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = 0.076; goodness of fit index (GFI) 0.805; adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) 0.770; normed fit index (NFI) = 0.774; relative fit index (RFI) 0.749; incremental fit index (IFI) 0.824; non-normed fit index (NNFI) = 0.803; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.823; parsimony goodness of fit index (PGFI) = 0.684; parsimony normed fit index (PNFI) = 0.698; parsimony comparative fit index (PCFI) = 0.742, suggesting good construct validity of the questionnaire. The Sexual Mental Health Questionnaire for Tibetan University Student has demonstrated good reliability and validity.

Verbal Rehearsal and Short-Term Memory in Reading-disabled Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torgesen, Joseph; Goldman, Tina

1977-01-01

To determine whether the frequently found short-term memory deficits in poor readers reflect a lack of ability or inclination to use efficient task strategies, the performances of second-grade good and poor readers were compared on a task which allowed direct observation of the use of verbal rehearsal as a mnemonic strategy. (Author/JMB)

The Boolean Is Dead, Long Live the Boolean! Natural Language versus Boolean Searching in Introductory Undergraduate Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, M. Sara; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Stone, Sean M.; Miller, Willie; Snajdr, Eric; Hanna, Kathleen

2018-01-01

Boolean logic can be a difficult concept for first-year, introductory students to grasp. This paper compares the results of Boolean and natural language searching across several databases with searches created from student research questions. Performance differences between databases varied. Overall, natural search language is at least as good as…

End-of-Kindergarten Spelling Outcomes: How Can Spelling Error Analysis Data Inform Beginning Reading Instruction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Julia Ai Cheng; Al Otaiba, Stephanie

2017-01-01

In this study, we examined the spelling performance of 430 kindergartners, which included a high-risk sample, to determine the relations between end-of-kindergarten reading and spelling in a high-quality language arts setting. We described, analyzed, and compared spelling outcomes, including spelling errors, between good and poor readers. The…

Optimizing associated liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy outcomes: Surgical experience or appropriate patient selection?

PubMed Central

Al Hasan, Ibrahim; Tun-Abraham, Mauro Enrique; Wanis, Kerollos N.; Garcia-Ochoa, Carlos; Levstik, Mark A.; Al-Judaibi, Bandar; Hernandez-Alejandro, Roberto

2017-01-01

Background Early reports of associated liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) outcomes have been suboptimal. The literature has confirmed that learning curves influence surgical outcomes. We have 54 months of continuous experience performing ALPPS with strict selection criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the learning curve on ALPPS outcomes. Methods We retrospectively compared patients who underwent ALPPS between April 2012 and March 2016. Patients were grouped into 2 24-month (early and late) periods. All candidates had a high tumour load requiring staged hepatectomy after chemotherapy response, a predicted future liver remnant (FLR) less than 30% and good performance status. Results Thirty-three patients underwent ALPPS during the study period: 16 in the early group (median age 65 yr, mean body mass index [BMI] 27) and 17 in the late group (median age 60 yr, mean BMI 25). Bilobar disease was comparable in both groups (94% v. 88%, p > 0.99). Duration of surgery was not statistically different. Intraoperative blood loss and need for transfusion were significantly lower in the late group (200 ± 109 mL v. 100 ± 43 mL, p < 0.05). The late group had a higher proportion of monosegment ALPPS (4:1). There were no deaths within 90 days in either cohort. Rates of postoperative complications were not statistically significant between groups. The R0 resection rate was similar. The entire 1-year disease-free and overall survival were 52% and 84%, respectively. Conclusion Excellent results can be obtained in innovative complex surgery with careful patient selection and good technical skills. Additionally, the learning curve brought confidence to perform more complex procedures while maintaining good outcomes. PMID:29173259

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

Shin, Swanee J.; Kozioziemski, Bernard J.

In this work, we performed a series of experiments to elucidate the characteristics of a good template for solid hydrogen nucleation. Zinc stands out among several materials with comparable size and shape. Nucleation could be observed to occur on top of sharp features, such as grain boundaries and cracks, but our attempts proved unsuccessful to fabricate or replicate such features. The variations of the supercooling (ΔT) values measured for comparable samples and the dependence of ΔT on the cell temperature cycling revealed that templated nucleation of solid hydrogen is a very delicate process.

A modified haemagglutination inhibition test for rubella antibodies, using standardized, freeze-dried reagents. Report of a comparative multi-centre trial.

PubMed Central

van Weemen, B.; Kacaki, J.

1976-01-01

A modified haemagglutination inhibition test for rubella antibodies, using standardized freeze-dried reagents, was developed and compared with haemagglutination inhibition tests using fresh erythrocytes. This comparison was made in collaboration with six European laboratories. A total of 4205 serum samples were tested. The results show that: (1) Sensitivity and reliability of the modified test are good; (2) the modified test can be performed in polystyrene microtitration plates. PMID:789763

Comparative study of two negative CAR resists: EN-024M and NEB 31

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baik, Ki-Ho; Dean, Robert; Lem, Homer Y.; Osborne, Stephen P.; Mueller, Mark A.; Cole, Damon M.

2004-08-01

In this paper, two negative-tone chemically amplified resists (CAR) are evaluated. The methodology and results are compared and discussed. The resists include EN-024M from TOK, and NEB 31 from Sumitomo. Both resists show high contrast, good dry etch selectivity, and high environmental stability. EN-024M showed good coating uniformity while NEB31 showed a coating uniformity problem. This was a round "dimple" approximately one centimeter in diameter of different thickness and density at the center of the plate. We addressed the "dimple" coating problem as described in the paper. Optimum PAB and PEB temperatures and nominal to maximum doses for isolated features were determined by running a matrix of PAB and PEB temperatures along with a dose series. We evaluated the process and compared the lithographic performance in terms of dose sensitivity, dose and bake latitude, resolution, resist profile, OPC (Optical Proximity Correction) pattern fidelity, CD uniformity, environmental stability, Line Edge Roughness (LER) and etching bias and resistance.

Indoor Light Performance of Coil Type Cylindrical Dye Sensitized Solar Cells.

PubMed

Kapil, Gaurav; Ogomi, Yuhei; Pandey, Shyam S; Ma, Tingli; Hayase, Shuzi

2016-04-01

A very good performance under low/diffused light intensities is one of the application areas in which dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) can be utilized effectively compared to their inorganic silicon solar cell counterparts. In this article, we have investigated the 1 SUN and low intensity fluorescent light performance of Titanium (Ti)-coil based cylindrical DSSC (C-DSSC) using ruthenium based N719 dye and organic dyes such as D205 and Y123. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic results were analyzed for variable solar cell performances. Reflecting mirror with parabolic geometry as concentrator was also utilized to tap diffused light for indoor applications. Fluorescent light at relatively lower illumination intensities (0.2 mW/cm2 to 0.5 mW/cm2) were used for the investigation of TCO-less C-DSSC performance with and without reflector geometry. Furthermore, the DSSC performances were analyzed and compared with the commercially available amorphous silicon based solar cell for indoor applications.

[Physical performance and sedation: comparative study of the effects of a benzodiazepine (temazepam) and of a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic (zolpidem)].

PubMed

Gremion, G; Sutter-Weyrich, C; Rostan, A; Forster, A

1992-09-01

It is well-known that many athletes experience some form of precompetition stress that may result in insomnia during the night before their competition. Yet, sleep withdrawal even if only partial, has a negative influence on performance, particularly when the type of exercise requires good psychomotor performance The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the intake of a hypnotic drug would have negative effects on physical performance capacity. The authors have compared the effects of oral temazepam, a medium half-life benzodiazepine vs oral zolpidem, a short half-life non-benzodiazepine drug, vs placebo. A randomized double-blind trial was used to assess endurance, resistance, strength and coordination in 26 athletes. The results did not show any differences between the three groups, neither in physical performance characteristic nor in coordination. It is concluded that as regards the performance capacity, there is no risk for stressed athletes to use sleep inducers the night before their competition.

Multicentric comparative assessment of the bio-evolution Toxoplasma gondii detection kit with eight laboratory-developed PCR assays for molecular diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.

PubMed

Filisetti, Denis; Sterkers, Yvon; Brenier-Pinchart, Marie-Pierre; Cassaing, Sophie; Dalle, Frédéric; Delhaes, Laurence; Pelloux, Hervé; Touafek, Fériel; Varlet-Marie, Emmanuelle; Yera, Hélène; Candolfi, Ermano; Bastien, Patrick

2015-01-01

The detection of Toxoplasma gondii in amniotic fluid is an essential tool for the prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis and is currently essentially based on the use of PCR. Although some consensus is emerging, this molecular diagnosis suffers from a lack of standardization and an extreme diversity of laboratory-developed methods. Commercial kits for the detection of T. gondii by PCR were recently developed and offer certain advantages; however, they must be assessed in comparison with optimized reference PCR assays. The present multicentric study aimed to compare the performances of the Bio-Evolution T. gondii detection kit and laboratory-developed PCR assays set up in eight proficient centers in France. The study compared 157 amniotic fluid samples and found concordances of 99% and 100% using 76 T. gondii-infected samples and 81 uninfected samples, respectively. Moreover, taking into account the classification of the European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis, the overall diagnostic sensitivity of all assays was identical and calculated to be 86% (54/63); specificity was 100% for all assays. Finally, the relative quantification results were in good agreement between the kit and the laboratory-developed assays. The good performances of this commercial kit are probably in part linked to the use of a number of good practices: detection in multiplicate, amplification of the repetitive DNA target rep529, and the use of an internal control for the detection of PCR inhibitors. The only drawbacks noted at the time of the study were the absence of uracil-N-glycosylase and small defects in the reliability of the production of different reagents. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Multicentric Comparative Assessment of the Bio-Evolution Toxoplasma gondii Detection Kit with Eight Laboratory-Developed PCR Assays for Molecular Diagnosis of Congenital Toxoplasmosis

PubMed Central

Filisetti, Denis; Sterkers, Yvon; Brenier-Pinchart, Marie-Pierre; Cassaing, Sophie; Dalle, Frédéric; Delhaes, Laurence; Pelloux, Hervé; Touafek, Fériel; Varlet-Marie, Emmanuelle; Yera, Hélène; Candolfi, Ermano

2014-01-01

The detection of Toxoplasma gondii in amniotic fluid is an essential tool for the prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis and is currently essentially based on the use of PCR. Although some consensus is emerging, this molecular diagnosis suffers from a lack of standardization and an extreme diversity of laboratory-developed methods. Commercial kits for the detection of T. gondii by PCR were recently developed and offer certain advantages; however, they must be assessed in comparison with optimized reference PCR assays. The present multicentric study aimed to compare the performances of the Bio-Evolution T. gondii detection kit and laboratory-developed PCR assays set up in eight proficient centers in France. The study compared 157 amniotic fluid samples and found concordances of 99% and 100% using 76 T. gondii-infected samples and 81 uninfected samples, respectively. Moreover, taking into account the classification of the European Research Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis, the overall diagnostic sensitivity of all assays was identical and calculated to be 86% (54/63); specificity was 100% for all assays. Finally, the relative quantification results were in good agreement between the kit and the laboratory-developed assays. The good performances of this commercial kit are probably in part linked to the use of a number of good practices: detection in multiplicate, amplification of the repetitive DNA target rep529, and the use of an internal control for the detection of PCR inhibitors. The only drawbacks noted at the time of the study were the absence of uracil-N-glycosylase and small defects in the reliability of the production of different reagents. PMID:25339393

Comparative ex vivo evaluation of two electronic percussive testing devices measuring the stability of dental implants.

PubMed

Geckili, Onur; Bilhan, Hakan; Cilingir, Altug; Bilmenoglu, Caglar; Ates, Gokcen; Urgun, Aliye Ceren; Bural, Canan

2014-12-01

A comparative ex vivo study was performed to determine electronic percussive test values (PTVs) measured by cabled and wireless electronic percussive testing (EPT) devices and to evaluate the intra- and interobserver reliability of the wireless EPT device. Forty implants were inserted into the vertebrae and forty into the pelvis of a steer, a safe distance apart. The implants were all 4.3 mm wide and 13 mm long, from the same manufacturer. PTV of each implant was measured by four different examiners, using both EPT devices, and compared. Additionally, the intra- and interobserver reliability of the wireless EPT device was evaluated. Statistically significant differences (P <0.05) were observed between PTVs made by the two EPT devices. PTVs measured by the wireless EPT device were significantly higher than the cabled EPT device (P <0.05), indicating lower implant stability. The intraobserver reliability of the wireless EPT device was evaluated as excellent for the measurements in type II bone and good-to-excellent in type IV bone; interobserver reliability was evaluated as fair-to-good in both bone types. The wireless EPT device gives PTVs higher than the cabled EPT device, indicating lower implant stability, and its inter- and intraobserver reliability is good and acceptable.

Static and transient performance prediction for CFB boilers using a Bayesian-Gaussian Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Haiwen; Ni, Weidou

1997-06-01

A Bayesian-Gaussian Neural Network (BGNN) is put forward in this paper to predict the static and transient performance of Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) boilers. The advantages of this network over Back-Propagation Neural Networks (BPNNs), easier determination of topology, simpler and time saving in training process as well as self-organizing ability, make this network more practical in on-line performance prediction for complicated processes. Simulation shows that this network is comparable to the BPNNs in predicting the performance of CFB boilers. Good and practical on-line performance predictions are essential for operation guide and model predictive control of CFB boilers, which are under research by the authors.

Forecasting electricity usage using univariate time series models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hock-Eam, Lim; Chee-Yin, Yip

2014-12-01

Electricity is one of the important energy sources. A sufficient supply of electricity is vital to support a country's development and growth. Due to the changing of socio-economic characteristics, increasing competition and deregulation of electricity supply industry, the electricity demand forecasting is even more important than before. It is imperative to evaluate and compare the predictive performance of various forecasting methods. This will provide further insights on the weakness and strengths of each method. In literature, there are mixed evidences on the best forecasting methods of electricity demand. This paper aims to compare the predictive performance of univariate time series models for forecasting the electricity demand using a monthly data of maximum electricity load in Malaysia from January 2003 to December 2013. Results reveal that the Box-Jenkins method produces the best out-of-sample predictive performance. On the other hand, Holt-Winters exponential smoothing method is a good forecasting method for in-sample predictive performance.

Double-pulse digital speckle pattern interferometry for vibration analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dazhi; Xue, Jingfeng; Chen, Lu; Wen, Juying; Wang, Jingjing

2014-12-01

The double-pulse Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) in the laboratory is established. Two good performances have been achieved at the same time, which is uniform distribution of laser beam energy by space filter and recording two successive pictures by a CCD camera successfully. Then two-dimensional discrete orthogonal wavelet transform method is used for the process of filtering method. By using the DSPI, speckle pattern of a vibrated object is obtained with interval of (2~800)μs, and 3D plot of the transient vibration is achieved. Moreover, good agreements of the mode shapes and displacement are obtained by comparing with Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) .

Comparison between extreme learning machine and wavelet neural networks in data classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yahia, Siwar; Said, Salwa; Jemai, Olfa; Zaied, Mourad; Ben Amar, Chokri

2017-03-01

Extreme learning Machine is a well known learning algorithm in the field of machine learning. It's about a feed forward neural network with a single-hidden layer. It is an extremely fast learning algorithm with good generalization performance. In this paper, we aim to compare the Extreme learning Machine with wavelet neural networks, which is a very used algorithm. We have used six benchmark data sets to evaluate each technique. These datasets Including Wisconsin Breast Cancer, Glass Identification, Ionosphere, Pima Indians Diabetes, Wine Recognition and Iris Plant. Experimental results have shown that both extreme learning machine and wavelet neural networks have reached good results.

Performance of Local Light Microscopy and the ParaScreen Pan/Pf Rapid Diagnostic Test to Detect Malaria in Health Centers in Northwest Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Endeshaw, Tekola; Graves, Patricia M.; Ayele, Berhan; Mosher, Aryc W.; Gebre, Teshome; Ayalew, Firew; Genet, Asrat; Mesfin, Alemayehu; Shargie, Estifanos Biru; Tadesse, Zerihun; Teferi, Tesfaye; Melak, Berhanu; Richards, Frank O.; Emerson, Paul M.

2012-01-01

Background Diagnostic tests are recommended for suspected malaria cases before treatment, but comparative performance of microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at rural health centers has rarely been studied compared to independent expert microscopy. Methods Participants (N = 1997) with presumptive malaria were recruited from ten health centers with a range of transmission intensities in Amhara Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia during October to December 2007. Microscopy and ParaScreen Pan/Pf® RDT were done immediately by health center technicians. Blood slides were re-examined later at a central laboratory by independent expert microscopists. Results Of 1,997 febrile patients, 475 (23.8%) were positive by expert microscopists, with 57.7% P.falciparum, 24.6% P.vivax and 17.7% mixed infections. Sensitivity of health center microscopists for any malaria species was >90% in five health centers (four of which had the highest prevalence), >70% in nine centers and 44% in one site with lowest prevalence. Specificity for health center microscopy was very good (>95%) in all centers. For ParaScreen RDT, sensitivity was ≥90% in three centers, ≥70% in six and <60% in four centers. Specificity was ≥90% in all centers except one where it was 85%. Conclusions Health center microscopists performed well in nine of the ten health centers; while for ParaScreen RDT they performed well in only six centers. Overall the accuracy of local microscopy exceeded that of RDT for all outcomes. This study supports the introduction of RDTs only if accompanied by appropriate training, frequent supervision and quality control at all levels. Deficiencies in RDT use at some health centers must be rectified before universal replacement of good routine microscopy with RDTs. Maintenance and strengthening of good quality microscopy remains a priority at health center level. PMID:22536317

Performance of local light microscopy and the ParaScreen Pan/Pf rapid diagnostic test to detect malaria in health centers in Northwest Ethiopia.

PubMed

Endeshaw, Tekola; Graves, Patricia M; Ayele, Berhan; Mosher, Aryc W; Gebre, Teshome; Ayalew, Firew; Genet, Asrat; Mesfin, Alemayehu; Shargie, Estifanos Biru; Tadesse, Zerihun; Teferi, Tesfaye; Melak, Berhanu; Richards, Frank O; Emerson, Paul M

2012-01-01

Diagnostic tests are recommended for suspected malaria cases before treatment, but comparative performance of microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at rural health centers has rarely been studied compared to independent expert microscopy. Participants (N = 1997) with presumptive malaria were recruited from ten health centers with a range of transmission intensities in Amhara Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia during October to December 2007. Microscopy and ParaScreen Pan/Pf® RDT were done immediately by health center technicians. Blood slides were re-examined later at a central laboratory by independent expert microscopists. Of 1,997 febrile patients, 475 (23.8%) were positive by expert microscopists, with 57.7% P. falciparum, 24.6% P. vivax and 17.7% mixed infections. Sensitivity of health center microscopists for any malaria species was >90% in five health centers (four of which had the highest prevalence), >70% in nine centers and 44% in one site with lowest prevalence. Specificity for health center microscopy was very good (>95%) in all centers. For ParaScreen RDT, sensitivity was ≥90% in three centers, ≥70% in six and <60% in four centers. Specificity was ≥90% in all centers except one where it was 85%. Health center microscopists performed well in nine of the ten health centers; while for ParaScreen RDT they performed well in only six centers. Overall the accuracy of local microscopy exceeded that of RDT for all outcomes. This study supports the introduction of RDTs only if accompanied by appropriate training, frequent supervision and quality control at all levels. Deficiencies in RDT use at some health centers must be rectified before universal replacement of good routine microscopy with RDTs. Maintenance and strengthening of good quality microscopy remains a priority at health center level.

Gender, TIMI risk score and in-hospital mortality in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI: results from the Belgian STEMI registry.

PubMed

Gevaert, Sofie A; De Bacquer, Dirk; Evrard, Patrick; Convens, Carl; Dubois, Philippe; Boland, Jean; Renard, Marc; Beauloye, Christophe; Coussement, Patrick; De Raedt, Herbert; de Meester, Antoine; Vandecasteele, Els; Vranckx, Pascal; Sinnaeve, Peter R; Claeys, Marc J

2014-01-22

The relationship between the predictive performance of the TIMI risk score for STEMI and gender has not been evaluated in the setting of primary PCI (pPCI). Here, we compared in-hospital mortality and predictive performance of the TIMI risk score between Belgian women and men undergoing pPCI. In-hospital mortality was analysed in 8,073 (1,920 [23.8%] female and 6,153 [76.2%] male patients) consecutive pPCI-treated STEMI patients, included in the prospective, observational Belgian STEMI registry (January 2007 to February 2011). A multivariable logistic regression model, including TIMI risk score variables and gender, evaluated differences in in-hospital mortality between men and women. The predictive performance of the TIMI risk score according to gender was evaluated in terms of discrimination and calibration. Mortality rates for TIMI scores in women and men were compared. Female patients were older, had more comorbidities and longer ischaemic times. Crude in-hospital mortality was 10.1% in women vs. 4.9% in men (OR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.82-2.66, p<0.001). When adjusting for TIMI risk score variables, mortality remained higher in women (OR 1.47, 95% CI: 1.15-1.87, p=0.002). The TIMI risk score provided a good predictive discrimination and calibration in women as well as in men (c-statistic=0.84 [95% CI: 0.809-0.866], goodness-of-fit p=0.53 and c-statistic=0.89 [95% CI: 0.873-0.907], goodness-of-fit p=0.13, respectively), but mortality prediction for TIMI scores was better in men (p=0.02 for TIMI score x gender interaction). In the Belgian STEMI registry, pPCI-treated women had a higher in-hospital mortality rate even after correcting for TIMI risk score variables. The TIMI risk score was effective in predicting in-hospital mortality but performed slightly better in men. The database was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00727623).

Fusarium species and fumonisins in subsistence maize in the former Transkei region, South Africa: a multi-year study in rural villages.

PubMed

Rheeder, J P; Van der Westhuizen, L; Imrie, G; Shephard, G S

2016-09-01

Fumonisin occurrence was investigated in subsistence maize in four rural villages in each of Mbizana and Centane areas, South Africa. Samples (total 211) were analysed morphologically for Fusarium species and by high performance liquid chromatography for fumonisins. The mean incidence levels of Fusarium verticillioides in Centane good maize were 16% for both 1997 and 2000, but increased to 32% in 2003, whereas Mbizana good maize contained levels of 17% and 11% (2000 and 2003 seasons, respectively). The mean total fumonisin level in good maize in Centane for 1997 and 2000 was 575 and 975 µg/kg and 2150 µg/kg in 2003. In Mbizana, the mean total fumonisin level in good maize for 2000 was 950 µg/kg, but decreased to 610 µg/kg in 2003. The 2003 drought conditions led to a substantial increase in fumonisin levels in dry subhumid Centane, compared to humid subtropical Mbizana. This study emphasises the seasonal fluctuation in fumonisin levels.

End-of-Kindergarten Spelling Outcomes: How Can Spelling Error Analysis Data Inform Beginning Reading Instruction?

PubMed Central

Lee, Julia Ai Cheng; Otaiba, Stephanie Al

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors examined the spelling performance of 430 kindergarteners, which included a high risk sample, to determine the relations between end of kindergarten reading and spelling in a high quality language arts setting. The spelling outcomes including the spelling errors between the good and the poor readers were described, analyzed, and compared. The findings suggest that not all the children have acquired the desired standard as outlined by the Common Core State Standards. In addition, not every good reader is a good speller and that not every poor speller is a poor reader. The study shows that spelling tasks that are accompanied by spelling errors analysis provide a powerful window for making instructional sense of children’s spelling errors and for individualizing spelling instructional strategies. PMID:28706433

[Psychometric validation in Spanish of the Brazilian short version of the Primary Care Assessment Tools-users questionnaire for the evaluation of the orientation of health systems towards primary care].

PubMed

Vázquez Peña, Fernando; Harzheim, Erno; Terrasa, Sergio; Berra, Silvina

2017-02-01

To validate the Brazilian short version of the PCAT for adult patients in Spanish. Analysis of secondary data from studies made to validate the extended version of the PCAT questionnaire. City of Córdoba, Argentina. Primary health care. The sample consisted of 46% of parents, whose children were enrolled in secondary education in three institutes in the city of Cordoba, and the remaining 54% were adult users of the National University of Cordoba Health Insurance. Pearson's correlation coefficient comparing the extended and short versions. Goodness-of-fit indices in confirmatory factor analysis, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and Cronbach's alpha values, in order to assess the construct validity and the reliability of the short version. The values of Pearson's correlation coefficient between this short version and the long version were high .818 (P<.001), implying a very good criterion validity. The indicators of good global adjustment to the confirmatory factor analysis were good. The value of composite reliability was good (.802), but under the variance media extracted: .3306, since 3 variables had weak factorials loads. The Cronbach's alpha was acceptable (.85). The short version of the PCAT-users developed in Brazil showed an acceptable psychometric performance in Spanish as a quick assessment tool, in a comparative study with the extended version. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Training to improve manual control in 7-8 and 10-12 year old children: Training eliminates performance differences between ages.

PubMed

Snapp-Childs, Winona; Fath, Aaron J; Watson, Carol A; Flatters, Ian; Mon-Williams, Mark; Bingham, Geoffrey P

2015-10-01

Many children have difficulty producing movements well enough to improve in perceptuo-motor learning. We have developed a training method that supports active movement generation to allow improvement in a 3D tracing task requiring good compliance control. We previously tested 7-8 year old children who exhibited poor performance and performance differences before training. After training, performance was significantly improved and performance differences were eliminated. According to the Dynamic Systems Theory of development, appropriate support can enable younger children to acquire the ability to perform like older children. In the present study, we compared 7-8 and 10-12 year old school children and predicted that younger children would show reduced performance that was nonetheless amenable to training. Indeed, the pre-training performance of the 7-8 year olds was worse than that of the 10-12 year olds, but post-training performance was equally good for both groups. This was similar to previous results found using this training method for children with DCD and age-matched typically developing children. We also found in a previous study of 7-8 year old school children that training in the 3D tracing task transferred to a 2D drawing task. We now found similar transfer for the 10-12 year olds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

28 CFR 523.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.10 Purpose and scope. (a) The Bureau of Prisons awards extra good time credit for performing exceptionally meritorious service, or for performing duties... of extra good time award at a time (e.g., an inmate earning industrial or camp good time is not...

28 CFR 523.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.10 Purpose and scope. (a) The Bureau of Prisons awards extra good time credit for performing exceptionally meritorious service, or for performing duties... of extra good time award at a time (e.g., an inmate earning industrial or camp good time is not...

28 CFR 523.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.10 Purpose and scope. (a) The Bureau of Prisons awards extra good time credit for performing exceptionally meritorious service, or for performing duties... of extra good time award at a time (e.g., an inmate earning industrial or camp good time is not...

28 CFR 523.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.10 Purpose and scope. (a) The Bureau of Prisons awards extra good time credit for performing exceptionally meritorious service, or for performing duties... of extra good time award at a time (e.g., an inmate earning industrial or camp good time is not...

28 CFR 523.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.10 Purpose and scope. (a) The Bureau of Prisons awards extra good time credit for performing exceptionally meritorious service, or for performing duties... of extra good time award at a time (e.g., an inmate earning industrial or camp good time is not...

Board oversight of patient care quality in community health systems.

PubMed

Prybil, Lawrence D; Peterson, Richard; Brezinski, Paul; Zamba, Gideon; Roach, William; Fillmore, Ammon

2010-01-01

In hospitals and health systems, ensuring that standards for the quality of patient care are established and continuous improvement processes are in place are among the board's most fundamental responsibilities. A recent survey has examined governance oversight of patient care quality at 123 nonprofit community health systems and compared their practices with current benchmarks of good governance. The findings show that 88% of the boards have established standing committees on patient quality and safety, nearly all chief executive officers' performance expectations now include targets related to patient quality and safety, and 96% of the boards regularly receive formal written reports regarding their organizations' performance in relation to quality measures and standards. However, there continue to be gaps between present reality and current benchmarks of good governance in several areas. These gaps are somewhat greater for independent systems than for those affiliated with a larger parent organization.

Simulation of proportional control of hydraulic actuator using digital hydraulic valves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raghuraman, D. R. S.; Senthil Kumar, S.; Kalaiarasan, G.

2017-11-01

Fluid power systems using oil hydraulics in earth moving and construction equipment have been using proportional and servo control valves for a long time to achieve precise and accurate position control backed by system performance. Such valves are having feedback control in them and exhibit good response, sensitivity and fine control of the actuators. Servo valves and proportional valves are possessing less hysteresis when compared to on-off type valves, but when the servo valve spools get stuck in one position, a high frequency called as jitter is employed to bring the spool back, whereas in on-off type valves it requires lesser technology to retract the spool. Hence on-off type valves are used in a technology known as digital valve technology, which caters to precise control on slow moving loads with fast switching times and with good flow and pressure control mimicking the performance of an equivalent “proportional valve” or “servo valve”.

Modelling of double air-bridged structured inductor implemented by a GaAs integrated passive device manufacturing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Yao, Zhao; Zhang, Chun-Wei; Fu, Xiao-Qian; Li, Zhi-Ming; Li, Nian-Qiang; Wang, Cong

2017-05-01

In order to provide excellent performance and show the development of a complicated structure in a module and system, this paper presents a double air-bridge-structured symmetrical differential inductor based on integrated passive device technology. Corresponding to the proposed complicated structure, a new manufacturing process fabricated on a high-resistivity GaAs substrate is described in detail. Frequency-independent physical models are presented with lump elements and the results of skin effect-based measurements. Finally, some key features of the inductor are compared; good agreement between the measurements and modeled circuit fully verifies the validity of the proposed modeling approach. Meanwhile, we also present a comparison of different coil turns for inductor performance. The proposed work can provide a good solution for the design, fabrication, modeling, and practical application of radio-frequency modules and systems.

RANS simulation of cavitation and hull pressure fluctuation for marine propeller operating behind-hull condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Kwang-Jun; Park, Hyung-Gil; Seo, Jongsoo

2013-12-01

Simulations of cavitation flow and hull pressure fluctuation for a marine propeller operating behind a hull using the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) are presented. A full hull body submerged under the free surface is modeled in the computational domain to simulate directly the wake field of the ship at the propeller plane. Simulations are performed in design and ballast draught conditions to study the effect of cavitation number. And two propellers with slightly different geometry are simulated to validate the detectability of the numerical simulation. All simulations are performed using a commercial CFD software FLUENT. Cavitation patterns of the simulations show good agreement with the experimental results carried out in Samsung CAvitation Tunnel (SCAT). The simulation results for the hull pressure fluctuation induced by a propeller are also compared with the experimental results showing good agreement in the tendency and amplitude, especially, for the first blade frequency.

Field performance of a low-cost and fully-automated blood counting system operated by trained and untrained users (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Dengling; Xie, Yanjun; Liu, Peng; Tong, Lieshu; Chu, Kaiqin; Smith, Zachary J.

2017-02-01

Current flow-based blood counting devices require expensive and centralized medical infrastructure and are not appropriate for field use. In this paper we report a method to count red blood cells, white blood cells as well as platelets through a low-cost and fully-automated blood counting system. The approach consists of using a compact, custom-built microscope with large field-of-view to record bright-field and fluorescence images of samples that are diluted with a single, stable reagent mixture and counted using automatic algorithms. Sample collection is performed manually using a spring loaded lancet, and volume-metering capillary tubes. The capillaries are then dropped into a tube of pre-measured reagents and gently shaken for 10-30 seconds. The sample is loaded into a measurement chamber and placed on a custom 3D printed platform. Sample translation and focusing is fully automated, and a user has only to press a button for the measurement and analysis to commence. Cost of the system is minimized through the use of custom-designed motorized components. We performed a series of comparative experiments by trained and untrained users on blood from adults and children. We compare the performance of our system, as operated by trained and untrained users, to the clinical gold standard using a Bland-Altman analysis, demonstrating good agreement of our system to the clinical standard. The system's low cost, complete automation, and good field performance indicate that it can be successfully translated for use in low-resource settings where central hematology laboratories are not accessible.

A global comparative evaluation of commercial immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis.

PubMed

Cunningham, Jane; Hasker, Epco; Das, Pradeep; El Safi, Sayda; Goto, Hiro; Mondal, Dinesh; Mbuchi, Margaret; Mukhtar, Maowia; Rabello, Ana; Rijal, Suman; Sundar, Shyam; Wasunna, Monique; Adams, Emily; Menten, Joris; Peeling, Rosanna; Boelaert, Marleen

2012-11-15

Poor access to diagnosis stymies control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Antibody-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) can be performed in peripheral health settings. However, there are many brands available and published reports of variable accuracy. Commercial VL RDTs containing bound rK39 or rKE16 antigen were evaluated using archived human sera from confirmed VL cases (n = 750) and endemic non-VL controls (n = 754) in the Indian subcontinent (ISC), Brazil, and East Africa to assess sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals. A subset of RDTs were also evaluated after 60 days' heat incubation (37°C, 45°C). Interlot and interobserver variability was assessed. All test brands performed well against ISC panels (sensitivity range, 92.8%-100%; specificity range, 96%-100%); however, sensitivity was lower against Brazil and East African panels (61.5%-91% and 36.8%-87.2%, respectively). Specificity was consistently > 95% in Brazil and ranged between 90.8% and 98% in East Africa. Performance of some products was adversely affected by high temperatures. Agreement between lots and readers was good to excellent (κ > 0.73-0.99). Diagnostic accuracy of VL RDTs varies between the major endemic regions. Many tests performed well and showed good heat stability in the ISC; however, reduced sensitivity against Brazilian and East African panels suggests that in these regions, used alone, several RDTs are inadequate for excluding a VL diagnosis. More research is needed to assess ease of use and to compare performance using whole blood instead of serum and in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Motor-cognitive dual-task performance: effects of a concurrent motor task on distinct components of visual processing capacity.

PubMed

Künstler, E C S; Finke, K; Günther, A; Klingner, C; Witte, O; Bublak, P

2018-01-01

Dual tasking, or the simultaneous execution of two continuous tasks, is frequently associated with a performance decline that can be explained within a capacity sharing framework. In this study, we assessed the effects of a concurrent motor task on the efficiency of visual information uptake based on the 'theory of visual attention' (TVA). TVA provides parameter estimates reflecting distinct components of visual processing capacity: perceptual threshold, visual processing speed, and visual short-term memory (VSTM) storage capacity. Moreover, goodness-of-fit values and bootstrapping estimates were derived to test whether the TVA-model is validly applicable also under dual task conditions, and whether the robustness of parameter estimates is comparable in single- and dual-task conditions. 24 subjects of middle to higher age performed a continuous tapping task, and a visual processing task (whole report of briefly presented letter arrays) under both single- and dual-task conditions. Results suggest a decline of both visual processing capacity and VSTM storage capacity under dual-task conditions, while the perceptual threshold remained unaffected by a concurrent motor task. In addition, goodness-of-fit values and bootstrapping estimates support the notion that participants processed the visual task in a qualitatively comparable, although quantitatively less efficient way under dual-task conditions. The results support a capacity sharing account of motor-cognitive dual tasking and suggest that even performing a relatively simple motor task relies on central attentional capacity that is necessary for efficient visual information uptake.

Comparison of two silver dressings for wound management in pediatric burns.

PubMed

Jester, Ingo; Bohn, Ingo; Hannmann, Thorsten; Waag, Karl-Ludwig; Loff, Steffan

2008-11-01

Purpose. Silver wound dressings are widely used in the treatment of burns. Dressings differ in material characteristics, various antimicrobial activities, and ease of use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate both dressing performance and amount of pain during the dressing changes of 2 silver dressings Urgotul SSD® (Laboratoires Urgo, Chenove, France), and Contreet Ag® (Coloplast, Minneapolis, MN) in children. A retrospective cohort study was performed with 2 groups of 20 burns treated with Urgotul SSD and Contreet Ag until the wounds were healed or grafted. Seventy dressing changes in the Contreet Ag group and 67 dressing changes in the Urgotul group were evaluated. Every dressing change was assessed regarding the dressing performance (exudate, adherence, bleeding, and dressing application/removal), and pain. Pain was "absent or slight" in 61 (92%) dressing changes with Urgotul SSD, and in 60 (85%) of the dressing changes with Contreet Ag. Dressing application in the Urgotul group was more often "very easy" (n = 33; 49%) or "easy" (n = 32; 48%) than in the Contreet Ag group, "very easy" (n = 25; 35%), and "easy" (n = 42; 60%). Contreet Ag had a greater ability to absorb exudate ("very good" n = 60; 85%, and "good" n = 11; 15%) than Urgotul SSD ("very good" n = 34; 51%, and "good" n = 13; 19%). Urgotul SSD and Contreet Ag are comparable regarding pain during dressing change. The dressings differ in their ability to absorb exudate and ease of application. Both dressings provided nearly painless wound management, and therefore were highly accepted by the nurses and especially the children being treated.

Fast Gaussian kernel learning for classification tasks based on specially structured global optimization.

PubMed

Zhong, Shangping; Chen, Tianshun; He, Fengying; Niu, Yuzhen

2014-09-01

For a practical pattern classification task solved by kernel methods, the computing time is mainly spent on kernel learning (or training). However, the current kernel learning approaches are based on local optimization techniques, and hard to have good time performances, especially for large datasets. Thus the existing algorithms cannot be easily extended to large-scale tasks. In this paper, we present a fast Gaussian kernel learning method by solving a specially structured global optimization (SSGO) problem. We optimize the Gaussian kernel function by using the formulated kernel target alignment criterion, which is a difference of increasing (d.i.) functions. Through using a power-transformation based convexification method, the objective criterion can be represented as a difference of convex (d.c.) functions with a fixed power-transformation parameter. And the objective programming problem can then be converted to a SSGO problem: globally minimizing a concave function over a convex set. The SSGO problem is classical and has good solvability. Thus, to find the global optimal solution efficiently, we can adopt the improved Hoffman's outer approximation method, which need not repeat the searching procedure with different starting points to locate the best local minimum. Also, the proposed method can be proven to converge to the global solution for any classification task. We evaluate the proposed method on twenty benchmark datasets, and compare it with four other Gaussian kernel learning methods. Experimental results show that the proposed method stably achieves both good time-efficiency performance and good classification performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-controlled video feedback on tactical skills for soccer teams results in more active involvement of players.

PubMed

van Maarseveen, Mariëtte J J; Oudejans, Raôul R D; Savelsbergh, Geert J P

2018-02-01

Many studies have shown that self-controlled feedback is beneficial for learning motor tasks, and that learners prefer to receive feedback after supposedly good trials. However, to date all studies conducted on self-controlled learning have used individual tasks and mainly relatively simple skills. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine self-controlled feedback on tactical skills in small-sided soccer games. Highly talented youth soccer players were assigned to a self-control or yoked group and received video feedback on their offensive performance in 3 vs. 2 small-sided games. The results showed that the self-control group requested feedback mostly after good trials, that is, after they scored a goal. In addition, the perceived performance of the self-control group was higher on feedback than on no-feedback trials. Analyses of the conversations around the video feedback revealed that the players and coach discussed good and poor elements of performance and how to improve it. Although the coach had a major role in these conversations, the players of the self-control group spoke more and showed more initiative compared to the yoked group. The results revealed no significant beneficial effect of self-controlled feedback on performance as judged by the coach. Overall, the findings suggest that in such a complex situation as small-sided soccer games, self-controlled feedback is used both to confirm correct performance elements and to determine and correct errors, and that self-controlled learning stimulates the involvement of the learner in the learning process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reading, writing, and phonological processing skills of adolescents with 10 or more years of cochlear implant experience.

PubMed

Geers, Ann E; Hayes, Heather

2011-02-01

This study had three goals: (1) to document the literacy skills of deaf adolescents who received cochlear implants (CIs) as preschoolers; (2) to examine reading growth from elementary grades to high school; (3) to assess the contribution of early literacy levels and phonological processing skills, among other factors, to literacy levels in high school. A battery of reading, spelling, expository writing, and phonological processing assessments were administered to 112 high school (CI-HS) students, ages 15.5 to 18.5 yrs, who had participated in a reading assessment battery in early elementary grades (CI-E), ages 8.0 to 9.9 yrs. The CI-HS students' performance was compared with either a control group of hearing peers (N = 46) or hearing norms provided by the assessment developer. Many of the CI-HS students (47 to 66%) performed within or above the average range for hearing peers on reading tests. When compared with their CI-E performance, good early readers were also good readers in high school. Importantly, the majority of CI-HS students maintained their reading levels over time compared with hearing peers, indicating that the gap in performance was, at the very least, not widening for most students. Written expression and phonological processing tasks posed a great deal of difficulty for the CI-HS students. They were poorer spellers, poorer expository writers, and displayed poorer phonological knowledge than hearing age-mates. Phonological processing skills were a critical predictor of high school literacy skills (reading, spelling, and expository writing), accounting for 39% of variance remaining after controlling for child, family, and implant characteristics. Many children who receive CIs as preschoolers achieve age-appropriate literacy levels as adolescents. However, significant delays in spelling and written expression are evident compared with hearing peers. For children with CIs, the development of phonological processing skills is not just important for early reading skills, such as decoding, but is critical for later literacy success as well.

Active bilayer films of thermoplastic starch and polycaprolactone obtained by compression molding.

PubMed

Ortega-Toro, Rodrigo; Morey, Iris; Talens, Pau; Chiralt, Amparo

2015-08-20

Bilayer films consisting of one layer of PCL with either one of thermoplastic starch (S) or one of thermoplastic starch with 5% PCL (S95) were obtained by compression molding. Before compression, aqueous solutions of ascorbic acid or potassium sorbate were sprayed onto the S or S95 layers in order to plasticize them and favor layer adhesion. S95 films formed bilayers with PCL with very good adhesion and good mechanical performance, especially when potassium sorbate was added at the interface. All bilayers enhanced their barrier properties to water vapour (up to 96% compared to net starch films) and oxygen (up to 99% compared to PCL pure). Bilayers consisting of PCL and starch containing 5% PCL, with potassium sorbate at the interface, showed the best mechanical and barrier properties and interfacial adhesion while having active properties, associated with the antimicrobial action of potassium sorbate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between corporate environmental performance and environmental disclosure: an empirical study in China.

PubMed

Meng, X H; Zeng, S X; Shi, Jonathan J; Qi, G Y; Zhang, Z B

2014-12-01

Based on a content analysis of 533 Chinese listed companies, this study examines how corporate environmental performance affects not only the level of detail of a company's environmental disclosures, but also what information is disclosed. The results show that (1) both poor and good performers have more disclosure than the median (i.e., "mixed") performers, which provides empirical evidence to support a nonlinear relationship between corporate environmental performance and environmental disclosure; (2) poor performers disclose more soft information on environmental performance than good performers, and good performers disclose more solid information; and (3) although poor performers increase disclosure after being exposed as environmental violators, they avoid disclosing negative environmental information, such as the violation and the associated penalties. This study provides additional evidence for a nonlinear relationship between environmental performance and disclosure in emerging markets, and suggests environmental disclosure may not be a valid signal to differentiate good performers from poor performers in contemporary China. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Program to study optimal protocol for cardiovascular and muscular efficiency. [physical fitness training for manned space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olree, H. D.

1974-01-01

Training programs necessary for the development of optimal strength during prolonged manned space flight were examined, and exercises performed on the Super Mini Gym Skylab 2 were compared with similar exercises on the Universal Gym and calisthenics. Cardiopulmonary gains were found negligible but all training groups exhibited good gains in strength.

Comparative Analysis of Rote Learning on High and Low Achievers in Graduate and Undergraduate Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Ambreen; Ahmed, Nawaz

2017-01-01

A survey was conducted to study the preferred learning strategies; that is, surface learning or deep learning of undergraduate and graduate male and female students and the impact of the preferred strategy on their academic performance. Both learning strategies help university students to get good scores in their examinations to meet the demands…

Contract Formation and Performance under the UCC and CISG: A Comparative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Kurt M.; Rymsza, Leonard

2015-01-01

Contracts for the sale of goods in the United States are governed by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) in every state but one. When one of the parties to the contract is based in another country, however, the conflict of laws principles that will determine which country's law governs the transaction can be confounding. In addition, the commercial…

The Sheperd equation and chaos identification.

PubMed

Gregson, Robert A M

2010-04-01

An equation created by Sheperd (1982) to model stability in exploited fish populations has been found to have a wider application, and it exhibits complicated internal dynamics, including phases of strict periodicity and of chaos. It may be potentially applicable to other psychophysiological contexts. The problems of determining goodness-of fit, and the comparative performance of alternative models including the Shephed model, are briefly addressed.

In search of practice performance data? Call the hospital.

PubMed

Bellile, S K

1997-01-01

Comparative performance data is increasingly being used by hospitals and managed care plans to evaluate physician practices. Outcomes data can also be a valuable tool for continuous improvement within a practice. Administrators need to understand the different categories and sources of physician practice data. Hospitals are a particularly good, yet often underutilized, data resource. Descriptive, financial and clinical information available from hospital systems can be used to compare one physician's performance to norms for specific case types (e.g. DRG's), focus internal review efforts and support managed care marketing and negotiation. Administrators need to identify key hospital contacts, make specific data requests and knowledgeably (and cautiously) interpret the data received. Finally, the administrator plays a crucial role turning data into information: identifying and presenting key findings and insuring that the information is used to the group's competitive advantage.

Porous Carbon-Hosted Atomically Dispersed Iron-Nitrogen Moiety as Enhanced Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in a Wide Range of pH

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

Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Su, Dong

As one of the alternatives to replace precious metal catalysts, transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) electrocatalysts have attracted great research interest due to their low cost and good catalytic activities. Despite nanostructured M-N-C catalysts can achieve good electrochemical performances, they are vulnerable to aggregation and insufficient catalytic sites upon continuous catalytic reaction. Thus, M-N-C’s stability and selectivity have not been comparable to their noble metal counterparts. In this work, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived porous single-atom electrocatalysts (SAEs) were successfully prepared by simple pyrolysis procedure without any further post-treatment. Combining the X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and electrochemical measurements, the SAEs have been identifiedmore » with superior ORR activity and stability compared with Pt/C catalysts in alkaline condition. More impressively, the SAEs also show excellent ORR electrocatalytic performance in both acid and neutral media. Furthermore, this study of nonprecious catalysts provides new insights on nano-engineering catalytically active sites and porous structures for nonprecious metal ORR catalysis in a wide range of pH.« less

Porous Carbon-Hosted Atomically Dispersed Iron-Nitrogen Moiety as Enhanced Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in a Wide Range of pH

DOE PAGES

Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Su, Dong; ...

2018-02-12

As one of the alternatives to replace precious metal catalysts, transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) electrocatalysts have attracted great research interest due to their low cost and good catalytic activities. Despite nanostructured M-N-C catalysts can achieve good electrochemical performances, they are vulnerable to aggregation and insufficient catalytic sites upon continuous catalytic reaction. Thus, M-N-C’s stability and selectivity have not been comparable to their noble metal counterparts. In this work, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived porous single-atom electrocatalysts (SAEs) were successfully prepared by simple pyrolysis procedure without any further post-treatment. Combining the X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and electrochemical measurements, the SAEs have been identifiedmore » with superior ORR activity and stability compared with Pt/C catalysts in alkaline condition. More impressively, the SAEs also show excellent ORR electrocatalytic performance in both acid and neutral media. Furthermore, this study of nonprecious catalysts provides new insights on nano-engineering catalytically active sites and porous structures for nonprecious metal ORR catalysis in a wide range of pH.« less

Nutritional quality of diet and academic performance in Chilean students.

PubMed

Correa-Burrows, Paulina; Burrows, Raquel; Blanco, Estela; Reyes, Marcela; Gahagan, Sheila

2016-03-01

To explore associations between the nutritional quality of diet at age 16 years and academic performance in students from Santiago, Chile. We assessed the nutritional quality of diet, using a validated food frequency questionnaire, in 395 students aged 16.8 ± 0.5 years. Depending on the amount of saturated fat, fibre, sugar and salt in the foods, diet was categorized as unhealthy, fair or healthy. Academic performance was assessed using high school grade-point average (GPA) and tests for college admission in language and mathematics. Academic results on or above the 75th percentile in our sample were considered good academic performance. We tested associations between nutritional quality of diet and good academic performance using logistic regression models. We considered sociodemographic, educational and body-mass index (BMI) factors as potential confounders. After controlling for potential confounding factors, an unhealthy diet at age 16 years was associated with reduced academic performance. Compared to participants with healthy diets, those with unhealthy diets were significantly less likely to perform well based on language tests (odds ratio, OR: 0.42; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.18-0.98) mathematics tests (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.15-0.82) or GPA (OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.09-0.56). In our sample, excessive consumption of energy-dense, low-fibre, high-fat foods at age 16 years was associated with reduced academic performance.

Prediction on carbon dioxide emissions based on fuzzy rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauzi, Herrini; Abdullah, Lazim

2014-06-01

There are several ways to predict air quality, varying from simple regression to models based on artificial intelligence. Most of the conventional methods are not sufficiently able to provide good forecasting performances due to the problems with non-linearity uncertainty and complexity of the data. Artificial intelligence techniques are successfully used in modeling air quality in order to cope with the problems. This paper describes fuzzy inference system (FIS) to predict CO2 emissions in Malaysia. Furthermore, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is used to compare the prediction performance. Data of five variables: energy use, gross domestic product per capita, population density, combustible renewable and waste and CO2 intensity are employed in this comparative study. The results from the two model proposed are compared and it is clearly shown that the ANFIS outperforms FIS in CO2 prediction.

Using the cost-effectiveness of allogeneic islet transplantation to inform induced pluripotent stem cell-derived β-cell therapy reimbursement.

PubMed

Archibald, Peter R T; Williams, David J

2015-11-01

In the present study a cost-effectiveness analysis of allogeneic islet transplantation was performed and the financial feasibility of a human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived β-cell therapy was explored. Previously published cost and health benefit data for islet transplantation were utilized to perform the cost-effectiveness and sensitivity analyses. It was determined that, over a 9-year time horizon, islet transplantation would become cost saving and 'dominate' the comparator. Over a 20-year time horizon, islet transplantation would incur significant cost savings over the comparator (GB£59,000). Finally, assuming a similar cost of goods to islet transplantation and a lack of requirement for immunosuppression, a human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived β-cell therapy would dominate the comparator over an 8-year time horizon.

Investigation of Super Learner Methodology on HIV-1 Small Sample: Application on Jaguar Trial Data.

PubMed

Houssaïni, Allal; Assoumou, Lambert; Marcelin, Anne Geneviève; Molina, Jean Michel; Calvez, Vincent; Flandre, Philippe

2012-01-01

Background. Many statistical models have been tested to predict phenotypic or virological response from genotypic data. A statistical framework called Super Learner has been introduced either to compare different methods/learners (discrete Super Learner) or to combine them in a Super Learner prediction method. Methods. The Jaguar trial is used to apply the Super Learner framework. The Jaguar study is an "add-on" trial comparing the efficacy of adding didanosine to an on-going failing regimen. Our aim was also to investigate the impact on the use of different cross-validation strategies and different loss functions. Four different repartitions between training set and validations set were tested through two loss functions. Six statistical methods were compared. We assess performance by evaluating R(2) values and accuracy by calculating the rates of patients being correctly classified. Results. Our results indicated that the more recent Super Learner methodology of building a new predictor based on a weighted combination of different methods/learners provided good performance. A simple linear model provided similar results to those of this new predictor. Slight discrepancy arises between the two loss functions investigated, and slight difference arises also between results based on cross-validated risks and results from full dataset. The Super Learner methodology and linear model provided around 80% of patients correctly classified. The difference between the lower and higher rates is around 10 percent. The number of mutations retained in different learners also varys from one to 41. Conclusions. The more recent Super Learner methodology combining the prediction of many learners provided good performance on our small dataset.

Association between attempted suicide and academic performance indicators among middle and high school students in Mexico: results from a national survey.

PubMed

Orozco, Ricardo; Benjet, Corina; Borges, Guilherme; Moneta Arce, María Fátima; Fregoso Ito, Diana; Fleiz, Clara; Villatoro, Jorge Ameth

2018-01-01

Students' mental health is associated to academic performance. In high income countries, higher students' grades are related to lower odds of suicidal behaviors, but studies on other indicators of academic performance are more limited, specially in middle income countries. Data from 28,519 middle and high school students selected with multistage clustered sampling in the Mexican National Survey of Student's Drug Use. Using a self-administered questionnaire, lifetime suicidal attempt and four indicators of academic performance were assessed: age inconsistency with grade level, not being a student in the last year, perceived academic performance and number of failed courses. Multiple logistic regression models were used to control for sociodemographic and school characteristics. The lifetime prevalence of attempted suicide was 3.0% for middle school students and 4.2% for high school students. Among middle school students, statistically adjusted significant associations of suicide attempt with academic performance indicators were: not being a student the year before, worse self-perceived performance and a higher number of failed courses; among high school students, predictors were failed courses and self-perceived academic performance, with ORs of 1.65 and 1.96 for the categories of good and fair/poor respectively, compared to those who reported very good performance. Self-perceived academic performance was the main indicator for suicide in both school levels. Suicide prevention efforts in Mexico's schools should include asking students about the perception they have about their own academic performance.

Imaging through strong turbulence with a light field approach.

PubMed

Wu, Chensheng; Ko, Jonathan; Davis, Christopher C

2016-05-30

Under strong turbulence conditions, object's images can be severely distorted and become unrecognizable throughout the observing time. Conventional image restoring algorithms do not perform effectively in these circumstances due to the loss of good references on the object. We propose the use a plenoptic sensor as a light field camera to map a conventional camera image onto a cell image array in the image's sub-angular spaces. Accordingly, each cell image on the plenoptic sensor is equivalent to the image acquired by a sub-aperture of the imaging lens. The wavefront distortion over the lens aperture can be analyzed by comparing cell images in the plenoptic sensor. By using a modified "Laplacian" metric, we can identify a good cell image in a plenoptic image sequence. The good cell image corresponds with the time and sub-aperture area on the imaging lens where wavefront distortion becomes relatively and momentarily "flat". As a result, it will reveal the fundamental truths of the object that would be severely distorted on normal cameras. In this paper, we will introduce the underlying physics principles and mechanisms of our approach and experimentally demonstrate its effectiveness under strong turbulence conditions. In application, our approach can be used to provide a good reference for conventional image restoring approaches under strong turbulence conditions. This approach can also be used as an independent device to perform object recognition tasks through severe turbulence distortions.

Ankle surgery: focus on arthroscopy.

PubMed

Cavallo, M; Natali, S; Ruffilli, A; Buda, R; Vannini, F; Castagnini, F; Ferranti, E; Giannini, S

2013-12-01

The ankle joint can be affected by several diseases, with clinical presentation varying from mild pain or swelling to inability, becoming in some cases a serious problem in daily life activities. Arthroscopy is a widely performed procedure in orthopedic surgery, due to the low invasivity compared to the more traditional open field surgery. The ankle joint presents anatomical specificities, like small space and tangential view that make arthroscopy more difficult. From 2000 more than 600 ankle arthroscopies were performed at our institution. The treated pathologies were mostly impingement syndrome and osteochondral lesions, and in lower percentage instabilities and ankle fractures. In the impingement, the AOFAS scores at FU showed an increase compared to scores collected preoperatively, with improvement of symptoms in most of the cases, good or excellent results in 80 % of cases. In ligament injuries, AOFAS score significatively improved at the maximum follow-up. In fractures all patients had an excellent AOFAS score at maximum follow-up, with complete return to their pre-injury activities. In osteochondral injuries, the clinical results showed a progressive improvement over time with  the different performed procedures. Control MRI and bioptic samples showed a good regeneration of the cartilage and bone tissue in the lesion site. The encouraging obtained clinical results, in line with the literature, show how the arthroscopic technique, after an adequate learning curve, may represent a precious aid for the orthopedic surgeon and for the patient's outcome. Case series, Level IV.

Performance evaluation of the Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby and the Sysmex XT-2000i haematology analysers.

PubMed

Leers, M P G; Goertz, H; Feller, A; Hoffmann, J J M L

2011-02-01

Two mid-range haematology analysers (Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby and Sysmex XT-2000i) were evaluated to determine their analytical performance and workflow efficiency in the haematology laboratory. In total 418 samples were processed for determining equivalence of complete blood count (CBC) measurements, and 100 for reticulocyte comparison. Blood smears served for assessing the agreement of the differential counts. Inter-instrument agreement for most parameters was good although small numbers of discrepancies were observed. Systematic biases were found for mean cell volume, reticulocytes, platelets and mean platelet volume. CELL-DYN Ruby WBC differentials were obtained with all samples while the XT-2000i suppressed differentials partially or completely in 13 samples (3.1%). WBC subpopulation counts were otherwise in good agreement with no major outliers. Following first-pass CBC/differential analysis, 88 (21%) of XT-2000i samples required further analyser processing compared to 18 (4.3%) for the CELL-DYN Ruby. Smear referrals for suspected WBC/nucleated red blood cells and platelet abnormalities were indicated for 106 (25.4%) and 95 (22.7%) of the XT-2000i and CELL-DYN Ruby samples respectively. Flagging efficiencies for both analysers were found to be similar. The Sysmex XT-2000i and Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby analysers have broadly comparable analytical performance, but the CELL-DYN Ruby showed superior first-pass efficiency. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Color enhancement and image defogging in HSI based on Retinex model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Han; Wei, Ping; Ke, Jun

2015-08-01

Retinex is a luminance perceptual algorithm based on color consistency. It has a good performance in color enhancement. But in some cases, the traditional Retinex algorithms, both Single-Scale Retinex(SSR) and Multi-Scale Retinex(MSR) in RGB color space, do not work well and will cause color deviation. To solve this problem, we present improved SSR and MSR algorithms. Compared to other Retinex algorithms, we implement Retinex algorithms in HSI(Hue, Saturation, Intensity) color space, and use a parameter αto improve quality of the image. Moreover, the algorithms presented in this paper has a good performance in image defogging. Contrasted with traditional Retinex algorithms, we use intensity channel to obtain reflection information of an image. The intensity channel is processed using a Gaussian center-surround image filter to get light information, which should be removed from intensity channel. After that, we subtract the light information from intensity channel to obtain the reflection image, which only includes the attribute of the objects in image. Using the reflection image and a parameter α, which is an arbitrary scale factor set manually, we improve the intensity channel, and complete the color enhancement. Our experiments show that this approach works well compared with existing methods for color enhancement. Besides a better performance in color deviation problem and image defogging, a visible improvement in the image quality for human contrast perception is also observed.

Hydro-economic assessment of hydrological forecasting systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boucher, M.-A.; Tremblay, D.; Delorme, L.; Perreault, L.; Anctil, F.

2012-01-01

SummaryAn increasing number of publications show that ensemble hydrological forecasts exhibit good performance when compared to observed streamflow. Many studies also conclude that ensemble forecasts lead to a better performance than deterministic ones. This investigation takes one step further by not only comparing ensemble and deterministic forecasts to observed values, but by employing the forecasts in a stochastic decision-making assistance tool for hydroelectricity production, during a flood event on the Gatineau River in Canada. This allows the comparison between different types of forecasts according to their value in terms of energy, spillage and storage in a reservoir. The motivation for this is to adopt the point of view of an end-user, here a hydroelectricity production society. We show that ensemble forecasts exhibit excellent performances when compared to observations and are also satisfying when involved in operation management for electricity production. Further improvement in terms of productivity can be reached through the use of a simple post-processing method.

A comparative study of one-step and two-step approaches for MAPbI3 perovskite layer and its influence on the performance of mesoscopic perovskite solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Minhuan; Feng, Yulin; Bian, Jiming; Liu, Hongzhu; Shi, Yantao

2018-01-01

The mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (M-PSCs) were synthesized with MAPbI3 perovskite layers as light harvesters, which were grown with one-step and two-step solution process, respectively. A comparative study was performed through the quantitative correlation of resulting device performance and the crystalline quality of perovskite layers. Comparing with the one-step counterpart, a pronounced improvement in the steady-state power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) by 56.86% was achieved with two-step process, which was mainly resulted from the significant enhancement in fill factor (FF) from 48% to 77% without sacrificing the open circuit voltage (Voc) and short circuit current (Jsc). The enhanced FF was attributed to the reduced non-radiative recombination channels due to the better crystalline quality and larger grain size with the two-step processed perovskite layer. Moreover, the superiority of two-step over one-step process was demonstrated with rather good reproducibility.

Microwave photonic link with improved phase noise using a balanced detection scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Jingjing; Gu, Yiying; Tan, Wengang; Zhu, Wenwu; Wang, Linghua; Zhao, Mingshan

2016-07-01

A microwave photonic link (MPL) with improved phase noise performance using a dual output Mach-Zehnder modulator (DP-MZM) and balanced detection is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The fundamental concept of the approach is based on the two complementary outputs of DP-MZM and the destructive combination of the photocurrent in balanced photodetector (BPD). Theoretical analysis is performed to numerical evaluate the additive phase noise performance and shows a good agreement with the experiment. Experimental results are presented for 4 GHz, 8 GHz and 12 GHz transmission link and an 11 dB improvement of phase noise performance at 10 MHz offset is achieved compared to the conventional intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IMDD) MPL.

Embedded Hyperchaotic Generators: A Comparative Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadoudi, Said; Tanougast, Camel; Azzaz, Mohamad Salah; Dandache, Abbas

In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of FPGA implementation performances, in terms of throughput and resources cost, of five well known autonomous continuous hyperchaotic systems. The goal of this analysis is to identify the embedded hyperchaotic generator which leads to designs with small logic area cost, satisfactory throughput rates, low power consumption and low latency required for embedded applications such as secure digital communications between embedded systems. To implement the four-dimensional (4D) chaotic systems, we use a new structural hardware architecture based on direct VHDL description of the forth order Runge-Kutta method (RK-4). The comparative analysis shows that the hyperchaotic Lorenz generator provides attractive performances compared to that of others. In fact, its hardware implementation requires only 2067 CLB-slices, 36 multipliers and no block RAMs, and achieves a throughput rate of 101.6 Mbps, at the output of the FPGA circuit, at a clock frequency of 25.315 MHz with a low latency time of 316 ns. Consequently, these good implementation performances offer to the embedded hyperchaotic Lorenz generator the advantage of being the best candidate for embedded communications applications.

Comparative Study of Hand-Sutured versus Circular Stapled Anastomosis for Gastrojejunostomy in Laparoscopy Assisted Distal Gastrectomy.

PubMed

Seo, Su Hyun; Kim, Ki Han; Kim, Min Chan; Choi, Hong Jo; Jung, Ghap Joong

2012-06-01

Mechanical stapler is regarded as a good alternative to the hand sewing technique, when used in gastric reconstruction. The circular stapling method has been widely applied to gastrectomy (open orlaparoscopic), for gastric cancer. We illustrated and compared the hand-sutured method to the circular stapling method, for Billroth-II, in patients who underwent laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Between April 2009 and May 2011, 60 patients who underwent laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy, with Billroth-II, were enrolled. Hand-sutured Billroth-II was performed in 40 patients (manual group) and circular stapler Billroth-II was performed in 20 patients (stapler group). Clinicopathological features and post-operative outcomes were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Nosignificant differences were observed in clinicopathologic parameters and post-operative outcomes, except in the operation times. Operation times and anastomosis times were significantly shorter in the stapler group (P=0.004 and P<0.001). Compared to the hand-sutured method, the circular stapling method can be applied safely and more efficiently, when performing Billroth-II anastomosis, after laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer.

Smoking during pregnancy among Turkish immigrants in Germany-are there associations with acculturation?

PubMed

Reiss, Katharina; Breckenkamp, Jürgen; Borde, Theda; Brenne, Silke; David, Matthias; Razum, Oliver

2015-06-01

We analyzed the association between different acculturation measures and smoking among pregnant immigrant women from Turkey and compared smoking rates between Turkish and German women. Perinatal data from a project on the influence of migration and acculturation on pregnancy and birth in Berlin was analyzed. An acculturation index (FRAKK) and two proxy measures (German language proficiency, length of stay in Germany) were used. We performed logistic regression models and calculated age-standardized prevalence ratios (SPR). Smoking prevalence was 19.8% among pregnant Turkish women (n = 702) and 17.8% among German women (n = 2,999). The chance of being a smoker was significantly higher among Turkish women with a length of stay of ≥20 years compared to 0-4 years (OR = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.64-8.05); with good/very good language skills compared to none/minor skills; with high levels of acculturation compared to low levels (the latter only among 18-29-year-old women). Compared to German women, Turkish women with a short length of stay, low acculturation scores and none/minor language skills had lower smoking rates. This finding inverts with long length of stay, high acculturation scores and good/very good language skills (≥20 years: SPR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.56-2.94). Smoking among pregnant Turkish women increases with increasing acculturation. Additionally, immigrant women with a low acculturation level are less often smokers and women with a high level are more often smokers than German women. Prevention measures have to prevent women with a low acculturation from starting to smoke and to induce those with a high acculturation to quit. As smoking and acculturation are group phenomena, it is necessary to involve immigrant communities. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Toe pressure determination by audiophotoplethysmography.

PubMed

Fronek, A; Blazek, V; Curran, B

1994-08-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of audiophotoplethysmography as a modality to measure toe pressure without the requirement of a recorder. A portable photoplethysmograph with an audio output was used to determine toe pressures, and the results were compared with those obtained by a commercial photoplethysmograph with a recorder. Thirty-one measurements in control subjects and 62 measurements in patients with arterial occlusive disease were performed. The average toe pressure recorded with oscillography with standard photoplethysmography was 103.5 mm Hg +/- 14.7 SD and 95.9 mm Hg +/- 13.4 SD with audio-photoplethysmography. In the patient group the pressure recorded with a commercial photoplethysmograph was 65.3 mm Hg +/- 34.9 SD compared with 61.6 mm Hg +/- 34.8 SD obtained with audio-photoplethysmography. The difference in both groups was insignificant, and the correlation between both methods was very good. A portable hand-held photoplethysmograph equipped with an audio output was used to measure toe pressure in control subjects and in patients with arterial occlusive disease. The results have been compared with the oscillometric method by a standard commercial photoplethysmograph connected to a recorder. The correlation was very good in the control and patient groups, and the difference between both methods was below the level of statistical significance. The fact that no recorder is needed may help in introducing toe pressure measurement into everyday office diagnostic practice.

Proximalisation of the tibial tubercle gives a good outcome in patients undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty who have pseudo patella baja.

PubMed

Vandeputte, F-J; Vandenneucker, H

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with and without proximalisation of the tibial tubercle in patients with a failed primary TKA who have pseudo patella baja. All revision TKAs, performed between January 2008 and November 2013 at a tertiary referral University Orthopaedic Department were retrospectively reviewed. Pseudo patella baja was defined using the modified Insall-Salvati and the Blackburne-Peel ratios. A proximalisation of the tibial tubercle was performed in 13 patients with pseudo patella baja who were matched with a control group of 13 patients for gender, age, height, weight, body mass index, length of surgery and Blackburne-Peel ratio. Outcome was assessed two years post-operatively using the Knee Society Score (KSS). The increase in KSS was significantly higher in the osteotomy group compared with the control group. The outcome was statistically better in patients in whom proximalisation of > 1 cm had been achieved compared with those in whom the proximalisation was < 1 cm. In this retrospective case-control study, a proximal transfer of the tibial tubercle at revision TKA in patients with pseudo patella baja gives good outcomes without major complications. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:912-16. ©2017 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Efficacy of do-it-yourself whitening as compared to conventional tooth whitening modalities: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Kwon, S R; Meharry, M; Oyoyo, U; Li, Y

2015-01-01

To evaluate the efficacy of do-it-yourself (DIY) whitening as compared to conventional tooth whitening modalities using different shade assessment tools. Extracted human molars (120) were randomly distributed to six groups (n=20). Whitening was performed according to manufacturer's directions for over-the-counter, dentist-dispensed for home use, and in-office whitening. DIY whitening consisted of a strawberry and baking soda mix. Additionally, negative and positive controls were used. Two evaluators used the Vita Classical (VC) and Vita Bleachedguide 3D-Master with interpolated numbers (BGi) for visual assessment at baseline and one-week, one-month, and three-month postwhitening. Instrumental measurements were performed with a spectrophotometer. Kruskal-Wallis procedure was used to assess color changes among groups and intraclass correlation (ICC) to evaluate agreement between evaluators. DIY exhibited lower color change (ΔSGUVC, ΔSGUBGi, ΔE*, where SGU = shade guide unit and E = overall color change) compared to other whitening groups at all time points (p<0.05). ICC demonstrated very good agreement between evaluators with VC and BGi at each time point. Both shade guides were related with each other and strongly related to instrumental measurements (p<0.05). DIY whitening was the least effective whitening modality. Both VC and BGi are related with each other and have good correlation with instrumental measurements.

Analytical performance of benchtop total reflection X-ray fluorescence instrumentation for multielemental analysis of wine samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalipi, Rogerta; Marguí, Eva; Borgese, Laura; Bilo, Fabjola; Depero, Laura E.

2016-06-01

Recent technological improvements have led to a widespread adoption of benchtop total reflection X-ray fluorescence systems (TXRF) for analysis of liquid samples. However, benchtop TXRF systems usually present limited sensitivity compared with high-scale instrumentation which can restrict its application in some fields. The aim of the present work was to evaluate and compare the analytical capabilities of two TXRF systems, equipped with low power Mo and W target X-ray tubes, for multielemental analysis of wine samples. Using the Mo-TXRF system, the detection limits for most elements were one order of magnitude lower than those attained using the W-TXRF system. For the detection of high Z elements like Cd and Ag, however, W-TXRF remains a very good option due to the possibility of K-Lines detection. Accuracy and precision of the obtained results have been evaluated analyzing spiked real wine samples and comparing the TXRF results with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). In general, good agreement was obtained between ICP-OES and TXRF results for the analysis of both red and white wine samples except for light elements (i.e., K) which TXRF concentrations were underestimated. However, a further achievement of analytical quality of TXRF results can be achieved if wine analysis is performed after dilution of the sample with de-ionized water.

Comparative Study on Cushion Performance Between 3D Printed Kelvin Structure and 3D Printed Lattice Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priyadarshini, Lakshmi

Frequently transported packaging goods are more prone to damage due to impact, jolting or vibration in transit. Fragile goods, for example, glass, ceramics, porcelain are susceptible to mechanical stresses. Hence ancillary materials like cushions play an important role when utilized within package. In this work, an analytical model of a 3D cellular structure is established based on Kelvin model and lattice structure. The research will provide a comparative study between the 3D printed Kelvin unit structure and 3D printed lattice structure. The comparative investigation is based on parameters defining cushion performance such as cushion creep, indentation, and cushion curve analysis. The applications of 3D printing is in rapid prototyping where the study will provide information of which model delivers better form of energy absorption. 3D printed foam will be shown as a cost-effective approach as prototype. The research also investigates about the selection of material for 3D printing process. As cushion development demands flexible material, three-dimensional printing with material having elastomeric properties is required. Further, the concept of cushion design is based on Kelvin model structure and lattice structure. The analytical solution provides the cushion curve analysis with respect to the results observed when load is applied over the cushion. The results are reported on basis of attenuation and amplification curves.

Prognostic factors in patients with malignant pleural effusion: Is it possible to predict mortality in patients with good performance status?

PubMed

Abrao, Fernando Conrado; Peixoto, Renata D'Alpino; de Abreu, Igor Renato Louro Bruno; Janini, Maria Cláudia; Viana, Geisa Garcia; de Oliveira, Mariana Campello; Younes, Riad Naim

2016-04-01

The aim of this study was to identify predictors of mortality only in patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) showing good performance status which required pleural palliative procedures. All patients with MPE submitted to pleural palliative procedure were enrolled in a prospective study between 2013 and 2014. Patients with Eastern cooperative oncology group (ECOG) score zero, one, and two were considered with good performance status. The possible prognostic factors were tested for significance using the log-rank test (Kaplan-Meier method) and those with significance on univariate analysis were entered into a multivariable Cox model. A total of 64 patients were included in the analysis. Median follow-up time for surviving patients was 263 days. Median survival for the entire cohort was not reached yet. In the multivariate analysis, gastrointestinal primary site (P = 0.006), low albumin concentration in the pleural fluid (P = 0.017), and high serum NLR (P = 0.007) were associated with mortality. In our cohort of ECOG 0-2 patients with MPE submitted to pleural palliative procedures, gastrointestinal malignancy compared to other sites, low pleural fluid albumin and high NLR were significantly associated with mortality. The identification of these prognostic factors may assist the choice of the optimal palliative technique. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:570-574. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cross Check of NOvA Oscillation Probabilities

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

Parke, Stephen J.; Messier, Mark D.

2018-01-12

In this note we perform a cross check of the programs used by NOvA to calculate the 3-flavor oscillation probabilities with a independent program using a different method. The comparison is performed at 6 significant figures and the agreement,more » $$|\\Delta P|/P$$ is better than $$10^{-5}$$, as good as can be expected with 6 significant figures. In addition, a simple and accurate alternative method to calculate the oscillation probabilities is outlined and compared in the L/E range and matter density relevant for the NOvA experiment.« less

Multi-Scale Scattering Transform in Music Similarity Measuring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ruobai

Scattering transform is a Mel-frequency spectrum based, time-deformation stable method, which can be used in evaluating music similarity. Compared with Dynamic time warping, it has better performance in detecting similar audio signals under local time-frequency deformation. Multi-scale scattering means to combine scattering transforms of different window lengths. This paper argues that, multi-scale scattering transform is a good alternative of dynamic time warping in music similarity measuring. We tested the performance of multi-scale scattering transform against other popular methods, with data designed to represent different conditions.

Synthesis of Co 2SnO 4@C core-shell nanostructures with reversible lithium storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yue; Du, Ning; Zhang, Hui; Wu, Ping; Yang, Deren

This paper reports the synthesis of Co 2SnO 4@C core-shell nanostructures through a simple glucose hydrothermal and subsequent carbonization approach. The as-synthesized Co 2SnO 4@C core-shell nanostructures have been applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which exhibit improved cyclic performance compared to pure Co 2SnO 4 nanocrystals. The carbon matrix has good volume buffering effect and high electronic conductivity, which may be responsible for the improved cyclic performance.

Carbon-coated SnO2 nanotubes: template-engaged synthesis and their application in lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ping; Du, Ning; Zhang, Hui; Yu, Jingxue; Qi, Yue; Yang, Deren

2011-02-01

This paper reports the synthesis of carbon-coated SnO2 (SnO2-C) nanotubes through a simple glucose hydrothermal and subsequent carbonization approach by using Sn nanorods as sacrificial templates. The as-synthesized SnO2-C nanotubes have been applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which exhibit improved cyclic performance compared to pure SnO2 nanotubes. The hollow nanostructure, together with the carbon matrix which has good buffering effect and high electronic conductivity, can be responsible for the improved cyclic performance.

Extended resource allocation index for link prediction of complex network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shuxin; Ji, Xinsheng; Liu, Caixia; Bai, Yi

2017-08-01

Recently, a number of similarity-based methods have been proposed to predict the missing links in complex network. Among these indices, the resource allocation index performs very well with lower time complexity. However, it ignores potential resources transferred by local paths between two endpoints. Motivated by the resource exchange taking places between endpoints, an extended resource allocation index is proposed. Empirical study on twelve real networks and three synthetic dynamic networks has shown that the index we proposed can achieve a good performance, compared with eight mainstream baselines.

Comparison of NiS2 and α-NiS hollow spheres for supercapacitors, non-enzymatic glucose sensors and water treatment.

PubMed

Wei, Chengzhen; Cheng, Cheng; Cheng, Yanyan; Wang, Yan; Xu, Yazhou; Du, Weimin; Pang, Huan

2015-10-21

NiS2 hollow spheres are successfully prepared by a one-step template free method. Meanwhile, α-NiS hollow spheres can also be synthesized via the calcination of the pre-obtained NiS2 hollow spheres at 400 °C for 1 h in air. The electrochemical performances of the as-prepared NiS2 and α-NiS hollow sphere products are evaluated. When used for supercapacitors, compared with NiS2 hollow spheres, the α-NiS hollow sphere electrode shows a large specific capacitance of 717.3 F g(-1) at 0.6 A g(-1) and a good cycle life. Furthermore, NiS2 and α-NiS hollow spheres are successfully applied to fabricate non-enzymatic glucose sensors. In particular, the α-NiS hollow spheres exhibit good catalytic activity for the oxidation of glucose, a fast amperometric response time of less than 5 s, and the detection limit is estimated to be 0.08 μM. More importantly, compared with other normally co-existing interfering species, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid and dopamine, the electrode modified with α-NiS hollow spheres shows good selectivity. Moreover, the α-NiS hollow spheres also present good capacity to remove Congo red organic pollutants from wastewater by their surface adsorption ability.

Mini-FLOTAC and Kato-Katz: helminth eggs watching on the shore of Lake Victoria.

PubMed

Barda, Beatrice; Zepherine, Henry; Rinaldi, Laura; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Burioni, Roberto; Clementi, Massimo; Albonico, Marco

2013-07-31

One of the challenges for monitoring helminth control programmes based on preventive chemotherapy is the lack of a copro-parasitological gold-standard method that combines good sensitivity with quantitative performance, low cost, and easy-to-learn technique.The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare, the WHO recommended quantitative diagnostic technique (Kato-Katz) and the Mini-FLOTAC. Mini-FLOTAC is an innovative method based on floatation of helminths eggs with two different solutions (FS2 and FS7) using a close system (Fill-FLOTAC) with 5% fixative. Kato-Katz was performed following WHO recommendation. The study was carried out in a rural part of Tanzania, close to Lake Victoria, where the laboratory facilities are fairly scarce, and the basic technique used in the local laboratory (direct smear) was taken as reference standard. 201 children were screened for intestinal helminths and 91% of them were found to be positive. The agreement among the three techniques was calculated with k Cohen coefficient and was fairly good (k = 0.4), although the Mini-FLOTAC results were more sensitive for hookworm (98%) with FS2, and for S.mansoni (90%) with FS7 followed by Kato-Katz (91% and 60% respectively) and direct smear (30% and 10% respectively). A good agreement was found between Mini-FLOTAC and Kato-Katz (k = 0.81) with FS7 (k = 0.76) for hookworm diagnosis and a fairly good one for S.mansoni diagnosis (k = 0.5). For both infections we had a poor agreement between the two quantitative techniques and the direct smear (k<0.3). Kato-Katz diagnosed a higher number of eggs (calculated by arithmetic mean) both for hookworm (455 vs 424 EPG) and for S.mansoni (71 vs 58 EPG) compared with the Mini-FLOTAC, but the differences were not significant (p = 0.4). Mini-FLOTAC is a promising technique, comparable and as sensitive as the Kato-Katz, which is the recommended method in intestinal helminthology for monitoring helminth control programmes. A comparative advantage of the Mini-FLOTAC is that it comprises of a closed system with preserved samples that both protects the operators and allows subsequent examination of the samples. Further studies are needed to validate the mini-FLOTAC with other quantitative techniques (McMaster) and in different settings where other soil-transmitted helminths are also endemic.

SLIC superpixels compared to state-of-the-art superpixel methods.

PubMed

Achanta, Radhakrishna; Shaji, Appu; Smith, Kevin; Lucchi, Aurelien; Fua, Pascal; Süsstrunk, Sabine

2012-11-01

Computer vision applications have come to rely increasingly on superpixels in recent years, but it is not always clear what constitutes a good superpixel algorithm. In an effort to understand the benefits and drawbacks of existing methods, we empirically compare five state-of-the-art superpixel algorithms for their ability to adhere to image boundaries, speed, memory efficiency, and their impact on segmentation performance. We then introduce a new superpixel algorithm, simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC), which adapts a k-means clustering approach to efficiently generate superpixels. Despite its simplicity, SLIC adheres to boundaries as well as or better than previous methods. At the same time, it is faster and more memory efficient, improves segmentation performance, and is straightforward to extend to supervoxel generation.

Verification of directed self-assembly (DSA) guide patterns through machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shim, Seongbo; Cai, Sibo; Yang, Jaewon; Yang, Seunghune; Choi, Byungil; Shin, Youngsoo

2015-03-01

Verification of full-chip DSA guide patterns (GPs) through simulations is not practical due to long runtime. We develop a decision function (or functions), which receives n geometry parameters of a GP as inputs and predicts whether the GP faithfully produces desired contacts (good) or not (bad). We take a few sample GPs to construct the function; DSA simulations are performed for each GP to decide whether it is good or bad, and the decision is marked in n-dimensional space. The hyper-plane that separates good marks and bad marks in that space is determined through machine learning process, and corresponds to our decision function. We try a single global function that can be applied to any GP types, and a series of functions in which each function is customized for different GP type; they are then compared and assessed in 10nm technology.

Mathematics skills in good readers with hydrocephalus.

PubMed

Barnes, Marcia A; Pengelly, Sarah; Dennis, Maureen; Wilkinson, Margaret; Rogers, Tracey; Faulkner, Heather

2002-01-01

Children with hydrocephalus have poor math skills. We investigated the nature of their arithmetic computation errors by comparing written subtraction errors in good readers with hydrocephalus, typically developing good readers of the same age, and younger children matched for math level to the children with hydrocephalus. Children with hydrocephalus made more procedural errors (although not more fact retrieval or visual-spatial errors) than age-matched controls; they made the same number of procedural errors as younger, math-level matched children. We also investigated a broad range of math abilities, and found that children with hydrocephalus performed more poorly than age-matched controls on tests of geometry and applied math skills such as estimation and problem solving. Computation deficits in children with hydrocephalus reflect delayed development of procedural knowledge. Problems in specific math domains such as geometry and applied math, were associated with deficits in constituent cognitive skills such as visual spatial competence, memory, and general knowledge.

The specific role of inhibition in reading comprehension in good and poor comprehenders.

PubMed

Borella, Erika; Carretti, Barbara; Pelegrina, Santiago

2010-01-01

Difficulties in inhibitory processes have been shown to characterize the performance of poor comprehenders. However, the inhibitory inefficiency of poor comprehenders is most often assessed by their resistance to proactive interference, that is, the ability to suppress off-goal task information from working memory (WM). In two studies tasks assessing resistance to proactive interference (intrusion errors), response to distracters (Text With Distracters task) and prepotent response inhibition (Stroop and Hayling tests), along with WM measures, were administered to children aged 10 to 11, both good and poor comprehenders. The aim of the study was to specifically determine whether general or specific inhibitory factors affect poor comprehenders' reading difficulties. Results showed that poor comprehenders, compared to good ones, are impaired in WM tasks and in inhibitory tasks that assess resistance to proactive interference. This suggests that reading comprehension difficulties of poor comprehenders are related to specific inhibitory problems.

Development of a new multi-layer insulation blanket with non-interlayer-contact spacer for space cryogenic mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyakita, Takeshi; Hatakenaka, Ryuta; Sugita, Hiroyuki; Saitoh, Masanori; Hirai, Tomoyuki

2014-11-01

For conventional Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) blankets, it is difficult to control the layer density and the thermal insulation performance degrades due to the increase in conductive heat leak through interlayer contacts. At low temperatures, the proportion of conductive heat transfer through MLI blankets is large compared to that of radiative heat transfer, hence the decline in thermal insulation performance is significant. A new type of MLI blanket using new spacers; the Non-Interlayer-Contact Spacer MLI (NICS MLI) has been developed. This new MLI blanket uses small discrete spacers and can exclude uncertain interlayer contact between films. It is made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) making it suitable for space use. The cross-sectional area to length ratio of the spacer is 1.0 × 10-5 m with a 10 mm diameter and 4 mm height. The insulation performance is measured with a boil-off calorimeter. Because the NICS MLI blanket can exclude uncertain interlayer contact, the test results showed good agreement with estimations. Furthermore, the NICS MLI blanket shows significantly good insulation performance (effective emissivity is 0.0046 at ordinary temperature), particularly at low temperatures, due to the high thermal resistance of this spacer.

Performance of Several Density Functional Theory Methods on Describing Hydrogen-Bond Interactions.

PubMed

Rao, Li; Ke, Hongwei; Fu, Gang; Xu, Xin; Yan, Yijing

2009-01-13

We have investigated eleven density functionals, including LDA, PBE, mPWPW91, TPSS, B3LYP, X3LYP, PBE0, O3LYP, B97-1, MPW1K, and TPSSh, for their performances on describing hydrogen bond (HB) interactions. The emphasis has been laid not only on their abilities to calculate the intermolecular hydrogen bonding energies but also on their performances in predicting the relative energies of intermolecular H-bonded complexes and the conformer stabilities due to intramolecular hydrogen bondings. As compared to the best theoretical values, we found that although PBE and PBE0 gave the best estimation of HB strengths, they might fail to predict the correct order of relative HB energies, which might lead to a wrong prediction of the global minimum for different conformers. TPSS and TPSSh did not always improve over PBE and PBE0. B3LYP was found to underestimate the intermolecular HB strengths but was among the best performers in calculating the relative HB energies. We showed here that X3LYP and B97-1 were able to give good values for both absolute HB strengths and relative HB energies, making these functionals good candidates for HB description.

Innovative hyperchaotic encryption algorithm for compressed video

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chun; Zhong, Yuzhuo; Yang, Shiqiang

2002-12-01

It is accepted that stream cryptosystem can achieve good real-time performance and flexibility which implements encryption by selecting few parts of the block data and header information of the compressed video stream. Chaotic random number generator, for example Logistics Map, is a comparatively promising substitute, but it is easily attacked by nonlinear dynamic forecasting and geometric information extracting. In this paper, we present a hyperchaotic cryptography scheme to encrypt the compressed video, which integrates Logistics Map with Z(232 - 1) field linear congruential algorithm to strengthen the security of the mono-chaotic cryptography, meanwhile, the real-time performance and flexibility of the chaotic sequence cryptography are maintained. It also integrates with the dissymmetrical public-key cryptography and implements encryption and identity authentification on control parameters at initialization phase. In accord with the importance of data in compressed video stream, encryption is performed in layered scheme. In the innovative hyperchaotic cryptography, the value and the updating frequency of control parameters can be changed online to satisfy the requirement of the network quality, processor capability and security requirement. The innovative hyperchaotic cryprography proves robust security by cryptoanalysis, shows good real-time performance and flexible implement capability through the arithmetic evaluating and test.

Coated Porous Si for High Performance On-Chip Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoras, K.; Keskinen, J.; Grönberg, L.; Ahopelto, J.; Prunnila, M.

2014-11-01

High performance porous Si based supercapacitor electrodes are demonstrated. High power density and stability is provided by ultra-thin TiN coating of the porous Si matrix. The TiN layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which provides sufficient conformality to reach the bottom of the high aspect ratio pores. Our porous Si supercapacitor devices exhibit almost ideal double layer capacitor characteristic with electrode volumetric capacitance of 7.3 F/cm3. Several orders of magnitude increase in power and energy density is obtained comparing to uncoated porous silicon electrodes. Good stability of devices is confirmed performing several thousands of charge/discharge cycles.

Computer-aided design of negative allosteric modulators of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5): Comparative molecular field analysis of aryl ether derivatives.

PubMed

Selvam, Chelliah; Thilagavathi, Ramasamy; Narasimhan, Balasubramanian; Kumar, Pradeep; Jordan, Brian C; Ranganna, Kasturi

2016-02-15

The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu receptors) have emerged as attractive targets for number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Recently, mGluR5 negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) have gained considerable attention in pharmacological research. Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was performed on 73 analogs of aryl ether which were reported as mGluR5 NAMs. The study produced a statistically significant model with high correlation coefficient and good predictive abilities. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparison of Computational Results with a Low-g, Nitrogen Slosh and Boiling Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Mark; Moder, Jeff

2015-01-01

The proposed paper will compare a fluid/thermal simulation, in FLUENT, with a low-g, nitrogen slosh experiment. The French Space Agency, CNES, performed cryogenic nitrogen experiments in several zero gravity aircraft campaigns. The computational results have been compared with high-speed photographic data, pressure data, and temperature data from sensors on the axis of the cylindrically shaped tank. The comparison between these experimental and computational results is generally favorable: the initial temperature stratification is in good agreement, and the two-phase fluid motion is qualitatively captured.

Transmission properties of 2D metamaterial photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mejía-Salazar, Jorge; Porras-Montenegro, Nelson

2014-03-01

By using the finite difference time domain technique, we have performed a theoretical study of the transmission properties in 2D photonic crystals composed by circular cilyndrical metamaterial rods. Numerical transmission spectra was compared with its corresponding photonic band structure in the case of an infinite periodic 2D array obtaining a very good agreement. On the other hand, we have characterized the corresponding symmetries for this system and the results were compared with its corresponding conventional plasmonic metamaterial counterpart. J.R. M-S is funded by the Colombian Agency COLCIENCIAS.

Materials and Morphology Study for Templated Hydrogen Solidification

DOE PAGES

Shin, Swanee J.; Kozioziemski, Bernard J.

2017-11-29

In this work, we performed a series of experiments to elucidate the characteristics of a good template for solid hydrogen nucleation. Zinc stands out among several materials with comparable size and shape. Nucleation could be observed to occur on top of sharp features, such as grain boundaries and cracks, but our attempts proved unsuccessful to fabricate or replicate such features. The variations of the supercooling (ΔT) values measured for comparable samples and the dependence of ΔT on the cell temperature cycling revealed that templated nucleation of solid hydrogen is a very delicate process.

Intelligence related upper alpha desynchronization in a semantic memory task.

PubMed

Doppelmayr, M; Klimesch, W; Hödlmoser, K; Sauseng, P; Gruber, W

2005-07-30

Recent evidence shows that event-related (upper) alpha desynchronization (ERD) is related to cognitive performance. Several studies observed a positive, some a negative relationship. The latter finding, interpreted in terms of the neural efficiency hypothesis, suggests that good performance is associated with a more 'efficient', smaller extent of cortical activation. Other studies found that ERD increases with semantic processing demands and that this increase is larger for good performers. Studies supporting the neural efficiency hypothesis used tasks that do not specifically require semantic processing. Thus, we assume that the lack of semantic processing demands may at least in part be responsible for the reduced ERD. In the present study we measured ERD during a difficult verbal-semantic task. The findings demonstrate that during semantic processing, more intelligent (as compared to less intelligent) subjects exhibited a significantly larger upper alpha ERD over the left hemisphere. We conclude that more intelligent subjects exhibit a more extensive activation in a semantic processing system and suggest that divergent findings regarding the neural efficiency hypotheses are due to task specific differences in semantic processing demands.

Development of polyisocyanurate pour foam formulation for space shuttle external tank thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, James A.; Butler, John M.; Chartoff, Richard P.

1988-01-01

Four commercially available polyisocyanurate polyurethane spray-foam insulation formulations are used to coat the external tank of the space shuttle. There are several problems associated with these formulations. For example, some do not perform well as pourable closeout/repair systems. Some do not perform well at cryogenic temperatures (poor adhesion to aluminum at liquid nitrogen temperatures). Their thermal stability at elevated temperatures is not adequate. A major defect in all the systems is the lack of detailed chemical information. The formulations are simply supplied to NASA and Martin Marietta, the primary contractor, as components; Part A (isocyanate) and Part B (poly(s) and additives). Because of the lack of chemical information the performance behavior data for the current system, NASA sought the development of a non-proprietary room temperature curable foam insulation. Requirements for the developed system were that it should exhibit equal or better thermal stability both at elevated and cryogenic temperatures with better adhesion to aluminum as compared to the current system. Several formulations were developed that met these requirements, i.e., thermal stability, good pourability, and good bonding to aluminum.

The 1996 High Schools That Work Assessment: Good News and Bad News for Health Occupations Programs. Research Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottoms, Gene; Presson, Alice

The academic achievement of students in health occupations programs at High Schools That Work (HSTW) sites in 1996 was compared to academic performance levels at HSTW sites in 1994. Health occupations students at HSTW sites improved their average reading scores from 269 in 1993 to 278 in 1996. During the study period, the gap widened between HSTW…

Empty-bladder (hysterographic) view on US for evaluation of intrauterine devices. Work in progress.

PubMed

Carroll, R; Gombergh, R

1987-06-01

Ultrasound scanning of the pelvis with an empty bladder permits a true frontal view of the uterus to be easily obtained. This view is comparable to the en face view seen at hysterography performed with contrast material. Good definition both of the endometrium and the uterine wall makes this the optimal method for the evaluation of an intrauterine contraceptive device.

Performance and Safety Characteristics of Lithium-molybdenum Disulfide Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stiles, J. A.

1984-01-01

The lithium-molybdenum disulfide system offers attractive characteristics including high rate capability, successful operation up to 75 C, a very low self-discharge rate, a good cycle life and safety characteristics which compare favorably to those of other lithium cells. Moreover, the materials and manufacturing costs for the system is effectively controlled, so the cells should ultimately be competitive with currently marketed rechargeable cells.

Perceptual and Acoustic Analyses of Good Voice Quality in Male Radio Performers.

PubMed

Warhurst, Samantha; Madill, Catherine; McCabe, Patricia; Ternström, Sten; Yiu, Edwin; Heard, Robert

2017-03-01

Good voice quality is an asset to professional voice users, including radio performers. We examined whether (1) voices could be reliably categorized as good for the radio and (2) these categories could be predicted using acoustic measures. Male radio performers (n = 24) and age-matched male controls performed "The Rainbow Passage" as if presenting on the radio. Voice samples were rated using a three-stage paired-comparison paradigm by 51 naive listeners and perceptual categories were identified (Study 1), and then analyzed for fundamental frequency, long-term average spectrum, cepstral peak prominence, and pause or spoken-phrase duration (Study 2). Study 1: Good inter-judge reliability was found for perceptual judgments of the best 15 voices (good for radio category, 14/15 = radio performers), but agreement on the remaining 33 voices (unranked category) was poor. Study 2: Discriminant function analyses showed that the SD standard deviation of sounded portion duration, equivalent sound level, and smoothed cepstral peak prominence predicted membership of categories with moderate accuracy (R 2  = 0.328). Radio performers are heterogeneous for voice quality; good voice quality was judged reliably in only 14 out of 24 radio performers. Current acoustic analyses detected some of the relevant signal properties that were salient in these judgments. More refined perceptual analysis and the use of other perceptual methods might provide more information on the complex nature of judging good voices. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental and modeling study of high performance direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell with in situ catalytic steam-carbon gasification reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Haoran; Chen, Bin; Zhang, Houcheng; Tan, Peng; Yang, Guangming; Irvine, John T. S.; Ni, Meng

2018-04-01

In this paper, 2D models for direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) with in situ catalytic steam-carbon gasification reaction are developed. The simulation results are found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The performance of DC-SOFCs with and without catalyst are compared at different operating potential, anode inlet gas flow rate and operating temperature. It is found that adding suitable catalyst can significantly speed up the in situ steam-carbon gasification reaction and improve the performance of DC-SOFC with H2O as gasification agent. The potential of syngas and electricity co-generation from the fuel cell is also evaluated, where the composition of H2 and CO in syngas can be adjusted by controlling the anode inlet gas flow rate. In addition, the performance DC-SOFCs and the percentage of fuel in the outlet gas are both increased with increasing operating temperature. At a reduced temperature (below 800 °C), good performance of DC-SOFC can still be obtained with in-situ catalytic carbon gasification by steam. The results of this study form a solid foundation to understand the important effect of catalyst and related operating conditions on H2O-assisted DC-SOFCs.

Internal medicine point-of-care ultrasound assessment of left ventricular function correlates with formal echocardiography.

PubMed

Johnson, Benjamin K; Tierney, David M; Rosborough, Terry K; Harris, Kevin M; Newell, Marc C

2016-02-01

Although focused cardiac ultrasonographic (FoCUS) examination has been evaluated in emergency departments and intensive care units with good correlation to formal echocardiography, accuracy for the assessment of left ventricular systolic function (LVSF) when performed by internal medicine physicians still needs independent evaluation. This prospective observational study in a 640-bed, academic, quaternary care center, included 178 inpatients examined by 10 internal medicine physicians who had completed our internal medicine bedside ultrasound training program. The ability to estimate LVSF with FoCUS as "normal," "mild to moderately decreased," or "severely decreased" was compared with left ventricular ejection fraction (>50%, 31-49%, and <31%, respectively) from formal echocardiography interpreted by a cardiologist. Sensitivity and specificity of FoCUS for any degree of LVSF impairment were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80, 0.97) and 0.88 (95% CI 0.81, 0.93), respectively. The interrater agreement between internal medicine physician-performed FoCUS and formal echocardiography for any LVSF impairment was "good/substantial" with κ = 0.77 (p < 0.001), 95% CI (0.67, 0.87). Formal echocardiography was classified as "technically limited due to patient factors" in 20% of patients; however, echogenicity was sufficient in 100% of FoCUS exams to classify LVSF. Internal medicine physicians using FoCUS identify normal versus decreased LVSF with high sensitivity, specificity, and "good/substantial" interrater agreement when compared with formal echocardiography. These results support the role of cardiac FoCUS by properly trained internal medicine physicians for discriminating normal from reduced LVSF. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Velocity & displacement-dependent damper: A novel passive shock absorber inspired by the semi-active control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Shida; Zhuang, Ye; Wang, Yong; Guo, Konghui

2018-01-01

The performance of velocity & displacement-dependent damper (VDD), inspired by the semi-active control, is analyzed. The main differences among passive, displacement-dependent and semi-active dampers are compared on their damping properties. Valve assemblies of VDD are modelled to get an insight into its working principle. The mechanical structure composed by four valve assemblies helps to enable VDD to approach the performance by those semi-active control dampers. The valve structure parameters are determined by the suggested two-step process. Hydraulic model of the damper is built with AMEsim. Simulation result of F-V curves, which is similar to those of semi-active control damper, demonstrates that VDD could achieve the similar performance of semi-active control damper. The performance of a quarter vehicle model employing VDD is analyzed and compared with semi-active suspension. Simulation results show that VDD could perform as good as a semi-active control damper. In addition, no add-on hardware or energy consumption is needed for VDD to achieve the remarkable performance.

Training or non-surgical factors-what determines a good surgical performance? A randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Lindlohr, Cornelia; Lefering, R; Saad, S; Heiss, M M; Pape-Köhler, C

2017-06-01

Acquiring laparoscopic skills is a necessity for every young surgeon. Whether it is a talent or a non-surgical skill that determines the surgical performance of an endoscopic operation has been discussed for years. In other disciplines aptitude testing has become the norm. Airlines, for example, have implemented assessments to test the natural aptitude of future pilots to predict their performance later on. In the medical field, especially surgery, there are no similar comparable tests implemented or even available. This study investigates the influence of potential factors that may predict the successful performance of a complex laparoscopic operation, such as the surgeon's age, gender or learning method. This study focussed 70 surgical trainees. It was designed as a secondary analysis of data derived from a 2 × 2 factorial randomised controlled trial of practical training and/or multimedia training (four groups) in an experimental exercise. Both before and then after the training sessions, the participating trainees performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a pelvitrainer. Surgical performance was then evaluated using a modified objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS). Participants were classified as 'Skilled' (high score in the pre-test), 'Good Learner' (increase from pre- to post-test) or 'Others' based on the OSATS results. Based on the results of the recorded performance, the training methods as well as non-surgical skills were eventually evaluated in a univariate and in a multivariate analysis. In the pre-training performance 11 candidates were categorised as 'Skilled' (15.7%), 35 participants as 'Good Learners' (50.0%) and 24 participants were classified as 'Others'. The univariate analysis showed that the age, a residency in visceral surgery, and participation in a multimedia training were significantly associated with this grouping. Multivariate analyses revealed that residency in visceral surgery was the most predictive factor for the 'Skilled' participants (p = 0.059), and multimedia training was most predictive for the 'Good Learner' (p = 0.006). Participants in the group of 'Others' who were neither 'Skilled' nor improved in the training phase were younger (p = 0.011) and did not receive multimedia (p < 0.001) or practical (p = 0.025) training. The type of learning method has been shown to be the most effective factor to improve laparoscopic skills, with multimedia training proving to be more effective than practical training.

Combined emergency braking and turning of articulated heavy vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, Graeme; Cebon, David

2017-05-01

'Slip control' braking has been shown to reduce the emergency stopping distance of an experimental heavy goods vehicle by up to 19%, compared to conventional electronic/anti-lock braking systems (EBS). However, little regard has been given to the impact of slip control braking on the vehicle's directional dynamics. This paper uses validated computer models to show that slip control could severely degrade directional performance during emergency braking. A modified slip control strategy, 'attenuated slip demand' (ASD) control, is proposed in order to rectify this. Results from simulations of vehicle performance are presented for combined braking and cornering manoeuvres with EBS and slip control braking with and without ASD control. The ASD controller enables slip control braking to provide directional performance comparable with conventional EBS while maintaining a substantial stopping distance advantage. The controller is easily tuned to work across a wide range of different operating conditions.

Trumpet intonation pedagogy in the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flunker, Joel Kent

Although a wealth of pedagogical material exists for most aspects of trumpet performance, there is a comparatively small body of such material devoted to intonation. In addition, while there is general agreement that good intonation is essential to a successful performance, there is no widely accepted methodology for helping students achieve it. This study first identifies the factors that influence trumpet intonation and explores the reasons why intonation receives less pedagogical emphasis than other performance elements. It continues with an examination of how intonation is addressed in existing published materials. This summary of the approaches used in pedagogical publications is compared with methods practiced in applied trumpet studios, based on interviews with respected trumpet professors in major music schools and conservatories. The goal of the study is to define and highlight issues that can help provide a clear focus for future attempts to improve the way intonation is taught and studied.

Construction and performance evaluation of mediator-less microbial fuel cell using carbon nanotubes as an anode material.

PubMed

Roh, Sung-Hee; Kim, Sun-Il

2012-05-01

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy using the catalytic reaction of microorganisms. We investigated the performance of mediator-less MFC with carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/graphite felt composite electrodes. The addition of CNTs to a graphite felt electrode increases the specific surface area of the electrode and enhances the charge transfer capability so as to cause considerable improvement of the electrochemical activity for the anode reaction in a MFC. The performance of the MFC using CNTs/graphite felt electrode has been compared against a plain graphite felt electrode based MFC. A CNTs/graphite felt electrode showed as high as 15% increase in the power density (252 mW/m2) compared to graphite felt electrode (214 mW/m2). The CNTs/graphite felt anode therefore offers good prospects for application in MFCs.

Are corticosterone levels a good indicator of food availability and reproductive performance in a kittiwake colony?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanctot, Richard B.; Hatch, Shyla A.; Gill, Verena A.; Eens, Marcel

2003-01-01

We evaluated the use of corticosterone to gauge forage availability and predict reproductive performance in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) breeding in Alaska during 1999 and 2000. We modeled the relationship between baseline levels of corticosterone and a suite of individual and temporal characteristics of the sampled birds. We also provided supplemental food to a sample of pairs and compared their corticosterone levels with that of pairs that were not fed. Corticosterone levels were a good predictor of forage availability in some situations, although inconsistencies between corticosterone levels and reproductive performance of fed and unfed kittiwakes suggested that this was not always the case. In general, higher corticosterone levels were found in birds that lacked breeding experience and in birds sampled shortly after arriving from their wintering grounds. All parameters investigated, however, explained only a small proportion of the variance in corticosterone levels. We also investigated whether corticosterone, supplemental feeding, year of the study, breeding experience, body weight, and sex of a bird were able to predict laying, hatching, and fledging success in kittiwakes. Here, breeding experience, year of the study, and body weight were the best predictors of a bird’s performance. Corticosterone level and supplemental feeding were good predictors of kittiwake reproductive performance in some cases. For example, corticosterone levels of birds sampled during the arrival stage reliably predicted laying success, but were less reliable at predicting hatching and fledging success. Counts of active nests with eggs or chicks may be more reliable estimates of the actual productivity of the colony. Supplemental feeding had strong effects on kittiwake productivity when natural forage was poor, but had little effect when natural forage was plentiful.

Brain connectivity during encoding and retrieval of spatial information: individual differences in navigation skills.

PubMed

Sharma, Greeshma; Gramann, Klaus; Chandra, Sushil; Singh, Vijander; Mittal, Alok Prakash

2017-09-01

Emerging evidence suggests that the variations in the ability to navigate through any real or virtual environment are accompanied by distinct underlying cortical activations in multiple regions of the brain. These activations may appear due to the use of different frame of reference (FOR) for representing an environment. The present study investigated the brain dynamics in the good and bad navigators using Graph Theoretical analysis applied to low-density electroencephalography (EEG) data. Individual navigation skills were rated according to the performance in a virtual reality (VR)-based navigation task and the effect of navigator's proclivity towards a particular FOR on the navigation performance was explored. Participants were introduced to a novel virtual environment that they learned from a first-person or an aerial perspective and were subsequently assessed on the basis of efficiency with which they learnt and recalled. The graph theoretical parameters, path length (PL), global efficiency (GE), and clustering coefficient (CC) were computed for the functional connectivity network in the theta and alpha frequency bands. During acquisition of the spatial information, good navigators were distinguished by a lower degree of dispersion in the functional connectivity compared to the bad navigators. Within the groups of good and bad navigators, better performers were characterised by the formation of multiple hubs at various sites and the percentage of connectivity or small world index. The proclivity towards a specific FOR during exploration of a new environment was not found to have any bearing on the spatial learning. These findings may have wider implications for how the functional connectivity in the good and bad navigators differs during spatial information acquisition and retrieval in the domains of rescue operations and defence systems.

Comparing humans and nonhuman great apes in the broken cloth problem: Is their knowledge causal or perceptual?

PubMed

Albiach-Serrano, Anna; Sebastián-Enesco, Carla; Seed, Amanda; Colmenares, Fernando; Call, Josep

2015-11-01

When presented with the broken cloth problem, both human children and nonhuman great apes prefer to pull a continuous cloth over a discontinuous cloth in order to obtain a desired object resting on top. This has been interpreted as evidence that they preferentially attend to the functionally relevant cues of the task (e.g., presence or absence of a gap along the cloth). However, there is controversy regarding whether great apes' behavior is underpinned by causal knowledge, involving abstract concepts (e.g., support, connection), or by perceptual knowledge, based on percepts (e.g., contact, continuity). We presented chimpanzees, orangutans, and 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children with two versions of the broken cloth problem. The Real condition, made with paper strips, could be solved based on either perceptual cues or causal knowledge. The Painted condition, which looked very similar, could be solved only by attending to perceptual cues. All groups mastered the Real condition, in line with previous results. Older children (3- and 4-year-olds) performed significantly better in this condition than all other groups, but the performance of apes and children did not differ sharply, with 2-year-olds and apes obtaining similar results. In contrast, only 4-year-olds solved the Painted condition. We propose causal knowledge to explain the general good performance of apes and humans in the Real condition compared with the Painted condition. In addition, we suggest that symbolic knowledge might account for 4-year-olds' performance in the Painted condition. Our findings add to the growing literature supporting the idea that learning from arbitrary cues is not a good explanation for the performance of apes and humans on some kinds of physical task. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Face Recognition for Access Control Systems Combining Image-Difference Features Based on a Probabilistic Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miwa, Shotaro; Kage, Hiroshi; Hirai, Takashi; Sumi, Kazuhiko

We propose a probabilistic face recognition algorithm for Access Control System(ACS)s. Comparing with existing ACSs using low cost IC-cards, face recognition has advantages in usability and security that it doesn't require people to hold cards over scanners and doesn't accept imposters with authorized cards. Therefore face recognition attracts more interests in security markets than IC-cards. But in security markets where low cost ACSs exist, price competition is important, and there is a limitation on the quality of available cameras and image control. Therefore ACSs using face recognition are required to handle much lower quality images, such as defocused and poor gain-controlled images than high security systems, such as immigration control. To tackle with such image quality problems we developed a face recognition algorithm based on a probabilistic model which combines a variety of image-difference features trained by Real AdaBoost with their prior probability distributions. It enables to evaluate and utilize only reliable features among trained ones during each authentication, and achieve high recognition performance rates. The field evaluation using a pseudo Access Control System installed in our office shows that the proposed system achieves a constant high recognition performance rate independent on face image qualities, that is about four times lower EER (Equal Error Rate) under a variety of image conditions than one without any prior probability distributions. On the other hand using image difference features without any prior probabilities are sensitive to image qualities. We also evaluated PCA, and it has worse, but constant performance rates because of its general optimization on overall data. Comparing with PCA, Real AdaBoost without any prior distribution performs twice better under good image conditions, but degrades to a performance as good as PCA under poor image conditions.

Breast cancer screening in Italy: evaluating key performance indicators for time trends and activity volumes.

PubMed

Giordano, Livia; Castagno, Roberta; Giorgi, Daniela; Piccinelli, Cristiano; Ventura, Leonardo; Segnan, Nereo; Zappa, Marco

2015-01-01

Together with the National centre for screening monitoring (ONS), GISMa supports annual collection of data on national breast screening activities. Aggregated data on implementation and performance are gathered through a standardized form to calculate process and impact indicators. Analyzed data belong to 153 local programmes in the period 2006-2011 (2006-2012 for participation rate only). During the whole period, Italian crude participation rate exceeded GISMa's acceptable standard (50%), even though a higher participation in northern and central Italy compared to southern Italy and Islands was observed. Time trend analysis of diagnostic indicators confirmed in 2011 an adequate quality of breast screening performance, especially at subsequent screening. Recall rate at initial screening did not reach the acceptable standard (<7%) and rose slightly over the period. On the contrary, a good performance was achieved at subsequent screening. The same trend was followed by the overall detection rate and positive predictive value. They both showed a progressive reduction (from 6.2‰ in 2006 to 4.5‰ in 2011 for DR and from 8.0% in 2006 to 5.2% in 2011 for PPV, respectively) at initial screening and a good, stable trend at subsequent screening. Activity volume analysis shows that in programmes with greater activity (test/year ≥10,000) RR at both initial and subsequent screening has a better performance. This is also true for DR and PPV where programmes with high volumes of activity do better, especially when compared with those that interpret fewer than 5,000 mammograms per year. In spite of a few limits, these results are reassuring, and they reward the efforts made by screening professionals. It is therefore important to continue to monitor screening indicators and suggest, test, and evaluate new strategies for continuous improvement.

Is Laser Assisted Capsulotomy better than standard CCC?

PubMed

Gavriș, Monica; Mateescu, Radu; Belicioiu, Roxana; Olteanu, Ioana

2017-01-01

Objectives: To compare the safety and intraoperative difficulties of two capsulorhexis techniques for white intumescent cataract: Femtolaser-assisted capsulorhexis and manual capsulorhexis performed in 2-3 stages, with the Utrata forceps. Materials and methods: A prospective comparative study that included 28 eyes divided into 2 equal groups in which capsulorhexis was performed by using the 2 methods. In the first group, the capsulorhexis was executed by using LenSx Femtolaser. In the second group, an Utrata forceps was used to perform a manual 2-3 steps capsulorhexis as follows: a small 2-3 mm capsulorhexis was performed after the staining of the anterior capsule with Trypan Blue along with a good pressurization with viscoelastic substance. The liquefied cortex was aspirated, followed by the enlargement of the capsulorhexis. In some cases, the enlargement was made after IOL implantation. Results: In the Femtolaser group, the capsule was completely detached in 13 cases and only in one case, the capsule had a few bridges which detached easily, without endangering the capsulorhexis integrity. Its size was 4,9 mm in all cases. In the group in which capsulorhexis was performed with the Utrata forceps in 2-3 stages, this was complete, circular and relatively well centered in all cases, but the size varied between 4,5 and 5,5 mm. Conclusions: Femtosecond laser-assisted capsulorhexis was round, well centered and of a desired size of 4,9 mm. The manual capsulorhexis with the Utrata forceps depends on the surgeon's skill and experience and requires a good local anesthesia, the coloring of the anterior capsule with Tripan Blue, using a large quantity of cohesive viscoelastic substances and sometimes using micro incision forceps for helpful maneuvers. The size and centering of the capsulorhexis are not always identical with the intended ones.

Norms and the Perception of Events

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-31

Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 12, 1986, 445-454. Brickman, P., and D.T. Campbell. Hedonic relativism and planning the good ...interesting problem, which we plan to explore in further work. Table 1-3 presents results for conditions involving objects, actions and changes. We...following stem completion appeared: Alfred’s performance on the fourth afternoon was [] Very Good [I Good [] Fairly Good [I Nothing Special [] Rather Bad

Comparison of mental health screening tools for detecting antenatal depression and anxiety disorders in South African women

PubMed Central

Honikman, Simone; Tomlinson, Mark; Field, Sally; Myer, Landon

2018-01-01

Background Antenatal depression and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in low and middle-income countries. Screening of pregnant women in primary care antenatal settings provides an opportunity for entry to care, but data are needed on the performance of different screening tools. We compared five widely-used questionnaires in a sample of pregnant women in urban South Africa. Method Pregnant women attending a primary care antenatal clinic were administered five tools by trained research assistants: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K10) and a shortened 6-item version (K6), the Whooley questions and the two-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-2). Following this, a registered mental health counsellor administered the MINI Plus, a structured clinical diagnostic interview. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) from Receiver Operator Characteristic curve analysis was used to summarise screening test performance and Cronbach’s α used to assess internal consistency. Results Of 376 participants, 32% were diagnosed with either MDE and/or anxiety disorders. All five questionnaires demonstrated moderate to high performance (AUC = 0.78–0.85). The EPDS was the best performing instrument for detecting MDE and the K10 and K6 for anxiety disorder. For MDE and/or anxiety disorders, the EPDS had the highest AUC (0.83). Of the short instruments, the K10 (AUC = 0.85) and the K6 (AUC = 0.85) performed the best, with the K6 showing good balance between sensitivity (74%) and specificity (85%) and a good positive predictive value (70%). The Whooley questions (AUC = 0.81) were the best performing ultra-short instrument. Internal consistency ranged from good to acceptable (α = 0.89–0.71). However, the PPV of the questionnaires compared with the diagnostic interview, ranged from 54% to 71% at the optimal cut-off scores. Conclusions Universal screening for case identification of antenatal depression and anxiety disorders in low-resource settings can be conducted with a number of commonly used screening instruments. Short and ultra-short screening instruments such as the K6 and the Whooley questions may be feasible and acceptable for use in these settings. PMID:29668725

Perceived moral traits of others differentiate the neural activation that underlies inequity-aversion

PubMed Central

Nakatani, Hironori; Ogawa, Akitoshi; Suzuki, Chisato; Asamizuya, Takeshi; Ueno, Kenichi; Cheng, Kang; Okanoya, Kazuo

2017-01-01

We have a social preference to reduce inequity in the outcomes between oneself and others. Such a preference varies according to others. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging during an economic game to investigate how the perceived moral traits of others modulate the neural activities that underlie inequity-aversion. The participants unilaterally allocated money to three partners (good, neutral, and bad). During presentation of the good and neutral partners, the anterior region of the rostral medial frontal cortex (arMFC) showed increased functional connectivity with the caudate head and the anterior insula, respectively. Following this, participants allocated more money to the good partner, and less to the bad partner, compared with the neutral partner. The caudate head and anterior insula showed greater activation during fair allocation to the good and unfair allocation to the neutral partners, respectively. However, these regions were silent during allocations to the bad partner. Therefore, the arMFC-caudate/insula circuit encompasses distinct neural processes that underlie inequity-aversion in monetary allocations that the different moral traits of others can modulate. PMID:28230155

Performance of hybrid nano-micro reinforced mg metal matrix composites brake calliper: simulation approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatchurrohman, N.; Chia, S. T.

2017-10-01

Most commercial vehicles use brake calliper made of grey cast iron (GCI) which possesses heavy weight. This contributes to the total weight of the vehicle which can lead to higher fuel consumption. Another major problem is GCI calliper tends to deflect during clamping action, known as “bending of bridge”. This will result in extended pedal travel. Magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg-MMC) has a potential application in the automotive industry since it having a lower density, higher strength and very good modulus of elasticity as compared to GCI. This paper proposed initial development of hybrid Mg-MMC brake calliper. This was achieved by analyzing the performance of hybrid nano-micro reinforced Mg-MMC and comparing with the conventional GCI brake calliper. It was performed using simulation in ANSYS, a finite element analysis (FEA) software. The results show that hybrid Mg-MMC has better performance in terms of reduction the weight of the brake calliper, reduction in total deformation/deflection and better ability to withstand equivalent elastic strain.

Porous Graphene Microflowers for High-Performance Microwave Absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chen; Xi, Jiabin; Zhou, Erzhen; Peng, Li; Chen, Zichen; Gao, Chao

2018-06-01

Graphene has shown great potential in microwave absorption (MA) owing to its high surface area, low density, tunable electrical conductivity and good chemical stability. To fully realize graphene's MA ability, the microstructure of graphene should be carefully addressed. Here we prepared graphene microflowers (Gmfs) with highly porous structure for high-performance MA filler material. The efficient absorption bandwidth (reflection loss ≤ -10 dB) reaches 5.59 GHz and the minimum reflection loss is up to -42.9 dB, showing significant increment compared with stacked graphene. Such performance is higher than most graphene-based materials in the literature. Besides, the low filling content (10 wt%) and low density (40-50 mg cm-3) are beneficial for the practical applications. Without compounding with magnetic materials or conductive polymers, Gmfs show outstanding MA performance with the aid of rational microstructure design. Furthermore, Gmfs exhibit advantages in facile processibility and large-scale production compared with other porous graphene materials including aerogels and foams.

Outcomes after salvage procedures for the painful dislocated hip in cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Wright, Patrick B; Ruder, John; Birnbaum, Mark A; Phillips, Jonathan H; Herrera-Soto, Jose A; Knapp, Dennis R

2013-01-01

The painful dislocated hip in the setting of cerebral palsy is a challenging problem. Many surgical procedures have been reported to treat this condition with varying success rates. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate and compare the outcomes of 3 different surgical procedures performed at our institution for pain relief in patients with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and painful dislocated hips. A retrospective chart review of the surgical procedures performed by 5 surgeons for spastic, painful dislocated hips from 1997 to 2010 was performed. The procedures identified were (1) proximal femoral resection arthroplasty (PFRA); (2) subtrochanteric valgus osteotomy (SVO) with femoral head resection; and (3) proximal femur prosthetic interposition arthroplasty (PFIA) using a humeral prosthesis. Outcomes based on pain and range of motion were determined to be excellent, good, fair, or poor by predetermined criteria. Forty-four index surgeries and 14 revision surgeries in 33 patients with an average follow-up of 49 months met the inclusion criteria. Of the index surgeries, 12 hips were treated with a PFRA, 21 with a SVO, and 11 with a PFIA. An excellent or good result was noted in 67% of PFRAs, 67% of SVOs, and 73% of PFIAs. No statistical significance between these procedures was achieved. The 14 revisions were performed because of a poor result from previous surgery, demonstrating a 24% reoperation rate overall. No patients classified as having a fair result underwent revision surgery. All patients receiving revision surgery were eventually classified as having an excellent or good result. Surgical treatment for the painful, dislocated hip in the setting of spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy remains unsettled. There continue to be a large percentage of failures despite the variety of surgical techniques designed to treat this problem. These failures can be managed, however, and eventually resulted in a good outcome. We demonstrated a trend toward better outcomes with a PFIA, but further study should be conducted to prove statistical significance. III.

Performance evaluation of Abbott CELL-DYN Ruby for routine use.

PubMed

Lehto, T; Hedberg, P

2008-10-01

CELL-DYN Ruby is a new automated hematology analyzer suitable for routine use in small laboratories and as a back-up or emergency analyzer in medium- to high-volume laboratories. The analyzer was evaluated by comparing the results from the CELL-DYN((R)) Ruby with the results obtained from CELL-DYN Sapphire . Precision, linearity, and carryover between patient samples were also assessed. Precision was good at all levels for the routine cell blood count (CBC) parameters, CV% being or= 0.98) with CELL-DYN Sapphire for the CBC parameters. For the absolute reticulocyte count, R(2) was 0.82. In the white blood cell (WBC) differentials, the between-days precision was good for all parameters (CV%: or= 0.97), and the correlation coefficient for absolute monocyte count and monocyte percentage were 0.91 and 0.87, respectively. For absolute basophil count and basophil percentage the correlations were weaker (R(2) = 0.46 and 0.34, respectively). Carryover was minimal for all the parameters studied. The linearities of WBC, red blood cell, PLTs, and hemoglobin were acceptable within the tested ranges. In conclusion, the results of the evaluation showed the performance of CELL-DYN Ruby to be good.

Sleep-related attentional bias in poor versus good sleepers is independent of affective valence.

PubMed

Barclay, Nicola L; Ellis, Jason G

2013-08-01

Contradictory evidence exists relating to the presence of an attention bias to sleep-related stimuli in poor sleepers/insomnia using the emotional Stroop task (EST). These inconsistencies may be due to methodological issues related to the affective valence of the sleep-related stimuli. Thus, individuals may attend differentially to sleep-related stimuli not because of their 'sleep' properties, but their negativity. The current study addresses this by controlling the affective valence of sleep-related words. A total of 107 participants [mean age = 33.22 years, standard deviation (SD) = 12.31 years; 61.7% female] were recruited during an evening event at the Newcastle Science Festival. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a computerized EST containing 20 non-affective sleep-related, 20 neutral and 20 negatively valenced threat words. Good and poor sleepers were categorized using the PSQI. There were no significant differences between groups on response latency to sleep-related words (t(105) = -0.30, P = 0.76). However, the interaction between good versus poor sleepers and word-type on response latency was significant (F(2,210) = 3.06, P < 0.05). Poor sleepers took longer to respond to sleep-related words (mean = 723.35, SD = 172.55) compared to threat words (mean = 694.63, SD = 162.17) than good sleepers (mean = 713.20, SD = 166.32; and mean = 716.65, SD = 181.14). The results demonstrate the presence of an attention bias towards sleep-related stimuli compared to threat stimuli in poor sleepers. Accordingly, poor sleepers may be consumed by stimuli relevant to their specific difficulties, as well as being more highly attuned to negative cues that signal anxious states. Thus, the present research suggests that there are two opposing forces at play: one which facilitates performance (non-specific threats) and one which hinders performance (personally relevant threats). © 2013 European Sleep Research Society.

Musicians' Ratings of Good versus Bad Vocal and String Performances.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geringer, John M.; Madsen, Clifford K.

1998-01-01

Continues a line of research attempting to ascertain the focus of musicians' attention when listening to music, particularly whether musicians demonstrate consistent listening patterns across excerpts designed to be perceived as good and bad performances. Indicates that musician-listeners consistently discriminated between good and bad…

Poor Appetite and Dietary Intake in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

van der Meij, Barbara S; Wijnhoven, Hanneke A H; Lee, Jung S; Houston, Denise K; Hue, Trisha; Harris, Tamara B; Kritchevsky, Stephen B; Newman, Anne B; Visser, Marjolein

2017-10-01

Poor appetite in older adults leads to sub-optimal food intake and increases the risk of undernutrition. The impact of poor appetite on food intake in older adults is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in food intake among older community-dwelling adults with different reported appetite levels. Cross-sectional analysis of data from a longitudinal prospective study. Health, aging, and body composition study performed in the USA. 2,597 community-dwelling adults aged 70-79. A semi-quantitative, interviewer-administered, 108-item food frequency questionnaire designed to estimate dietary intake. Poor appetite was defined as the report of a moderate, poor, or very poor appetite in the past month and was compared with good or very good appetite. The mean age of the study sample was 74.5 ± 2.8 years; 48.2% were men, 37.7% were black, and 21.8% reported a poor appetite. After adjustment for total energy intake and potential confounders (including biting/chewing problems), participants with a poor appetite had a significantly lower consumption of protein and dietary fiber, solid foods, protein rich foods, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, but a higher consumption of dairy foods, fats, oils, sweets, and sodas compared to participants with very good appetite. In addition, they were less likely to report consumption of significant larger portion sizes. Older adults reporting a poor appetite showed a different dietary intake pattern compared to those with (very) good appetite. Better understanding of the specific dietary intake pattern related to a poor appetite in older adults can be used for nutrition interventions to enhance food intake, diet variety, and diet quality. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

Safety and efficacy of flow diverter treatment for blood blister-like aneurysm: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Zhu, Deyuan; Yan, Yazhou; Zhao, Puyuan; Duan, Guoli; Zhao, Rui; Liu, Jianmin; Huang, Qinghai

2018-06-23

To clarify the safety and efficacy of flow diverter (FD) treatment for blood blister-like aneurysm (BBA), we conducted a systematic review and literature analyzing perioperative and long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes. A comprehensive review of the up-to-date literature for studies with >2 patients related to FD treatment of BBAs published was performed. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool the following outcomes: complete occlusion, technical success, aneurysm recurrence, rebleeding, perioperative mortality, perioperative stroke, procedure-related morbidity and mortality, long-term neurological morbidity and mortality, and overall good neurological outcome. We included 15 non-comparative studies with 165 target BBAs. Complete occlusion rates were 72% (95%CI= 0.59-0.85). Recurrence occurred in 13% (95%CI= -0.04-0.29) and rebleeding in 3% (95%CI = -0.02-0.07) of patients. Procedure-related morbidity and mortality were 26% (95%CI =0.19-0.33) and 3% (95%CI= -0.01-0.07), respectively. Long-term good outcome was 83% (95% CI = 0.77-0.89). Subgroup analysis indicated that single FD strategy for BBA seemed to have a higher good outcome rate compared to overlapped FD strategy (89.9% versus 61.9%, OR=1.42, 95%CI=1.25-14.98, P=0.02). Complete occlusion rate and procedure-related morbidity rate did not see any significant difference between these two strategies. Our meta-analysis suggests that in select cases, FD can be safe and effective. Single FD strategy may result in a higher good outcome rate compared to overlapped FD strategy. Ultimately, treatment of BBA should be considered on a case-by-case basis to maximize patient benefits and limit the risk of perioperative complications. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Bioreactor design studies for a hydrogen-producing bacterium.

PubMed

Wolfrum, Edward J; Watt, Andrew S

2002-01-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) can be metabolized by a number of microorganisms along with water to produce hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide. National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers have isolated a number of bacteria that perform this so-called water-gas shift reaction at ambient temperatures. We performed experiments to measure the rate of CO conversion and H2 production in a trickle-bed reactor (TBR). The liquid recirculation rate and the reactor support material both affected the mass transfer coefficient, which controls the overall performance of the reactor. A simple reactor model taken from the literature was used to quantitatively compare the performance of the TBR geometry at two different size scales. Good agreement between the two reactor scales was obtained.

A complex valued radial basis function network for equalization of fast time varying channels.

PubMed

Gan, Q; Saratchandran, P; Sundararajan, N; Subramanian, K R

1999-01-01

This paper presents a complex valued radial basis function (RBF) network for equalization of fast time varying channels. A new method for calculating the centers of the RBF network is given. The method allows fixing the number of RBF centers even as the equalizer order is increased so that a good performance is obtained by a high-order RBF equalizer with small number of centers. Simulations are performed on time varying channels using a Rayleigh fading channel model to compare the performance of our RBF with an adaptive maximum-likelihood sequence estimator (MLSE) consisting of a channel estimator and a MLSE implemented by the Viterbi algorithm. The results show that the RBF equalizer produces superior performance with less computational complexity.

A Hybrid Actuation System Demonstrating Significantly Enhanced Electromechanical Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ji; Xu, Tian-Bing; Zhang, Shujun; Shrout, Thomas R.; Zhang, Qiming

2004-01-01

A hybrid actuation system (HYBAS) utilizing advantages of a combination of electromechanical responses of an electroactive polymer (EAP), an electrostrictive copolymer, and an electroactive ceramic single crystal, PZN-PT single crystal, has been developed. The system employs the contribution of the actuation elements cooperatively and exhibits a significantly enhanced electromechanical performance compared to the performances of the device made of each constituting material, the electroactive polymer or the ceramic single crystal, individually. The theoretical modeling of the performances of the HYBAS is in good agreement with experimental observation. The consistence between the theoretical modeling and experimental test make the design concept an effective route for the development of high performance actuating devices for many applications. The theoretical modeling, fabrication of the HYBAS and the initial experimental results will be presented and discussed.

Patient-specific 3D models created by 3D imaging system or bi-planar imaging coupled with Moiré-Fringe projections: a comparative study of accuracy and reliability on spinal curvatures and vertebral rotation data.

PubMed

Hocquelet, Arnaud; Cornelis, François; Jirot, Anna; Castaings, Laurent; de Sèze, Mathieu; Hauger, Olivier

2016-10-01

The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy and reliability of spinal curvatures and vertebral rotation data based on patient-specific 3D models created by 3D imaging system or by bi-planar imaging coupled with Moiré-Fringe projections. Sixty-two consecutive patients from a single institution were prospectively included. For each patient, frontal and sagittal calibrated low-dose bi-planar X-rays were performed and coupled simultaneously with an optical Moiré back surface-based technology. The 3D reconstructions of spine and pelvis were performed independently by one radiologist and one technician in radiology using two different semi-automatic methods using 3D radio-imaging system (method 1) or bi-planar imaging coupled with Moiré projections (method 2). Both methods were compared using Bland-Altman analysis, and reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). ICC showed good to very good agreement. Between the two techniques, the maximum 95 % prediction limits was -4.9° degrees for the measurements of spinal coronal curves and less than 5° for other parameters. Inter-rater reliability was excellent for all parameters across both methods, except for axial rotation with method 2 for which ICC was fair. Method 1 was faster for reconstruction time than method 2 for both readers (13.4 vs. 20.7 min and 10.6 vs. 13.9 min; p = 0.0001). While a lower accuracy was observed for the evaluation of the axial rotation, bi-planar imaging coupled with Moiré-Fringe projections may be an accurate and reliable tool to perform 3D reconstructions of the spine and pelvis.

Stochastic rainfall synthesis for urban applications using different regionalization methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callau Poduje, A. C.; Leimbach, S.; Haberlandt, U.

2017-12-01

The proper design and efficient operation of urban drainage systems require long and continuous rainfall series in a high temporal resolution. Unfortunately, these time series are usually available in a few locations and it is therefore suitable to develop a stochastic precipitation model to generate rainfall in locations without observations. The model presented is based on an alternating renewal process and involves an external and an internal structure. The members of these structures are described by probability distributions which are site specific. Different regionalization methods based on site descriptors are presented which are used for estimating the distributions for locations without observations. Regional frequency analysis, multiple linear regressions and a vine-copula method are applied for this purpose. An area located in the north-west of Germany is used to compare the different methods and involves a total of 81 stations with 5 min rainfall records. The site descriptors include information available for the whole region: position, topography and hydrometeorologic characteristics which are estimated from long term observations. The methods are compared directly by cross validation of different rainfall statistics. Given that the model is stochastic the evaluation is performed based on ensembles of many long synthetic time series which are compared with observed ones. The performance is as well indirectly evaluated by setting up a fictional urban hydrological system to test the capability of the different methods regarding flooding and overflow characteristics. The results show a good representation of the seasonal variability and good performance in reproducing the sample statistics of the rainfall characteristics. The copula based method shows to be the most robust of the three methods. Advantages and disadvantages of the different methods are presented and discussed.

An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Nitrogen-Broadened Acetylene Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thibault, Franck; Martinez, Raul Z.; Bermejo, Dionisio; Ivanov, Sergey V.; Buzykin, Oleg G.; Ma, Qiancheng

2014-01-01

We present experimental nitrogen-broadening coefficients derived from Voigt profiles of isotropic Raman Q-lines measured in the 2 band of acetylene (C2H2) at 150 K and 298 K, and compare them to theoretical values obtained through calculations that were carried out specifically for this work. Namely, full classical calculations based on Gordon's approach, two kinds of semi-classical calculations based on Robert Bonamy method as well as full quantum dynamical calculations were performed. All the computations employed exactly the same ab initio potential energy surface for the C2H2N2 system which is, to our knowledge, the most realistic, accurate and up-to-date one. The resulting calculated collisional half-widths are in good agreement with the experimental ones only for the full classical and quantum dynamical methods. In addition, we have performed similar calculations for IR absorption lines and compared the results to bibliographic values. Results obtained with the full classical method are again in good agreement with the available room temperature experimental data. The quantum dynamical close-coupling calculations are too time consuming to provide a complete set of values and therefore have been performed only for the R(0) line of C2H2. The broadening coefficient obtained for this line at 173 K and 297 K also compares quite well with the available experimental data. The traditional Robert Bonamy semi-classical formalism, however, strongly overestimates the values of half-width for both Qand R-lines. The refined semi-classical Robert Bonamy method, first proposed for the calculations of pressure broadening coefficients of isotropic Raman lines, is also used for IR lines. By using this improved model that takes into account effects from line coupling, the calculated semi-classical widths are significantly reduced and closer to the measured ones.

On-the-road driving performance and driving-related skills in older untreated insomnia patients and chronic users of hypnotics.

PubMed

Leufkens, T R M; Ramaekers, J G; de Weerd, A W; Riedel, W J; Vermeeren, A

2014-07-01

Many older adults report sleep problems and use of hypnotics. Several studies have shown that hypnotics can have acute adverse effects on driving the next morning. It is unclear however whether driving of chronic hypnotic users is impaired. Therapeutic effects on insomnia and development of tolerance may reduce the residual effects on driving. The present study aimed to compare actual driving performance and driving-related skills of chronic hypnotic users to good sleepers. To determine whether insomnia itself affects driving performance, driving and driving-related skills were compared between insomnia patients who do not or infrequently use hypnotics and good sleepers. Twenty-two frequent users of hypnotics (using hypnotics ≥ 4 nights per week for more than 3 months), 20 infrequent users (using hypnotics ≤ 3 nights per week), and 21 healthy, age-matched controls participated in this study. On the night before testing, all subjects were hospitalized for an 8-h sleep recorded by polysomnography. Frequent hypnotic users used their regular medication at bedtime (2330 hours), while infrequent users and controls received no medication. Cognitive performance (word learning, digit span, tracking, divided attention, vigilance, and inhibitory control) was assessed 8.5 h and driving performance between 10 and 11 h after bedtime and dosing. Polysomnographic recordings did not significantly differ between the groups, but the insomnia patients, treated or untreated, still reported subjective sleep complaints. Results show no differences in driving performance and driving-related skills between both groups of insomnia patients and controls. Driving performance in chronic users of hypnotics and untreated insomnia patients is not impaired. For chronic users, this may be due to prescription of relatively safe drugs and low doses. For untreated insomniacs, this corroborates previous findings showing an absence of neuropsychological deficits in this group of patients.

48 CFR 1816.405-275 - Award fee evaluation scoring.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...; exemplary performance in a timely, efficient, and economical manner; very minor (if any) deficiencies with no adverse effect on overall performance. (2) Very good (90-81): Very effective performance, fully... economical manner for the most part; only minor deficiencies. (3) Good (80-71): Effective performance; fully...

Solar thermal electric power plants - Their performance characteristics and total social costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caputo, R. S.; Truscello, V. C.

1976-01-01

The central receiver (power tower) concept as a thermal conversion approach to the conversion of solar energy into electricity is compared to other solar power plant designs which feature distributed solar collection and use other types of solar collector configurations. A variety of solar thermal storage concepts are discussed and their impacts on system performance are assessed. Although a good deal of quantification is possible in a comparative study, the subjective judgments carry enormous weight in a socio-economic decision, the ultimate choice of central power plant being more a social than an economic or technical decision. Major elements of the total social cost of each type of central plant are identified as utility economic costs, R&D funds, health costs, and other relevant social impacts.

Power Consumption Analysis of Operating Systems for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Lajara, Rafael; Pelegrí-Sebastiá, José; Perez Solano, Juan J.

2010-01-01

In this paper four wireless sensor network operating systems are compared in terms of power consumption. The analysis takes into account the most common operating systems—TinyOS v1.0, TinyOS v2.0, Mantis and Contiki—running on Tmote Sky and MICAz devices. With the objective of ensuring a fair evaluation, a benchmark composed of four applications has been developed, covering the most typical tasks that a Wireless Sensor Network performs. The results show the instant and average current consumption of the devices during the execution of these applications. The experimental measurements provide a good insight into the power mode in which the device components are running at every moment, and they can be used to compare the performance of different operating systems executing the same tasks. PMID:22219688

Power consumption analysis of operating systems for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Lajara, Rafael; Pelegrí-Sebastiá, José; Perez Solano, Juan J

2010-01-01

In this paper four wireless sensor network operating systems are compared in terms of power consumption. The analysis takes into account the most common operating systems--TinyOS v1.0, TinyOS v2.0, Mantis and Contiki--running on Tmote Sky and MICAz devices. With the objective of ensuring a fair evaluation, a benchmark composed of four applications has been developed, covering the most typical tasks that a Wireless Sensor Network performs. The results show the instant and average current consumption of the devices during the execution of these applications. The experimental measurements provide a good insight into the power mode in which the device components are running at every moment, and they can be used to compare the performance of different operating systems executing the same tasks.

Characterization of a new unshielded diode for small field dosimetry under flattening filter free beams.

PubMed

Reggiori, Giacomo; Mancosu, Pietro; Suchowerska, Natalka; Lobefalo, Francesca; Stravato, Antonella; Tomatis, Stefano; Scorsetti, Marta

2016-02-01

To characterize the performance of a new unshielded silicon diode (Razor-IBA) for dose measurements in small flattening filter free beams. The Razor has an active volume of 0.6 mm in diameter and 20 µm in length. The detector response stability in measured dose, dose rate, dose per pulse, and dark current were evaluated. The detector response in square fields (0.6-5.0 cm) was determined using PDD curves, axial beam profiles and output ratios. The performances were compared to that of the previously available SFD-IBA and PFD-IBA diodes. The Razor short term stability relative to the SFD was much improved (<±0.1% after 1.2 kGy). The linearity was <±1% (0.05-30 Gy range) and the dose rate dependence was <±0.5% (4-24 Gy/min range). The dose per pulse dependence was <±0.7% (0.08-0.21 cGy/pulse range). The PDDs measured with Razor and PFD differed <1%. A larger dark current was observed with increase in dose (0.0025 pA/Gy) compared to the SFD (0.0002 pA/Gy). This characteristic is attributed to an increased concentration of recombination centers. The beam profile showed good agreement with the SFD. Penumbra differences were <±0.3 mm relative to PFD, with a slight overestimation of the tails (<1%), due to the absence of diode shielding. Output ratios were in good agreement for fields up to 5 × 5 cm(2) (<1%). The Razor diode has the same spatial resolution and performance reliability as its predecessor (SFD), but exhibits the additional advantage of improved stability. These features make the Razor diode detector a good candidate for small field dosimetry. Copyright © 2016 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implant positioning in TKA: comparison between conventional and patient-specific instrumentation.

PubMed

Ferrara, Ferdinando; Cipriani, Antonio; Magarelli, Nicola; Rapisarda, Santi; De Santis, Vincenzo; Burrofato, Aaron; Leone, Antonio; Bonomo, Lorenzo

2015-04-01

The number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures continuously increases, with good to excellent results. In the last few years, new surgical techniques have been developed to improve prosthesis positioning. In this context, patient-specific instrumentation is included. The goal of this study was to compare the perioperative parameters and the spatial positioning of prosthetic components in TKA procedures performed with patient-specific instrumentation vs traditional TKA. In this prospective comparative randomized study, 15 patients underwent TKA with 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) preoperative planning (patient-specific instrumentation group) and 15 patients underwent traditional TKA (non-patient-specific instrumentation group). All patients underwent postoperative computed tomography (CT) examination. In the patient-specific instrumentation group, preoperative data planning regarding femoral and tibial bone resection was correlated with intraoperative measurements. Surgical time, length of hospitalization, and intraoperative and postoperative bleeding were compared between the 2 groups. Positioning of implants on postoperative CT was assessed for both groups. Data planned with 3-dimensional MRI regarding the depth of bone cuts showed good to excellent correlation with intraoperative measurements. The patient-specific instrumentation group showed better perioperative outcomes and good correlation between the spatial positioning of prosthetic components planned preoperatively and that seen on postoperative CT. Less variability was found in the patient-specific instrumentation group than in the non-patient-specific instrumentation group in spatial orientation of prosthetic components. Preoperative planning with 3-dimensional MRI in TKA has a better perioperative outcome compared with the traditional method. Use of patient-specific instrumentation can also improve the spatial positioning of both prosthetic components. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

A Methodology for Comparing Costs and Benefits of Management Alternatives for F-22 Sustainment

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

TRANSPORTATION INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TERRORISM AND... internal Air Force analysis regarding the nature of the requirement, the F-22 System Program Office (SPO) (subsequently renamed the 478th Aeronautical...improving performance while ultimately dependent on monopoly vendors who can charge more than the fair market value for their goods or services. This

Are Case Studies a Good Teaching Tool for CS1?

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

old AP/CS tests to compare our students’ performance against the results obtained by ETS. Currently, the introductory courses at CMU are taught using...Carrasquel, J., Goldenson, D. & Miller, P. L. (1985). Competency Testing in Introductory Computer Science: The Mastery Examination at Carnegie Mellon... courses is that many places do not have enough facilities (or the necessary time) required for long programming assignments. In our opinion, using case

Delaminations in composite plates under transverse static loads - Experimental results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finn, Scott R.; He, Yi-Fei; Springer, George S.

1992-01-01

Tests were performed measuring the damage initiation loads and the locations, shapes, and sizes of delaminations in Fiberite T300/976 graphite/epoxy, Fiberite IM7/977-2 graphite-toughened epoxy, and ICI APC-2 graphite-PEEK plates subjected to transverse static loads. The data were compared to the results of the Finn-Springer model, and good agreements were found between the measured and calculated delamination lengths and widths.

Validation of Heat Transfer and Film Cooling Capabilities of the 3-D RANS Code TURBO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shyam, Vikram; Ameri, Ali; Chen, Jen-Ping

2010-01-01

The capabilities of the 3-D unsteady RANS code TURBO have been extended to include heat transfer and film cooling applications. The results of simulations performed with the modified code are compared to experiment and to theory, where applicable. Wilcox s k-turbulence model has been implemented to close the RANS equations. Two simulations are conducted: (1) flow over a flat plate and (2) flow over an adiabatic flat plate cooled by one hole inclined at 35 to the free stream. For (1) agreement with theory is found to be excellent for heat transfer, represented by local Nusselt number, and quite good for momentum, as represented by the local skin friction coefficient. This report compares the local skin friction coefficients and Nusselt numbers on a flat plate obtained using Wilcox's k-model with the theory of Blasius. The study looks at laminar and turbulent flows over an adiabatic flat plate and over an isothermal flat plate for two different wall temperatures. It is shown that TURBO is able to accurately predict heat transfer on a flat plate. For (2) TURBO shows good qualitative agreement with film cooling experiments performed on a flat plate with one cooling hole. Quantitatively, film effectiveness is under predicted downstream of the hole.

Jordan recurrent neural network versus IHACRES in modelling daily streamflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carcano, Elena Carla; Bartolini, Paolo; Muselli, Marco; Piroddi, Luigi

2008-12-01

SummaryA study of possible scenarios for modelling streamflow data from daily time series, using artificial neural networks (ANNs), is presented. Particular emphasis is devoted to the reconstruction of drought periods where water resource management and control are most critical. This paper considers two connectionist models: a feedforward multilayer perceptron (MLP) and a Jordan recurrent neural network (JNN), comparing network performance on real world data from two small catchments (192 and 69 km 2 in size) with irregular and torrential regimes. Several network configurations are tested to ensure a good combination of input features (rainfall and previous streamflow data) that capture the variability of the physical processes at work. Tapped delayed line (TDL) and memory effect techniques are introduced to recognize and reproduce temporal dependence. Results show a poor agreement when using TDL only, but a remarkable improvement can be obtained with JNN and its memory effect procedures, which are able to reproduce the system memory over a catchment in a more effective way. Furthermore, the IHACRES conceptual model, which relies on both rainfall and temperature input data, is introduced for comparative study. The results suggest that when good input data is unavailable, metric models perform better than conceptual ones and, in general, it is difficult to justify substantial conceptualization of complex processes.

[Why are some high achievers on the course final exam unsuccessful on the proficiency exam in English?].

PubMed

Matsunuma, Mitsuyasu

2009-04-01

This study examined why some high achievers on the course final exam were unsuccessful on the proficiency exam in English. We hypothesized that the learning motives and learning behaviors (learning strategy, learning time) had different effects on the outcomes of the exams. First, the relation between the variables was investigated using structural equation modeling. Second, the learning behaviors of students who got good marks on both exams were compared with students who did well only on the course final exam. The results were as follows. (a) Learning motives influenced test performance via learning behaviors. (b) Content-attached motives influenced all variables concerning learning behaviors. (c) Content-detached motives influenced all variables concerning learning behaviors that were related only to the course final exam. (d) The students who got good marks on both exams performed the learning behaviors that were useful on the proficiency exam more frequently than the students who did well only on the course final exam.

Methacrylate-bonded covalent-organic framework monolithic columns for high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Liu, Li-Hua; Yang, Cheng-Xiong; Yan, Xiu-Ping

2017-01-06

Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) are a newfangled class of intriguing microporous materials. Considering their unique properties, COFs should be promising as packing materials for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, the irregular shape and sub-micrometer size of COFs synthesized via the traditional methods render the main obstacles for the application of COFs in HPLC. Herein, we report the preparation of methacrylate-bonded COF monolithic columns for HPLC to overcome the above obstacles. The prepared COF bonded monolithic columns not only show good homogeneity and permeability, but also give high column efficiency, good resolution and precision for HPLC separation of small molecules including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, anilines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and benzothiophenes. Compared with the bare polymer monolithic column, the COF bonded monolithic columns show enhanced hydrophobic, π-π and hydrogen bond interactions in reverse phase HPLC. The results reveal the great potential of COF bonded monoliths for HPLC and COFs in separation sciences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Legalized abortion: a public health success story.

PubMed

Kelly, M

1999-06-01

60% of more than 2000 women surveyed by the Picker Institute who underwent induced abortion procedures rated the quality of their care as excellent. Another third reported their care as being either very good or good. The survey also found that the quality of abortion care is comparable to other outpatient surgery. However, the high quality of care women receive from abortion providers is lost in the hostile anti-abortion climate created by threatening protesters outside of clinics and the murder of 7 clinic workers and physicians who performed abortions. Abortion opponents fail to acknowledge that legal abortion is a medical procedure which protects women's health and saves their lives. Before abortion was legalized in the US, countless women were either rendered unable to reproduce or died from abortion-related complications. Efforts to outlaw abortion persist despite it being widely recognized by medical experts as one of the most safe medical procedures currently performed in the US. When state legislatures target abortion providers with unduly strict regulations, abortion becomes prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain.

Advertisement recognition using mode voting acoustic fingerprint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahmi, Reza; Abedi Firouzjaee, Hosein; Janalizadeh Choobbasti, Ali; Mortazavi Najafabadi, S. H. E.; Safavi, Saeid

2017-12-01

Emergence of media outlets and public relations tools such as TV, radio and the Internet since the 20th century provided the companies with a good platform for advertising their goods and services. Advertisement recognition is an important task that can help companies measure the efficiency of their advertising campaigns in the market and make it possible to compare their performance with competitors in order to get better business insights. Advertisement recognition is usually performed manually with help of human labor or is done through automated methods that are mainly based on heuristics features, these methods usually lack abilities such as scalability, being able to be generalized and be used in different situations. In this paper, we present an automated method for advertisement recognition based on audio processing method that could make this process fairly simple and eliminate the human factor out of the equation. This method has ultimately been used in Miras information technology in order to monitor 56 TV channels to detect all ad video clips broadcast over some networks.

Nd-YAG Laser Treatment for Tracheobronchial Obstruction

PubMed Central

Lee, Yu-Chin; Chiang, Kuo-Hwa

1996-01-01

The Nd-YAG laser has good tissue penetration and coagulation effects thus has become an important weapon for photoresection of tracheobronchial obstructive lesions since 1980. Treatment of benign lesions including benign tumors and scar tissues using the Nd-YAG laser has good results. In the treatment of malignant tumors however, it has a lower effectivity rate when compared to benign lesions. From July 1984 to September 1995, a total of 65 patients were treated with Nd-YAG laser for tracheobronchial obstruction. There were 32 (49%) malignant tumors and 33 (51%) benign lesions. 116 resections were performed in 48 patients using the non-contact Nd-YAG laser (MBB, Medilas 2) before 1992. Thereafter, another 41 resections were performed in 17 cases using contact Nd-YAG laser (SLT, CL-X). The overall effectivity rate was 60%. The effectivity rate for benign lesions was 81.3% and 39.4% for malignant tumor. The effectivity rate between non-contact and contact Nd-YAG laser was not significantly different. PMID:18493424

Nd-YAG Laser Treatment for Tracheobronchial Obstruction.

PubMed

Perng, R P; Lee, Y C; Chiang, K H

1996-01-01

The Nd-YAG laser has good tissue penetration and coagulation effects thus has become an important weapon for photoresection of tracheobronchial obstructive lesions since 1980.Treatment of benign lesions including benign tumors and scar tissues using the Nd-YAG laser has good results. In the treatment of malignant tumors however, it has a lower effectivity rate when compared to benign lesions. From July 1984 to September 1995, a total of 65 patients were treated with Nd-YAG laser for tracheobronchial obstruction. There were 32 (49%) malignant tumors and 33 (51%) benign lesions. 116 resections were performed in 48 patients using the non-contact Nd-YAG laser (MBB, Medilas 2) before 1992. Thereafter, another 41 resections were performed in 17 cases using contact Nd-YAG laser (SLT, CL-X). The overall effectivity rate was 60%. The effectivity rate for benign lesions was 81.3% and 39.4% for malignant tumor. The effectivity rate between non-contact and contact Nd-YAG laser was not significantly different.

Improved performance of graphene transistors by strain engineering.

PubMed

Nguyen, V Hung; Nguyen, Huy-Viet; Dollfus, P

2014-04-25

By means of numerical simulation, in this work we study the effects of uniaxial strain on the transport properties of strained graphene heterojunctions and explore the possibility of achieving good performance of graphene transistors using these hetero-channels. It is shown that a finite conduction gap can open in the strain junctions due to strain-induced deformation of the graphene bandstructure. These hetero-channels are then demonstrated to significantly improve the operation of graphene field-effect transistors (FETs). In particular, the ON/OFF current ratio can reach a value of over 10(5). In graphene normal FETs, the transconductance, although reduced compared to the case of unstrained devices, is still high, while good saturation of current can be obtained. This results in a high voltage gain and a high transition frequency of a few hundreds of GHz for a gate length of 80 nm. In graphene tunneling FETs, subthreshold swings lower than 30 mV /dec, strong nonlinear effects such as gate-controllable negative differential conductance, and current rectification are observed.

Handwriting assessment to distinguish comorbid learning difficulties from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Chinese adolescents: A case-control study.

PubMed

Li-Tsang, Cecilia W P; Li, Tim M H; Lau, Mandy S W; Ho, Choco H Y; Leung, Howard W H

2018-05-15

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning difficulties (LDs) are proposed as 2 overlapping disorders. The objective of this study was to investigate the handwriting performance in ADHD and comorbid ADHD-LD adolescents. The study examined the Chinese and English handwriting performance and sensorimotor skills of 32 ADHD, 12 ADHD-LD, and their matched controls. Participants with ADHD had comparable writing time and speed, but the readability was lower than their controls. Participants with ADHD-LD had lower writing speeds in both Chinese and English handwriting than their controls. The ADHD and ADHD-LD groups also showed larger variations in either speed or pen pressure than their controls. Chinese handwriting assessment effectively classified ADHD and ADHD-LD with good sensitivity and positive predictive value. Clinicians should be aware of the fundamental difference between the 2 disorders and make good use of handwriting assessment as a reference to deliver effective therapies and trainings. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics does not improve performance of follow-up MRA of embolized intracranial aneurysms.

PubMed

Serafin, Zbigniew; Strześniewski, Piotr; Lasek, Władysław; Beuth, Wojciech

2012-07-01

The use of contrast media and the time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics (TRICKS) technique have some theoretical advantages over time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) in the follow-up of intracranial aneurysms after endovascular treatment. We prospectively compared the diagnostic performance of TRICKS and TOF-MRA with digital subtracted angiography (DSA) in the assessment of occlusion of embolized aneurysms. Seventy-two consecutive patients with 72 aneurysms were examined 3 months after embolization. Test characteristics of TOF-MRA and TRICKS were calculated for the detection of residual flow. The results of quantification of flow were compared with weighted kappa. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility was determined. The sensitivity of TOF-MRA was 85% (95% CI, 65-96%) and of TRICKS, 89% (95% CI, 70-97%). The specificity of both methods was 91% (95% CI, 79-98%). The accuracy of the flow quantification ranged from 0.76 (TOF-MRA) to 0.83 (TRICKS). There was no significant difference between the methods in the area under the ROC curve regarding both the detection and the quantification of flow. Intraobserver reproducibility was very good with both techniques (kappa, 0.86-0.89). The interobserver reproducibility was moderate for TOF-MRA and very good for TRICKS (kappa, 0.74-0.80). In this study, TOF-MRA and TRICKS presented similar diagnostic performance; therefore, the use of time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA is not justified in the follow-up of embolized aneurysms.

Goal-directed transthoracic echocardiography during advanced cardiac life support: A pilot study using simulation to assess ability

PubMed Central

Greenstein, Yonatan Y.; Martin, Thomas J.; Rolnitzky, Linda; Felner, Kevin; Kaufman, Brian

2015-01-01

Introduction Goal-directed echocardiography (GDE) is used to answer specific clinical questions which provide invaluable information to physicians managing a hemodynamically unstable patient. We studied perception and ability of housestaff previously trained in GDE to accurately diagnose common causes of cardiac arrest during simulated advanced cardiac life support (ACLS); we compared their results to those of expert echocardiographers. Methods Eleven pulmonary and critical care medicine fellows, seven emergency medicine residents, and five cardiologists board-certified in echocardiography were enrolled. Baseline ability to acquire four transthoracic echocardiography views was assessed and participants were exposed to six simulated cardiac arrests and were asked to perform a GDE during ACLS. Housestaff performance was compared to the performance of five expert echocardiographers. Results Average baseline and scenario views by housestaff were of good or excellent quality 89% and 83% of the time, respectively. Expert average baseline and scenario views were always of good or excellent quality. Housestaff and experts made the correct diagnosis in 68% and 77% of cases, respectively. On average, participants required 1.5 pulse checks to make the correct diagnosis. 94% of housestaff perceived this study as an accurate assessment of ability. Conclusions In an ACLS compliant manner, housestaff are capable of diagnosing management altering pathologies the majority of the time and they reach similar diagnostic conclusions in the same amount of time as expert echocardiographers in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario. PMID:25932707

Goal-Directed Transthoracic Echocardiography During Advanced Cardiac Life Support: A Pilot Study Using Simulation to Assess Ability.

PubMed

Greenstein, Yonatan Y; Martin, Thomas J; Rolnitzky, Linda; Felner, Kevin; Kaufman, Brian

2015-08-01

Goal-directed echocardiography (GDE) is used to answer specific clinical questions that provide invaluable information to physicians managing a hemodynamically unstable patient. We studied perception and ability of house staff previously trained in GDE to accurately diagnose common causes of cardiac arrest during simulated advanced cardiac life support (ACLS); we compared their results with those of expert echocardiographers. Eleven pulmonary and critical care medicine fellows, 7 emergency medicine residents, and 5 cardiologists board certified in echocardiography were enrolled. Baseline ability to acquire 4 transthoracic echocardiography views was assessed, and participants were exposed to 6 simulated cardiac arrests and were asked to perform a GDE during ACLS. House staff performance was compared with the performance of 5 expert echocardiographers. Average baseline and scenario views by house staff were of good or excellent quality 89% and 83% of the time, respectively. Expert average baseline and scenario views were always of good or excellent quality. House staff and experts made the correct diagnosis in 68% and 77% of cases, respectively. On average, participants required 1.5 pulse checks to make the correct diagnosis. Of house staff, 94% perceived this study as an accurate assessment of ability. In an ACLS-compliant manner, house staff are capable of diagnosing management-altering pathologies the majority of the time, and they reach similar diagnostic conclusions in the same amount of time as expert echocardiographers in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario.

Evaluating the double Poisson generalized linear model.

PubMed

Zou, Yaotian; Geedipally, Srinivas Reddy; Lord, Dominique

2013-10-01

The objectives of this study are to: (1) examine the applicability of the double Poisson (DP) generalized linear model (GLM) for analyzing motor vehicle crash data characterized by over- and under-dispersion and (2) compare the performance of the DP GLM with the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson (COM-Poisson) GLM in terms of goodness-of-fit and theoretical soundness. The DP distribution has seldom been investigated and applied since its first introduction two decades ago. The hurdle for applying the DP is related to its normalizing constant (or multiplicative constant) which is not available in closed form. This study proposed a new method to approximate the normalizing constant of the DP with high accuracy and reliability. The DP GLM and COM-Poisson GLM were developed using two observed over-dispersed datasets and one observed under-dispersed dataset. The modeling results indicate that the DP GLM with its normalizing constant approximated by the new method can handle crash data characterized by over- and under-dispersion. Its performance is comparable to the COM-Poisson GLM in terms of goodness-of-fit (GOF), although COM-Poisson GLM provides a slightly better fit. For the over-dispersed data, the DP GLM performs similar to the NB GLM. Considering the fact that the DP GLM can be easily estimated with inexpensive computation and that it is simpler to interpret coefficients, it offers a flexible and efficient alternative for researchers to model count data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement for trace analysis of sulfonamide antibiotics in water matrices using bar adsorptive microextraction (BAμE).

PubMed

Ide, A H; Ahmad, S M; Neng, N R; Nogueira, J M F

2016-09-10

In this study, the enhancement for trace analysis of sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfathiazole, sulfamethoxazole and sulfadimethoxine) and trimethoprim in water matrices is proposed using bar adsorptive microextraction combined with micro-liquid desorption followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (BAμE-μLD/HPLC-DAD). By comparing different polymers and activated carbons as sorbent coatings for BAμE, the polystyrene-divinylbenzene polymer (PS-DVB) showed the best selectivity for the compounds under study. Assays performed through BAμE(PS-DVB)-μLD on 25mL of ultrapure water samples spiked at the 8.0μgL(-1) level showed recoveries ranging from 63.8±1.5% to 84.2±1.9%, under optimized experimental conditions. The validated method provided satisfactory limits of detection (0.08-0.16μgL(-1)) and good linear dynamic ranges (0.16-8.00μgL(-1)) with determination coefficients higher than 0.9958. The proposed analytical methodology was applied to real matrices, such as tap, estuarine and wastewater samples using the standard addition method. It showed to be easy to implement, with good reproducibility, sensitivity and requiring small amount of sample. Furthermore, negligible consumption of organic solvents was used in compliance with the green analytical chemistry principles. When compared to other well-established microextraction approaches, BAμE demonstrated better performance concerning recovery yields and sensitivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organic sensitizers featuring thiophene derivative based donors with improved stability and photovoltaic performance.

PubMed

Miao, Kai; Liang, Mao; Wang, Zhihui; Zhang, Chunyao; Sun, Zhe; Xue, Song

2017-01-18

Thiophene derivatives, including thieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (TBT), benzo[b]thiophene (BT), 2-phenylthieno[3,2-b]thiophene (PTT) and 2-phenylthiophene (PT), have been introduced as donors for the construction of triarylamine organic dyes (M52, M53, M56, M57 and M52A). The absorption, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties as well as the stabilities of these dyes are systematically investigated and compared with the reference dye (M55), whose donor is composed of the hexyloxybenzene (HOB) unit. It is found that introducing the TBT, BT, PTT or PT donors positively shifted the HOMO and LUMO levels of the organic dyes, providing a larger driving force for regeneration and reducing the energy loss for electron injection. In addition, we found that M52, which contains the TBT unit, exhibited better photovoltaic performance and photostability as compared to the reference dye. In contrast, M53 displayed the lowest efficiency and stability of these dyes, indicating that the BT unit is not a good building block for donors. Interestingly, upon the incorporation of the mixed donor (TBT-HOB), M52A achieved a desirable driving force for regeneration without a loss in light absorption, thus resulting in a further improved photovoltaic performance with respect to that of M52. This work demonstrates that introducing donors based on thiophene derivatives is a good strategy for tuning the energy levels and thereby enhancing the efficiency of the resulting devices.

Testicular histomorphometrics including Sertoli cell quantitation for evaluating hatchability and fertility issues in commercial breeder-broiler roosters.

PubMed

Wilson, Floyd D; Johnson, Deirdre I; Magee, Danny L; Hoerr, Frederic J

2018-05-01

Testicular histomorphometric methods were developed for the investigation of fertility and hatchability problems in commercial broiler-breeder roosters. Sertoli cell (SC) evaluations were emphasized in view of their role in influencing embryonic testicular organogenesis and spermatogenesis in adults. H&E stained sections prepared from formalized tissues were examined. SC evaluations were mostly made from computer generated images using image analysis software, but were also compared to direct counting with ocular grid reticle. Other measurements were germinal epithelial and total seminiferous tubule widths, quantification of individual spermatozoa and sperm clusters, and determinations of stromal area. Age-associated changes in SC occurred between 15 to 54 wk of age. A significant reduction in SC concentration occurred at 29 wk of age (P < 0.001) that corresponded with the histologic initiation of spermatogenesis. Expanded morphometric evaluations were performed on 59-week-old roosters comparing a flock having good body condition and footpad scores with normal testicular and body weights (optimal profile or OP group) to a second flock demonstrating relatively poor expression of these parameters and decreased fertility (sub-optimal profile or SOP group). Significant reductions (P < 0.05) in SC concentration, spermatozoa, and tubular widths, but an increased percentage of stroma area occurred in SOP compared to OP flocks. SC results also correlated well with testes weight. A unique finding was a significant relationship between decreasing SC concentration and increasing severity scores for footpad lesions. Differences in all histomorphometric parameters occurred between flocks demonstrating good hatchability compared to flocks exhibiting either low or decreasing hatchability. Significant reductions in SC and other morphometric parameters were observed for the poor relative to good hatchability group. A strong positive association was observed for SC results using computer generated images and direct reticle ocular counting (R = 0.80). Replicate counts on control sections demonstrated generally good reproducibility of methods between experiments. The findings are supportive of the value of testicular histomorphometrics for evaluations of hatchability issues in commercial roosters.

Interspecific Variation in Bumblebee Performance on Pollen Diet: New Insights for Mitigation Strategies

PubMed Central

De Jonghe, Roland; Michez, Denis; Vanderplanck, Maryse

2016-01-01

Bumblebees (i.e. Bombus genus) are major pollinators of flowering wild plants and crops. Although many species are currently in decline, a number of them remain stable or are even expanding. One factor potentially driving changes in bumblebee distribution is the suitability of plant communities. Actually, bees probably have specific nutritional requirements that could shape their floral choices and constraint them in the current context of global change. However, most studies primarily focus on one bumblebee species at a time, making comparative studies scarce. Herein we performed comparative bioassays on three bumblebee species (i.e. Bombus hypnorum, B. pratorum and B. terrestris) fed on three different pollen diets with distinct nutritive content (Cistus, Erica and Salix pollen diets). Micro-colony performance was compared through different developmental and resource collection parameters for understanding the impact of change in pollen diet on different bumblebee species. The evidence suggests that B. terrestris is by far the most competitive species because of its performance compared to the other species, regardless of pollen diet. Our results also highlight a Bombus species effect as pollen diet impacts the micro-colonies in different ways according to the actual bumblebee species. Such interspecific variation in Bombus performance in response to a dietetic change underlines the importance of considering different bumblebee species in mitigation strategies. Such comparative studies are good advice for developing appropriate suites of plant species that can benefit threatened species while supporting stable or expanding ones. PMID:28005943

T2-weighted prostate MRI at 7 Tesla using a simplified external transmit-receive coil array: correlation with radical prostatectomy findings in two prostate cancer patients.

PubMed

Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Zhang, Bei; Ben-Eliezer, Noam; Le Nobin, Julien; Melamed, Jonathan; Deng, Fang-Ming; Taneja, Samir S; Wiggins, Graham C

2015-01-01

To report design of a simplified external transmit-receive coil array for 7 Tesla (T) prostate MRI, including demonstration of the array for tumor localization using T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) at 7T before prostatectomy. Following simulations of transmitter designs not requiring parallel transmission or radiofrequency-shimming, a coil array was constructed using loop elements, with anterior and posterior rows comprising one transmit-receive element and three receive-only elements. This coil structure was optimized using a whole-body phantom. In vivo sequence optimization was performed to optimize achieved flip angle (FA) and signal to noise ratio (SNR) in prostate. The system was evaluated in a healthy volunteer at 3T and 7T. The 7T T2WI was performed in two prostate cancer patients before prostatectomy, and localization of dominant tumors was subjectively compared with histopathological findings. Image quality was compared between 3T and 7T in these patients. Simulations of the B1(+) field in prostate using two-loop design showed good magnitude (B1(+) of 0.245 A/m/w(1/2)) and uniformity (nonuniformity [SD/mean] of 10.4%). In the volunteer, 90° FA was achieved in prostate using 225 v 1 ms hard-pulse (indicating good efficiency), FA maps confirmed good uniformity (14.1% nonuniformity), and SNR maps showed SNR gain of 2.1 at 7T versus 3T. In patients, 7T T2WI showed excellent visual correspondence with prostatectomy findings. 7T images demonstrated higher estimated SNR (eSNR) in benign peripheral zone (PZ) and tumor compared with 3T, but lower eSNR in fat and slight decreases in tumor-to-PZ contrast and PZ-homogeneity. We have demonstrated feasibility of a simplified external coil array for high-resolution T2-weighted prostate MRI at 7T. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A nonproprietary, nonsecret program for calculating Stirling cryocoolers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martini, W. R.

1985-01-01

A design program for an integrated Stirling cycle cryocooler was written on an IBM-PC computer. The program is easy to use and shows the trends and itemizes the losses. The calculated results were compared with some measured performance values. The program predicts somewhat optimistic performance and needs to be calibrated more with experimental measurements. Adding a multiplier to the friction factor can bring the calculated rsults in line with the limited test results so far available. The program is offered as a good framework on which to build a truly useful design program for all types of cryocoolers.

Experimental and predicted cavitation performance of an 80.6 deg helical inducer in high temperature water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kovich, G.

1972-01-01

The cavitating performance of a stainless steel 80.6 degree flat-plate helical inducer was investigated in water over a range of liquid temperatures and flow coefficients. A semi-empirical prediction method was used to compare predicted values of required net positive suction head in water with experimental values obtained in water. Good agreement was obtained between predicted and experimental data in water. The required net positive suction head in water decreased with increasing temperature and increased with flow coefficient, similar to that observed for a like inducer in liquid hydrogen.

On the role of dimensionality and sample size for unstructured and structured covariance matrix estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgera, S. D.; Cooper, D. B.

1976-01-01

The experimental observation that a surprisingly small sample size vis-a-vis dimension is needed to achieve good signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) performance with an adaptive predetection filter is explained. The adaptive filter requires estimates as obtained by a recursive stochastic algorithm of the inverse of the filter input data covariance matrix. The SIR performance with sample size is compared for the situations where the covariance matrix estimates are of unstructured (generalized) form and of structured (finite Toeplitz) form; the latter case is consistent with weak stationarity of the input data stochastic process.

High-performance heat pipes for heat recovery applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saaski, E. W.; Hartl, J. H.

1980-01-01

Methods to improve the performance of reflux heat pipes for heat recovery applications were examined both analytically and experimentally. Various models for the estimation of reflux heat pipe transport capacity were surveyed in the literature and compared with experimental data. A high transport capacity reflux heat pipe was developed that provides up to a factor of 10 capacity improvement over conventional open tube designs; analytical models were developed for this device and incorporated into a computer program HPIPE. Good agreement of the model predictions with data for R-11 and benzene reflux heat pipes was obtained.

The Classification of Diabetes Mellitus Using Kernel k-means

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alamsyah, M.; Nafisah, Z.; Prayitno, E.; Afida, A. M.; Imah, E. M.

2018-01-01

Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder which is characterized by chronicle hypertensive glucose. Automatics detection of diabetes mellitus is still challenging. This study detected diabetes mellitus by using kernel k-Means algorithm. Kernel k-means is an algorithm which was developed from k-means algorithm. Kernel k-means used kernel learning that is able to handle non linear separable data; where it differs with a common k-means. The performance of kernel k-means in detecting diabetes mellitus is also compared with SOM algorithms. The experiment result shows that kernel k-means has good performance and a way much better than SOM.

A comprehensive analysis of the performance characteristics of the Mount Laguna solar photovoltaic installation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shumka, A.; Sollock, S. G.

1981-01-01

This paper represents the first comprehensive survey of the Mount Laguna Photovoltaic Installation. The novel techniques used for performing the field tests have been effective in locating and characterizing defective modules. A comparative analysis on the two types of modules used in the array indicates that they have significantly different failure rates, different distributions in degradational space and very different failure modes. A life cycle model is presented to explain a multimodal distribution observed for one module type. A statistical model is constructed and it is shown to be in good agreement with the field data.

Prospects for spinel-stabilized, high-capacity lithium-ion battery cathodes

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

Croy, Jason R.; Park, Joong Sun; Shin, Youngho

Herein we report early results on efforts to optimize the electrochemical performance of a cathode composed of a lithium- and manganese-rich “layered-layered-spinel” material for lithium-ion battery applications. Pre-pilot scale synthesis leads to improved particle properties compared with lab-scale efforts, resulting in high capacities (≳200 mAh/g) and good energy densities (>700 Wh/kg) in tests with lithium-ion cells. Subsequent surface modifications give further improvements in rate capabilities and high-voltage stability. These results bode well for advances in the performance of this class of lithium- and manganese-rich cathode materials.

Prospects for spinel-stabilized, high-capacity lithium-ion battery cathodes

DOE PAGES

Croy, Jason R.; Park, Joong Sun; Shin, Youngho; ...

2016-10-13

Herein we report early results on efforts to optimize the electrochemical performance of a cathode composed of a lithium- and manganese-rich “layered-layered-spinel” material for lithium-ion battery applications. Pre-pilot scale synthesis leads to improved particle properties compared with lab-scale efforts, resulting in high capacities (≳200 mAh/g) and good energy densities (>700 Wh/kg) in tests with lithium-ion cells. Subsequent surface modifications give further improvements in rate capabilities and high-voltage stability. These results bode well for advances in the performance of this class of lithium- and manganese-rich cathode materials.

On Study of Application of Micro-reactor in Chemistry and Chemical Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunshen

2018-02-01

Serving as a micro-scale chemical reaction system, micro-reactor is characterized by high heat transfer efficiency and mass transfer, strictly controlled reaction time and good safety performance; compared with the traditional mixing reactor, it can effectively shorten reaction time by virtue of these advantages and greatly enhance the chemical reaction conversion rate. However, problems still exist in the process where micro-reactor is used for production in chemistry and chemical field, and relevant researchers are required to optimize and perfect the performance of micro-reactor. This paper analyzes specific application of micro-reactor in chemistry and chemical field.

Metal plasticity and ductile fracture modeling for cast aluminum alloy parts

DOE PAGES

Lee, Jinwoo; Kim, Se-Jong; Park, Hyeonil; ...

2018-01-06

Here in this study, plasticity and ductile fracture properties were characterized by performing various tension, shear, and compression tests. A series of 10 experiments were performed using notched round bars, flat-grooved plates, in-plane shear plates, and cylindrical bars. Two cast aluminum alloys used in automotive suspension systems were selected. Plasticity modelling was performed and the results were compared with experimental and corresponding simulation results; further, the relationships among the stress triaxiality, Lode angle parameter, and equivalent plastic strain at the onset of failure were determined to calibrate a ductile fracture model. Finally, the proposed ductile fracture model shows good agreementmore » with experimental results.« less

Experimental investigation of connection performance for prefabricated timber beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesmana, C.; Suhendi, S.

2017-06-01

This paper presents an investigation of connection performance for a simple supported prefabricated timber beams using Meranti hardwood (Shorea sp.). The good connection is crucial for the proper functioning of the timber structures. The adequate connection condition should be assured to achieve the requirement capacity design and performance of the system. The property of material was tested according to [1]. The proposed design of bolted connections has been evaluated through experimental investigation and compared to the simple supported beam without connection. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed connection design although the ultimate load of the beam with connection is only half of the beam without connection. The test results obtained the purposed connection should be improved.

CP decomposition approach to blind separation for DS-CDMA system using a new performance index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouijel, Awatif; Minaoui, Khalid; Comon, Pierre; Aboutajdine, Driss

2014-12-01

In this paper, we present a canonical polyadic (CP) tensor decomposition isolating the scaling matrix. This has two major implications: (i) the problem conditioning shows up explicitly and could be controlled through a constraint on the so-called coherences and (ii) a performance criterion concerning the factor matrices can be exactly calculated and is more realistic than performance metrics used in the literature. Two new algorithms optimizing the CP decomposition based on gradient descent are proposed. This decomposition is illustrated by an application to direct-sequence code division multiplexing access (DS-CDMA) systems; computer simulations are provided and demonstrate the good behavior of these algorithms, compared to others in the literature.

Metal plasticity and ductile fracture modeling for cast aluminum alloy parts

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

Lee, Jinwoo; Kim, Se-Jong; Park, Hyeonil

Here in this study, plasticity and ductile fracture properties were characterized by performing various tension, shear, and compression tests. A series of 10 experiments were performed using notched round bars, flat-grooved plates, in-plane shear plates, and cylindrical bars. Two cast aluminum alloys used in automotive suspension systems were selected. Plasticity modelling was performed and the results were compared with experimental and corresponding simulation results; further, the relationships among the stress triaxiality, Lode angle parameter, and equivalent plastic strain at the onset of failure were determined to calibrate a ductile fracture model. Finally, the proposed ductile fracture model shows good agreementmore » with experimental results.« less

3D printed graphene-based electrodes with high electrochemical performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernardou, D.; Vasilopoulos, K. C.; Kenanakis, G.

2017-10-01

Three-dimensional (3D) printed graphene pyramids were fabricated through a dual-extrusion FDM-type 3D printer using a commercially available PLA-based conductive graphene. Compared with flat printed graphene, a substantial enhancement in the electrochemical performance was clearly observed for the case of 3D printed graphene pyramids with 5.0 mm height. Additionally, the charge transfer of Li+ across the graphene pyramids/electrolyte interface was easier enhancing its performance presenting a specific discharge capacity of 265 mAh g-1 with retention of 93% after 1000 cycles. The importance of thickness control towards the printing of an electrode with good stability and effective electrochemical behavior is highlighted.

Performance enhancement of pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors using 6,13-pentacenequinone as a carrier injection interlayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Ching-Lin; Lin, Wei-Chun; Chen, Hao-Wei

2018-06-01

This work demonstrates pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) fabricated by inserting a 6,13-pentacenequinone (PQ) carrier injection layer between the source/drain (S/D) metal Au electrodes and pentacene channel layer. Compared to devices without a PQ layer, the performance characteristics including field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, and On/Off current ratio were significantly improved for the device with a 5-nm-thick PQ interlayer. These improvements are attributed to significant reduction of hole barrier height at the Au/pentacene channel interfaces. Therefore, it is believed that using PQ as the carrier injection layer is a good candidate to improve the pentacene-based OTFTs electrical performance.

Allergen-specific IgE measurement with the IMMULITE 2000 system: intermethod comparison of detection performance for allergen-specific IgE antibodies from Korean allergic patients.

PubMed

Lee, Yong Won; Sohn, Jung Ho; Lee, Jae-Hyun; Hong, Chein-Soo; Park, Jung-Won

2009-03-01

Intermethod comparison between IMMULITE 2000 chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) and the established CAP test for allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) has only been evaluated by a few studies. We performed such an interassay comparison using 283 Korean allergic patients with the following: asthma (18.4%), allergic rhinitis (18.4%), both asthma and allergic rhinitis (14.5%), atopic dermatitis (21.9%), and others (26.8%). We compared the sIgE detection performance of both systems for 10 major inhalant allergens (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, Blattela germanica, cat dander, dog hair, alder, birch, oak, ragweed, and mugwort) and four food allergens (egg white, cow milk, peanut, and shrimp). After 645 paired comparison tests, close association and significant correlation were observed between the results of both assays for most of these allergens (r=0.525-0.979, p<0.05, respectively), except for shrimp. Intermethod agreement based on sIgE detection was fair to good (74.1-100%, kappa=0.514-1.000, p<0.05, respectively) for most allergens except for B. germanica, ragweed, and shrimp. Although both assays showed good accuracy in ROC curve analysis, some minor differences were noted. IMMULITE 2000 CLEIA for sIgE detection showed fair to good intermethod correlation, association, agreement, and accuracy in comparison to the established CAP assay among Korean allergic patients. However, we should take into account the intermethod differences between both assays for clinical applications.

Radiographic and functional evaluation of low profile dorsal versus volar plating for distal radius fractures.

PubMed

Kumar, Sanjay; Khan, A N; Sonanis, S V

2016-12-01

Fracture of the distal radius is a common clinical problem. Complex fracture requires open reduction and stabilization with plating to restore anatomy. Dorsal plating has advantages of buttressing the fracture better but often complicated with tendon problems as per literature. The rate of complications however, was not compared between the low-profile dorsal and the volar plates. This was a retrospective study on seventy one patients with dorsally angulated or displaced distal radius fractures, who underwent fixation of fractures with either dorsal or volar locking plate from Jan - Nov 2012. Preoperative radiographs were classified based on Universal and Fernandez classification. Postoperative radiographs were assessed for anatomical restoration of Radial length, radial inclination and volar tilt. Tendon and nerve related complications were assessed and functional evaluation was performed on the basis of PRWE (Patient related wrist evaluation) score. Both groups were matched for their demographic profile and fracture types (p 0.033). Dorsal plating group had 89% excellent/good restoration and fair in 11%. Volar group had 96% excellent/good restoration and fair in 4%. Statistical analysis was performed with unpaired t test for radiographic parameters. Three patients had tendon related complications in dorsal plating group; two patients in volar group had nerve related complications. Functional outcome with PRWE was comparable between two groups. Results with low profile dorsal plating were comparable to volar plating. Therefore dorsal plating can be used as an alternative method when dorsal buttressing of comminuted fracture is required, especially with concomitant osteoporosis.

Application of an efficient hybrid scheme for aeroelastic analysis of advanced propellers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, R.; Sankar, N. L.; Reddy, T. S. R.; Huff, D. L.

1989-01-01

An efficient 3-D hybrid scheme is applied for solving Euler equations to analyze advanced propellers. The scheme treats the spanwise direction semi-explicitly and the other two directions implicitly, without affecting the accuracy, as compared to a fully implicit scheme. This leads to a reduction in computer time and memory requirement. The calculated power coefficients for two advanced propellers, SR3 and SR7L, and various advanced ratios showed good correlation with experiment. Spanwise distribution of elemental power coefficient and steady pressure coefficient differences also showed good agreement with experiment. A study of the effect of structural flexibility on the performance of the advanced propellers showed that structural deformation due to centrifugal and aero loading should be included for better correlation.

Low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of a 13 percent thick medium speed airfoil designed for general aviation applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcghee, R. J.; Beasley, W. D.

1979-01-01

Wind tunnel tests were conducted to determine the low speed, two dimensional aerodynamic characteristics of a 13percent thick medium speed airfoil designed for general aviation applications. The results were compared with data for the 13 percent thick low speed airfoil. The tests were conducted over a Mach number range from 0.10 to 0.32, a chord Reynolds number range from 2.0 x 10 to the 6th power to 12.0 x 10 to the 6th power, and an angle of attack frange from about -8 deg to 10 deg. The objective of retaining good high-lift low speed characteristics for an airfoil designed to have good medium speed cruise performance was achieved.

Meaningful use and good catches: More appropriate metrics for checklist effectiveness.

PubMed

Putnam, Luke R; Anderson, Kathryn T; Diffley, Michael B; Hildebrandt, Aubrey A; Caldwell, Kelly M; Minzenmayer, Andrew N; Covey, Sarah E; Kawaguchi, Akemi L; Lally, Kevin P; Tsao, KuoJen

2016-12-01

The benefit of utilizing surgical safety checklists has been recently questioned. We evaluated our checklist performance after implementing a program that includes checklist-related good catches. Multifaceted interventions aimed at the preincision checklist and 5 prospective audits were conducted from 2011-2015. We documented adherence to the checklist (verbalization of each checkpoint), fidelity (meaningful performance of each checkpoint), and good catches (events with the potential to cause the patient harm but that were prevented from occurring). Good catches were divided into quality improvement-based categories (processes, medication, safety, communication, and equipment). A total of 1,346 checklist performances were observed (range, 144-373/yr). Adherence to the preincision checklist improved from 30% to 95% (P < .001), while adherence to the preinduction and debriefing checklists decreased (71% to 56%, P = .002) and remained unchanged (76%), respectively. Preincision fidelity decreased from 86% to 76% (P = .012). Good catches were identified during 16% of preincision checklist performances; process issues were most common (32%) followed by issues of medication administration (30%) and safety (22%). Implementation of a systematic checklist program resulted in significant and sustainable improvement in performance. Meaningful use and associated good catches may be more appropriate metric than actual patient harm for measuring checklist effectiveness. Although not previously described, checklist-related good catches represent an unknown benefit of checklists. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for sucralose in sewage effluent, surface water, and drinking water.

PubMed

Morlock, Gertrud E; Schuele, Leonard; Grashorn, Sebastian

2011-05-13

Sucralose, a persistent chlorinated substance used as sweetener, can already be found in waste water, and various countries focused on the release of sucralose into the aquatic environment. A quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method, which is orthogonal to existing methods, was developed to analyze sucralose in water. After sample preparation, separation of up to 17 samples was performed in parallel on a HPTLC plate silica gel 60 F(254) with a mixture of isopropyl acetate, methanol and water (15:3:1, v/v/v) within 15 min. Due to the weak native UV absorption of sucralose (≤200 nm), various post-chromatographic derivatization reactions were compared to selectively detect sucralose in effluent and surface water matrices. Thereby p-aminobenzoic acid reagent was discovered as a new derivatization reagent for sucralose. Compared to the latter and to β-naphthol, derivatization with aniline diphenylamine o-phosphoric acid reagent was slightly preferred and densitometry was performed by absorbance measurement at 400 nm. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of sucralose in drinking and surface water was calculated to be 100 ng/L for a given recovery rate of 80% and the extraction of a 0.5 L water sample. The sucralose content determined in four water samples obtained during an interlaboratory trial in 2008 was in good agreement to the mean laboratory values of that trial. According to the t-test, which compares the results with the target value, the means obtained by HPTLC were not significantly different from the respective means of six laboratories, analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS or HPLC-TOF-MS with the use of mostly isotopically labeled standards. The good accuracy and high sample throughput capacity proved HPTLC as a well suited method regarding quantification of sucralose in various aqueous matrices. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a modified independent parallel reactions kinetic model and comparison with the distributed activation energy model for the pyrolysis of a wide variety of biomass fuels.

PubMed

Sfakiotakis, Stelios; Vamvuka, Despina

2015-12-01

The pyrolysis of six waste biomass samples was studied and the fuels were kinetically evaluated. A modified independent parallel reactions scheme (IPR) and a distributed activation energy model (DAEM) were developed and their validity was assessed and compared by checking their accuracy of fitting the experimental results, as well as their prediction capability in different experimental conditions. The pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer and a fitting procedure, based on least squares minimization, was performed simultaneously at different experimental conditions. A modification of the IPR model, considering dependence of the pre-exponential factor on heating rate, was proved to give better fit results for the same number of tuned kinetic parameters, comparing to the known IPR model and very good prediction results for stepwise experiments. Fit of calculated data to the experimental ones using the developed DAEM model was also proved to be very good. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanical performance of hybrid polyester composites reinforced Cloisite 30B and kenaf fibre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnia, N. N.; Surip, S. N.; Ratim, S.; Mahat, M. M.

2012-06-01

Hybridization of rubber toughened polyester-kenaf nanocomposite was prepared by adding various percentage of kenaf fiber with 4% Cloisite 30B in unsaturated polyester resin. Composite were prepared by adding filler to modified polyester resin subsequently cross-linked using methyl ethyl ketone peroxide and the accelerator cobalt octanoate 1%. Three per hundred rubbers (phr) of liquid natural rubber (LNR) were added in producing this composite. This composite expected to be applied in the interior of passenger cars and truck cabins. This is a quality local product from a combination of good properties polyester and high performance natural fiber, kenaf that is suitable for many applications such as in automotive sector and construction sector. The mechanical and thermal properties of composite were characterized using Durometer Shore-D hardness test, Izod impact test, Scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Result shows that addition of LNR give good properties on impact, flexural and hardness compare to without LNR composite. DSC curve shows that all composition of composites is fully cured and good in thermal properties. Addition of higher percentage of kenaf will lead the composite to elastic behavior and decrease the toughened properties of the composite. Hybrid system composite showed the flexural properties within the flexural properties of kenaf - polyester and Cloisite 30B.

A quality control study on cytotechnologist-cytopathologist concordance and its relationship to the number of dots on the slide.

PubMed

Bongiovanni, Massimo; De Saussure, Barbara; Kumar, Neeta; Pache, Jean-Claude; Cibas, Edmund S

2009-01-01

To study cytotechnologist (CT)-cytopathologist (CP) concordance for evaluating individual CTs' performance and for quality assurance and educational feedback. The interpretations of individual CTs were compared with the final interpretations (according to the 2001 Bethesda System) of the CP. Concordance percentages and kappa values were calculated for each CT and correlated with the numbers of dots on each slide, years of experience and percentage of work hours devoted to cytology. A total of 10,453 Pap tests were screened by 9 CTs during one year, out of which 993 (9.5%) were referred to one CP for a final interpretation. Mean concordance between the aggregate CT interpretations and those of the CP was 65.5%. Five CTs had good concordance, 3 had moderately good concordance, and one had surprisingly poor concordance that contrasted with good subjective impressions. No correlation was found between concordance and the average number of dots per slide, screening experience in cervicovaginal cytology or percentage of work hours devoted to cytology. Monitoring CT-CP concordance rates can unveil performance issues not detected by subjective impressions. An excessive number of dots per slide may not reflect poor diagnostic precision so much as a lack of confidence in interpretation.

Multifunctional carbon nano-paper composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhichun; Chu, Hetao; Wang, Kuiwen; Liu, Yanjv; Leng, Jinsong

2013-08-01

Carbon Nanotube (CNT), for its excellent mechanical, electrical properties and nano size, large special surface physical property, become the most promising material. But carbon nanotube can still fabricated in micro dimension, and can't be made into macro size, so to the carbon nanotube filled composite can't explore the properties of the CNT. Carbon nano-paper is made of pure CNT, with micro pore, and it turn micro sized CNT into macro shaped membrane. Based on the piezo-resistivity and electrical conductivity of the carbon nano-paper, we used the carbon nano-paper as functional layers fabricate functional composite, and studies its strain sensing, composite material deicing and shape memory polymer (SMP) material electric actuation performance. The results shown that the resin can pregnant the nano paper, and there was good bond for nano paper and composite. The functional composite can monitoring the strain with high sensitivity comparing to foil strain gauge. The functional composite can be heated via the carbon nano paper with low power supply and high heating rate. The composite has good deicing and heat actuation performance to composite material. For the good strain sensing, electric conductivity and self-heating character of the carbon nano-paper composite, it can be used for self sensing, anti lightning strike and deicing of composite materials in aircrafts and wind turbine blades.

Comparative Study of Hand-Sutured versus Circular Stapled Anastomosis for Gastrojejunostomy in Laparoscopy Assisted Distal Gastrectomy

PubMed Central

Seo, Su Hyun; Kim, Min Chan; Choi, Hong Jo; Jung, Ghap Joong

2012-01-01

Purpose Mechanical stapler is regarded as a good alternative to the hand sewing technique, when used in gastric reconstruction. The circular stapling method has been widely applied to gastrectomy (open orlaparoscopic), for gastric cancer. We illustrated and compared the hand-sutured method to the circular stapling method, for Billroth-II, in patients who underwent laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods Between April 2009 and May 2011, 60 patients who underwent laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy, with Billroth-II, were enrolled. Hand-sutured Billroth-II was performed in 40 patients (manual group) and circular stapler Billroth-II was performed in 20 patients (stapler group). Clinicopathological features and post-operative outcomes were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Results Nosignificant differences were observed in clinicopathologic parameters and post-operative outcomes, except in the operation times. Operation times and anastomosis times were significantly shorter in the stapler group (P=0.004 and P<0.001). Conclusions Compared to the hand-sutured method, the circular stapling method can be applied safely and more efficiently, when performing Billroth-II anastomosis, after laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. PMID:22792525

Can You Show You Are a Good Lecturer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Leigh N.; Harding, Ansie

2007-01-01

Measurement of the quality of teaching activities is becoming increasingly important since universities are rewarding performance in terms of promotion, awards and bonuses and research is no longer the only key performance indicator. Good teaching is not easy to identify and measure. This paper specifically deals with the issue of good teaching in…

High-performance liquid chromatography separation of unsaturated organic compounds by a monolithic silica column embedded with silver nanoparticles.

PubMed

Zhu, Yang; Morisato, Kei; Hasegawa, George; Moitra, Nirmalya; Kiyomura, Tsutomu; Kurata, Hiroki; Kanamori, Kazuyoshi; Nakanishi, Kazuki

2015-08-01

The optimization of a porous structure to ensure good separation performances is always a significant issue in high-performance liquid chromatography column design. Recently we reported the homogeneous embedment of Ag nanoparticles in periodic mesoporous silica monolith and the application of such Ag nanoparticles embedded silica monolith for the high-performance liquid chromatography separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. However, the separation performance remains to be improved and the retention mechanism as compared with the Ag ion high-performance liquid chromatography technique still needs to be clarified. In this research, Ag nanoparticles were introduced into a macro/mesoporous silica monolith with optimized pore parameters for high-performance liquid chromatography separations. Baseline separation of benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene was achieved with the theoretical plate number for analyte naphthalene as 36,000 m(-1). Its separation function was further extended to cis/trans isomers of aromatic compounds where cis/trans stilbenes were chosen as a benchmark. Good separation of cis/trans-stilbene with separation factor as 7 and theoretical plate number as 76,000 m(-1) for cis-stilbene was obtained. The trans isomer, however, is retained more strongly, which contradicts the long- established retention rule of Ag ion chromatography. Such behavior of Ag nanoparticles embedded in a silica column can be attributed to the differences in the molecular geometric configuration of cis/trans stilbenes. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Common Characteristics of Good and Poorly Performing PCC Pavements

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

This report documents the analysis and findings of a study to identify the site conditions and design/construction features of concrete pavements (JPCP, JRCP, CRCP) that lead to good performance and those that lead to poor performance. Data from Long...

Common Characteristics of Good and Poorly Performing AC Pavements

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-12-01

This report documents the analysis and findings of a study to identify the site conditions and design/construction features of : flexible pavements that lead to good performance and those that lead to poor performance. Data from the Long Term Pavemen...

Laboratory-based performance evaluation of PIMA CD4+ T-lymphocyte count point-of-care by lay-counselors in Kenya.

PubMed

Zeh, Clement; Rose, Charles E; Inzaule, Seth; Desai, Mitesh A; Otieno, Fredrick; Humwa, Felix; Akoth, Benta; Omolo, Paul; Chen, Robert T; Kebede, Yenew; Samandari, Taraz

2017-09-01

CD4+ T-lymphocyte count testing at the point-of-care (POC) may improve linkage to care of persons diagnosed with HIV-1 infection, but the accuracy of POC devices when operated by lay-counselors in the era of task-shifting is unknown. We examined the accuracy of Alere's Pima™ POC device on both capillary and venous blood when performed by lay-counselors and laboratory technicians. In Phase I, we compared the perfomance of POC against FACSCalibur™ for 280 venous specimens by laboratory technicians. In Phase II we compared POC performance by lay-counselors versus laboratory technicians using 147 paired capillary and venous specimens, and compared these to FACSCalibur™. Statistical analyses included Bland-Altman analyses, concordance correlation coefficient, sensitivity, and specificity at treatment eligibility thresholds of 200, 350, and 500cells/μl. Phase I: POC sensitivity and specificity were 93.0% and 84.1% at 500cells/μl, respectively. Phase II: Good agreement was observed for venous POC results from both lay-counselors (concordance correlation coefficient (CCC)=0.873, bias -86.4cells/μl) and laboratory technicians (CCC=0.920, bias -65.7cells/μl). Capillary POC had good correlation: lay-counselors (CCC=0.902, bias -71.2cells/μl), laboratory technicians (CCC=0.918, bias -63.0cells/μl). Misclassification at the 500 cells/μl threshold for venous blood was 13.6% and 10.2% for lay-counselors and laboratory technicians and 12.2% for capillary blood in both groups. POC tended to under-classify the CD4 values with increasingly negative bias at higher CD4 values. Pima™ results were comparable to FACSCalibur™ for both venous and capillary specimens when operated by lay-counselors. POC CD4 testing has the potential to improve linkage to HIV care without burdening laboratory technicians in resource-limited settings. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Teacher performance and work environment in the instructional process in vocational school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuncoro, Tri; Dardiri, Ahmad

2017-09-01

Teachers should have pedagogical, personality, social, and professional competency. stated that performance appraisal has several benefits, namely for the implementation of reward and punishment system, provision of feedback for teachers to develop their competencies, identification of training needs, and diagnosis of problems. According to performance is one's work result or success rate as a whole over a certain period of time in performing tasks compared to various possibilities, such as work standards, targets or criteria which have been predetermined and agreed. One's performance is based on daily tasks and responsibilities assigned to him/her. The racial differences in personality are largely due to different environmental influences, where people of different races have progressed for generations. Vocational high school teachers have a low pedagogic and professional performance. The factors that influence performance, according to the partner-lawyer model proposed, are expectations about rewards, encouragements, abilities, needs and traits, perceptions of tasks, internal and external rewards, perceptions of reward levels and job satisfaction. This study used a survey method to collect data or information about a large population using relatively small samples. The population of this research was vocational high school teachers. Data analysis techniques used the Regression Analysis with the assistance of SPSS. The results of teacher performance are as follows: 1) the pedagogic performance was relatively good; 2) professional performance was relatively good, and the overall performance of vocational high school teachers was still less effective and efficient; 3) the teachers' work environment was 42.5234%; and 4) there was no correlation between work environment and teacher performance, meaning that the work environment (conditions of physical work environment, psychological work environment, and non-physical work environment) does not positively support the pedagogical and professional performance of teachers.

Dynamic comparisons of piezoelectric ejecta diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttler, W. T.; Zellner, M. B.; Olson, R. T.; Rigg, P. A.; Hixson, R. S.; Hammerberg, J. E.; Obst, A. W.; Payton, J. R.; Iverson, A.; Young, J.

2007-03-01

We investigate the quantitative reliability and precision of three different piezoelectric technologies for measuring ejected areal mass from shocked surfaces. Specifically we performed ejecta measurements on Sn shocked at two pressures, P ≈215 and 235 kbar. The shock in the Sn was created by launching a impactor with a powder gun. We self-compare and cross-compare these measurements to assess the ability of these probes to precisely determine the areal mass ejected from a shocked surface. We demonstrate the precision of each technology to be good, with variabilities on the order of ±10%. We also discuss their relative accuracy.

Comparing CTH Simulations and Experiments on Explosively Loaded Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braithwaite, C. H.; Aydelotte, B.; Thadhani, N. N.; Williamson, D. M.

2011-06-01

A series of experiments were conducted on explosively loaded rings for the purpose of studying fragmentation. In addition to the collection of fragments for analysis, the radial velocity of the expanding ring was measured with PDV and the arrangement was imaged using a high speed camera. Both the ring material and the material used as the explosive container were altered and the results compared with simulations performed in CTH. Good agreement was found between the simulations and the experiments. The maximum radial velocity attained was approximately 450 m/s, which was achieved through loading with a 5g PETN based charge.

Assessment of liver ablation using cone beam computed tomography.

PubMed

Abdel-Rehim, Mohamed; Ronot, Maxime; Sibert, Annie; Vilgrain, Valérie

2015-01-14

To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in assessing the ablation zone after liver tumor ablation. Twenty-three patients (17 men and 6 women, range: 45-85 years old, mean age 65 years) with malignant liver tumors underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous tumor ablation [radiofrequency (n = 14), microwave (n = 9)] followed by intravenous contrast-enhanced CBCT. Baseline multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and peri-procedural CBCT images were compared. CBCT image quality was assessed as poor, good, or excellent. Image fusion was performed to assess tumor coverage, and quality of fusion was rated as bad, good, or excellent. Ablation zone volumes on peri-procedural CBCT and post-procedural MDCT were compared using the non-parametric paired Wilcoxon t-test. Rate of primary ablation effectiveness was 100%. There were no complications related to ablation. Local tumor recurrence and new liver tumors were found 3 mo after initial treatment in one patient (4%). The ablation zone was identified in 21/23 (91.3%) patients on CBCT. The fusion of baseline MDCT and peri-procedural CBCT images was feasible in all patients and showed satisfactory tumor coverage (at least 5-mm margin). CBCT image quality was poor, good, and excellent in 2 (9%), 8 (35%), and 13 (56%), patients respectively. Registration quality between peri-procedural CBCT and post-procedural MDCT images was good to excellent in 17/23 (74%) patients. The median ablation volume on peri-procedural CBCT and post-procedural MDCT was 30 cm(3) (range: 4-95 cm(3)) and 30 cm(3) (range: 4-124 cm(3)), respectively (P-value > 0.2). There was a good correlation (r = 0.79) between the volumes of the two techniques. Contrast-enhanced CBCT after tumor ablation of the liver allows early assessment of the ablation zone.

Scan-rescan reproducibility of segmental aortic wall shear stress as assessed by phase-specific segmentation with 4D flow MRI in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

van der Palen, Roel L F; Roest, Arno A W; van den Boogaard, Pieter J; de Roos, Albert; Blom, Nico A; Westenberg, Jos J M

2018-05-26

The aim was to investigate scan-rescan reproducibility and observer variability of segmental aortic 3D systolic wall shear stress (WSS) by phase-specific segmentation with 4D flow MRI in healthy volunteers. Ten healthy volunteers (age 26.5 ± 2.6 years) underwent aortic 4D flow MRI twice. Maximum 3D systolic WSS (WSSmax) and mean 3D systolic WSS (WSSmean) for five thoracic aortic segments over five systolic cardiac phases by phase-specific segmentations were calculated. Scan-rescan analysis and observer reproducibility analysis were performed. Scan-rescan data showed overall good reproducibility for WSSmean (coefficient of variation, COV 10-15%) with moderate-to-strong intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 0.63-0.89). The variability in WSSmax was high (COV 16-31%) with moderate-to-good ICC (0.55-0.79) for different aortic segments. Intra- and interobserver reproducibility was good-to-excellent for regional aortic WSSmax (ICC ≥ 0.78; COV ≤ 17%) and strong-to-excellent for WSSmean (ICC ≥ 0.86; COV ≤ 11%). In general, ascending aortic segments showed more WSSmax/WSSmean variability compared to aortic arch or descending aortic segments for scan-rescan, intraobserver and interobserver comparison. Scan-rescan reproducibility was good for WSSmean and moderate for WSSmax for all thoracic aortic segments over multiple systolic phases in healthy volunteers. Intra/interobserver reproducibility for segmental WSS assessment was good-to-excellent. Variability of WSSmax is higher and should be taken into account in case of individual follow-up or in comparative rest-stress studies to avoid misinterpretation.

Website-based PNG image steganography using the modified Vigenere Cipher, least significant bit, and dictionary based compression methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojali, Salman, Afan Galih; George

2017-08-01

Along with the development of information technology in meeting the needs, various adverse actions and difficult to avoid are emerging. One of such action is data theft. Therefore, this study will discuss about cryptography and steganography that aims to overcome these problems. This study will use the Modification Vigenere Cipher, Least Significant Bit and Dictionary Based Compression methods. To determine the performance of study, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) method is used to measure objectively and Mean Opinion Score (MOS) method is used to measure subjectively, also, the performance of this study will be compared to other method such as Spread Spectrum and Pixel Value differencing. After comparing, it can be concluded that this study can provide better performance when compared to other methods (Spread Spectrum and Pixel Value Differencing) and has a range of MSE values (0.0191622-0.05275) and PSNR (60.909 to 65.306) with a hidden file size of 18 kb and has a MOS value range (4.214 to 4.722) or image quality that is approaching very good.

Comparing current definitions of return to work: a measurement approach.

PubMed

Steenstra, I A; Lee, H; de Vroome, E M M; Busse, J W; Hogg-Johnson, S J

2012-09-01

Return-to-work (RTW) status is an often used outcome in work and health research. In low back pain, work is regarded as a normal activity a worker should return to in order to fully recover. Comparing outcomes across studies and even jurisdictions using different definitions of RTW can be challenging for readers in general and when performing a systematic review in particular. In this study, the measurement properties of previously defined RTW outcomes were examined with data from two studies from two countries. Data on RTW in low back pain (LBP) from the Canadian Early Claimant Cohort (ECC); a workers' compensation based study, and the Dutch Amsterdam Sherbrooke Evaluation (ASE) study were analyzed. Correlations between outcomes, differences in predictive validity when using different outcomes and construct validity when comparing outcomes to a functional status outcome were analyzed. In the ECC all definitions were highly correlated and performed similarly in predictive validity. When compared to functional status, RTW definitions in the ECC study performed fair to good on all time points. In the ASE study all definitions were highly correlated and performed similarly in predictive validity. The RTW definitions, however, failed to compare or compared poorly with functional status. Only one definition compared fairly on one time point. Differently defined outcomes are highly correlated, give similar results in prediction, but seem to differ in construct validity when compared to functional status depending on societal context or possibly birth cohort. Comparison of studies using different RTW definitions appears valid as long as RTW status is not considered as a measure of functional status.

Periodically pulsed wet annealing approach for low-temperature processable amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistors with high electrical performance and ultrathin thickness

PubMed Central

Kim, Ye Kyun; Ahn, Cheol Hyoun; Yun, Myeong Gu; Cho, Sung Woon; Kang, Won Jun; Cho, Hyung Koun

2016-01-01

In this paper, a simple and controllable “wet pulse annealing” technique for the fabrication of flexible amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) processed at low temperature (150 °C) by using scalable vacuum deposition is proposed. This method entailed the quick injection of water vapor for 0.1 s and purge treatment in dry ambient in one cycle; the supply content of water vapor was simply controlled by the number of pulse repetitions. The electrical transport characteristics revealed a remarkable performance of the a-IGZO TFTs prepared at the maximum process temperature of 150 °C (field-effect mobility of 13.3 cm2 V−1 s−1; Ion/Ioff ratio ≈ 108; reduced I-V hysteresis), comparable to that of a-IGZO TFTs annealed at 350 °C in dry ambient. Upon analysis of the angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the good performance was attributed to the effective suppression of the formation of hydroxide and oxygen-related defects. Finally, by using the wet pulse annealing process, we fabricated, on a plastic substrate, an ultrathin flexible a-IGZO TFT with good electrical and bending performances. PMID:27198067

Periodically pulsed wet annealing approach for low-temperature processable amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistors with high electrical performance and ultrathin thickness.

PubMed

Kim, Ye Kyun; Ahn, Cheol Hyoun; Yun, Myeong Gu; Cho, Sung Woon; Kang, Won Jun; Cho, Hyung Koun

2016-05-20

In this paper, a simple and controllable "wet pulse annealing" technique for the fabrication of flexible amorphous InGaZnO thin film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) processed at low temperature (150 °C) by using scalable vacuum deposition is proposed. This method entailed the quick injection of water vapor for 0.1 s and purge treatment in dry ambient in one cycle; the supply content of water vapor was simply controlled by the number of pulse repetitions. The electrical transport characteristics revealed a remarkable performance of the a-IGZO TFTs prepared at the maximum process temperature of 150 °C (field-effect mobility of 13.3 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1); Ion/Ioff ratio ≈ 10(8); reduced I-V hysteresis), comparable to that of a-IGZO TFTs annealed at 350 °C in dry ambient. Upon analysis of the angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the good performance was attributed to the effective suppression of the formation of hydroxide and oxygen-related defects. Finally, by using the wet pulse annealing process, we fabricated, on a plastic substrate, an ultrathin flexible a-IGZO TFT with good electrical and bending performances.

[A comparative evaluation of the methods for determining nitrogen dioxide in an industrial environment].

PubMed

Panev, T

1991-01-01

The present work has the purpose to make a comparative evaluation of the different types detector tubes--for analysis, long-term and passive for determination of NO2 and the results to be compared, with those received by the spectrophotometric method and the reagent of Zaltsman. Studies were performed in the hall of the garage for repair of diesel buses during one working shift. The results point out that the analysing tubes for NO2 give good results with the spectrophotometric method. The measured average-shift concentrations of NO2 by long-term and passive tubes are juxtaposed with the average-received values with the analytical tubes and with the analytical method.

Debridement versus re-attachment of acetabular labral tears: A review of the literature and quantitative analysis.

PubMed

Haddad, B; Konan, S; Haddad, F S

2014-01-01

We have reviewed the current literature to compare the results of surgery aimed to repair or debride a damaged acetabular labrum. We identified 28 studies to be included in the review containing a total of 1631 hips in 1609 patients. Of these studies 12 reported a mean rate of good results of 82% (from 67% to 100%) for labral debridement. Of the 16 studies that reported a combination of debridement and re-attachment, five reported a comparative outcome for the two methods, four reported better results with re-attachment and one study did not find any significant difference in outcomes. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies it was not possible to perform a meta-analysis or draw accurate conclusions. Confounding factors in the studies include selection bias, use of historical controls and high rates of loss of follow-up. It seems logical to repair an unstable tear in a good quality labrum with good potential to heal in order potentially to preserve its physiological function. A degenerative labrum on the other hand may be the source of discomfort and its preservation may result in persistent pain and the added risk of failure of re-attachment. The results of the present study do not support routine refixation for all labral tears.

Optimisation of reconstruction--reprojection-based motion correction for cardiac SPECT.

PubMed

Kangasmaa, Tuija S; Sohlberg, Antti O

2014-07-01

Cardiac motion is a challenging cause of image artefacts in myocardial perfusion SPECT. A wide range of motion correction methods have been developed over the years, and so far automatic algorithms based on the reconstruction--reprojection principle have proved to be the most effective. However, these methods have not been fully optimised in terms of their free parameters and implementational details. Two slightly different implementations of reconstruction--reprojection-based motion correction techniques were optimised for effective, good-quality motion correction and then compared with each other. The first of these methods (Method 1) was the traditional reconstruction-reprojection motion correction algorithm, where the motion correction is done in projection space, whereas the second algorithm (Method 2) performed motion correction in reconstruction space. The parameters that were optimised include the type of cost function (squared difference, normalised cross-correlation and mutual information) that was used to compare measured and reprojected projections, and the number of iterations needed. The methods were tested with motion-corrupt projection datasets, which were generated by adding three different types of motion (lateral shift, vertical shift and vertical creep) to motion-free cardiac perfusion SPECT studies. Method 2 performed slightly better overall than Method 1, but the difference between the two implementations was small. The execution time for Method 2 was much longer than for Method 1, which limits its clinical usefulness. The mutual information cost function gave clearly the best results for all three motion sets for both correction methods. Three iterations were sufficient for a good quality correction using Method 1. The traditional reconstruction--reprojection-based method with three update iterations and mutual information cost function is a good option for motion correction in clinical myocardial perfusion SPECT.

Measuring Adaptive Coping of Hospitalized Patients With a Severe Medical Condition: The Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire.

PubMed

Boezeman, Edwin J; Hofhuis, José G M; Hovingh, Aly; Cox, Christopher E; de Vries, Reinout E; Spronk, Peter E

2016-09-01

Adaptive coping strategies are associated with less psychological distress. However, there is no brief, specific, and validated instrument for assessing adaptive coping among seriously ill patients. Our objective was to examine the validity and patient-proxy agreement of a novel instrument, the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire. A cross-sectional design which included two related studies. A single university-affiliated Dutch hospital. Hospitalized patients (study 1) and ICU-patients and proxies (study 2). None. Study 1 (n = 103 hospitalized patients) addressed the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire's performance relative to questionnaires addressing similar content areas. Coping subscales of the BRIEF COPE, Illness Cognition Questionnaire, and Utrecht Coping List were used as comparator measures in testing the construct validity of the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire-subscales (fighting spirit, toughness, redefinition, positivism, and non-acceptance). The Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire had good internal consistency (0.64 ≤ α ≤ 0.79), a clear initial factor structure, and fair convergent (0.24 ≤ r ≤ 0.50) and divergent (r, ≤ 0.12) construct validity. Study 2 examined the performance of the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire among 100 ICU patients and their close family members. This study showed that the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire has good structural validity (confirmatory factor analyses with Comparative Fit Index > 0.90 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation < 0.08) and moderate (r, 0.37; non-acceptance) to strong (r, > 0.50; fighting spirit, toughness, redefinition, and positivism) patient-close proxy agreement. Overall, the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire has good psychometric properties. ICU clinicians can use the Sickness Insight in Coping Questionnaire to gain insight in adaptive coping style of patients through ratings of patients or their close family members.

Comparative study on different types of segmented micro deformable mirrors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Dayong; Yuan, Weizheng; Li, Kaicheng; Li, Xiaoying; Rao, Fubo

2006-02-01

In an adaptive-optical (AO) system, the wavefront of optical beam can be corrected with deformable mirror (DM). Based on MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) technology, segmented micro deformable mirrors can be built with denser actuator spacing than continuous face-sheet designs and have been widely researched. But the influence of the segment structure has not been thoroughly discussed until now. In this paper, the design, performance and fabrication of several micromachined, segmented deformable mirror for AO were investigated. The wavefront distorted by atmospheric turbulence was simulated in the frame of Kolmogorov turbulence model. Position function was used to describe the surfaces of the micro deformable mirrors in working state. The performances of deformable mirrors featuring square, brick, hexagonal and ring segment structures were evaluated in criteria of phase fitting error, the Strehl ratio after wavefront correction and the design considerations. Then the micro fabrication process and mask layout were designed and the fabrication of micro deformable mirrors was implemented. The results show that the micro deformable mirror with ring segments performs the best, but it is very difficult in terms of layout design. The micro deformable mirrors with square and brick segments are easy to design, but their performances are not good. The micro deformable mirror with hexagonal segments has not only good performance in terms of phase fitting error, the Strehl ratio and actuation voltage, but also no overwhelming difficulty in layout design.

Evaluation of two commercially available chromogenic media for confirmation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from human, animal, and food samples.

PubMed

Ariza-Miguel, Jaime; Oniciuc, Elena-Alexandra; Sanz, Iván; Fernández-Natal, Isabel; Hernández, Marta; Rodríguez-Lázaro, David

2015-09-16

We compared the diagnostic performance of two chromogenic media, Brilliance MRSA 2 agar (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and ChromID MRSA agar (bioMérieux), for MRSA confirmation of 239 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from clinical, animal and food samples. Statistically significant differences were not observed between MRSA confirmation by mecA/mecC PCR, and by culture in both chromogenic media. However, a statistically significant difference was observed between the results obtained by both chromogenic media (p = 0.003). Segregated analysis of the results depending on the origin of the isolates (clinical, animal, and food) revealed a significant lower performance in the MRSA confirmation of food-derived isolates by using Brilliance MRSA 2 agar in comparison to PCR confirmation (p = 0.003) or ChromID MRSA agar (p<0.001). Both chromogenic media provided a good diagnostic performance for detection of MRSA isolates of human and animal origin. In conclusion, the use of chromogenic agar plates for MRSA confirmation of S. aureus isolates can provide a good diagnostic performance (sensitivity >92% and specificity >89%) regardless of the type of chromogenic media used or the origin of the S. aureus isolates. However, our results revealed a lower diagnostic performance for MRSA confirmation of S. aureus isolates from food samples by using Brilliance MRSA 2 agar. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

When Cooperation Was Efficient or Inefficient. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Evidence

PubMed Central

Balconi, Michela; Vanutelli, Maria E.

2017-01-01

Cooperation is a construct within social cognition that requires both self-perception and the comprehension of others' actions. In the case of synchronized activities the adoption of common strategies is crucial, but this process can be strongly influenced by those variables. In fact, self-perceived efficacy within the social exchange can affect the motivational components toward the creation of synergic actions. Thus, what happens when our performance is efficient or inefficient during cooperation? This question was answered in the present study where we compared behavioral performance and neural activation across different conditions where subjects received an external feedback assessing a good or a poor outcome during a cooperative game. The request was to synchronize responses in a way to achieve good cooperation scorings. Results showed that the behavioral performance was affected by feedback valence, since the negative feedback induced a significant worse performance in contrast to the positive one, which significantly increased performance. For what concerns neural activation, data from functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) showed a specific lateralization effect with the right DLPFC recruited in the case of negative feedback, and an opposite left-sided effect in the case of a positive feedback. Findings were interpreted by proposing that the inefficient condition could be similar to a competitive context since the perception of a failed joint action could have frustrated the cooperative attitude and the use of joint strategies. PMID:28536508

The Future of HPT Depends on Whether Practitioners Focus on Foundations or Fads

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brethower, Dale M.

2012-01-01

The future of human performance technology (HPT) will be bright or dismal depending on how well HPT practitioners focus on careful and practical answers to three pivotal questions: What is good practice in human performance technology? What are the differences between good practice and bad? What are the connections between good research and…

Acting, Accidents and Performativity: Challenging the Hegemonic Good Student in Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Greg

2010-01-01

Current educational practice tends to ascribe a limiting vision of the good student as one who is well behaved, performs well in assessments and demonstrates values in keeping with dominant expectations. This paper argues that this vision of the good student is antithetical to the lived experience of students as they negotiate their positionality…

Efficiency of bowel preparation for capsule endoscopy examination: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Niv, Yaron

2008-03-07

Good preparation before endoscopic procedures is essential for successful visualization. The small bowel is difficult to evaluate because of its length and complex configuration. A meta-analysis was conducted of studies comparing small bowel visualization by capsule endoscopy with and without preparation. Medical data bases were searched for all studies investigating the preparation for capsule endoscopy of the small bowel up to July 31, 2007. Studies that scored bowel cleanness and measured gastric and small bowel transit time and rate of cecum visualization were included. The primary endpoint was the quality of bowel visualization. The secondary endpoints were transit times and proportion of examinations that demonstrated the cecum, with and without preparation. Meta-analysis was performed with StatDirect Statistical software, version 2.6.1 (http://statsdirect.com). Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Bowel visualization was scored as "good" in 78% of the examinations performed with preparation and 49% performed without (P<0.0001). There were no significant differences in transit times or in the proportion of examinations that demonstrated the cecum with and without preparation. Capsule endoscopy preparation improves the quality of small bowel visualization, but has no effect on transit times, or demonstration of the cecum.

Development of polyisocyanurate pour foam formulation for space shuttle external tank thermal protection system. Final technical report, March 1986-October 1987

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

Harvey, J.A.; Butler, J.M.; Chartoff, R.P.

1988-08-01

Four commercially available polyisocyanurate polyurethane spray-foam insulation formulations are used to coat the external tank of the space shuttle. There are several problems associated with these formulations. For example, some do not perform well as pourable closeout/repair systems. Some do not perform well at cryogenic temperatures (poor adhesion to aluminum at liquid nitrogen temperatures). Their thermal stability at elevated temperatures is not adequate. A major defect in all the systems is the lack of detailed chemical information. The formulations are simply supplied to NASA and Martin Marietta, the primary contractor, as components; Part A (isocyanate) and Part B (poly(s) andmore » additives). Because of the lack of chemical information the performance behavior data for the current system, NASA sought the development of a non-proprietary room temperature curable foam insulation. Requirements for the developed system were that it should exhibit equal or better thermal stability both at elevated and cryogenic temperatures with better adhesion to aluminum as compared to the current system. Several formulations were developed that met these requirements, i.e., thermal stability, good pourability, and good bonding to aluminum.« less

CK-MB mass test in ischemic myocardial injury. Comparison of two tests: BioMerieux Vidas and sanofi access immunoassays.

PubMed

Poirey, S; Polge, A; Bertinchant, J P; Bancel, E; Boyer, J C; Fabbro-Peray, P; de Bornier, B M; Ledermann, B; Bonnier, M; Bali, J P

2000-01-01

The analytical and clinical performances of the new fluorescent immunoassay (CK-MB mass Vidas-BioMerieux) were examined and compared to the chemiluminescent test (CK-MB mass Access-Sanofi-Pasteur). Assay precisions of the CK-MB Vidas test within-assay or between-assay were less than 5.4 and 5.3%, respectively. Linearity was tested up to 214 microg/L. The CK-MB Vidas test was free of interference with CK-BB, CK-MM, and macro-CK. One hundred nineteen blood samples from patients with ischemic myocardial injury (IMI): acute myocardial infarction (AMI), suspected myocardial contusion (SMC), and unstable angina pectoris (UA), were tested using both immunoassays. In AMI, a good correlation was found (Y [CK-MB Access] = 1.1372 x [CK-MB Vidas] - 6.3902; r(2) = 0.96). In UA and SMC, low values were observed and both methods were well correlated (Y [CK-MB Access] = 1.3662 x [CK-MB Vidas] + 0.0671; r(2) = 0.97). Clinical data were in good agreement with both immunoassays. ROC analysis performed in AMI demonstrated that the clinical performances of the two assays were similar. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Thermal-mechanical performance modeling of thorium-plutonium oxide fuel and comparison with on-line irradiation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Insulander Björk, Klara; Kekkonen, Laura

2015-12-01

Thorium-plutonium Mixed OXide (Th-MOX) fuel is considered for use in light water reactors fuel due to some inherent benefits over conventional fuel types in terms of neutronic properties. The good material properties of ThO2 also suggest benefits in terms of thermal-mechanical fuel performance, but the use of Th-MOX fuel for commercial power production demands that its thermal-mechanical behavior can be accurately predicted using a well validated fuel performance code. Given the scant operational experience with Th-MOX fuel, no such code is available today. This article describes the first phase of the development of such a code, based on the well-established code FRAPCON 3.4, and in particular the correlations reviewed and chosen for the fuel material properties. The results of fuel temperature calculations with the code in its current state of development are shown and compared with data from a Th-MOX test irradiation campaign which is underway in the Halden research reactor. The results are good for fresh fuel, whereas experimental complications make it difficult to judge the adequacy of the code for simulations of irradiated fuel.

A 6DOF passive vibration isolator using X-shape supporting structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhijing; Jing, Xingjian; Sun, Bo; Li, Fengming

2016-10-01

A novel 6 degree of freedom (6-DOF) passive vibration isolator is studied theoretically and validated with experiments. Based on the Stewart platform configuration, the 6-DOF isolator is constructed by 6 X-shape structures as legs, which can realize very good and tunable vibration isolation performance in all 6 directions with a passive manner. The mechanic model is established for static analysis of the working range, static stiffness and loading capacity. Thereafter, the equation of motion of the isolator is derived with the Hamilton principle. The equivalent stiffness and the displacement transmissibility in the six decoupled DOFs direction are then discussed with experimental results for validation. The results reveal that (a) by designing the structure parameters, the system can possess flexible stiffness such as negative, quasi-zero and positive stiffness, (b) due to the combination of the Stewart platform and the X-shape structure, the system can have very good vibration isolation performance in all the 6 directions and in a passive manner, and (c) compared with the simplified linear-stiffness legs, the nonlinearity of the X-shape structures enhance the passive isolator to have much better vibration isolation performance.

Prospective evaluation of basal stromal Doppler studies in women with good ovarian reserve and infertility undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer treatment: patients with polycystic ovary syndrome versus ovulatory patients.

PubMed

Younis, Johnny S; Jadaon, Jimmy E; Haddad, Sami; Izhaki, Ido; Ben-Ami, Moshe

2011-04-01

To gain insight into the ovarian stromal blood flow in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as compared with women with normal ovulation, good ovarian reserve, and infertility and to evaluate the role of stromal flow in these patients to predict clinical pregnancy in an assisted reproductive technologies setting. A prospective observational cohort study. A university-affiliated reproductive medicine unit. Eighteen consecutive patients with PCOS (study) compared with 101 patients with normal ovulation and infertility (control), undergoing their first IVF-ET treatment at our unit. Women with low ovarian reserve were excluded a priori from evaluation. Basal ovarian reserve parameters and stromal flow studies were conducted as routinely performed in our unit, in a natural cycle before starting treatment. None. Basal ovarian endocrine, sonographic, and stromal flow studies were compared between the groups. After completion of treatment, the stromal flow studies were compared between conception and nonconception cycles. Patients' characteristics and basal ovarian reserve, including endocrine and sonographic parameters, were similar between the PCOS and control groups. Only antral follicle count and LH/FSH ratio were higher in the PCOS as compared with the control group, corresponding to 15.11 ± 6.05 versus 9.05 ± 4.77 and 1.14 ± 0.64 versus 0.79 ± 0.37, respectively. Basal stromal flow indices were similar between the PCOS group and the group with normal ovulation and good ovarian reserve. Clinical pregnancy rate per initiated cycle was 50.0% and 39.6% in the PCOS and control groups, respectively, with no significant difference. Flow indices were similar between conception cycles in the PCOS and control groups. As well, the indices did not differ significantly between conception and nonconception cycles within the PCOS and control groups. Basal ovarian stromal blood flow does not differ between women with PCOS and women with normal ovulation, good ovarian reserve, and infertility. Moreover, stromal flow has no predictive value, in these patients, for clinical pregnancy achievement in an IVF-ET setting. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sintered electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

DOEpatents

Ruka, Roswell J.; Warner, Kathryn A.

1999-01-01

A solid oxide fuel cell fuel electrode is produced by a sintering process. An underlayer is applied to the electrolyte of a solid oxide fuel cell in the form of a slurry, which is then dried. An overlayer is applied to the underlayer and then dried. The dried underlayer and overlayer are then sintered to form a fuel electrode. Both the underlayer and the overlayer comprise a combination of electrode metal such as nickel, and stabilized zirconia such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, with the overlayer comprising a greater percentage of electrode metal. The use of more stabilized zirconia in the underlayer provides good adhesion to the electrolyte of the fuel cell, while the use of more electrode metal in the overlayer provides good electrical conductivity. The sintered fuel electrode is less expensive to produce compared with conventional electrodes made by electrochemical vapor deposition processes. The sintered electrodes exhibit favorable performance characteristics, including good porosity, adhesion, electrical conductivity and freedom from degradation.

Elemental investigation of Syrian medicinal plants using PIXE analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rihawy, M. S.; Bakraji, E. H.; Aref, S.; Shaban, R.

2010-09-01

Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique has been employed to perform elemental analysis of K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br and Sr for Syrian medicinal plants used traditionally to enhance the body immunity. Plant samples were prepared in a simple dried base. The results were verified by comparing with those obtained from both IAEA-359 and IAEA-V10 reference materials. Relative standard deviations are mostly within ±5-10% suggest good precision. A correlation between the elemental content in each medicinal plant with its traditional remedial usage has been proposed. Both K and Ca are found to be the major elements in the samples. Fe, Mn and Zn have been detected in good levels in most of these plants clarifying their possible contribution to keep the body immune system in good condition. The contribution of the elements in these plants to the dietary recommended intakes (DRI) has been evaluated. Advantages and limitations of PIXE analytical technique in this investigation have been reviewed.

Wind power forecasting for a real onshore wind farm on complex terrain using WRF high resolution simulations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ángel Prósper Fernández, Miguel; Casal, Carlos Otero; Canoura Fernández, Felipe; Miguez-Macho, Gonzalo

2017-04-01

Regional meteorological models are becoming a generalized tool for forecasting wind resource, due to their capacity to simulate local flow dynamics impacting wind farm production. This study focuses on the production forecast and validation of a real onshore wind farm using high horizontal and vertical resolution WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model simulations. The wind farm is located in Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, in a complex terrain region with high wind resource. Utilizing the Fitch scheme, specific for wind farms, a period of one year is simulated with a daily operational forecasting set-up. Power and wind predictions are obtained and compared with real data provided by the management company. Results show that WRF is able to yield good wind power operational predictions for this kind of wind farms, due to a good representation of the planetary boundary layer behaviour of the region and the good performance of the Fitch scheme under these conditions.

Sintered electrode for solid oxide fuel cells

DOEpatents

Ruka, R.J.; Warner, K.A.

1999-06-01

A solid oxide fuel cell fuel electrode is produced by a sintering process. An underlayer is applied to the electrolyte of a solid oxide fuel cell in the form of a slurry, which is then dried. An overlayer is applied to the underlayer and then dried. The dried underlayer and overlayer are then sintered to form a fuel electrode. Both the underlayer and the overlayer comprise a combination of electrode metal such as nickel, and stabilized zirconia such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, with the overlayer comprising a greater percentage of electrode metal. The use of more stabilized zirconia in the underlayer provides good adhesion to the electrolyte of the fuel cell, while the use of more electrode metal in the overlayer provides good electrical conductivity. The sintered fuel electrode is less expensive to produce compared with conventional electrodes made by electrochemical vapor deposition processes. The sintered electrodes exhibit favorable performance characteristics, including good porosity, adhesion, electrical conductivity and freedom from degradation. 4 figs.

Air Traffic Sector Configuration Change Frequency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chatterji, Gano B.; Drew, Michael

2010-01-01

A Mixed Integer Linear Programming method is used for creating sectors in Fort Worth, Cleveland, and Los Angeles centers based on several days of good-weather traffic data. The performance of these sectors is studied when they are subjected to traffic data from different days. Additionally, the advantage of using different sector designs at different times of day with varying traffic loads is examined. Specifically, traffic data from 10 days are used for design, and 47 other days are played back to test if the traffic-counts stay below the design values used in creating the partitions. The primary findings of this study are as follows. Sectors created with traffic from good-weather days can be used on other good-weather days. Sector configurations created with two hours of traffic can be used for 6 to 12 hours without exceeding the peak-count requirement. Compared to using a single configuration for the entire day, most of the sector-hour reduction is achieved by using two sector configurations -one during daytime hours and one during nighttime hours.

Validation of Ten Noninvasive Diagnostic Models for Prediction of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

PubMed Central

Cheng, Jieyao; Hou, Jinlin; Ding, Huiguo; Chen, Guofeng; Xie, Qing; Wang, Yuming; Zeng, Minde; Ou, Xiaojuan; Ma, Hong; Jia, Jidong

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Noninvasive models have been developed for fibrosis assessment in patients with chronic hepatitis B. However, the sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy in evaluating liver fibrosis of these methods have not been validated and compared in the same group of patients. The aim of this study was to verify the diagnostic performance and reproducibility of ten reported noninvasive models in a large cohort of Asian CHB patients. Methods The diagnostic performance of ten noninvasive models (HALF index, FibroScan, S index, Zeng model, Youyi model, Hui model, APAG, APRI, FIB-4 and FibroTest) was assessed against the liver histology by ROC curve analysis in CHB patients. The reproducibility of the ten models were evaluated by recalculating the diagnostic values at the given cut-off values defined by the original studies. Results Six models (HALF index, FibroScan, Zeng model, Youyi model, S index and FibroTest) had AUROCs higher than 0.70 in predicting any fibrosis stage and 2 of them had best diagnostic performance with AUROCs to predict F≥2, F≥3 and F4 being 0.83, 0.89 and 0.89 for HALF index, 0.82, 0.87 and 0.87 for FibroScan, respectively. Four models (HALF index, FibroScan, Zeng model and Youyi model) showed good diagnostic values at given cut-offs. Conclusions HALF index, FibroScan, Zeng model, Youyi model, S index and FibroTest show a good diagnostic performance and all of them, except S index and FibroTest, have good reproducibility for evaluating liver fibrosis in CHB patients. Registration Number ChiCTR-DCS-07000039. PMID:26709706

Analysis of anthocyanins in commercial fruit juices by using nano-liquid chromatography-electrospray-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-vis detector.

PubMed

Fanali, Chiara; Dugo, Laura; D'Orazio, Giovanni; Lirangi, Melania; Dachà, Marina; Dugo, Paola; Mondello, Luigi

2011-01-01

Nano-LC and conventional HPLC techniques were applied for the analysis of anthocyanins present in commercial fruit juices using a capillary column of 100 μm id and a 2.1 mm id narrow-bore C(18) column. Analytes were detected by UV-Vis at 518 nm and ESI-ion trap MS with HPLC and nano-LC, respectively. Commercial blueberry juice (14 anthocyanins detected) was used to optimize chromatographic separation of analytes and other analysis parameters. Qualitative identification of anthocyanins was performed by comparing the recorded mass spectral data with those of published papers. The use of the same mobile phase composition in both techniques revealed that the miniaturized method exhibited shorter analysis time and higher sensitivity than narrow-bore chromatography. Good intra-day and day-to-day precision of retention time was obtained in both methods with values of RSD less than 3.4 and 0.8% for nano-LC and HPLC, respectively. Quantitative analysis was performed by external standard curve calibration of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside standard. Calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges studied, 0.1-50 and 6-50 μg/mL for HPLC-UV/Vis and nano-LC-MS, respectively. LOD and LOQ values were good for both methods. In addition to commercial blueberry juice, qualitative and quantitative analysis of other juices (e.g. raspberry, sweet cherry and pomegranate) was performed. The optimized nano-LC-MS method allowed an easy and selective identification and quantification of anthocyanins in commercial fruit juices; it offered good results, shorter analysis time and reduced mobile phase volume with respect to narrow-bore HPLC. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Performance analysis of newly developed point-of-care hemoglobinometer (TrueHb) against an automated hematology analyzer (Sysmex XT 1800i) in terms of precision in hemoglobin measurement.

PubMed

Srivastava, A; Koul, V; Dwivedi, S N; Upadhyaya, A D; Ahuja, A; Saxena, R

2015-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the newly developed handheld hemoglobinmeter (TrueHb) by comparing its performance against and an automated five-part hematology analyzer, Sysmex counter XT 1800i (Sysmex). Two hundred venous blood samples were subjected through their total hemoglobin evaluation on each device three times. The average of the three readings on each device was considered as their respective device values, that is, TrueHb values and Sysmex values. The two set of values were comparatively analyzed. The repeatability of the performance of TrueHb was also evaluated against Sysmex values. The scatter plot of TrueHb values and Sysmex values showed linear distribution with positive correlations (r = 0.99). The intraclass correlation (ICC) values between the two set of values was found to be 0.995. Regression coefficients through origin, β, was found to be 0.995, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) ranging between 0.9900 and 1.0000. The mean difference in Bland-Altman plots of TrueHb values against the Sysmex values was found to be -0.02, with limits of agreement between -0.777 and 0.732 g/dL. Statistical analysis suggested good repeatability in results of TrueHb, having a low mean CV of 2.22, against 4.44, that of Sysmex values, and 95% confidence interval of 1.99-2.44, against 3.85-5.03, that of Sysmex values. These results suggested a strong positive correlation between the two measurements devices. It is thus concluded that TrueHb is a good point-of-care testing tool for estimating hemoglobin. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Anodic electrochemical performances of MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} synthesized by oxalate decomposition method and electrospinning technique for Li-ion battery application

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

Darbar, Devendrasinh; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576; Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 117542

2016-01-15

Highlights: • MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} was prepared by oxalate decomposition method and electrospinning technique. • Electrospun MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} shows the reversible capacity of 795 and 227 mAh g{sup −1} oxalate decomposition MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} after 50 cycle. • Electrospun MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} show good cycling stability and electrochemical performance. - Abstract: Magnesium cobalt oxide, MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} was synthesized by oxalate decomposition method and electrospinning technique. The electrochemical performances, structures, phase formation and morphology of MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} synthesized by both the methods are compared. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies show spherical and fiber type morphology, respectively for themore » oxalate decomposition and electrospinning method. The electrospun nanofibers of MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} calcined at 650 °C, showed a very good reversible capacity of 795 mAh g{sup −1} after 50 cycles when compared to bulk material capacity of 227 mAh g{sup −1} at current rate of 60 mA g{sup −1}. MgCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanofiber showed a reversible capacity of 411 mAh g{sup −1} (at cycle) at current density of 240 mA g{sup −1}. Improved performance was due to improved conductivity of MgO, which may act as buffer layer leading to improved cycling stability. The cyclic voltammetry studies at scan rate of 0.058 mV/s show main cathodic at around 1.0 V and anodic peaks at 2.1 V vs. Li.« less

Evaluation of automated enzyme immunoassays for five anticonvulsants and theophylline adapted to a centrifugal analyzer.

PubMed

Urquhart, N; Godolphin, W; Campbell, D J

1979-05-01

We report a clinical evaluation of the enzyme immunoassay (EMIT) performed with the GEMSAEC centrifugal analyzer as compared to gas-liquid and liquid chromatography for anticonvulsant drugs and theophylline, respectively. A good correlation was obtained for all drugs, although some difficulties were experienced with one lot of reagent for ethosuximide. The analyzer has an economic advantage if many samples are being analyzed for few drugs in each sample.

Fast adaptive composite grid methods on distributed parallel architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lemke, Max; Quinlan, Daniel

1992-01-01

The fast adaptive composite (FAC) grid method is compared with the adaptive composite method (AFAC) under variety of conditions including vectorization and parallelization. Results are given for distributed memory multiprocessor architectures (SUPRENUM, Intel iPSC/2 and iPSC/860). It is shown that the good performance of AFAC and its superiority over FAC in a parallel environment is a property of the algorithm and not dependent on peculiarities of any machine.

Geometrical and morphological optimizations of plasmonic nanoarrays for high-performance SERS detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W. Q.; Wang, G.; Zhang, X. N.; Geng, H. P.; Shen, J. L.; Wang, L. S.; Zhao, J.; Xu, L. F.; Zhang, L. J.; Wu, Y. Q.; Tai, R. Z.; Chen, G.

2015-09-01

Here we present an in-depth and comprehensive study of the effect of the geometry and morphology of nanoarray (NA) substrates on their surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance. The high-quality SERS-active NA substrates of various unit shapes and pitches are assembled through electron beam lithography and fabricated by electron beam physical vapor deposition. Good agreement is found on comparing the Raman scattering results with the integrals of the fourth power of local electric fields from the three-dimensional numerical simulations. A novel type of hybrid NA substrate composed of disordered nanoparticles and a periodic NA is fabricated and characterized. The morphology of NAs has little influence on the SERS performance of hybrid NA substrates and they perform better than both their counterparts pure NA and disordered nanoparticle substrates.

Geometrical and morphological optimizations of plasmonic nanoarrays for high-performance SERS detection.

PubMed

Li, W Q; Wang, G; Zhang, X N; Geng, H P; Shen, J L; Wang, L S; Zhao, J; Xu, L F; Zhang, L J; Wu, Y Q; Tai, R Z; Chen, G

2015-10-07

Here we present an in-depth and comprehensive study of the effect of the geometry and morphology of nanoarray (NA) substrates on their surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance. The high-quality SERS-active NA substrates of various unit shapes and pitches are assembled through electron beam lithography and fabricated by electron beam physical vapor deposition. Good agreement is found on comparing the Raman scattering results with the integrals of the fourth power of local electric fields from the three-dimensional numerical simulations. A novel type of hybrid NA substrate composed of disordered nanoparticles and a periodic NA is fabricated and characterized. The morphology of NAs has little influence on the SERS performance of hybrid NA substrates and they perform better than both their counterparts pure NA and disordered nanoparticle substrates.

Comparing barrier algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arenstorf, Norbert S.; Jordan, Harry F.

1987-01-01

A barrier is a method for synchronizing a large number of concurrent computer processes. After considering some basic synchronization mechanisms, a collection of barrier algorithms with either linear or logarithmic depth are presented. A graphical model is described that profiles the execution of the barriers and other parallel programming constructs. This model shows how the interaction between the barrier algorithms and the work that they synchronize can impact their performance. One result is that logarithmic tree structured barriers show good performance when synchronizing fixed length work, while linear self-scheduled barriers show better performance when synchronizing fixed length work with an imbedded critical section. The linear barriers are better able to exploit the process skew associated with critical sections. Timing experiments, performed on an eighteen processor Flex/32 shared memory multiprocessor, that support these conclusions are detailed.

Effect of time step size and turbulence model on the open water hydrodynamic performance prediction of contra-rotating propellers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhan-zhi; Xiong, Ying

2013-04-01

A growing interest has been devoted to the contra-rotating propellers (CRPs) due to their high propulsive efficiency, torque balance, low fuel consumption, low cavitations, low noise performance and low hull vibration. Compared with the single-screw system, it is more difficult for the open water performance prediction because forward and aft propellers interact with each other and generate a more complicated flow field around the CRPs system. The current work focuses on the open water performance prediction of contra-rotating propellers by RANS and sliding mesh method considering the effect of computational time step size and turbulence model. The validation study has been performed on two sets of contra-rotating propellers developed by David W Taylor Naval Ship R & D center. Compared with the experimental data, it shows that RANS with sliding mesh method and SST k-ω turbulence model has a good precision in the open water performance prediction of contra-rotating propellers, and small time step size can improve the level of accuracy for CRPs with the same blade number of forward and aft propellers, while a relatively large time step size is a better choice for CRPs with different blade numbers.

Rasch analysis and impact factor methods both yield valid and comparable measures of health status in interstitial lung disease.

PubMed

Patel, Amit S; Siegert, Richard J; Bajwah, Sabrina; Brignall, Kate; Gosker, Harry R; Moxham, John; Maher, Toby M; Renzoni, Elisabetta A; Wells, Athol U; Higginson, Irene J; Birring, Surinder S

2015-09-01

Rasch analysis has largely replaced impact factor methodology for developing health status measures. The aim of this study was to develop a health status questionnaire for patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) using impact factor methodology and to compare its validity with that of another version developed using Rasch analysis. A preliminary 71-item questionnaire was developed and evaluated in 173 patients with ILD. Items were reduced by the impact factor method (King's Brief ILD questionnaire, KBILD-I) and Rasch analysis (KBILD-R). Both questionnaires were validated by assessing their relationship with forced vital capacity (FVC) and St Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and by evaluating internal reliability, repeatability, and longitudinal responsiveness. The KBILD-R and KBILD-I comprised 15 items each. The content of eight items differed between the KBILD-R and KBILD-I. Internal and test-retest reliability was good for total scores of both questionnaires. There was a good relationship with SGRQ and moderate relationship with FVC for both questionnaires. Effect sizes were comparable. Both questionnaires discriminated patients with differing disease severity. Despite considerable differences in the content of retained items, both KBILD-R and KBILD-I questionnaires demonstrated acceptable measurement properties and performed comparably in a clinical setting. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surface integrity and corrosion performance of biomedical magnesium-calcium alloy processed by hybrid dry cutting-finish burnishing.

PubMed

Salahshoor, M; Li, C; Liu, Z Y; Fang, X Y; Guo, Y B

2018-02-01

Biodegradable magnesium-calcium (MgCa) alloy is a very attractive orthopedic biomaterial compared to permanent metallic alloys. However, the critical issue is that MgCa alloy corrodes too fast in the human organism. Compared to dry cutting, the synergistic dry cutting-finish burnishing can significantly improve corrosion performance of MgCa0.8 (wt%) alloy by producing a superior surface integrity including good surface finish, high compressive hook-shaped residual stress profile, extended strain hardening in subsurface, and little change of grain size. A FEA model was developed to understand the plastic deformation of MgCa materials during burnishing process. The measured polarization curves, surface micrographs, and element distributions of the corroded surfaces by burnishing show an increasing and uniform corrosion resistance to simulated body fluid. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dielectric properties of inorganic fillers filled epoxy thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norshamira, A.; Mariatti, M.

2015-07-01

The demand on the small size and high performance electronics has driven changes in the electronic packaging requirements from discrete capacitor to embedded capacitor. Embedded capacitor can improve electrical performance compared with discrete capacitor. This study aimed to achieve high dielectric of epoxy thin film composite that were targeted for application as embedded capacitor. In this study, inorganic fillers such as Calcium Copper Titanate (CCTO), Iron(III) Oxide (Fe2O3) and Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) were loaded in epoxy system at 5 and 20vol%. Morphology and dielectric properties were investigated to identify the effect of fillers loading and types of fillers on the properties of epoxy thin film composite. Based on the study, CCTO with 20vol% loading was found to have good dielectric properties compared to other type of fillers.

Comparison of self-reported and audiometrically-measured hearing loss in the Australian Defence Force.

PubMed

Kirk, Katherine M; McGuire, Annabel; Nasveld, Peter E; Treloar, Susan A

2012-04-01

To investigate the relationship between self-reported and audiometrically-measured hearing loss in a sample of Australian Defence Force personnel. Responses to a question regarding hearing problems were compared with contemporaneous audiometric data. 3335 members of the Australian Defence Force for whom anonymised medical records were available. The sensitivity of self-report data to identify higher-frequency hearing loss was lower than sensitivity at other frequencies, and positive predictive values were moderate to poor at all frequencies. Performance characteristics of self-report compared with audiometric data also varied with age, sex, and rank. While self-report hearing loss data have good performance characteristics for estimating prevalence of hearing loss as defined by audiometric criteria, this study indicates that the usefulness of self-report data in identifying individuals with hearing loss may be limited in this population.

Failure of wooden sandwich beam reinforced with glass/epoxy faces

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

Papakaliatakis, G. E.; Zacharopoulos, D. A.

2015-12-31

The mechanical properties and the failure of wooden beam strengthened with two faces from glass/epoxy composite and a wooden beam without strengthening was studied. Stresses and deflections on both beams, which are imposed in three point bending loading. On the idealized geometry of the specimens with detailed nonlinear orthotropic analysis was performed with a finite elements program. The failure study of the wooden beams was performed, applying the criterion of Tsai-Hill. The shear strength of the adhesive was taken into account. All the specimens were tested with three point bending loading and the experimental results were compared to those ofmore » the theoretical approach with the finite elements analysis. Comparing the results, the advantage of strengthened wooden beam against the simple wooden beam becomes obvious. Theoretical predictions were in good agreement with experimental results.« less

The Correlations between Airport Sustainability and Indonesian Economic Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, M. I.; Dhaniarti, I.; Utomo, W. M.; Sukoco, A.; Mudjanarko, S. W.; Hasyim, C.; Prasetijo, J.; Kurniasih, N.; Wajdi, M. B. N.; Purworusmiardi, T.; Suyono, J.; Sudapet, I. N.; Nasihien, R. D.; Wulandari, D. A. R.; Ade, R. T.; Atmaja, W. M. T.; Sugeng; Wulandari, A.

2018-04-01

This study aims to analyze the correlation between airport performances with Gross domestic product-regional (GDP-regional) performance. This research uses quantitative research method with correlation study approach. Based on the T-Value Test Result, the T-value for the Airport Performance variable is 14,264. T-Value Test Results and compared with T-table equal to 1,976 (significant level 0,05) hence T-count> T-table so variable of Airport Perform predicted have significant correlation to GDP-regional. This means that good airport performance will either improve the performance of Water supply, Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities; Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles; Accommodation and Food Service Activities; Financial and Insurance Activities; Business Activities; Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security; Education; Human Health and Social Work Activities; Other Services Activities; Manufacturing; and Electricity and Gas, better.

How motivation affects academic performance: a structural equation modelling analysis.

PubMed

Kusurkar, R A; Ten Cate, Th J; Vos, C M P; Westers, P; Croiset, G

2013-03-01

Few studies in medical education have studied effect of quality of motivation on performance. Self-Determination Theory based on quality of motivation differentiates between Autonomous Motivation (AM) that originates within an individual and Controlled Motivation (CM) that originates from external sources. To determine whether Relative Autonomous Motivation (RAM, a measure of the balance between AM and CM) affects academic performance through good study strategy and higher study effort and compare this model between subgroups: males and females; students selected via two different systems namely qualitative and weighted lottery selection. Data on motivation, study strategy and effort was collected from 383 medical students of VU University Medical Center Amsterdam and their academic performance results were obtained from the student administration. Structural Equation Modelling analysis technique was used to test a hypothesized model in which high RAM would positively affect Good Study Strategy (GSS) and study effort, which in turn would positively affect academic performance in the form of grade point averages. This model fit well with the data, Chi square = 1.095, df = 3, p = 0.778, RMSEA model fit = 0.000. This model also fitted well for all tested subgroups of students. Differences were found in the strength of relationships between the variables for the different subgroups as expected. In conclusion, RAM positively correlated with academic performance through deep strategy towards study and higher study effort. This model seems valid in medical education in subgroups such as males, females, students selected by qualitative and weighted lottery selection.

3D T2-weighted imaging to shorten multiparametric prostate MRI protocols.

PubMed

Polanec, Stephan H; Lazar, Mathias; Wengert, Georg J; Bickel, Hubert; Spick, Claudio; Susani, Martin; Shariat, Shahrokh; Clauser, Paola; Baltzer, Pascal A T

2018-04-01

To determine whether 3D acquisitions provide equivalent image quality, lesion delineation quality and PI-RADS v2 performance compared to 2D acquisitions in T2-weighted imaging of the prostate at 3 T. This IRB-approved, prospective study included 150 consecutive patients (mean age 63.7 years, 35-84 years; mean PSA 7.2 ng/ml, 0.4-31.1 ng/ml). Two uroradiologists (R1, R2) independently rated image quality and lesion delineation quality using a five-point ordinal scale and assigned a PI-RADS score for 2D and 3D T2-weighted image data sets. Data were compared using visual grading characteristics (VGC) and receiver operating characteristics (ROC)/area under the curve (AUC) analysis. Image quality was similarly good to excellent for 2D T2w (mean score R1, 4.3 ± 0.81; R2, 4.7 ± 0.83) and 3D T2w (mean score R1, 4.3 ± 0.82; R2, 4.7 ± 0.69), p = 0.269. Lesion delineation was rated good to excellent for 2D (mean score R1, 4.16 ± 0.81; R2, 4.19 ± 0.92) and 3D T2w (R1, 4.19 ± 0.94; R2, 4.27 ± 0.94) without significant differences (p = 0.785). ROC analysis showed an equivalent performance for 2D (AUC 0.580-0.623) and 3D (AUC 0.576-0.629) T2w (p > 0.05, respectively). Three-dimensional acquisitions demonstrated equivalent image and lesion delineation quality, and PI-RADS v2 performance, compared to 2D in T2-weighted imaging of the prostate. Three-dimensional T2-weighted imaging could be used to considerably shorten prostate MRI protocols in clinical practice. • 3D shows equivalent image quality and lesion delineation compared to 2D T2w. • 3D T2w and 2D T2w image acquisition demonstrated comparable diagnostic performance. • Using a single 3D T2w acquisition may shorten the protocol by 40%. • Combined with short DCE, multiparametric protocols of 10 min are feasible.

28 CFR 523.11 - Meritorious good time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., AND TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.11 Meritorious good time. (a) Staff are responsible for recommending meritorious good time based upon work performance. Each recommendation must... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Meritorious good time. 523.11 Section 523...

28 CFR 523.11 - Meritorious good time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., AND TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.11 Meritorious good time. (a) Staff are responsible for recommending meritorious good time based upon work performance. Each recommendation must... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Meritorious good time. 523.11 Section 523...

28 CFR 523.11 - Meritorious good time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., AND TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.11 Meritorious good time. (a) Staff are responsible for recommending meritorious good time based upon work performance. Each recommendation must... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Meritorious good time. 523.11 Section 523...

28 CFR 523.11 - Meritorious good time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., AND TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.11 Meritorious good time. (a) Staff are responsible for recommending meritorious good time based upon work performance. Each recommendation must... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Meritorious good time. 523.11 Section 523...

28 CFR 523.11 - Meritorious good time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., AND TRANSFER COMPUTATION OF SENTENCE Extra Good Time § 523.11 Meritorious good time. (a) Staff are responsible for recommending meritorious good time based upon work performance. Each recommendation must... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Meritorious good time. 523.11 Section 523...

Impact of Having a Mentally Disabled Child in the Family on the Oral Health of the Healthy Sibling: A Comparative Study.

PubMed

Chauhan, Astha; Nagarajappa, Sandesh; Dasar, Pralhad L; Mishra, Prashant

To determine and compare oral health status, knowledge and attitude among siblings of mentally disabled with siblings of normal healthy children. 240 study subjects consisting of 120 each of siblings of mentally disabled and normal, healthy children (control group) matched for age and gender were selected by convenience sampling. Oral health was assessed using the WHO-1997 proforma. A pretested questionnaire (30 items) was used for oral health knowledge and attitude assessment. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-squared and Mann-Whitney tests. Caries prevalence among the siblings of mentally disabled and control group was 82% (mean DMFT 1.68 ± 1.18) and 45% (mean DMFT 0.58 ± 0.72), respectively (p < 0.05). The siblings of mentally disabled children also showed good oral health knowledge (mean 7.1 ± 1.4) and a positive attitude (p < 0.05). Siblings of mentally disabled children showed higher caries experience. Knowledge and attitude towards oral health was comparatively good among siblings of mentally disabled children. They exhibited favourable attitudes and involvement in helping their sibling to maintain oral health.

Loupe magnification for small incision cataract surgery--an alternative to microscope magnification?

PubMed

Singh, S K; Winter, I; Hennig, A

2008-01-01

A Prospective randomized controlled study was conducted to compare outcome of Small Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS) using microscope or loupe magnification. Two hundred fifty one patient with mature cataract were randomly allocated to SICS-Fishhook Technique with either microscope (127 eyes) or loupe (124 eyes) magnification. Intra- and postoperative complications and immediate visual outcome were analyzed. Nearly two third (microscope 65% and magnifying loupe 62.9%) of all patients had good visual outcome on first postoperative day. Poor outcome (<6/60) was recorded in 8% (microscope group) and 7% (magnifying loupe group). Mean visual acuity with Snellen was 0.39 (SD 0.2) in microscope group and 0.38 (SD 0.2) in magnifying loupe group. Intra operative complications were comparable in both groups. Mean surgery time with loupe magnification was significantly shorter. Comparatively equivalent good surgical outcome was achieved with loupe as well as with microscope magnification. However performing SICS with loupe magnification is significantly faster. Small incision cataract surgery with loupe magnification is safe and effective procedure for cataract surgery so it can play a role in reducing cataract blindness in developing countries of the world.

[Study on HPLC fingerprint of flavonoids from Houttuynia cordata by comparing with fingerprint reference].

PubMed

Zhang, Ting-Ting; Wu, Yi; Hang, Tai-Jun

2009-05-01

To establish a stable and repeatable HPLC fingerprint standard and evaluate the flavonoids from Houttuynia cordata qualitatively and quantitatively. HPLC separation was performed on a C18 column with methanol-0.1% phosphoric acid mixed solution as mobile phase in gradient elution mode. The fingerprint reference was determined as one of the most typical chromatograms and used to be compared with other samples through Cosine and Relative Euclid Distance methods, thus the chromatographic fingerprints of flavonoids from Houttuynia cordata were evaluated by constitutes and contents, respectively. Fourteen mutual peaks were fixed in the HPLC fingerprint of flavonoids from Houttaynia cordata. It showed good results in validation tests in which the quercitrin's peak was set as the reference peak to calculate relative retention time and area of other peaks in the chromatograms, and the RSD were less than 0.2% and 5.0%, respectively. The linear ranges for quercitrin was 1.07-83.4 microg/mL (r=0.9999) and the average recovery was 100.3%. The method shows good repeatability, ruggedness and reliability. Comparing with the established reference fingerprint, the evaluation system including Cosine and Relative Euclid Distance methods lays dependable foundation for controlling the quality of Houttuynia cordata.

Urinary, sexual, and cosmetic results after puberty in hypospadias repair: current results and trends.

PubMed

Rynja, Sybren P; de Kort, Laetitia M O; de Jong, Tom P V M

2012-11-01

To give an overview of the recently published long-term outcomes of hypospadias surgery performed at childhood, of patients who have had multiple previous repairs, and results of surgery done to treat late complications following hypospadias repair. Urethral function after hypospadias repair is good, but cosmesis based on the patients' opinion, on the long term, was disappointing. Also erectile function was reported to be good, although persisting curvature and ejaculation disorders were mentioned, more evidently in patients with proximal hypospadias. Long-term results using buccal mucosa repairs in hypospadias cripples are good, but the use of tissue expanders may be a good alternative. Late complications of hypospadias repair, such as urethral strictures, are difficult to treat, and have a high failure rate compared to urethroplasty for other reasons. Functional results of hypospadias repair are generally satisfactory in the long term, although improvement must be pursued. Most adult men with a history of hypospadias present themselves with urinary tract symptoms. Cosmesis judged by patients remains rather poor in the long run and better techniques should be found. Preferably, assessment of long-term results should be done by validated test methods for better comparison.

Assessment of muscle tissue oxygen saturation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Orban, Jean-Christophe; Scarlatti, Audrey; Danin, Pierre-Eric; Dellamonica, Jean; Bernardin, Gilles; Ichai, Carole

2015-12-01

Pathophysiology of cardiac arrest corresponds to an ischemia-reperfusion syndrome with deep impairment of microcirculation. Muscular tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) is a noninvasive method of evaluation of microcirculation. Our study was aimed at assessing the prognosis value of muscular StO2 in patients admitted for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and treated with hypothermia. We conducted a prospective bicentric observational study including OHCA patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Baseline StO2, derived variables (desaturation and resaturation slopes), and lactate levels were compared at different times between patients with good and poor outcomes. Prognosis was assessed by the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) score at 6 months after admission (CPC 1-2, good outcome; CPC 3-5, poor outcome). Forty-four patients were included, 17 good and 27 poor outcomes at 6 months. At admission, StO2 and lactate levels were lower in good outcome patients. Desaturation and resaturation slopes did not differ between groups. After an OHCA treated with therapeutic hypothermia, StO2 was correlated with outcome. Further research is needed to better understand the pathophysiological process underlying our results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of good medical practice in the NHS: a survey of senior health professionals.

PubMed

Hutchinson, A; Williams, M; Meadows, K; Barbour, R S; Jones, R

1999-12-01

To categorize senior health professionals' experience with poor medical practice in hospitals and in general practice, to describe perceptions which senior NHS staff have of good medical practice, and to describe how problems of poor medical practice are currently managed. A postal questionnaire survey. The questionnaire sought perceptions of good medical practice, asked participants to characterise deviations from good practice, and to describe experience with managing poor performance at the time of the introduction of the General Medical Council (GMC) performance procedures. A range of NHS settings in the UK: hospital trusts, health authorities/boards, local medical committees, community health councils. Senior health professionals involved in the management of medical professional performance. Perceptions of what constitutes good medical practice. Most respondents considered that persistent problems related to clinical practice (diagnosis, management, and outcome and prescribing) would require local management and, possibly, referral to the GMC performance procedures. Informal mechanisms, including informal discussion, education, training, and work shifting, were the most usual means of handling a doctor whose performance was poor. Many took a less serious view of deficiencies in performance on manner and attitude and communication, although consultation skills rather than technical skills comprised the greatest number of complaints about doctors. Senior NHS professionals seem reluctant to consider persistently poor consultation skills in the same critical light as they do persistently poor technical practice. These attitudes may need to change with the implementation of clinical governance and updated guidance from the GMC on what constitutes good medical practice.

The effect of occupational health and safety, work environment and discipline on employee performance in a consumer goods company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putri, D. O.; Triatmanto, B.; Setiyadi, S.

2018-04-01

Employee performance can be the supporting factor of company performance. However, employee performance can be affected by several factors. Employees can have optimal performance if they feel safe, have good working environment and have discipline. The purposes of this research are to analyze the effect of occupational health and safety, work environment and discipline on the employee performance in PPIC Thermo section in a consumer goods company and to find the dominant variable which primarily affects employee performance. This research was conducted by taking data from 47 respondents. The data were collected using questionnaire. The techniques in data analysis is multiple linear regression with SPSS software. The result shows that occupational health and safety, work environment and discipline are simultaneously significant to the employee performance. Discipline holds the dominant factor which affects employee performance.

Oxide Heteroepitaxy for Flexible Optoelectronics.

PubMed

Bitla, Yugandhar; Chen, Ching; Lee, Hsien-Chang; Do, Thi Hien; Ma, Chun-Hao; Qui, Le Van; Huang, Chun-Wei; Wu, Wen-Wei; Chang, Li; Chiu, Po-Wen; Chu, Ying-Hao

2016-11-30

The emerging technological demands for flexible and transparent electronic devices have compelled researchers to look beyond the current silicon-based electronics. However, fabrication of devices on conventional flexible substrates with superior performance are constrained by the trade-off between processing temperature and device performance. Here, we propose an alternative strategy to circumvent this issue via the heteroepitaxial growth of transparent conducting oxides (TCO) on the flexible mica substrate with performance comparable to that of their rigid counterparts. With the examples of ITO and AZO as a case study, a strong emphasis is laid upon the growth of flexible yet epitaxial TCO relying muscovite's superior properties compared to those of conventional flexible substrates and its compatibility with the present fabrication methods. Besides excellent optoelectro-mechanical properties, an additional functionality of high-temperature stability, normally lacking in the current state-of-the-art transparent flexitronics, is provided by these heterostructures. These epitaxial TCO electrodes with good chemical and thermal stabilities as well as mechanical durability can significantly contribute to the field of flexible, light-weight, and portable smart electronics.

Study on the Effect of Surface Energy of Polypropylene/Polyamide12 polymer Hybrid Matrix Reinforced with Virgin and Recycled Carbon Fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sena Maia, Bruno

The presented work is focused on characterization of thermal treated recycled and virgin carbon fibers. Their thermal performances, chemical surface composition and its influence on interfacial adhesion phenomena on PP/PA12 hybrid matrix were compared using TGA, FTIR and XPS analysis. Additionally, differences between hybrid matrix structural performances of PP/PA12 using both surface modifiers PMPPIC and MAPP were investigated. Final mechanical properties improvements between 8% up to 17% were reached by addition of PMPPIC in PP/PA12 hybrid matrix. For PP/PA12 matrix reinforcement using virgin and recycled carbon fibers, impact energy was improved up to 98% compared with MAPP modified matrix leading to a novel composite with good energy absorption. Finally, wettability studies and surface free energy analysis of all materials studied support the effect of the addition of PMPPIC, MAPP and carbon fibers in final composite surface thermodynamics bringing important data correlation between interfacial adhesion mechanisms and final composite performance.

An Effective Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm for Solving the Numerical Optimization Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Xiaohong; Wang, Xumei; Su, Yonghong; He, Liu

2018-04-01

There are many different algorithms for solving complex optimization problems. Each algorithm has been applied successfully in solving some optimization problems, but not efficiently in other problems. In this paper the Cauchy mutation and the multi-parent hybrid operator are combined to propose a hybrid evolutionary algorithm based on the communication (Mixed Evolutionary Algorithm based on Communication), hereinafter referred to as CMEA. The basic idea of the CMEA algorithm is that the initial population is divided into two subpopulations. Cauchy mutation operators and multiple paternal crossover operators are used to perform two subpopulations parallelly to evolve recursively until the downtime conditions are met. While subpopulation is reorganized, the individual is exchanged together with information. The algorithm flow is given and the performance of the algorithm is compared using a number of standard test functions. Simulation results have shown that this algorithm converges significantly faster than FEP (Fast Evolutionary Programming) algorithm, has good performance in global convergence and stability and is superior to other compared algorithms.

A comparative Thermal Analysis of conventional parabolic receiver tube and Cavity model tube in a Solar Parabolic Concentrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arumugam, S.; Ramakrishna, P.; Sangavi, S.

2018-02-01

Improvements in heating technology with solar energy is gaining focus, especially solar parabolic collectors. Solar heating in conventional parabolic collectors is done with the help of radiation concentration on receiver tubes. Conventional receiver tubes are open to atmosphere and loose heat by ambient air currents. In order to reduce the convection losses and also to improve the aperture area, we designed a tube with cavity. This study is a comparative performance behaviour of conventional tube and cavity model tube. The performance formulae were derived for the cavity model based on conventional model. Reduction in overall heat loss coefficient was observed for cavity model, though collector heat removal factor and collector efficiency were nearly same for both models. Improvement in efficiency was also observed in the cavity model’s performance. The approach towards the design of a cavity model tube as the receiver tube in solar parabolic collectors gave improved results and proved as a good consideration.

The reliability of wind power systems in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, K.

A methodology has been developed to evaluate the performance of geographically distributed wind power systems. Results are presented for three widely separated sites based on measured meteorological data obtained over a 17-yr period. The effects of including energy storage were investigated and 150-hr storage found to be a good compromise between store capacity and system performance. When used to provide space heating, the system could have reduced the 17-yr peak demand from conventional sources (smoothed by the storage and geographical separation of sites) by an amount comparable to the mean output of the wind-system, whether or not turbines at the three sites were interconnected by the National Grid. In contrast, the fuel saving capability of the system was found to be comparatively insensitive either to storage period or geographical separation of sites; the system would have been capable of providing up to 90 percent of the total requirement. Results are also given for individual sites to indicate the possible performance of district heating schemes or domestic systems.

A Validation Approach for Quasistatic Numerical/Experimental Indentation Analysis in Soft Materials Using 3D Digital Image Correlation.

PubMed

Felipe-Sesé, Luis; López-Alba, Elías; Hannemann, Benedikt; Schmeer, Sebastian; Diaz, Francisco A

2017-06-28

A quasistatic indentation numerical analysis in a round section specimen made of soft material has been performed and validated with a full field experimental technique, i.e., Digital Image Correlation 3D. The contact experiment specifically consisted of loading a 25 mm diameter rubber cylinder of up to a 5 mm indentation and then unloading. Experimental strains fields measured at the surface of the specimen during the experiment were compared with those obtained by performing two numerical analyses employing two different hyperplastic material models. The comparison was performed using an Image Decomposition new methodology that makes a direct comparison of full-field data independently of their scale or orientation possible. Numerical results show a good level of agreement with those measured during the experiments. However, since image decomposition allows for the differences to be quantified, it was observed that one of the adopted material models reproduces lower differences compared to experimental results.

A Validation Approach for Quasistatic Numerical/Experimental Indentation Analysis in Soft Materials Using 3D Digital Image Correlation

PubMed Central

Felipe-Sesé, Luis; López-Alba, Elías; Hannemann, Benedikt; Schmeer, Sebastian; Diaz, Francisco A.

2017-01-01

A quasistatic indentation numerical analysis in a round section specimen made of soft material has been performed and validated with a full field experimental technique, i.e., Digital Image Correlation 3D. The contact experiment specifically consisted of loading a 25 mm diameter rubber cylinder of up to a 5 mm indentation and then unloading. Experimental strains fields measured at the surface of the specimen during the experiment were compared with those obtained by performing two numerical analyses employing two different hyperplastic material models. The comparison was performed using an Image Decomposition new methodology that makes a direct comparison of full-field data independently of their scale or orientation possible. Numerical results show a good level of agreement with those measured during the experiments. However, since image decomposition allows for the differences to be quantified, it was observed that one of the adopted material models reproduces lower differences compared to experimental results. PMID:28773081

Dynamic Performance of a Back-to-Back HVDC Station Based on Voltage Source Converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khatir, Mohamed; Zidi, Sid-Ahmed; Hadjeri, Samir; Fellah, Mohammed-Karim

2010-01-01

The recent developments in semiconductors and control equipment have made the voltage source converter based high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) feasible. This new DC transmission is known as "HVDC Light or "HVDC Plus by leading vendors. Due to the use of VSC technology and pulse width modulation (PWM) the VSC-HVDC has a number of potential advantages as compared with classic HVDC. In this paper, the scenario of back-to-back VSC-HVDC link connecting two adjacent asynchronous AC networks is studied. Control strategy is implemented and its dynamic performances during disturbances are investigated in MATLAB/Simulink program. The simulation results have shown good performance of the proposed system under balanced and unbalanced fault conditions.

A systematic FPGA acceleration design for applications based on convolutional neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Hao; Jiang, Li; Li, Tianjian; Liang, Xiaoyao

2018-04-01

Most FPGA accelerators for convolutional neural network are designed to optimize the inner acceleration and are ignored of the optimization for the data path between the inner accelerator and the outer system. This could lead to poor performance in applications like real time video object detection. We propose a brand new systematic FPFA acceleration design to solve this problem. This design takes the data path optimization between the inner accelerator and the outer system into consideration and optimizes the data path using techniques like hardware format transformation, frame compression. It also takes fixed-point, new pipeline technique to optimize the inner accelerator. All these make the final system's performance very good, reaching about 10 times the performance comparing with the original system.

A comprehensive mechanistic model for upward two-phase flow in wellbores

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

Sylvester, N.D.; Sarica, C.; Shoham, O.

1994-05-01

A comprehensive model is formulated to predict the flow behavior for upward two-phase flow. This model is composed of a model for flow-pattern prediction and a set of independent mechanistic models for predicting such flow characteristics as holdup and pressure drop in bubble, slug, and annular flow. The comprehensive model is evaluated by using a well data bank made up of 1,712 well cases covering a wide variety of field data. Model performance is also compared with six commonly used empirical correlations and the Hasan-Kabir mechanistic model. Overall model performance is in good agreement with the data. In comparison withmore » other methods, the comprehensive model performed the best.« less

Classification capacity of a modular neural network implementing neurally inspired architecture and training rules.

PubMed

Poirazi, Panayiota; Neocleous, Costas; Pattichis, Costantinos S; Schizas, Christos N

2004-05-01

A three-layer neural network (NN) with novel adaptive architecture has been developed. The hidden layer of the network consists of slabs of single neuron models, where neurons within a slab--but not between slabs--have the same type of activation function. The network activation functions in all three layers have adaptable parameters. The network was trained using a biologically inspired, guided-annealing learning rule on a variety of medical data. Good training/testing classification performance was obtained on all data sets tested. The performance achieved was comparable to that of SVM classifiers. It was shown that the adaptive network architecture, inspired from the modular organization often encountered in the mammalian cerebral cortex, can benefit classification performance.

Transcontinental anaesthesia: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hemmerling, T M; Arbeid, E; Wehbe, M; Cyr, S; Giunta, F; Zaouter, C

2013-05-01

Although telemedicine is one of the key initiatives of the World Health Organization, no study has explored the feasibility and efficacy of teleanaesthesia. This bi-centre pilot study investigates the feasibility of transcontinental anaesthesia. Twenty patients aged ≥ 18 yr undergoing elective thyroid surgery for ≥ 30 min were enrolled in this study. The remote and local set-up was composed of a master-computer (Montreal) and a slave-computer (Pisa). Standard Internet connection, remote desktop control, and video conference software were used. All patients received total i.v. anaesthesia controlled remotely (Montreal). The main outcomes were feasibility, clinical performance, and controller performance of transcontinental anaesthesia. The clinical performance of hypnosis control was the efficacy to maintain bispectral index (BIS) at 45: 'excellent', 'good', 'poor', and 'inadequate' control represented BIS values within 10, from 11 to 20, from 21 to 30, or >30% from target. The clinical performance of analgesia was the efficacy to maintain Analgoscore values at 0 (-9 to 9); -3 to +3 representing 'excellent' pain control, -3 to -6 and +3 to +6 representing 'good' pain control, and -6 to -9 and +6 to +9 representing 'insufficient' pain control. The controller performance was evaluated using Varvel parameters. Transcontinental anaesthesia was successful in all 20 consecutive patients. The clinical performance of hypnosis showed an 'excellent and good' control for 69% of maintenance time, and the controller performance showed an average global performance index of 57. The clinical performance of analgesia was 'excellent and good' for 92% of maintenance time, and the controller performance showed a global performance index of 1118. Transcontinental anaesthesia is feasible; control of anaesthesia shows good performance indexes. Clinical registration number NCT01331096.

Intact figure-ground segmentation in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Herzog, Michael H; Kopmann, Sabine; Brand, Andreas

2004-11-30

As revealed by backward masking studies, schizophrenic patients show strong impairments of early visual processing. However, the underlying temporal mechanisms are not yet well understood. To shed light on the exact timing of these deficits, we employed a paradigm in which two masks follow each other. We investigated 16 medicated schizophrenic patients and a matched group of 14 controls with a new backward masking technique, shine-through. In accordance with other masking studies, schizophrenic patients require a dramatically longer processing time to reach a predefined performance level compared with healthy subjects. However, patients are surprisingly sensitive to subtle differences in the timing of the two masks, revealing good temporal resolution. This good temporal resolution indicates intact and fast perceptual grouping and figure-ground segmentation in spite of high susceptibility to masking procedures in schizophrenia.

[Health measurement instruments in patients with vertigo].

PubMed

Pérez, N; Garmendia, I; Martín, E; Boleas, M S; García-Tapia, R

2000-01-01

Compare disability and handicap in patients with dizziness by means of two questionnaires. Prospective study. 337 patients seen for non-acute dizziness from peripheral or central origin in a tertiary referral setting. Spanish version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory test and UCLA-Dizziness Questionnaire after transcultural adaptation following the method of translation-back-translation. We obtained a good correlation between the frequency of dizzy spells and quality of health as perceived by the patient; also there was good correlation between the intensity of each spell and limitation for performance of daily activities. Quality of life is mainly related to handicap in these patients. Vertigo, as a non-fatal health outcome, can be studied following the two main conceptual frameworks of Impairment, Disabilities and Handicap and Health-Related Quality of Life.

Radar cross section models for limited aspect angle windows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Mark C.

1992-12-01

This thesis presents a method for building Radar Cross Section (RCS) models of aircraft based on static data taken from limited aspect angle windows. These models statistically characterize static RCS. This is done to show that a limited number of samples can be used to effectively characterize static aircraft RCS. The optimum models are determined by performing both a Kolmogorov and a Chi-Square goodness-of-fit test comparing the static RCS data with a variety of probability density functions (pdf) that are known to be effective at approximating the static RCS of aircraft. The optimum parameter estimator is also determined by the goodness of-fit tests if there is a difference in pdf parameters obtained by the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) and the Method of Moments (MoM) estimators.

Distinct Aging Effects on Functional Networks in Good and Poor Cognitive Performers

PubMed Central

Lee, Annie; Tan, Mingzhen; Qiu, Anqi

2016-01-01

Brain network hubs are susceptible to normal aging processes and disruptions of their functional connectivity are detrimental to decline in cognitive functions in older adults. However, it remains unclear how the functional connectivity of network hubs cope with cognitive heterogeneity in an aging population. This study utilized cognitive and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, cluster analysis, and graph network analysis to examine age-related alterations in the network hubs’ functional connectivity of good and poor cognitive performers. Our results revealed that poor cognitive performers showed age-dependent disruptions in the functional connectivity of the right insula and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), while good cognitive performers showed age-related disruptions in the functional connectivity of the left insula and PCC. Additionally, the left PCC had age-related declines in the functional connectivity with the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Most interestingly, good cognitive performers showed age-related declines in the functional connectivity of the left insula and PCC with their right homotopic structures. These results may provide insights of neuronal correlates for understanding individual differences in aging. In particular, our study suggests prominent protection roles of the left insula and PCC and bilateral ACC in good performers. PMID:27667972

Encoding of speech sounds at auditory brainstem level in good and poor hearing aid performers.

PubMed

Shetty, Hemanth Narayan; Puttabasappa, Manjula

Hearing aids are prescribed to alleviate loss of audibility. It has been reported that about 31% of hearing aid users reject their own hearing aid because of annoyance towards background noise. The reason for dissatisfaction can be located anywhere from the hearing aid microphone till the integrity of neurons along the auditory pathway. To measure spectra from the output of hearing aid at the ear canal level and frequency following response recorded at the auditory brainstem from individuals with hearing impairment. A total of sixty participants having moderate sensorineural hearing impairment with age range from 15 to 65 years were involved. Each participant was classified as either Good or Poor Hearing aid Performers based on acceptable noise level measure. Stimuli /da/ and /si/ were presented through loudspeaker at 65dB SPL. At the ear canal, the spectra were measured in the unaided and aided conditions. At auditory brainstem, frequency following response were recorded to the same stimuli from the participants. Spectrum measured in each condition at ear canal was same in good hearing aid performers and poor hearing aid performers. At brainstem level, better F 0 encoding; F 0 and F 1 energies were significantly higher in good hearing aid performers than in poor hearing aid performers. Though the hearing aid spectra were almost same between good hearing aid performers and poor hearing aid performers, subtle physiological variations exist at the auditory brainstem. The result of the present study suggests that neural encoding of speech sound at the brainstem level might be mediated distinctly in good hearing aid performers from that of poor hearing aid performers. Thus, it can be inferred that subtle physiological changes are evident at the auditory brainstem in a person who is willing to accept noise from those who are not willing to accept noise. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Energy saving by using asymmetric aftbodies for merchant ships-design methodology, numerical simulation and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Jie; Chen, Hao

2016-12-01

The methodology and procedures are discussed on designing merchant ships to achieve fully-integrated and optimized hull-propulsion systems by using asymmetric aftbodies. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to evaluate the powering performance through massive calculations with automatic deformation algorisms for the hull forms and the propeller blades. Comparative model tests of the designs to the optimized symmetric hull forms have been carried out to verify the efficiency gain. More than 6% improvement on the propulsive efficiency of an oil tanker has been measured during the model tests. Dedicated sea-trials show good agreement with the predicted performance from the test results.

Is chief executive officer turnover good for the hospital?

PubMed

Khaliq, Amir A; Walston, Stephen L; Thompson, David M

2007-01-01

This study examined the general characteristics of chief executive officers (CEOs) and their hospitals and the perceived impact of CEO turnover on various organizational activities. A mail-based survey included 156 hospital CEOs in 6 states in the West South Central, West North Central, and Mountain regions. Neither hospital and CEO characteristics nor the impact on various organizational activities and performance indicators was significantly different among the 6 states compared. Overall, CEOs reported relatively short tenures, frequent promotion from within the organization to CEO level, and common involuntary departure of their predecessors. Respondents overwhelmingly reported a positive impact of leadership change on financial performance, employee morale, and organizational culture.

Antenna system for MSAT mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karlsson, Ingmar; Patenaude, Yves; Stipelman, Leora

1988-01-01

Spar has evaluated and compared several antenna concepts for the North American Mobile Satellite. The paper describes some of the requirements and design considerations for the antennas and demonstrates the performance of antenna concepts that can meet them. Multiple beam reflector antennas are found to give best performance and much of the design effort has gone into the design of the primary feed radiators and beam forming networks to achieve efficient beams with good overlap and flexibility. Helices and cup dipole radiators have been breadboarded as feed element candidates and meausured results are presented. The studies and breadboard activities have made it possible to proceed with a flight program.

A preliminary study on puncture resistances of top and bottom layers of multi-layered needlepunched nonwoven geotextiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alan, G.; Tercan, M.

2017-10-01

Needlepunched nonwoven textiles are commonly used as geotextiles for various applications. Considering both environmental and economical benefits, utilization of recycled fibres in nonwoven geotextiles has become an attractive issue. Within this scope, the aim of this study is to evaluate the puncture resistance performances of top and bottom layers of multi-layered needle punched nonwovens made of recycled fibres to be used as membrane protective geotextiles by comparing them with those of made from polypropylene and polyester fibres. Puncture resistance results indicated that nonwovens made of recycled fibres demonstrated good performances at this preliminary stage.

QCD analysis of $W$- and $Z$-boson production at Tevatron

DOE PAGES

Camarda, S.; Belov, P.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; ...

2015-09-28

Recent measurements of the W-boson charge asymmetry and of the Z-boson production cross sections, performed at the Tevatron collider in Run II by the D0 and CDF collaborations, are studied using the HERAFitter framework to assess their impact on the proton parton distribution functions (PDFs). Thus, the Tevatron measurements, together with deep-inelastic scattering data from HERA, are included in a QCD analysis performed at next-to-leading order, and compared to the predictions obtained using other PDF sets from different groups. Good agreement between measurements and theoretical predictions is observed. The Tevatron data provide significant constraints on the d-valence quark distribution.

QCD analysis of $W$- and $Z$-boson production at Tevatron

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

Camarda, S.; Belov, P.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.

Recent measurements of the W-boson charge asymmetry and of the Z-boson production cross sections, performed at the Tevatron collider in Run II by the D0 and CDF collaborations, are studied using the HERAFitter framework to assess their impact on the proton parton distribution functions (PDFs). Thus, the Tevatron measurements, together with deep-inelastic scattering data from HERA, are included in a QCD analysis performed at next-to-leading order, and compared to the predictions obtained using other PDF sets from different groups. Good agreement between measurements and theoretical predictions is observed. The Tevatron data provide significant constraints on the d-valence quark distribution.

Controlled quantum perfect teleportation of multiple arbitrary multi-qubit states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Runhua; Huang, Liusheng; Yang, Wei; Zhong, Hong

2011-12-01

We present an efficient controlled quantum perfect teleportation scheme. In our scheme, multiple senders can teleport multiple arbitrary unknown multi-qubit states to a single receiver via a previously shared entanglement state with the help of one or more controllers. Furthermore, our scheme has a very good performance in the measurement and operation complexity, since it only needs to perform Bell state and single-particle measurements and to apply Controlled-Not gate and other single-particle unitary operations. In addition, compared with traditional schemes, our scheme needs less qubits as the quantum resources and exchanges less classical information, and thus obtains higher communication efficiency.

Analytical and experimental investigation of stator endwall contouring in a small axial-flow turbine. 1: Stator performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haas, J. E.

1982-01-01

Three stator configurations were studied to determine the effect of stator outer endwall contouring on stator performance. One configuration was a cylindrical stator design. One contoured stator configuration had an S-shaped outer endwall, the other had a conical-convergent outer endwall. The experimental investigation consisted of annular surveys of stator exit total pressure and flow angle for each stator configuration over a range of stator pressure ratio. Radial variations in stator loss and aftermixed flow conditions were obtained when these data were compared with the analytical results to assess the validity of the analysis, good agreement was found.

Design of a CO2 Twin Rotary Compressor for a Heat Pump Water Heater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Jong Min; Kim, Woo Young; Kim, Hyun Jin; Cho, Sung Oug; Seo, Jong Cheun

2010-06-01

For a CO2 heat pump water heater, one-stage twin rotary compressor has been designed. As a design tool, computer simulation program for the compressor performance has been made. Validation of the simulation program has been carried out for a bench model compressor in a compressor calorimeter. Cooling capacity and the compressor input power were reasonably well compared between the simulation and the calorimeter test. Good agreement on P-V diagram between the simulation and the test was also obtained. With this validated compressor simulation program, parametric study has been performed to arrive at optimum dimensions for the compression chamber.

Thermal design of the IMP-I and H spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, R. H.

1974-01-01

A description of the thermal subsystem of the IMP-I and H spacecraft is presented. These two spacecraft were of a larger and more advanced type in the Explorer series and were successfully launched in March 1971 and September 1972. The thermal requirements, analysis, and design of each spacecraft are described including several specific designs for individual experiments. Techniques for obtaining varying degrees of thermal isolation and contact are presented. The thermal control coatings including the spaceflight performance of silver-coated FEP Teflon are discussed. Predicted performance is compared to measured flight data. The good agreement between them verifies the validity of the thermal model and the selection of coatings.

The Integration Process of Very Thin Mirror Shells with a Particular Regard to Simbol-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basso, S.; Pareschi, G.; Tagliaferri, G.; Mazzoleni, F.; Valtolina, R.; Citterio, O.; Conconi, P.

2009-05-01

The optics of Simbol-X are very thin compared to previous X-ray missions (like XMM). Therefore their shells floppy and are unable to maintain the correct shape. To avoid the deformations of their very thin X-ray optics during the integration process we adopt two stiffening rings with a good roundness. In this article the procedure used for the first three prototypes of the Simbol-X optics is presented with a description of the problems involved and with an analysis of the degradation of the performances during the integration. This analysis has been performed with the UV vertical bench measurements at INAF-OAB.

Restructuring the Production of Medicines: An Investigation on the Pharmaceutical Sector in China and the Role of Mergers and Acquisitions

PubMed Central

Barbieri, Elisa; Huang, Manli; Pi, Shenglei; Tassinari, Mattia

2017-01-01

In places like China, an ageing population coupled with changes in living standards and increases in disposable income, imply a shift of the demand for health-related goods and services which is likely to affect the whole organization of the industries that supply such goods and services at the global level. One of the industries most likely to be affected is the pharmaceutical sector. In the early 2000s China was already the second largest global producer of pharmaceutical ingredients. The pharmaceutical sector has become one of the most important industries promoted by the Chinese government and Five-Year Plan of China’s Strategic Emerging Sectors, mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity has been the key strategy to restructure the sector and increase its competitiveness. This paper firstly provides an updated picture of the evolution of M&As in the pharmaceutical sector, compared to other sectors, in China in the period 2005–2013. Secondly, we develop a composite indicator to measure the industrial performance of all Chinese industrial sectors over time, which allows us to assess the performance of the pharmaceutical industry compared to that of other sectors of the Chinese economy. Finally, we develop and estimate an empirical model that tests the relationship between the number of M&A in a sector and its performance, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical case. The results offer some initial evidence of positive effects from the process of restructuring of the pharmaceutical sector in China. PMID:28981463

Preparation and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of HupA PLGA microsphere.

PubMed

Ye, Liang; Fu, Fenghua; Liu, Wanhui; Sun, Kaoxiang; Li, Youxin; He, Jie; Yu, Xin; Yu, Pengfei; Tian, Jingwei

2013-03-01

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), including Huperzine A (HupA), have been the mainstay of treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, AChEIs can cause gastrointestinal side effects, which has been related to the high Cmax and short tmax after oral administration. Clinical trials have verified that extended-release formulation with lower Cmax and prolonged tmax, such as rivastigmine patch, could perform a similar efficacy with significantly improved tolerability compared with the oral formulations. In this study, we developed an extended-release microspheres formulation of HupA (called as HAM) with poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) as drug carrier. HAM has showed the loading rate as 1.35% (w/w) and yielded 42% with mean particle size at 72.6 μm. In vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetics studies have showed that HAM produced a relatively smooth and continuous drug concentration in 14 days. Furthermore, in vivo pharmacokinetics data have demonstrated that the Cmax was lower and the tmax was considerably later in single intramuscular administration of HAM (1,000 μg/kg) than the counterparts in single intragastric administration of HAT (75 μg/kg/d). Meanwhile, HAM has performed a continuous inhibition to brain AChE activity in normal rats and improvement of memory deficit in Aβ1-40 i.c.v. infused AD rat model for 14 days. The results have suggested that HAM has performed good extended-release properties and good prolonged pharmacological efficacy in vivo in the 2-week period, and could exert a similar efficacy with significantly lowered gastrointestinal side effects as compared with oral formulation.

Restructuring the Production of Medicines: An Investigation on the Pharmaceutical Sector in China and the Role of Mergers and Acquisitions.

PubMed

Barbieri, Elisa; Huang, Manli; Pi, Shenglei; Tassinari, Mattia

2017-10-05

In places like China, an ageing population coupled with changes in living standards and increases in disposable income, imply a shift of the demand for health-related goods and services which is likely to affect the whole organization of the industries that supply such goods and services at the global level. One of the industries most likely to be affected is the pharmaceutical sector. In the early 2000s China was already the second largest global producer of pharmaceutical ingredients. The pharmaceutical sector has become one of the most important industries promoted by the Chinese government and Five-Year Plan of China's Strategic Emerging Sectors, mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity has been the key strategy to restructure the sector and increase its competitiveness. This paper firstly provides an updated picture of the evolution of M&As in the pharmaceutical sector, compared to other sectors, in China in the period 2005-2013. Secondly, we develop a composite indicator to measure the industrial performance of all Chinese industrial sectors over time, which allows us to assess the performance of the pharmaceutical industry compared to that of other sectors of the Chinese economy. Finally, we develop and estimate an empirical model that tests the relationship between the number of M&A in a sector and its performance, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical case. The results offer some initial evidence of positive effects from the process of restructuring of the pharmaceutical sector in China.

Reliability of Radiographic Assessments of Adolescent Midshaft Clavicle Fractures by the FACTS Multicenter Study Group.

PubMed

Li, Ying; Donohue, Kyna S; Robbins, Christopher B; Pennock, Andrew T; Ellis, Henry B; Nepple, Jeffrey J; Pandya, Nirav; Spence, David D; Willimon, Samuel Clifton; Heyworth, Benton E

2017-09-01

There is a recent trend toward increased surgical treatment of displaced midshaft clavicle fractures in adolescents. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the intrarater and interrater reliability of clavicle fracture classification systems and measurements of displacement, shortening, and angulation in adolescents. The secondary purpose was to compare 2 different measurement methods for fracture shortening. This study was performed by a multicenter study group conducting a prospective, comparative, observational cohort study of adolescent clavicle fractures. Eight raters evaluated 24 deidentified anteroposterior clavicle radiographs selected from patients 10-18 years of age with midshaft clavicle fractures. Two clavicle fracture classification systems were used, and 2 measurements for shortening, 1 measurement for superior-inferior displacement, and 2 measurements for fracture angulation were performed. A minimum of 2 weeks after the first round, the process was repeated. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. Good to excellent intrarater and interrater agreement was achieved for the descriptive classification system of fracture displacement, direction of angulation, presence of comminution, and all continuous variables, including both measurements of shortening, superior-inferior displacement, and degrees of angulation. Moderate agreement was achieved for the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen classification system overall. Mean shortening by 2 different methods were significantly different from each other (P < 0.0001). Most radiographic measurements performed by investigators in a multicenter, prospective cohort study of adolescent clavicle fractures demonstrated good-to-excellent intrarater and interrater reliability. Future consensus on the most accurate and clinically appropriate measurement method for fracture shortening is critical.

Effects of Statin Intensity and Adherence on the Long-Term Prognosis After Acute Ischemic Stroke.

PubMed

Kim, Jinkwon; Lee, Hye Sun; Nam, Chung Mo; Heo, Ji Hoe

2017-10-01

Statin is an established treatment for secondary prevention after ischemic stroke. However, the effects of statin intensity and adherence on the long-term prognosis after acute stroke are not well known. This retrospective cohort study using a nationwide health insurance claim data in South Korea included patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke between 2002 and 2012. Statin adherence and intensity were determined from the prescription data for a period of 1 year after the index stroke. The primary outcome was a composite of recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality. We performed multivariate Cox proportional regression analyses. We included 8001 patients with acute ischemic stroke. During the mean follow-up period of 4.69±2.72 years, 2284 patients developed a primary outcome. Compared with patients with no statin, adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) were 0.74 (0.64-0.84) for good adherence, 0.93 (0.79-1.09) for intermediate adherence, and 1.07 (0.95-1.20) for poor adherence to statin. Among the 1712 patients with good adherence, risk of adverse events was lower in patients with high-intensity statin (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.48 [0.24-0.96]) compared with those with low-intensity statin. Neither good adherence nor high intensity of statin was associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke. After acute ischemic stroke, high-intensity statin therapy with good adherence was significantly associated with a lower risk of adverse events. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

The influence of re-employment on quality of life and self-rated health, a longitudinal study among unemployed persons in the Netherlands

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Unemployed persons have a poorer health compared with employed persons and unemployment may cause ill health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of re-employment on quality of life and health among unemployed persons on social benefits. Methods A prospective study with 18 months follow-up was conducted among unemployed persons (n=4,308) in the Netherlands, receiving either unemployment benefits or social security benefits. Quality of life, self-rated health, and employment status were measured at baseline and every 6 months of follow up with questionnaires. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) modeling was performed to study the influence of re-employment on change in self-rated health and quality of life over time. Results In the study population 29% had a less than good quality of life and 17% had a poor self-rated health. Persons who started with paid employment during the follow-up period were more likely to improve towards a good quality of life (OR 1.76) and a good self-rated health (OR 2.88) compared with those persons who remained unemployed. Up to 6 months after re-employment, every month with paid employment, the likelihood of a good quality of life increased (OR 1.12). Conclusions Starting with paid employment improves quality of life and self-rated health. This suggests that labour force participation should be considered as an important measure to improve health of unemployed persons. Improving possibilities for unemployed persons to find paid employment will reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health. PMID:23706106

[Fabrication of a new composite scaffold material for delivering rifampicin and its sustained drug release in rats].

PubMed

Ma, Xue-Ming; Lin, Zhen; Zhang, Jia-Wei; Sang, Chao-Hui; Qu, Dong-Bin; Jiang, Jian-Ming

2016-03-01

To fabricate a new composite scaffold material as an implant for sustained delivery of rifampicin and evaluate its performance of sustained drug release and biocompatibility. The composite scaffold material was prepared by loading poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres that encapsulated rifampicin in a biphasic calcium composite material with a negative surface charge. The in vitro drug release characteristics of the microspheres and the composite scaffold material were evaluated; the in vivo drug release profile of the composite scaffold material implanted in a rat muscle pouch was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography. The biochemical parameters of the serum and liver histopathologies of the rats receiving the transplantation were observed to assess the biocompatibility of the composite scaffold material. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading efficiency of microspheres were (56.05±5.33)% and (29.80±2.88)%, respectively. The cumulative drug release rate of the microspheres in vitro was (94.19±5.4)% at 28 days, as compared with the rate of (82.23±6.28)% of composite scaffold material. The drug-loaded composite scaffold material showed a good performance of in vivo drug release in rats, and the local drug concentration still reached 16.18±0.35 µg/g at 28 days after implantation. Implantation of the composite scaffold material resulted in transient and reversible liver injury, which was fully reparred at 28 days after the implantation. The composite scaffold material possesses a good sustained drug release capacity and a good biocompatibility, and can serve as an alternative approach to conventional antituberculous chemotherapy.

Good, better, best? A comprehensive comparison of healthcare providers' performance: An application to physiotherapy practices in primary care.

PubMed

Steenhuis, Sander; Groeneweg, Niels; Koolman, Xander; Portrait, France

2017-12-01

Most payment methods in healthcare stimulate volume-driven care, rather than value-driven care. Value-based payment methods such as Pay-For-Performance have the potential to reduce costs and improve quality of care. Ideally, outcome indicators are used in the assessment of providers' performance. The aim of this paper is to describe the feasibility of assessing and comparing the performances of providers using a comprehensive set of quality and cost data. We had access to unique and extensive datasets containing individual data on PROMs, PREMs and costs of physiotherapy practices in Dutch primary care. We merged these datasets at the patient-level and compared the performances of these practices using case-mix corrected linear regression models. Several significant differences in performance were detected between practices. These results can be used by both physiotherapists, to improve treatment given, and insurers to support their purchasing decisions. The study demonstrates that it is feasible to compare the performance of providers using PROMs and PREMs. However, it would take an extra effort to increase usefulness and it remains unclear under which conditions this effort is cost-effective. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the added value of registering outcomes to improve their quality. Insurers need to facilitate this by designing value-based contracts with the right incentives. Only then can payment methods contribute to value-based healthcare and increase value for patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tube thoracostomy training with a medical simulator is associated with faster, more successful performance of the procedure

PubMed Central

Chung, Tae Nyoung; Kim, Sun Wook; You, Je Sung; Chung, Hyun Soo

2016-01-01

Objective Tube thoracostomy (TT) is a commonly performed intensive care procedure. Simulator training may be a good alternative method for TT training, compared with conventional methods such as apprenticeship and animal skills laboratory. However, there is insufficient evidence supporting use of a simulator. The aim of this study is to determine whether training with medical simulator is associated with faster TT process, compared to conventional training without simulator. Methods This is a simulation study. Eligible participants were emergency medicine residents with very few (≤3 times) TT experience. Participants were randomized to two groups: the conventional training group, and the simulator training group. While the simulator training group used the simulator to train TT, the conventional training group watched the instructor performing TT on a cadaver. After training, all participants performed a TT on a cadaver. The performance quality was measured as correct placement and time delay. Subjects were graded if they had difficulty on process. Results Estimated median procedure time was 228 seconds in the conventional training group and 75 seconds in the simulator training group, with statistical significance (P=0.040). The difficulty grading did not show any significant difference among groups (overall performance scale, 2 vs. 3; P=0.094). Conclusion Tube thoracostomy training with a medical simulator, when compared to no simulator training, is associated with a significantly faster procedure, when performed on a human cadaver. PMID:27752610

Electromagnetic Design of a Radiofrequency Cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montoya Soto, G. R.; Duarte Galvan, Carlos; Monzon, Ildefonso Leon; Podesta Lerma, Pedro Luis manuel; Valerio-Lizarraga, C. A.

2017-10-01

Electromagnetic and mechanical studies have been performed with the aim of build a RF cavity in the S-Band (2998 MHz), the design takes into consideration the relativistic change in the electron velocity through the acceleration cavity. Four cavity cases were considered at different input energies, 50 KeV, 100 KeV, 150 KeV, with output energies of 350 KeV, the designs show good acceleration efficiency and beam coherence comparable to the one created in the cathode.

Ultra-low-cost clinical pulse oximetry.

PubMed

Petersen, Christian L; Gan, Heng; MacInnis, Martin J; Dumont, Guy A; Ansermino, J Mark

2013-01-01

An ultra-low-cost pulse oximeter is presented that interfaces a conventional clinical finger sensor with a mobile phone through the headset jack audio interface. All signal processing is performed using the audio subsystem of the phone. In a preliminary volunteer study in a hypoxia chamber, we compared the oxygen saturation obtained with the audio pulse oximeter against a commercially available (and FDA approved) reference pulse oximeter (Nonin Xpod). Good agreement was found between the outputs of the two devices.

Adaptation and application of multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI) in US coastal waters.

PubMed

Pelletier, Marguerite C; Gillett, David J; Hamilton, Anna; Grayson, Treda; Hansen, Virginia; Leppo, Erik W; Weisberg, Stephan B; Borja, Angel

2018-06-01

The multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI) is an extension of the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) that has been used extensively in Europe, but not in the United States. In a previous study, we adapted AMBI for use in US coastal waters (US AMBI), but saw biases in salinity and score distribution when compared to locally calibrated indices. In this study we modified M-AMBI for US waters and compared its performance to that of US AMBI. Index performance was evaluated in three ways: 1) concordance with local indices presently being used as management tools in three geographic regions of US coastal waters, 2) classification accuracy for sites defined a priori as good or bad and 3) insensitivity to natural environmental gradients. US M-AMBI was highly correlated with all three local indices and removed the compression in response seen in moderately disturbed sites with US AMBI. US M-AMBI and US AMBI did a similar job correctly classifying sites as good or bad in local validation datasets (83 to 100% accuracy vs. 84 to 95%, respectively). US M-AMBI also removed the salinity bias of US AMBI so that lower salinity sites were not more likely to be incorrectly classified as impaired. The US M-AMBI appears to be an acceptable index for comparing condition across broad-scales such as estuarine and coastal waters surveyed by the US EPA's National Coastal Condition Assessment, and may be applicable to areas of the US coast that do not have a locally derived benthic index.

A comparative computational study of coarse-grained and all-atom water models in shock Hugoniot states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Sa Hoon; Berkowitz, Max L.

2018-04-01

We performed molecular dynamics simulations to study how well some of the water models used in simulations describe shocked states. Water in our simulations was described using three different models. One was an often-used all-atom TIP4P/2005 model, while the other two were coarse-grained models used with the MARTINI force field: non-polarizable and polarizable MARTINI water. The all-atom model provided results in good agreement with Hugoniot curves (for data on pressure versus specific volume or, equivalently, on shock wave velocity versus "piston" velocity) describing shocked states in the whole range of pressures (up to 11 GPa) under study. If simulations of shocked states of water using coarse-grained models were performed for short time periods, we observed that data obtained for shocked states at low pressure were fairly accurate compared to experimental Hugoniot curves. Polarizable MARTINI water still provided a good description of Hugoniot curves for pressures up to 11 GPa, while the results for the non-polarizable MARTINI water substantially deviated from the Hugoniot curves. We also calculated the temperature of the Hugoniot states and observed that for TIP4P/2005 water, they were consistent with those from theoretical calculations, while both coarse-grained models predicted much higher temperatures. These high temperatures for MARTINI water can be explained by the loss of degrees of freedom due to coarse-graining procedure.

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%.

Making a commercial carbon fiber cloth having comparable capacitances to carbon nanotubes and graphene in supercapacitors through a "top-down" approach.

PubMed

Zhang, Tianchang; Kim, Christine H J; Cheng, Yingwen; Ma, Yanwen; Zhang, Hongbo; Liu, Jie

2015-02-21

A "top-down" and scalable approach for processing carbon fiber cloth (CFC) into flexible and all-carbon electrodes with remarkable areal capacity and cyclic stability was developed. CFC is commercially available in large quantities but its use as an electrode material in supercapacitors is not satisfactory. The approach demonstrated in this work is based on the sequential treatment of CFC with KOH activation and high temperature annealing that can effectively improve its specific surface area to a remarkable 2780 m(2) g(-1) while at the same time achieving a good electrical conductivity of 320 S m(-1) without sacrificing its intrinsic mechanical strength and flexibility. The processed CFC can be directly used as an electrode for supercapacitors without any binders, conductive additives and current collectors while avoiding elaborate electrode processing steps to deliver a specific capacitance of ∼0.5 F cm(-2) and ∼197 F g(-1) with remarkable rate performance and excellent cyclic stability. The properties of these processed CFCs are comparable or better than graphene and carbon nanotube based electrodes. We further demonstrate symmetric solid-state supercapacitors based on these processed CFCs with very good flexibility. This "top-down" and scalable approach can be readily applied to other types of commercially available carbon materials and therefore can have a substantial significance for high performance supercapacitor devices.

Data mining of tree-based models to analyze freeway accident frequency.

PubMed

Chang, Li-Yen; Chen, Wen-Chieh

2005-01-01

Statistical models, such as Poisson or negative binomial regression models, have been employed to analyze vehicle accident frequency for many years. However, these models have their own model assumptions and pre-defined underlying relationship between dependent and independent variables. If these assumptions are violated, the model could lead to erroneous estimation of accident likelihood. Classification and Regression Tree (CART), one of the most widely applied data mining techniques, has been commonly employed in business administration, industry, and engineering. CART does not require any pre-defined underlying relationship between target (dependent) variable and predictors (independent variables) and has been shown to be a powerful tool, particularly for dealing with prediction and classification problems. This study collected the 2001-2002 accident data of National Freeway 1 in Taiwan. A CART model and a negative binomial regression model were developed to establish the empirical relationship between traffic accidents and highway geometric variables, traffic characteristics, and environmental factors. The CART findings indicated that the average daily traffic volume and precipitation variables were the key determinants for freeway accident frequencies. By comparing the prediction performance between the CART and the negative binomial regression models, this study demonstrates that CART is a good alternative method for analyzing freeway accident frequencies. By comparing the prediction performance between the CART and the negative binomial regression models, this study demonstrates that CART is a good alternative method for analyzing freeway accident frequencies.

Spatial cluster for clustering the influence factor of birth and death child in Bogor Regency, West Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bekti, Rokhana Dwi; Rachmawati, Ro'fah

2014-03-01

The number of birth and death child is the benchmarks to determine and monitor the health and welfare in Indonesia. It can be used to identify groups of people who have a high mortality risk. Identifying group is important to compare the characteristics of human that have high and low risk. These characteristics can be seen from the factors that influenced it. Furthermore, there are factors which influence of birth and death child, such us economic, health facility, education, and others. The influence factors of every individual are different, but there are similarities some individuals which live close together or in the close locations. It means there was spatial effect. To identify group in this research, clustering is done by spatial cluster method, which is view to considering the influence of the location or the relationship between locations. One of spatial cluster method is Spatial 'K'luster Analysis by Tree Edge Removal (SKATER). The research was conducted in Bogor Regency, West Java. The goal was to get a cluster of districts based on the factors that influence birth and death child. SKATER build four number of cluster respectively consists of 26, 7, 2, and 5 districts. SKATER has good performance for clustering which include spatial effect. If it compare by other cluster method, Kmeans has good performance by MANOVA test.

High-Quality Solution-Processed Silicon Oxide Gate Dielectric Applied on Indium Oxide Based Thin-Film Transistors.

PubMed

Jaehnike, Felix; Pham, Duy Vu; Anselmann, Ralf; Bock, Claudia; Kunze, Ulrich

2015-07-01

A silicon oxide gate dielectric was synthesized by a facile sol-gel reaction and applied to solution-processed indium oxide based thin-film transistors (TFTs). The SiOx sol-gel was spin-coated on highly doped silicon substrates and converted to a dense dielectric film with a smooth surface at a maximum processing temperature of T = 350 °C. The synthesis was systematically improved, so that the solution-processed silicon oxide finally achieved comparable break downfield strength (7 MV/cm) and leakage current densities (<10 nA/cm(2) at 1 MV/cm) to thermally grown silicon dioxide (SiO2). The good quality of the dielectric layer was successfully proven in bottom-gate, bottom-contact metal oxide TFTs and compared to reference TFTs with thermally grown SiO2. Both transistor types have field-effect mobility values as high as 28 cm(2)/(Vs) with an on/off current ratio of 10(8), subthreshold swings of 0.30 and 0.37 V/dec, respectively, and a threshold voltage close to zero. The good device performance could be attributed to the smooth dielectric/semiconductor interface and low interface trap density. Thus, the sol-gel-derived SiO2 is a promising candidate for a high-quality dielectric layer on many substrates and high-performance large-area applications.

Comparison of the Automated cobas u 701 Urine Microscopy and UF-1000i Flow Cytometry Systems and Manual Microscopy in the Examination of Urine Sediments.

PubMed

Lee, Wonmok; Ha, Jung-Sook; Ryoo, Nam-Hee

2016-09-01

The cobas u 701, a new automated image-based urine sediment analyzer, was introduced recently. In this study, we compared its performance with that of UF-1000i flow cytometry and manual microscopy in the examination of urine sediments. Precision, linearity, and carry-over were determined for the two urine sediment analyzers. For a comparison of the method, 300 urine samples were examined by the automated analyzers and by manual microscopy using a KOVA chamber. Within-run coefficients of variation (CVs) for the control materials were 7.0-8.8% and 1.7-5.7% for the cobas u 701 and UF-1000i systems, respectively. Between-run CVs were 8.5-9.8% and 2.7-5.4%, respectively. Both instruments showed good linearity and negligible carry-over. For red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and epithelial cells (EPI), the overall concordance rates within one grade of difference among the three methods were good (78.6-86.0%, 88.7-93.8%, and 81.3-90.7%, respectively). The concordance rate for casts was poor (66.5-68.9%). Compared with manual microscopy, the two automated sediment analyzers tested in this study showed satisfactory analytical performances for RBC, WBC, and EPI. However, for other urine sediment particles confirmation by visual microscopy is still required. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Different gain/loss sensitivity and social adaptation ability in gifted adolescents during a public goods game.

PubMed

Chung, Dongil; Yun, Kyongsik; Kim, Jin Ho; Jang, Bosun; Jeong, Jaeseung

2011-02-16

Gifted adolescents are considered to have high IQs with advanced mathematical and logical performances, but are often thought to suffer from social isolation or emotional mal-adaptation to the social group. The underlying mechanisms that cause stereotypic portrayals of gifted adolescents are not well known. We aimed to investigate behavioral performance of gifted adolescents during social decision-making tasks to assess their affective and social/non-social cognitive abilities. We examined cooperation behaviors of 22 gifted and 26 average adolescents during an iterative binary public goods (PG) game, a multi-player social interaction game, and analyzed strategic decision processes that include cooperation and free-riding. We found that the gifted adolescents were more cooperative than average adolescents. Particularly, comparing the strategies for the PG game between the two groups, gifted adolescents were less sensitive to loss, yet were more sensitive to gain. Additionally, the behavioral characteristics of average adolescents, such as low trust of the group and herding behavior, were not found in gifted adolescents. These results imply that gifted adolescents have a high cognitive ability but a low ability to process affective information or to adapt in social groups compared with average adolescents. We conclude that gain/loss sensitivity and the ability to adapt in social groups develop to different degrees in average and gifted adolescents.

Comparison of Colonoscopy Quality Measures Across Various Practice Settings and the Impact of Performance Scorecards.

PubMed

Inra, Jennifer A; Nayor, Jennifer; Rosenblatt, Margery; Mutinga, Muthoka; Reddy, Sarathchandra I; Syngal, Sapna; Kastrinos, Fay

2017-04-01

Quality performance measures for screening colonoscopy vary among endoscopists. The impact of practice setting is unknown. We aimed to (1) compare screening colonoscopy performance measures among three different US practice settings; (2) evaluate factors associated with adenoma detection; and (3) assess a scorecard intervention on performance metrics. This multi-center prospective study compared patient, endoscopist, and colonoscopy characteristics performed at a tertiary care hospital (TCH), community-based hospital (CBH), and private practice group (PPG). Withdrawal times (WT), cecal intubation, and adenoma detection rates (ADR) were compared by site at baseline and 12 weeks following scorecard distribution. Generalized linear mixed models identified factors associated with adenoma detection. Twenty-eight endoscopists performed colonoscopies on 1987 asymptomatic, average-risk individuals ≥50 years. Endoscopist and patient characteristics were similar across sites. The PPG screened more men (TCH: 42.8%, CBH: 45.0%, PPG: 54.2%; p < 0.0001). Preparation quality varied with good/excellent results in 70.6, 88.3, and 92% of TCH, CBH, and PPG cases, respectively (p < 0.0001). Male ADRs, cecal intubation, and WT exceeded recommended benchmarks despite variable results at each site; female ADRs were <15% at the PPG which screened the fewest females. Performance remained unchanged following scorecard distribution. Adenoma detection was associated with increasing patient age, male gender, WT, adequate preparation, but not practice setting. Each practice performed high-quality screening colonoscopy. Scorecards did not improve performance metrics. Preparation quality varies among practice settings and can be modified to improve adenoma detection.

Comparing CTH simulations and experiments on explosively loaded rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braithwaite, C. H.; Aydelotte, Brady; Collins, Adam; Thadhani, Naresh; Williamson, David Martin

2012-03-01

A series of experiments were conducted on explosively loaded metallic rings for the purpose of studying fragmentation. In addition to the collection of fragments for analysis, the radial velocity of the expanding ring was measured with photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV) and the arrangement was imaged using high speed photography. Both the ring material and the material used as the explosive container were altered and the results compared with simulations performed in CTH. Good agreement was found between the simulations and the experiments. The maximum radial velocity attained was approximately 380 m/s, which was achieved through loading with a 5g PETN based charge.

Comparative evaluation of the stability of seven-transmembrane microbial rhodopsins to various physicochemical stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Naoya; Tsukamoto, Takashi; Sudo, Yuki

2017-08-01

Rhodopsins are seven-transmembrane proteins that function as photoreceptors for a variety of biological processes. Their characteristic visible colors make rhodopsins a good model for membrane-embedded proteins. In this study, by utilizing their color changes, we performed comparative studies on the stability of five microbial rhodopsins using the same instruments, procedures and media. As denaturants, we employed four physicochemical stimuli: (i) thermal perturbation, (ii) the water-soluble reagent hydroxylamine, (iii) the detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate, and (iv) the organic solvent ethanol. On the basis of the results, models for stabilization mechanisms in rhodopsins against each stimulus is proposed.

Relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Aartolahti, Eeva; Häkkinen, Arja; Lönnroos, Eija; Kautiainen, Hannu; Sulkava, Raimo; Hartikainen, Sirpa

2013-10-01

Vision is an important prerequisite for balance control and mobility. The role of objectively measured visual functions has been previously studied but less is known about associations of functional vision, that refers to self-perceived vision-based ability to perform daily activities. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in a community-based sample of older adults. This study is part of a Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for the Good Care of the Elderly project (GeMS). Participants (576) aged 76-100 years (mean age 81 years, 70 % women) were interviewed using a seven-item functional vision questionnaire (VF-7). Balance and mobility were measured by the Berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go (TUG), chair stand test, and maximal walking speed. In addition, self-reported fear of falling, depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale), cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination) and physical activity (Grimby) were assessed. In the analysis, participants were classified into poor, moderate, or good functional vision groups. The poor functional vision group (n = 95) had more comorbidities, depressed mood, cognition decline, fear of falling, and reduced physical activity compared to participants with moderate (n = 222) or good functional vision (n = 259). Participants with poor functional vision performed worse on all balance and mobility tests. After adjusting for gender, age, chronic conditions, and cognition, the linearity remained statistically significant between functional vision and BBS (p = 0.013), TUG (p = 0.010), and maximal walking speed (p = 0.008), but not between functional vision and chair stand (p = 0.069). Poor functional vision is related to weaker balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults. This highlights the importance of widespread assessment of health, including functional vision, to prevent balance impairment and maintain independent mobility among older population.

Neurocognitive status in patients with newly-diagnosed brain tumors in good neurological condition: The impact of tumor type, volume, and location.

PubMed

Hendrix, Philipp; Hans, Elisa; Griessenauer, Christoph J; Simgen, Andreas; Oertel, Joachim; Karbach, Julia

2017-05-01

Neurocognitive function is of great importance in patients with brain tumors. Even patients in good neurological condition may suffer from neurocognitive dysfunction that affects their daily living. The purpose of the present study was to identify risk factors for neurocognitive dysfunction in patients suffering from common supratentorial brain tumors with minor neurological deficits. A prospective study evaluating neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with a newly-diagnosed brain tumor in good neurological condition was performed at a major German academic institution. Patients underwent extensive neurocognitive testing assessing perceptual speed, executive function, visual-spatial and verbal working memory, short- and long-term memory, verbal fluency, fluid intelligence, anxiety, and depression. For each patient, a healthy control was pair-matched based on age, sex, handedness, and profession. A total of 46 patients and 46 healthy controls underwent neurocognitive testing. Patients suffered from glioblastoma multiforme (10), cerebral metastasis (10), pituitary adenoma (13), or meningioma (13). There was neither any difference in age, educational level, fluid intelligence, neurological deficits, and anxiety nor in any depression scores between tumor subgroups. Overall, neurocognitive performance was significantly worse in patients compared to healthy controls. Larger tumor volume, frontal location, and left/dominant hemisphere were associated with worse executive functioning and verbal fluency. Additionally, larger tumors and left/dominant location correlated with impairments on perceptual speed tasks. Frontal tumor location was related to worse performance in visual-spatial and short- and long-term memory. Tumor type, clinical presentation, and patient self-awareness were not associated with specific neurocognitive impairments. Patients suffering from newly-diagnosed brain tumors presenting in good neurological condition display neurocognitive impairments in various domains. Larger tumor volumes, frontal location, and left/dominant hemisphere are important predictors for potential neurocognitive deficits. Tumor type, clinical presentation, or self-awareness are less significant at the time of diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of team-focused CPR vs standard CPR in resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: Results from a statewide quality improvement initiative.

PubMed

Pearson, David A; Darrell Nelson, R; Monk, Lisa; Tyson, Clark; Jollis, James G; Granger, Christopher B; Corbett, Claire; Garvey, Lee; Runyon, Michael S

2016-08-01

Team-focused CPR (TFCPR) is a choreographed approach to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with emphasis on minimally interrupted high-quality chest compressions, early defibrillation, discourages endotracheal intubation and encourages use of the bag-valve-mask (BVM) and/or blind-insertion airway device (BIAD) with a ventilation rate of 8-10 breaths/min to minimize hyperventilation. Widespread incorporation of TFCPR in North Carolina (NC) EMS agencies began in 2011, yet its impact on outcomes is unknown. To determine whether TFCPR improves survival with good neurological outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients compared to standard CPR. This retrospective cohort analysis of NC EMS agencies reporting data to the Cardiac Arrest Registry for Enhanced Survival (CARES) database from January 2010 to June 2014 included adult, non-traumatic OHCA with presumed cardiac etiology where EMS performed CPR or patient received defibrillation. Exclusions were arrest terminated per EMS policy or DNR. EMS agencies self-reported the TFCPR implementation dates. Patients were categorized as receiving either TFCPR or standard CPR. The primary outcome was good neurologic outcome at time of hospital discharge defined as Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) 1-2. Of 14,994 OHCAs, 14,129 patients were included for analysis with a mean age 65 (IQR 50-81) years, 61% male, 7.3% with good neurologic outcome, 24.3% with shockable initial rhythm, and 71.5% receiving TFCPR. Of the 3427 (24.3%) with an initial shockable rhythm, 739 (71.9%) had a good neurological outcome. Good neurologic outcome was higher with TFCPR [836 (8.3%, 95%CI 7.7-8.8%)] vs. standard CPR [193 (4.8%, 95%CI 4.2-5.5%)]. Logistic regression controlling for demographic and arrest characteristics revealed TFCPR (OR 1.5), witnessed arrest (OR 4.3), initial shockable rhythm (OR 7.1), and in-hospital hypothermia (OR 3.3) were associated with good neurologic outcome. Mechanical CPR device (OR 0.68), CPR feedback device (OR 0.47), and endotracheal intubation (OR 0.44) were associated with less likelihood for a good neurologic outcome. In our statewide OHCA cohort, TFCPR was associated with improved survival with good neurological outcome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring health system responsiveness at facility level in Ethiopia: performance, correlates and implications.

PubMed

Yakob, Bereket; Ncama, Busisiwe Purity

2017-04-11

Health system responsiveness measures (HSR) the non-health aspect of care relating to the environment and the way healthcare is provided to clients. The study measured the HSR performance and correlates of HIV/AIDS treatment and care services in the Wolaita Zone of Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey across seven responsiveness domains (attention, autonomy, amenities of care, choice, communication, confidentiality and respect) was conducted on 492 people using pre-ART and ART care. The Likert scale categories were allocated percentages for analysis, being classified as unacceptable (Fail) and acceptable (Good and Very Good) performance. Of the 452 (91.9%) participants, 205 (45.4%) and 247 (54.6%) were from health centers and a hospital respectively. 375 (83.0%) and 77 (17.0%) were on ART and pre-ART care respectively. A range of response classifications was reported for each domain, with Fail performance being higher for choice (48.4%), attention (45.5%) and autonomy (22.7%) domains. Communication (64.2%), amenities (61.4%), attention (51.4%) and confidentiality (50.1%) domains had higher scores in the 'Good' performance category. On the other hand, 'only respect (54.0%) domain had higher score in the 'Very Good' performance category while attention (3.1%), amenities (4.7%) and choice (12.4%) domains had very low scores. Respect (5.1%), confidentiality (7.6%) and communication (14.7%) showed low proportion in the Fail performance. 10.4 and 6.9% of the responsiveness percent score (RPS) were in 'Fail' and Very Good categories respectively while the rest (82.7%) were in Good performance category. In the multivariate analysis, a unit increase in the perceived quality of care, satisfaction with the services and financial fairness scores respectively resulted in 0.27% (p < 0.001), 0.48% (p < 0.001) and 0.48% (p < 0.001) increase in the RPS. On the contrary, visiting traditional medicine practitioner before formal HIV care was associated with 2.1% decrease in the RPS. The health facilities performed low on the autonomy, choice, attention and amenities domains while the overall RPS masked the weaknesses and strengths and showed an overall good performance. The domain specific responsiveness scores are better ways of measuring responsiveness. Improving quality of care, client satisfaction and financial fairness will be important interventions to improve responsiveness performance.

Virtual Team Governance: Addressing the Governance Mechanisms and Virtual Team Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Yihong; Bai, Yu; Liu, Ziheng

As technology has improved and collaborative software has been developed, virtual teams with geographically dispersed members spread across diverse physical locations have become increasingly prominent. Virtual team is supported by advancing communication technologies, which makes virtual teams able to largely transcend time and space. Virtual teams have changed the corporate landscape, which are more complex and dynamic than traditional teams since the members of virtual teams are spread on diverse geographical locations and their roles in the virtual team are different. Therefore, how to realize good governance of virtual team and arrive at good virtual team performance is becoming critical and challenging. Good virtual team governance is essential for a high-performance virtual team. This paper explores the performance and the governance mechanism of virtual team. It establishes a model to explain the relationship between the performance and the governance mechanisms in virtual teams. This paper is focusing on managing virtual teams. It aims to find the strategies to help business organizations to improve the performance of their virtual teams and arrive at the objectives of good virtual team management.

Benchmarking Commercial Conformer Ensemble Generators.

PubMed

Friedrich, Nils-Ole; de Bruyn Kops, Christina; Flachsenberg, Florian; Sommer, Kai; Rarey, Matthias; Kirchmair, Johannes

2017-11-27

We assess and compare the performance of eight commercial conformer ensemble generators (ConfGen, ConfGenX, cxcalc, iCon, MOE LowModeMD, MOE Stochastic, MOE Conformation Import, and OMEGA) and one leading free algorithm, the distance geometry algorithm implemented in RDKit. The comparative study is based on a new version of the Platinum Diverse Dataset, a high-quality benchmarking dataset of 2859 protein-bound ligand conformations extracted from the PDB. Differences in the performance of commercial algorithms are much smaller than those observed for free algorithms in our previous study (J. Chem. Inf. 2017, 57, 529-539). For commercial algorithms, the median minimum root-mean-square deviations measured between protein-bound ligand conformations and ensembles of a maximum of 250 conformers are between 0.46 and 0.61 Å. Commercial conformer ensemble generators are characterized by their high robustness, with at least 99% of all input molecules successfully processed and few or even no substantial geometrical errors detectable in their output conformations. The RDKit distance geometry algorithm (with minimization enabled) appears to be a good free alternative since its performance is comparable to that of the midranked commercial algorithms. Based on a statistical analysis, we elaborate on which algorithms to use and how to parametrize them for best performance in different application scenarios.

Building China's municipal healthcare performance evaluation system: a Tuscan perspective.

PubMed

Li, Hao; Barsanti, Sara; Bonini, Anna

2012-08-01

Regional healthcare performance evaluation systems can help optimize healthcare resources on regional basis and improve the performance of healthcare services provided. The Tuscany region in Italy is a good example of an institution which meets these requirements. China has yet to build such a system based on international experience. In this paper, based on comparative studies between Tuscany and China, we propose that the managing institutions in China's experimental cities can select and commission a third-party agency to, respectively, evaluate the performance of their affiliated hospitals and community health service centers. Following some features of the Tuscan experience, the Chinese municipal healthcare performance evaluation system can be built by focusing on the selection of an appropriate performance evaluation agency, the design of an adequate performance evaluation mechanism and the formulation of a complete set of laws, rules and regulations. When a performance evaluation system at city level is formed, the provincial government can extend the successful experience to other cities.

Driving performance in a power wheelchair simulator.

PubMed

Archambault, Philippe S; Tremblay, Stéphanie; Cachecho, Sarah; Routhier, François; Boissy, Patrick

2012-05-01

A power wheelchair simulator can allow users to safely experience various driving tasks. For such training to be efficient, it is important that driving performance be equivalent to that in a real wheelchair. This study aimed at comparing driving performance in a real and in a simulated environment. Two groups of healthy young adults performed different driving tasks, either in a real power wheelchair or in a simulator. Smoothness of joystick control as well as the time necessary to complete each task were recorded and compared between the two groups. Driving strategies were analysed from video recordings. The sense of presence, of really being in the virtual environment, was assessed through a questionnaire. Smoothness of joystick control was the same in the real and virtual groups. Task completion time was higher in the simulator for the more difficult tasks. Both groups showed similar strategies and difficulties. The simulator generated a good sense of presence, which is important for motivation. Performance was very similar for power wheelchair driving in the simulator or in real life. Thus, the simulator could potentially be used to complement training of individuals who require a power wheelchair and use a regular joystick. [Box: see text].

Performance and properties of anodes reinforced with metal oxide nanoparticles for molten carbonate fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Accardo, Grazia; Frattini, Domenico; Yoon, Sung Pil; Ham, Hyung Chul; Nam, Suk Woo

2017-12-01

Development of electrode materials for molten carbonate fuel cells is a fundamental issue as a balance between mechanical and electrochemical properties is required due to the particular operating environments of these cells. As concern the anode, a viable strategy is to use nano-reinforced particles during electrodes' fabrication. Candidate nanomaterials comprise, but are not limited to, ZrO2, CeO2, TiO2, Ti, Mg, Al, etc. This work deals with the characterization and test of two different types of hard oxide nanoparticles as reinforce for NiAl-based anodes in molten carbonate fuel cells. Nano ceria and nano zirconia are compared each other and single cell test performances are presented. Compared to literature, the use of hard metal oxide nanoparticles allows good performance and promising perspectives with respect to the use a third alloying metal. However, nano zirconia performed slightly better than nano ceria as polarization and power curves are higher even if nano ceria has the highest mechanical properties. This means that the choice of nanoparticles to obtain improved anodes performance and properties is not trivial and a trade-off between relevant properties plays a key role.

Automated recognition of bird song elements from continuous recordings using dynamic time warping and hidden Markov models: a comparative study.

PubMed

Kogan, J A; Margoliash, D

1998-04-01

The performance of two techniques is compared for automated recognition of bird song units from continuous recordings. The advantages and limitations of dynamic time warping (DTW) and hidden Markov models (HMMs) are evaluated on a large database of male songs of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea), which have different types of vocalizations and have been recorded under different laboratory conditions. Depending on the quality of recordings and complexity of song, the DTW-based technique gives excellent to satisfactory performance. Under challenging conditions such as noisy recordings or presence of confusing short-duration calls, good performance of the DTW-based technique requires careful selection of templates that may demand expert knowledge. Because HMMs are trained, equivalent or even better performance of HMMs can be achieved based only on segmentation and labeling of constituent vocalizations, albeit with many more training examples than DTW templates. One weakness in HMM performance is the misclassification of short-duration vocalizations or song units with more variable structure (e.g., some calls, and syllables of plastic songs). To address these and other limitations, new approaches for analyzing bird vocalizations are discussed.

UV Light Illumination Can Improve the Sensing Properties of LaFeO₃ to Acetone Vapor.

PubMed

Zhang, Heng; Qin, Hongwei; Gao, Chengyong; Zhou, Guangjun; Chen, Yanping; Hu, Jifan

2018-06-21

The synthesized LaFeO₃ nanocrystalline sensor powders show positive response to sensing acetone vapor at 200 °C. The responses to acetone vapor (at 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 ppm) are 1.18, 1.22, 1.89, 3.2 and 7.83. To make the sensor operate at a lower optimum temperature, UV light illumination 365 nm is performed. Response of the sensor has a larger improvement under 365 nm UV light illumination than without it. The responses to acetone vapor (at 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 ppm) are 1.37, 1.85, 3.16, 8.32 and 14.1. Furthermore, the optimum operating temperature is reduced to 170 °C. As the relative humidity increases, the resistance and sensitivity of sensor are reduced. The sensor shows good selectivity toward acetone when compared with other gases. Since the detection of ultralow concentrations of acetone vapor is possible, the sensor can be used to preliminarily judge diabetes in the general public, as a high concentration of acetone is exhaled in breath of diabetic patients. The sensor shows a good stability, which is further enhanced under UV light illumination. The sensor shows better stability when under 365 nm UV light illumination. Whether under light illumination or not. The LaFeO₃ material shows good performance as a sensor when exposed to acetone vapor.

Prevention of cisplatin-based chemotherapy-induced delayed nausea and vomiting using triple antiemetic regimens: a mixed treatment comparison

PubMed Central

Li, Hongjia; Le, Qiqi; Liu, Shanshan; Zong, Shaoqi; Zheng, Leizhen; Hou, Fenggang

2016-01-01

A variety of triple antiemetic regimens are being used to prevent cisplatin-based chemotherapy induced delayed emesis and nausea in cancer patients. We performed a network meta-analysis to compare the efficacies of the different regimens. Electronic searches of the PubMed, Cochrane Library and MEDLINE databases were performed to identify randomized controlled trials, and data were analyzed using JAGS, Stata 14.0 and R project. The primary outcome was a complete response (CR). The secondary outcomes were no vomiting (NV) and no nausea (NN). Among the 398 studies identified, 10 were eligible and included, providing data on nine regimens. In the CR analysis, the absolute rank of netupitant + palonosetron + dexamethasone (NEPA) was 0.8579. In the NV and NN analyses, NEPA's absolute ranks were 0.8631 and 0.7902, respectively. The compliance of patients treated with rolapitant + granisetron + dexamethasone (RGD) was the best due to a low incidence of adverse events, and good compliance was also observed with NEPA. It was difficult to achieve good compliance with aprepitant + granisetron + dexamethasone (AGD). Overall, NEPA was the best regimen, and aprepitant + ondansetron + dexamethasone (AOD) is also worthy of recommendation because of its low cost and good effect. For patients with severe constipation, hiccups, asthenia and/or delayed nausea, RGD is worthy of consideration. PMID:27015550

High-k 3D-barium titanate foam/phenolphthalein poly(ether sulfone)/cyanate ester composites with frequency-stable dielectric properties and extremely low dielectric loss under reduced concentration of ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Longhui; Yuan, Li; Guan, Qingbao; Liang, Guozheng; Gu, Aijuan

2018-01-01

Higher dielectric constant, lower dielectric loss and better frequency stability have been the developing trends for high dielectric constant (high-k) materials. Herein, new composites have been developed through building unique structure by using hyperbranched polysiloxane modified 3D-barium titanate foam (BTF) (BTF@HSi) as the functional fillers and phenolphthalein poly(ether sulfone) (cPES)/cyanate ester (CE) blend as the resin matrix. For BTF@HSi/cPES/CE composite with 34.1 vol% BTF, its dielectric constant at 100 Hz is as high as 162 and dielectric loss is only 0.007; moreover, the dielectric properties of BTF@HSi/cPES/CE composites exhibit excellent frequency stability. To reveal the mechanism behind these attractive performances of BTF@HSi/cPES/CE composites, three kinds of composites (BTF/CE, BTF/cPES/CE, BTF@HSi/CE) were prepared, their structure and integrated performances were intensively investigated and compared with those of BTF@HSi/cPES/CE composites. Results show that the surface modification of BTF is good for preparing composites with improved thermal stability; while introducing flexible cPES to CE is beneficial to fabricate composites with good quality through effectively blocking cracks caused by the stress concentration, and then endowing the composites with good dielectric properties at reduced concentration of ceramics.

Do we need animal hands-on courses for transplantation surgery?

PubMed

Golriz, Mohammad; Hafezi, Mohammadreza; Garoussi, Camelia; Fard, Nassim; Arvin, Jalal; Fonouni, Hamidreza; Nickkholgh, Arash; Kulu, Yakob; Frongia, Giovani; Schemmer, Peter; Mehrabi, Arianeb

2013-01-01

Transplantation surgery requires many years of training. This study evaluates and presents the results of our recent four-yr animal hands-on courses of transplantation surgery on participants' training. Since 2008, five two-d hands-on courses of transplantation surgery were performed on swine models at our department. Sixty-one participants were asked to answer three questionnaires (pre-course, immediate post-course, subsequent post-course). The questions pertained to their past education, expectations, and evaluation of our courses, as well as our course's effectiveness in advancing their surgical abilities. The results were analyzed, compared and are presented herein. On average, 1.8 multiorgan procurements, 2.3 kidney, 1.5 liver, and 0.7 pancreas transplantations were performed by each participant. 41.7% of participants considered their previous practical training only satisfactory; 85% hoped for more opportunities to practice surgery; 73.3% evaluated our courses as very good; and 95.8% believed that our courses had fulfilled their expectations. 66% found the effectiveness of our course in advancing their surgical abilities very good; 30% good, and 4% satisfactory. Animal hands-on courses of transplantation surgery are one of the best options to learn and practice different operations and techniques in a near to clinical simulated model. Regular participation in such courses with a focus on practical issues can provide optimal opportunities for trainees with the advantage of direct mentoring and feedback. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Recent Progress Towards Predicting Aircraft Ground Handling Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.; White, E. J.

1981-01-01

The significant progress which has been achieved in development of aircraft ground handling simulation capability is reviewed and additional improvements in software modeling identified. The problem associated with providing necessary simulator input data for adequate modeling of aircraft tire/runway friction behavior is discussed and efforts to improve this complex model, and hence simulator fidelity, are described. Aircraft braking performance data obtained on several wet runway surfaces is compared to ground vehicle friction measurements and, by use of empirically derived methods, good agreement between actual and estimated aircraft braking friction from ground vehilce data is shown. The performance of a relatively new friction measuring device, the friction tester, showed great promise in providing data applicable to aircraft friction performance. Additional research efforts to improve methods of predicting tire friction performance are discussed including use of an instrumented tire test vehicle to expand the tire friction data bank and a study of surface texture measurement techniques.

Assessment of performance and utility of mortality prediction models in a single Indian mixed tertiary intensive care unit.

PubMed

Sathe, Prachee M; Bapat, Sharda N

2014-01-01

To assess the performance and utility of two mortality prediction models viz. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in a single Indian mixed tertiary intensive care unit (ICU). Secondary objectives were bench-marking and setting a base line for research. In this observational cohort, data needed for calculation of both scores were prospectively collected for all consecutive admissions to 28-bedded ICU in the year 2011. After excluding readmissions, discharges within 24 h and age <18 years, the records of 1543 patients were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Both models overpredicted mortality in this cohort [standardized mortality ratio (SMR) 0.88 ± 0.05 and 0.95 ± 0.06 using APACHE II and SAPS II respectively]. Patterns of predicted mortality had strong association with true mortality (R (2) = 0.98 for APACHE II and R (2) = 0.99 for SAPS II). Both models performed poorly in formal Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit testing (Chi-square = 12.8 (P = 0.03) for APACHE II, Chi-square = 26.6 (P = 0.001) for SAPS II) but showed good discrimination (area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.86 ± 0.013 SE (P < 0.001) and 0.83 ± 0.013 SE (P < 0.001) for APACHE II and SAPS II, respectively). There were wide variations in SMRs calculated for subgroups based on International Classification of Disease, 10(th) edition (standard deviation ± 0.27 for APACHE II and 0.30 for SAPS II). Lack of fit of data to the models and wide variation in SMRs in subgroups put a limitation on utility of these models as tools for assessing quality of care and comparing performances of different units without customization. Considering comparable performance and simplicity of use, efforts should be made to adapt SAPS II.

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.

The P-Mesh: A Commodity-based Scalable Network Architecture for Clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nitzberg, Bill; Kuszmaul, Chris; Stockdale, Ian; Becker, Jeff; Jiang, John; Wong, Parkson; Tweten, David (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

We designed a new network architecture, the P-Mesh which combines the scalability and fault resilience of a torus with the performance of a switch. We compare the scalability, performance, and cost of the hub, switch, torus, tree, and P-Mesh architectures. The latter three are capable of scaling to thousands of nodes, however, the torus has severe performance limitations with that many processors. The tree and P-Mesh have similar latency, bandwidth, and bisection bandwidth, but the P-Mesh outperforms the switch architecture (a lower bound for tree performance) on 16-node NAB Parallel Benchmark tests by up to 23%, and costs 40% less. Further, the P-Mesh has better fault resilience characteristics. The P-Mesh architecture trades increased management overhead for lower cost, and is a good bridging technology while the price of tree uplinks is expensive.

Utilization of alternative fuels in diesel engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lestz, S. A.

1984-01-01

Performance and emission data are collected for various candidate alternate fuels and compare these data to that for a certified petroleum based number two Diesel fuel oil. Results for methanol, ethanol, four vegetable oils, two shale derived oils, and two coal derived oils are reported. Alcohol fumigation does not appear to be a practical method for utilizing low combustion quality fuels in a Diesel engine. Alcohol fumigation enhances the bioactivity of the emitted exhaust particles. While it is possible to inject many synthetic fuels using the engine stock injection system, wholly acceptable performance is only obtained from a fuel whose specifications closely approach those of a finished petroleum based Diesel oil. This is illustrated by the contrast between the poor performance of the unupgraded coal derived fuel blends and the very good performance of the fully refined shale derived fuel.

Supplemental Screening for Breast Cancer in Women With Dense Breasts: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

PubMed

Melnikow, Joy; Fenton, Joshua J; Whitlock, Evelyn P; Miglioretti, Diana L; Weyrich, Meghan S; Thompson, Jamie H; Shah, Kunal

2016-02-16

Screening mammography has lower sensitivity and specificity in women with dense breasts, who experience higher breast cancer risk. To perform a systematic review of reproducibility of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) density categorization and test performance and clinical outcomes of supplemental screening with breast ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in women with dense breasts and negative mammography results. MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane database from January 2000 to July 2015. Studies reporting BI-RADS density reproducibility or supplemental screening results for women with dense breasts. Quality assessment and abstraction of 24 studies from 7 countries; 6 studies were good-quality. Three good-quality studies reported reproducibility of BI-RADS density; 13% to 19% of women were recategorized between "dense" and "nondense" at subsequent screening. Two good-quality studies reported that sensitivity of ultrasonography for women with negative mammography results ranged from 80% to 83%; specificity, from 86% to 94%; and positive predictive value (PPV), from 3% to 8%. The sensitivity of MRI ranged from 75% to 100%; specificity, from 78% to 94%; and PPV, from 3% to 33% (3 studies). Rates of additional cancer detection with ultrasonography were 4.4 per 1000 examinations (89% to 93% invasive); recall rates were 14%. Use of MRI detected 3.5 to 28.6 additional cancer cases per 1000 examinations (34% to 86% invasive); recall rates were 12% to 24%. Rates of cancer detection with DBT increased by 1.4 to 2.5 per 1000 examinations compared with mammography alone (3 studies). Recall rates ranged from 7% to 11%, compared with 7% to 17% with mammography alone. No studies examined breast cancer outcomes. Good-quality evidence was sparse. Studies were small and CIs were wide. Definitions of recall were absent or inconsistent. Density ratings may be recategorized on serial screening mammography. Supplemental screening of women with dense breasts finds additional breast cancer but increases false-positive results. Use of DBT may reduce recall rates. Effects of supplemental screening on breast cancer outcomes remain unclear. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Porous Carbon-Hosted Atomically Dispersed Iron-Nitrogen Moiety as Enhanced Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in a Wide Range of pH

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

Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Su, Dong

As one of the alternatives to replace precious metal catalysts, transition-metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) electrocatalysts have attracted great research interest due to their low cost and good catalytic activities. Despite nanostructured M–N–C catalysts can achieve good electrochemical perfor-mances, they are vulnerable to aggregation and insufficient catalytic sites upon continuous catalytic reaction. In this work, metal–organic frameworks derived porous single-atom electrocatalysts (SAEs) were successfully prepared by simple pyrolysis procedure without any further posttreatment. Combining the X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and electrochemical measure-ments, the SAEs have been identified with superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and stability compared with Pt/C catalysts in alkaline condition.more » More impressively, the SAEs also show excellent ORR electrocatalytic perfor-mance in both acid and neutral media. This study of nonprecious catalysts provides new insights on nanoengineering catalytically active sites and porous structures for nonprecious metal ORR catalysis in a wide range of pH.« less

Development and application of stir bar sorptive extraction with polyurethane foams for the determination of testosterone and methenolone in urine matrices.

PubMed

Sequeiros, R C P; Neng, N R; Portugal, F C M; Pinto, M L; Pires, J; Nogueira, J M F

2011-04-01

This work describes the development, validation, and application of a novel methodology for the determination of testosterone and methenolone in urine matrices by stir bar sorptive extraction using polyurethane foams [SBSE(PU)] followed by liquid desorption and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The methodology was optimized in terms of extraction time, agitation speed, pH, ionic strength and organic modifier, as well as back-extraction solvent and desorption time. Under optimized experimental conditions, convenient accuracy were achieved with average recoveries of 49.7 8.6% for testosterone and 54.2 ± 4.7% for methenolone. Additionally, the methodology showed good precision (<9%), excellent linear dynamic ranges (>0.9963) and convenient detection limits (0.2-0.3 μg/L). When comparing the efficiency obtained by SBSE(PU) and with the conventional polydimethylsiloxane phase [SBSE(PDMS)], yields up to four-fold higher are attained for the former, under the same experimental conditions. The application of the proposed methodology for the analysis of testosterone and methenolone in urine matrices showed negligible matrix effects and good analytical performance.

A test of the adhesion approximation for gravitational clustering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melott, Adrian L.; Shandarin, Sergei; Weinberg, David H.

1993-01-01

We quantitatively compare a particle implementation of the adhesion approximation to fully non-linear, numerical 'N-body' simulations. Our primary tool, cross-correlation of N-body simulations with the adhesion approximation, indicates good agreement, better than that found by the same test performed with the Zel-dovich approximation (hereafter ZA). However, the cross-correlation is not as good as that of the truncated Zel-dovich approximation (TZA), obtained by applying the Zel'dovich approximation after smoothing the initial density field with a Gaussian filter. We confirm that the adhesion approximation produces an excessively filamentary distribution. Relative to the N-body results, we also find that: (a) the power spectrum obtained from the adhesion approximation is more accurate than that from ZA or TZA, (b) the error in the phase angle of Fourier components is worse than that from TZA, and (c) the mass distribution function is more accurate than that from ZA or TZA. It appears that adhesion performs well statistically, but that TZA is more accurate dynamically, in the sense of moving mass to the right place.

A test of the adhesion approximation for gravitational clustering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melott, Adrian L.; Shandarin, Sergei F.; Weinberg, David H.

1994-01-01

We quantitatively compare a particle implementation of the adhesion approximation to fully nonlinear, numerical 'N-body' simulations. Our primary tool, cross-correlation of N-body simulations with the adhesion approximation, indicates good agreement, better than that found by the same test performed with the Zel'dovich approximation (hereafter ZA). However, the cross-correlation is not as good as that of the truncated Zel'dovich approximation (TZA), obtained by applying the Zel'dovich approximation after smoothing the initial density field with a Gaussian filter. We confirm that the adhesion approximation produces an excessively filamentary distribution. Relative to the N-body results, we also find that: (a) the power spectrum obtained from the adhesion approximation is more accurate that that from ZA to TZA, (b) the error in the phase angle of Fourier components is worse that that from TZA, and (c) the mass distribution function is more accurate than that from ZA or TZA. It appears that adhesion performs well statistically, but that TZA is more accurate dynamically, in the sense of moving mass to the right place.

Electrochemical properties of lithium iron phosphate cathode material using polymer electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jae-Kwang; Choi, Jae-Won; Cheruvally, Gouri; Shin, Yong-Jo; Ahn, Jou-Hyeon; Cho, Kwon-Koo; Ahn, Hyo-Jun; Kim, Ki-Won

2007-12-01

Carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4/C) cathode material was synthesized by mechano-chemical activation method. The performance of LiFePO4/C in lithium battery was tested with an electrospun polymer-based electrolyte. Liquid electrolyte of 1M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) in ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate (EC/DMC) (1 : 1vol) was incorporated in electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-HFP)) microfibrous membrane to prepare the polymer electrolyte (PE). The cell based on Li|PE|Li FePO4/C exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 142 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C-rate at room temperature. Good cycling performance even under the high current density of 2 C could be obtained. Impedance spectroscopy was applied to investigate the material behavior during 0.1 C-rate charge-discharge cycling. When the fresh cell and the cell after different cycles were compared, impedance resistance was found to decrease with cycling. Impedance study indicated good cycle life for the cell when tested at room temperature.

Performance and durability of concrete made with demolition waste and artificial fly ash-clay aggregates

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

Zakaria, M.; Cabrera, J.G.

1996-12-31

Demolition aggregates and artificial aggregates made with waste materials are two alternatives being studied for replacement of natural aggregates in the production of concrete. Natural aggregate sources in Europe are increasingly scarce and subject to restrictions based on environmental regulations. In many areas of the developing world sources of good quality aggregates are very limited or practically not available and therefore it has become necessary to study alternative materials. This paper presents a laboratory study on the use of demolition bricks and artificial aggregates made from fly ash-clay as coarse aggregates to make concrete. The concretes made either with demolitionmore » bricks or artificial aggregates are compared with a control mix made with natural gravel aggregates. The strength and durability characteristics of these concretes are evaluated using as a criteria compressive strength and transport properties, such as gas and water permeability. The results show clearly that concretes of good performance and durability can be produced using aggregates from demolition rubble or using artificial aggregates made with wastes such as fly ash.« less

Smart textile for respiratory monitoring and thoraco-abdominal motion pattern evaluation.

PubMed

Massaroni, Carlo; Venanzi, Cecilia; Silvatti, Amanda P; Lo Presti, Daniela; Saccomandi, Paola; Formica, Domenico; Giurazza, Francesco; Caponero, Michele A; Schena, Emiliano

2018-05-01

The use of wearable systems for monitoring vital parameters has gained wide popularity in several medical fields. The focus of the present study is the experimental assessment of a smart textile based on 12 fiber Bragg grating sensors for breathing monitoring and thoraco-abdominal motion pattern analysis. The feasibility of the smart textile for monitoring several temporal respiratory parameters (ie, breath-by-breath respiratory period, breathing frequency, duration of inspiratory and expiratory phases), volume variations of the whole chest wall and of its compartments is performed on 8 healthy male volunteers. Values gathered by the textile are compared to the data obtained by a motion analysis system, used as the reference instrument. Good agreement between the 2 systems on both respiratory period (bias of 0.01 seconds), breathing frequency (bias of -0.02 breaths/min) and tidal volume (bias of 0.09 L) values is demonstrated. Smart textile shows good performance in the monitoring of thoraco-abdominal pattern and its variation, as well. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Residual symptoms after surgery for unilateral congenital superior oblique palsy.

PubMed

Caca, Ihsan; Sahin, Alparslan; Cingu, Abdullah; Ari, Seyhmus; Akbas, Umut

2012-01-01

To establish the surgical results and residual symptoms in 48 cases with unilateral congenital superior oblique muscle palsy that had surgical intervention to the vertical muscles alone. Myectomy and concomitant disinsertion of the inferior oblique (IO) muscle was performed in 38 cases and myectomy and concomitant IO disinsertion and recession of the superior rectus muscle in the ipsilateral eye was performed in 10 cases. The preoperative and postoperative vertical deviation values and surgical results were compared. Of the patients who had myectomy and concomitant IO disinsertion, 74% achieved an "excellent" result, 21% a "good" result, and 5% a "poor" result postoperatively. The difference in deviation between preoperative and postoperative values was statistically significant (P < .001). Of the patients who had myectomy and concomitant inferior oblique disinsertion and ipsilateral superior rectus recession, 50% achieved an "excellent" result, 20% a "good" result, and 30% a "poor" result postoperatively. The difference in deviation between preoperative and postoperative values was statistically significant (P < .001). Both procedures are effective and successful in patients with superior oblique muscle palsy, but a secondary surgery may be required. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Porous Carbon-Hosted Atomically Dispersed Iron–Nitrogen Moiety as Enhanced Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in a Wide Range of pH

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

Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Su, Dong

2018-02-01

As one of the alternatives to replace precious metal catalysts, transition-metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) electrocatalysts have attracted great research interest due to their low cost and good catalytic activities. Despite nanostructured M–N–C catalysts can achieve good electrochemical perfor-mances, they are vulnerable to aggregation and insufficient catalytic sites upon continuous catalytic reaction. In this work, metal–organic frameworks derived porous single-atom electrocatalysts (SAEs) were successfully prepared by simple pyrolysis procedure without any further posttreatment. Combining the X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy and electrochemical measure-ments, the SAEs have been identified with superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and stability compared with Pt/C catalysts in alkaline condition.more » More impressively, the SAEs also show excellent ORR electrocatalytic perfor-mance in both acid and neutral media. This study of nonprecious catalysts provides new insights on nanoengineering catalytically active sites and porous structures for nonprecious metal ORR catalysis in a wide range of pH.« less

Understanding low temperature oxidation activity of nanoarray-based monolithic catalysts: from performance observation to structural and chemical insights

DOE PAGES

Du, Shoucheng; Tang, Wenxiang; Guo, Yanbing; ...

2016-12-30

Monolithic catalysts have been widely used in automotive, chemical, and energy relevant industries. Nano-array based monolithic catalysts have been developed, demonstrating high catalyst utilization efficiency and good thermal/mechanical robustness. Compared with the conventional wash-coat based monolithic catalysts, they have shown advances in precise and optimum microstructure control and feasibility in correlating materials structure with properties. Recently, the nano-array based monolithic catalysts have been studied for low temperature oxidation of automotive engine exhaust and exhibited interesting and promising catalytic activities. Here, this review focuses on discussing the key catalyst structural parameters that affect the catalytic performance from the following aspects, (1)more » geometric shape and crystal planes, (2) guest atom doping and defects, (3) array size and size-assisted active species loading, and (4) the synergy effect of metal oxide in composite nano-arrays. Prior to the discussion, an overview of the current status of synthesis and development of the nano-array based monolithic catalysts is introduced. The performance of these materials in low temperature simulated engine exhaust oxidation is also demonstrated. Finally, we hope this review will elucidate the science and chemistry behind the good oxidation performance of the nanoarray- based monolithic catalysts, and serve as a timely and useful research guide for rational design and further improvement of the nano-array based monolithic catalysts for automobile emission control.« less

Understanding low temperature oxidation activity of nanoarray-based monolithic catalysts: from performance observation to structural and chemical insights

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

Du, Shoucheng; Tang, Wenxiang; Guo, Yanbing

Monolithic catalysts have been widely used in automotive, chemical, and energy relevant industries. Nano-array based monolithic catalysts have been developed, demonstrating high catalyst utilization efficiency and good thermal/mechanical robustness. Compared with the conventional wash-coat based monolithic catalysts, they have shown advances in precise and optimum microstructure control and feasibility in correlating materials structure with properties. Recently, the nano-array based monolithic catalysts have been studied for low temperature oxidation of automotive engine exhaust and exhibited interesting and promising catalytic activities. Here, this review focuses on discussing the key catalyst structural parameters that affect the catalytic performance from the following aspects, (1)more » geometric shape and crystal planes, (2) guest atom doping and defects, (3) array size and size-assisted active species loading, and (4) the synergy effect of metal oxide in composite nano-arrays. Prior to the discussion, an overview of the current status of synthesis and development of the nano-array based monolithic catalysts is introduced. The performance of these materials in low temperature simulated engine exhaust oxidation is also demonstrated. Finally, we hope this review will elucidate the science and chemistry behind the good oxidation performance of the nanoarray- based monolithic catalysts, and serve as a timely and useful research guide for rational design and further improvement of the nano-array based monolithic catalysts for automobile emission control.« less

Aluminum nitride coatings using response surface methodology to optimize the thermal dissipated performance of light-emitting diode modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, Ming-Der; Lei, Peng-Da; Kong, Ling-Hua; Liu, Cheng-Wu

2018-05-01

This study optimizes the thermal dissipation ability of aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics to increase the thermal performance of light-emitting diode (LED) modulus. AlN powders are deposited on heat sink as a heat interface material, using an electrostatic spraying process. The junction temperature of the heat sink is developed by response surface methodology based on Taguchi methods. In addition, the structure and properties of the AlN coating are examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the XPS analysis, the AlN sub-peaks are observed at 72.79 eV for Al2p and 398.88 eV for N1s, and an N1s sub-peak is assigned to N-O at 398.60eV and Al-N bonding at 395.95eV, which allows good thermal properties. The results have shown that the use of AlN ceramic material on a heat sink can enhance the thermal performance of LED modules. In addition, the percentage error between the predicted and experimental results compared the quadric model with between the linear and he interaction models was found to be within 7.89%, indicating that it was a good predictor. Accordingly, RSM can effectively enhance the thermal performance of an LED, and the beneficial heat dissipation effects for AlN are improved by electrostatic spraying.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery: a New Zealand experience.

PubMed

Bloomfield, Ian; Van Dalen, Roelof; Lolohea, Simione; Wu, Linus

2018-06-01

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEMS) is a proven alternative therapy to either radical surgery or endoscopic mucosal resection for rectal neoplasms. It has proven benefits with lower morbidity and mortality compared with total mesorectal excision, and a lower local recurrence rate when compared to endoscopic mucosal techniques. A retrospective data collection of TEMS procedures performed through Waikato District Health Board, New Zealand, from 2010 to 2015 was conducted. Supportive follow-up data were sourced from patient records and from local centres around New Zealand. A total of 137 procedures were performed over the study period, with five being repeat procedures. Procedures were mostly performed for benign lesions (66.4%) with an overall complication rate of 15.3%, only five of which were Clavien-Dindo grade III (3.6%). Our local recurrence rate after resection of benign lesions was 5.1%. Our data set demonstrates the TEMS procedure to be safe compared to radical resection (total mesorectal excision) for sessile rectal lesions. Close endoscopic follow-up is recommended, especially for close or incomplete margins. Good therapeutic results can be obtained for appropriately selected early malignant lesions. TEMS provides better oncological results than endoscopic mucosal resection or transanal excision. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

The effect of short-term alcohol restriction on risk of alcohol-related injury: A state wide population-based study.

PubMed

Liang, Wenbin; Gilmore, William; Chikritzhs, Tanya

2016-02-01

Alcohol consumption and related harms are largely determined by both demand and supply of alcohol. Across Western Australia, under state licensing laws, there are state-wide alcohol sales restrictions imposed on Good Friday and Christmas Day each year. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Good Friday and Christmas Day state-wide alcohol restrictions on the risk of alcohol-related injuries presenting at emergency departments. This is a population-based cohort study using ED injury presentation data for the period 1st January 2002 to 1st January 2015. Risk of injury during the alcohol-related time of day affected by the alcohol restrictions (intervention periods, including Good Friday and Christmas Day) were compared to the same time of day over a number of control days. Multivariable Poisson regression model was used to perform the analysis. The crude injury risk was considerably lower during the alcohol restriction periods compared to control periods in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. The protective effect observed on the days of the alcohol restrictions remained significant, and largely unchanged, when potential confounding effects were controlled for. The significant reduction in alcohol-related injury presentations observed for public holiday periods with alcohol restrictions were likely caused by the alcohol restriction policy and its direct effect on alcohol supply. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Psychometric Validation of the Korean Version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE-K) in Dementia.

PubMed

Park, Myonghwa; Kyung Kim, Sun; Jeong, Miri; Lee, Song Ja; Kim, Seon Hwa; Kim, Jinha; Lee, Dong Young

2018-04-10

The prevalence of dementia has increased rapidly with an aging Korean population. Compared to those without dementia, individuals with dementia have more and complex needs. In this study, the Korean version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE-K) was evaluated to determine its suitability for individuals with dementia in Korea. The CANE-K was developed following linguistic validation. The reliability of the measurement was examined with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The factor structure and construct validity were evaluated by performing exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Pearson's correlation coefficients with related measures were used to ensure concurrent validity. Four factors extracted with EFA and CFA validated the model structure (X 2 = 367.25, p = .000, goodness of fit index = .84, adjusted goodness of fit index = .80, root mean square error of approximation = .07, and comparative fit index = .83). Items on the CANE-K loaded on the four factors in a range between .40 and .80. The output of Pearson's correlation coefficient with cognitive impairment, behavioral problems, activities of daily living and caregiver burden showed acceptable concurrent validity. The CANE-K showed a reasonable degree of reliability and validity. Therefore, it has good potential to appropriately measure the needs and unmet needs of those with dementia. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Do disk drives dream of buffer cache hits?

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

Holt, A.

1994-12-31

G.E. Moore, in his book Principia Ethica, examines the popular view of ethics that deals with {open_quotes}what we ought to do{close_quotes} as well as using ethics to cover the general inquiry: {open_quotes}what is good?{close_quotes} This paper utilises Moore`s view of Ethics to examine computer systems performance. Moore asserts that {open_quotes}good{close_quotes} in itself is indefinable. It is argued in this report that, although we describe computer systems as good (or bad) a computer system cannot be good in itself, rather a means to good! In terms of {open_quotes}what we ought to do{close_quotes} this paper looks at what actions (would) bring aboutmore » good computer system performance according to computer science and engineering literature. In particular we look at duties, responsibilities and {open_quotes}to do what is right{close_quotes} in terms of system administration, design and usage. We further argue that in order to first make ethical observations with respect computer system performance and then apply them, requires technical knowledge which is typically limited to industry specialists and experts.« less

Numerical Study of Aeroacoustic Sound on Performance of Bladeless Fan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jafari, Mohammad; Sojoudi, Atta; Hafezisefat, Parinaz

2017-03-01

Aeroacoustic performance of fans is essential due to their widespread application. Therefore, the original aim of this paper is to evaluate the generated noise owing to different geometric parameters. In current study, effect of five geometric parameters was investigated on well performance of a Bladeless fan. Airflow through this fan was analyzed simulating a Bladeless fan within a 2 m×2 m×4 m room. Analysis of the flow field inside the fan and evaluating its performance were obtained by solving conservations of mass and momentum equations for aerodynamic investigations and FW-H noise equations for aeroacoustic analysis. In order to design Bladeless fan Eppler 473 airfoil profile was used as the cross section of this fan. Five distinct parameters, namely height of cross section of the fan, outlet angle of the flow relative to the fan axis, thickness of airflow outlet slit, hydraulic diameter and aspect ratio for circular and quadratic cross sections were considered. Validating acoustic code results, we compared numerical solution of FW-H noise equations for NACA0012 with experimental results. FW-H model was selected to predict the noise generated by the Bladeless fan as the numerical results indicated a good agreement with experimental ones for NACA0012. To validate 3-D numerical results, the experimental results of a round jet showed good agreement with those simulation data. In order to indicate the effect of each mentioned parameter on the fan performance, SPL and OASPL diagrams were illustrated.

Determination of plasma pinch time and effective current radius of double planar wire array implosions from current measurements on a 1-MA linear transformer driver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steiner, Adam M.; Yager-Elorriaga, David A.; Patel, Sonal G.; Jordan, Nicholas M.; Gilgenbach, Ronald M.; Safronova, Alla S.; Kantsyrev, Victor L.; Shlyaptseva, Veronica V.; Shrestha, Ishor; Schmidt-Petersen, Maximillian T.

2016-10-01

Implosions of planar wire arrays were performed on the Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-pinch Experiments, a linear transformer driver (LTD) at the University of Michigan. These experiments were characterized by lower than expected peak currents and significantly longer risetimes compared to studies performed on higher impedance machines. A circuit analysis showed that the load inductance has a significant impact on the current output due to the comparatively low impedance of the driver; the long risetimes were also attributed to high variability in LTD switch closing times. A circuit model accounting for these effects was employed to measure changes in load inductance as a function of time to determine plasma pinch timing and calculate a minimum effective current-carrying radius. These calculations showed good agreement with available shadowgraphy and x-ray diode measurements.

Validation of pore network simulations of ex-situ water distributions in a gas diffusion layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cells with X-ray tomographic images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agaesse, Tristan; Lamibrac, Adrien; Büchi, Felix N.; Pauchet, Joel; Prat, Marc

2016-11-01

Understanding and modeling two-phase flows in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) of proton exchange membrane fuel cells are important in order to improve fuel cells performance. They are scientifically challenging because of the peculiarities of GDLs microstructures. In the present work, simulations on a pore network model are compared to X-ray tomographic images of water distributions during an ex-situ water invasion experiment. A method based on watershed segmentation was developed to extract a pore network from the 3D segmented image of the dry GDL. Pore network modeling and a full morphology model were then used to perform two-phase simulations and compared to the experimental data. The results show good agreement between experimental and simulated microscopic water distributions. Pore network extraction parameters were also benchmarked using the experimental data and results from full morphology simulations.

Numerical comparison of grid pattern diffraction effects through measurement and modeling with OptiScan software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Ian B.; Densmore, Victor; Bora, Vaibhav; Pieratt, Matthew W.; Hibbard, Douglas L.; Milster, Tom D.

2011-06-01

Coatings of various metalized patterns are used for heating and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications. Previous work has focused on macro differences between different types of grids, and has shown good correlation between measurements and analyses of grid diffraction. To advance this work, we have utilized the University of Arizona's OptiScan software, which has been optimized for this application by using the Babinet Principle. When operating on an appropriate computer system, this algorithm produces results hundreds of times faster than standard Fourier-based methods, and allows realistic cases to be modeled for the first time. By using previously published derivations by Exotic Electro-Optics, we compare diffraction performance of repeating and randomized grid patterns with equivalent sheet resistance using numerical performance metrics. Grid patterns of each type are printed on optical substrates and measured energy is compared against modeled energy.

Dielectric properties of inorganic fillers filled epoxy thin film

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

Norshamira, A., E-mail: myra.arshad@gmail.com; Mariatti, M., E-mail: mariatti@usm.my

2015-07-22

The demand on the small size and high performance electronics has driven changes in the electronic packaging requirements from discrete capacitor to embedded capacitor. Embedded capacitor can improve electrical performance compared with discrete capacitor. This study aimed to achieve high dielectric of epoxy thin film composite that were targeted for application as embedded capacitor. In this study, inorganic fillers such as Calcium Copper Titanate (CCTO), Iron(III) Oxide (Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and Titanium Dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) were loaded in epoxy system at 5 and 20vol%. Morphology and dielectric properties were investigated to identify the effect of fillers loading and types ofmore » fillers on the properties of epoxy thin film composite. Based on the study, CCTO with 20vol% loading was found to have good dielectric properties compared to other type of fillers.« less

Performance of two Aspergillus IgG EIA assays compared with the precipitin test in chronic and allergic aspergillosis.

PubMed

Baxter, C G; Denning, D W; Jones, A M; Todd, A; Moore, C B; Richardson, M D

2013-04-01

Detection of Aspergillus IgG antibodies is important in the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Immunoprecipitation techniques to detect these antibodies appear to lack sensitivity and accurate quantitation compared with enzyme immunoassays (EIA). This study assessed the performance of two commercial EIAs compared with counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). This was a prospective cohort study of 175 adult patients with chronic or allergic pulmonary aspergillosis. Aspergillus IgG antibodies were detected using CIE, Phadia ImmunoCap Aspergillus IgG and Bio-Rad Platelia Aspergillus IgG. Inter-assay reproducibility was determined for each method and 25 patients had two serum samples analysed within a 6-month interval. When compared with CIE, both ImmunoCap and Platelia Aspergillus IgG had good sensitivity (97 and 93%, respectively) for detection of Aspergillus IgG antibodies. The level of agreement between the two EIAs for positive results was good, but the concentration of antibodies was not correlated between the tests or with CIE titre. ImmunoCap IgG inter-assay coefficient of variation was 5%, whereas Platelia IgG was 33%. Median ImmunoCap IgG values for CPA and allergic aspergillosis were 95 and 32 mg/L, respectively, whereas Platelia IgG values were >80 and 6 AU/mL. The direction of CIE titre change over 6 months was mirrored by ImmunoCap IgG levels in 92% of patients, and by Platelia IgG in 72% of patients. Both ImmunoCap and Platelia Aspergillus IgG EIAs are sensitive measures of Aspergillus IgG antibodies compared with CIE. However, ImmunoCap appears to have better reproducibility and may be more suitable for monitoring patient disease. © 2012 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2012 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Development and Relative Validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Intakes of Total and Free Sugars in Australian Toddlers.

PubMed

Devenish, Gemma; Mukhtar, Aqif; Begley, Andrea; Do, Loc; Scott, Jane

2017-11-08

Background : Dental research into early childhood caries is hindered by a lack of suitable dietary assessment tools that have been developed and validated for the population and outcomes of interest. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the relative validity and reproducibility of the Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events Food Frequency Questionnaire (SMILE-FFQ), to assess the total and free sugars intakes of Australian toddlers. Methods : The SMILE-FFQ was designed to capture the leading dietary contributors to dental caries risk in toddlers aged 18-30 months via a proxy report. Ninety-five parents of Australian toddlers completed the questionnaire online before and after providing three 24-h recalls (24HR), collected on non-consecutive days using the multipass method. Total and free sugars were compared between the two SMILE-FFQ administrations and between each SMILE-FFQ and the 24HR using multiple statistical tests and standardised validity criteria. Correlation (Pearson), mean difference (Wilcoxon rank test) and Bland Altman analyses were conducted to compare absolute values, with cross-classification (Chi-Square and Weighted Kappa) used to compare agreement across tertiles. Results : All reproducibility tests showed good agreement except weighted kappa, which showed acceptable agreement. Relative validity tests revealed a mix of good and acceptable agreement, with total sugars performing better at the individual level than free sugars. Compared to the 24HR, the SMILE-FFQ tended to underestimate absolute values at lower levels and overestimate them at higher levels. Conclusions : The combined findings of the various tests indicate that the SMILE-FFQ performs comparably to the 24HR for assessing both total and free sugars among individuals, is most effective for ranking participants rather than determining absolute intakes, and is therefore suitable for use in observational studies of Australian toddlers.

Advanced Cast Aluminum Alloys

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

This production route has demonstrated that aluminum alloys with yield strengths in excess of 690 MPa with good elongation (reportedly 8%) are...series of aluminum alloys have poor-to-fair general corrosion resistance and poor-to-good stress corrosion cracking resistance. Wrought 2519...aluminum alloy has good strength, good ballistic performance, good stress corrosion cracking resistance but only fair general corrosion resistance